Israeli fire kills at least 26 people in Gaza, hits a police station
CAIRO – An Israeli airstrike hit a police station in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing at least 10 people, local health authorities said, and Israel’s military said it had struck a command centre of Hamas and…
China says US should stop threats, coercion if it wants an agreement
BEIJING – The U.S. should stop making threats and resorting to coercion if it wants to make a deal, the Chinese foreign ministry said on Wednesday when asked about U.S. President Donald Trump’s remarks about potentially lower tariffs on China….
Israeli airstrikes kill 10 in school housing displaced families, hit children’s hospital, medics say
CAIRO/GAZA – An Israeli airstrike on a school sheltering displaced families in northern Gaza killed at least 10 people, while another hit a children’s hospital, local health authorities said, taking Wednesday’s death toll to 20. Medics said the airstrike on…
Ukraine’s Zelenskiy moving in wrong direction on peace talks, White House says
U.S. President Donald Trump is frustrated with the pace of talks on ending the war in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is going in the wrong direction when it comes to negotiations, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Wednesday….
Germany halts Afghan refugee admission flights pending new government decision
BERLIN – Germany’s outgoing government has suspended flights for voluntary admissions of Afghan refugees for two weeks pending a decision by the next government on how to proceed, the foreign ministry said on Wednesday. Earlier this month, the future governing…
Coffee tariff exemption request well received by US government, National Coffee Association boss says
SAO PAULO – An application by the United States’ National Coffee Association (NCA) to get coffee exempted from tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump has been well received, the NCA’s CEO Bill Murray said during an industry event in…
China, US seek to portray each other as bullies at UN
UNITED NATIONS – China and the United States accused each other of unfair trade practices at an informal United Nations Security Council meeting on Wednesday, seeking to portray each other as global bullies amid their escalating trade war. China convened…
European pharma companies push for higher drug prices in EU amid U.S. tariff threats
European drugmakers are urging the EU to allow higher medicine prices, warning that without stronger investment incentives, the bloc would fall further behind the U.S., where tariff threats have triggered a wave of pharma investment announcements. AstraZeneca Chief Executive Officer…
Wall Street ends higher on hopes of trade war de-escalation
NEW YORK -Wall Street stocks advanced on Wednesday on revived hopes for progress in the U.S.-China trade dispute and as President Donald Trump soothed fears the Federal Reserve could lose its autonomy with reassurances that he has “no intention of…
Apple fined $570 million and Meta $228 million for breach of EU law
BRUSSELS – Apple was fined 500 million euros ($570 million) on Wednesday and Meta 200 million euros, as European Union antitrust regulators handed out the first sanctions under landmark legislation aimed at curbing the power of Big Tech. The EU…
Ukraine, Western countries meet on Russia war as diplomats say breakthrough unlikely
LONDON/PARIS – U.S., Ukrainian and European officials meet in London on Wednesday about ending Russia’s war in Ukraine after warnings by U.S. President Donald Trump that Washington could walk away if there is no progress on a deal soon. Trump’s…
Tesla says India’s 100% car tariffs make customers anxious
NEW DELHI -Tesla sees India’s 100% import tariffs on cars making customers anxious, and the carmaker is still assessing when to enter the “very hot” market even as those concerns linger, its chief financial officer said on Tuesday. Tesla has…
Iran says new US energy sanctions show ‘lack of goodwill’ in Iran-US talks
DUBAI -New U.S. sanctions against Iran’s energy sector point to Washington’s “lack of goodwill and seriousness” over dialogue with Tehran, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Wednesday ahead of Iran-U.S. nuclear talks this weekend. On Tuesday, Washington targeted an Iranian…
US judge blocks Trump’s shutdown of government-funded radio broadcasts
NEW YORK -A federal judge ordered U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration on Tuesday to halt its efforts to shut down government-funded radio broadcasts of Voice of America, Radio Free Asia and Middle East Broadcasting Networks. U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth,…
Ukraine ready to hold talks with Russia once ceasefire in place, Zelenskiy says
KYIV -President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday that Ukraine would be ready to hold talks with Russia in any format once a ceasefire deal is in place and the fighting has stopped. The Ukrainian leader also told reporters at a…
