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SINGAPORE — Sunny prides herself on being a law-abiding Singaporean citizen, but for the last three years, she's been hiding a feline fugitive called Mooncake. The fluffy ragdoll lives with Sunny in defiance of a 34-year-old law banning cats in the government-built apartments that house the vast majority of Singaporeans. Luckily for Mooncake, Singapore plans to scrap the ban later this year, freeing Sunny from the threat of a $3,007 fine or her pet's potential eviction. "Cats are so much quieter than dogs. If they allow dogs, I don't understand why not cats," said Sunny, 30, who works in marketing and asked to be identified only by her first name because she didn't want to risk her cat being taken away. Authorities rarely enforce the ban, which applies to the high-rise Housing and Development Board apartment blocks where 80% of 3.6 million Singaporeans live. It has long been flouted by countless cat lovers. Singapore's ban on cats in HDB housing is yet another example of the city-state's infamously exacting rules-based culture, in which, for example, the sale and import of chewing gum remains banned. Established in 1960, the HDB scheme sells government-built units directly to qualified citizens on 99-year leases. It has led to one of the world's highest home-ownership rates, but residents are subject to many restrictions and regulations. Cats were allowed in HDB flats until parliament amended the housing law in 1989. On its website, the HDB justifies the ban by saying that cats are "difficult to contain within the flat ... they tend to shed fur and defecate or urinate in public areas, and also make caterwauling sounds, which can inconvenience your neighbors." It's not clear what made the Singapore government change its mind, but the tipping point appears to be an official survey in 2022 that showed 9 out of 10 respondents agreed that cats were suitable pets to keep, including in HDB flats. The authorities are now surveying members of the public on the "proposed cat management framework" that should come into place later in 2024. Dogs have not been subject to a similar ban, but they are limited to one per household and only certain breeds and sizes can be kept as pets: for example, miniature poodles are allowed, but golden retrievers are not. Market research firm Euromonitor International has predicted a surge in cat ownership. In a report on the prospects for cat food companies, it estimated Singapore's pet population at 94,000 cats and 113,000 dogs. Lawmaker Louis Ng, who ran an animal welfare group before joining parliament in 2015, also hopes the change will lead more people to adopt rescued cats. Under the new framework, HDB residents would be limited to two cats. It also mandates licensing and microchipping cats, as well as installing mesh screens on windows so cats don't fall out. Some cat lovers say the new regulations don't go far enough. Thenuga Vijakumar from the Cat Welfare Society wants the law to mandate sterilization. Cat rescuer Chan Chow Wah, 50, also wants penalties for irresponsible owners. He said he had to take care of a cat that fell from the third story and whose owners refused to pay its medical bills, as well as another cat that was abandoned after being diagnosed with heart disease. "I end up taking over these cases. Basically, I look after them until they pass away," said Chan, estimating he spent $45,100 on vet bills in 2022. But for many cat owners like Mooncake's Sunny, the law is a blessing that will bring her peace of mind. "I think it's a good thing and it's a step forward after 30 years," she said.

