5 h. ago Navy Seals killed North Korean civilians in botched 2019 mission: US report

US Navy Seals shot and killed a number of North Korean civilians during a botched covert mission to plant a listening device in the nuclear-armed country during high-stakes diplomatic negotiations in 2019, The New York Times reported on Friday. Citing unidentified sources, including current and former military officials with knowledge of the still-classified details, the newspaper said US President Donald Trump approved the operation during his first administration, as he was involved in...

Events

7 h. ago Google hit with US$3.45 billion EU antitrust fine over adtech practices

Alphabet’s Google was hit with a €2.95 billion (US$3.45 billion) EU antitrust fine on Friday for anticompetitive practices in its lucrative adtech business, marking its fourth penalty in its decade-long fight with EU competition regulators. The move by the European Commission was triggered by a complaint from the European Publishers Council and comes amid a threat by US President Donald Trump to retaliate against the European Union for any push against Big Tech. The EU competition enforcer had...

Economics

7 h. ago EU hits Google with US$3.45 billion fine, drawing tariff threat from Trump

The EU on Friday slapped Google with a massive €2.95 billion (US$3.45 billion) antitrust fine for favouring its own advertising services, drawing a furious rebuke from US President Donald Trump and a threat of fresh tariffs against Europe. Google vowed to appeal the decision by the European Commission, which accused the US firm of distorting competition in the 27-nation bloc. “Google abused its dominant position in adtech, harming publishers, advertisers, and consumers. This behaviour is illegal...

Economics

9 h. ago Hiring stalls as US firms hold back expansion amid economic uncertainty

US employers added just 22,000 jobs last month as the labour market continued to cool under uncertainty over President Donald Trump’s economic policies. The Labor Department said on Friday that hiring decelerated from 79,000 in July and came in below the roughly 80,000 economists had expected for August. The unemployment rate ticked up to 4.3 per cent, also worse than expected and the highest level since 2021, the Labor Department reported on Friday. When the department put out a disappointing...

Economics

12 h. ago We have ‘lost’ India and Russia to ‘dark china’, says Donald Trump

We have ‘lost’ India and Russia to ‘dark china’, says Donald Trump  The Hindu

Politics

12 h. ago "We've Lost India, Russia To Deepest, Darkest China": Donald Trump's Latest

"We've Lost India, Russia To Deepest, Darkest China": Donald Trump's Latest  NDTV

Politics

12 h. ago Donald Trump Laments Loss of India, Russia to 'Deepest, Darkest' China

Donald Trump Laments Loss of India, Russia to 'Deepest, Darkest' China  Newsweek

Politics

19 h. ago Trump threatens tariffs on chip imports from firms not producing in US

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the US, speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. Since returning to office in January, Trump’s threat of tariffs has alienated trading partners, stirred volatility in financial markets and fuelled global economic uncertainty. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs...

Politics

20 h. ago Trump renaming Department of Defence the ‘Department of War’

US President Donald Trump is changing the name of the Department of Defence to the Department of War, the White House announced on Thursday, after the US leader repeatedly insisted the rebrand would project a more powerful image. Trump will sign an executive order permitting the use of the Department of War as a “secondary title” for the sprawling department, a White House document said, apparently due to its official name being set in law. That signing was expected to take place on Friday,...

Politics

24 h. ago China’s stablecoin bind: why US dollar tokens matter – and how Beijing may respond

Once a niche corner of the cryptocurrency world, stablecoins have surged into the global spotlight this year, prompting analysts and industry insiders to declare that the digital asset’s time has come. In July, US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing the first federal regulatory regime for stablecoins – a move many believe could pave the way for mass-market adoption. Shortly after, Hong Kong introduced its own ordinance, which took effect on August 1, requiring...

Politics

24 h. ago ‘Summer of stablecoins’: how will China respond to US dollar’s crypto surge?

