INTERNACIONAL
China’s ‘condom tax’ sparks backlash as Beijing struggles to reverse population collapse
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
China will begin charging a 13% value-added tax on contraceptives starting Jan. 1 while exempting childcare services from the same tax, a move authorities say is part of a broader effort to boost births as the country faces a sustained population decline, according to the BBC and The Associated Press.
The tax overhaul, announced late last year, removes exemptions that had been in place since 1994, when China was still enforcing its decades-long one-child policy.
Alongside the new tax on contraceptives such as condoms and birth control pills, the Chinese government is exempting childcare, marriage-related services and elderly care from the value-added tax (VAT), the BBC reported.
Beijing has been pressing young people to marry and have children as it grapples with an aging population and a sluggish economy. Official figures show China’s population has shrunk for three consecutive years with about 9.54 million babies born in 2024.
WHY GEN Z DOESN’T WANT TO HAVE KIDS
A caregiver carries a baby in a woven basket in China as the government rolls out new tax and social policies aimed at encouraging families to have more children amid a population decline. (Cheng Xin/Getty Images)
That figure is roughly half the number of births recorded a decade earlier, when China began easing limits on family size, according to national statistics cited by the BBC and the AP.
China’s population pressures have been mounting for years. Births fell from about 14.7 million in 2019 to roughly 9.5 million in 2024. In 2023, India officially overtook China as the world’s most populous country.
The new tax on contraceptives has drawn ridicule and concern inside China. On social media, some users joked about stockpiling condoms before prices rise, while others argued that the cost of contraception is insignificant compared with the expense of raising a child, the BBC reported.
«I have one child, and I don’t want any more,» Daniel Luo, a 36-year-old resident of Henan province, told the BBC. He said the price increase would not change his family plans, comparing it to small hikes in subway fares that do not alter daily behavior.
Others worry the policy could have unintended consequences. Rosy Zhao, who lives in the central city of Xi’an, told the BBC making contraception more expensive could lead students or people under financial strain to take risks. She called that the policy’s most dangerous potential outcome.
A SOLUTION TO THE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY PROBLEM: MARRIAGE
China reversed its controversial one-child policy in 2015. (Adek Berry)
Health experts echoed those concerns in interviews with the AP, warning that higher prices could reduce access to contraception and contribute to more unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. China recorded more than 670,000 cases of syphilis and over 100,000 cases of gonorrhea in 2024, according to data from the National Disease Control and Prevention Administration.
China has also reported some of the highest abortion numbers in the world. Between 2014 and 2021, authorities recorded between 9 million and 10 million abortions annually, according to the National Health Commission. China stopped publishing abortion data in 2022.
Demographers and policy analysts remain skeptical that taxing contraceptives will meaningfully raise birth rates. Yi Fuxian, a senior scientist at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, told the BBC the idea that higher condom prices would influence fertility decisions amounts to overthinking the policy.
Value-added tax revenue, which totaled close to $1 trillion last year, accounts for about 40% of China’s tax collection, according to figures cited by the BBC.
Henrietta Levin of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) described the move as symbolic, reflecting Beijing’s attempt to lift what she called strikingly low fertility numbers. She also cautioned that many incentives and subsidies depend on provincial governments that are already heavily indebted, raising questions about whether they can fund the measures adequately.
JAPAN REJECTS SAME-SEX MARRIAGE TO SAVE ITSELF FROM DEMOGRAPHIC COLLAPSE
A family of three takes a selfie at a shopping mall in Beijing as the Chinese government weighs options to increase the birth rate. (Yang Yuran/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
Public health experts interviewed by the AP said the policy could disproportionately affect women, who shoulder most responsibility for birth control in China. Research released by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in 2022 found condoms are used by about 9% of couples, while 44.2% rely on intrauterine devices and 30.5% on female sterilization. Male sterilization accounts for 4.7%.
Some women say the tax revives resentment toward the government’s long history of involvement in reproductive decisions. The Communist Party enforced the one-child policy from roughly 1980 until 2015 through fines, penalties and, in some cases, forced abortions, according to the AP. Children born outside the policy were sometimes denied household registration, effectively rendering them non-citizens.
«It is a disciplinary tactic, a management of women’s bodies and my sexual desire,» Zou Xuan, a 32-year-old teacher in Jiangxi province, told the AP.