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WASHINGTON — The federal government's gross national debt has surpassed $34 trillion, a record high that foreshadows the coming political and economic challenges to improve America's balance sheet in the coming years.  The U.S. Treasury Department issued a report Tuesday logging U.S. finances, which have become a source of tension in a politically divided Washington that could possibly see parts of the government shut down without an annual budget in place.  Republican lawmakers and the White House agreed last June to temporarily lift the nation's debt limit, staving off the risk of what would be a historic default. That agreement lasts until January 2025. Here are some answers to questions about the new record national debt.  How did the national debt hit $34 trillion?   The national debt eclipsed $34 trillion several years sooner than pre-pandemic projections. The Congressional Budget Office's January 2020 projections had gross federal debt eclipsing $34 trillion in fiscal year 2029.  But the debt grew faster than expected because of a multiyear pandemic starting in 2020 that shut down much of the U.S. economy. The government borrowed heavily under then-President Donald Trump and current President Joe Biden to stabilize the economy and support a recovery. But the rebound came with a surge of inflation that pushed up interest rates and made it more expensive for the government to service its debts.  "So far, Washington has been spending money as if we had unlimited resources," said Sung Won Sohn, an economics professor at Loyola Marymount University. "But the bottom line is, there is no free lunch," he said. "And I think the outlook is pretty grim."  The gross debt includes money that the government owes itself, so most policymakers rely on the total debt held by the public in assessing the government's finances. This lower figure — $26.9 trillion — is roughly equal in size to the U.S. gross domestic product.  Last June, the Congressional Budget Office estimated in its 30-year outlook that publicly held debt will be equal to a record 181% of American economic activity by 2053.  What is the impact to the economy?   The national debt does not appear to be a weight on the U.S. economy right now, as investors are willing to lend the federal government money. This lending allows the government to keep spending on programs without having to raise taxes.  But the debt's path in the decades to come might put at risk national security and major programs, including Social Security and Medicare, which have become the most prominent drivers of forecasted government spending over the next few decades. Government dysfunction, such as another debt limit showdown, could also be a financial risk if investors worry about lawmakers' willingness to repay the U.S. debt.  Foreign buyers of U.S. debt — like China, Japan, South Korea and European nations — have already cut down on their holdings of Treasury notes.  A Peterson Foundation analysis states that foreign holdings of U.S. debt peaked at 49% in 2011 but dropped to 30% by the end of 2022.  "Looking ahead, debt will continue to skyrocket as the Treasury expects to borrow nearly $1 trillion more by the end of March," said Peterson Foundation CEO Michael Peterson. "Adding trillion after trillion in debt, year after year, should be a flashing red warning sign to any policymaker who cares about the future of our country.  How could it affect me?   The debt equates to about $100,000 per person in the U.S. That sounds like a lot, but the sum so far has not appeared to threaten U.S. economic growth.  Instead, the risk is long term if the debt keeps rising to uncharted levels. Sohn said a higher debt load could put upward pressure on inflation and cause interest rates to remain elevated, which could also increase the cost of repaying the national debt.  And as the debt challenge evolves over time, choices may become more severe as the costs of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid increasingly outstrip tax revenues.  When it could turn into a more dire situation is anyone's guess, says Shai Akabas, director of economic policy at the Bipartisan Policy Center. "But if and when that happens, it could mean very significant consequences that occur very quickly.  "It could mean spikes in interest rates. It could mean a recession that leads to lots more unemployment. It could lead to another bout of inflation or weird goings-on with consumer prices — several of which are things that we've experienced just in the past few years," he said.  How do Republicans and Democrats differ?   Both Democrats and Republicans have called for debt reduction, but they disagree on the appropriate means of doing so.  The Biden administration has been pushing for tax hikes on the wealthy and corporations to reduce budget deficits, in addition to funding its domestic agenda. Biden also increased the budget for the IRS so that it can collect unpaid taxes and possibly reduce the debt by hundreds of billions of dollars over 10 years.  Republican lawmakers have called for large cuts to non-defense government programs and the repeal of clean energy tax credits and spending passed in the Inflation Reduction Act. But Republicans also want to trim Biden's IRS funding and cut taxes further, both of which could cause the debt to worsen.  A Treasury Department representative did not respond to a request for comment.  "There is growing concern among investors and rating agencies that the trajectory we're on is unsustainable — when that turns into a more dire situation is anyone's guess," Akabas said. 

Former U.S. National Intelligence Manager for Iran Norman Roule on U.S. and Britain toughening their responses to attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthis on Red Sea shipping. Check Point Software Technologies’ Gil Messing on last month’s escalation in cyber attacks on infrastructure in Iran and Israel with each side blaming the other. Independent environmental journalist Sanam Mahoozi on how December’s dangerous air pollution levels in Iran’s big cities affect health, livelihoods of Iranians.

