31 h. ago Iran cleric demands death for protesters, threatens Trump amid unrest

A hardline cleric leading Friday prayers in Iran’s capital demanded the death penalty for protesters detained in a nationwide crackdown and directly threatened US President Donald Trump, showing the rage gripping authorities in the Islamic Republic over demonstrations that have challenged their authority. Ayatollah Ahmad Khatami’s sermon, carried by Iranian state radio, sparked chants from those gathered for prayers, including: “Armed hypocrites should be put to death!” Executions, as well as...

Events

57 h. ago Minneapolis on edge as Trump threatens to use Insurrection Act and send in troops

US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to invoke an 1807 law and deploy troops to quell persistent protests against the federal officers sent to Minneapolis to enforce his administration’s massive immigration crackdown. The threat comes a day after a man was shot and wounded by an immigration officer who had been attacked with a shovel and broom handle. That shooting further heightened the fear and anger that has radiated across the city since an Immigration and Customs Enforcement...

Politics

62 h. ago India’s aim to diversify trade via Iran faces US tariff threat

US President Donald Trump’s threat to impose 25 per cent tariffs on countries that do business with Iran has dented India’s ambition for the strategic Chabahar port and affected Delhi’s trade with Tehran. Trump’s latest threat could curtail shipments of Indian basmati rice to Iran, but is likely to have a limited impact on India’s trade competitiveness since Iran accounts for about 0.3 per cent of its overall exports, according to analysts. Shipments of the rice, one of India’s biggest exports...

Events

3 d. ago Why the US may find Iran’s air defence system harder to break than Venezuela’s

A bit more than a week after the United States abducted former Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on Caracas, US President Donald Trump is threatening military action against Iran, which is seeing a massive wave of anti-government protests. Yet a strike aimed at taking out the Iranian leadership could prove harder, given that Iran’s more sophisticated air defence system is also reported to be integrating China’s most advanced exported technology. On Tuesday, Trump wrote on his social...

Politics

4 d. ago Greenland says ‘we choose Denmark’, as talks with Trump officials loom

Greenland would choose to remain Danish over a US takeover, its leader said on Tuesday, ahead of crunch White House talks on the future of the Arctic island which President Donald Trump has repeatedly threatened. Trump has been talking up the idea of buying or annexing the autonomous territory for years, and further stoked tensions this week by saying the United States would take it “one way or the other”. “We are now facing a geopolitical crisis, and if we have to choose between the United...

Politics

4 d. ago Republican bill pushes to make Greenland 51st US state amid Trump’s bold arctic move

A Republican congressman from Florida introduced a bill on Monday to annex Greenland and make it the 51st US state as President Donald Trump threatens to seize the autonomous Danish territory. Trump has said the United States will take Greenland “one way or the other”, floating the idea of buying the territory or taking it by force, despite strong pushback from Denmark, a Nato ally. Representative Randy Fine said his new legislation would authorise Trump “to take whatever steps necessary to...

Politics

5 d. ago Cuba’s president denies being in talks with US after Trump threats

Cuba’s leader on Monday reacted defiantly to US President Donald Trump’s threats to “make a deal” or pay the price in the aftermath of key ally Nicolas Maduro’s ouster in a US military raid. Trump has been ramping up pressure on Cuba, one of the few Latin American countries still run by an authoritarian leftist administration after Venezuelan leader Maduro’s capture on January 3. “We’re talking with Cuba,” Trump said aboard Air Force One on Sunday, hours after urging Havana to do a deal to head...

Politics

5 d. ago As Trump threatens Iran strikes, China denounces use of force in Middle East

China has voiced opposition to the use of force in the Middle East as US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran over escalating protests there. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning on Monday said Beijing hoped Iran’s government and its people would overcome “current difficulties” and uphold stability in the country. “We always oppose interference in other countries’ internal affairs,” she said at a press conference, responding to a question about Trump’s threats to attack...

Events

6 d. ago Britain in talks with Nato to counter China, Russia in the Arctic: UK transport secretary

Britain is discussing with Nato allies how it can help strengthen security in the Arctic to counter threats from Russia and China, a government minister said on Sunday. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the talks are “business as usual” rather than a response to recent threats by US President Donald Trump to take over Greenland. Trump said on Friday that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Nato ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China from taking...