Concerns about further state intrusion have also surfaced in recent months. The BBC reported that women in some provinces have received calls from local officials asking about menstrual cycles and pregnancy plans. A health bureau in Yunnan province said the information was needed to identify expectant mothers, a move critics say risks alienating the very families Beijing hopes to encourage.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Levin warned that such approaches could damage public trust. She told the BBC, «The [Communist] party can’t help but insert itself into every decision that it cares about. So, it ends up being its own worst enemy in some ways.»
While the government is adjusting policies once used to limit population growth, experts caution that reversing decades-long demographic trends will be much more difficult than increasing prices at the checkout counter, especially after years of policies that shaped whether families could have children.
china,reproductive health,family general,asia world regions,world
INTERNACIONAL
Blue cities U-turn on distributing drug supplies to addicts after progressive policies fail to stem epidemic
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
At least two major West Coast cities are rethinking their so-called harm reduction policies that have sought to address addiction, signaling that these areas are overhauling their strategy to combat the drug crisis as addiction challenges persist.
While cities including San Francisco and Seattle have previously adopted policies to distribute «safer» drug supplies like clean foil and pipes that could be used to smoke fentanyl or other substances, these cities are now implementing a new approach that imposes new limitations on the distribution of these supplies.
Seattle’s City Council passed its 2026 budget in November and included a provision that will «preclude any City support for the purchase or distribution of supplies for the consumption of illegal drugs, with the exception of needles.»
The provision was championed by City Council Member Sara Nelson, who said that while she supports needle exchange programs because they reduce the spread of diseases like HIV and Hepatitis C, she said she doesn’t see the benefit in using public resources to «help people get high» by distributing certain drug supplies.
Several packages containing drugs, possibly laced with fentanyl, displayed on a bed. (U.S. District Court of Rhode Island)
BLUE CITY DA SAYS REPEAT DRUG OFFENDERS ‘WILL NOT RESPECT THE LAW’ UNDER CURRENT SYSTEM
«I fail to see, however, the harm that’s being reduced by distributing supplies such as pipes and foil that are used to consume deadly drugs like meth and fentanyl,» Nelson said during a Nov. 16 budget committee meeting. «To me, it feels like it’s giving a loaded gun to somebody who is suicidal.»
Seattle isn’t the only city taking such steps to scale back how it distributes «safe» drug supplies to its community.
Earlier in 2025, San Francisco unveiled a new policy that would require individuals to receive treatment counseling — or be connected with such services to receive treatment options — before receiving any drug use supplies from the city or city-funded programs. Additionally, the new policy barred providing these supplies in public spaces.
San Francisco unveiled a new policy that would require individuals to receive treatment counseling before receiving any drug use supplies from the city or city-funded programs. (Jeff Chiu, File/The Associated Press )
TRUMP UNLEASHES ‘TOUGHEST FENTANYL CRACKDOWN IN HISTORY’ AS GOP VOWS ‘CONSEQUENCES’ FOR CHINESE PRODUCERS
The policy went into effect April 30, and applied to any city-funded public health program that provided drug use supplies like sterile syringes and smoking kits.
«We can no longer accept the reality of two people dying a day from overdose. The status quo has failed to ensure the health and safety of our entire community, as well as those in the throes of addiction. Fentanyl has changed the game, and we’ve been relying on strategies that preceded this new drug epidemic, which ends today,» San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie said in a statement in April. «Our new policy will connect individuals to treatment quickly, and that is a big step toward reclaiming our public spaces.»
Seattle’s City Council elections and San Francisco’s mayoral races are officially nonpartisan. However, both cities have strongly backed Democrats in state and local elections.
TRUMP POSTPONES FEDERAL TROOP DEPLOYMENT TO SAN FRANCISCO
Meanwhile, these drug policy changes aren’t popular with proponents of «harm reduction» policies. For example, Laura Guzman, executive director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, said there may not be enough resources to comply with San Francisco’s new rule.
«It’s mandating or putting as a condition for people to receive life-saving supplies, to actually have long conversations about treatment that may not be available,» Guzman said in April, according to CBS News. «People who know in the field — researchers, doctors — are saying this is not good policy. We’re actually going against the grain because what we’re trying to do is have the perception that there is no drug use on the streets. But it’s not public health, it’s not science-based. It’s exactly the opposite of what we know works.»