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Washington — Regional experts believe China's recent efforts to mediate between the Myanmar junta and ethnic rebels on its northern border are motivated mainly by self-interest but unlikely to have a significant impact on the conflict. China's goals in convening the peace talk between the military and the Three Brotherhood Alliance, conducted most recently in Kunming on December 20, is two-fold, according to the experts: to eliminate cyberfraud operations victimizing Chinese citizens and to stabilize trade across the China-Myanmar border. "So, the economic interest or the border trade is being affected, that is for sure," Yun Sun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said in an interview. "But that is a minor consideration compared to the cyber campaign. … The sooner it can be completed, the sooner the cease-fire is, and the sooner the stability can be restored." The armed conflict has caused a daily loss in bilateral trade between China and Myanmar of about $10 million, according to Than Soe Naing, a veteran Myanmar domestic political analyst. But he said this loss is more damaging for Myanmar than China. "The flow of goods from the border region is not much compared to China's international economic relations. Our country suffers more," he said. Beijing has taken care to be evenhanded in its statements about the talks, in line with its public policy of solving problems and pursuing stability in the region through negotiations and dialogue. In a formal statement on December 28, China's Foreign Ministry said the country "hopes that relevant parties in Myanmar will exercise maximum restraint, actively ease the situation on the ground, together realize the soft landing of the situation in northern Myanmar and take concrete actions to protect the safety and security of Chinese projects and personnel in Myanmar." Yun Sun said China's main concern is not to resolve the issue of territorial control between the military council and ethnic forces in Myanmar but to crack down on cyber scams located on the China-Myanmar border. This has been challenging for China. The anti-junta People's Defense Forces movement has gained momentum since a major offensive in late October known as 1027, taking over significant amounts of territory in the north. Both analysts believe that the military regime is now on the defensive and more likely to favor a cease-fire. But Than Soe Naing predicted the rebels will continue their offensive and that fighting is likely to intensify throughout northern Shan State. "China will sit and watch over the issue of who will win between the Military Council versus Spring Revolution forces in Myanmar," he said. Beijng "will come to whoever takes power in Burma. He will cooperate with the ruling entity and continue his plan," including the Belt and Road Initiative. "Let me give you an example: China is like a tiger sitting on a mountain watching two buffaloes fight. They will cooperate with the forces of whoever wins. However, according to their current practicing international diplomacy position, they will not take sides in this conflict. China will cooperate with whoever is in power. Even if there is a change in power, China will continue to cooperate with the new one in power." Than Soe Naing also pointed out that China does not want external interference in the Myanmar issue. "I believe China will continue to prevent the involvement of Western democratic forces in these issues in various ways," he said.

new york — Federal authorities are accusing U.S. Senator Bob Menendez of introducing a member of the Qatari royal family to a New Jersey businessman seeking investments in a real estate project, an indictment said Tuesday. The indictment against the New Jersey Democrat in Manhattan federal court did not identify the member of the Qatari royal family, but it said the individual was a principal of the Qatari Investment Company. The indictment said the Qatari investor negotiated a multimillion-dollar investment in the real estate project planned by Fred Daibes, one of three businessmen charged in the indictment along with the senator and his wife. All have pleaded not guilty. Messages left with lawyers and a spokesperson for Menendez were not immediately returned. Tim Donohue, a lawyer for Daibes, said he had no immediate comment. The indictment is the latest version of one that already charged Menendez in a bribery conspiracy that allegedly enriched the senator and his wife with cash, gold bars and a luxury car. The charges involving Qatar allegedly occurred from 2021 through 2023, according to the indictment, which did not add any new charges. After his September arrest, the senator gave up his position as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. He has resisted calls to resign from his Senate seat. According to the indictment, Menendez accepted cash and gold bars in exchange for seeking to induce the Qatari Investment Company to invest with Daibes, including by taking actions favorable to the government of Qatar. The indictment said that while the Qatari Investment Company was considering its investment in the real estate development owned by Daibes, Menendez made multiple public statements supporting the government of Qatar and then provided them to Daibes so he could share them with a Qatari investor and a Qatari government official. In an earlier version of the indictment, Menendez, his wife and one of the businessmen were charged with conspiring to illegally use the senator as an agent of the Egyptian government. Judge Sidney H. Stein, who is presiding over the case, refused last week to extend a May 5 trial date after defense lawyers requested more time to prepare for a trial that they said already includes more than 6.7 million documents.

