7 h. ago Rubio in bind as he seeks to reassure Asia, even as region faces punishing Trump tariffs

Questions over US commitment to the region coupled with Trump’s tariff polices could be a boon to ChinaEven as they face among the most punitive tariffs globally, US secretary of state Marco Rubio has sought to reassure southeast Asian nations of Washington’s commitment to the region, saying countries there may get “better” trade deals than the rest of the world.In his first official visit to Asia, Rubio met foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Malaysia on Thursday, telling his counterparts the US has “no intention of abandoning” the region. His visit came days after president Donald Trump renewed his threat to impose severe tariffs across many southeast Asian countries if they did not strike deals by 1 August. Continue reading...

Politics

8 h. ago UN Gaza investigator Francesca Albanese says US sanctions against her a sign of ‘guilt’

United Nations’ special rapporteur for Palestinian territories stresses all eyes must remain on Gaza as she urges ‘let’s stand tall, together’Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza, has responded to news that she will be sanctioned by the Trump administration with a post on X saying “the powerful punishing those who speak for the powerless, it is not a sign of strength, but of guilt”.On Wednesday, as part of its effort to punish critics of Israel’s 21-month war in Gaza, the state department sanctioned Albanese, an independent official tasked with investigating human rights abuses in the Palestinian territories. Continue reading...

Economics

27 h. ago Secret Service suspends six agents over 'failures' during Trump's assassination attempt in Butler

Six Secret Service agents have been punished for their alleged failures during President Donald Trump 's assassination attempt in Pennsylvania last year.

Politics

32 h. ago Trump slaps 50% tariff on Brazil as punishment for 'witch hunt' trial against ex

Trump fired off a furious letter to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Wednesday laying out the details of his new tariff.

Politics

4 d. ago US tariffs on European goods threaten to shake up the world's largest 2

America’s largest trade partner is awaiting word on whether U.S. President Donald Trump will impose punishing tariffs on its goods

Events

7 d. ago Japan walks line between recession and submission as it seeks to overcome Trump tariffs

Japanese negotiators have just days before the end of Trump’s 90-day pause on punishing tariffs to pull off a breakthroughIt all seemed to be going so well. In April, Japan’s chief trade negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, sat opposite Donald Trump in the Oval Office after “positive and constructive” talks, sporting a Maga baseball cap and giving a thumbs up for the cameras.Japan’s economic revitalisation minister drew criticism back home for the gesture, forcing him to insist there was “no political significance” behind it. But the backdrop to the offending photo was far more significant than the uncomfortable optics. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Trump threatened tough punishment for employers who hired migrant workers. So far only a handful have faced the wrath

The Trump administration has promised to ‘flood the zone’ and conduct unprecedented enforcement actions against businesses employing undocumented workers

Events

2 w. ago Hegseth’s call for ‘peace’ shows Trump thinks he can have it both ways despite his punishing Iran ‘Hammer’ strike

How US could now be headed for another Iraq War-style 'break it, you bought it' involvement in Middle East, writes John Bowden

Politics

2 w. ago JD Vance bolts from DC to review the troops deployed by Trump in LA over ICE raid protests

Los Angeles remains a focus of the Trump administration’s effort to punish Democratic-led cities by subjecting their populations to stepped-up immigration enforcement

Politics