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The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has sought to ramp up deportations and revoke student visas as part of wide-ranging efforts to meet its hard-line immigration agenda.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 29, 2025

South Korean students warned over social media posts amid Trump administration crackdown

South Korean students are the third-largest among international students in the U.S., behind those from India and China.
Australia is looking to regain control of the Port of Darwin from Landbridge Group, a Chinese company, without jeopardizing improved relations with Beijing.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 29, 2025

With Port of Darwin, Australia hopes to avoid a repeat of Panama Canal

Canberra is looking to regain control of the port from a Chinese company without jeopardizing improved relations with Beijing.
The United Nations is preparing to cut about 6,900 jobs, according to an internal memo.
WORLD
May 30, 2025

U.N. eyes budget and job cuts for 2026 as U.S. scales back aid

The U.N. Secretariat is preparing to cut its $3.7 billion budget by 20% and slash about 6,900 jobs, according to an internal memo.
Nippon Yusen, Japan's biggest shipper, believes there will probably not be another decline in bookings impacted by U.S. tariffs this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 30, 2025

Top Japan shipper sees orders recovering as trade tensions ease

Nippon Yusen saw a robust recovery in container shipping orders following an easing in tensions between the United States and some of its trading partners this month.
The Trump administration's escalating campaign against Harvard — cutting billions in funding, blocking foreign students, and threatening its independence — marks an unprecedented attack on U.S. higher education.
EDITORIALS
May 30, 2025

U.S. soft power is a casualty in Trump’s war on Harvard

The fight against Harvard will do extensive and potentially irreparable injury. It is an extraordinary act of self-harm.
A concept model of the Global Combat Air Program's fighter jet during an exhibition at Makuhari Messe in Chiba on May 21
JAPAN
May 30, 2025

Japan frets over fighter rollout target and weighs stopgap options, sources say

The joint Global Combat Air Program is falling behind schedule due to a lack of urgency from Britain and Italy, one of the sources said.
U.S. President Donald Trump smiles before speaking in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 1, 2025

Trump tariffs face threat at top court — over rulings that blocked Biden

The court’s conservative majority ruled that federal agencies can’t decide sweeping political and economic matters without clear congressional authorization.
Polish President-elect Karol Nawrocki in Warsaw on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Jun 2, 2025

Pro-Trump nationalist wins Poland’s presidential election

Karol Nawrocki, a conservative historian and former boxer, won 50.9%, while Rafal Trzaskowski took 49.1%, according to calculations based on electoral commission data.
The LGBTQ  community in the U.S. has expressed shock and dismay regarding government plans to slash the Health and Human Services Department's budget, which includes the elimination of specialised mental health services for LGBTQ  youth.
WORLD / Society
Jun 3, 2025

LGBTQ+ suicide risk rises as Trump cuts mental health services

Since returning to office in January, Trump has signed executive orders to curb LGBTQ+ rights, many of which directly impact young people.
Business and household sentiments "have deteriorated recently," Bank of Japan Gov. Kazuo Ueda said Tuesday at an event in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 4, 2025

Uncertainties over Trump tariffs extremely strong, BOJ chief says

The Bank of Japan will continue to raise interest rates if the Japanese economy and prices move in line with the central bank's outlook, Gov. Kazuo Ueda added.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2025

South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’

Lee Jae-myung, in his inauguration speech, said his government would continue his predecessor’s policy of strengthening cooperation with Japan.
Former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono (left) speaks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Chinese Premier Li Qiang urges Japan to stand with China against Trump's tariffs

A Japanese delegation of around 100 members headed by former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono is visiting China for seven days until Sunday.
An Iranian newspaper's cover shows a photo of U.S. President Donald Trump and U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff in Tehran on May 11. The U.S. has started new talks with Iran with the aim of imposing fresh nuclear restrictions on Tehran.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2025

Any U.S. deal with Iran must tackle nuclear watchdog's blind spots

The International Atomic Energy Agency has lost track of elements of Iran's nuclear activities since U.S. President Donald Trump ditched a 2015 deal with Tehran.
America's reluctance to provide air defenses sought by its European partners highlights how the western allies are at odds over how to deal with Russian aggression in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2025

U.S. said to deny air cover to Europe force in postwar Ukraine

The U.S. reluctance to provide the backup sought by its European partners highlights how the allies are at odds over the way to deal with Russia.
The draft also expresses strong concern about China's attempts to unilaterally change the status quo by force in the East China Sea and the South China Sea.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 5, 2025

Japan to name China as its biggest strategic challenge

It is unusual for the annual economic and fiscal policy guidelines to criticize China for its coercive behavior toward neighboring countries.
A Tirtir store in Seoul on May 23
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2025

