BUSINESS

Negotiators trying to secure a global agreement on tackling the scourge of plastic pollution have less than 24 hours to salvage a deal on Thursday after the talks plunged into total disarray.

Bitcoin hit a new peak during early Asian trading on Thursday, as the yen surged after the US Treasury Secretary said he expects Japan to hike interest rates.

Okinawa resident Hiromasa Iha can still recall the screams of his classmates and teachers after a US military jet crashed into his elementary school, killing 18 people more than six decades ago.

Bolivia's presidential candidates made a final push for votes on Wednesday ahead of elections on the weekend set to end 20 years of socialist rule.

US President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday easing regulations for the private space industry, including eliminating some environmental reviews, in a move likely to please his erstwhile advisor Elon Musk.

When Snoop Dogg sang the praises of Swansea City, it signalled the unlikely arrival of the latest celebrity owner in the once unfashionable Championship, English football's second tier.

Peruvian President Dina Boluarte on Wednesday signed into law a controversial bill granting amnesty to military personnel, police and members of civilian self-defense units over a bloody 1980-2000 campaign against leftist Shining Path guerrillas.

Jailed Hong Kong media mogul Jimmy Lai's national security trial, which began in late 2023, will enter its final stages on Thursday as lawyers present closing arguments.

At least 26 migrants died Wednesday when two boats sank off the coast of Italy's Lampedusa island, with around 10 others still missing, the coastguard and UN officials said.

Attempts to finalise a landmark treaty combating plastic pollution descended into disarray on the penultimate day on Wednesday as dozens of countries rejected outright the latest draft text, leaving the talks in limbo.

Negotiators from 184 countries remained riven Wednesday on how to curb plastic pollution, less than 36 hours before they were slated to deliver a binding global treaty.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders were to hold urgent talks with US President Donald Trump on Wednesday, hoping to convince him to respect Kyiv's interests in his looming summit with Russia's Vladimir Putin.

Markets rose Wednesday on growing hopes of US interest rate cuts after soft inflation data, with Japan's Nikkei hitting a second record high in as many days.

Britain, France and Germany have told the United Nations they are ready to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme if no diplomatic solution is found by the end of August, according to a joint letter obtained by AFP. The letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council says the three European powers are "committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon" unless Tehran meets the deadline.

Japan's Nikkei hit a second record high in as many days Wednesday, as hopes of US interest rate cuts following soft inflation data cheered equity investors across Asia.

Indian exporters are scrambling for options to mitigate the fallout of US President Donald Trump's threatened tariff salvo against the world's most populous nation.

AI chatbot Grok on Tuesday offered conflicting explanations for its brief suspension from X after accusing Israel and the United States of committing "genocide" in Gaza, as it lashed out at owner Elon Musk for "censoring me."