Washington, the United States | THE INDEPENDENT | Donald Trump’s administration is advancing major efforts to continue cutting US foreign aid and dismantling USAID. A draft Fiscal Year 2026 budget proposes cutting the State Department by nearly 50%—over $30 billion—with foreign aid reduced by up to 75%, including the closure …
Read More »Trump’s trade wars to push more countries to join BRICS
MOSCOW, RUSSIA | TASS | US President Donald Trump’s trade wars may push some Asian and African countries toward joining BRICS, a Russian expert said. “In recent days, and all throughout the past month, we have had a front row seat to the new challenges that have emerged from this …
Read More »From ‘America First’ to ‘America Only’: What North American tariff spats tell the world
BEIJING, CHINA | Xinhua | Thanks to the United States, “tariff” has become one of the top buzzwords in international politics. In rapid succession, the White House has announced 25 percent tariffs on all imported steel and aluminum, slapped additional tariffs on Chinese imports and threatened reciprocal tariffs against all …
Read More »Why does Trump want to dismantle U.S. Education Department?
WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order that he said would “begin eliminating the federal Department of Education once and for all.” This move, as local media described it, fulfilled decades of conservative ambition to get rid of the agency. …
Read More »Trump, Zelensky agree to “partial ceasefire against energy” in Ukraine
WASHINGTON, the United States | Xinhua | The White House said U.S. President Donald Trump and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in a phone call on Wednesday agreed to “a partial ceasefire against energy” between Russia and Ukraine. The phone call came one day after Trump and Russian President Vladimir …
Read More »Almost entire VOA staff sent on leave, radio station going silent
WASHINGTON, the United States | TASS | More than 1,300 employees of the Voice of America (recognized in the Russian Federation as a foreign agent media outlet) have been sent on administrative leave, and the radio station itself is going silent, Michael Abramowitz, Voice of America’s director announced. He said …
Read More »Donald Trump’s reverse Kissinger strategy
Why it is unlikely that a few baubles will attract Putin to adopt his strategy to befriend Russia to isolate China COMMENT | VIJAY PRASHAD | U.S. President Donald Trump called Russian President Vladimir Putin and told him that the U.S. government is committed to a peace process in Ukraine. …
Read More »Trump: Europe does not know how to resolve Ukraine crisis
WASHINGTON, the United States | TASS | European countries don’t know how to resolve the Ukraine crisis, US President Donald Trump told reporters at the White House. When asked why European countries weren’t proposing specific options for settling the conflict, the US leader said that “sometimes questions aren’t answerable.” “They’re …
Read More »NATO chief tells Zelensky to restore relations with Trump
BRUSSELS | TASS | NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has urged Vladimir Zelensky to restore ties with US President Donald Trump and branded their heated exchange as “unfortunate.” In an interview with BBC, the NATO chief said: “I told Zelensky: you have to find a way to restore your relationship …
Read More »Donald Trump’s war on global governance
Lessons from the past on how to fight back when the dominant global power bullies weaker nations COMMENT | DANNY BRADLOW | U.S. president Donald Trump’s recent actions seem designed to reassert American power and demonstrate that it is still the dominant global power and is capable of bullying weaker nations …
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