The Seattle skyline is pictured from a Washington State Ferry in Seattle, Washington. (Jason Redmond/Reuters )
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Although both Washington’s King County, which includes Seattle, and San Francisco had fewer drug overdose deaths in 2024 than in 2023, the numbers for both cities are higher in comparison to 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic.
For example, 635 people died due to accidental drug overdoses in 2024 in San Francisco — down from the 810 that died in 2023, but up from the 441 that died in 2019, according to the San Francisco Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
Drug overdose deaths are also down nationwide. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in February a nearly 24% decline in drug overdose deaths in fiscal year 2024, in comparison to the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has taken an aggressive approach to combat the influx of drugs into the U.S. For example, President Donald Trump signed an executive order in December designating illicit fentanyl a «weapon of mass destruction.»
drug and substance abuse,addiction,white house,blue city crime,san francisco
INTERNACIONAL
Iran in shutdown as protesters storm governor’s office, crowds chant ‘Death to Khamenei’
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Iran ground to a near standstill Wednesday as businesses, universities and government offices closed under a government-ordered shutdown amid protests caused by a growing political and economic crisis.
A 21-year-old volunteer member of Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard was killed Wednesday in a western province, Iranian state media reported, marking the first death among security forces during the protests.
The death was reported in Kouhdasht, a city in Iran’s Lorestan province roughly 250 miles west of Tehran.
Saeed Pourali, a deputy governor in the Lorestan province, said the guard member «was martyred … at the hands of rioters during protests in this city in defense of public order,» according to Iranian Student News Network.
IRAN REPORTEDLY DEVELOPING CHEMICAL, BIOLOGICAL MISSILE WARHEADS AS PROTESTS SPREAD OVER COLLAPSING ECONOMY
Iranian protests force nationwide shutdown as President Masoud Pezeshkian closes businesses and offices across 21 provinces amid mounting public anger. (MEK)
Video footage circulating online and shared by the People’s Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK) shows intense clashes between protesters and security forces in cities, including Shiraz, Isfahan, Kermanshah and Tehran.
In the videos, protesters chant anti-regime slogans and confront security forces in crowded streets.
Footage included scenes of screaming and apparent gunfire, with demonstrators throwing objects and shouting, «Death to the Dictator» and «Proud Arakis, support, support.»
Additional footage shared by MEK shows crowds chanting, «Death to Khamenei!» and «Shame on you, shame on you!» as anger appears to spread across the country, with a particular focus on bazaar-led protests in Tehran.
Some of the most dramatic scenes were reported in the city of Fasa in south-central Iran. Video circulating online shows demonstrators hurling objects at the gates of a government complex and shaking them until they opened.
Opposition groups also reported that protesters stormed the governor’s office, prompting Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps forces to open fire, per Reuters.
IRANIAN PRESIDENT SAYS HIS COUNTRY IS AT ‘TOTAL WAR’ WITH THE US, ISRAEL AND EUROPE: REPORTS
Widespread protests grip Iran as President Pezeshkian faces mounting economic and political crisis. (MEK)
Military helicopters were seen flying over the city, apparently to intimidate residents and prevent the unrest from spreading.
In Kermanshah, in western Iran, bazaar merchants were seen confronting security forces while chanting, «Dishonorable, dishonorable,» according to video footage.
The one-day shutdown affected 21 of Iran’s 31 provinces, including Tehran, as President Masoud Pezeshkian sought to contain mounting public anger fueled by inflation, currency instability and declining living standards.
IRAN KILLING SPREE CONTINUES AS REGIME SETS NEW RECORD FOR 2025 EXECUTIONS, DISSIDENT GROUP SAYS
Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, sitting next to a senior military official in Iran. (Getty Images)
Demonstrations, strikes and clashes with security forces continued for a fourth consecutive day in cities across the country.
The unrest has unfolded alongside a series of high-level leadership changes that have added to uncertainty.
On Wednesday, Pezeshkian appointed Abdolnaser Hemmati, a former economy minister, as the new head of Iran’s central bank after the resignation of Mohammad Reza Farzin.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
State media quoted the president as acknowledging the role was «extremely difficult and complex,» warning that the new central bank chief would face intense pressure and criticism amid ongoing economic turmoil, according to IRNA.
