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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that he has ordered the United States military to postpone strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for five days after holding ’good and productive conversations’ with Tehran.’I am pleased to report that the United States of America, and the country of Iran, have had, over the last two days, very good and productive conversations regarding a complete and total resolution of our hostilities in the Middle East,’ Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.’I have instructed the Department of War to postpone any and all military strikes against Iranian power plants and energy infrastructure for a five day period, subject to the success of the ongoing meetings and discussions.’Trump on Saturday gave Tehran 48 hours to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to all vessels, warning that otherwise the US would ‘obliterate’ Iran's power plants. Source link
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer discussed developments in the Middle East war during a telephone call with US President Donald Trump.The British Prime Minister’s Office stated that Starmer and Trump discussed the current situation in the Middle East, specifically the need to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to resume global shipping.The statement added that both sides agreed that reopening the Strait of Hormuz is “essential to ensure stability in the global energy market.” Source link
Britain said its Akrotiri airbase in Cyprus would not be involved in its defensive agreement with the United States to use UK bases, after a call on Saturday between Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides. The UK government gave authorisation on Friday for the US to use RAF Fairford in England and Diego Garcia, a joint US-UK base in the Indian Ocean, to carry out defensive strikes on Iranian missile sites attacking ships in the Strait of Hormuz. “RAF Akrotiri would not be involved in the UK’s continuation of its agreement with the US to use UK bases in collective self defence of the region,” a spokesperson for Starmer’s office said in a British readout of the call with Christodoulides. An Iranian-type Shahed drone caused slight damage on March 2 when it hit facilities at the Akrotiri airbase in southern Cyprus, with two others later intercepted. There have been no further known security incidents on the island, where Britain retained sovereignty over two bases when it granted its former colony independence in 1960. A Cypriot government spokesperson said in a statement that Starmer had reiterated “that the security of the Republic of Cyprus is fundamental to the United Kingdom and, to that end, a decision has been taken to enhance the means contributing to the preventive measures already in place”. “Finally, the Prime Minister reiterated that the British Bases in Cyprus will not be used for any offensive military operations,” the Cypriot government spokesperson added.Separately, a source at Britain’s defence ministry said an Iranian ballistic missile attack towards Diego Garcia had occurred before the UK gave the US its latest authorisation. British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper told British media on Saturday that the government’s policy on the US-Israeli-war on Iran remained defensive. “We will provide defensive support against these reckless Iranian threats, but we have not been and we continue not to be involved in offensive action and we want to see the swiftest possible resolution,” she said. “We will not be drawn into a wider conflict,” she added. Source link
TSA desks sit empty as travellers stand in long lines at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport Sunday in Atlanta, Georgia. (AFP) As government funding for the US Department of Homeland Security remains frozen in Congress, airports are running food drives and accepting donations for security screeners enduring their second stretch without pay in the last six months. Transportation Security Administration officers scrimped and pinched pennies during last year’s 43-day government shutdown, and many of those 50,000 workers are still paying off debts as the current funding lapse for the TSA’s parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, has stretched to five weeks. Those workers are six days away from missing a second full paycheck, but are being pressured to show up as screening times at some airports stretch on for hours. “The 43-day shutdown in the fall, a lot of TSA officers didn’t get paid for 50 days. So they’re not recovered from that and that was only two or three months ago,” said Kimberly Kraynak-Lambert, trustee of Pittsburgh’s local chapter of the American Federation of Government Employees union, which represents government workers. Airports and officials are scrambling to help TSA staffers make ends meet to forestall a sharp rise in absences from screeners, who earn an average