The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady, in line with market expectations, days ahead of crucial midterm elections where surging inflation has been a key issue. The 12-member Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to hold rates at a target range between 3.75 to 4.00 per cent, citing the need for more data in the fight against inflation, after having hiked for the first time in three years at its previous meeting in September. “The accumulation of more information will...

Alvin Hellerstein, the US judge overseeing the case against deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, has died aged 92, an official confirmed on Wednesday. As one of the oldest US federal judges, questions had been raised about whether he was the right justice to preside over what could be a prolonged trial for Maduro on drug trafficking charges. Hellerstein’s lengthy career included overseeing the civil cases arising from al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and...

Philippine sensation Alexandra Eala came from behind to beat Talia Gibson 4-6, 6-2, 6-0 in Tokyo on Wednesday and said “it took a lot to turn that match around”. The world No 19’s recent run of early tournament exits looked in danger of continuing when Australia’s Gibson, ranked 38, took the first set at the Pan Pacific Open. But Eala dug in and evened the match before hitting top gear in a dominating third set. The 21-year-old said the turnaround had been “a gradual increase of level”. “Maybe...

Australia’s national broadcaster ABC called on the far-right One Nation party on Wednesday to stop using children’s TV character Bluey in its political cartoons. Bluey is the popular star of an Australian cartoon series featuring canines navigating childhood and parenting in the suburbs. Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party has come under fire for a 2024 political cartoon depicting Bluey driving a car over an Australian politician. That cartoon in particular has come into the spotlight since a man...

Israelis voted on Tuesday in their highest turnout for decades, with exit polls showing the camp of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and that of his rival are neck and neck. Exit polls from the three mainstream Israeli television networks gave the two blocs around 51 seats each in the 120-member Knesset - well below the 61 needed to govern - after initially giving an edge to the opposition led by ex-army chief Gadi Eisenkot. Israeli Arab lists made strong gains, with exit polls showing them...

The pounding of running shoes echoes through a Singapore shopping centre as fitness enthusiasts desperate to exercise take refuge from choking haze. Smoke from wildfires in neighbouring Indonesia has sent air quality in the city state plummeting to its worst levels in more than a decade in recent weeks, cancelling outdoor activities. Those seeking exercise, including runners training for international events, have found an unconventional alternative: air-conditioned shopping malls. On Saturday,...

Ferocious winds and torrential rain lashed India’s southeastern coast as Cyclone Arnab made landfall on Wednesday, forcing nearly 100,000 people to evacuate their homes in two states, authorities said. Arnab hit Andhra Pradesh as a “very severe cyclonic storm”, with winds of 125-135km/h (78-84 mph) and gusts reaching 150km/h, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. A storm surge of 1.5 to 2.5 ‌metres (5-8 feet) above normal tide is very ⁠likely to ⁠inundate low-lying areas of the state...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and rival Gadi Eisenkot each vowed on Wednesday to form a government after both came up short in the first election since the October 7, 2023 attack traumatised the country. Voters turned out Tuesday in the highest numbers in decades to give their verdict on the divisive rule of Netanyahu, Israel’s longest-serving prime minister who has pushed the country sharply to the right and unleashed a wave of wars in response to the Hamas attack. Exit polls showed...

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) on Tuesday said it ⁠would refer Jordan ⁠Football Association president Prince ⁠Ali bin Hussein to its judicial bodies, after he accused Fifa president Gianni Infantino of hijacking the AFC Congress for political purposes. At the AFC’s extraordinary Congress in Tokyo on Friday, ‌its president, Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, endorsed Infantino’s bid for re-election as head of football’s governing body. Only three months after the confederation accused...