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 Reuters Reuters A top White House artificial intelligence policy adviser on Saturday said he will leave his position at the end of June, marking the exit of a leading ‌figure helping craft policies for frontier technologies. “This journey has been the privilege of a lifetime,” the adviser, Sriram Krishnan, posted on social media. Krishnan did not give a reason for leaving, but wrote in the post he intends to help “tackle some of the large challenges facing America” related to AI. Krishnan has been involved in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356228/trump-ai-policy-adviser-sriram-krishnan-leave-position?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356228/trump-ai-policy-adviser-sriram-krishnan-leave-position?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 19:44:25 +0000 Anthony Rowley Anthony Rowley What is in effect Japan’s version of the Belt and Road Initiative is being rolled out at an accelerating pace. But unlike China’s global infrastructure initiative, which mainly takes the form of highways, railways and sea lanes, Japan’s project is all about energy networks and supply chains. It poses a further challenge to America’s waning economic and strategic influence in Asia, the world’s most populous, resource-rich and potentially powerful region. What is more, it is a cooperative venture... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355995/problem-japans-bid-strengthen-energy-security-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355995/problem-japans-bid-strengthen-energy-security-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse In front of L’industrie Pizzeria, as at many other New York restaurants and shops, customers queue up behind barriers – in this case, all to grab a prized pizza slice. Not everyone in America’s biggest city finds standing in line to be a chore. The power of social media trends means that for some, waiting for hours is an attraction in itself. “It’s gotten pretty crazy in the city recently,” said food influencer Ali Chilton, who has 168,000 followers on Instagram. “Some would blame me for the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356190/inside-crazy-new-york-queues-where-people-wait-hours-insta-cred?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356190/inside-crazy-new-york-queues-where-people-wait-hours-insta-cred?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 04:31:02 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man was charged with murder in the stabbing of Jumanji and Top Gun: Maverick actor James Handy, who was in a relationship with the suspect’s mother. Michael Gledhill, 44, was charged on Friday after police say officers found the 81-year-old Handy stabbed in the chest and lying unconscious outside a home in Los Angeles on Wednesday. Handy was taken to the hospital and later pronounced dead. Gledhill did not appear at an arraignment on Friday afternoon in Los Angeles Superior Court and no plea... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356184/son-james-handys-girlfriend-charged-murder-top-gun-actor?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356184/son-james-handys-girlfriend-charged-murder-top-gun-actor?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:52:15 +0000 Zhou Bo Zhou Bo Listening to US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth at the recently concluded Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, I thought of the iconic Sichuan opera act of face-changing, where performers switch masks in an instant. Last year, Hegseth’s speech at the event was filled with blatant attacks on China. This year, he put on a completely different face, declaring that: “Under President Trump’s leadership, relations between the United States and China are better than they’ve been in many years.” Why this... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355862/does-pete-hegseths-volte-face-china-reflect-america-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 01:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US President Donald Trump said Friday he wants his incoming acting spy chief to start firing employees, deepening the controversy over the appointment of a man with no previous intelligence experience. Bill Pulte, a Trump loyalist who heads the Federal Housing Finance Agency, was named by the Republican president on Tuesday as acting Director of National Intelligence. “If he cut, I wouldn’t mind that,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, adding that the number of employees in Pulte’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356178/trump-urges-new-spy-chief-pulte-gut-us-intelligence-community?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356178/trump-urges-new-spy-chief-pulte-gut-us-intelligence-community?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 19:25:47 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Donald ⁠Trump’s administration unlawfully barred applicants from ⁠39 travel-ban countries from receiving decisions on asylum, work permits, green cards and citizenship, a US federal judge ruled on Friday. Chief US District Judge John McConnell in Providence, Rhode Island, ruled that the US Citizenship and ‌Immigration Services had adopted a series of unlawful policies targeting people from 39 African, Asian, Latin American and Middle Eastern countries. His ruling came in a lawsuit... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356175/us-judge-strikes-down-trump-policies-targeting-immigrants-39-countries?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356175/us-judge-strikes-down-trump-policies-targeting-immigrants-39-countries?