China asks Korea not to supply products using rare earths to US defence firms, paper reports
SEOUL -Beijing recently asked South Korean companies not to ship products containing China’s rare earth minerals to U.S. defence firms, the Korea Economic Daily reported on Tuesday, citing government and company sources. The report had initially said China’s Ministry of…
Hyundai Steel’s $6 billion US investment draws investor ire, tests Seoul’s tariff strategy
SEOUL -In late March, as investors kept hammering Hyundai Steel shares after the South Korean steelmaker announced a $6 billion investment in the U.S., the company organised a call with a dozen investors to calm nerves over the project that…
Trump pushes training for skilled trades that do not require college
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump signed on Wednesday an order to improve job training for skilled trades, an initiative twinned with tariffs in his gambit to revive U.S. manufacturing. The Labor, Education and Commerce departments will focus on job needs…
Aid funding disrupts child vaccinations almost as much as pandemic, says UN
LONDON -Global aid funding cuts, led by the United States, are disrupting efforts to vaccinate children against deadly diseases almost as much as the COVID-19 pandemic did, the United Nations said on Thursday. Outbreaks of infectious diseases, including measles, meningitis…
Trump signs orders on university accreditation, foreign gifts
WASHINGTON -In his latest step pressuring U.S. universities, President Donald Trump on Wednesday signed an order intended to toughen standards for college accreditation, a requirement for accessing billions of dollars in federal student financial aid. The order was one of…
Germany could suffer ‘slight’ recession this year, Bundesbank’s Nagel says
BERLIN -The German economy could suffer “a slight recession” in 2025, Bundesbank President Joachim Nagel told Reuters on Wednesday, contracting for a third consecutive year for the first time. The German government has cut its economic forecast for this year…
US will aim for UK to cut its automotive tariff from 10% to 2.5%, WSJ reports
The United States will aim for Britain to reduce its automotive tariff from 10% to 2.5%, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, citing people with knowledge of a draft document circulated by the administration of President Donald Trump. British…
Intel to cut over 20% of workforce, Bloomberg News reports
Intel is set to unveil plans this week to slash more than 20% of its workforce, in a move to streamline operations and reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies, Bloomberg News reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The layoffs…
Bitcoin rises 5% above $91,000
Bitcoin, the world’s largest cryptocurrency, rose 5.01% to $91,713.49, after earlier breaking through the $90,000 for the first time since March as U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policies have rocked global markets.
Rubio will not attend Ukraine peace talks in London
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio will not attend talks in London aimed at ending the war in Ukraine, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said on Tuesday, after earlier saying he planned to travel to London. After speaking…
Costa Rica grants special status to 85 migrants deported from the US
Costa Rica granted 85 migrants, who were deported in February by the Trump administration, a special status that will allow them to freely move within the country, the country’s immigration director, Omar Badilla, said on Wednesday. President Rodrigo Chaves’ government…
Trump Media pushes forward with pivot to crypto, ETF plans
U.S. President Donald Trump’s social media firm, Trump Media & Technology Group, said on Tuesday it had reached a binding agreement to roll out an array of retail investment products, including crypto, in its latest bid to diversify into financial…
US to phase out many synthetic food dyes, Kennedy and FDA head say
WASHINGTON – Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary said on Tuesday that the agency plans to remove petroleum-based synthetic food dyes from the U.S. food supply by revoking authorizations of some and working with industry…
US court keeps Trump tariffs in force against group of small businesses
NEW YORK -A U.S. federal court on Tuesday allowed President Donald Trump’s tariffs against a group of small businesses to remain in force for now, saying the businesses had not shown they would immediately be harmed by new taxes on…
World Economic Forum launches probe into founder Klaus Schwab over whistleblower allegations
The World Economic Forum announced on Tuesday that it has launched an investigation into its founder, Klaus Schwab, following a whistleblower letter alleging misconduct by the former chairman. The announcement came a day after the 87-year-old Schwab said he was…