White House Press Secretary Katie Zacharia, who was appointed less than a week ago, said China lacked “proper toilets” in an interview that aired on Thursday. Zacharia, 41, is already under scrutiny over her legal credentials, after giving an inconclusive answer about where she had passed the bar exam, a prerequisite for practicing law in […]
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Fiji to deploy solar-powered Australian military drones at sea
Maritime drones powered by sun and wind that can stay at sea for months will patrol Fiji’s waters for drug traffickers and other threats under a deal with Australia announced Friday. Fiji approved a maritime security strategy on Thursday to combat transnational crime, including a surge in methamphetamine and cocaine trafficking across the Pacific. The […]
Fed’s Warsh surprised by world economy’s ‘resilience’
US Federal Reserve boss Kevin Warsh said Friday the global economy had shown unexpected resilience against strong economic shocks, as central banks battle surging inflation, while rich countries tackle spiking bond yields.”Almost everywhere in the global economy (is) showing resilience I’m not sure I would have predicted five or six months ago,” he told an […]
‘Let us build’: World Bank chief outlines jobs-led development agenda
World Bank President Ajay Banga laid out a vision on Friday for how his multilateral development giant should operate, focusing primarily on creating jobs, expanding economic opportunity and connecting private capital to developing nations that need investment. Since taking over the World Bank in 2023, the former Mastercard CEO has sketched an ambitious plan to […]
Four killed in Indonesia battling fires causing toxic haze
Four people died on Indonesia’s Java island fighting the blazes that have been sending toxic smoke across southeast Asia, closing schools and fuelling a surge of respiratory complaints in the region, authorities said Friday. The impact of the months-long fires has prompted Singapore’s leader to vow legal action against any companies responsible for the blazes […]
Carney campaigns for Canadian unity before Alberta secession vote
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney campaigned for national unity in Alberta on Thursday, before the oil-rich province votes on whether it wants a binding independence referendum. Polling indicates less than a quarter of Alberta’s roughly five million people want to break away from Canada, but Carney, who grew up in the western province, said “polls […]
Seoul dismisses Pyongyang’s scepticism over hypersonic weapon test
South Korea’s military on Friday dismissed Pyongyang’s doubts over Seoul’s homegrown hypersonic missile launch, as the two Koreas appear to be intensifying an arms race over the high-tech weapons. Hypersonic missiles travel at more than five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them significantly harder to track and intercept. Days after […]
Wong weighs haze prosecutions as Singapore air quality worsens
Singapore Prime Minister Lawrence Wong has vowed to take action against companies found responsible for fires in neighbouring Indonesia that have plunged the region into an air pollution crisis. The pledge comes as smoke from Indonesian wildfires blankets parts of Southeast Asia, closing schools and fuelling a surge in respiratory complaints across the region. The […]
The final lap? Two days on the campaign trail with Trump
Donald Trump is crisscrossing America to drum up votes for Republican candidates facing tough midterm election races, but the US president’s rallies are often hijacked by his basking in the adulation of fervent supporters. AFP followed him on Tuesday and Wednesday during one such trip out West, a rapid succession of flights and rallies — […]