https://www.scmp.com/rss/322262/feed The latest news, politics and current affairs from the United States & Canada. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US federal prosecutors said on Sunday an Iranian national was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for allegedly trafficking arms to Sudan on behalf of Tehran. Shamim Mafi, 44, is charged with “brokering the sale of drones, bombs, bomb fuses and millions of rounds of ammunition manufactured by Iran and sold to Sudan”, US Attorney Bill Essayli wrote in a social media post. A resident of the Los Angeles suburb of Woodland Hills, Mafi “is an Iranian national who became a lawful permanent... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350660/woman-charged-us-trafficking-arms-sudan-iranian-government?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350660/woman-charged-us-trafficking-arms-sudan-iranian-government?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 22:38:32 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said in a video address released on Sunday that Canada’s strong economic ties to the United States were once a strength but are now a weakness that must be corrected. In the 10-minute address, Carney spoke about his government’s efforts to strengthen the Canadian economy by attracting new investments and signing trade deals with other countries. “The world is more dangerous and divided,” Carney said. “The US has fundamentally changed its approach to trade,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350656/canadas-carney-says-economic-ties-us-are-weakness-must-be-corrected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350656/canadas-carney-says-economic-ties-us-are-weakness-must-be-corrected?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 18:55:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A man shot dead eight children – seven of them his own – early Sunday in the southern US state of Louisiana in an incident of domestic violence that spanned three locations, police said. The early morning massacre at a grey house in the city of Shreveport was the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in more than two years, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive. Two women were shot and seriously injured, including the mother of some of the slain children. Three boys and five... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350653/8-children-killed-after-shootings-louisiana-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350653/8-children-killed-after-shootings-louisiana-police-say?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 16:50:54 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press About 1,000 animal welfare activists who tried to gain entry on Saturday to a beagle breeding and research facility in Wisconsin were turned back by police who fired rubber bullets and pepper spray into the crowd and arrested the group’s leader. It was the second attempt in as many months by protesters to take beagles from the Ridglan Farms facility in Blue Mounds, a small town about 25 miles (about 40 kilometres) southwest of Wisconsin’s capital, Madison. Dane County Sheriff Kalvin Barrett said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350649/us-animal-rights-activists-clash-police-over-wisconsin-dog-breeder?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350649/us-animal-rights-activists-clash-police-over-wisconsin-dog-breeder?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:44:49 +0000 Nikola Mikovic Nikola Mikovic Since America launched its “major combat operation” against Iran, several Nato allies have distanced themselves from Washington. Now America also risks losing ground in strategically important Southeast Asia to China. Could it face an erosion of influence similar to that suffered by Russia in Central Asia as a result of its “special military operation” in Ukraine? Soon after US President Donald Trump launched massive air and missile strikes on Iran on February 28, it became clear Washington... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350148/can-iran-fiasco-help-china-edge-out-us-key-arena-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350148/can-iran-fiasco-help-china-edge-out-us-key-arena-southeast-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Three people in California have been sentenced for insurance fraud in a bizarre scam that involved someone dressed in a bear costume damaging luxury cars. The California Insurance Department said the three used a person in a bear suit to stage fake attacks inside a Rolls-Royce and two Mercedes in 2024, then submitted fraudulent claims seeking nearly US$142,000 in payouts from insurance companies. The department called it “Operation Bear Claw”. Two Los Angeles-area men and a woman pleaded no... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350605/how-bear-costume-cost-these-luxury-car-insurance-scamsters-their-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350605/how-bear-costume-cost-these-luxury-car-insurance-scamsters-their-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 04:35:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo sought ⁠to downplay his feud ⁠with US President Donald Trump on Saturday, ⁠saying reporting about comments he has made so far during his Africa tour “has not been accurate in all its aspects”. Speaking to reporters in English aboard his flight to Angola for the third leg of his ambitious 10-day Africa tour, the first US pope said comments ‌he made two days earlier in Cameroon decrying that the world was being “ravaged by a handful of tyrants” were not aimed at Trump. That speech, said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350604/pope-leo-seeks-defuse-tensions-trump-says-not-trying-debate-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350604/pope-leo-seeks-defuse-tensions-trump-says-not-trying-debate-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 03:32:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former US president Barack Obama met New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani for the first time on Saturday at a child care centre where they read to preschoolers and led a singalong. The meeting comes as Mamdani, a democratic socialist who marked his 100th day in office just over a week ago, is also trying to build a working relationship with Republican US President Donald Trump. Obama and Mamdani did not take questions after reading the book Alone and Together to the children and leading a singalong of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350602/obama-meets-new-york-mayor-zohran-mamdani-reading-preschoolers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350602/obama-meets-new-york-mayor-zohran-mamdani-reading-preschoolers?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 23:16:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters A Canadian man accused of helping 14 ⁠people in the province ⁠of Ontario kill themselves by selling a ⁠legal but deadly substance online will avoid a murder trial by pleading guilty to lesser charges, his lawyer said on Saturday. Kenneth Law, 60, will plead guilty to counselling or aiding suicide under a deal with Crown prosecutors that will see more serious ‌first-degree murder charges withdrawn, Matthew Gourlay of Henein Hutchison Robitaille said in an email. Law’s case is scheduled to return... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350600/canadian-man-kenneth-law-plead-guilty-suicide-kit-case-avoid-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350600/canadian-man-kenneth-law-plead-guilty-suicide-kit-case-avoid-murder-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 18:22:52 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump on Saturday directed his administration to speed up reviews of certain psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine, which recently has been embraced by combat veterans and conservative lawmakers despite having serious safety risks. Ibogaine is banned under the federal government’s most restrictive category for illegal, high-risk drugs. But the administration is taking steps to ease access to psychedelics that Trump said were already designated as potential breakthroughs by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350593/trump-signs-order-speed-review-psychedelics-including-controversial-drug-ibogaine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350593/trump-signs-order-speed-review-psychedelics-including-controversial-drug-ibogaine?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 14:41:05 +0000 Fox Yi Hu Fox Yi Hu In Canada, fans and foes of Chinese electric vehicles are holding their breath for brands like BYD to hit the market. Whether they love them or not, they share the hope that Chinese carmakers will help to bring all EV prices down, as affordability becomes a growing concern for consumers. Companies including BYD, Geely, Nio and Xpeng are preparing to roll out sales locations in Canada, seizing the opportunity of warmer ties between the two countries. Ottawa struck a milestone trade deal with... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350483/china-trade-deal-has-canadians-looking-forward-cheaper-electric-vehicles?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350483/china-trade-deal-has-canadians-looking-forward-cheaper-electric-vehicles?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:00:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters A US appeals court allowed President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration on ⁠Friday night to continue construction ⁠of a US$400 million ballroom on the site of the White House’s demolished East Wing, setting a June hearing to review a Washington judge’s order halting the project. An order by a three-judge ‌panel of the US Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit put the lower court’s preliminary injunction on hold for now, giving the panel time to consider the US Justice Department’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350557/us-court-lets-trump-resume-work-us400-million-white-house-ballroom-now?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350557/us-court-lets-trump-resume-work-us400-million-white-house-ballroom-now?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 04:47:34 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Their backgrounds stand out. And not in a good way. Two bankruptcies and six law enforcement jobs in three years. An allegation of lying in a police report to justify a felony charge against an innocent woman – an incident that led to a US$75,000 settlement and criticism of his integrity. A third job candidate once failed to graduate from a police academy, then lasted only three weeks in his only job as a police officer. Their common bond: all were hired recently by US Immigration and Customs... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350552/red-flag-recruits-how-record-us75-billion-ice-expansion-led-questionable-hiring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350552/red-flag-recruits-how-record-us75-billion-ice-expansion-led-questionable-hiring?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 02:48:13 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Two US Army soldiers have been injured after encountering a brown bear in a mountainous training area in Anchorage, according to the military. The incident happened on Thursday as the soldiers were taking part in a “land navigation training event” in Arctic Valley, part of the Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s training area. The soldiers were receiving medical care as of Friday, a military official told the Anchorage Daily News. Queries sent to base were not immediately returned on Friday. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350547/2-us-soldiers-injured-brown-bear-attack-during-training-exercise-alaska?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350547/2-us-soldiers-injured-brown-bear-attack-during-training-exercise-alaska?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Apr 2026 00:32:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration and Anthropic’s CEO on Friday discussed working together for the first time since a dispute earlier this year between the Pentagon and the artificial intelligence firm over how that company’s models should be used. The meeting between CEO Dario Amodei and White House staff, which took place amid growing ‌fears the AI start-up’s latest model will supercharge cyberattacks, suggests the two sides might be on a path to rebuilding trust. The Trump administration, central... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350546/white-house-and-anthropic-ceo-discuss-working-together-amid-mythos-ai-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350546/white-house-and-anthropic-ceo-discuss-working-together-amid-mythos-ai-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:17:51 +0000 Reuters Reuters Congress passed a short extension to a high-profile surveillance law on Friday after failing to secure the long-term reauthorisation pushed by US President Donald Trump. The brief pause comes after a late-night attempt to reauthorise the law for ‌five years failed in the House. It sets up another round of wrangling over whether and how to reform what is known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which allows the National Security Agency to surveil foreigners using data... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350544/us-congress-extends-controversial-surveillance-law-10-days?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 18:27:55 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Asian refiners have grown increasingly reliant on US crude as oil-starved fuel makers scour the globe to replace Middle Eastern supply and stave off shortages that could ripple through the broader economy. Buyers in Japan led the charge to purchase May-loading cargoes from the US early in the month, with South Korean, Singaporean and Thai processors also among customers, said traders familiar with the matter. At least 60 million barrels of grades from the US Gulf were bought for loading next... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350394/us-oil-floats-top-asia-looks-middle-eastern-alternatives-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3350394/us-oil-floats-top-asia-looks-middle-eastern-alternatives-amid-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Apr 2026 03:17:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Pope Leo blasted leaders who spend billions on wars and said the world was “being ravaged by a handful of tyrants”, in unusually forceful remarks in Cameroon on Thursday after US President Donald Trump attacked him again on social media. Leo, the first US pope, also decried leaders who used religious language to justify wars and urged a “decisive change of course” in a meeting in the biggest city ‌in Cameroon’s anglophone regions, where a simmering conflict going back nearly a decade has left... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350355/cameroon-pope-leo-assails-tyrants-ravaging-world-amid-trump-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3350355/cameroon-pope-leo-assails-tyrants-ravaging-world-amid-trump-row?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:50:09 +0000 Neeta Lal Neeta Lal The quiet conclusion of US and Iranian backchannel engagements in Islamabad left more than diplomatic ambiguity. It crystallised a striking image: a financially strained, politically volatile Pakistan briefly positioning itself as a facilitator in one of the world’s most combustible rivalries. Substantive or symbolic, the episode underscores a deeper churn in West Asian geopolitics – one in which agility trumps credibility. Pakistan’s role was not incidental. Islamabad offered itself as a... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3350023/why-india-rankled-pakistan-playing-mediator-us-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Reuters Reuters Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva delivered a blunt critique of US President Donald Trump in an interview with Spanish newspaper El Pais published on Thursday, saying world leaders should seek respect rather than ‌rule by fear. “Trump has no right to wake up in the morning and threaten a country,” Lula told El Pais, referring to the president’s public threat on April 7 to wipe out Iranian civilisation as part of the US-Israeli war on Iran. “He wasn’t elected for that, and his... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350342/brazils-lula-blasts-trumps-fear-based-rule-calls-great-maturity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3350342/brazils-lula-blasts-trumps-fear-based-rule-calls-great-maturity?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 10:38:32 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A US jury on Wednesday found that entertainment giant Live Nation wielded monopoly power at its Ticketmaster business, violating federal and state antitrust laws, according to California’s attorney general. A verdict that could have profound repercussions in the concert world came after four days of deliberations, and remedies could include breaking up Live Nation and Ticketmaster. The jury found Live Nation and Ticketmaster liable for anticompetitive conduct that harmed the music industry and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350231/ticketmaster-owner-live-nation-ran-illegal-monopoly-us-jury-finds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350231/ticketmaster-owner-live-nation-ran-illegal-monopoly-us-jury-finds?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 22:52:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Newly released video shows a high school principal in Oklahoma tackling and disarming a former student who entered the lobby of the school and began firing a pistol. Pauls Valley High School Principal Kirk Moore was shot in the leg during the April 7 attack but managed to wrestle the suspect onto a bench, disarm him and remain on top of him until law enforcement officers arrived, according to court records. The video, released by the school district in response to an Open Records Act request,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350226/us-high-school-principal-tackles-and-disarms-gunman-students-flee-dramatic-video-shows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350226/us-high-school-principal-tackles-and-disarms-gunman-students-flee-dramatic-video-shows?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 18:21:31 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump posted an image of Jesus embracing him on Wednesday, as a war of words between his administration and the pope showed little sign of abating. The image, reposted to Trump’s Truth Social account, shows Trump with his eyes closed, touching temple-to-temple with a similarly posed Jesus. Trump is standing behind a microphone, and behind him is an American flag. The original post ‌had a caption that included the words: “God might be playing his Trump card!” Trump’s repost... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350224/trump-posts-image-jesus-hugging-him-amid-row-pope-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350224/trump-posts-image-jesus-hugging-him-amid-row-pope-over-iran-war?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 16:44:40 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump has said he will fire Jerome Powell if the Federal Reserve chair does not step down “in time”, adding that he will not drop the Justice Department investigation into the central bank leader. “I’ll have to fire him, OK, if he’s not leaving on time. I’ve held back firing him. I’ve wanted to fire him, but I hate to be controversial,” Trump said in an interview with Fox Business. “I want to be uncontroversial. But he will be fired,” he said in the interview taped on... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350211/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-powell-if-he-doesnt-step-down-time?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350211/trump-threatens-fire-fed-chair-powell-if-he-doesnt-step-down-time?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 13:45:08 +0000 James David Spellman James David Spellman The fraying of the ceasefire in the US-Israel war against Iran reflects grim patterns of history. Truces are often doomed because they focus on stopping battle-related violence and rarely begin to address the underlying struggles that ignited hostilities. A pause without a shared common endgame often resets the battlefield as reasons harden for prolonging warfare. Viable political solutions seldom follow and take hold for peace to endure. Over the past decade, we’ve seen the perils. The Minsk... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349904/given-history-ceasefires-its-no-surprise-us-iran-truce-fraying?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow A leaked plan to grant the US military sweeping overflight access to Indonesia’s airspace has triggered a domestic backlash over concerns that Jakarta is “colluding with the aggressor” amid Washington’s war on Iran. Analysts say the defence document, first reported by New Delhi-based newspaper the Sunday Guardian, raises concerns that President Prabowo Subianto may be trading away Indonesia’s strategic independence. The proposal, which reportedly emerged following a meeting in February between... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350143/indonesia-leaked-plan-us-military-overflights-triggers-sovereignty-row?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3350143/indonesia-leaked-plan-us-military-overflights-triggers-sovereignty-row?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 07:11:03 +0000 Reuters Reuters Britain’s King Charles will have tea and a private meeting with ⁠President Donald Trump during his US state visit later this month, as the UK government hopes his “soft power” can heal a damaging rift between the allies caused by the Iran war. The monarch and his wife Queen Camilla head across the Atlantic on April 27, a four-day trip ostensibly to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence from Britain but one that now has far greater significance amid a growing spat between Trump and ‌Prime... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350114/britains-king-charles-charm-trump-state-visit-overshadowed-us-uk-rift?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 03:27:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US military said on Tuesday that four people had been killed in a strike on another alleged drug-trafficking boat, the fourth such deadly attack in as many days. US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) said in a post on X that the strike – just as the previous three – occurred in the eastern Pacific Ocean. It posted aerial video on social media showing a vessel bobbing in the water before being struck by a projectile and exploding. The four new fatalities raise the total death toll of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350107/us-military-says-4-killed-fourth-drug-boat-strike-week?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 15 Apr 2026 02:13:44 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The retrial of disgraced film mogul Harvey Weinstein on a rape charge on which a jury was previously deadlocked started on Tuesday, although he will remain imprisoned for other offences regardless of the verdict. Weinstein is accused of the third-degree rape of Jessica Mann, who starred in the 2015 romantic comedy This Isn’t Funny. The judge declared a mistrial last June after the jury foreman refused to return to deliberate the case amid a jury-room feud. Weinstein is being retried on that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350100/harvey-weinstein-rape-retrial-begins-new-york?