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:28:59 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Actor Anthony Head, best known for his roles in Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Ted Lasso, has died at the age of 72, his family announced on Friday. The British actor, the brother of singer Murray Head, was best known as librarian Rupert Giles in the cult US supernatural television series starring Sarah Michelle Gellar, which ran from 1997 to 2003. “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the death of our extraordinary father, Anthony Head,” his daughters Emily and Daisy Head, said in a statement... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356174/buffy-vampire-slayer-ted-lasso-actor-anthony-head-dies-aged-72?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356174/buffy-vampire-slayer-ted-lasso-actor-anthony-head-dies-aged-72?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 17:14:55 +0000 Reuters Reuters A worsening air leak aboard the International Space Station prompted five astronauts to take shelter and prepare for evacuation for roughly two hours on Friday as Russia attempted to ‌fix a crack on its portion of the orbital laboratory, Nasa said. The four astronauts of Nasa’s Crew-12 mission aboard the station – two Americans, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut – along with another US astronaut were ordered by Nasa mission control at 9.04am on Friday to enter their SpaceX-built Crew... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356173/astronauts-take-shelter-air-leaks-worsen-international-space-station?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356173/astronauts-take-shelter-air-leaks-worsen-international-space-station?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 16:57:45 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse US employment growth surged in May, beating market expectations, while the unemployment rate remained steady, government data showed on Friday, with the labour market in the world’s largest economy sustaining recent gains. “Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 172,000 in May, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 4.3 per cent,” the US Bureau of Labor Statistics said. Economists polled by Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal had expected job growth of 80,000... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356158/us-adds-172000-jobs-may-strongly-beating-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356158/us-adds-172000-jobs-may-strongly-beating-expectations?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 13:09:36 +0000 Alex Lo Alex Lo China-Canada relations are undergoing a thaw after years of estrangement and recrimination. China and India are seeking a rapprochement despite deep-seated distrust and sometimes violent border disputes. Both cases share a common element: Donald Trump. Meanwhile, following the US president’s visit to Beijing, his defence secretary Pete Hegseth avoided mentioning Taiwan at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He sounded almost conciliatory by hailing ties with Beijing as “better than they’ve... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3355960/trump-turning-allies-and-partners-friends-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3355960/trump-turning-allies-and-partners-friends-china?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 12:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Senate handed President Donald Trump ⁠a victory early on Friday morning, passing a bill that would provide the Department of Homeland Security with an additional US$70 billion for immigration enforcement and sending it to the House of Representatives for final consideration. The Senate voted 52-47 to approve the legislation, with no support from Democrats and no provision to ban a US$1.8 billion “anti-weaponisation” fund that could compensate Trump’s political allies for allegations that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356152/us-senate-passes-us70-billion-ice-funding-fails-ban-anti-weaponisation-fund?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356152/us-senate-passes-us70-billion-ice-funding-fails-ban-anti-weaponisation-fund?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 11:59:37 +0000 Reuters Reuters Following the ⁠first confirmation of screwworm, a flesh-eating parasite, on a US farm in decades, federal and state officials have fanned out in South Texas, where a calf was found infested this week. US Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins said on Thursday no other infestations of cattle or other animals have been detected around the confirmed case. The case in La Pryor, Texas, was a blow to US cattle ranchers who have been bracing for a domestic outbreak of New World screwworm as the fly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356029/quarantine-texas-us-races-contain-deadly-flesh-eating-parasite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356029/quarantine-texas-us-races-contain-deadly-flesh-eating-parasite?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Jun 2026 03:03:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President ⁠Donald Trump on Thursday indicated ⁠that he would not nominate mortgage regulator ⁠Bill Pulte to be the nation’s intelligence chief once his temporary appointment expires early next year. His comments follow a backlash against Pulte’s appointment as acting director of national intelligence from Democrats and some key senators of his Republican Party over the ‌Trump loyalist’s lack of national security experience. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office, Trump indicated he would... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356018/trump-says-he-wont-nominate-pulte-permanent-us-spy-chief-after-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356018/trump-says-he-wont-nominate-pulte-permanent-us-spy-chief-after-backlash?