https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/323578/feed Donald John Trump, born June 14, 1946, became the 45th president of the United States in 2017, after he defeated Democratic rival Hillary Clinton in the general election of 2016. His unpredictable tenure saw the beginning of a trade war between the US and China. The trade war persisted after he left office following a 2020 defeat to Joe Biden. In 2024 he mounted a third campaign, defeating Biden's then-VP, Kamala Harris, to earn a second term as president. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Associated Press Associated Press The Pentagon has accused a newly ousted three-star general of leaking sensitive information to the media just hours after officials confirmed his removal from a top military planning post. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth fired US Army Lieutenant General Brett Sylvia as head of strategy, plans and policy for the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a defence official said late Wednesday. Typically, the general in the position and their staff are responsible for generating and coordinating military plans for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372653/pentagon-accuses-fired-us-general-leaking-sensitive-information https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372653/pentagon-accuses-fired-us-general-leaking-sensitive-information Fri, 30 Oct 2026 02:12:12 +0000 Teresa Elena Frontado Teresa Elena Frontado Two years ago, Mike Rogers stood before the Republican National Convention and warned that it was “impossible to build an EV without getting into bed with the Communist Party of China”. The former US House Intelligence Committee chairman made opposition to Chinese investment a prominent theme of his 2024 Senate bid in Michigan, which he narrowly lost to Democrat Elissa Slotkin. Now, as Rogers runs again, US President Donald Trump’s softer approach towards Beijing has given candidates more room... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/us-elections/article/3372640/michigan-senate-race-trumps-softer-china-tone-gives-candidates-room-look-elsewhere https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/us-elections/article/3372640/michigan-senate-race-trumps-softer-china-tone-gives-candidates-room-look-elsewhere Thu, 29 Oct 2026 20:49:13 +0000 Reuters Reuters European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Thursday the EU and Canada continue to explore Canada becoming the union’s first “associate member”, a term so divisive among member countries that it does not appear in a joint declaration. The European Union and Canada aim to deepen cooperation on AI, climate, energy and security, von der Leyen said in a speech at a Canada-EU summit in Montreal. The ‌associate member term, which Germany and several other EU countries oppose, has no... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372638/eu-considering-canada-associate-member-despite-internal-opposition https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372638/eu-considering-canada-associate-member-despite-internal-opposition Thu, 29 Oct 2026 19:43:34 +0000 Nayan Seth Nayan Seth The United States on Thursday banned all Chinese laboratories from testing electronic devices destined for the US market, just weeks before US President Donald Trump is due to meet Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted to bar testing laboratories and certification bodies in China and other economies that lack a “mutual recognition agreement” or reciprocal trade agreement with the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3372632/us-bans-chinese-labs-testing-electronics-ahead-trump-xi-meeting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/us/article/3372632/us-bans-chinese-labs-testing-electronics-ahead-trump-xi-meeting Thu, 29 Oct 2026 15:39:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US economy grew faster than expected in the third quarter as resilient consumer spending and AI-driven business investment more than offset the impact of higher oil prices stemming from the conflict in the Middle East. Gross domestic product increased at a ‌3.4 per cent annualised rate last quarter, the Commerce Department’s Bureau of Economic Analysis said in its advance estimate of third-quarter GDP on Thursday. Economists polled by Reuters had forecast GDP advancing at a 3.2 per cent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372628/us-economy-grows-faster-expected-34-3q-driven-consumers-ai-investment https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372628/us-economy-grows-faster-expected-34-3q-driven-consumers-ai-investment Thu, 29 Oct 2026 14:26:35 +0000 Robin Hu Robin Hu An aircraft supplier can have parts ready and a customer waiting yet be unable to ship while Washington holds up its licence. In Shanghai, Citi has approval to establish a securities business after years of waiting. Companies must invest, sign contracts and move production while the two governments negotiate. A board needs to know what can proceed now, what remains conditional and what could stop the business after the money has been spent. Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372307/xi-trump-summits-must-leave-businesses-greater-clarity-not-less https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/china-opinion/article/3372307/xi-trump-summits-must-leave-businesses-greater-clarity-not-less Thu, 29 Oct 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse North Korea fired “around a dozen” short-range ballistic missiles off its east coast on Thursday, Seoul’s defence ministry said, less than a week after South Korea proposed talks over a growing border row. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said its military detected “around a dozen short-range ballistic missiles fired from the Wonsan area of North Korea towards the East Sea”, the body of water also known as the Sea of Japan. “Our military has stepped up surveillance and vigilance against... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3372537/north-korea-fires-missile-barrage-days-after-rejecting-souths-border-talks https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3372537/north-korea-fires-missile-barrage-days-after-rejecting-souths-border-talks Thu, 29 Oct 2026 05:40:35 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has fired the Pentagon’s top military planner, a defence official said on Wednesday, the latest in a series of generals to be ousted and one that comes even as President Donald Trump weighed renewed strikes on Iran in the eight-month-long war. US Army Lieutentant General Brett Sylvia was removed as head of strategy, plans and policy on the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He is the second general to be ousted from the post, known in military circles as the “J5”, under... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372530/hegseth-fires-pentagons-top-military-planner-trump-weighs-new-iran-strikes https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372530/hegseth-fires-pentagons-top-military-planner-trump-weighs-new-iran-strikes Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:54:53 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain The United States’ Muslim-majority Middle Eastern allies have accelerated talks with Tehran over a new regional security framework amid fears of further blowback from the Iran war. Saudi Arabia directly entered the diplomatic fray for the first time on Monday, sending the king’s younger son, Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, to Tehran for face-to-face talks with Iran’s top security official Mohsin Razaee and other leaders. Accompanied by the military and intelligence chiefs of Mecca... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372527/why-us-allies-middle-east-are-accelerating-direct-talks-iran https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372527/why-us-allies-middle-east-are-accelerating-direct-talks-iran Thu, 29 Oct 2026 04:42:58 +0000 Chow Chung-yan Chow Chung-yan When I first watched Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs in 1992, I was struck by its inventive opening. Tarantino launched a gritty crime thriller not with a gunfight or a heist but with eight mobsters in a diner, finishing breakfast while bickering over Madonna and tipping etiquette. By depicting hardened criminals as ordinary men carping about daily trivialities, Tarantino dispensed with the genre’s macho clichés, rendering the characters disarmingly authentic. Decades later, the subject of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372177/what-quentin-tarantinos-reservoir-dogs-says-about-us-midterms https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372177/what-quentin-tarantinos-reservoir-dogs-says-about-us-midterms Thu, 29 Oct 2026 01:00:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Dolores Huerta, the US labour leader and civil rights icon whose union work changed the lives of migrant workers, has died, her family said Wednesday. She was 96. For nearly four decades Huerta was vice-president of the United Farm Workers, the union she founded with Cesar Chavez, organising strikes and walkouts that won improvements in working conditions for the millions of men and women who labour in US fields. “We are deeply saddened to announce that our beloved mother, Dolores Huerta, has... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372496/us-civil-rights-icon-dolores-huerta-dies-96 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372496/us-civil-rights-icon-dolores-huerta-dies-96 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 23:33:24 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial Brazil has given Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva a fourth, non-consecutive term, a feat without precedent in its democratic history. Lula came back from a first-round defeat to win 51.8 per cent of the run-off vote against Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the jailed former president. Yet the victory leaves Lula little room to manoeuvre. Opposition parties may yet control both chambers of Congress. Nearly half of Brazilians say the economy has worsened over the past year. Last year Washington threatened... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3372458/china-lulas-win-brazil-removes-uncertainty https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/comment/article/3372458/china-lulas-win-brazil-removes-uncertainty Wed, 28 Oct 2026 23:15:08 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press The UN General Assembly condemned the US economic embargo of Cuba for the 34th year on Wednesday, even as Washington’s campaign to influence the outcome led to a number of countries voting against the resolution or sitting out the decision for the first time. The vote was 130-17, with 25 abstentions – a notable decrease in support from last year, when more than 160 nations supported the measure and only 12 abstained. While such resolutions at the UN General Assembly are not legally binding, they... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372494/un-condemns-us-embargo-cuba-more-nations-sit-out-after-trump-pressure https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372494/un-condemns-us-embargo-cuba-more-nations-sit-out-after-trump-pressure Wed, 28 Oct 2026 22:15:47 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The US Federal Reserve on Wednesday held interest rates steady, in line with market expectations, days ahead of crucial midterm elections where surging inflation has been a key issue. The 12-member Federal Open Market Committee voted 10-2 to hold rates at a target range between 3.75 to 4.00 per cent, citing the need for more data in the fight against inflation, after having hiked for the first time in three years at its previous meeting in September. “The accumulation of more information will... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372489/us-fed-holds-interest-rates-steady-despite-surging-inflation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372489/us-fed-holds-interest-rates-steady-despite-surging-inflation Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:37:06 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Alvin Hellerstein, the US judge overseeing the case against deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro, has died aged 92, an official confirmed on Wednesday. As one of the oldest US federal judges, questions had been raised about whether he was the right justice to preside over what could be a prolonged trial for Maduro on drug trafficking charges. Hellerstein’s lengthy career included overseeing the civil cases arising from al-Qaeda’s September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372488/92-year-old-us-judge-handling-maduro-case-dies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372488/92-year-old-us-judge-handling-maduro-case-dies Wed, 28 Oct 2026 18:08:43 +0000 Reuters Reuters Benjamin Netanyahu looked set to ⁠remain Israel’s caretaker prime minister after unexpectedly strong backing among Jewish voters left his opponents little apparent prospect of unseating him, despite his right-wing bloc losing its parliamentary majority. With nearly 93 per cent of the vote counted, Netanyahu’s bloc was at 53 seats and the opposition forces led by rival Gadi Eisenkot at 48 – both well under the 61 needed to form a government. Parties representing Arab Israelis were projected to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372487/netanyahu-set-remain-caretaker-pm-after-inconclusive-israel-election https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372487/netanyahu-set-remain-caretaker-pm-after-inconclusive-israel-election Wed, 28 Oct 2026 17:39:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Senator Flavio Bolsonaro declared himself Brazil’s rightful leader on Wednesday after arriving in the United States, alleging he was the victim of an electoral coup by the country’s Supreme Court and President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who won the vote by over 4 million votes. Bolsonaro arrived in Miami after leaving Brazil, where he refused to comply with a Supreme Court order to surrender his passports. He thanked ‌Argentine leader Javier Milei for helping him make the journey and US... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372478/defeated-brazilian-presidential-candidate-flavio-bolsonaro-and-his-family-land-miami https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372478/defeated-brazilian-presidential-candidate-flavio-bolsonaro-and-his-family-land-miami Wed, 28 Oct 2026 14:19:13 +0000 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s trip to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday echoed the intense coordination that preceded his previous summits with US President Donald Trump. Between March 2018 and June 2019, Kim met Chinese President Xi Jinping five times across Beijing, Dalian and Pyongyang, and three of those occasions happened not long before his summits with Trump. Yet, while Saturday’s unannounced visit appeared superficially similar, analysts said the strategic focus had... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372396/why-kim-jong-uns-border-trip-china-differs-past-pre-summit-playbooks https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372396/why-kim-jong-uns-border-trip-china-differs-past-pre-summit-playbooks Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Moritz Kraemer Moritz Kraemer Some readers, especially non-Americans, might wonder what the recurring squabbles in Washington over the debt ceiling and government shutdowns mean. That’s understandable. In virtually every country in the world, when the legislature approves a budget that results in net new borrowing of, say, 50 billion euros (US$55.8 billion), the government is thereby authorised to take on that debt to finance the budget. Not so in the United States. There, the budget and borrowing authorisation are two... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372280/us-midterms-could-trigger-debt-ceiling-showdown-worse-2011 https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372280/us-midterms-could-trigger-debt-ceiling-showdown-worse-2011 Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:30:09 +0000 Gabriel Dominguez Gabriel Dominguez A rare satellite image of China’s secretive spaceplane has appeared in a new US intelligence report that warned Beijing was expanding its ability to track American forces and could deploy space-based directed-energy weapons by the late 2020s. The US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) report published on Sunday included an image of the reusable spacecraft, credited to satellite imagery firm Maxar in 2024, showing its shuttle-like design and apparent solar arrays. A spaceplane is a spacecraft... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3372459/us-warns-china-expanding-its-space-toolkit-spaceplane-and-energy-weapons https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/military/article/3372459/us-warns-china-expanding-its-space-toolkit-spaceplane-and-energy-weapons Wed, 28 Oct 2026 12:01:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters El Salvador has sent about 1,000 troops to Haiti after four Salvadorean members of a UN-backed security mission went missing in a gang ambush on the outskirts of the capital on October 18, a security official in Haiti told Reuters on Tuesday. The troops’ arrival aboard flights in recent days dramatically expands the Central American nation’s role in Haiti’s long-standing gang conflict. Yet it remains unclear who will command the new Salvadorean contingent, how long ‌it will stay in Haiti or... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372387/el-salvador-deploys-1000-troops-haiti-after-gang-ambush https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372387/el-salvador-deploys-1000-troops-haiti-after-gang-ambush Wed, 28 Oct 2026 04:30:48 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan is bracing for a more unpredictable ally in Washington, as the US midterm elections threaten to deepen political gridlock and complicate Tokyo’s long-term security calculations, analysts say. Observers warn that post-election political battles, ranging from a possible repeat of impeachment proceedings to the mounting legal battles ensnaring the administration of US President Donald Trump, risk diverting the White House’s attention from foreign policy and its long-standing commitments to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372360/will-us-midterm-battles-blind-washington-asia-japan-isnt-taking-any-chances https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372360/will-us-midterm-battles-blind-washington-asia-japan-isnt-taking-any-chances Wed, 28 Oct 2026 03:00:21 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji Immigration restrictions, rising living costs and strains in US-India relations are testing support for President Donald Trump among some Indian-Americans who backed the Republican Party in 2024, analysts say, ahead of November’s midterm elections. A survey released in August by AAPI Data and Asian and Pacific Islander American Vote found that 66 per cent of Indian-American respondents favoured Democratic candidates for the US House of Representatives, compared with 18 per cent for Republicans.... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372349/why-indian-american-support-trump-slipping-midterms https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/politics/article/3372349/why-indian-american-support-trump-slipping-midterms Wed, 28 Oct 2026 01:30:12 +0000 Sumnima Kandangwa Sumnima Kandangwa Several women in US President Donald Trump’s circle have come under the media spotlight in recent weeks, from Karoline Leavitt leaving her position as the White House press secretary in August, to her successor Katie Zacharia being fired after five days and a single press conference. Susan Dell’s recent meeting with Trump in the Oval Office also caused an internet frenzy after people speculated that she had undergone botched plastic surgery. View this post on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3372241/meet-kelly-loeffler-donald-trump-loyalist-going-viral-her-tiktok-qa-video https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3372241/meet-kelly-loeffler-donald-trump-loyalist-going-viral-her-tiktok-qa-video Tue, 27 Oct 2026 22:00:09 +0000 Han Li,Seong Hyeon Choi Han Li,Seong Hyeon Choi The 2027 US defence bill, covering more than US$1 trillion in proposed defence spending, will be one of the most closely watched pieces of legislation when Congress returns after the midterm elections, with efforts to counter China running through nearly every corner of the text. The US House of Representatives passed its version of the bill, known as the National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA), in July. The bill faces a tougher path in the US Senate, where a July procedural vote to begin... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372355/5-things-watch-out-2027-us-defence-bill-aimed-countering-china https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372355/5-things-watch-out-2027-us-defence-bill-aimed-countering-china Tue, 27 Oct 2026 20:58:44 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election marks a turning point for Latin America and US-Latin American relations, said Chile’s former top envoy to China, who predicted a slowing of Washington’s regional push. “I do think the re-election of President Lula marks a major turning point in Latin America and in US-Latin American relations, while also having a broader significance for the Global South,” said Jorge Heine, who served as Chile’s ambassador to China from 2014 to 2017 and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372318/lulas-win-brazil-deals-blow-trumps-latin-america-push-former-china-envoy https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372318/lulas-win-brazil-deals-blow-trumps-latin-america-push-former-china-envoy Tue, 27 Oct 2026 15:00:14 +0000 Thomas O. Falk Thomas O. Falk In June 1982, Ronald Reagan imposed sanctions to prevent European firms from using American technology to help build a pipeline that would carry Soviet gas to western Europe. He warned that Europe was making itself a hostage to the Kremlin and contributing to the Moscow’s war chest. Then, 18 days before that November’s congressional elections, he offered to sell the Soviet Union up to 23 million tonnes of grain. Europeans, told to tear up their own contracts while American farmers were invited... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372171/diesel-deal-trump-teaching-reagans-lesson-larger-class https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3372171/diesel-deal-trump-teaching-reagans-lesson-larger-class Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Finland’s president and Norway’s prime minister held a “frank and substantive” discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Tuesday about efforts to end the war in Ukraine, the Nordic leaders said. “The outcome of this war will have a direct impact on our and the broader European security. Ending the war requires direct discussions,” President Alexander Stubb said in a joint statement with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store. The statement noted that the phone call had been “held in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3372326/norway-finland-leaders-hold-frank-talk-putin-ending-ukraine-war https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3372326/norway-finland-leaders-hold-frank-talk-putin-ending-ukraine-war Tue, 27 Oct 2026 12:14:16 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan Washington has suspended visa-free entry for Chinese visitors to the Northern Mariana Islands amid allegations of birth tourism and people smuggling in the US territory. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced on Monday the suspension of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) Economic Vitality and Security Travel Authorisation Programme. US Senator Mike Lee hailed the move on social media, calling the programme a “Biden-era loophole for Chinese birth tourism” and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372309/us-ends-pacific-visa-waiver-over-birth-tourism-people-smuggling-allegations https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372309/us-ends-pacific-visa-waiver-over-birth-tourism-people-smuggling-allegations Tue, 27 Oct 2026 10:25:59 +0000 Faye Bradley Faye Bradley Fox News hosts Sean Hannity and Ainsley Earhardt tied the knot on October 24 at the Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea in Palm Beach, Florida, where Hannity proposed in 2024. People magazine reported that the couple exchanged their vows in front of close friends and family. Earhardt wore a white Oscar de la Renta gown, while her groom matched her in a white tuxedo jacket and black pants. Hannity and Earhardt’s relationship surfaced in April 2023, after photos emerged of them sitting arm-in-arm... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3372239/meet-ainsley-earhardt-who-just-married-sean-hannity-her-fellow-fox-news-host https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3372239/meet-ainsley-earhardt-who-just-married-sean-hannity-her-fellow-fox-news-host Tue, 27 Oct 2026 04:08:33 +0000 Reuters Reuters Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted of ⁠his endorsement from Donald Trump on the eve of Israel’s election, suggesting the two leaders could restart their war against Iran if he wins, after Trump said they should “finish the job”. “US President Donald Trump has come with a friendship that has never existed before between an Israeli prime minister and an American president. And it is doubtful we will ever have such a friendly president again,” Netanyahu said in a televised appearance... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372222/netanyahu-touts-trump-endorsement-eve-vote-suggests-they-may-restart-war-iran https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372222/netanyahu-touts-trump-endorsement-eve-vote-suggests-they-may-restart-war-iran Mon, 26 Oct 2026 22:29:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President Donald Trump said on Monday that leftist incumbent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s surprise win in Brazil’s presidential vote “looked like another rigged election”, although the party of defeated right-winger Flavio Bolsonaro later acknowledged the result. The son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, Flavio Bolsonaro has refused to concede defeat in Sunday’s presidential election, saying he would ‌seek the annulment of Lula’s victory after the Supreme Court extended voting by two... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372220/brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-says-he-will-lead-opposition-lula-government https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372220/brazils-flavio-bolsonaro-says-he-will-lead-opposition-lula-government Mon, 26 Oct 2026 21:34:03 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan held talks with Iran on Monday in an attempt to stop the Middle East war from reigniting, with Tehran saying the discussions were “very good”. Officials from the three Mecca pact countries flew to Iran as part of efforts to “de-escalate between the parties to the current crisis”, a Saudi foreign ministry statement said. The talks, which included heavyweight Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, followed warnings by the United... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372218/mecca-pact-countries-iran-bid-stop-war-restarting https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372218/mecca-pact-countries-iran-bid-stop-war-restarting Mon, 26 Oct 2026 19:47:10 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press In the increasingly bitter legal stand-off between US President Donald Trump and media outlets whose reporting he dislikes, a new and crucial third party has emerged: citizens who watch and read the news and need it to do their jobs. A lawsuit filed on Monday on behalf of six such citizens – effectively representing the audiences for the news media – argues that it is not only the rights of news organisations that are violated when Trump bans them from White House premises. Even more... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372216/6-us-citizens-sue-trump-saying-media-ban-deprives-them-news-audience-stakeholders https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372216/6-us-citizens-sue-trump-saying-media-ban-deprives-them-news-audience-stakeholders Mon, 26 Oct 2026 18:56:18 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former FBI director James Comey has been charged with allegedly disclosing national defence information, the third criminal case brought against the outspoken critic of US President Donald Trump. In a criminal complaint unsealed on Monday, Comey is accused of communicating the information in October 2016, when he was head of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, to a “person not entitled to receive it”. Comey was charged in September 2025 with making false statements to Congress and obstructing a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372214/judge-rules-daughter-ex-fbi-director-comey-was-unlawfully-fired-federal-prosecutor https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372214/judge-rules-daughter-ex-fbi-director-comey-was-unlawfully-fired-federal-prosecutor Mon, 26 Oct 2026 17:58:23 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Democrats and outside watchdogs are planning a massive presence at the polls on US election day driven by concerns that US President Donald Trump will further leverage the vast resources of the federal government to interfere with a midterm that could hobble his final two years in office. They will not be the only ones there. A sprawling election protection effort on the left that is expected to deploy tens of thousands of monitors will be met by the largest-ever monitoring programme by the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372212/thousands-observers-expected-polling-places-monitor-vote-us-election-day https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372212/thousands-observers-expected-polling-places-monitor-vote-us-election-day Mon, 26 Oct 2026 16:59:55 +0000 Cao Jiaxuan Cao Jiaxuan Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s re-election preserves Beijing’s most critical foothold in Latin America, while positioning Brasilia to leverage the US-China rivalry over its vast rare earth reserves without picking sides. Lula, 80, secured an unprecedented fourth term on Sunday after winning 51.8 per cent of the run-off vote to defeat right-wing rival Flavio Bolsonaro. The son of jailed former president Jair Bolsonaro and Trump ally has, however, refused to concede. Beijing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372207/win-lula-boosts-chinas-foothold-and-gives-brazil-rare-earths-leverage https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372207/win-lula-boosts-chinas-foothold-and-gives-brazil-rare-earths-leverage Mon, 26 Oct 2026 14:36:47 +0000 Khushboo Razdan Khushboo Razdan US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will travel to the Philippines this week to meet regional allies, the Pentagon announced on Sunday. The visit comes amid a push by Washington to tighten security ties in the Indo-Pacific ahead of an expected meeting between the US and Chinese presidents in southern China. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has faced criticism from Democrats and some Republicans over his handling of the war against Iran, as well as concerns that the conflict could divert US... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372182/pentagon-chief-hegseth-visit-philippines-meet-us-allies-asean-events https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372182/pentagon-chief-hegseth-visit-philippines-meet-us-allies-asean-events Mon, 26 Oct 2026 11:03:12 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brazilian leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva staged a surprise comeback to secure a fourth term in office, extending a presidency that has overseen deepening ties with China and sporadic clashes with the United States. With almost all of the ballots in Sunday’s presidential run-off counted, Lula led with 51.8 per cent of the votes to 48.2 per cent for Senator Flavio Bolsonaro. The 80-year-old left-winger is the first person to win the presidency after losing the first round of voting since Brazil... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372167/lula-secures-surprise-win-retain-brazil-presidency https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372167/lula-secures-surprise-win-retain-brazil-presidency Mon, 26 Oct 2026 09:07:52 +0000 William Zheng William Zheng North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s tour of a commercial vehicle factory during a surprise visit to the Chinese border city of Dandong on Saturday points to Pyongyang’s drive to modernise its buses and expand industrial ties with Beijing. In a symbolic move, Kim crossed into China via the newly opened New Yalu River Bridge on Saturday and also returned to North Korea via the bridge later in the day. It was Kim’s first trip to China since he attended a military parade in Beijing last September. His... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372102/why-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-toured-chinese-bus-factory-dandong https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3372102/why-north-korean-leader-kim-jong-un-toured-chinese-bus-factory-dandong Mon, 26 Oct 2026 00:59:45 +0000 Reuters Reuters US President President Donald Trump at a Sunday campaign rally ratcheted up his push to link US Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed to Muslim extremists, comparing him to the 9/11 attackers while saying Democrats would let violent anti-American terrorists into the United States. “I’m here to keep a jihadist, Muslim Brotherhood member from becoming a United States senator,” the president told a receptive audience in Port Huron, which is in a Michigan area where 66 per cent of the vote went to Trump... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372097/trump-cites-9/11-urging-michigan-voters-oppose-muslim-senate-candidate-el-sayed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372097/trump-cites-9/11-urging-michigan-voters-oppose-muslim-senate-candidate-el-sayed Sun, 25 Oct 2026 22:29:09 +0000 Ishani Sarkar Ishani Sarkar After Katie Zacharia was sacked as the White House press secretary amid questions about her legal qualifications, another newly appointed Trump official is going viral. Barbera Thornhill is US President Donald Trump’s new Ambassador-at-Large to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons. State Department official Riley Barnes shared the 78-year-old’s portrait on X to celebrate her appointment, but the post gained traction for all the wrong reasons. Social media users tore into Thornhill’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3371780/meet-barbera-thornhill-trumps-anti-trafficking-ambassador-going-viral-her-maga-face https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/people/celebrities/article/3371780/meet-barbera-thornhill-trumps-anti-trafficking-ambassador-going-viral-her-maga-face Sun, 25 Oct 2026 22:00:14 +0000 Reuters Reuters Venezuelan opposition ⁠leader Maria Corina Machado was greeted by tens of thousands of cheering supporters as she made ⁠her way by car to Caracas on Sunday night, after she arrived home following several failed return attempts which have strained her ties with US President Donald Trump’s administration. “This country is giving lessons to everyone,” she shouted as her convoy entered the capital, leaning out of the sunroof to shake hands and hug raucous supporters. Nobel Peace Prize laureate... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372094/venezuelas-opposition-leader-maria-corina-machado-returns-after-months-exile https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/americas/article/3372094/venezuelas-opposition-leader-maria-corina-machado-returns-after-months-exile Sun, 25 Oct 2026 19:31:04 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press US Attorney General Todd Blanche on Sunday defended the Trump administration’s lawsuit to block certification of Alaska’s Senate results if Republican incumbent Dan Sullivan loses the race and argued that the legal challenge was a necessary step to avoid confusing voters in the closely watched midterm race. US President Donald Trump, who said on Friday that he was “the one that said do it”, is not trying to overturn state election results “in any way, shape or form” on the cusp of the November 3... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372093/trump-not-trying-meddle-alaska-election-results-suing-over-senate-race-blanche https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372093/trump-not-trying-meddle-alaska-election-results-suing-over-senate-race-blanche Sun, 25 Oct 2026 18:49:08 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that Iran and its allies might try to disrupt Tuesday’s Israeli elections, warning the Islamic republic against any hostile acts. The remarks came as Israel’s Channel 12 reported, citing unnamed sources, that there had been a confrontation between Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir over an unspecified new directive in the war with Iran, which the prime minister denied. Netanyahu has campaigned heavily on his security credentials, touting the war he... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372091/netanyahu-warns-iran-may-try-disrupt-election-says-dont-test-us https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/middle-east/article/3372091/netanyahu-warns-iran-may-try-disrupt-election-says-dont-test-us Sun, 25 Oct 2026 17:29:00 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg President Donald Trump defended his decision to wield tariffs during a campaign rally in Georgia, saying they have made the US richer, as he announced that Volkswagen agreed to build a new US$4.2 billion Audi plant in the state. “Think of that. 200,000 cars a year. That’s incredible,” Trump told a crowd in the city of Perry. “This will be the single largest investment in US auto industry history, modern history.” Later, he added, “Without tariffs, they wouldn’t be coming in.” Trump was speaking... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372051/trump-hails-tariffs-new-us42-billion-audi-plant-georgia https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372051/trump-hails-tariffs-new-us42-billion-audi-plant-georgia Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:44:54 +0000 Tom Hussain Tom Hussain Before the outbreak of the war triggered by the US-Israeli attack on Iran in February, the Gulf monarchies were living the prosperity dream that was the envy of the world. Their hydrocarbon-fuelled economies were glitzy oases of growth, inoculated from the conflict in Gaza that had rocked other parts of the Middle East for several years. Underpinned by decades-old US security guarantees and conflict mediation by billionaire sheikhs, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar cultivated... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3371922/gulf-economies-accelerate-diversification-recession-looms-over-iran-war https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3371922/gulf-economies-accelerate-diversification-recession-looms-over-iran-war Sun, 25 Oct 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Former US president Barack Obama delivered a scathing critique of his successor, Donald Trump, at a rally in Ohio on Saturday to support Democratic candidates ahead of the November 3 midterm elections. “After two years of chaos and cruelty and corruption and incompetence, the likes of which we have not seen in the modern era, you get a chance to say, ‘Enough is enough,’” Obama declared in Cleveland. “We are voting for change right here in Ohio.” The 65-year-old Democrat blamed the Trump... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372042/obama-blasts-trumps-chaos-and-cruelty-while-campaigning-democrats https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372042/obama-blasts-trumps-chaos-and-cruelty-while-campaigning-democrats Sat, 24 Oct 2026 22:50:31 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg US President Donald Trump cast his ballot for the midterm elections in Palm Beach on Saturday, opting to vote early in his adopted home state of Florida. At rallies ahead of Election Day on November 3, Trump has been urging Republicans to cast their ballots early, reversing course on a practice he has long decried in a bid to mobilise the party’s base in an election that threatens to end their control of Congress. Asked by reporters if he voted for the party line, he said: “Very much so.” The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372041/trump-critic-early-voting-votes-early-florida https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3372041/trump-critic-early-voting-votes-early-florida Sat, 24 Oct 2026 21:58:09 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Elon Musk said on Saturday that his company SpaceX had throttled the Starlink satellite internet service in Ukraine, disrupting operations that the country relies on to defend itself against Russia. Musk’s admission on social media came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine’s access to Starlink and Starshield satellite links has been restored to the speeds it had before restrictions that disrupted frontline operations for more than a week. Questions have persisted since... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372040/ukraines-starlink-speeds-restored-after-week-frontline-disruption https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/russia-central-asia/article/3372040/ukraines-starlink-speeds-restored-after-week-frontline-disruption Sat, 24 Oct 2026 18:00:35 +0000