Politics
President Donald Trump on Tuesday said the US and Japan had struck a trade deal that includes a lower 15 percent tariff that will be levied on US imports from the country, including autos. In a post on Truth Social, Trump said the deal would include $550 billion of Japanese
Politics
President Donald Trump rehashed longstanding grievances over the Russia investigation that shadowed much of his first term, lashing out Tuesday following a new report from his intelligence director aimed at casting doubt on long-established findings about Moscow’s interference in the 2016 election. “It’s time to go after people,
Politics
A US envoy has urged Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa to recalibrate his policies and embrace a more inclusive approach after a new round of sectarian bloodshed last week, or risk losing international support and fragmenting the country. US envoy to Syria Thomas Barrack said he had advised Sharaa in private
Politics
The Trump administration is more concerned with the quality of trade agreements than their timing, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said on Monday ahead of an August 1 deadline for countries to secure trade deals or face steep tariffs. “We’re not going to rush for the sake of doing
Politics
The White House on Monday barred The Wall Street Journal from traveling with US President Donald Trump during his upcoming visit to Scotland, after the newspaper reported that he wrote a bawdy birthday message to his former friend, alleged sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein. The move comes after Trump on Friday
Politics
The new chief of the agency spearheading efforts to slash the federal workforce said on Monday he had no personal ties to tech billionaire and former Trump adviser Elon Musk, pledging to faithfully execute President Donald Trump’s agenda. “I have zero personal relationship with Elon Musk. I have talked
Politics
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was clinging on Monday even after his coalition disastrously lost its upper house majority, as painful new US tariffs loom. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously since 1955, and its partner Komeito had to win 50 seats in Sunday’s election
Politics
Libya’s eastern authorities recently expelled a senior European delegation in a move analysts say was meant to send a message: the unrecognized administration backed by military leader Khalifa Haftar cannot be ignored. On July 8, an EU commissioner and ministers from Greece, Italy and Malta were in Libya to
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European powers plan fresh talks with Iran on its nuclear program in the coming days, the first since the US attacked Iranian nuclear facilities a month ago, a German diplomatic source told AFP on Sunday. Britain, France and Germany, known as the E3, “are in contact with Iran to schedule
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Syrian security forces have begun deploying in the Druze-majority province of Sweida, where sectarian violence has left more than 700 people dead, the interior ministry said on Saturday. “Internal security forces have begun deploying in Sweida province... with the aim of protecting civilians and putting an end to the chaos,
Politics
EU countries on Friday signed off on a new package of sanctions on Russia over the war in Ukraine, including lowering a price cap on Moscow’s oil exports. The 18th round of economic punishment against Russia since its 2022 invasion was approved after Slovakia dropped a weeks-long block following
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Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his European counterparts Friday they have no grounds for reactivating UN sanctions after they threatened to do so in coming months unless there is progress in nuclear talks. “If EU/E3 want to have a role, they should act responsibly and put aside the
Politics
Russian troops have taken control of three villages in three different parts of the frontline running through Ukraine, the Defense Ministry said on Thursday. Official Ukrainian reports of activity along the 1,000-km (600-mile) front disputed part of the Russian account, particularly concerning a key village in the southeast. Reuters
Politics
Taiwan does not seek conflict with China and will not provoke confrontation and Beijing’s “aggressive” military posturing was counterproductive, Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim said on Friday. China considers democratic Taiwan as part of its own territory and calls President Lai Ching-te a “separatist.” Taiwan’s government disputes China’s
Politics
President Donald Trump’s ultimatum to Russia to accept a peace deal in Ukraine within 50 days or face bruising sanctions on its energy exports has given the Kremlin extra time to pursue its summer offensive. The dogged Ukrainian resistance, however, makes it unlikely that the Russian military will make
Politics
Syria’s interim President Ahmed Al-Sharaa said on Thursday that protecting Druze citizens and their rights is “our priority,” as Israel vowed to destroy Syrian government forces attacking Druze in southern Syria. In his first televised statement after powerful Israeli air strikes on Damascus on Wednesday, Sharaa addressed Druze citizens