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US

U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff (from left), Secretary of State Marco Rubio, national security adviser Mike Waltz, Saudi Arabia Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan al-Saud, national security adviser Mosaad bin Mohammad al-Aiban, the Russian president's foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov attend a meeting at Riyadh's Diriyah Palace on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Russia and U.S. agree at talks without Ukraine to press ahead with bid to end war
Ukraine and European leaders are worried that Trump could cut a hasty deal with Moscow that rewards Russia for invading its neighbor.
The new French ambassador to Singapore said France and Europe do not want their Asian partners to have to choose between the United States and China.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Asia should not have to pick U.S. or China, France's envoy to Singapore says
France sees increasing pressure, "maybe more on the U.S. side," that partners in Asia make a choice, its envoy to Singapore said.
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said that the situation surrounding Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel has improved under U.S. President Donald Trump.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 18, 2025
Ishiba questions the politics of Nippon Steel-U.S. Steel deal rejection
The "unjust political interference” was difficult to understand, the prime minister said, but he indicated that the situation has improved under Trump.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off carrying 53 Starlink internet satellites, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on May 18, 2022.
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 18, 2025
Vietnam paves way for Musk's Starlink amid U.S. tariff threats
A regulatory change can be seen as "an olive branch" to SpaceX amid nervousness in Vietnam about tariff threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
U.S. President Donald Trump's Gaza proposal is a reckless plan that would forcibly displace Palestinians, destabilize neighboring countries, empower Iran and and hinder any long-term peace efforts.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2025
Trump’s Gaza plan is a crazy answer to a valid question
It is a propsal that will love Israel to death, revive Iran to life and destabilize every American friend.
French President Emmanuel Macron welcomes British Prime Minister Keir Starmer before an informal summit of European leaders to discuss the situation in Ukraine and European security at the Elysee Presidential Palace in Paris on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Europe talks up more defense spending as Ukraine peacekeeper plan divides
The leaders also said they were ready to provide security guarantees to Kyiv "depending on the level of American support."
Members of Taiwan's armed forces, riding on a M60A3 tank, participate in a drill as part of a demonstration for the media to show combat readiness, at a military base in Taitung, Taiwan, on Jan. 31, 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Taiwan considering multibillion dollar arms purchase from U.S., sources say
Taipei is hoping to win support from the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump as China continues to apply military pressure on the island.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Oleksiy Chernyshov (center left), German Head of the Federal Chancellery and Minister for Special Tasks Wolfgang Schmidt and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz attend the Munich Security Conference in Munich on Saturday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 18, 2025
Security demands cast new shadow on Europe's finances
Some fear a political backlash if governments simply slash social spending to buy more soldiers and guns.
Canada faces a tough decision on how to respond to U.S. President Donald Trump's economic threats, particularly regarding energy exports, with options ranging from strategic energy cuts to export taxes.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2025
Weaponizing Canadian oil would rattle Trump
Reducing crude output has the potential to inflict real pain on U.S. refiners and consumers.
U.S. Vice President JD Vance delivers a blunt speech before the 61st Munich Security Conference on Friday, sending shockwaves through Europe's halls of government.
COMMENTARY / World
Feb 18, 2025
The patterns and philosophy underpinning Trump’s dizzying diplomacy
With the start of his second term, Trump's actions appear to be chaotic, both to friend and foe alike. But is this chaos intentional?
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) meets with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in Riyadh on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Rubio discusses Gaza deal with Saudi crown prince
Saudi Arabia and other Arab nations have strongly opposed the U.S. plan for Gaza.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (C) arrives in Saudi Arabia on Monday prior to a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Marco. Top U.S. and Russian diplomats will meet in Riyadh on Tuesday for talks on resetting the countries' fractured relations and making a tentative start on trying to end the conflict in Ukraine.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 18, 2025
Top Russia and U.S. officials to meet in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday
Meanwhile, European leaders were gathering for emergency talks on how to respond to the radical pivot by the new U.S. administration.
UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima in Addis Ababa on Sunday
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
Trump's aid freeze could cause millions more AIDS deaths: U.N. agency
Deaths could increase tenfold to 6.3 million in five years, according to UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima.
Russian President Vladimir Putin of Russia after a military parade on Victory Day in Red Square in Moscow on May 9, 2024.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
EU seeks a military revival under pressure from Putin and Trump
European leaders have been charged with reviving the continent’s military power after almost 80 years in which they essentially outsourced much of their security to the U.S.
An F-35B stealth fighter jet loaded in the hangar of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Kaga destroyer
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 17, 2025
SDF's biggest ships are being converted into de facto aircraft carriers
The Izumo and Kaga, each about 248 meters in length and 38 meters in width, are the largest vessels in the MSDF.
Elon Musk speaks next to U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Feb. 11.
WORLD
Feb 17, 2025
Musk’s DOGE team seeks access to taxpayer information
The U.S. has strict laws that prohibit the disclosure of taxpayer data, though there are exceptions for law enforcement.
According to a prepared text of Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen's remarks posted on a government website over the weekend, the image of the U.S. "has changed from liberator to great disruptor to a landlord seeking rent."
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
Singapore says Asia now views U.S. as a ‘landlord seeking rent’
The image of the U.S. as a liberator has changed, Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen says in remarks prepared for the Munich Security Conference.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) speaks to German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the 61st Munich Security Conference in Munich, Germany, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
Ukraine, Europe will be part of 'real' peace talks with Russia, says Rubio
America's top diplomat plays down European concerns of being cut out of this week's talks between Washington and Moscow to end Russia-Ukraine war.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) is pictured during his meeting with Israeli President Isaac Herzog in Jerusalem on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 17, 2025
Israel and U.S. vow to counter Iran's nuclear ambitions in Jerusalem talks
Speaking after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Rubio in Jerusalem, Prime Minister Netanyahu said they discussed a number of issues, "none more important than Iran."
U.S. President Donald Trump signs an executive order in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Feb 15, 2025
Trump says new tariffs on autos coming around April 2
The auto threat offers to put some of the biggest brands in Japan, Germany and South Korea in Trump’s crosshairs.

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.