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US Homeland Security secretary nominee Kristi Noem said Friday weaknesses at the southern border are the country’s “number one threat” as she set out her vision for the department that will oversee Donald Trump’s promised immigration crackdown.  The South Dakota governor would be in overall charge of Customs and Border Protection and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) — agencies on the front line of US efforts to get to grips with a surge in undocumented migrants in recent years.The department also leads on cybersecurity, terrorism and federal emergency management — another hot-button issue in the wake of last year’s two devastating hurricanes and the ongoing wildfires in Los Angeles. Noem, 53, is best known internationally for sinking her chances of being Trump’s vice-presidential pick with her cheerful admission that she had shot her dog, Cricket, because it was “untrainable.”Despite her state’s distance from Mexico, Noem sent National Guards troops to the frontier, earning plaudits from the Republican right.In her opening statement, she said the southern border would be a top priority, asserting America’s “responsibility to secure our borders against those who would do us harm,” while stressing that the system must be fair and lawful.Underlining her focus on the issue, she was asked about domestic terrorism but pivoted back to the border.”This is a grave concern for our country, as we all agree that the number one threat to our homeland security is the southern border,” she said.Illegal immigration was a key topic in November’s election, and Trump’s promises to seal the border and carry out the largest deportation program in American history appeared to resonate at the ballot box.- ‘No political bias’ -After the election, Trump named as his new “border czar” Tom Homan, a former acting director of ICE who oversaw a policy that separated parents and children at the border.Noem, who would be his boss, appeared to have robust support from Republicans who are in the Senate majority and will ultimately decide her future.But the job is considered a pressure cooker, and Trump went through six permanent or acting Homeland Security secretaries during his first term.The Democratic appointee that Noem would replace, Alejandro Mayorkas, was a target of Republican fury as illegal entries across the southern border soared in 2023 and he was impeached last year.Homeland Security Committee Chairman Rand Paul described the 260,000-employee DHS as an agency that “epitomizes unchecked power” and “demands rigorous scrutiny.”He said Noem would have the task of restoring “transparency and accountability” to a bureaucracy that had “lost its way.”Democrats did not give Noem the hard time that other nominees have experienced, and the opening exchanges were cordial.”Governor, thank you again for your willingness to serve in this incredibly important position,” said Gary Peters, the panel’s top Democrat.While much of the questioning focused on immigration, Noem was asked to address the distribution of disaster aid, with Trump and other Republicans suggesting relief for fire-ravaged California should be conditioned on the actions of the state’s Democratic leaders.”Under my leadership at the Department of Homeland Security, there will be no political bias to how disaster relief is delivered to the American people,” she pledged.Newly released financial disclosures reveal that Noem made $139,750 in an advance payment for the memoir in which she recounted how she shot and killed her disobedient family pet.

Russia and Iran signed a new treaty on Friday underpinning their economic and military cooperation, in what both sides cast as a major milestone in their relations.Moscow has looked to the Islamic republic as a strategic ally since sending troops into Ukraine in February 2022, worrying Western officials who see both as malign actors on the world stage.The two sides agreed to help each other counter common “security threats”, according to a copy of the text published by the Kremlin. But they stopped short of a mutual defence pact like the one signed between Russia and North Korea last year.They also agreed that if either side was subjected to aggression, the other would not provide “assistance to the aggressor”.Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian, who signed the agreement together at a ceremony in the Kremlin, both hailed the accord as a new chapter in their ties.”This truly breakthrough document is aimed at creating the necessary conditions for the stable and sustainable development of Russia and Iran and our entire Eurasian region,” Putin said.Pezeshkian said the pact would “open a new chapter in relations between Iran and Russia in all fields, especially in the field of economic cooperation.”- ‘All areas’ -The two sides agreed to “support trade and economic cooperation in all areas”, a key point as both sides ramp up trade in the face of heavy Western sanctions on their energy industry.They also agreed to cooperate on training military personnel, as well as to formalise the docking of warships and vessels at each others’ ports.The agreement did not explicitly reference the exchange of weapons, an area of cooperation that the West has slapped with sanctions.Iran has already supplied Russia with self-detonating “Shahed” drones that Moscow fires on Ukraine in nightly barrages, according to Ukrainian and Western officials.Sitting next to Putin in the Kremlin after signing the treaty, Pezeshkian called for a political settlement to end the nearly three-year conflict.”I would like to remind that war is not a suitable solution to solve problems and we welcome negotiations and achieving peace between the two countries of Russia and Ukraine,” he said.Moscow and Tehran had been working on a new treaty for years. Their previous relationship was governed by a 2001 document they have renewed periodically.They share a complicated history. Iran and Russia fought wars in the 18th and 19th centuries over land in the Caucasus, and the Soviet Union and Britain launched a joint invasion of Persia during World War II.- ‘Global hegemony’ -Russian President Vladimir Putin has made building ties with Iran, China and North Korea a cornerstone of his foreign policy as he seeks to challenge what he calls as a US-led “global hegemony” and amid his Ukraine offensive.Tehran has also sought closer ties with Moscow, after suffering a series of foreign policy setbacks last year.A rebel offensive overthrew Russian and Iranian-backed Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad last month, and a war between Israel and Tehran-ally Hezbollah substantially weakened the Islamist militant group.Speaking ahead of a fragile truce between Israel and the Iran-backed Hamas that was due to come into force, Pezeshkian said he hoped a “permanent ceasefire will be established in Gaza and the aggressions on this land will end”.Putin also expressed hope for a “long-term stabilisation” in Gaza and called for the world not to “weaken efforts for a comprehensive settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict on the basis of international law”.Pezeshkian’s visit to Russia also comes just days before Iran-hawk Donald Trump returns to the White House.The US President-elect, who is seeking a rapid end to the conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, has made repeated military threats against the Islamic republic.During his first term, the Republican pulled out of a multinational deal that provided Iran sanctions relief in exchange for restrictions on its nuclear programme.In 2020, Iranian Revolutionary Guards commander Qasem Soleimani was assassinated in a US drone strike in Iraq on Trump’s orders, prompting a wave of fury in Iran.Trump last year warned the US would “wipe (Iran) off the face of the Earth” if a recent alleged Iranian plot to kill him had been succesful.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law that will ban TikTok in the United States, potentially denying the video-sharing app to 170 million users in two days.In a major defeat for TikTok, the court ruled that the law does not violate free speech rights and that the US government had demonstrated legitimate national security concerns about a Chinese company owning the app.The Supreme Court last week heard arguments from the company, ByteDance, that the law should be stopped because it was a violation of free speech.”There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the justices said.”But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary,” they concluded.With that decision, Sunday’s ban effectively stands even if lawmakers and officials across the political spectrum were calling for some sort of delay.Congress overwhelmingly passed a law last year forcing ByteDance to either sell the platform or close it in the United States by January 19.The law was an answer to widespread belief in Washington that the highly popular app could be used by China for spying or propaganda.White House officials on Friday told US media that they would not enforce the ban and leave it up to President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office a day later.Trump said that he discussed TikTok in a phone conversation with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday.- ‘Viable deal’ -Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, Trump’s incoming national security advisor Mike Waltz said the administration would put in place measures “to keep TikTok from going dark.””The legislation allows for an extension as long as a viable deal is on the table,” he said. “Essentially that buys president Trump time to keep TikTok going.””It’s been a great platform for him and his campaign to get his America first message out,” he added. “But at the same time, he wants to protect (users’) data.”Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer on Thursday also called for a looming TikTok ban to be delayed.”It’s clear that more time is needed to find an American buyer and not disrupt the lives and livelihoods of millions of Americans, of so many influencers who have built up a good network of followers,” Schumer said.To execute the ban, the US government would direct Apple and Google to remove TikTok from their app stores, preventing new downloads starting the day before Trump takes office.TikTok lawyer Noel Francisco stated the site would “go dark” on Sunday if the justices fail to block the ban, and a media report said the company was planning a full suspension of service in the United States.Campaigning ahead of the November election, Trump pledged to save TikTok and his team has been mulling ways to stall the ban or rescue the app.Once Trump takes office, the law’s implementation will fall to his attorney general, who could choose not to enforce it, or stall, defying Congress’s support for the legislation.TikTok has been lobbying furiously to thwart the law’s implementation and CEO Shou Chew will attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday. TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.

