24 h. ago Europe, Ukraine prepare plan to end war, proposing peace board headed by Trump

European nations are working with Ukraine on a 12-point proposal to end Russia’s war along current battle lines, pushing back against Vladimir Putin’s renewed demands to the US for Kyiv to surrender territory in return for a peace deal. A peace board chaired by US President Donald Trump would oversee implementation of the proposed plan, according to people familiar with the matter. Once Russia follows Ukraine in agreeing to a ceasefire and both sides commit to halting territorial advances, the...

Politics

39 h. ago Trump escalates pressure on China, threatens crushing 155% tariff amid rising trade tensions

Trump escalates pressure on China, threatens crushing 155% tariff amid rising trade tensions  Mint

Events

44 h. ago To avert war, the West must shatter the mirror by which it views China

In the shadow of escalating tensions between the United States and China, Graham Allison’s concept of the Thucydides Trap has become a staple of geopolitical discourse. Coined by the Harvard scholar, the term evokes the ancient Greek historian Thucydides’ observation that “it was the rise of Athens and the fear that this instilled in Sparta that made war inevitable”. Allison’s study of 16 historical cases, where a rising power challenged a ruling one, found war in 12 instances. He warns that...

Events

46 h. ago China Tightens Grip on Rare Earth Exports, Escalating Trade Tensions With US

China Tightens Grip on Rare Earth Exports, Escalating Trade Tensions With US  GV Wire

Events

55 h. ago Seaspan shifts from Hong Kong but courts Beijing as port fee tensions escalate

Seaspan shifts from Hong Kong but courts Beijing as port fee tensions escalate  Lloyd's List

Events

3 d. ago Trade tensions between the U.S. and China are escalating ahead of Trump

Trade tensions between the U.S. and China are escalating ahead of Trump-Xi meeting  NPR

Politics

4 d. ago Hamas sends Israel another hostage’s body, vows to return the rest

Hamas handed over to Israel the remains of one more hostage on Friday night, after insisting it was committed to returning all the dead captives still unaccounted for under Gaza’s ruins after two years of war. “Israel received, via the Red Cross, the coffin of a deceased hostage who was returned” to its security forces in Gaza and would be identified at a medical analysis centre in Israel, the prime minister’s office said in a statement. Under a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas...

Politics

5 d. ago Hamas and Israel’s Gaza ceasefire hangs by a thread as Trump warns of war

Hamas moved on Friday to shore up its brittle ceasefire agreement with Israel by reaffirming its commitment to the terms of the deal that includes a pledge to hand over the remains of all dead Israeli hostages. The militant group’s statement released in the early hours on Friday follows a dire warning from US President Donald Trump that he would approve Israel to resume the war if Hamas doesn’t live up to its end of the deal and return all the hostages’ bodies. Hamas, however, maintains that...

Events

5 d. ago China has a new 500 billion yuan ‘financial instrument’. How will it be used?

China’s top economic planner, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), confirmed last month that Beijing was setting up a new “policy-based financial instrument” worth 500 billion yuan (US$70 billion). The special financing tool was first proposed in April – when trade tensions between China and the United States were rapidly escalating – to provide an extra injection of funding to accelerate domestic innovation and support the economy. It has the potential to drive trillions of...

Economics

5 d. ago US admiral overseeing strikes against boats off Venezuela to step down

The admiral who leads US military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter said there had been tension between Admiral Alvin Holsey and Hegseth over operations in the Caribbean and questions about whether he would be fired in the days leading up to the announcement. The top Democrat on the Senate...

Events

5 d. ago US admiral overseeing strikes on boats off Venezuela to step down

The admiral who leads US military forces in Latin America will step down at the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth announced on Thursday, in a surprise move amid escalating tensions with Venezuela. A source familiar with the matter said there had been tension between Admiral Alvin Holsey and Hegseth over operations in the Caribbean and questions about whether he would be fired in the days leading up to the announcement. The top Democrat on the Senate...

Events

6 d. ago The squeeze is on: Beijing and Washington flex muscles as narrative war heats up

As China and the United States accuse each other of provoking the latest escalation in trade tensions and disrupting the world economy, analysts say both share a goal in their war of words: applying maximum pressure until a deal is struck. In the past few days, Washington has framed the recent flare-up in relations as “China versus the world”, with US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggesting on Wednesday that Beijing’s restrictions on the export of rare earth elements unveiled last week made...

Events

6 d. ago Trump and Israel warn of resumed fighting in Gaza if Hamas does not respect deal

Israel’s defence minister threatened on Wednesday to resume fighting if Hamas does not honour the terms of a US-backed ceasefire that halted the war in Gaza. The statement from Defence Minister Israel Katz’s office came after Hamas handed over the remains of two more deceased hostages, and said it would be unable to retrieve any more bodies from the ruins of Gaza without specialised equipment. Since Monday, under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump, the Palestinian...

Events

7 d. ago Pakistan and Afghanistan agree to ceasefire amid escalating tensions

Pakistan said on Wednesday it agreed to a 48-hour ceasefire with Afghanistan following days of violence that have killed dozens of people on both sides of the border. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry said the ceasefire was at Afghanistan’s request. There was no immediate confirmation from the Taliban government. Pakistan accuses Afghanistan of harbouring armed groups, a charge rejected by the Taliban rulers. Pakistan is grappling with militant attacks that have increased since 2021, when the Taliban...

Events

7 d. ago Stocks wobble as trade tensions between the U.S. and China escalate

Stocks wobble as trade tensions between the U.S. and China escalate  Los Angeles Times

Events

7 d. ago Trump threatens to violently disarm Hamas as Gaza ceasefire is tested

Hamas handed over more bodies of deceased hostages to Israel on Tuesday, one sign of progress after a number of apparent setbacks in the day since US President Donald Trump touted his plan to end the Gaza war. The bodies were returned after Israel announced it would cut in half the number of humanitarian aid trucks allowed into Gaza in a move to punish Hamas for what Israel called the militant group’s violation of its agreement to transfer remains under the ceasefire deal reached last...

Events

9 d. ago Treasury Secretary Bessent accuses China of 'financing war' as US

Treasury Secretary Bessent accuses China of 'financing war' as US-China trade tensions escalate  Fox Business

Events

9 d. ago China must overcome tech ‘choke points’, People’s Daily warns, amid US tensions

The mouthpiece of China’s ruling Communist Party has urged the nation to break through technological “choke points” and avoid becoming “subordinate to other nations” in a series spotlighting the country’s achievements in hi-tech industries. The series of editorials comes as Beijing prepares to outline its next five-year plan and amid a renewed escalation in trade tensions with the United States. “Only by keeping core technologies firmly in our own hands can we truly take the initiative in...

Events

9 d. ago Hamas begins releasing Gaza hostages as Trump arrives in Israel

Hamas handed over the first seven of 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday, sparking cheers of joy in Tel Aviv where a huge crowd was gathered to support hostage families. Under a ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump after two years of war, Hamas is due to release all surviving hostages on Monday in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. The first seven living hostages were released by Hamas to the International Committee of the Red Cross in Gaza, who then...

Politics

9 d. ago Hamas releases 20 living hostages as Trump declares Gaza war over

Hamas handed over the 20 surviving Israeli hostages on Monday under a ceasefire agreement, as US President Donald Trump and other world leaders geared up for a summit on Gaza. In Tel Aviv, a huge crowd which gathered to support hostage families erupted in joy, tears and song as news broke of the first releases, though the pain for the loss of those who had not survived was palpable. The releases are part of a ceasefire agreement brokered by Trump, with Israel due in return to free nearly 2,000...

Events