Separately, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei announced the appointment of IRGC Brig. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi as deputy commander in chief of the Revolutionary Guards.
iran,world protests,middle east,government shutdown,armed forces
INTERNACIONAL
Descubre qué parque de Walt Disney World Resort es ideal para comenzar tu viaje en familia
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. THE TWILIGHT ZONE® es una marca registrada de A CBS Company. Todos los derechos reservados.)
Iniciar una aventura familiar en Walt Disney World Resort significa tomar una decisión que marcará el comienzo de una serie de momentos compartidos. Cada uno de los cuatro parques temáticos que conforman este destino en Florida ofrece experiencias únicas, y elegir por cuál comenzar puede depender del tipo de vivencias que tu familia disfrute más.
¿Prefieren sumergirse en historias del cine y la televisión, o conectar con la naturaleza y los animales? ¿Buscan emociones fuertes en atracciones o un recorrido tranquilo por un paisaje selvático lleno de vida?
Disney’s Hollywood Studios invita a vivir el detrás de escena del entretenimiento, con experiencias que transportan a los visitantes al corazón de películas y series icónicas. Es un parque donde la acción se convierte en protagonista, y donde cada paso puede llevar a una galaxia lejana, a una aventura animada o a un recorrido a toda velocidad. Aquí, el cine, la televisión y la música convergen en atracciones que combinan emoción, nostalgia y tecnología.
Por su parte, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park propone un viaje que celebra la vida natural, la exploración y la conservación. Inspirado en paisajes de Asia, África y en mundos imaginarios como Pandora, este parque permite encontrarse cara a cara con animales salvajes, explorar selvas y montañas misteriosas, y vivir experiencias que rinden homenaje a la diversidad del planeta. Es un espacio donde el asombro se encuentra en la conexión con el mundo vivo.
Para ayudarte a definir por dónde comenzar esta experiencia, te proponemos un breve test que explora intereses, afinidades y estilos de viaje. Ya sea que tu familia se incline por el entretenimiento cinematográfico o por la inmersión natural, ambos parques ofrecen experiencias memorables que pueden convertirse en el punto de partida ideal para tu visita.
En Disney’s Hollywood Studios, la familia entera se sumerge en la emoción de las historias del cine, la televisión y la animación. Este parque recrea escenarios reconocibles para distintas generaciones y permite vivirlos en primera persona.
En Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, los visitantes pueden recorrer un planeta lejano, pilotar la nave más rápida de la galaxia en Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run en una misión interactiva o unirse a la Resistencia en una experiencia inmersiva única en Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney © & TM 2025 Lucasfilm Ltd. Todos los derechos reservados.)
En Toy Story Land, los más pequeños —y también los adultos— descubren cómo es sentirse del tamaño de un juguete mientras se deslizan en una montaña rusa familiar a bordo de Slinky Dog Dash o giran con los extraterrestres de Alien Swirling Saucers.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney © 2025 Disney/Pixar. Todos los derechos reservados.)
La adrenalina también tiene su lugar: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror™ ofrece una caída libre en un ascensor embrujado, mientras que Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith lanza a los visitantes en una montaña rusa de alta velocidad al ritmo del rock.
Y para quienes buscan una experiencia más ligera y apta para todos, Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, la primera atracción dedicada a Mickey Mouse y Minnie Mouse en un parque Disney, invita a entrar en un cortometraje animado, donde todo puede suceder en una divertida travesía sin reglas.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. Todos los derechos reservados.)
Por su parte, Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park propone una conexión con la naturaleza en todas sus formas. En este parque, la aventura comienza al aire libre, cruzando paisajes inspirados en África y Asia, y se fortalece con un recorrido en Kilimanjaro Safaris, donde es posible avistar leones, jirafas, elefantes y otras especies en amplios espacios que simulan sus hábitats.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. Todos los derechos reservados.)
En Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, la montaña rusa lleva a los visitantes por senderos nevados y túneles oscuros mientras intentan escapar de la leyenda del Yeti.