Global growth is expected to increase slightly this year while remaining stuck below its pre-pandemic average, the IMF said Friday, flagging the growing economic divide between the United States and European countries.In an update to its flagship World Economic Outlook report, the International Monetary Fund said it expects global growth to hit 3.3 percent this year, up 0.1 percentage point from its previous forecast in October, and to remain at 3.3 percent in 2026.”Growth is steady,” IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told AFP in an interview, adding that it remained below the average global growth rate in the first two decades of the 21st century of 3.7 percent. The IMF expects the global inflation rate to continue decelerating, reaching 4.2 percent this year and 3.5 percent in 2026, with prices cooling faster in advanced economies than in emerging markets. – Growing divergence -“Among advanced economies, the interesting development here is the strength and resilience and growth of the US economy,” Gourinchas said, pointing to the IMF’s decision to hike its outlook for US growth to 2.7 percent in 2025 and to 2.1 percent in 2026.”The labor market has been strong, there is strong demand, private demand is robust, there is good confidence,” he said.One of the risks to the IMF’s forecasts is policy uncertainty in the United States, where Donald Trump is preparing to return to the White House. The IMF did not include the Republican president-elect’s policy proposals in its forecasts and instead based its projections on existing US policies.”The bottom line is, when we look at the risk for the US, we see an upside risk on inflation,” he said. The economic picture in the United States stands in stark contrast to the Euro area, where a sharp downgrade for Germany has dampened expectations for a rebound in growth. The IMF now forecasts Euro area growth to increase slightly to 1.0 percent this year, and 1.4 percent in 2026, below its October forecasts.”Some of the divergence is structural,” Gourinchas told reporters on Friday, noting the “persistently stronger” productivity growth in the United States than in Europe, especially in the technology sector. This, he added, was “linked to a favorable business environment and deeper capital markets.” The Fund left its outlook for growth in Japan unchanged this year and next, and slightly increased its outlook for the United Kingdom in 2025. In Russia, which is affected by the ongoing and costly war in Ukraine, the IMF expects growth to slow sharply from 3.8 percent in 2024 to 1.4 percent this year, and to 1.2 percent in 2026. – ‘Rebalancing’ in emerging markets -The IMF expects China’s growth rate to continue cooling this year to 4.6 percent, up 0.1 percentage point from the October forecast, before easing to 4.5 percent next year. The slight upgrade was due to the Chinese government’s recently announced package of fiscal support to help prop up the slowing economy, which is struggling with a property market slump and uncertainty about trade policy once Donald Trump takes office next week.The slowdown in growth in the world’s second-largest economy is leading to something of a “rebalancing” among emerging markets, Gourinchas said, with countries including India — which the IMF expects to grow by 6.5 percent this year and next — playing a more important role.Growth in the Middle East and Central Asia is expected to pick up by less than previously forecast due largely to the effect of oil production cuts by the OPEC+ group of oil-producing nations, which includes Saudi Arabia.Economic activity is expected to rise more quickly in Latin America, the IMF said, adding that it also expected growth in sub-Saharan Africa to pick up this year. 

Authorities in France’s La Reunion have launched a probe to identify fraudsters who scammed a woman out of 830,000 euros by making her believe she had an online relationship with Brad Pitt.The police are trying to locate the accounts that received the transfers from the French woman, who has lodged a complaint in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, a police source said on Friday.The woman, named only as Anne, told the TF1 channel that she had believed she was in a romantic relationship with the Hollywood heartthrob, leading her to divorce her husband and transfer 830,000 euros ($850,000).The scammers used fake social media and WhatsApp accounts, as well as AI image-creating technology to send Anne what appeared to be selfies and messages from Pitt.Anne, a 53-year-old interior decorator, spent a year and half believing she was communicating with Pitt and only realised she had been scammed when news emerged of Pitt’s real-life relationship with girlfriend Ines de Ramon.Since last autumn Anne has been in touch with Marwan Ouarab, the founder of the FindmyScammer.com website, in a bid to find the fraudsters.According to French daily Le Parisien, which quoted Ouarab, the scammers — three men in their 20s — are located in Nigeria.”We would love for Interpol to take up the case,” the newspaper quoted him as saying.The woman has faced a wave of online harassment and mockery after the interview was broadcast, leading the programme to be withdrawn.A representative for Pitt, 61, has warned fans to be wary of impersonation scams.”It’s awful that scammers take advantage of fans’ strong connection with celebrities,” a spokesperson for the “Fight Club” actor told US outlet Entertainment Weekly this week.

