Trump administration says it has revoked over 300,000 visas
WASHINGTON — President Donald J. Trump’s administration has revoked over 300,000 US visas during his second term, the State Department said on Tuesday as the federal government continues its sweeping immigration crackdown. The number showed an acceleration in the pace of visa revocations in recent weeks. In an update issued on Aug. 10, the State […]
APEC finance ministers agree to boost policy coordination, China’s Lan says
HONG KONG/BEIJING — Finance ministers from member economies in the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) forum have agreed to strengthen macroeconomic policy communication and coordination to address external risks and challenges, Chinese Minister of Finance Lan Foan said on Wednesday. “All members agreed that we should enhance the soundness of our macroeconomic policies,” Mr. Lan said […]
France calm under night curfews as government awaits new weekend protests
PARIS — France’s cities were calm overnight under curfews imposed after last weekend’s scenes of chaos, as protest groups announced a new round of demonstrations next Saturday. Reeling from a weekend of extraordinary violence, the government is scrambling to reassure people it has learned its lesson from security shortcomings that left the centers of cities […]
Malaysia has made no commitment to provide financing support to AirAsia, ministry says
KUALA LUMPUR — Malaysia has made no agreement or commitment to provide financial assistance to budget airline operator AirAsia, the finance ministry said, though it acknowledged concerns over the carrier’s financial health following a jump in jet fuel prices. Reuters reported this month, citing sources, that AirAsia was in talks with the government over potential […]
World faces nature reality check at UN biodiversity conference
LONDON — World leaders, diplomats and nature experts gather in Armenia this week to assess lagging efforts to halt biodiversity loss, with countries off track on most global targets and divisions over funding still unresolved. The 17th United Nations (UN) Conference of the Parties, dubbed COP17, is the first major review of progress under the […]
El Niño-powered drought leaves Indonesian palm farmers high and dry as river recedes
SANGGAU, Indonesia/JAKARTA — Supendi, a 33-year-old palm fruit farmer, cooled his heels at a mill in Indonesia’s West Kalimantan for four frustrating days earlier this month trying to unload his harvest of fresh fruit bunches before being told to leave as the site was full. For several weeks, local palm oil mills have cut their […]
Vietnam signs free-trade pact with European countries including Norway, Switzerland
NORWAY, Switzerland, Iceland and Liechtenstein have signed a free-trade agreement with Vietnam, the governments of Norway and Vietnam announced on Sunday. Vietnam’s trade ministry said it signed the deal in Hanoi with the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) members. Around half of Norway’s exports to Vietnam will be tariff-free when the agreement enters into force, […]
South Korea reviews expanding military mission in Middle East, report says
SEOUL — South Korea is reviewing an expansion of its military operations in the Middle East, the Kyunghyang Shinmun newspaper reported on Thursday, as the US ally faces pressure from President Donald Trump to provide support for the war in Iran. Seoul is weighing expanding the operational area of its Cheonghae anti-piracy unit, which was […]
Rubio urges Lebanon to not return confiscated explosives to Hezbollah, US official says
WASHINGTON — US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun about the confiscation of hundreds of kilograms of explosives from Hezbollah, a US State Department official said on Thursday. Mr. Rubio urged Mr. Aoun to hold accountable those who ordered, financed and directed the shipment, and “underscored that returning explosives to […]
Failure to activate Hormuz fertilizer plan could trigger food crisis, UN official says
BANGKOK — A failure by the United States and Iran to agree within weeks on a United Nations (UN)-backed plan for moving fertilizer through the Strait of Hormuz could cause a food security crisis in parts of Asia and Africa, an official overseeing the proposed scheme said on Wednesday. The UN set up a taskforce […]
