Myanmar’s junta continued air strikes on rebel groups across the country, even as the UN and neighbouring countries called for a ceasefire to allow the passage of humanitarian aid following Friday’s 7.7-magnitude earthquake. The death toll looked set to rise from around 1,700 people, as rescuers searched for survivors even after the expiry on Monday morning of a 72-hour window, after which the chances of finding them alive reduces rapidly.
Donald Trump said he would impose tariffs of 25-50% on countries that buy Russian oil if the Kremlin did not co-operate with his attempts to end the war in Ukraine. America’s president added he was “pissed off” with Vladimir Putin for suggesting on Friday that a “transitional administration” be established in Ukraine. Since returning to office Mr Trump has generally struck a friendlier tone towards Russia than Joe Biden did.
Mr Trump also said he was “not joking” about serving a third term as America’s president, despite a constitutional limit of two terms. Speaking to NBC News, Mr Trump said “there are methods [by] which you could do it”. Such a change would require a two-thirds vote of Congress or two-thirds of the 50 states agreeing to call a constitutional convention to propose it.
China’s finance ministry will inject billions of dollars into four state-owned banks, helping them to increase their capital buffers in the face of a flagging economy. In separate filings the Bank of China, Bank of Communications, Postal Savings Bank of China and China Construction Bank said they would issue 520bn yuan-worth ($72bn) of new shares, with the ministry buying 500bn yuan of them.
Israel’s prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said he was committed to reaching a deal to free hostages after tens of thousands of protesters in Israel this weekend accused him of not doing enough for them. He also said “cracks” were appearing in Hamas’s negotiating position. On Saturday the militant group said it had agreed to a ceasefire proposal brought by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
The head of the Rapid Support Forces, a Sudanese rebel group, vowed to continue its war against Sudan’s national army, which began in 2023, despite losing control of Khartoum, the capital. Muhammad Hamdan Dagalo, also known as Hemedti, admitted his forces had withdrawn from the city in recent days but said they would return “more powerful”. The national army also suggested it would keep fighting.
Cardiologists reported that an experimental drug, lepodisiran, manufactured by Eli Lilly, an American pharmaceutical company, could lower by 94% the blood’s level of a genetically inherited particle that greatly increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. The promising midstage trial results will now be tested in large clinical trials. An estimated 1.4bn people worldwide have elevated levels of the particle, Lp(a).
Figure of the day: 18%, the decline in the budget for America’s Bureau of Labour Statistics in real terms over the past 15 years. Read the full story.
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