La experiencia se amplifica en Pandora – The World of Avatar, un entorno donde la vegetación bioluminiscente y las montañas flotantes crean una atmósfera distinta a cualquier otra. Allí, Avatar Flight of Passage permite “volar” sobre un banshee y disfrutar del paisaje sobrenatural de Pandora en un simulador 3D que combina tecnología y sensación de libertad, mientras que Na’vi River Journey ofrece un viaje en bote por un río lleno de criaturas y sonidos envolventes.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. © 2025 20th Century Studios. Todos los derechos reservados.)
Ambos parques ofrecen mundos distintos, pero con un mismo propósito: provocar asombro, emoción y alegría compartida. En Disney’s Hollywood Studios, el cine cobra vida con aventuras interactivas que hacen sentir a cada visitante dentro de una película. En Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, la conexión con la naturaleza transforma el recorrido en una travesía sensorial que despierta la curiosidad y el respeto por el mundo natural. Comenzar por cualquiera de los dos es abrir la puerta a momentos que se transforman en recuerdos entrañables.
Pero la verdadera magia ocurre cuando se exploran los cuatro parques de Walt Disney World Resort en Florida. Cada uno aporta algo único al viaje: la fantasía clásica de Magic Kingdom Park, la celebración de la innovación y la diversidad en EPCOT, la narrativa cinematográfica de Disney’s Hollywood Studios o el homenaje a la vida en todas sus formas en Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. Juntos, forman un mundo en el que las emociones se multiplican.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. Todos los derechos reservados.)
En cada rincón hay algo diseñado para sorprender: un encuentro inesperado con un personaje favorito, un desfile que detiene el tiempo, una atracción que une a toda la familia en un grito de emoción. Las experiencias se viven intensamente y se recuerdan por siempre, porque en Disney, lo cotidiano se detiene y lo extraordinario se vuelve parte de lo real.
Recorrer los cuatro parques es mucho más que visitar diferentes espacios, es sumarse a una colección de momentos únicos, en los que niños y adultos comparten la risa, la sorpresa y la emoción. Y es allí donde ocurre lo más importante: la magia no está solo en los escenarios, sino en lo que se vive juntos.
(Cortesía © 2025 Disney. Todos los derechos reservados.)
Tanto en los parques temáticos de Walt Disney World Resort como a bordo de los cruceros de Disney Cruise Line, cada experiencia está pensada para disfrutarse en familia. Desde espectáculos hasta atracciones y destinos como Disney Castaway Cay o Disney Lookout Cay at Lighthouse Point, la propuesta de Disney conecta generaciones a través de aventuras compartidas.
Visita www.DisneyWorldlatino.com y www.DisneyCruiselatino.com para obtener más información y comenzar a planificar tus próximas vacaciones mágicas.
© 2025 Disney. © 2025 Disney/Pixar. Slinky® Dog © Just Play LLC © 2025 20th Century Studios © & TM 2025 Lucasfilm Ltd. THE TWILIGHT ZONE® es una marca registrada de A CBS Company. Todos los derechos reservados. Barcos registrados en: Las Bahamas
Error bancario en Diputados: depositaron casi $700 mil de más a los empleados y deberán devolverlo
Blue cities U-turn on distributing drug supplies to addicts after progressive policies fail to stem epidemic
Copa Libertadores 2026: cuándo empieza, equipos clasificados y los bombos confirmados
Mercado automotor 2025: qué rol tuvieron la economía, la política y el poderío de las grandes marcas en el resultado del año
Iran in shutdown as protesters storm governor’s office, crowds chant ‘Death to Khamenei’
Bajan las temperaturas y el año comienza con un poco de alivio tras el calor extremo: cuándo llegan las lluvias
Calor extremo en el AMBA: cuándo la temperatura rozará los 40 grados
Calendario de pagos de ANSES de enero 2026: cuándo cobran jubilados, pensionados y beneficiarios de planes sociales
Patricia Bullrich destacó la aprobación del Presupuesto 2026 y la ruptura del peronismo en el Senado
Quién era Charlie Menditéguy, el millonario argentino que conquistó a Brigitte Bardot y renunció a la Fórmula 1 por ella
SOCIEDAD3 días agoCalor extremo en el AMBA: cuándo la temperatura rozará los 40 grados
- CHIMENTOS2 días ago
Jorge Lanata, a un año de su muerte: el periodista más original, influyente y popular de su generación
- POLITICA2 días ago
Axel Kicillof insistirá con la reelección indefinida de intendentes, pero evita el debate de la Boleta Única