Chinese President Xi Jinping held phone talks Friday with US president-elect Donald Trump, Chinese state media reported.CCTV said the phone call happened “on the evening of January 17”, without providing any immediate further details.Earlier on Friday, China announced Xi would send Vice President Han Zheng to attend Trump’s inauguration next week.Trump waged a bitter trade war with China during his first term, slapping onerous tariffs on imports from the world’s second-largest economy.He has threatened to impose more severe measures this time around, accusing Beijing of unfair trade practices and contributing to a devastating fentanyl crisis in the United States.On Thursday, Beijing slammed comments by Marco Rubio, Trump’s nominee for secretary of state, as “unwarranted attacks” after the senator — in his confirmation hearing — called China “the most… dangerous near-peer adversary” the US had ever faced.”The US side must establish a correct understanding of China, cease unwarranted attacks and smear campaigns against China,” foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun told a regular briefing.In December, Xi said China was willing to engage in dialogue and “expand cooperation” with the US, but warned that a trade war would have “no winners”.

A shared library, sports fields and fire stations. The American border town of Derby Line and its Canadian twin Stanstead have been living in harmony for more than two centuries, but their bonds are being tested by US President-elect Donald Trump.”There is uncertainty. Are we going to maintain our good relations?” says Jody Stone, the mayor of Stanstead, Quebec.A black line that runs across the floor of the Haskell Library, which also serves as a concert hall, marks the US-Canada border.The front door is on the American side, but Canadians don’t need to go through a customs checkpoint to gain access. Inside, Americans and Canadians regularly cross paths as they browse the library stacks.”We have very, very strong ties,” says Sylvie Boudreau, president of the library’s board of trustees who lives in Stanstead, adding that Trump taking office on January 20 could bring uncertainty to theSince they were founded in the late 18th century, the twin towns have relied on each other.The Canadian town of 3,000 residents would get help from Derby Line’s fire department in emergencies, and similarly would offer help to its American neighbors when needed. They also share water and sewage, an ice rink and basketball courts, and American educators teach Canadian schoolchildren.But everyone has been on edge since Trump’s election win in November, and even more so after his comments about tightening security at the border to stop illicit drugs and migrants from crossing into the United States, and slapping punishing tariffs on Canadian imports.- ‘I like Canada’ -The latter is a real concern for businesses in the region, particularly quarries and companies that sell granite, as well as finished countertops and tombstones to the United States.Mayor Stone, who owns a distribution company, is preparing for the possibility of Canadian retaliatory duties on American imports.”I’m preparing myself, I’m making sure to buy as much as possible in Canada because if there’s ever a problem with the Americans, I have to be able to supply my customers in Quebec,” he explains.On the US side of the border, Trump’s remarks are also disconcerting to Americans, who consider the ties forged since the two towns’ founding to be more important than politics.Trump’s trolling of Canada, including calling it America’s 51st state, does not make the United States a good neighbor, says Derby Line resident Rachel McDowell.”I like Canada. I like going there. I don’t have any problems with Canada,” says McDowell, 27, adding that she fears Trump’s polarizing rhetoric will only create divisions.Canadian Guy Lemay, a 71-year-old retired police officer, is in favor of strengthening the border as requested by the American president-elect. Ottawa has announced a Can$1.3 billion (US$900 million) plan to beef up patrols with helicopters and drones, and deploy more border agents.But Lemay, who frequently goes to the United States to fill up with gasoline since it is cheaper there, says he is against imposing tariffs.”It’s going to be rough,” he says. “And it’s the citizens who are going to pay, on both sides.”

Apple pushed out a software update on Thursday which disabled news headlines and summaries generated using artificial intelligence that were lambasted for getting facts wrong.The move by the tech titan comes as it enhances its latest lineup of devices with “Apple Intelligence” in a market keen for assurance that the iPhone maker is a contender in the AI race.Apple’s decision to temporarily disable the recently launched AI feature comes after the BBC and other news organizations complained that users were getting mistake-riddled or outright wrong headlines or news summary alerts.Apple deployed the update to developers working with a beta version of its software, sidelining the AI feature for news headlines.The tech giant plans to restore the feature when it is working properly and eventually roll it out to all users.Apple in June of last year unveiled new iPhones built with generative AI as it seeks to boost sales and show it is keeping up in the technological arms race.The company has a lot riding on the new iPhone 16 and hopes that customers are attracted to buy the latest models by its new AI powers.”We are thrilled to introduce the first iPhones designed from the ground up for Apple Intelligence and its breakthrough capabilities,” Apple chief executive Tim Cook said at an event at the iPhone-maker’s Silicon Valley headquarters.”Apple Intelligence” is a new suite of software features for all devices that was announced at the company’s annual developers conference, where it also announced a partnership with ChatGPT-maker OpenAI.In the short-term, the new powers include AI-infused image editing, translation, and small, creative touches in messaging, but not more ambitious breakthroughs promised by other AI players, such as OpenAI or Google.The features are similar to tools recently released by Meta, Microsoft and Google, which can produce well-crafted content simply by querying in everyday language.Google last year released AI-infused Pixel 9 smartphones, its challenge to the iPhone.Pixel phones account for a tiny sliver of the global smartphone market dominated by Samsung and Apple, but Google argued its new line is a chance to answer what — after all the hype — AI can actually do for customers.Samsung has also showcased AI across its line, and is expected to unveil a new flagship Galaxy smartphone at an event next week in Silicon Valley.

