MANILA, July 18 — Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will visit the United States (US) next week with a clear message to President Donald Trump that the Philippines must become economically stronger if it is to serve as a truly robust partner, an official said today.

NAIROBI, July 18 — World’s oldest multilateral climate fund the Global Environment Facility (GEF) is planning a new wave of wildlife conservation bonds to help African countries save endangered species and ecosystems.

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 18 — The BRICS Media and Think Tank Forum released an initiative on artificial intelligence (AI) cooperation and development on Wednesday, calling for joint efforts to explore AI-empowered journalism and think tank research.

WELLINGTON, July 18 — New Zealand has expressed its interest in joining the Asean Halal Council as an associate member, signalling a strong commitment to strengthening halal cooperation with Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region.

NEW DELHI, July 18 — A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month supports the view that the captain cut the flow of fuel to the plane's engines, said a source briefed on United States (US) officials' early assessment of evidence.

WASHINGTON, July 18 — A group of United States (US) solar panel manufacturers asked the Commerce Department to impose anti-dumping and countervailing duties on imports from Indonesia, India, and Laos, according to documents on an agency website.

LONDON, July 17 — Across the United Kingdom, 16- and 17-year-olds today celebrated their newly granted right to vote in all Britain elections, but said proper education is vital to boost turnout and protect young voters from political misinformation on social media.

DAMASCUS, July 17 — Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa promised to protect the rights of Druze citizens today as a ceasefire appeared to be holding in the country’s south following the United States’ intervention to end fighting between government forces and Druze fighters.

NEW YORK, July 17 — The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to hold an emergency session today following Israeli airstrikes on the Suwayda region and Damascus in Syria, Anadolu Ajansi (AA) reported.

BARCELONA, July 17 — Barcelona's electric 18-year-old winger Lamine Yamal has been handed the famous number 10 shirt previously worn by club icon Lionel Messi, capping a remarkable breakthrough season for the teenager.

BENGALURU, July 17 — A cockpit recording of dialogue between the two pilots of the Air India flight that crashed last month indicates the captain turned off the switches that controlled fuel flowing to the plane's engines, the Wall Street Journal reported yesterday.

JERUSALEM, July 16 — At least 20 Palestinians were killed today at an aid distribution site run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), in what the United States-backed group said was a crowd surge instigated by armed agitators.

DAMASCUS, July 16 — Powerful airstrikes shook Damascus today, targeting the Defence Ministry as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze communities in southern Syria and demanded they withdraw.

KARACHI, July 16 — The United Kingdom has lifted a five-year ban on Pakistani airlines, allowing them to apply to resume UK flights just as Islamabad steps up efforts to privatise its national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

WASHINGTON, July 16 — The United States Senate yesterday advanced President Donald Trump’s request to slash billions in spending on foreign aid and public broadcasting previously approved by Congress, the latest test of Trump’s control over his fellow Republicans.

WASHINGTON, July 16 — Nvidia’s planned resumption of sales of its H20 AI chips to China is part of US negotiations on rare earths, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said yesterday, and comes days after its CEO met President Donald Trump.

CUPERTINO, July 16 — Apple has signed a US$500 million (RM2.12 billion) deal with MP Materials for rare earth magnets, mitigating supply risks after China curbed exports this year and representing a major coup for MP that sent its shares soaring by a fifth.

JAKARTA, July 16 — The Indonesian police have busted an international baby trafficking syndicate believed to have been operating since 2023, rescuing six infants and arresting 12 suspects in a major cross-province operation.

NEW YORK, July 16 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has announced that Indonesia will pay a 19 per cent tariff on all goods exported to the US, while US exports to Indonesia are to be free of tariffs and non-tariff barriers, reported Xinhua.

WASHINGTON, July 15 — United States (US) President Donald Trump has said that a trade agreement with Vietnam was nearly complete.