5 d. ago Trump uses ‘pocket rescission’ to cut US$5 billion in foreign aid

US President Donald Trump has told House Speaker Mike Johnson that he will not be spending US$4.9 billion in congressionally approved foreign aid, effectively cutting the budget without going through the legislative branch. Trump, who sent a letter to Johnson on Thursday, is using what’s known as a pocket rescission for the first time in nearly 50 years. That is when a president submits a request to Congress to not spend approved funds towards the end of the financial year, so that Congress...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump aide slams ‘arrogant’ India over Russian oil, dubs Ukraine ‘Modi’s war’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro sought to raise pressure on India to halt purchases of Russian energy after the US imposed crippling new tariffs on New Delhi, casting the conflict in Ukraine as “Modi’s war”. “I mean Modi’s war because the road to peace runs, in part, through New Delhi,” Navarro said on Wednesday, referencing Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. US President Donald Trump’s 50 per cent tariff on Indian goods took effect earlier on Wednesday, a bid to punish the country for...

Politics

7 d. ago Trump holds meeting on Gaza with Tony Blair and Jared Kushner

US President Donald Trump presided over a policy meeting on Israel’s war in Gaza and post-war plans for the Palestinian territory on Wednesday with input from former British prime minister Tony Blair and former Trump Middle East envoy Jared Kushner, a senior White House official said. Trump, top White House officials, Blair and Kushner discussed the hostage crisis, plans to escalate food aid deliveries, post-war plans and more, the official told Reuters. The official described the session as...

Politics

1 week ago Israeli strikes on Yemeni capital Sanaa kill 4, wound dozens

Israeli strikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday in retaliation for Houthi missiles fired towards Israel, with Houthi health officials saying the attack killed four people and wounded 67. The strikes are the latest in more than a year of direct attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi militants in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza. The Israeli military said the targets included a military compound housing the presidential palace, two power plants and a fuel...

Events

1 week ago Israeli strikes on Yemeni capital Sanaa kill 6, wound dozens

Israeli strikes hit the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Sunday in retaliation for Houthi missiles fired towards Israel, with Houthi health officials saying the attack killed sex people and wounded 86. The strikes are the latest in more than a year of direct attacks and counterstrikes between Israel and Houthi militants in Yemen, part of a spillover from the war in Gaza. The Israeli military said the targets included a military compound housing the presidential palace, two power plants and a fuel storage...

Events

1 week ago Trump taps close aide Sergio Gor as next US ambassador to India

US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would nominate Sergio Gor, one of his closest aides, to be the country’s next ambassador to India, where he will oversee frosty relations that have worsened with the planned doubling of US tariffs on India next week. Gor, who is currently the director of the White House Presidential Personnel Office, would also serve as a special envoy for South and Central Asian affairs. Trump said on social media that Gor would remain in his current position until he...

Politics

1 week ago Trump aide calls India’s Russian oil purchases ‘laundromat for the Kremlin’

White House trade adviser Peter Navarro blasted India for continuing to buy Russian oil and said he expects punitive tariffs of 50 per cent on imports from the South Asian nation to kick in as planned next week. “I see that taking place,” Navarro told reporters in front of the White House when asked about the tariffs on India that are set to double on August 27. “India doesn’t appear to want to recognise its role in the bloodshed. It simply doesn’t. It’s cozying up to Xi Jinping, is what it’s...

Politics

1 week ago Trump aide fired after Israel embassy clash over Gaza policy

The State Department has fired a press officer who was responsible for drafting Trump administration talking points about policy towards Israel and Gaza after complaints from the US Embassy in Jerusalem. Officials said Shahed Ghoreishi, a contractor working for the Bureau of Near East Affairs, was terminated over the weekend following two incidents last week in which his loyalty to Trump administration policies was called into question. Ghoreishi, who is Iranian American, also was targeted on...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump tariffs live updates: US keeps AA+ rating as tariffs aid fiscal outlook

Trump tariffs live updates: US keeps AA+ rating as tariffs aid fiscal outlook  Yahoo Finance

Politics

2 w. ago Israel ‘deliberately starving’ Palestinians in Gaza, Amnesty says

Rights group Amnesty International on Monday accused Israel of enacting a “deliberate policy” of starvation in Gaza, as the United Nations and aid groups warn of famine in the Palestinian territory. Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into the Gaza Strip, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation in the 22-month-old war. In a report citing testimonies of displaced Palestinians and medical staff who treated malnourished children, Amnesty said that “Israel is carrying out a...

Politics