President Joe Biden warned Thursday against the dangerous erosion of the fundamental guardrails protecting an increasingly “fragile” American democracy.A day after urging Americans to stand firm against an “oligarchy” forming under Donald Trump, Biden highlighted the specific threat posed by a cowed Supreme Court and Congress unable to keep an autocratic presidency in check.Biden, in a recorded interview with MSNBC — his last before leaving office on Monday — also revealed details of his conversations with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed the situation in Ukraine.”I really am concerned about how fragile democracy is,” Biden said. “I really think we’re in an inflection point in history here where, unrelated to any particular leader, things are going to change drastically.””So I guess what I’m worried about is that the thing that keeps it on track are the guardrails, that there’s a Supreme Court that’s independent,” Biden said, and a Congress where you “speak your mind but you’re held accountable to basic standards.”He said the president may be the “top dog” but “you can’t dictate everything.”Biden said he did not have any recent discussions with Trump about the negotiations that led to the Gaza ceasefire deal, for which the incoming president has sought to take credit.As for Netanyahu, Biden said he still considers him a “friend” although “we don’t agree on a whole lot lately.”Biden recounted one of his early conversations with Netanyahu after the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas.”I told them we were going to help, but Bibi, I said, you can’t be carpet-bombing in these communities.”And he said to me: ‘Well you did it… You carpet-bombed Berlin. You dropped a nuclear weapon. You killed thousands of people because you had to in order to win a war,'” Biden recounted.Biden said he also kept reminding Netanyahu “that he has to find a way to accomodate the legitimate concerns of a large group of people called Palestinians who have no place to live independently.”Touching on the conflict in Ukraine, Biden said Russia has suffered more than 670,000 wounded or dead since the invasion.”They’re losing big time too,” he said. “It doesn’t mean they’re going to lose everything but it means they’re not going to be able to have the kind of win (Russian leader Vladimir Putin) thought,” he said.- ‘Too much time on the policy’ -Putin wants to “reestablish the old Warsaw Pact,” Biden said. “I can’t let that happen.”Biden also said he was not concerned about his safety when he made his visit to Ukraine.The Secret Service were “very unhappy,” he said, “but I didn’t think that Putin would dare to take out an American president.”Biden, who dropped his reelection bid after a disastrous debate performance against Trump, also reflected briefly on his political failings.”Ironically, I almost spent too much time on the policy and not enough time on the politics,” he said.The hour-long sit-down interview with MSNBC was one of just a handful Biden gave to the media during his four years as president.He also rarely held full-fledged news conferences, and his White House had an occasionally tense relationship with the press, which it accused of unfairly focusing on the 82-year-old president’s age and cognitive abilities.

US President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday the ceasefire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas would have never been reached without pressure from him and his incoming administration. The agreement, which would exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, awaits approval by Israel’s security cabinet before taking effect, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be negotiated.Four days away from being inaugurated for a second term, Trump told the Dan Bongino Show that negotiations would have never finalized without pressure from his team, including Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.”If we weren’t involved in this deal, the deal would’ve never happened,” Trump said.”We changed the course of it, and we changed it fast, and frankly, it better be done before I take the oath of office,” he added. Israel’s security cabinet was set to meet Friday to discuss the terms of the ceasefire, which would go into effect Sunday at the earliest, just before Trump’s presidential inauguration on Monday.Trump also blasted outgoing President Joe Biden for taking credit for the ceasefire agreement, calling him “ungracious” and saying: “He didn’t do anything! If I didn’t do this, if we didn’t get involved, the hostages would never be out.” Biden had proposed a ceasefire agreement last May with terms that mirrored the deal reached this week.The ceasefire agreement under discussion proposes an initial 42-day ceasefire that would see the release of 33 hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza’s populations centers.The second phase of the agreement could bring a “peramanent end to the war,” Biden said.In an interview with MSNBC on Thursday, Biden said that he had not had any recent discussions with Trump about the ceasefire negotiations.