Politics

6 d. ago Britain in talks with Nato allies over Arctic security as US eyes Greenland

Britain is discussing with Nato allies how it can help strengthen security in the Arctic to counter threats from Russia and China, a UK government minister said on Sunday. Britain’s Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said the talks were “business as usual” rather than a response to recent threats by US President Donald Trump to take over Greenland. Trump has said that he would like to make a deal to acquire Greenland, a semi-autonomous region of Nato ally Denmark, to prevent Russia or China...

Events

9 d. ago Donald Trump’s Venezuela action raises threat for China’s oil supplies

Donald Trump’s Venezuela action raises threat for China’s oil supplies  Financial Times

Politics

1 week ago Will Donald Trump’s threats to Greenland help bring China and Europe closer together?

Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take over Greenland could pose a direct challenge to China’s ambitions in the Arctic, but some observers say it may also open the door to increased cooperation with Europe. Following the abduction of Venezuela’s former leader Nicolas Maduro, the White House swiftly turned its attention towards the self-governing Danish territory, adding that “of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal”. On Sunday, the US...

Politics

1 week ago Will Trump’s threats to Greenland help bring China and Europe closer together?

Will Trump’s threats to Greenland help bring China and Europe closer together?  South China Morning Post

Politics

1 week ago European powers rally behind Greenland in face of renewed Trump threat

Leaders from major European powers rallied behind Greenland on Tuesday, saying the Arctic island belongs to its people, following a renewed threat by US President Donald Trump to take over the Danish territory. Trump has in recent days repeated that he wants to gain control of Greenland, an idea first voiced in 2019 during his first presidency, arguing it is vital for the US military, and that Denmark has not done enough to protect it. White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller on Monday...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump and Iran official exchange threats after protests turn deadly in the Islamic Republic

US President Donald Trump threatened on Friday to come to the aid of protesters in Iran if security forces fire on them, days into unrest that has left several dead and posed the biggest internal threat to Iranian authorities in years. “We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” he said in a social media post. The United States struck Iranian nuclear facilities in June, joining an Israeli air campaign that targeted Tehran’s atomic programme and military leadership. Top Iranian official Ali...

Events

2 w. ago Trump, Iran official exchange threats after protests turn deadly in the Islamic Republic

US President Donald Trump and top Iranian officials exchanged duelling threats on Friday as widening protests swept across parts of the Islamic Republic, further escalating tensions between the countries after America bombed Iranian nuclear sites in June. At least seven people have been killed so far in violence surrounding the demonstrations, which were sparked in part by the collapse of Iran’s rial currency but have increasingly seen crowds chanting anti-government slogans. The protests, now...

Events

2 w. ago Tariffs, truces, Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’: key developments in US

Catch up on some of SCMP’s biggest China stories of the day. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Trump signs executive orders imposing steep tariffs on China, Canada and Mexico US President Donald Trump made good on his threat to impose 10 per cent tariffs on Chinese imports and 25 per cent on goods coming from Canada and Mexico, launching a potential trade war less than two weeks into his administration. 2. China to impose tariffs on US products,...

Politics

3 w. ago India’s rice exports face price pressures as Trump threatens more tariffs

India, the world’s largest rice exporter, could see its shipments to the US become more expensive if President Donald Trump follows through on a threat to impose higher tariffs after accusing the country of dumping rice. Industry executives said the move was unlikely to significantly dent export volumes, but warned of potential wider repercussions, including pressure on prices in other markets, efforts by importers to divert shipments and renewed strain in trade talks where agriculture and dairy...

Events

3 w. ago Nigeria says ‘spat’ with Trump over killing of Christians ‘largely resolved’

The Nigerian government on Monday said its recent diplomatic dust-up with the United States, in which President Donald Trump threatened military intervention over the alleged killing of Christians, “has been largely resolved”. Trump unexpectedly tore into the west African nation in October and November, saying that Christians there faced an “existential threat” that amounted to “genocide” amid Nigeria’s myriad armed conflicts. The diplomatic offensive was welcomed by some but interpreted by...

Politics