Mali "will not stand idly by" if foreign governments intervene in neighouring Niger, Bamako's top diplomat warned the United Nations on Saturday, after both countries' juntas joined a mutual defense pact.

Filipino fisherman Arnel Satam guns the motor of his tiny wooden boat as he makes a dash for the shallow waters of Scarborough Shoal in the disputed South China Sea, with Chinese coast guard speedboats in hot pursuit.

Austrian company Doppelmayr is well known for making gondolas for ski resorts, but its workshop is increasingly building cable cars for congested cities as climate change has opened up new markets.

President Joe Biden on Saturday blamed "a small group of extreme Republicans" for a budget impasse that has placed the US government a week away from a shutdown, urging the lawmakers to resolve the issue.