News & Current Events

[ad_1] Japan seeks quick resolution to US tariffs as profits decline. Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa will negotiate in Washington this week. He aims to review Trump's tariffs. Japanese firms are major US investors. Vehicles form a large part of Japan's exports to the US. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba discussed the tariff impact with Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong. TOKYO: Japan's envoy for upcoming tariff talks with the United States said on Monday that Japanese company profits were falling "day by day" as he called for a swift solution.Economic Revitalisation Minister Ryosei Akazawa will visit Washington for the negotiations this week, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told lawmakers on Monday.The government has so far failed in attempts to secure exemptions from the US tariffs, including 25 percent on the global auto sector that took effect in early April.US President Donald Trump […]

[ad_1] Singapore has lowered its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 0-2% due to the anticipated impact of US tariffs on global trade. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has eased monetary policy in response to economic concerns stemming from the US-China trade war. The trade war is expected to negatively affect global trade, economic growth, and business sentiment. SINGAPORE: Singapore has downgraded its gross domestic product (GDP) growth forecast for 2025 to 0-2 per cent, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) said on Monday (Apr 14), citing the impact of US President Donald Trump's tariffs on global trade. The Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), the de facto central bank, has also loosened monetary policy for the second time in a row as economic fears rise due to the trade war brewing between the US and China and lowered core inflation […]

[ad_1] A magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck Myanmar on April 14, 2025, prompting India to send an Indian Army Engineers team under the Operation Brahma to assess the damage. The team is evaluating infrastructure in Naypyitaw and Mandalay, following a larger 7.7-magnitude earthquake in March. India is also providing humanitarian aid, including food and supplies, to local communities and the Indian diaspora. NAYPYITAW, MYANMAR: An earthquake of magnitude 4.5 jolted Myanmar on Monday, a statement by the National Center for Seismology (NCS) said on Monday.As per the NCS, the earthquake occurred at a shallow depth of 10km, making it susceptible to aftershocks.In a post on X, the NCS said, "EQ of M: 4.5, On: 14/04/2025 01:32:31 IST, Lat: 19.78 N, Long: 95.49 E, Depth: 10 Km, Location: Myanmar."https://x.com/NCS_Earthquake/status/1911512879532237137Meanwhile, on Saturday, in response to a formal request from the Government of Myanmar, […]

[ad_1] Donald Trump with granddaughter Kai US President Donald Trump recently took a jab at news organisations during a press briefing labelling them "fake news" as he introduced his eldest granddaughter, Kai Madison Trump, to reporters aboard Air Force One. Accompanied by Kai along with Donald Trump III, and Spencer Trump—children of Donald Trump Jr. and Vanessa Trump—attended the UFC 314 fight in Miami. After the match, as the entourage headed back to Palm Beach aboard Air Force One, Trump turned to the waiting reporters, gesturing to 17-year-old Kai, he quipped, “This is the fake news,” before inviting reporters to ask her questions directly. "What's up, Kai? Come on. You know the fake news.. This is the fake news," he said.Trump then went on to praise his granddaughter and her achievements calling her a "a great athlete". "Great golfer and […]

[ad_1] DUBAI, UAE: Suspected US airstrikes around Yemen's rebel-held capital killed at least six people and wounded 30 overnight, the Houthis said Monday as they also claimed shooting down another American MQ-9 Reaper drone. Since its start nearly a month ago, the intense campaign of US airstrikes under President Donald Trump targeting the rebels over their attacks on shipping in Mideast waters - related to the Israel-Hamas war - has killed over 120 people, according to casualty figures released Monday by the Houthis' Health Ministry. Footage aired by the Houthis' al-Masirah satellite news channel showed firefighters spraying water on a raging fire they described as being sparked by the airstrikes. Rubble littered a street as rescuers carried one person away from the site, which the rebels claimed was a ceramics factory in the Bani Matar neighborhood of Sanaa, the capital. […]

[ad_1] Pennsylvania police arrested a 38-year-old man, Cody Balmer, on charges including attempted murder, terrorism, and aggravated arson following an early morning fire at the official residence of Pennsylvania governor Josh Shapiro. Authorities say the governor and his family were inside the Georgian-style mansion in Harrisburg when the fire broke out in a separate section of the building around 2:00 am local time on Sunday.State police said the fire caused “a significant amount of damage” but was successfully extinguished. No injuries were reported.Governor Shapiro, a prominent Democrat who was considered a potential vice-presidential pick in 2024, credited a state trooper with alerting his sleeping family and ensuring their safe evacuation. “Thank God no one was injured and the fire was extinguished,” he said in a statement.Speaking later outside the residence, with a charred and broken window behind him, Shapiro condemned […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping currently have no plans to hold talks amid an intensifying trade war, confirmed trade representative Jamieson Greer during an appearance on CBS News’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. Greer said the issue now rests "at the leaders' level" and that any future engagement would occur only “at some point,” as President Trump has suggested.This comes in the wake of Trump’s April 2 announcement, dubbed “Liberation Day”, when the US imposed a 10% baseline tariff on all foreign goods, alongside higher “reciprocal” tariffs targeting countries that tax US exports. Shortly after, Trump announced a 90-day pause on most of the new tariffs after markets plunged, but simultaneously hiked the tariff on Chinese imports to 125% and slapped an additional 20% fentanyl duty, bringing China’s total to 145%.China responded on Friday by […]

[ad_1] File photo: US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick (left) and US President Donald Trump (Picture credit: AP) US commerce secretary Howard Lutnick on Sunday said the Trump administration’s decision to temporarily exempt electronics like smartphones and laptops from steep new import tariffs was not permanent and that the products would soon fall under a new policy targeting the semiconductor sector.“They’re exempt from the reciprocal tariffs but they’re included in the semiconductor tariffs, which are coming in probably a month or two,” Lutnick told ABC’s ‘This Week’, making it clear the brief relief for consumer electronics was only a pause before a more targeted approach.The White House on Friday had excluded several electronics from the wide-ranging “reciprocal tariffs” introduced earlier this month, in a move that was expected to benefit tech giants like Apple, Samsung, and Nvidia. The exemption included devices […]

[ad_1] New Jersey restaurateur ‘Sushi John’ arrested by ICE over spying for Chinese government (Picture credit: ICE) A New Jersey restaurateur, previously convicted of acting as an unregistered agent of the Chinese government, is now in the custody of US immigration and customs enforcement (ICE), facing likely deportation. Ming Xi Zhang, a 61-year-old Chinese national and owner of Ya Ya Noodles in Montgomery Township, was arrested on March 24 in Newark, New Jersey, reported the New York Post.Zhang, widely known in his community as “Sushi John,” pleaded guilty in May 2021 to operating as an agent of China in 2016 without informing the US attorney general, a direct violation of the Foreign Agents Registration Act. According to ICE, Zhang lawfully entered the US through Los Angeles International Airport in June 2000 but later “violated the terms of his lawful admission.”As […]

[ad_1] Israeli PM Netanyahu blasts Macron’s recognition plan for Palestinian state, warns against ‘illusions’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticised French President Emmanuel Macron over his recent statement suggesting France could recognise a Palestinian state within months. In a strongly worded statement on Sunday, Netanyahu said, “President Macron is gravely mistaken in continuing to promote the idea of a Palestinian state in the heart of our land, a state whose sole aspiration is the destruction of Israel.”Macron had told France 5 television on Wednesday that France might officially recognise Palestine during a UN peace conference planned in New York this June. Macron said the move was aimed at triggering a broader regional peace initiative, stating, “We must move towards recognition, and we will do so in the coming months.” He added that recognition should lead to “a collective dynamic” and […]