Briefly

UNITED STATES

Congressional leaders agree on stopgap bill

Congressional leaders in Washington have reached a deal to keep the government funded until early March, a source familiar with negotiations told Agence France-Presse on Saturday. Announcement of the proposal came just before Jan 19 and Feb 2 deadlines, when federal agencies would have run out of funding. The short-term bill, also called a continuing resolution, will keep the government open until March 1 and 8, the source said — giving lawmakers time to agree on larger budget and spending particulars. The continuing resolution will need to be passed by both houses of Congress for the country to avoid a government shutdown.

Climate envoy John Kerry to step down

Former US senator and secretary of state John Kerry will leave his post as President Joe Biden's special climate envoy after three years but will help Biden's reelection campaign, two administration sources said on Saturday. Kerry, 80, informed his staff members on Saturday about his decision after speaking with Biden on Wednesday, one of the sources familiar with the situation told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity.

JAPAN

Cockpit window crack forces plane to return

A domestic flight of Japan's All Nippon Airways returned to its departure airport on Saturday after a crack was found on the cockpit window of the Boeing 737-800 aircraft midair, a spokesperson for the airline said. Flight 1182 was en route to Toyama airport on Saturday but had to return to the New Chitose Airport after the crack was found on the outermost of four layers of windows surrounding the cockpit, the airline said. There were no reports of injuries among the 65 people on board.

Agencies via Xinhua