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NASA’s planet-hunting mission TESS has found its first potentially habitable exoplanet the size of Earth orbiting a star about 100 light-years from Earth, according to the agency. The findings were announced during the 235th meeting of the American Astronomical Society on Monday in Honolulu. The planet is part of a …

Crude oil futures topped $70 per barrel in early trading Monday amid rising tensions in Iraq and Iran following the killing of a top Iranian military commander in Baghdad. Benchmark Brent crude futures reached $70.72 early in Monday’s session, up 1.28 percent, before falling back below the $70 mark to …

An announcement that will take certain e-cigarette flavors off the US market is coming soon, President Donald Trump told reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Tuesday. “We’re going to protect our families, we’re going to protect our children and we’re going to protect the industry,” Trump said, adding some products could “very …

Jeff Bezos is still the richest person in the world, even after losing $10 billion in one year. The Amazon founder held onto the top spot in the final day of the 2019 Bloomberg Billionaire Index with an estimated net worth of $115 billion. He’s trailed closely by Microsoft founder …

India has approved its third lunar mission months after its last one failed to successfully land on the moon, its space agency said on Wednesday, the latest effort in its ambitions to become a low-cost space power. The Chandrayaan-3 mission will have a lander and a rover, but not an …

Last season, the title race in the English Premier League went down to the final day, with Manchester City edging Liverpool by one point. But is the title race this season over already — and this time in Liverpool’s favor — while things are much closer in the three other …

A well known Moroccan YouTuber has been jailed for four years and fined about $4,000 (£3,000) after being found guilty of insulting the country’s king. Mohamed Sekkaki was arrested earlier this month after criticizing King Mohammed’s speeches and for calling Moroccans donkeys. He plans to appeal against the verdict. Separately, …

It has been a big year for Arabic fiction in English translation. Two Arabic books were longlisted for the 2019 Man Booker International, with the prize going to Omani writer Jokha al-Harthi’s brilliant Celestial Bodies in Marilyn Booth’s inspired translation. Several other Arabic novels have been recognized by prizes and …

More than three in five shoppers say they intend to spend less, with “fast fashion” hit the hardest Environmental concerns are expected to see retailers take a £200m hit as consumers spend less than usual in the post-Christmas sales. A survey by Barclaycard found that 62% of shoppers intend to …

The governor of the central bank of Lebanon, officially known as Banque du Liban, says efforts are underway to tackle the worsening financial crisis that has caused several businesses to close and many people to lose their jobs amid growing fears about the country’s economic future. “We are solving the …

U.S. shoppers spent more online during this year’s holiday shopping season, a report by Mastercard Inc showed on Wednesday, with e-commerce sales hitting a record high. The holiday shopping season is a crucial period for retailers and can account for up to 40% of annual sales. But this year, Thanksgiving, …

Diabetes medications and blood-test supplies are sold, traded and donated on black markets because the U.S. healthcare system isn’t meeting patients’ needs, a study shows. In a survey, about half of the people who participated in these underground exchanges said they do it because they lack access to the proper …

China is in close touch with the United States on signing a Phase 1 trade deal, the country’s commerce ministry said on Thursday, adding that both sides are still going through necessary procedures before the signing. Gao Feng, a commerce ministry spokesman, made the comments to reporters at a regular …

The number of babies born in Japan fell an estimated 5.9% this year to fewer than 900,000 for the first time since the government started compiling data in 1899, the welfare ministry said on Tuesday. The dwindling number of births will put more strain welfare finances to support snowballing costs …

Russia has successfully tested Runet, a country-wide alternative to the global internet, its government has announced. Details of what the test involved were vague but, according to the Ministry of Communications, ordinary users did not notice any changes. The results will now be presented to President Putin. Experts remain concerned …

Google and Apple have removed an Emirati messaging app called ToTok amid claims that it is used for state spying. Not to be confused with China’s TikTok, ToTok markets itself as an easy and secure way to chat by video or text. However, The New York Times (NYT) has reported …

The British government is ready to intervene if soccer authorities fail to stamp out “vile” racist behavior at matches, a spokesman for the UK Prime Minister said Monday. Sports authorities needed to crack down harder on the issue, Downing Street said, a day after Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger indicated he …

For the first time in more than 200 years, worshippers will not be able to attend Christmas mass at Notre-Dame cathedral, still being restored after a devastating fire. “There won’t be a midnight mass at Notre-Dame. The last time this happened was during the French Revolution. Since 1803, there have …

Boeing’s board of directors has named current Chairman David L. Calhoun as chief executive officer and president, effective as of 13 January 2020, the company’s statement says. Chief Executive Officer of Boeing Dennis Muilenburg has resigned, the company says, announcing new CEO David Calhoun. “I strongly believe in the future …

The amount of food needed to feed the world’s population by the end of the century could increase by almost 80%, a study has suggested. Researchers from Germany said a trend of increasing Body Mass Index (BMI) is resulting in individuals requiring more calories. The authors warn that failure to …