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:38:43 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse President Donald Trump on Thursday announced plans to add a potential “Trump promenade” to the iconic Lincoln Memorial, in his latest grandiose bid to leave his mark on the US capital. Trump said the walkway would link the huge marble monument, built to commemorate Civil War-era president Abraham Lincoln, to the nearby Potomac River. “They want to call it the Trump Promenade,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office as he unveiled the project for the first time. “I don’t know if I want to do... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356017/trump-unveils-plan-add-trump-promenade-lincoln-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356017/trump-unveils-plan-add-trump-promenade-lincoln-memorial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 22:23:35 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump’s eldest son warned against investing in China during an event for investors on Thursday in Zurich, even as his father’s administration has pushed forward on plans to improve commercial ties between the two countries. “I wouldn’t,” Donald Trump Jnr said when asked at the invitation-only event if he would invest in China. “I don’t think we can pretend they’re an ally. That would be, I think, foolish.” Trump Jnr, who shares the position of executive vice-president of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356015/trump-jnr-tells-investors-he-would-avoid-investing-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356015/trump-jnr-tells-investors-he-would-avoid-investing-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 21:47:48 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney launched his AI strategy on Thursday, warning that his country’s slow adoption of the frontier technology had created risks and that domestic capacity needed a boost to avoid it being “weaponised against us”. Reducing Canada’s reliance on the US is a central part of Carney’s agenda, and his AI strategy nodded to concern about the influence of US tech giants. “We are highly dependent on foreign suppliers for the infrastructure that powers AI,” he said. “That... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356011/canada-pm-unveils-ai-strategy-warns-foreign-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356011/canada-pm-unveils-ai-strategy-warns-foreign-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 18:38:50 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former Trump administration national security adviser John Bolton has agreed to plead guilty to a single count of retaining classified information under a deal with the US Justice Department that could allow him to avoid prison time, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The deal would resolve a criminal case filed in October that charged Bolton with 18 counts of either retaining or disseminating classified information, including diary-like notes from his time in government that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356008/trump-foe-john-bolton-plead-guilty-classified-information-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356008/trump-foe-john-bolton-plead-guilty-classified-information-case?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 16:51:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters President Donald Trump said he would ⁠move to ⁠nominate acting US Attorney ⁠General Todd Blanche on Thursday to permanently lead the Justice Department, which would make his former personal lawyer the nation’s top law enforcement officer. “He’s acting attorney general. Tomorrow. ‌I’m instructing Dan (Scavino) and everybody else that’s involved in that very complicated process – which is going to go, I think, very quickly – that we are going to make him permanent attorney general,” Trump said at... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355996/trump-nominate-todd-blanche-us-attorney-general?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355996/trump-nominate-todd-blanche-us-attorney-general?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 13:36:05 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The group leading the charge in the search for extraterrestrial life has given the all-clear: an interstellar comet looks to be completely natural and free of any alien tech. The SETI Institute said Wednesday that extensive radio scans by its telescope in Northern California found no signs of otherworldly technology from our solar system’s latest interstellar visitor. The object labelled 3I/ATLAS was discovered last summer sweeping through our neck of the cosmic woods. Scientists quickly... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355919/our-latest-interstellar-visitor-has-no-signs-alien-technology-scientists-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355919/our-latest-interstellar-visitor-has-no-signs-alien-technology-scientists-say?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 05:35:06 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The Republican-led House voted to halt the US war with Iran, breaking with President Donald Trump on an unpopular foreign conflict that is taking an escalating economic toll on Americans. The 215-208 vote on Wednesday showed worries over the war spreading in the president’s own party five months before congressional elections. Last month, a Senate resolution to end the war also advanced past a procedural hurdle for the first time, though that legislation hasn’t yet come to a formal vote. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355887/us-house-votes-stop-iran-war-rebuke-trump?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355887/us-house-votes-stop-iran-war-rebuke-trump?