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What is the pink stuff coating fire-ravaged Los Angeles?

Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – Above the roaring fires devastating parts of Los Angeles is an incongruous sight: air tankers dropping gallons of bright red and Barbie-pink slurry over forest, homes, cars, and anything else that might lie in the blazes’ path. The substance, vivid against the grey smoke and charred landscape, is fire retardant — much of it a product called Phos-Chek that has been used by the US Forest Service since the 1960s.

©AFP

Beijing says ‘firmly opposes’ US ban on smart cars containing Chinese tech

Beijing (AFP) – Beijing on Wednesday said it “firmly opposes” a United States move to effectively bar Chinese technology from smart cars in the American market, saying alleged risks to national security were “without any factual basis”. “Such actions disrupt economic and commercial cooperation between enterprises… and represent typical protectionism and economic coercion,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said, adding: “China firmly opposes this.”

©AFP

South Korean President Yoon arrested over failed martial law bid

Seoul (AFP) – South Korea’s impeached President Yoon Suk Yeol says he has decided to submit to questioning over his failed martial law bid to avert “bloodshed” even though he believed the probe was illegal. Yoon is the first president to be detained in the nation’s history. “I decided to respond to the Corruption Investigation Office,” Yoon said in a pre-recorded video message, adding that he did not accept the legality of the investigation but was complying “to prevent any unfortunate bloodshed.”

©AFP

Klopp hopeful Salah will agree new Liverpool deal

Salzburg (Austria) (AFP) – Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp expresses hope that Mohamed Salah will sign a new contract to stay at Anfield beyond the end of this season. “I hope he stays. He is a fantastic player, a fantastic human being, an outstanding athlete, the best ambassador your country could have. So I hope he will stay at Liverpool,” Klopp replies to a question about Salah from an Egyptian journalist during a press conference in Austria. Klopp was speaking at his unveiling as Red Bull’s head of global soccer, a role in which he will oversee the energy drinks conglomerate’s football empire.

©AFP

Qatar says Gaza talks in ‘final stages’, deal possible ‘very soon’

Doha (AFP) – Negotiations in Doha for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal are in their “final stages”, says Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari in a press conference. Qatar, Egypt and the United States have stepped up efforts to broker a ceasefire to enable the release of hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures. Israel’s retaliatory campaign in Gaza has killed 46,645 people, a majority of them civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory, figures that the UN considers reliable.

©AFP

Hollywood film industry faces latest ‘calamity’ in LA fires

Pacific Palisades (United States) (AFP) – The huge fires that broke out in Los Angeles last week are the third “calamity” to hit Hollywood in recent years, says industry expert Karie Bible. The disaster arrived with the film industry still feeling the impacts of Covid-19 and the writers’ and actors’ strikes. At least 24 people have died in the blazes, which have destroyed 12,000 structures and forced 92,000 people from their homes.

©AFP

Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers, says PM Starmer

London (AFP) – UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says “Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers” as he lays out his vision to harness the power of artificial intelligence to boost the country’s flagging economy. The “AI Opportunities Action Plan” includes 50 recommendations that the government will implement to boost AI-driven efficiency in the public sector, from education and healthcare to detecting potholes.

©AFP

Displaced Palestinians set up tents in central Gaza cemetery

Deir el-Balah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – “Living here is terrifying, but there is no alternative,” says Wafaa Fahmy, standing amid graves at a cemetery in central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah where she and other displaced Palestinians have set up tents and taken shelter.

©AFP

South Korea’s Gen-Z divided over political crisis

Seoul (AFP) – A divide has emerged among South Korea’s youth since President Yoon Suk Yeol declared a bungled martial law decree in December and hunkered down at his residence resisting arrest. On one side, young conservative men — including evangelical Christians and those who openly support Trump — are railing against his impeachment. On the other, young women and supporters of liberal causes like the LGBTQ+ community, climate justice and labour rights are calling for his immediate detention.

©AFP

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