The United States is now less than a week away from reaching its national borrowing limit, with the Treasury repeatedly warning it could run out of money to pay bills as early as June 1, threatening a catastrophic default. . While the precise date the United States could run out of money to pay its existing bills is hard to pinpoint, the Treasury has warned that the X-date could arrive as early as June 1.
Humanity uses and abuses hundreds of millions of tonnes of plastic a year because "it's so cheap", despite the huge cost of the pollution it creates, the head of the UN Environment Programme told AFP. Inger Andersen, an economist by training, told AFP she that a binding, "ambitious" global treaty would help fix the problem, ahead of the second round of UN-led negotiations that diplomats from 175 nations aim to conclude next year. . But the cost to the environment and human health is huge, and it is not taxed anywhere.
Democrats and Republicans inched towards a deal Friday, ahead of a long weekend, to extend the US debt ceiling and avoid a crippling default that could hit the world's biggest economy within days.. This year, the increasingly hard-right Republican Party has decided to turn the debt ceiling into leverage to force Biden to roll back favorite Democratic spending priorities.
Turkey on Friday entered the final stretch of a bitter presidential campaign that has seen Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his secular rival exploit fears about migrants and Kurdish militants.. "Until yesterday, they were terrorist lovers," Erdogan said of his rivals this week.
US tobacco giant Philip Morris International is fighting to get Britain, France and other countries to make it easier to promote alternatives to cigarettes such as heated tobacco and vaping.. Stopping the sale of traditional cigarettes will "make Philip Morris look better" but not affect the one billion smokers who can "continue buying a product from somebody else", Olczak told AFP. Instead, he wants to "convince the governments... (to) allow the alternatives and we can start reducing the sale of cigarettes much faster."
The annual general meeting of TotalEnergies opened on Friday in Paris after police teargassed climate activists, as the oil giant also faces pressure from the French government to speed up the switch to renewable energy.. But France's energy transition minister, Agnes Pannier-Runacher, urged the company to speed things up on Friday.
The return of Chinese tourists to destinations worldwide will top off a spectacular post-coronavirus global tourism revival this year, according to industry leaders.. Executives said China's free-spending tourists will play a key role in the revival, while putting new pressure on the travel industry.
Police fired tear gas to disperse climate protesters trying to block an annual general meeting of French oil giant TotalEnergies in Paris on Friday.. At dawn in the French capital, dozens of protesters tried to enter a part of the street that was blocked off by police trucks to secure the concert hall where TotalEnergies was scheduled to hold its meeting.
US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo expressed concern to her Chinese counterpart Wang Wentao on Thursday over Beijing's restrictions on US companies.. "Secretary Raimondo also raised concerns about the recent spate of PRC actions taken against US companies operating in the PRC," the statement said, using an acronym for the People's Republic of China.
Hopes that lawmakers are edging closer to a deal to hike the US debt ceiling lifted spirits in Asia on Friday, though traders remain nervous as a deadline to avert a calamitous default draws closer.. Reports said the two camps were edging towards a deal that would lift the debt ceiling and cap spending for two years.
