Marco Rubio

China-Latin America relations

Exclusive | Sanctioned Rubio to visit China with Trump despite earlier missed opportunities

The formerly hawkish US secretary of state has been sanctioned by Beijing and sources say he has previously appeared reluctant to visit.

13 Mar 2026 - 6:18AMvideocam

As a senator, Marco Rubio had cultivated a reputation as a China hawk. Photo: AP

Amid China cable fallout, Chile’s president ends term, calls for unity

Undersea fibre-optic cable project linking Chile to Hong Kong enraged US, causing dispute that defined Gabriel Boric’s final weeks in office.

12 Mar 2026 - 5:08AMvideocam

China-Latin America relations

US threats and a Chinese cable scandal mark first day for Chile’s new president

The US forced Chile to cancel a Chinese undersea cable. Now the region is asking who gets to decide what infrastructure Latin America builds.

12 Mar 2026 - 12:54AMvideocam

Trump’s ‘feeling’-driven Iran war cops criticism for ‘arrogant’ messaging

The conflict started by the US president lacks clear rationale, stoking public opposition and economic concerns amid rising fuel prices.

7 Mar 2026 - 3:53PMvideocam

Smoke rises after an Iranian drone was intercepted over the Bahrain Financial Harbour towers in Manama on Saturday. Photo: Reuters

Americas and the Caribbean

‘Disappointing’: Americans recall desperate, self-funded escapes from Mideast

‘Everyone’s been sending each other resources because, quite frankly, the US has not done a single thing in any capacity,’ a traveller says.

7 Mar 2026 - 11:35AMvideocam

Trump says Cuba is going to ‘fall pretty soon’

The president has said it is ‘just a matter of time’ before the US turns to Cuba after finishing its war in Iran.

7 Mar 2026 - 7:59AM

US seen as likely responsible for Iran school strike that killed scores

A girls’ school in Minab, in southern Iran, was hit on Saturday during the first day of US and Israeli attacks on the country.

6 Mar 2026 - 3:32PMvideocam

Graves for victims of the strike on a school in Minab, Iran. Photo: Iranian Foreign Media Department via Reuters

Taiwan

What does Marco Rubio’s ‘unleash Chiang’ threat against Iran actually mean?

US secretary of state’s invocation of Cold War expression stirs unexpected debate in Taiwan.

5 Mar 2026 - 10:29PMvideocam

Analysts say US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s use of the phrase “unleash Chiang” should not be interpreted as a signal directed at Taiwan or mainland China. Photo: EPA

US Senate rejects bid to curb Trump’s Iran war powers despite growing concerns

The bipartisan resolution, which failed by 52-47 votes, was aimed at stifling Donald Trump’s authority to continue military strikes on Iran.

6 Mar 2026 - 7:56AMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Unesco-listed Iran palace damaged as US and Israel ramp up air war

Shockwaves from strikes on Tehran shatter glass and mirrors in the historic Golestan Palace, prompting reaction from the UN.

4 Mar 2026 - 9:24PMvideocam

Donald Trump

Video | Trump seeks to justify Iran war

The US President held a White House meeting where he seemed to walk back Marco Rubio’s comments that Israel triggered the war.

4 Mar 2026 - 11:46AM

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Opposition leader Machado will return to Venezuela in coming weeks

The Nobel Peace Prize winner prepares for a homecoming that the acting president warns will require her to ‘answer’ to the state.

2 Mar 2026 - 10:23AM

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado greets a supporter in Washington. Photo: AFP

As US names Tibet coordinator, is it eyeing China, its minority groups or trade?

Special coordinator for Tibetan issues says he seeks to advance US efforts to ‘preserve Tibetans’ precious heritage’.

1 Mar 2026 - 9:42PMvideocam

Iran

Trump was once not keen on regime change in Iran – then he lost patience

The US president’s risk tolerance evolved dramatically, leading to strikes on Iran’s clerical leadership, as talks dragged on.

1 Mar 2026 - 2:24PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

Burgers, then war: Trump’s bluffs before Iran strikes

The US president gave mixed signals about whether the attack was coming, but his weekend Mar-a-Lago trip may have been the big giveaway.

1 Mar 2026 - 6:55AMvideocam

President Donald Trump visits a Whataburger restaurant in Corpus Christi, Texas, Friday, Feb. 27, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Diplomacy

Opinion | Why China steers clear of the West’s transactional diplomacy

Strains in transatlantic ties show the limits of quid pro quo diplomacy – and the appeal of Beijing’s relationship-first approach.

1 Mar 2026 - 5:30AMvideocam

Trump says US discussing ‘friendly takeover’ of Cuba: ‘they’re in big trouble’

‘They have no money, they have no oil, they have no food,’ the president says, as the US puts pressure on the Communist-run island.

28 Feb 2026 - 2:52AM

Exclusive | China scours for Trump bargaining chips ahead of Beijing summit with Xi: sources

Government departments are tasked with researching and assessing likely demands by the US leader as well as formulating possible concessions.

27 Feb 2026 - 10:03PMvideocam

Chinese President Xi Jinping welcomes US President Donald Trump outside the Great Hall of the People in Beijing during the American leader’s 2017 visit. Photo: Xinhua

Trump says ‘not happy’ with Iran talks, US staff leave Israel over war risks

Other countries, including China, Germany and the UK, have issued warnings or relocated their citizens.

28 Feb 2026 - 5:07AM

The USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier leaves Souda Bay on the island of Crete on Thursday. Photo: AFP

European Union

Opinion | Europe is ready for strategic autonomy, but at what cost?

The EU post-war project left Europe lagging behind the US and China. Now, without American protection, the continent must reclaim its edge.

27 Feb 2026 - 9:00AMvideocam

China, Russia should join US in new nuclear arms control deal: Rubio

Secretary of State says US and China now have ‘strategic stability’ in their long-fractious relationship as crucial Trump-Xi summit nears.

27 Feb 2026 - 8:00AMvideocam

US and Iran wrap up talks without a deal as war risks persist

Oman’s mediator cites ‘significant progress’ in Geneva, but a massive US naval build-up keeps the Middle East on edge.

27 Feb 2026 - 4:24PM

An Iranian woman walks past an anti-US billboard in Tehran. Photo: West Asia News Agency via Reuters