of $61,000 annually, according to federal data. Rebecca Wolf, president of AFGE Local 1127, who represents TSA officers at 47 airports across several western US states, said struggling workers are taking on side gigs like making Amazon deliveries or driving for Lyft and Uber. “Many have gone and applied for food stamps within their states,” she said. “I have a couple of officers in one of my states that they’re actually sleeping in their car and one has been evicted already.” DHS acknowledged the screeners’ hardships, with a spokesperson saying that “Democrats must reopen DHS now.” The union is alerting members nationwide to food drives and free pantries for groceries. Airports like Minneapolis-St. Paul and Phoenix are accepting donations such as gasoline gift cards, food, or essentials like baby goods. Seattle-Tacoma’s airport has opened a food pantry, while at Dallas Fort Worth International, supervisors are bringing food to checkpoints twice a week. Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport is giving out vouchers for one free meal per shift as TSA officers “continue to show up every day to protect millions of travellers, even as they face uncertainty at home,” said Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, in a statement. Screeners are also getting free parking and public transport passes. It is unclear when funding will be restored. Democrats in Congress in February agreed to fund most of the government in exchange for withholding funds from DHS following the high-profile killings of two US residents in Minnesota by immigration authorities. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters on Friday that a bipartisan group of senators have narrowed the remaining issues in the DHS funding talks, but it is not clear when they will reach a deal. “A Transportation Security Officer selling plasma to keep the lights on is unconscionable. Tens of thousands of families turning to food banks because Congress refuses to do its job is a national disgrace,” said Everett Kelley, national president of the AFGE. Officials have noted that small US airports may have to shut due to a shortage of security screeners. So far, 366 TSA officers have quit their jobs since the shutdown began, according to DHS. Workers presenting letters from DHS to creditors asking for late fees to be waived or for payments to be deferred are finding less leniency this time around, said Kraynak-Lambert of Pittsburgh’s AFGE 332. Union officials say workers who call in sick must show proof with a note from a doctor. Related Story Source link
A deluge of weight-loss drugs is set to transform the global fight against obesity as India prepares to unleash low-cost generic versions of injections like Ozempic after a key patent expired Friday. The move will dramatically widen access to treatments that have long been considered a luxury, especially in middle-income countries, where soaring demand has collided with steep prices. At clinics across Mumbai, doctors say they are already preparing for an influx in new patients. More than 50 people walk into endocrinologist Nadeem Rais’s office every week seeking weight-loss injections. “We have around 70 to 80 patients on active treatment right now,” he told AFP. “When generics come out and prices drop, that could go up to 200 easily.” His colleague Sunera Ghai agrees saying that demand is “very high” but many “probably aren’t taking it just because it is truly a luxury item at this point”. The breakthrough comes as patents on semaglutide — the active ingredient in drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy — expired Friday in India, the world’s largest supplier of generic medicines. By the end of 2026, core patents on semaglutide will have expired in 10 countries that represent 48% of the global obesity burden, according to a study published earlier this month by researchers. These include Brazil, China, South Africa, Turkiye and Canada, the study said. For India’s drug giants, this marks the start of an aggressive new race. At least four major firms have already prepared generic semaglutide injections, regulatory filings and compliance documents viewed by AFP show. Some, including Zydus Lifesciences, have announced “Day 1” launches, suggesting generic versions may become available as soon as this weekend in India. Research firm Pharmarack estimates the Indian market will soon be flooded with options. “What we understand is, there will be more than 50 brands that will be launched in the market and there are more than 40 players who will be launching these drugs,” Pharmarack’s vice-president Sheetal Sapale said. The timing aligns with India’s shifting health landscape. While the country still accounts for a third of the world’s undernutrition according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), rising incomes and urban lifestyles have pushed obesity rates sharply upward. Government data released March last year shows 24% of women and 23% of men are overweight or obese