Tag - u.s.

 
 

U.S.

Stacked parcels are seen as an employee stands at a service counter at a post office in Hong Kong on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
Hong Kong postal service halts U.S. parcels over tariff ‘bullying'
The move comes as Trump’s tariff offensive on China increasingly affects the former British colony.
The building of the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia in Phnom Penh. The court, which ended proceedings in 2022, tried former Khmer Rouge officials for crimes committed during the regime, reinforcing global norms against impunity.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025
Japan should challenge Washington in defense of justice
Japan played a key role in trying the Khmer Rouge for their crimes in Cambodia. Half a century on from the genocidal regime, Tokyo must renew its commitment to international law.
Samples of rare earth minerals on display at the Molycorp Mountain Pass Rare Earth facility in California in 2015
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
Seven rare earth metals that China is weaponizing against the U.S.
China’s dominance of both mining and processing rare earth minerals means these niche metals have become a cudgel to use against opponents.
Men painted like skeletons pose in Lagos to warn on the deadly disease prior to the World Malaria Day on April 25, 2015. The sudden dismantling of USAID, the country's main foreign development arm, is unraveling health care systems across Africa.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 16, 2025
USAID cuts rip through African health care systems
The sudden dismantling of USAID is unraveling health care systems across Africa that were built from a complicated web of national health ministries, companies and nonprofits.
Facing a new round of U.S. tariffs, China may devalue the yuan — possibly by as much as 20% — if fiscal stimulus falls short, risking a global currency war as it fights to meet its growth target.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025
When will China start to devalue the yuan?
One way to think about China’s currency policy is its fiscal stance. Unless Beijing brings out the stimulus bazooka, devaluing the yuan might be the most expedient option.
The Canton Fair in Guangzhou, China, on Tuesday
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 16, 2025
Ground zero of China trade boom reckons with decoupling from U.S.
"The China-U.S. relation is beyond salvation — this change of gears is irreversible,” said the China director at a political risk consultancy.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has sent a delegation to Washington for high-stakes tariff talks, as other nations watch to see if Tokyo can secure favorable terms from the Trump administration.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 16, 2025
If Japan can’t get a good trade deal, can anyone?
The Asian nation is the canary in the tariff coal mine. If it can’t secure a good deal, there’s little hope for others.
The Business School campus of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Tuesday
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
After Harvard rejects U.S. demands, Trump adds new threat
The Trump administration has rebuked universities across the country over their handling of last year's pro-Palestinian student protest movement.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba (center) at the Prime Minister's Office on Tuesday
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2025
Japan unlikely to compile extra budget now
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba believes it is necessary to closely monitor the impact of U.S. President Donald Trump's tariff policy.
U.S. Special Envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff told Fox News the U.S. will focus on restricting Iran’s uranium enrichment and missile capability rather than dismantling its entire nuclear program. He later took a different tone on social media.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
U.S. backs away from envoy saying Iran can keep enriching uranium
Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff later posted on social media "that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program."
Iranian missiles are displayed at the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Aerospace Force Museum in Tehran on Nov. 15, 2024
WORLD / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
Would military strikes kill Iran's nuclear program? Probably not
Rather than destroying the nuclear program, an attack could prompt Iran to kick out United Nations nuclear inspectors and drive their program fully underground.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (left) speaks to Communist Party of Vietnam chief To Lam in Hanoi on Monday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Apr 16, 2025
Xi’s visit shows Vietnam’s balancing act amid looming U.S. tariffs
Hanoi’s initial silence on the Chinese president's request to jointly oppose "unilateral bullying” shows its attempt to walk a tightrope between the two powers.
The Virginia-class fast attack submarine USS Minnesota is seen off the coast of Western Australia on March 16.
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 15, 2025
AUKUS exemption to U.S. defense trade controls doesn't cover nuclear subs, officials say
The controls create hurdles to defense industry collaboration on U.S. Virginia-class sub production.
Former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage, well regarded in Tokyo as a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan ties, has died at the age of 79.
JAPAN / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Richard Armitage, ex-U.S. diplomat known for boosting Japan ties, dies at 79
He was a leading voice in the promotion of U.S.-Japan relations even after leaving government service.
Vehicles wait in line to cross into the United States at the Canada-U.S. border in St-Bernard-de-Lacolle, Quebec, Canada.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Avoid U.S. travel or take burner devices, Canadian organizations tell staff
Employees have also been given advice on how to minimize information that can be accessed by border agents.
The Bank of Japan will likely postpone raising interest rates due to uncertainties stemming from U.S. tariff measures that could deal a blow to Japan’s economy, a former executive director said.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2025
BOJ will likely put rate hike aside for now, ex-official says
"They will be in a wait-and-see mode for a while,” said Kenzo Yamamoto, a former executive at the Bank of Japan.
Demonstrators rally during a protest to call on Harvard leadership to resist interference at the university by the federal government in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
Harvard hit with $2.3 billion funding freeze after rejecting Trump demands
The Trump administration announced the freeze within hours of Harvard taking its stand.
Officials in northeast China have accused the U.S. of launching cyberattacks during the Asian Winter Games in February.
WORLD / Politics
Apr 15, 2025
China accuses U.S. of launching 'advanced' cyberattacks and names alleged NSA agents
The report contained a considerable amount of detail on the cyberattacks and the alleged individuals involved.
Taro Kitabayashi, chief executive officer of Norinchukin Bank, during an interview in Tokyo, on April 9. Kitabayashi said the bank finished selling off its unprofitable U.S. Treasury holdings by the end of March, thus avoiding the volatility last week as Trump’s trade policies whipsawed markets.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 15, 2025
Norinchukin dodges Trump’s market chaos after selling Treasuries
New Chief Executive Taro Kitabayashi said the bank finished selling off its unprofitable U.S. Treasury holdings by the end of March.
The U.S. Commerce Department has begun investigating how semiconductors and pharmaceuticals impact national security.
BUSINESS / Economy
Apr 15, 2025
Trump initiates chips and drug probes, ahead of more tariffs
The moves, announced Monday in the Federal Register, are a precursor to imposing tariffs and threaten to broaden the president’s sweeping U.S. trade war.

Longform

In 2020, 38% of all households were single-person. That figure is projected to rise to 44.3% by 2050.
The rise of AI companionship in a lonely Japan