South Korean beauty brands bet boom in U.S. demand outlasts tariff pain

The startups are expanding their bricks-and-mortar presence in the world's biggest consumer market, confident their mass appeal will offset tariff costs.
Many economies in Asia have invested at much lower levels on defense than the U.S., expecting the support of Washington’s military might.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 6, 2025

Asia sees Trump’s 5%-of-GDP defense spending goal as unrealistic

In interviews, key defense officials in Asia have been clear: The ambition is understood, but the math just doesn’t add up.
Cantonese opera actor Lung Koon-tin, portraying U.S. President Donald Trump, performs on stage in "Trump, The Twins President" in Hong Kong, on Thursday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 6, 2025

Trump-inspired Cantonese opera in Hong Kong aims to bring love and peace

"Trump, The Twins President" has been through several iterations since its 2019 debut, with the latest version featuring the attempted assassination of the U.S. president.
U.S. President Donald Trump talks to the press aboard Air Force One on the way to Morristown Municipal Airport in Morristown, New Jersey, on Friday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jun 7, 2025

Trump can bar AP from some White House events for now, U.S. appeals court says

The Associated Press in a statement said it was disappointed by the decision and weighing its options.
Fire and smoke rise in the city after a Russian drone strike in Kyiv on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 8, 2025

U.S. says Russia response to Ukraine drone attack not over and to expect more strikes

The Kremlin denies the full impact of Kyiv's drone attack but Russian military bloggers cite serious damage, including to planes that carry nuclear weapons.
A car burns on Atlantic Boulevard during a standoff by protesters and law enforcement, following multiple detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), in the Los Angeles County city of Paramount, California, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 8, 2025

Protesters rally against immigration agents for second day in Los Angeles

The protests pit LA and its large Hispanic and foreign-born population against Trump, who has made an immigration crackdown on a top priority.
Members of the California National Guard stand outside the Edward R. Roybal federal building on Sunday after their deployment by U.S. President Donald Trump in response to protests in Los Angeles.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 9, 2025

Los Angeles police order immigration protesters in downtown to go home

The unrest in Los Angeles has become a major flash point in Trump's signature effort to clamp down on illegal immigration.
By spurring the ASEAN countries to deepen cooperation, with one another and with others, U.S. tariffs could bring about an even more prosperous — and, crucially, resilient — grouping.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 9, 2025

Trump vs. a united ASEAN

By spurring the ASEAN countries to deepen cooperation, U.S. tariffs could bring about an even more prosperous — and, crucially, resilient — grouping.
The messy, transactional fallout between Donald Trump and Elon Musk has exposed a toxic alliance built on money, power and chaos — one that now threatens both men’s influence and the stability of U.S. governance.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 9, 2025

The MAGA odd couple turns combustible

The world’s most powerful man and the world’s richest man have fallen out. No matter who wins, America loses.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung speaks during a ceremony to mark the 70th Memorial Day at Seoul National Cemetery on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Jun 10, 2025

China's Xi urges South Korea's Lee to protect free trade in first talks

Chinese leader Xi Jinping told new South Korean President Lee Jae-myung that the two countries “should jointly safeguard multilateralism and free trade."
An Afghan woman carries away food aid donated by the Indian government in Kabul on May 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 10, 2025

Trump's cuts are 'devastating' for vulnerable women worldwide, U.N. says

Though it is too soon to estimate the impacts of the U.S. cuts, they will likely result in increased maternal mortality and more unintended pregnancies.
U.S. Marines who were placed in an alert status over the weekend rehearse nonlethal tactics in the greater Los Angeles area.
WORLD
Jun 11, 2025

Downtown Los Angeles under curfew as Newsom warns of Trump overreach

"California may be first — but it clearly won’t end here. Other states are next,” Newsom said. "Democracy is under assault right before our eyes."
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick speaks to members of the media at Lancaster House in London on Tuesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 11, 2025

U.S. and China officials agree on plan to ramp down trade tensions

Officials on both sides expressed optimism but the framework must now be approved by leaders in Washington and Beijing.
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., testifies before a Senate Committee in Washington, on May 14.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 11, 2025

Kennedy's firing of CDC panel undermines vaccine confidence, experts say

The firing of the vaccine committee comes weeks before a public meeting in which advisers were to vote on the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
Brian Wilson is seen at home in Beverly Hills in 2004. Wilson, who as the leader and chief songwriter of the Beach Boys became rock’s poet laureate of surf-and-sun innocence, was also the embodiment of damaged genius through his struggles with mental illness and drugs.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 12, 2025

Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82

The band defined California beach culture for a generation, with Wilson achieving what many musicians saw as perfection in "Pet Sounds."

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Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji