Tag - u.s.

 
 

U.S.

A tourist watches the MT Desert Kite oil tanker carrying Russian oil in the Arabian Sea, Gujarat, India, on March 11.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2026
U.S. extends sanctions waiver on Russian oil to aid vulnerable countries
The action marks the second time the Treasury has allowed the sanctions waiver to lapse and subsequently extended it.
A woman walks past an anti-U.S. billboard depicting U.S. President Donald Trump and the Strait of Hormuz, in Tehran on Sunday.
WORLD / Politics
May 19, 2026
Trump says he paused attack on Iran as negotiations continue
An Iranian source said the U.S. may agree to release some of Tehran’s frozen funds and show more flexibility toward peaceful nuclear activity under supervision of the IAEA.
Visitors gather in the rain to catch a glimpse of Punch the monkey at Ichikawa City Zoo in Ichikawa, Chiba Prefecture, in April.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 18, 2026
Japan arrests Americans over stunt at baby monkey Punch’s zoo
Images on social media showed a person scaling the fence in a costume that included a smiley face head with sunglasses, prompting the monkeys to scatter.
U.S. President Donald Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA in February.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Trump filing reveals stake in sushi chain alongside Big Tech
Trump bought shares of Kura Sushi USA on Feb. 2 with the transaction size in a range of around $1 million to $5 million, according to his latest financial disclosure.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s planned withdrawal of 5,000 U.S. troops from Germany could undermine NATO cohesion and diminish U.S. influence in Europe and Asia.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
Trump’s troop drawdown in Germany is a warning shot
The withdrawal of U.S. forces from Germany sparks strategic questions for Europe and Asia.
The war in Iran is fueling currency crises in energy-importing countries, underscoring the need to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles and renewable energy to shield economies from fossil-fuel shocks.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
The energy crisis is becoming a currency crisis
The biggest losers include the Egyptian pound, the Philippine peso, the South Korean won and the Thai baht.
Cargo ships in the Persian Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, near the border with Oman’s Musandam governance, amid the U.S.-Israeli conflict with Iran, in United Arab Emirates, on March 11
BUSINESS / Economy
May 18, 2026
Iran war saddles global companies with $25 billion bill — and counting
Businesses are grappling with soaring energy prices, fractured supply chains and trade routes severed by Iran’s chokehold on the Strait of Hormuz.
A farm in Ruleville, Mississippi, on March 31. While the fresh disclosure of China agreeing to purchase agricultural products from the U.S. will likely be welcomed by farmers, the amount may not be large enough to satisfy growers looking to turn around tough economic conditions.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
U.S. says China agrees to spend billions on agricultural goods
Previous efforts by U.S. President Donald Trump to get China to purchase more U.S. goods have fallen short, raising questions about whether the latest pledges will be fulfilled.
The U.S.-China rivalry is increasingly centered on semiconductor and rare-earth chokepoints as Japan tries to revive its chip industry and secure a strategically vital role in global supply chains.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 18, 2026
Semiconductor chokepoints define U.S.-China rivalry
Two chokepoints now stand out: advanced semiconductors for China and rare-earth minerals for the United States.
A truck transports a Maersk container at APM Terminals at the Port of Los Angeles on March 4.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
G7 finance chiefs seek to tackle imbalances as trade strains unity
The two-day meeting follows a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing that yielded few concrete economic breakthroughs.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Belarusian counterpart, Alexander Lukashenko, attend the Victory Day military parade in Moscow on May 9, the day Russia celebrates the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in WWII.
COMMENTARY / World
May 18, 2026
How Moscow lost friends and global influence
With even Russia’s closest friends hedging their bets, the Kremlin’s ability to project power and shape world affairs has been severely weakened.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent during their meeting at the Presidential Blue House in Seoul on May 13.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Trump briefs South Korea’s Lee after summit in Beijing
Trump made a rare state visit to China last week, where the two sides discussed trade, the Korean Peninsula and tensions in the Middle East.
Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez speaks during a news conference in Havana in October 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
Cuba says U.S. fabricating pretext for conflict after report on drone purchase
The report, which cited classified intelligence, came days after CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials during a rare high-level visit to the island.
Unlike his predecessors, U.S. President Donald Trump didn’t divest or move his assets into a blind trust with an independent overseer.
BUSINESS / Markets
May 18, 2026
Trump’s more than 3,700 trades astonish Wall Street insiders
In the first quarter, the U.S. president bought at least $1 million each in companies including Nvidia, Oracle, Microsoft, Boeing and Costco Wholesale.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te speaks at an event to mark the 40th anniversary of the founding of the Democratic Progressive Party in Taipei on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 18, 2026
Lai says Taiwan won’t be sacrificed as Trump weighs arms deal
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te rejected characterizations that Taiwan seeks independence, and repeated his position that the island is already a sovereign democratic state.
A ship remains anchored in the Strait of Hormuz near Larak Island, Iran, on Saturday.
WORLD / Politics
May 18, 2026
U.S. and Iran far from Hormuz deal as Trump says clock is ticking
Iranian threats on shipping in the Persian Gulf have brought the region’s energy exports to a near-standstill, giving Tehran significant leverage in talks with the U.S.
The United Arab Emirates' Barakah Nuclear Power Plant near Abu Dhabi
WORLD
May 17, 2026
Drone strike starts fire outside UAE nuclear plant
The statement did not say from where the drone was launched, but the UAE has recently accused Iran of being behind attacks on its energy and economic infrastructure.
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks to the press aboard Air Force One en route to the U.S.  following his official visit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, on Friday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 17, 2026
Trump says ‘nothing’s changed’ on Taiwan. But his words belie a big shift.
The U.S. president has warned Taipei on independence moves and called American arms deals a “negotiating chip” in talks with China.
A stagnating labor force driven by aging and reduced immigration is emerging as a bigger long-term threat to U.S. economic growth than short-term labor market conditions.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
America’s demographic stagnation will make it poorer
The U.S. labor force is not expanding at all, with the adult population growing at an annualized rate of just 0.4% in the first quarter.
Leaders and other officials of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations pose for a group photo during the opening ceremony of the 48th ASEAN summit in Cebu, Philippines, on May 8.
COMMENTARY / World
May 17, 2026
Why ASEAN chose silence amid the growing Gulf crisis
In Cebu, much of the summit’s energy went into drafting a statement broad enough to avoid offending any member state.

Longform

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