Axios

U.S. private equity is about to get a big boost from Australia's largest pension fund.

Driving the news: AustralianSuper, which manages nearly US$200 billion, tells Axios that it plans to double its global private equity exposure over the next five years, with between 70-80% of those new dollars heading to the U.S.

Mexican advocates are accusing the government of hampering progress made to find forcibly disappeared people in the country by firing experts and changing how it counts missing people.

Why it matters: More than 110,000 missing and forcibly disappeared cases have been filed since the 1960s dirty war.

Ancient brujería — or Latin American and Caribbean witchcraft — has seen a resurgence in recent years as some U.S. Latinos reclaim the once-taboo traditions to connect with their roots, exercise self-care and build community.

The big picture: The resurgence comes as younger generations of Latinos increasingly embrace other parts of their heritage, speaking Spanish, using accent marks, or, in some cases, praying to folk saints.

DAVOS, Switzerland — The Saudi ambassador to the U.S. said at the World Economic Forum on Thursday that any potential normalization agreement with Israel would be conditioned on a ceasefire in Gaza and the creation of an "irrevocable" pathway towards a Palestinian state.

Why it matters: Princess Reema bint Bandar Al Saud echoed what the Biden administration has recently said publicly and privately to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Scientists may have underestimated the amount of Greenland Ice Sheet melting since 1985 by as much as 20%, a new study found.

Why it matters: Such an underestimate of Greenland ice mass loss indicates a heightened risk of shifts in ocean currents and global weather patterns, the study notes.

Texas' attorney general is refusing to comply with Biden administration demands to stop blocking U.S. Border Patrol agents from accessing a public park along the southern border.

Why it matters: The Department of Homeland Security in a "cease-and-desist" letter said Texas officials had until the end of Wednesday to enable federal access to a site where three migrants drowned last week or it would "refer the matter to the Department of Justice for appropriate action."

U.S. forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles "that were loaded to be fired" from Yemen, the United States Central Command said Wednesday.

The big picture: The announcement came hours after the Biden administration re-designated Houthis as a "global terrorist group" in response to their dozens of attacks on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, which the rebels said they began in October in protest against the Israel-Hamas war.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will go on sale in U.S. stores Thursday morning without their blood oxygen features, the company announced.

Driving the news: The announcement came after a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday that Apple couldn't import wearables with this feature into the country while the company appeals the U.S. International Trade Commission's finding that the devices infringe patents.

The Biden administration on Wednesday re-designated Yemen's Houthis as a "global terrorist group" in response to dozens of attacks by the rebels on merchant and commercial vessels in the Red Sea.

The latest: Hours later, U.S. military officials said American forces conducted strikes on 14 Iran-backed Houthi missiles "that were loaded to be fired" from Yemen.

Secretary of State Tony Blinken couldn't fly back to the U.S. from Davos as planned Wednesday because of a mechanical issue with his airplane, a State Department spokesperson said.

The big picture: The plane Blinken was flying on is a modified Boeing C-40, a U.S. Air Force aircraft assigned to Joint Base Andrews, Rose Riley, a spokesperson for the Air Force said.

China's population fell for the second year in a row in 2023, as deaths outpaced births in what was once the world's most populous country.

Why it matters: China's declining population is emblematic of a demographic downturn that reflects economic and social changes in the country.

Israeli forces will have to contend with Hamas' labyrinthian network of tunnels as they ramp up a ground operation in the Gaza Strip.

The big picture: The tunnels, dubbed by Israel as the "Gaza metro," are vital for Hamas from both an offensive and defensive standpoint. The militants use them to smuggle and store weaponry and evade detection — compounding the immense difficulties of fighting in a dense urban environment.

The Senate on Tuesday voted overwhelmingly to reject a resolution forced to a vote by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) aimed at tying U.S. military assistance for Israel to the country's treatment of Palestinian human rights.

Why it matters: It's a demonstration of the bipartisan support Israel still enjoys in Congress despite pockets of opposition among Democratic lawmakers.