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 22:11:53 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The US and its “Five Eyes” intelligence partners issued what they said was an unprecedented joint notice warning about attempts by Chinese spies to use websites such as LinkedIn to recruit assets. “China’s military intelligence services are using an increasingly wide array of professional networking sites and online job platforms to target Five Eyes government and military personnel – and anyone with access to classified or privileged information,” according to a joint statement by the FBI,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355885/us-and-five-eyes-allies-warn-linkedin-china-spying-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355885/us-and-five-eyes-allies-warn-linkedin-china-spying-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:47:47 +0000 Christine Loh Christine Loh Since the Ukraine war began in 2022, Asia has been watching conflict as if enrolled in a study course. We have heard every argument: Nato enlargement, Russian insecurity, Ukrainian sovereignty, European fear, American power, energy politics, sanctions, nationalism and resistance. We have watched Gaza burn. We have watched the United States capture Venezuela’s president and defend the act as lawful. We have watched Iran absorb attacks and retaliate. For Asians, these are no longer distant events.... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355563/5-lessons-asia-it-studies-wars-privilege-peace?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:30:06 +0000 Reuters Reuters US ⁠President Donald Trump suggested he might keep the Ultimate Fighting Championship cage-fighting arena being built on the lawn of the White House as a permanent fixture. The Republican compared ‌the structure, which is being built for a night of cage fighting to mark the 250th anniversary of US independence – on Trump’s 80th birthday – to France’s Eiffel Tower which was supposed to have been dismantled 20 years after it was built in ⁠1889. “We’re building something in front of the White House... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355884/trump-says-may-leave-ufc-arena-white-house-lawn-permanently?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355884/trump-says-may-leave-ufc-arena-white-house-lawn-permanently?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 21:02:15 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President ⁠Donald Trump said ⁠in a podcast interview aired on Wednesday that Vice-President J.D. Vance and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, teaming up for a 2028 presidential run, would be ‌unbeatable. Both men are seen as contenders for the 2028 Republican nomination, and Rubio’s recent turn at the White House podium drew praise from Republicans and even some Democrats who noted his smooth performance, which included quips and ⁠a 1990s hip-hop reference to describe Iran’s negotiating... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355874/trump-says-vance-and-rubio-teaming-2028-run-would-be-unbeatable?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355874/trump-says-vance-and-rubio-teaming-2028-run-would-be-unbeatable?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 16:05:29 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A man holding hostages inside a building in California that houses a bank branch and school district office has been shot and killed by the FBI, police said on Wednesday. The suspect was killed in “an officer-involved shooting involving Federal Bureau of Investigation personnel”, the Bakersfield Police Department said in a statement. The stand-off ended about 12 hours after police were called to the building, police said. All the hostages are free and none was harmed, police said. The stand-off... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355872/fbi-kill-man-holding-hostages-california?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355872/fbi-kill-man-holding-hostages-california?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 15:26:41 +0000 Reuters Reuters CBS News has terminated the ⁠contract of 60 Minutes correspondent ⁠Scott Pelley, two sources at ⁠the network said on Tuesday, joining more than half a dozen departures in recent weeks. “Your antipathy to the future of the show has come through loud and clear. And I have heard you,” the show’s ‌executive producer, Nick Bilton, wrote in a Tuesday email to Pelley that was seen by Reuters. “I therefore write on behalf of CBS News, Inc. (“CBS”) to inform you that your employment with CBS is... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355769/60-minutes-correspondent-fired-after-clashing-bosses-over-us-show?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355769/60-minutes-correspondent-fired-after-clashing-bosses-over-us-show?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Jun 2026 03:47:56 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Trump administration on Tuesday formally appealed against a judge’s order for refunds of the US president’s global tariffs after they were struck down by the Supreme Court earlier this year. At stake is some US$166 billion in revenue. A refunds system handled by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has already begun to process repayments. Last month, the CBP said in a court filing that it was on track to process about US$85 billion in repayments, with US$20.6 billion approved for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355756/us-government-appeals-against-judges-order-trump-tariff-refunds?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355756/us-government-appeals-against-judges-order-trump-tariff-refunds?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:39:25 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Canada and Mexico on Tuesday called for a 16-year renewal of the North American free trade agreement with the United States, in hopes of binding the three countries to a pact that US President Donald Trump has openly questioned. The agreement is vital for Canada and Mexico, as the US is their main trading partner and the destination for 75 and 80 per cent of their exports, respectively. In a letter Monday, Ottawa’s minister in charge of Canada-US trade Dominic LeBlanc said: “Canada recommends... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355755/canada-and-mexico-tell-us-they-want-free-trade-deal-renewed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355755/canada-and-mexico-tell-us-they-want-free-trade-deal-renewed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 23:21:40 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Justice Department on Tuesday dropped a contentious plan to create a US$1.8 billion compensation programme that critics had denounced as a “slush fund” for President Donald Trump’s political allies. “We are not moving forward with the fund,” Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said during testimony before a House committee. The about-face is a setback for one of Trump’s most divisive second term initiatives, which had drawn criticism from Democrats, legal experts and numerous Republicans... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355754/trump-team-abandons-us18-billion-slush-fund-compensate-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355754/trump-team-abandons-us18-billion-slush-fund-compensate-supporters?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 22:11:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump will attend ⁠the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Association dinner on July 24, he said in a social media post on Tuesday, after the annual event was postponed following a shooting. The black-tie gathering of journalists and politicians in Washington was postponed after a ‌suspect stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the event on April 25, with Trump present. Trump and first lady Melania Trump were safely rushed out of the dinner. In a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355749/white-house-correspondents-dinner-gets-new-date-wake-shooting-incident?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355749/white-house-correspondents-dinner-gets-new-date-wake-shooting-incident?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 17:26:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters The Trump administration has proposed a new punitive tariff of 25 per cent on many imports from Brazil, after deciding its practices were unfair on a range of issues from digital trade to illegal deforestation, top trade official Jamieson Greer said late on Monday. The measures, under the Section 301 trade statute, cover areas such as electronic payment services, preferential tariffs, intellectual property protection and ethanol market access as well, the Office of the United States Trade... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355743/us-proposes-25-tariff-punish-brazil-over-trade-practices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355743/us-proposes-25-tariff-punish-brazil-over-trade-practices?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 14:13:00 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee The wide-ranging geopolitical rivalry between Beijing and Washington could soon expand into biotechnology, raising the prospect of fresh tensions even as American pharmaceutical firms have turned to China’s fast-growing industry for new drug candidates. Biotech in the world’s second-largest economy has long been viewed as a predominantly low-cost manufacturing base with opportunities arising from its vast domestic market. But years of sustained investment, cost advantages and faster development... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3355700/next-tech-war-why-biotech-may-become-new-us-china-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3355700/next-tech-war-why-biotech-may-become-new-us-china-battleground?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 11:00:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Andy Kim on Monday slammed the Trump administration for potentially allowing advanced American AI chips to ‌be sent to overseas units of Chinese firms, and called on Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick to testify to Congress on the issue, according to a statement. In a surprise move, the Department of ⁠Commerce, which oversees US exports, on Sunday issued guidance to ‌close a potential loophole that may have led companies to export the world’s most advanced... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355616/senators-blast-trump-allowing-ai-chips-be-sent-overseas-units-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355616/senators-blast-trump-allowing-ai-chips-be-sent-overseas-units-chinese-firms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:53:44 +0000 Richard Heydarian Richard Heydarian “You have absolutely no idea of what you’re talking about. The whole point of Pax Silica is to partner with countries who are good at doing different things because everyone wins from a secure supply chain,” wrote US Undersecretary of State for Economic Affairs Jacob Helberg on a social media website in response to an online critic of the US strategic initiative with the Philippines. The spirited exchange came after Manila’s reported rejection of a request to extend diplomatic immunity to US... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355350/philippines-bet-shaky-investment-pledges-us-risks-chinas-ire?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355350/philippines-bet-shaky-investment-pledges-us-risks-chinas-ire?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 21:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump’s nearly US$1.8 billion fund to compensate victims of alleged government “weaponisation” has been put on hold after the White House faced fierce opposition from Republicans in Congress, three sources familiar with the plan said on Monday. The rare rebuke of Trump demonstrated some Republicans’ increased willingness to flex their political power against the president, particularly after his endorsement of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton over incumbent Senator John... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355614/trumps-us18-billion-weaponisation-fund-hold-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355614/trumps-us18-billion-weaponisation-fund-hold-sources-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:49:16 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US decision to classify two Brazilian gangs as terrorist organisations is a political one aimed at boosting an ally of US President Donald Trump, the son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, politicians and analysts say. The gangs join eight other Latin American organised crime groups designated by the US as foreign terrorist organisations. But unlike the rest, they do not operate in the United States. The listing of First Capital Command, known as PCC, and Red Command, or CV,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3355612/us-targeting-brazilian-gangs-attempt-sway-election-there-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3355612/us-targeting-brazilian-gangs-attempt-sway-election-there-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 20:06:00 +0000 dpa dpa US President Donald Trump has suffered a partial legal setback in his push to exclude transgender people from the military. The Trump administration may not remove the plaintiffs who brought the case from active military service, a federal appeals court in Washington said on Monday. The wider ban remains in place for now, however, giving the administration time to appeal. The ruling partly upheld a lower court decision that found the exclusion of transgender people from military service violated... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355611/pentagon-policy-illegally-banned-transgender-troops-military-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355611/pentagon-policy-illegally-banned-transgender-troops-military-appeal-court-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:31:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The US State Department plans to drastically slash the number of US embassies and consulates in Africa that can process visas for foreigners seeking to go to the United States. The almost 50 US embassies and consulates that are processing visa applications will be reduced to 20 in the coming weeks, according to three US officials and an internal memo obtained by Associated Press. There is not yet a set date for the change, but it is expected in June, according to the officials, who were not... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355610/us-drastically-slash-number-embassies-africa-can-process-visas?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3355610/us-drastically-slash-number-embassies-africa-can-process-visas?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 19:05:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Reporters and the public will be allowed to attend a key coming hearing for the man accused of killing Charlie Kirk, after a Utah judge on Monday denied a defence request to restrict access. Tyler Robinson’s defence team had asked Judge Tony Graf to close portions of the preliminary hearing on July 6–10, when prosecutors must show they have enough evidence to warrant a trial. It will mark the most significant presentation of evidence to date in a case that has so far focused on matters of media... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355605/key-hearing-man-accused-killing-charlie-kirk-will-be-public-judge-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355605/key-hearing-man-accused-killing-charlie-kirk-will-be-public-judge-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 17:11:39 +0000 Sylvia Ma Sylvia Ma China’s contribution to global growth is underestimated while the yuan is positioned to emerge as a fundamentally strong global currency, according to a new study from a prominent Beijing-based think tank. Researchers from the China Finance 40 Forum (CF40) – comprising senior regulators and financial experts – said the country’s investment scale could be as much as 3.4 times that of the United States when measured by the volume of physical investment. The analysis, published in a note on Sunday,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355562/chinas-investment-driven-role-global-growth-underestimated-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3355562/chinas-investment-driven-role-global-growth-underestimated-study-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 12:00:15 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Former US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell used one of his first major public appearances since leaving office to defend independent institutions while accepting an award Sunday honouring his efforts to preserve the central bank’s independence. Speaking at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library, Powell called universities, courts, Congress and the central bank “the foundation and the embodiment of our democracy” and argued that the Fed’s independence was a “priceless asset” that must be... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355503/powell-uses-jfk-award-speech-defend-fed-political-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355503/powell-uses-jfk-award-speech-defend-fed-political-pressure?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 03:35:39 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US Department of Commerce on Sunday moved to close a year-old potential loophole it had created that may have led companies to export ‌the world’s most advanced chips – such as Nvidia’s most sophisticated Rubin and Blackwell processors, as well as AMD’s MI350x – to Chinese entities located outside China. The unexpected guidance suggests the United States’ best artificial intelligence chips may have been making their way to the subsidiaries of Chinese AI firms based in places such as Malaysia... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355492/us-takes-step-halt-nvidia-ai-chip-shipments-chinese-firms-outside-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355492/us-takes-step-halt-nvidia-ai-chip-shipments-chinese-firms-outside-china?