Once a niche corner of the cryptocurrency world, stablecoins have surged into the global spotlight this year, prompting analysts and industry insiders to declare that the digital asset’s time has come. In July, US President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing the first federal regulatory regime for stablecoins – a move many believe could pave the way for mass-market adoption. Shortly after, Hong Kong introduced its own ordinance, which took effect on August 1, requiring...

Politics

26 h. ago Trump tells Europe to put economic pressure on China over Ukraine

US President Donald Trump urged European countries on Thursday to put economic pressure on China because of its support for Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the White House said. Speaking by video conference with European leaders gathered in Paris, Trump also said “Europe must stop purchasing Russian oil that is funding the war”, a senior White House official said on condition of anonymity. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky, who also took part in the meeting, said earlier that Trump was “very...

Politics

27 h. ago Mexico considering imposing tariffs on China, President Sheinbaum says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said on Thursday that her government is considering imposing tariffs on imports from countries that do not have trade agreements with Mexico, including China. The tariffs would be part of “Plan Mexico”, an initiative to boost domestic industry amid tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on some imports from Mexico. “We are considering tariffs as part of Plan Mexico, which we’ve proposed since we came into office,” said Sheinbaum. China is among countries...

Politics

30 h. ago Rubio pledges aid for Ecuador, to ‘wage war’ on gangs in drug fight

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday promised security aid to Ecuador and announced terrorist designations as he vowed to ramp up a regional fight against criminals following a US strike on a boat allegedly linked to Venezuela. Ecuador’s President Daniel Noboa, an emerging ally of US President Donald Trump, has deployed troops to combat violence that has transformed the country from one of Latin America’s safest to one of its most dangerous. Rubio, meeting with Noboa in the...

Events

31 h. ago Washington DC sues over Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

31 h. ago Washington sues to halt Trump’s deployment of National Guard

The District of Columbia on Thursday sued to stop US President Donald Trump’s deployment of the National Guard during his law enforcement intervention in Washington. The city’s attorney general, Brian Schwalb, said the surge of troops essentially amounts to an “involuntary military occupation”. He argued in the federal lawsuit that the deployment, coinciding with an executive order on August 11, that now involves more than 1,000 troops, is an illegal use of the military for domestic law...

Politics

33 h. ago Europe leaders call Trump after Ukraine security guarantees summit in Paris

European leaders on Thursday spoke to US President Donald Trump after holding a summit with President Volodymyr Zelensky on security guarantees for Kyiv in the event of a peace accord to end Russia’s three-and-a-half-year war against Ukraine. The guarantees by the so-called coalition of the willing, which remain under wraps but are expected to include ramped-up training for the Ukrainian army and deployment of troops by some European states, have angered Russia. They form part of a push led by...

Politics

34 h. ago How Trump is conditioning Americans to accept his autocratic rule

The images are bizarre yet familiar. Along Pennsylvania Avenue, troops stand watch in full battle dress. Armoured vehicles idle before monuments built to honour liberty. This is Washington, not Kyiv, Caracas or Moscow. It is not the aftermath of a terrorist attack or invasion but rather a president who has discovered that the spectacle of force is itself power. On the orders of US President Donald Trump, National Guard units have been deployed across the US capital. More striking still, he has...

Politics

38 h. ago China is standing up to Trump – unlike US courts, Wall Street or business

Where are the guardrails and checks on US President Donald Trump’s radical agenda? This is a question that was asked frequently in the first three months of his second term as America’s financial and business community came to terms with his fierce assault on the global trading system and his contempt for the rule of law. Yet in the past few months, another, more alarming question has arisen. What if there are no effective restraints on Trump’s policies, or too much damage is done before...

Politics

38 h. ago Why China is the only actor standing against Trump’s radical agenda

Where are the guardrails and checks on US President Donald Trump’s radical agenda? This is a question that was asked frequently in the first three months of his second term as America’s financial and business community came to terms with his fierce assault on the global trading system and his contempt for the rule of law. Yet in the past few months, another, more alarming question has arisen. What if there are no effective restraints on Trump’s policies, or too much damage is done before...

Politics