in India. “Once a person starts earning money, he becomes more sedentary here,” says bariatric surgeon Sanjay Borude. “While in first-world countries, the more the money, they become more active and devote time for their health, this is reversed in India.” These flipped economics have worked well for big pharma players like Eli Lilly and Novo Nordisk who have been cashing in on the market. India’s weight-loss drug sales have grown tenfold in five years to $153mn as of 2026, and are projected to soar to over half a bn by 2030. But using such drugs can cause side effects including nausea and gastrointestinal issues. Eli Lilly’s Mounjaro became the country’s top-selling drug by value last year, surpassing even common antibiotics. Still, high prices — often 15,000 to 22,000 rupees ($161-$236) a month — limit access, says Swati Pradhan, who runs a weight-loss clinic in Mumbai. She expects patient numbers to rise once generics push treatment costs closer to 5,000 rupees ($60) a month. The global impact may prove even more profound. India supplies more than half of Africa’s generic medicines, and cheaper semaglutide could become a lifeline for countries where obesity is rising rapidly but treatment remains unaffordable. “Lower-cost semaglutide could significantly expand access to effective treatment particularly in middle-income countries where price has been a major barrier,” Simon Barquera, president of the World Obesity Federation, told AFP. “But medication alone will not reverse the global rise in obesity. Obesity is a complex, chronic disease,” he said, noting the importance of prevention efforts and healthier environments.Indian firms will be a key driving force, with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories aiming to launch its version of semaglutide in Canada by May 2026. For patients like 46-year-old Sukant Mangal, who lost nearly 30 pounds in eight months, wider access could not come soon enough. Many he knows simply abandoned treatment mid-way when they realised they would have to spend 20,000 rupees ($214) a month for seven to eight months.“Had it been cheaper, (it) would’ve been much easier to have it.” Related Story Source link
Beneath the powder snow at internationally popular Japanese ski resort Niseko, anxiety is mounting among residents over soaring prices and a massive influx of overseas workers. At a time when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is talking tough on immigration, upscale Niseko has never been more popular with seasonal workers, investors and skiers from across the globe. The snow “is the best in the world”, said Gideon Masters, a 29-year-old Australian tourist. “It’s just soft, powder fluff. You can pick it up with your bare hands, it doesn’t even feel cold… It’s just a shame that it’s become so populated,” he told AFP at the foot of the slopes, snowboard in hand. Built in the 1960s on the northern island of Hokkaido, the resort began attracting foreigners, mainly Australians, in the 1990s and became a popular destination after the 9/11 attacks in 2001 for those wanting to avoid the US. They gradually opened more shops and acquired property, and were later joined by Asian investors from Hong Kong, Malaysia and Singapore, among others, pushing land prices ever higher. In Hirafu, one of the four resorts that make up Niseko, land prices jumped 70% between 2020 and 2025. “If ski resorts in Japan had stayed the way they used to be, they would never have gained such worldwide renown,” said Hiroshi Hasegawa, director of a local real estate agency. “It’s thanks to the taste and sensibilities of Australians and New Zealanders that this town has grown.” They are no longer alone, with “funds based in tax havens and all kinds of investors (who) have started pouring money in. Hollywood stars and artists come here, and owners of multinationals are buying second homes,” he added. “All of this is driving prices up even further,” a trend that will likely continue, according to the agent. Unaffordable for locals For residents, inflated property prices and living costs are leaving a bitter taste. “Land is being sold at prices that are no longer affordable for locals,” explained 42-year-old Masatoshi Saito, who runs a painting company. “In the supermarket, you find luxury products, sea urchins or Dom Perignon champagne, and vegetables have become extremely expensive,” pushing some people to do their shopping in a neighbouring town. To attract staff, hotels and restaurants are raising wages, but local businesses are struggling to keep up. “In construction, paying that much is very difficult because market prices are fixed. Raising wages is a huge risk for bosses,” Saito said. Meanwhile, “care workers sometimes prefer jobs in hotels,” which pay better, creating a risk of labour shortages in social services”, warned Hasegawa. Driven by tourist demand, the region sees thousands of seasonal workers arrive each year, most of them foreigners. In Kutchan, a large town in the area, the non-Japanese