3 d. ago The Guardian view on Donald Trump and India: the tariff war that boosted China | Editorial

The White House wanted India to bow. Instead, Narendra Modi flew to China, shook Xi Jinping’s hand and left Washington sidelined Donald Trump’s imperial tendencies see the US president wield tariffs and sanctions in the expectation that America will receive tributes. Yet his latest move – punishing India with 50% tariffs for Russian oil purchases once encouraged by the US – has produced not submission but spectacle. It has sent India’s Narendra Modi to China for the first time in seven years as Xi Jinping hosted more than 20 leaders for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin. And it is in Tianjin, not Washington, where it looks as if the hinge of history is moving.The SCO is easy to dismiss: the bloc is a bundle of contradictions. India and Pakistan remain adversaries. China and India still stare across a garrisoned Himalayan frontier, though relations have thawed since last October’s border breakthrough. Russia and China vie for influence in Central Asia. Unl...

Politics

4 d. ago Before and after: Trump’s extreme goldening of the Oval Office

An extravagant – and ongoing – makeover of the White House’s decor has taken place during the president’s second term. One colour theme stands outIn just seven extraordinary months, Donald Trump’s administration has left an unprecedented mark on the United States. From rewriting the rules of free trade to upending the norms of due process and challenging scientific orthodoxy, no corner of the country has remained untouched, including the president’s own centre of power: the Oval Office.Leaning into his former career as a real estate developer and hotelier, the president has, in his own words, applied some “Trump touches” to the room’s decor. The results have split opinions, with some calling the revamped office a symbol of America’s new golden age, while other have compared it to a professional wrestler’s dressing room. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says 'violent' Chinese carp are 'jumping into boats' in baffling remarks

Donald Trump was left red-faced during a press conference on Monday after he made a series of bizarre claims - including that "violent" Chinese carp were jumping into US boats

Politics

1 week ago Postal services in Europe suspend parcel shipments to US amid uncertainty over tariffs

Donald Trump’s late announcement left operators with ‘extremely limited timeframe to get prepared’Postal services across Europe have suspended most parcel shipments to the US, citing widespread uncertainty about the impact of new import tariffs announced by Donald Trump.France’s La Poste on Monday joined other operators, including Germany’s Deutsche Post, Spain’s Correos, Poste Italiane and the Belgian, Swedish and Danish postal services, which all halted a majority of US-bound shipments over the weekend. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Five questions left unanswered after Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin's peace summit

The two world leaders met in Anchorage, Alaska, today for what was projected to be several hours worth of closed-door negotiations between senior teams in a bid to hammer out a Ukraine ceasefire.

Politics

2 w. ago Donald Trump's 'hangdog' face screams 'disappointment' after failed Russia

Donald Trump was left disappointed after his historic summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to secure a peace deal in Ukraine, with his body language giving the game away

Politics

2 w. ago Trump's aggressive push to take over DC policing may be a template for an approach in other cities

The left sees President Donald Trump’s attempted takeover of law enforcement in Washington as part of multifront march to autocracy

Politics

2 w. ago ‘No deal’: Putin met a tougher Trump in Alaska than the one he steamrolled in Helsinki seven years ago

If Vladimir Putin was hoping Donald Trump was still on his side against Ukraine, he left their summit very disappointed, Andrew Feinberg reports from Anchorage, Alaska

Politics

last month Donald Trump left 'deeply touched' after receiving 'unique' gift from John Swinney

EXCLUSIVE: The First Minister told a Fringe audience in Edinburgh that the US President "made it abundantly clear to me that he absolutely adores Scotland".

Politics