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US, South Korea cut drills short after Trump criticism

Annual war games between South Korea and the United States will end around a week earlier than planned, both countries said on Wednesday, after US President Donald Trump ordered the "inappropriate and hostile" drills scaled back.

US and Canada reach last-minute tariffs deal after 'intense' talks

Donald Trump has announced he has paused the imposition of 50% tariffs on more goods from Canada.

Trump pauses tariffs on Canada after last-minute deal

Donald Trump has announced he has paused the imposition of 50% tariffs on more goods from Canada.

Witness gets combative in Tupac murder trial - 'I don't want to send him to prison'

The witness said he had little love for the man on trial for the rapper's murder, but refused to answer questions that he thought would send Duane "Keffe D" to prison.

U.S., South Korea cut short their joint military drills at Trump's direction

President Trump ordered the exercises be scaled back, citing what he said was a good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and South Korea's refusal to join the U.S. war against Iran.

In 1831, the Blackburns fled slavery; 154 years later, their home was found

US-led drills to end six days early, South Korea says, amid Trump push for Kim Jong-un talks

South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said the Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise would end on 21 August at the request of the USSouth Korea’s military has confirmed that joint military drills with the US will be cut short, days after Donald Trump ordered the Pentagon to scale back the exercises.In a statement on Wednesday, South Korea’s joint chiefs of staff said at the request of the US side, the Ulchi...

Chinese national Jianfei Lu sentenced to 15 years in US$92m drug money scheme

A Chinese national, described by the US Justice Department as a “prolific” money launderer, was sentenced to 15 years in prison on Tuesday and ordered to pay US$25 million for his role in a Chinese money laundering outfit with ties to Mexican drug gangs. The agency said Jianfei Lu, aged 31, was involved in laundering more than US$92 million in illicit funds in a two-year period, collecting the mon...

US refineries taking in half of Venezuela’s oil output, official says

US official says Venezuela is sending 500,000 of its 1.25 million barrels per day output to Gulf Coast refineries.

Chinese coastguard proposes turning South China Sea isles into robotic fortress

The South China Sea’s contested islands could be transformed into autonomous, robotic fortresses, according to a defence proposal by the Chinese coastguard. The plan, which was detailed in a Chinese-language journal supervised by the state-run China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation, envisions a maritime landscape defended by a coordinated swarm of machines instead of soldiers. The proposal comes ...

Unitree Robotics surges 629% to US$66 billion valuation in Shanghai share debut

Shares of Unitree Robotics surged 629 per cent above their initial public offering price to open at 1,100 yuan in their Shanghai trading debut on Wednesday, giving China’s best-known humanoid robot maker a market capitalisation of about 445 billion yuan (US$66 billion). The opening pop from its IPO price of 150.80 yuan was followed by a pullback, with the stock dropping below 900 yuan per share in...

Florida primaries: governor matchup set; Democratic socialist shocks establishment-backed nominee in Senate race – as it happened

This live blog is now closed.Donalds and Jolly to face off in Florida governor raceDemocratic socialist Angie Nixon wins Senate primarySign up for the US Breaking News emailPresident Donald Trump posted an image of a map of the strait of Hormuz on his social media platform Truth Social, with a circle around the strait and the words “New US Territory” as the title on Tuesday morning.This follows co...

U.S. military drills with South Korea are cut short after surprise order

The annual U.S.-South Korea drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, will end Aug. 21 rather than Aug. 27 as originally scheduled, both countries said.

U.S. military drills with South Korea are cut short after surprise Trump order

The annual U.S.-South Korea drills, known as Ulchi Freedom Shield, will end Aug. 21 rather than Aug. 27 as originally scheduled, both countries said.

U.S.-South Korea joint military drills are cut short after surprise Trump order

Joint military exercises currently underway between the United States and South Korea are being cut short, both countries said, after President Donald Trump, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ordered that they be reduced.

U.S.-South Korea joint military drills are being cut short after Trump order, Seoul says

South Korea said Wednesday that joint military exercises currently underway with the United States were being scaled back after President Donald Trump, citing his “very good” relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, ordered that they be reduced.

Greyest village in Japan turns to Peru sister city to plug severe worker shortage

Japan’s most greying municipality has turned to its Peruvian sister city in search of a way to reverse its population decline and address the labour shortage that together threaten its survival. The mountain village of Nanmoku in Gunma prefecture, where 65.2 per cent of residents were aged 65 or older in the 2020 census, signed a sister-city agreement with Belen in northern Peru in November, hopin...

Greyest Japanese village turns to Peru sister city to plug severe worker shortage

Japan’s most greying municipality has turned to its Peruvian sister city in search of a way to reverse its population decline and address the labour shortage that together threaten its survival. The mountain village of Nanmoku in Gunma prefecture, where 65.2 per cent of residents were aged 65 or older in the 2020 census, signed a sister-city agreement with Belen in northern Peru in November, hopin...

New study links cosmic radiation to higher cancer death risk in flight crews

Flight attendants and pilots are at the highest risk of dying from radiation-related cancers – even more than people who work with radioactive materials, according to a new study. Cosmic radiation comes from space. Only a small amount reaches the Earth’s surface, but exposure is greater for people flying at high altitudes. There has been limited evidence from small studies suggesting that the expo...

Sacked Ukrainian defence minister calls for presidential election

Martial law has been in place in Ukraine since February 2022, under which elections are suspended.

Hong Kong needs a mission for 2049 to focus its 5-year plans

Hong Kong is formulating its first five-year plan for economic and social development. Such plans are likely to become a regular feature of governance, and will shape how the city allocates land, builds housing and infrastructure, develops industries, trains talent and improves public services. They can also give government departments a common frame for action, rather than leaving them to operate...

China ‘cloudscape observer’ mist-monitoring job ends; resort plans more similar campaigns

A Chinese tourist site recently concluded a month-long position that paid 60,000 yuan (US$8,900) to live on a mountaintop, observe the cloudscape, and share daily videos of the sea of clouds. On July 8, the Laojun Mountain Scenic Area in central China’s Henan province posted a recruitment ad for a “cloudscape observer” to work from July 16 to August 15. The Laojun Mountain Scenic Area is one of Ch...

South Korea says South Korean and US militaries have agreed to shorten their drills

South Korea says the South Korean and U.S. militaries have agreed to shorten their drills at the U.S.'s request

After deadly floods in India, experts call for better warnings and long-term planning

More than 100 people have died in floods in India’s northeastern Assam state which government officials say is the worst the climate vulnerable region has seen in six decades

US, South Korea slash joint military drills by half as Trump eyes Kim summit

Scheduled joint US and South Korean military drills are expected to be cut by about half, according to South Korean media on Wednesday, following ‌President Donald Trump’s order to substantially reduce US participation in the annual exercises. The Ulchi Freedom Shield exercise, which began on Monday, had been due to run into next week. The allies were set to complete the first, defensive phase of ...