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350100/harvey-weinstein-rape-retrial-begins-new-york?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 20:34:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s son Eric Trump and his wife, Lara, will accompany the president on his trip next month to China, a spokeswoman for the family organisation said on Tuesday. Two sources earlier said members of Trump’s family, including Eric, were ‌considering joining Trump on his highly anticipated May 14-15 visit, potentially to contribute to US-China business relations. The spokeswoman said that Eric, who manages his father’s business empire, would go in a personal capacity. “Eric... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3350096/trumps-son-eric-join-fathers-state-visit-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 17:47:28 +0000 Asad Ullah Asad Ullah The conventional indictment runs like this: blinded by ideology and captured by special interests, the US and Israel have blundered into a region they never understood, sowing instability they neither anticipated nor desired. It is a damning argument. It also happens to be, in one important respect, too generous. The more unsettling possibility, supported by two decades of observable behaviour, is that these policies produce not disorder as a side effect but something far more useful: a conflict... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3349970/who-profits-most-us-israel-iran-stalemate?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse J.D. Vance had two jobs last week: get an Iran deal and keep Hungary’s Viktor Orban in power. Neither happened for the US vice-president. The 41-year-old Vance looked exhausted as he left Pakistan on Sunday after 21 hours that failed to produce an agreement with Tehran to end a war he had never wanted to begin with. At a terse press conference in Islamabad, Vance delivered the “bad news” and took just three questions before getting on a plane for the long flight back home. But just before... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349979/double-defeat-vance-failed-iran-talks-and-orbans-exit-bruise-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349979/double-defeat-vance-failed-iran-talks-and-orbans-exit-bruise-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:33:17 +0000 Reuters,Associated Press Reuters,Associated Press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney returns to Parliament on Tuesday with more power after he secured a majority government by sweeping three special elections. Carney’s Liberals now have 174 of the 343 seats in the House of Commons and won’t need support from opposition parties to pass legislation after winning three districts that became vacant after last year’s election. It would also likely mean Carney, who took office with no political experience and has earned global praise for his efforts... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349976/canadas-carney-secures-majority-government-special-election-wins?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349976/canadas-carney-secures-majority-government-special-election-wins?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 03:03:43 +0000 Tribune News Service Tribune News Service US President Donald Trump on Monday defended his now deleted social media post that appeared to depict himself as Jesus Christ, contending that it was meant to portray him as “a doctor” after right-wing figures continued a recent trend of pushing back on the president’s recent comments. “Well, it wasn’t a depiction. It was me, I did post it. And I thought it was me as a doctor, and had to do with Red Cross,” Trump said during an impromptu event at the White House. “There was a Red Cross worker... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349972/trump-claims-jesus-meme-caused-outcry-was-him-doctor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349972/trump-claims-jesus-meme-caused-outcry-was-him-doctor?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Apr 2026 02:36:41 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A Minnesota county is investigating the arrest of a Hmong-American man by federal officers that was captured on video as a potential case of kidnapping, burglary and false imprisonment, officials said on Monday. Ramsey County Attorney John Choi and Sheriff Bob Fletcher said at a news conference they are pursuing information from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) that they need for their investigation into the arrest of ChongLy “Scott” Thao, 56, on January 18. Ramsey County includes the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349967/minnesota-investigates-ice-arrest-hmong-american-man-possible-kidnapping?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:57:32 +0000 Reuters Reuters US congressman Eric Swalwell said on Monday he will resign from the House of Representatives, bowing to pressure from both Democrats and Republicans to leave Congress or face expulsion following sexual misconduct allegations that upended his campaign for governor. The California Democrat vowed to fight the allegations but said ‌he must also “take responsibility and ownership” of his mistakes. “Expelling anyone in Congress without due process, within days of an allegation being made, is wrong,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349966/swalwell-quit-congress-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349966/swalwell-quit-congress-following-sexual-misconduct-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 23:03:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Dozens of protesters were detained by ⁠police in New ⁠York City on Monday during demonstrations ⁠calling for the blocking of arms sales to Israel and an end to US military support for its ally. Demonstrators included anti-war group Jewish Voice for Peace, which said around 90 people were detained. ‌Among those detained was whistle-blower Chelsea Manning, a former US Army soldier and WikiLeaks source. The New York City Police Department said there were “multiple” arrests but did not provide a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349963/dozens-arrested-new-york-protesters-demand-us-blocks-sale-bombs-israel?