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 21:46:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Syrian President ⁠Ahmed al-Sharaa held a phone ⁠call with US President Donald Trump in which they discussed supporting the Syrian economy and the latest regional developments, the Syrian presidency said ‌on Sunday. During the call, Sharaa said lifting the remaining US sanctions on Syria was essential to reviving the economy and attracting investments, according to the statement. The United States says some sanctions remain in ⁠place despite dismantling most of its Syria sanctions regime and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355491/syrias-sharaa-holds-phone-call-trump-syrian-presidency-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 20:26:38 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A family of four from Massachusetts were killed when a bus crashed into multiple vehicles in Virginia as they were travelling to a wedding. The family wedding will go forward on Sunday in South Carolina but it also will be a time to mourn the loss of Dmitri and Ecaterina Doncev and their two children, Emily and Mark, a relative said Saturday. “A son, a father – the whole family – everyone that has been dear to us,” Carolina Bublik said. The Doncevs were killed when a coach caused a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355490/chinese-bus-driver-charged-crash-killed-5-virginia-including-family-4?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355490/chinese-bus-driver-charged-crash-killed-5-virginia-including-family-4?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 19:45:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Iran’s chief negotiator warned on Sunday the United States was not to be trusted, saying Tehran would not agree to any deal with Washington unless it fully secured Iranian rights. Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf’s remarks came as reports emerged that US President Donald Trump had sent a tougher peace proposal back to Iran, and underlined the rift that the parties still need to close. Any tweaks to the draft could further delay an agreement to formally end the Middle East war and reopen the Strait of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355489/iran-says-does-not-trust-us-trump-toughens-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/middle-east/article/3355489/iran-says-does-not-trust-us-trump-toughens-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 19:10:30 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A concert by the US rapper Kanye West, who was supposed to perform on July 18 in Reggio Emilia in northern Italy, has been banned on public safety grounds, the authorities said. The prefect of the province, Salvatore Angieri, said the decision was made following requests from bodies including the local Jewish community. They had “expressed reservations” about the appearance of the rapper as part of the Pulse of Gaia Festival, the statement released on Friday evening said. Another concert by the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355487/italy-bans-kanye-west-concert-over-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3355487/italy-bans-kanye-west-concert-over-security-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 17:36:53 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press A United Airlines flight bound for Spain from Newark Liberty International Airport turned around mid-flight on Saturday due to a possible security threat. The flight departed at around 6pm local time for Palma de Mallorca, Spain, but landed back at Newark at 9.37pm, according to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. The airline said there were 190 passengers and 12 crew members on the Boeing 767 aircraft. According to air traffic control audio, security came to inspect the aircraft... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355484/united-airlines-flight-spain-turns-back-newark-us-after-possible-security-threat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355484/united-airlines-flight-spain-turns-back-newark-us-after-possible-security-threat?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 16:26:08 +0000 Bryan Luk,Leonard Luk Bryan Luk,Leonard Luk The excitement around SpaceX, fuelled by the targeted US$1.8 trillion valuation for its initial public offering and its promising Starship rocket development, has revived a familiar claim: that SpaceX is on course to dominate the space market. Commercially, that view is understandable. SpaceX conducts more space launches than anyone and at very competitive costs, its Starlink satellite internet company provides strong in-house demand, and it has a scale advantage unmatched by any other private... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355072/spacex-global-dominance-may-not-be-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/world-opinion/article/3355072/spacex-global-dominance-may-not-be-written-stars?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse AI is getting expensive – and companies are starting to rethink their embrace of the disruptive technology. Playing by a well-worn Silicon Valley playbook, artificial intelligence companies charged rock-bottom prices to hook customers after ChatGPT burst onto the scene. Kevin Simback of start-up incubator Delphi Labs calls it the era of “subsidised intelligence” – meaning investors were basically footing the bill so companies could offer AI on the cheap. “But the tides are beginning to turn,”... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355439/firms-spent-heavily-ai-now-rising-costs-are-outpacing-its-value?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3355439/firms-spent-heavily-ai-now-rising-costs-are-outpacing-its-value?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 31 May 2026 03:11:20 +0000