population doubles in winter to 3,000 people from 70 countries, making up nearly 20%of residents. “Young people in their twenties come here from all over the world (…), which creates a very lively atmosphere,” but also causes problems with neighbours, admitted Kutchan Mayor Kazushi Monji. Saito and other residents, meanwhile, have complained about littering. A plan to build housing for 1,200 foreign workers that was approved last autumn sparked outcry among locals. “Cultures are different, not to mention the language barrier,” the mayor said, urging “mutual support and consideration”. ‘Harmonious coexistence’Reflecting growing anti-immigration sentiment, the far-right “Japanese First” Sanseito party made gains in February’s general election. Prime Minister Takaichi, meanwhile, has promised tougher rules for foreigners in the name of “harmonious coexistence” between communities. Her government is proposing stricter checks on foreigners entering the country, lengths of stay and illegal work. It also wants to revise rules on land purchases by foreigners for “national security” reasons. While acknowledging the need to adapt legislation to current realities, Monji rejects “the somewhat extreme view” that foreigners could “take over”. The interest Niseko is generating “boosts the economy and greatly contributes to the town’s development”, Kutchan’s mayor said. And with births falling again in 2025 for the tenth year in a row in Japan, the country desperately needs foreign workers. Hokkaido is experiencing extreme polarisation, hosting both the localities that saw the sharpest land-price increases in the country last year due to tourism and foreign investment, and those where prices fell the most, due to population decline. “If we want to share the beauty of this region with the whole world, we must move beyond nationality divides,” Monji said. Related Story Source link
The presidents of Kenya and Uganda met near their shared border Saturday to mark the multi-billion-dollar, long-delayed extension of a Chinese-built railway that has left Kenya heavily in debt.The Standard Gauge Railway, built from 2013 to 2019, connects the Kenyan port of Mombasa to its capital Nairobi, and on to the lake town of Naivasha, but China refused further lending before it could be extended to Uganda as planned.Kenya now spends roughly $1bn a year servicing Chinese debt, most of it borrowed to build the railway.That is far more than the line generates in revenue — around $165mn last year — even if passenger and cargo numbers have been growing strongly over the past year.A report by Kenya’s auditor general last year found more than $260mn had been wasted just on penalties and interest from late debt payments.Yet despite the controversy over the cost, Kenya has been keen to finish the line.Kenyan President William Ruto said the rail link will “define generations”, speaking at a ceremony in grand pomp and circumstance with his Ugandan counterpart Yoweri Museveni in Kisumu, near the Kenya-Uganda border.Ruto argued the line would slash logistics costs that “undermine competitiveness” in east Africa.If the ambitious building schedule is to be believed, the line is due to reach Kisumu by June 2027. The next phase will then take the line to Malaba, a town on the border.”Cargo takes an average of 80 hours to move from Mombasa to Malaba and more than 100 hours to reach Kampala,” the Ugandan capital, Ruto said.”We cannot build prosperity on inefficiency.”Museveni said the line would reduce the inefficiencies in his own country’s infrastructure.”The railway is part of the rationalisation of our transport system, especially on the Uganda side, which is irrational and wasteful,” the veteran leader told the ceremony.Ruto broke ground on the next phase in Narok County on Thursday, arguing that it will create jobs and reduce road congestion.”We have thought through this project (and)… its finance,” he insisted.Treasury estimates say the overall cost will be more than 500bn shillings ($3.9bn), according to Kenya’s Business Daily.Kenya is not taking more cash from Chinese banks this time — instead borrowing against future cargo taxes — though it is partnering with Chinese transport firms to build the new phase.China lent Kenya $9.7bn between 2000 and 2019, according to the Chinese Loans to Africa Database by Boston University, with around half of that going to the railway.It stopped lending from 2020 to 2023 as Kenya struggled to make repayments, at a time when China revised its broader lending strategy in Africa.Kenya considers the railway extension crucial for strengthening trade through east and central Africa, hoping to reach landlocked countries such as Uganda, Rwanda, South Sudan and the mineral-rich Democratic Republic of Congo. Related Story Source link