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349963/dozens-arrested-new-york-protesters-demand-us-blocks-sale-bombs-israel?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:57:42 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former ⁠Brazilian intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem ⁠has been detained by ICE in the ⁠United States, the agency reported on its website on Monday, after he fled Brazil in September following his conviction for plotting a coup with ex-president Jair Bolsonaro. Ramagem, a former Federal Police inspector, was sentenced to over 16 years in prison for his role ‌in a plot to overturn leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s 2022 election victory over Bolsonaro. Ramagem’s lawyers did not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349961/brazils-fugitive-ex-spy-chief-detained-ice-us?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349961/brazils-fugitive-ex-spy-chief-detained-ice-us?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 21:05:11 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A federal judge dismissed US President Donald Trump’s US$10 billion defamation lawsuit against the Wall Street Journal and Rupert Murdoch on Monday over a story on his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. US District Judge Darrin P. Gayles in Florida wrote in the order that Trump had failed to make the argument that the article was published with the intent to be malicious, but gave the president a chance to file an amended complaint. In a social media post several hours after the ruling, Trump said the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349958/judge-dismisses-trumps-us10-billion-wall-street-journal-lawsuit-over-epstein-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349958/judge-dismisses-trumps-us10-billion-wall-street-journal-lawsuit-over-epstein-report?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 18:35:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US pop superstar Britney Spears has checked herself into rehab following her arrest last month on suspicion of driving while intoxicated near Los Angeles, US media reported on Sunday. The 44-year-old singer was arrested in early March and booked into custody by the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department on suspicion of DUI (driving under the influence). She was released soon after, and a representative for Spears at the time described the incident as “completely inexcusable” and said Spears would... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349951/us-singer-britney-spears-checks-rehab-following-arrest-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349951/us-singer-britney-spears-checks-rehab-following-arrest-media?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 15:11:51 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is on the verge of securing a majority government as special elections are held in three districts on Monday. Votes are being cast in the Toronto-area districts of Scarborough Southwest and University-Rosedale, which are considered safe seats for Carney’s Liberals, and in the Montreal-area district of Terrebonne, which is considered a toss-up. Winning just one of them would give Carney a majority. The Liberals now have 171 members of Parliament in the House of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349948/canadian-pm-carney-verge-majority-government-amid-special-elections?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349948/canadian-pm-carney-verge-majority-government-amid-special-elections?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 14:24:18 +0000 Reuters Reuters US congressman Eric Swalwell ⁠on Sunday said he was suspending his campaign for governor of California, as he faces calls from fellow Democratic lawmakers and dozens of his former staffers to leave Congress following accusations of sexual assault. “To my family, staff, friends, and supporters, I am deeply sorry for mistakes in judgment I’ve made in my past,” Swalwell wrote in a post on X, without elaborating. “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made - but that’s my fight,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349840/swalwell-suspends-california-governor-bid-amid-sexual-assault-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349840/swalwell-suspends-california-governor-bid-amid-sexual-assault-allegations?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 03:49:31 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US President Donald Trump delivered an extraordinary broadside against Pope Leo on Sunday night, saying he did not think the US-born global leader of the 1.4-billion-member Catholic Church was “doing a very good job” and that “he’s a very liberal person”, while also suggesting the pontiff should “stop catering to the Radical Left”. Flying back to Washington from Florida, Trump used a lengthy social media post to sharply criticise Leo, then kept it up after disembarking, in comments on the tarmac... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349830/trump-attacks-pope-leo-calling-him-weak-crime-and-terrible-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349830/trump-attacks-pope-leo-calling-him-weak-crime-and-terrible-foreign-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Apr 2026 02:02:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said the United States has no valid reason to carry out a military attack against the island or to attempt to depose him. Speaking in an interview on NBC News’ Meet the Press programme, the president said an invasion of Cuba would be costly and affect regional security. But should it happen, Diaz-Canel said, Cubans would defend themselves. “If the time comes, I don’t think there would be any justification for the United States to launch a military aggression... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349817/cubas-president-warns-us-against-attacking-island-or-trying-depose-him?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3349817/cubas-president-warns-us-against-attacking-island-or-trying-depose-him?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 16:47:00 +0000 dpa dpa US President Donald Trump announced on Sunday that there would be an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) fight in the White House grounds to mark his 80th birthday on June 14. Trump, a UFC fan, made the announcement on social media. This year marks the 250th anniversary of US independence and the initial plans were for the fight to take place on July 4, US Independence Day. On Saturday, Trump was attending a UFC fight in Miami with several family members and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, when... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349785/trumps-80th-birthday-bash-feature-ufc-fight-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349785/trumps-80th-birthday-bash-feature-ufc-fight-white-house?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 07:37:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In his strongest words yet, Pope Leo on Saturday denounced the “delusion of omnipotence” that is fuelling the US-Israel war on Iran and demanded political leaders stop and negotiate peace. Leo presided over an evening prayer service in St Peter’s Basilica on the same day the US and Iran began face-to-face negotiations in Pakistan and as a fragile ceasefire held. History’s first US-born pope did not mention the United States or President Donald Trump in his prayer, which was planned before the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349769/pope-leo-slams-delusion-omnipotence-stoking-us-israeli-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3349769/pope-leo-slams-delusion-omnipotence-stoking-us-israeli-war-iran?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Apr 2026 03:25:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Still marvelling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from hundreds who took part in Nasa’s lunar comeback that set a record for deep space travel. The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near Nasa’s Johnson Space Centre and Mission Control, flying in from San Diego where they splashed down just offshore the evening before. After a quick reunion with their spouses and children, the astronauts took the hangar stage, surrounded by... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349765/over-moon-artemis-ii-astronauts-make-emotional-homecoming-after-record-trip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349765/over-moon-artemis-ii-astronauts-make-emotional-homecoming-after-record-trip?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 22:20:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Manhattan ⁠district attorney’s office confirmed ⁠on Saturday that it ⁠is investigating sexual assault allegations against US congressman Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat and a leading candidate for governor of the state. The San Francisco Chronicle on Friday reported ‌that a woman who previously worked in Swalwell’s district office accused him of two nonconsensual sexual encounters, one while she was employed by him in 2019 and another in 2024 after she had left his staff. She told CNN... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349764/sex-assault-claims-against-california-governor-hopeful-eric-swalwell-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349764/sex-assault-claims-against-california-governor-hopeful-eric-swalwell-under-investigation?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 21:06:34 +0000 Reuters Reuters ⁠Police in the United States ⁠have arrested a man for allegedly ⁠throwing a Molotov cocktail at OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s home and for making threats outside the artificial intelligence start-up’s headquarters. In a social media post, the San Francisco Police ‌Department said an unknown man threw an incendiary device at a North Beach residence at 4.12am on Friday and then escaped on foot. The 20-year-old suspect was detained about an hour later after police received a call about a man threatening... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349719/molotov-attack-openai-ceo-sam-altmans-home-leads-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349719/molotov-attack-openai-ceo-sam-altmans-home-leads-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 00:34:57 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Artemis II capsule and its four-member crew streaked through Earth’s ⁠atmosphere and safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean on Friday after nearly 10 days in space, capping the first voyage by humans to the vicinity of the moon in over half a century. Nasa’s gumdrop-shaped Orion capsule, dubbed Integrity, parachuted gently into the sea off the Southern California coast shortly after 5pm, concluding a mission that took the astronauts deeper into space than anyone had flown before. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349718/watch-artemis-ii-astronauts-hurtle-home-moon-towards-splashdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3349718/watch-artemis-ii-astronauts-hurtle-home-moon-towards-splashdown?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Apr 2026 23:09:41 +0000