Bank bosses call for softer rules, Trump-nominated regulators listen
NEW YORK – U.S. banking giants are pushing for a swath of lighter regulations from President Donald Trump’s administration, and say they are heartened by signals that regulators are listening. Bank bosses want to cut reporting requirements on some transactions,…
US pending home sales rebound in February
WASHINGTON – Contracts to buy U.S. previously owned homes rebounded marginally in February amid a decline in mortgage rates but rising economic uncertainty could limit momentum. The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said on Thursday its Pending Home Sales Index,…
S&P 500 ends lower as investors digest Trump’s auto tariffs
The S&P 500 ended lower on Thursday, as investors grappled with U.S. President Donald Trump’s latest trade tariff announcement that hit shares of General Motors and Ford. Trump unveiled on Wednesday his plan to implement a 25% tariff on imported…
Zimbabwe president fires army chief ahead of planned protests
HARARE – Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa acted to consolidate his hold on power with Tuesday’s dismissal of a senior general, political analysts say, amid growing fears of a possible coup by former allies. Mnangagwa, who took charge after a military…
Mass Russian drone attack on Ukraine’s Kharkiv, nine injured
Russian forces launched a mass drone attack on Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second largest city, late on Wednesday, injuring nine people and causing considerable damage, emergency services and officials said. Emergency services, posting on the Telegram messaging app, said the attacks started…
Rubio says US will evaluate Russian demands for Black Sea ceasefire
KINGSTON – The United States will evaluate demands made by Russia after Moscow had agreed “in principle” to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire with Ukraine in the Black Sea to allow safe navigation, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Wednesday….
Kenyan MSS soldier reported missing after gang-linked incident in Haiti
PORT-AU-PRINCE -An officer from the Kenyan multinational security support (MSS) mission was reported missing in Haiti on Tuesday after an incident involving gangs, the MSS said in a statement. Gang members attacked the MSS forces as they were helping a…
Brazil Supreme Court to put Bolsonaro on trial for alleged coup attempt
BRASILIA -Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will stand trial for allegedly conspiring to overthrow the government after he lost a 2022 election, the Supreme Court ruled on Wednesday, moving swiftly in a case that could reshape the political landscape. A…
Hamas spokesperson Qanoua killed in Israeli airstrike, Hamas media say
CAIRO -Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif Al-Qanoua has been killed in an Israeli airstrike in northern Gaza, Hamas-affiliated media said early on Thursday, the latest group figure to be killed since Israel resumed its operations in the enclave. Al-Qanoua was killed when…
AirAsia flight to China turns back due to engine fire, lands safely
KUALA LUMPUR – An AirAsia flight bound for China returned to Kuala Lumpur due to an engine fire shortly after takeoff and landed safely with no injuries reported, Malaysian authorities said on Thursday. Flight AK128 on an Airbus A320, was…
South Korea wildfires kill at least 24, pilot killed as firefighting helicopter crashes
UISEONG COUNTY, South Korea -The death toll in the wildfires raging across South Korea’s southeastern region rose to 24 and the pilot of a firefighting helicopter was killed when the aircraft crashed on Wednesday, as the country battles some of…
Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh fear aid cuts will deepen crisis
KUTUPALONG REFUGEE CAMP, Bangladesh – Majuna Khatun sat cradling her six-month-old baby at a rehabilitation centre for Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, worried her child would be without critical healthcare due to funding cuts from the United States and some European…
US federal immigration agents detain doctoral student at University of Alabama
WASHINGTON – U.S. federal immigration agents detained a doctoral student at the University of Alabama, the university said in a statement to media on Wednesday. The university did not identify the student but records on the website of the U.S….
Appeals court won’t pause ruling that forced US to reinstate federal workers
A U.S. appeals court on Wednesday refused to pause a judge’s ruling requiring the administration of President Donald Trump to reinstate more than 17,000 workers at six agencies who lost their jobs as part of Trump’s purge of the federal…
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy says he wants America to be strong, vows to counter Russian narratives
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Wednesday that he wanted the United States and Kyiv’s other Western allies to remain strong in countering Russia’s demands and narrative in its three-year war on his country. But Zelenskiy said that pro-Kremlin comments…
North Korea leader Kim Jong Un touts AI suicide drones, early-warning aircraft
SEOUL -North Korean leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test of suicide drones with artificial intelligence (AI) technology and said unmanned control and AI capability must be the top priorities in modern arms development, state media reported on Thursday. Kim…
South Korea battles worst ever wildfires as death toll hits 28
ANDONG, South Korea -Wildfires raging in South Korea doubled in size on Thursday from a day earlier, as authorities called the blazes the country’s worst natural fire disaster with at least 28 people killed and historic temples incinerated. More than…
New Russian envoy to US to present credentials on Thursday, State Department says
WASHINGTON -Russia’s new ambassador to the United States will informally present his credentials to the Trump administration on Thursday, the U.S. State Department said on Wednesday. Alexander Darchiev, who was recently named as Russian ambassador to the U.S., will present…
US judge in Trump deportation case assigned lawsuit over Signal scandal
The U.S. judge whom President Donald Trump has argued should be impeached for blocking him from using wartime powers to deport Venezuelan migrants is set to hear a new lawsuit over administration officials’ use of the messaging app Signal to…
Trump’s SEC pick pledges ‘rational’ crypto regulations
Paul Atkins, President Donald Trump’s pick to run the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, pledged on Wednesday that regulations under his leadership would benefit the crypto sector and prevent politics from “stifling” capital formation, according to prepared testimony made public…