Fertility dropped sharply across several countries following the widespread adoption of the devices, the outlet said Smartphones and weaker face-to-face relationships could be contributing to plunging birth rates worldwide, particularly among young people, as global fertility is declining at a record pace, the Financial Times has reported, citing researchers and demographic data. An analysis spanning population records and Google search data found that birth rates declined sharply across multiple countries following the widespread adoption of smartphones, regardless of earlier demographic trends, the outlet wrote on Saturday. The FT cited Jesus Fernandez-Villaverde, an economics professor at the University of Pennsylvania and a researcher on demographic change, who described falling fertility as “the big question of our time.” He argued that many of today’s economic and social problems ...
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Tensions continue to rise in the Middle East as negotiations remain deadlocked Tehran could respond militarily to US naval forces enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports, a senior Iranian official has said, warning that the Gulf of Oman could become a “graveyard” for American warships. Speaking on Iranian state television on Sunday, Mohsen Rezaei, who serves on a senior advisory body to Supreme Leader Mojtaba Khamenei, said Iran’s patience with the ongoing maritime restrictions was running out after weeks of disrupted shipping activity. “The longer they continue the naval blockade of Iran, the greater the damage to the world economy will be,” Rezaei stated. “We advise the US military to lift the siege before the Gulf of Oman turns into their graveyard.” Rezaei, a former commander of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), argued that Tehran would be justifie...
“There won’t be anything left” of the country if it doesn’t agree to American demands, the US president has threatened US President Donald Trump has threatened Iran with a new attack if Tehran doesn’t agree to make swift concessions to Washington. Indirect talks between the sides have remained stalled since a fragile ceasefire was established in early April after a month of hostilities initiated by the US and Israel. Both Washington and Tehran have repeatedly dismissed each other’s demands, with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi earlier this week singling out the Trump administration’s “maximalist approach” and provocative rhetoric as main obstacles to reaching a deal. Meanwhile, disruptions continue in the Strait of Hormuz, which has heavily affected global shipping and sent oil prices soaring. While Tehran has announced its own mechanism to regulate maritime traffic t...
The Houston-based center will also sack five doctors who provided gender-affirming treatments to youth, the Texas Attorney General has said Texas Children’s Hospital (TCH) will become the first American medical institution to open a clinic for adolescents seeking to reverse gender-related medical treatments, the US Department of Justice said. The move comes as part of a settlement of a years-long probe by the DOJ and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton into America’s largest children’s hospital over its alleged false billings to secure insurance coverage for pediatric gender-affirming treatments. The Justice Department said in a statement on Friday that Texas Children’s agreed not to offer sex change services, inducing administration of puberty blockers and cross-sex hormones, to minors anymore. The Houston-based center will also pay over $10 million in damages and “dedicate mi...
The report comes amid mounting American war costs, depleted missile stockpiles and a reluctance among allies to get involved Some US officials are encouraging the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to seize one of Iran’s islands in the Persian Gulf, The Telegraph has reported, citing sources. The island in question is Lavan, one of Iran’s key offshore oil export centers, which hosts refinery, storage and tanker-loading infrastructure connected to several major crude fields. It also sits atop a large natural gas reserve. Some in the circle of US President Donald Trump have suggested the UAE should take the island, the outlet wrote on Saturday. “Go take ‘em! It would be UAE boots on the ground instead of US,” it cited a former senior Trump security official as saying. The reported proposal reflects broader pressure in Washington to reduce direct American military exposure as the war ...
The strike killed at least seven people, leaving more than 50 others injured according to emergency services in Gaza Israel carried out strikes in Gaza targeting Hamas’ top military commander, Izz al-Din al-Haddad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Israel Katz said in a joint statement. It marked the first attack on a senior official of the militant group since a US-backed deal in October intended to halt fighting in the Palestinian enclave. The strikes on Friday killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50 others, who were taken to Al-Shifa Hospital, Gaza emergency services said. Neither side confirmed whether the Hamas leader was killed or wounded in the attack. In a joint statement on Friday, Netanyahu and Katz said al-Haddad was among the “architects” of the Hamas-led October 7, 2023 attack and accused him of involvement in holding hostages taken during ...