A DOZEN leading US news organizations collectively urged US President Joseph R. Biden and former President Donald Trump on Sunday to publicly commit to debating each other during the run-up to the November election. “Debates have a rich tradition in our American democracy, having played a vital role in every presidential election of the past 50 years, dating to 1976,” the 12 news outlets said in a joint statement. The statement suggested that debates for...
SINGAPORE – South East Asia is “woefully off track” on green investments to reduce emissions and needs new policies and financial mechanisms to help bridge the gap, the global consultancy Bain & Company said on Monday. With energy consumption in the region expected to grow 40% this decade, climate-warming carbon dioxide emissions remain on the rise, with the region still dependent on fossil fuels, said an annual report compiled by Bain, green investment group GenZero and Standard Chartered Bank....
WASHINGTON – US economic growth that keeps motoring above its potential is emerging as a key prop for an ongoing global expansion, but spillovers from persistently high inflation and tight monetary policy in the world’s largest economy could pose new risks to a hoped-for “soft landing” around the world. As global financial leaders gather in Washington this week for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank, the outlook for the world’s short-term economic fortunes may center on whether the...
HONG KONG – China’s top official on Hong Kong affairs said the city should “tightly hold” onto the bottom line of national security to safeguard development, in a speech coming weeks after the enactment of sweeping new security laws. “To move towards governance and prosperity, we need to tightly hold onto the bottom line of national security in order to safeguard the high quality development of Hong Kong,” said the director of Beijing’s Hong Kong and Macau...
JERUSALEM/DUBAI/WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden warned Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the US will not take part in a counter-offensive against Iran, an option Netanyahu’s war cabinet favors after a mass drone and missile attack on Israeli territory, according to officials. The threat of open warfare erupting between the arch Middle East foes and dragging in the United States put the region on edge, triggering calls for restraint from global powers and Arab nations. “The Middle East is on the...
LONDON – Britain’s homes and businesses received 4.86 billion pounds ($6.07 billion) in property insurance payouts in 2023, up 18% from a year earlier, as weather-related home claims hit a record high, the Association of British Insurers said on Monday. Weather-related home damage claims rose 36% to 573 million pounds, with homes battered by a succession of storms last autumn, the ABI said in a statement. High winds, storm debris, flooding and burst pipes contributed to the...
SEOUL — North Korean leader Kim Jong Un affirmed his position to develop long-standing ties with China, state media KCNA said on Sunday, citing Mr. Kim in his meeting with Chinese top legislator Zhao Leji. Mr. Zhao, finishing a goodwill tour that began on Thursday, is the highest-ranking Chinese official to visit the North since 2018, when Li Zhanshu attended the 70th anniversary of the North’s founding. China is the chief ally and economic lifeline...
JERUSALEM/DUBAI — Iran launched explosive drones and fired missiles at Israel late on Saturday in its first direct attack on Israeli territory, a retaliatory strike that raised the threat of a wider regional conflict, as the US pledged “ironclad” backing for Israel. Sirens wailed and Reuters journalists in Israel heard distant heavy thuds and bangs from what local media called aerial interceptions of explosive drones. Authorities said a 7-year-old girl was critically injured. US President...
BILBAO/LISBON — People in Bilbao in northwestern Spain normally spend April dodging the showers but on Saturday many hit the beach as temperatures were up to 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit) above normal. The Portuguese were also hitting the beach near Lisbon as temperatures rose to as high as 29°C. Many people swapped umbrellas for ice cream as temperatures reached 21°C in Bilbao and were expected to hit 27 °C elsewhere on Sunday, Aemet,...
SYDNEY — The man who fatally stabbed six people in Sydney had mental health issues in the past and there was no indication ideology was a motive in the attack in one of the city’s busiest shopping centers, police said on Sunday. The attacker, identified by police as 40-year-old Joel Cauchi, was known to police in the neighboring state of Queensland, and police have spoken to his family after Saturday’s attack, according to police from...
