One year after Donald Trump returned to the White House, American voters say his promise to quickly improve the economy has delivered uneven results, with experiences varying sharply depending on age, income, and location. The BBC spoke with voters across the political spectrum to assess how everyday Americans feel about prices, jobs, and financial security. Their responses reveal modest improvements for some, but persistent strain for many others. Lower Prices for Some, but Not All In rural Michigan, 72-year-old Republican Mary Anne Dagata says food and fuel costs have eased significantly compared with early last year, when shortages pushed prices…
Author: Arafat Hasib
Iran is experiencing the most serious domestic unrest since the 1979 Islamic Revolution. Widespread protests began in late December after a sharp collapse in the value of the Iranian rial and soaring inflation, prompting ordinary traders and citizens to strike and take to the streets. Within weeks, protests spread nationwide, demanding economic and political change. The government has responded with a ferocious crackdown: live ammunition, arrests, and a near-total communications blackout. Mortuary videos and hospital reports reveal a rapidly rising death toll, with more than 20,000 reportedly arrested in just a few weeks. Legal penalties have hardened, and protesters are…
Job creation in the United States slowed sharply at the end of 2025, capping off the weakest year for employment growth since the height of the Covid pandemic. According to data released by the US Labor Department, employers added just 50,000 jobs in December, a figure that came in below expectations. Despite the modest hiring, the unemployment rate edged down to 4.4%. Overall job gains across 2025 were the smallest recorded since 2020, when the pandemic triggered widespread layoffs and business closures across the country. Throughout the year, companies have been navigating an uncertain environment shaped by sweeping policy shifts…
The White House has confirmed that President Donald Trump and his advisers are actively weighing different approaches to bringing Greenland under US control — including the potential use of military force. the White House described the acquisition of Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark and a fellow Nato member, as a matter of US national security. The comments came shortly after several European leaders publicly backed Denmark, which has rejected Washington’s renewed push to claim the Arctic island. Over the weekend, President Trump again insisted that the United States “needs” Greenland for security purposes. Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, warned…
A recent visit to an operating theatre in Edinburgh has offered a rare, up-close view of how cutting-edge neuroscience and surgery are being used to deepen understanding of Alzheimer’s disease, the most common form of dementia. While a definitive cure remains out of reach, researchers say new approaches and early breakthroughs are building hope that treatments will continue to improve. At Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, a piece of brain tissue normally treated as medical waste during surgery was instead collected for research with the patient’s consent. Neurosurgeons worked to remove a tumour deep within the brain, drilling through the cortex the…
Japan’s population is aging faster than anywhere else. Nearly 30% of people are over 65, second only to Monaco. Last year, more than 18,000 people with dementia went missing, and almost 500 were found dead. These cases have doubled since 2012. With fewer young workers and limits on foreign caregivers, the demand for care is rising. Health care costs are expected to reach 9 trillion yen in 2025 and could climb to 14 trillion yen, or 90 billion US dollars, by 2030. Japan is resorting to technology to help resolve this crisis, not to replace people, but to assist.…
A boat repeatedly targeted by the US military in September was on its way to meet another vessel bound for Suriname, not necessarily the United States, according to the admiral in charge of the operation, as reported by two sources. Adm. Frank Bradley said intelligence showed the smaller boat was supposed to deliver drugs to a larger ship headed to a South American country, but that second ship was never found. Bradley argued the shipment could have ended up in the US, which he said justified the strike. US drug agencies report that trafficking routes through Suriname usually go…