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washington — The United States on Tuesday denounced controversial comments by two Israeli ministers who said Palestinians should be encouraged to emigrate from Gaza and for Jewish settlers to return to the besieged territory. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said Washington "rejects recent statements from Israeli Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben Gvir advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza." "This rhetoric is inflammatory and irresponsible," added Miller, who reiterated the "clear, consistent, and unequivocal" U.S. position that "Gaza is Palestinian land and will remain Palestinian land, with Hamas no longer in control of its future and with no terror groups able to threaten Israel." Ben Gvir, Israel's firebrand national security minister, had called on Monday for promoting "a solution to encourage the emigration of Gaza's residents." Israel unilaterally withdrew the last of its troops and settlers from Gaza in 2005, ending a presence inside Gaza that began in 1967 but maintaining near complete control over the territory's borders. The government under Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not officially suggested it has any plans to evict Gazans or to send Jewish settlers back to the territory since the current war broke out on October 7. But Ben Gvir argued that the departure of Palestinians and re-establishment of Israeli settlements "is a correct, just, moral and humane solution." "This is an opportunity to develop a project to encourage Gaza's residents to emigrate to countries around the world," he told a meeting of his ultranationalist Otzma Yehudit, or "Jewish Power," party. His comments came the day after Israel's far-right Finance Minister Smotrich also called for the return of settlers to Gaza, equally saying Israel should "encourage" the territory's 2.4 million Palestinians to leave. The bloodiest ever Gaza war was triggered by Hamas' October 7 attacks on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people, most of them civilians, according to Israel. After the worst attack in its history, Israel began a relentless bombardment and ground offensive that has killed at least 22,185 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry. With heavy combat raging on, 85% of the people in the Gaza Strip have been internally displaced, according to the United Nations.

Freetown, Sierra Leone — Sierra Leone on Tuesday charged 12 people with treason and other offenses for their roles in what authorities have called an attempted coup on November 26, a news release said. One of those charged was Amadu Koita, whom the government has said was one of the organizers of the coup attempt. A former soldier and bodyguard of former President Ernest Bai Koroma, Koita was widely followed on social media networks where he criticized the government of current President Julius Maada Bio. He was arrested December 4 and is one of 85 people — most of them military personnel — who were arrested in connection with the events of November 26. The 12 alleged perpetrators, including former police officers, were handed charges including "treason, misprision of treason, harbouring, aiding, and abetting the enemy," according to a news release signed by Information Minister Chernor Bah. Eleven of them were brought before a judge in the capital Freetown, with the case of one of the accused postponed due to illness, the statement said, adding that all had legal representation. On November 26, armed attackers stormed a military armory, two barracks, two prisons and two police stations, clashing with security forces. Twenty-one people were killed and hundreds of prisoners escaped before authorities were able to regain control after what they deemed a coup attempt by members of the armed forces. The violence sparked fears of another coup in West Africa, where Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Guinea have all experienced putsches since 2020.

MBARARA, UGANDA — At least once a week, Girino Ndyanabo's family converges around a pit in which bananas have been left to ripen. The bananas are peeled and thrown into a wooden vat carved like a boat, and the patriarch steps in with bare feet. The sweet juice he presses out is filtered and sprinkled with grains of sorghum, which converts the juice into ethanol and left to ferment for up to a day. The result is a beverage Ugandans call tonto, or tontomera, a word in the Luganda language that alludes to drinkers' poor coordination. Weaker than bottled beer, the drink has a fruity aroma and bits of sorghum floating on its dark surface. Tonto is legendary in Uganda. Folk singers have crooned about it, politicians seeking a common touch take a sip when hunting for votes and traditional ceremonies terminate at dusk with tonto parties. Its devotees are many, ranging from officials in suits to laborers in sandals. But its production is under threat, as cheap bottled beer becomes more attractive to drinkers, and as authorities move to curb the production of what are considered illicit home brews, which have the risk of sometimes deadly contamination. And because tonto production takes place outside official purview, authorities are unable to collect revenue from its sale. A bill in the national assembly seeking to regulate the production and sale of alcohol would criminalize the activities of home brewers of tonto, along with other traditional brews made across this East African country. But farmers have a more pressing concern: Not enough new banana juice cultivars are being planted to produce the brew. Communities are prioritizing the more commercially viable varieties that are boiled and eaten as a popular mash called matooke. Ndyanabo, a farmer in the western district of Mbarara whose first experience with tonto was as a little boy in the 1970s, said he has only a few plants left of the cultivars from which the banana juice is extracted. He sources his bananas one bunch at a time from farmers near him until he can fill the small pit on his plantation. The natural underground heat ripens the bananas within days as Ndyanabo prepares for the weekly pressing. The event is so important in the family's routine that they can't imagine a time when there would be no tonto to sell. While Ndyanabo said his weekly brew has an assured market, he has seen both demand and supply slow in recent years. This is partly because the retail price of tonto has been largely static over the decades, while the process of brewing it has become more cumbersome. The distances traveled in search of bananas have grown. The price of sorghum has gone up. "You take a lot of time doing this work. It's not as easy as someone who cuts matooke, puts it on a bicycle and sells it for cash immediately," Ndyanabo said of the green bananas that are eaten raw as a Ugandan staple. "Alcohol comes from very far." He's been trying to plant more of the banana juice cultivars that are known to grow faster. And his son, Mathias Kamukama, is always there to help. The family makes five or six 20-liter jerricans in each batch. A jerrican's worth sells for the equivalent of about $8. A half-liter of tonto retails for about 27 cents, compared to 67 cents for the cheapest bottled beer. One customer is Benson Muhereza, an electrician who regularly visits a small bar in a poor suburb of Mbarara. "It's like a favorite drink when you have your lunch. It's like a juice. When you don't want to take beer, you come and have your tonto," Muhereza said. He described tonto like a "porridge" that doesn't give him a hangover. "Every day you should have it," he said. Christine Kyomuhangi, the tonto seller, said she receives two jerricans of the brew every day. She acknowledged the threats to her business but smiled, insisting her work is sustainable. She said customers come from all over the city. "Tonto will never get finished," she said.

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Dakar, Senegal — Separatist Tuareg forces on Tuesday rejected the idea of a direct inter-Malian dialogue for peace and reconciliation put forward by the country's military rulers, after months of hostilities between rebels and the army. Fighting between the separatists and Mali government troops broke out again in August after eight years of calm as both sides scrambled to fill the vacuum left by the withdrawal of United Nations peacekeepers. During his New Year's address on Sunday, Mali's military ruler, Colonel Assimi Goita, announced the establishment of a "direct inter-Malian dialogue for peace and reconciliation, in order to eliminate the roots of community and intercommunity conflicts." He said the dialogue would "prioritize national ownership of the peace process." Goita added that the unity, secularity and territorial integrity of the Malian state would not be discussed and vowed to continue the fight against "armed terrorist groups," a label Mali's military leaders extend to the Tuareg separatists. An Algiers-brokered peace agreement between Bamako and predominantly Tuareg armed groups was signed in 2015. Mohamed Elmaouloud Ramadane, a spokesman for the Tuareg rebellion, told Agence France-Presse that Goita's announcement of an inter-Malian peace dialogue was "a way of pronouncing the [2015] agreement definitively null and void and kicking out the international mediation." "We see this as a rejection of an agreement already signed by all parties and guaranteed by the international community, and we are not ready to take part in a peace process that will only be a sham," he added. Mali's military leaders, who seized power in a 2020 coup, in November recaptured the strategic northern town of Kidal, a stronghold of Tuareg-dominated separatist groups that has long posed a major sovereignty issue for the ruling junta. At the time, the rebels admitted they had lost their stronghold town but vowed to keep fighting. Algeria is the main mediator in efforts to return peace to northern Mali, and some leaders of Tuareg separatist groups currently live in Algeria, according to the heads of their movements. Relations between Mali and Algeria have been at an all-time low since Bamako criticized Algiers for holding meetings with Tuareg separatists without involving the Malian authorities. Both countries recalled their ambassadors at the end of December. Meanwhile, Malian forces said Tuesday they had repelled a "terrorist" attack near the key northeastern city of Menaka, near the border with Niger and surrounded by Islamic State group fighters. The MSA-GATIA alliance of pro-Bamako armed groups said they had suffered three fatalities and killed four jihadist fighters.

