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WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand’s government will lay off nearly 9,000 workers, amounting to 14% of public sector jobs, by mid-2029 as part of a bid to slash billions in spending, Finance Minister Nicola Willis said Tuesday. Willis said her administration would also enact three consecutive years of budget cuts for most public agencies, “significantly reduce” the number of departments, and demand faster uptake of AI technology across […]

GENEVA, May 19 (Reuters) – The head of the World Health Organization on Tuesday expressed concern at the speed and scale of the Ebola outbreak, as number of cases rises.   There are at least 500 suspected cases and 130 suspected deaths from Ebola since the new outbreak began, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. That is in addition to one confirmed death and one confirmed case in Kampala, Uganda, […]

By Heejin Kim SEOUL, May 19 (Reuters) – The head of Starbucks Korea has been fired after a marketing campaign sparked public outrage and boycott calls for evoking painful memories of a brutal military crackdown on pro-democracy protesters in 1980. Shinsegae Group, the retail conglomerate that licenses and manages the U.S. coffee chain in South Korea, said it had sacked Sohn Jeong-hyun, the head of Starbucks Korea, for carrying out […]

May 19 (Reuters) – Hansa Biopharma said on Tuesday it had agreed to license its kidney transplant drug Idefirix to privately held SERB Pharmaceuticals in Europe and some other markets for up to 115 million euros ($134 million), bolstering the Swedish biotech firm’s balance sheet as it prepares for a potential U.S. launch of the drug later this year. The deal provides Hansa a cash runway to profitability and allows […]

KUALA LUMPUR, May 19 (Reuters) – Malaysia’s defence minister on Tuesday said a notice has been sent to Norway seeking compensation of more than 1 billion ringgit ($251.76 million), after Oslo abruptly cancelled export approvals for a naval strike missile system intended for Malaysian combat ships.  Norway has said certain export licenses of specific defence technology to Malaysia were revoked due to a shift in in Oslo’s export control regulations. […]

By Philip Blenkinsop BRUSSELS, May 19 (Reuters) – European Union negotiators were expected to agree on Tuesday to scrap import duties on U.S. goods to comply with the trade deal struck with the United States last year and ward off U.S. President Donald Trump’s threat of much higher tariffs. Under the terms of the deal struck at Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland last July, the EU agreed to remove […]

By Jennifer Rigby LONDON, May 19 (Reuters) – A panel of experts led by the World Health Organization will meet on Tuesday to discuss if there are any vaccine options to help tackle a major Ebola outbreak in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. There have been 131 suspected deaths and 500 cases linked to the outbreak of the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, according to the WHO. The WHO and Africa Centers […]

By Leika Kihara TOKYO, May 19 (Reuters) – Financial market turbulence could force the Bank of Japan to go slow on the unwinding of its massive debt holdings, giving anxious bond investors some relief as surging yields lay bare worsening fiscal strains and inflation pressures. The central bank sets a high bar for outright bond market intervention, said three sources familiar with the BOJ’s thinking, but it could flag a […]

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The United Arab Emirates for decades has advertised itself as a haven for international business in a Middle East awash in violent upheaval. Those waves have now crashed into this nation, testing its economic model like never before. The UAE, a close ally of the United States and Israel, faced more missile and drone attacks from Iran during the war than any other country. […]