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May 31, 2026 - World

Shinjiro Koizumi says Japan valued as a ‘peace-loving’ nation while China expands military capabilities ‘without sufficient transparency’Japan’s defence minister took a veiled swipe at China on Sunday, pledging to keep strengthening the military despite Beijing’s criticism of Tokyo’s increasingly muscular security stance.Under the prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, Japan has quickened its pivot to a more proactive defence policy, further shaking off – with US encouragement – its pacifist outlook in place since the end of the second world war. Continue reading...

May 31, 2026 - World

China has reported that its manufacturing activity has slowed in May

May 31, 2026 - World

Business leaders and industry groups are waiting for clarity and follow-up from the Trump administration on promises it made during the China summit earlier this month, according to new reporting. The White House assured that a "board of trade" would help relieve Chinese and American tariffs, but it's still "ironing" out the plan, "a signal the clarity industry is searching for is unlikely to come all at once," Politico reported. Ed Brzytwa, an executive for the Consumer Technology Association, said industry groups don't know what kind of products will see reduced tariffs. U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer "hasn't been clear about it, neither have the Chinese," he told Politico. Trump has "three and a half months to get this thing up and running," Wendy Cutler, a former senior U.S. trade negotiator, told Politico. She was looking ahead to Chinese leader Xi Jinping's upcoming visit to Washington in September. "There will be pressure to show progress, given how few deliverables came out of this last summit meeting," Cutler said. An anonymous White House official told Politico, "further details to come" on the plans that came out of the summit. "The administration looks forward to engaging more with the business community on this historic policy that reflects our commitment to better manage trade between the U.S. and China," the official said, according to Politico.

May 30, 2026 - World

Minister at Singapore defence summit also reveals Australia to buy only secondhand Aukus submarines from USFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastThe defence minister, Richard Marles, has said the “seabed is a battlefield” in a combative speech urging Beijing to be more transparent about its maritime operations, and taking aim at weak international controls over so-called “shadow-fleet” vessels.The warning came as the US, UK and Australia announced a new Aukus project to develop new underwater drone technology to protect undersea cables. Continue reading...

May 30, 2026 - World

President Donald Trump took to Truth Social over the weekend to attack Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson while Johnson was at the Vatican meeting with Pope Leo XIV, calling the Democratic mayor "useless" and urging someone to inform the pontiff of that fact."Someone should explain to the Pope that the Mayor of Chicago is useless, and that Iran cannot have a Nuclear Weapon!" Trump wrote, signing the post with his full name and title: "President DONALD J. TRUMP."Johnson had shared photos of the meeting on X, describing it as "one of the most awe-inspiring and humbling experiences of my life." He called Pope Leo XIV "a magnificent human" and said he was honored to share time with him.Trump's post drew attention not only for its attack on a sitting mayor's audience with the head of the Catholic Church, but also for the jarring pivot to Iran nuclear policy in the same sentence, a rhetorical non sequitur that nonetheless reflects two of the administration's persistent preoccupations.The post comes as Trump has frequently used Truth Social to target Democratic mayors of major cities, framing urban governance failures as emblematic of broader Democratic dysfunction. Johnson, for his part, has been an outspoken critic of the administration's immigration policies and federal funding cuts to cities.The Vatican meeting appeared to be part of a broader multi-faith prayer gathering, according to Johnson's office. Trump was not among those in attendance.