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VYSHNEVE, Ukraine — Inured by nearly two years of war, Olena Ohiievych wasted no time getting to work on Tuesday as she confronted the shambles left in her apartment by the latest Russian air attacks on Kyiv and its suburbs.  It was cold outside and bound to get colder.  "There are no windows left, no balcony. The balcony doors are shattered, the window glass and frame in every room have been torn out," said Ohiievych, 25, who manages social media accounts. "We will install something. We plan to do something about all this."  The overnight missile and drone attack was the second major assault on the capital in five days, killing at least two people and injuring dozens. Officials said the attacks were likely to intensify.  Bundled up in a bright pink ski jacket and scarf, with the daytime temperature just above zero degrees Celsius, Ohiievich was determined to stay in her apartment on Kyiv's western outskirts.  A group of friends she enlisted was already measuring the windows.  "My plan is to cover the window with film today. If we don't have time, then we will stay with my parents in the countryside," she said.  "I hope that with united effort, with my friends, we will do it, at least for the first couple days. So, we can stay here when it's freezing. And sleep here."  In the courtyard, residents surveyed shrapnel holes on the facade of the multistory block and loaded up a truck with shattered glass and window frames.  Ohiievich said she considered herself lucky to have emerged unhurt.  "The building began to shake, like this," she said gesturing rapidly. "I thought it was going to collapse on itself, that we were going to be squashed, that the wall behind us would fall and that would be it."  Within seconds, those inside, seated on the floor, were covered in dust and unable to see anything, but were unhurt.   "This wall likely saved our lives," she said, looking around the room. "The only thing that crumbled was the stucco, that's it. There was no shrapnel, thank God. This mirror is not broken. We stayed far away from it." 

Tehran, Iran — Iran has hanged nine convicted drug traffickers in recent days, state media reported Tuesday, as it keeps up one of the world's highest rates of execution.  Three were hanged at a prison in the northwestern province of Ardabil on charges of "buying and transporting heroin and opium," the official IRNA news agency said.  The other six were executed separately on charges of trafficking "methamphetamine, heroin and cannabis," it added.  Iran lies on a major opium-smuggling route between Afghanistan and Europe and has one of the world's highest rates of domestic opiate use.   Figures cited by the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime in 2021 suggest 2.8 million people have a drug problem in Iran.  Iranian authorities have launched multiple campaigns to fight drug abuse and trafficking, and regularly announce large seizures of opiates smuggled from neighboring Afghanistan.  In June, Amnesty International reported that Iranian authorities had executed at least 173 people convicted of drug-related offenses during the first five months of 2023.   The figure made up around two-thirds of all executions in Iran during that period, it added.  Iran says executions are carried out only after exhaustive legal proceedings and are a necessary deterrent against drug trafficking.  It executes more people per year than any other nation except China, according to Amnesty. The Norway-based Iran Human Rights group said in November that the Islamic republic had executed more than 700 people in 2023, the highest figure in eight years.