Thousands of South Africans marched Saturday to demand respect for their nation's sovereignty after months of pressure from US President Donald Trump on issues from trade to race relations.Trump has clashed repeatedly with South Africa's government, hitting the country with high tariffs, berating President Cyril Ramaphosa in the Oval Office over discredited claims of a ‘white genocide’, and boycotting a G20 summit in Johannesburg last year.Marking Human Rights Day in South Africa — the anniversary of the 1960 Sharpeville massacre, when apartheid police opened fire on a crowd of black protesters — Ramaphosa's party called for marches ‘in defence of our sovereignty and democratic gains’.The marches come 10 days after South Africa summoned US Ambassador Brent Bozell just a month after his arrival in the country for ‘undiplomatic remarks’.’We cannot, therefore, have a white old man, who looks like he's deranged, tell us in our country, what to do in South Africa,’ African National Congress Secretary General Fikile Mbalula said Saturday.Named as one of the favourites in the race for the ANC presidency — and thus potentially the country's leadership — at the December 2027 congress, he was speaking to thousands of supporters gathered near the iconic Hillbrow communications tower.Crowds dressed in green and yellow — the ANC's colours — flooded the wide avenues lined with skyscrapers in the centre of the country's economic capital. Another march was organised later that day in Cape Town.’We want to defend our country,’ said demonstrator Siyanda Moloi, a 34-year-old construction worker.’I think they will get the message. You have to respect our president, our laws, our policies.’The US ambassador said it was hate speech for black South Africans to use a controversial apartheid-era chant, ‘Kill the Boer’ — a word for the country's white Afrikaner population.’I don't care what your courts say, it's hate speech,’ Bozell had said in some of his first public remarks in South Africa.The ANC manifesto convening the rallies said ‘The principle of national sovereignty is under attack from foreign and domestic forces.’Following in Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's footsteps, Ramaphosa was ambushed during a White House press conference when Trump showed him video montages and photos containing a mix of inaccuracies and falsehoods about alleged attacks on white South Africans.The Trump administration has also clashed with Ramaphosa's government over South Africa taking US ally Israel to the International Court of Justice for allegedly committing genocide in its war in Gaza.Last year, Trump slapped 30-percent tariffs on most South African exports — the highest for sub-Saharan Africa.The US Supreme Court recently overruled Trump's tariffs policy.But South Africa is among 60 countries facing a US trade investigation that could lead to further tariffs.’They hate us,’ said demonstrator Noxolo Skomolo, a 53-year-old real-estate agent.’We are protecting our constitution. We don't want them to bully us. This is our land and our country.’Trump has also criticised South Africa's racial justice policies, enacted to address historic inequalities left by the legacy of colonial rule and apartheid — but condemned by the American leader as discriminatory against whites.The call to march condemned a ‘severe attack’ on those policies.’Lies are being told about countries in order to justify punitive economic measures and direct foreign interference in domestic politics,’ it said, without naming the US.March 21 marks the anniversary of the massacre in Sharpeville, south of Johannesburg, where at least 69 people were killed by security forces for demanding an end to the pass laws that limited black people's movement under white-minority rule. Source link
Vietnam announced Saturday that 18 non-Communist Party members were elected to its 500-seat parliament, calling the result ‘a meaningful expansion of democracy’.The National Assembly is the country's top legislative body, but serves mainly to ratify decisions made by the ruling Communist Party.Voters cast their ballots on Sunday and official results Saturday showed only 18 elected deputies were not members of the Communist Party, up from 14 in the last election five years ago.Vice-Chair of the Committee for Deputy Affairs Ta Thi Yen called the increase ‘modest’, adding ‘it marks a meaningful expansion of democracy and representation within the National Assembly’.The government said more than 99% of 76mn voters had cast their ballots — a typically high official turnout.The southeast Asian nation of 100mn is both an economic success story, boasting eight % growth last year, and a repressive one-party state that often jails its critics.Among the new parliament's first tasks when it sits next month will be to confirm senior leaders already selected by the party at its twice-a-decade congress in January.Top leader To Lam was reaffirmed as general secretary, but he is widely expected to become president as well — a post that requires approval by lawmakers. Source link
Devotees listen to a preacher’s sermon after attending the Eid al-Fitr prayers at city hall in Surabaya on March 21, 2026, marking the end of holy…