Cameroon’s Biya, 92, to run for re-election
Yaounde — Cameroon’s nonagenarian head of state, Paul Biya, will run for re-election in this year’s presidential vote expected on October 12, a post on the president’s X account said on Sunday.
“I am a candidate in the presidential election of October 12, 2025. Rest assured that my determination to serve you matches the urgency of the challenges we face,” the post on the official account said.
Biya, the world’s oldest serving head of state, came to power more than four decades ago in 1982, when his predecessor Ahmadou Ahidjo resigned.
His health is the subject of frequent speculation, most recently last year when he disappeared from public view for 42 days. Reuters
Putin reportedly back US-Iran nuclear deal
Bengaluru — Russian President Vladimir Putin has told US President Donald Trump and Iranian officials that he supports the idea of a nuclear deal in which Iran is unable to enrich uranium, Axios reported on Saturday, citing sources.
Iran’s semi-official news agency Tasnim denied the report, quoting an “informed source” as saying Putin had not sent any message to Iran in this regard. Reuters
Discounts boost US retailers’ online sales
New York — Online spending soared $24.1bn across US retailers during the stretch from July 8 to 11 — dubbed “Black Friday in Summer”, outpacing Adobe Analytics’ prior forecast, as eager shoppers rushed to snap up deep discounts on back-to-school essentials.
Retailers recorded online sales growth of 30.3% during events that included Amazon Prime Day, Adobe said on Saturday, compared with its projections of 28.4%.
Online retail sales in the US rose 11% to $14.2bn a year ago.
The Prime Day event has also been cemented as a “back-to-school” shopping moment, as consumers jumped on early deals to stock up on essentials and get ahead of the back-to-school rush, Adobe said. Reuters
Kim supports Russia in resolving Ukraine conflict
Seoul — North Korean leader Kim Jong-un told Russia’s top diplomat his country was ready to “unconditionally support” all actions taken by Moscow to resolve the conflict in Ukraine, state media reported on Sunday, as the two countries held high-level strategic talks.
Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov is on a three-day visit to North Korea, which has provided troops and arms for Russia’s war with Ukraine and pledged more military support as Moscow tries to make advances in the conflict.
Kim met Lavrov in the eastern coastal city of Wonsan where the two countries’ foreign ministers held their second strategic dialogue, pledging further co-operation under a partnership treaty signed last year that includes a mutual defence pact. Reuters
German auto body warns on rising costs from tariffs
Zurich — Germany’s VDA auto association on Saturday warned of growing costs for carmakers and suppliers after US President Donald Trump threatened to impose 30% tariffs on imports from the EU and Mexico.
“It is regrettable that there is a threat of a further escalation of the trade conflict,” said VDA president Hildegard Mueller.
“The costs for our companies are already in the billions and the sum is growing every day,” she said, noting that suppliers were also affected by the import duties. Reuters
Union supports Thyssenkrupp restructuring plans
Frankfurt — Thyssenkrupp and trade union IG Metall on Saturday said they had agreed on reduced working hours, lower bonus payments and site closures as part of a push to revamp Germany’s largest steelmaker and prepare it for a stand-alone future.
The accord with steel workers marks a major step in Thyssenkrupp’s restructuring, under which the former German industrial icon is planning to turn into a holding company, and comes after renewed tension between management and labour representatives.
Implementation of the new collective bargaining agreement, which runs until September 30 2030, must be approved by IG Metall members at Thyssenkrupp’s steel unit TKSE and is pending an agreement on the division’s future financing, they said. Reuters
Trump blocks Jupiter Systems deal on security risk
Washington — President Donald Trump ordered the blocking of the acquisition of audiovisual equipment supplier Jupiter Systems by Hong Kong’s Suirui International after Suirui was found to be a national security risk, the US treasury department said on Friday.
The Committee on Foreign Investment in the US reviewed and investigated the deal and “identified a national security risk arising from Suirui’s ownership of Jupiter relating to the potential compromise of Jupiter’s products used in military and critical infrastructure environments,” the treasury department said in a statement.
The department termed Suirui “a company organised under the laws of” China. Suirui describes itself as a cloud communication service carrier.
The two companies entered into a deal in early 2020. The order asks the Hong Kong firm to divest from the US company in 120 days. Reuters
Dalai Lama’s succession an internal affair, China says
New Delhi — The succession of Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, is a thorn in China-India relations, the Chinese embassy in New Delhi said on Sunday, as India’s foreign minister prepares to visit China for the first time since deadly border clashes in 2020.
Ahead of celebrations this month for his 90th birthday that were attended by senior Indian ministers, the head of Tibetan Buddhists riled China again by saying it had no role in his succession.
The Dalai Lama has been living in exile in India since 1959 after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet, and Indian foreign relations experts say his presence gives New Delhi leverage against China. India is also home to about 70,000 Tibetans and a Tibetan government-in-exile.
Yu Jing, a Chinese embassy spokesperson, said on social media app X that some people from strategic and academic communities in India had made “improper remarks” on the reincarnation of the Dalai Lama. Reuters
Syria signs $800m deal with DP World
Syria’s General Authority for Land and Sea Ports on Sunday signed a $800m agreement with UAE’s DP World to bolster Syrian ports infrastructure and logistical services, Syrian state news agency SANA reported.
The agreement follows on from a memorandum of understanding signed between the two sides in May.
The deal with DP World, a subsidiary of United Arab Emirates investment company Dubai World, focuses on developing a multipurpose terminal at Tartous on Syria’s Mediterranean coast and co-operation in setting up industrial and free trade zones.
The signing ceremony was attended by Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa.
Last month, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order terminating a US sanctions programme on Syria, paving the way for an end to the country’s isolation from the international financial system and for the rebuilding of its economy shattered by the civil war.
Reuters
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