Marco Rubio

US court strikes down Trump visa ban affecting South Asian nations

22 Aug 2026 - 1:51PM

Japan

Why Japan is walking on eggshells over US sanctions on ICC judge

21 Aug 2026 - 8:00AM

US designates academic Min Zin as ‘wrongfully detained’ in China

Case adds friction weeks before Trump-Xi summit, with Washington pressing Beijing over Americans held in the country.

21 Aug 2026 - 6:53AMvideocam

Min Zin founded the Institute for Strategy and Policy – Myanmar in 2016 and has written extensively about the country’s politics and economy. Photo: LinkedIn

US Democrats rebuke Trump for easing sanctions on Beijing, Hong Kong officials

Lawmakers said sanctions should remain as mainland Chinese, Hong Kong officials were ‘complicit in Beijing’s dismantling of Hong Kong’s autonomy’.

19 Aug 2026 - 9:14AMvideocam

US sanctions International Criminal Court chief Tomoko Akane

Senior ICC lawyer Abdoulaye Seye, who was on the prosecution team that sought an arrest warrant for Israeli PM Netanyahu, was also targeted.

19 Aug 2026 - 3:13PM

Rodriguez’s Castro tribute tests Venezuela’s balancing act between US and China

Beijing retains commercial interests in Venezuela even as analysts see Washington curbing its political and strategic influence.

17 Aug 2026 - 10:33PMvideocam

Venezuelan interim President Delcy Rodriguez’s tribute to late Cuban leader Fidel Castro drew an angry response from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Photo: AP

US sets up task force to combat birth tourism, revokes more than 600 visas

US State Department also announced earlier this week it had revoked more than 175,000 visas since Donald Trump returned to office.

13 Aug 2026 - 5:46AMvideocam

US-China trade war

Exclusive | US-China ‘Board of Investment’ stalls before expected Trump-Xi meeting

President of US-China Business Council says neither side has ‘initiated consultation process’ or is ready yet for private sector discussions.

13 Aug 2026 - 9:29AMvideocam

Rights groups sue the Trump administration over ICC sanctions

Lawsuit says Trump’s executive order targeting the International Criminal Court for investigating Israeli crimes in Palestine is ‘illegal’.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:31AM

The International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands. Photo: AP

Russia frees ailing ex-US marine after Putin’s ‘goodwill’ pardon

Robert Gilman was released on humanitarian grounds with no prisoner exchange after intervention by the White House.

12 Aug 2026 - 1:00AM

Former US marine Robert Gilman attending a court hearing in Voronezh, Russia in April. Gilman was released by Russia on humanitarian grounds on Tuesday. Photo: Reuters

US unveils critical minerals deals in latest push to counter China

Trump administration seeks Beijing-free supply chains for key defence materials as Iran war strains US weapons stockpiles.

8 Aug 2026 - 6:58AMvideocam

US sanctions Cuba’s military representative in Beijing over China procurement

Measures target officials and firms accused of obtaining military equipment from China and Russia for Cuba’s armed forces.

7 Aug 2026 - 10:17PMvideocam

Americas and the Caribbean

New UK foreign minister dodges questions on his past Trump remarks

Ed Miliband in Washington ignores shouted inquiries about calling the US president an ‘idiot, a racist and a misogynist’.

6 Aug 2026 - 12:55PM

British Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday. Photo: EPA

US, Israel war on Iran

US waging war on Iran not worth the cost, most Americans say in new survey

Marquette Law School poll also found 75 per cent of respondents nationwide did not believe the conflict was worth the cost.

5 Aug 2026 - 2:42PM

American forces launch strikes against Iran on July 22. Some 88 per cent of respondents to a nationwide survey believed the US had not achieved its war goals. Photo: AFP/US Central Command

US revokes visa of Brazil’s ambassador to Washington in escalating row

State Department retaliates against Brasilia over delayed envoy approval as fractious relationship is again tested.

5 Aug 2026 - 10:49AM

US State Department to close consulates in Canada, Japan and Indonesia: sources

The State Department did not confirm the closures but said it was focused on ensuring that America’s diplomatic footprint was efficient.

4 Aug 2026 - 7:21AM

2026 Xi-Trump summits

Exclusive | Trump envoy Daines to return to Beijing as US and China lock in Xi summit agenda

Montana Republican is helping narrow differences on issues expected to dominate summit planned for September in Washington, source says.

1 Aug 2026 - 6:37AMvideocam

US Senator Steve Daines has emerged as a pivotal backchannel figure between Washington and Beijing. Photo: AP

Chile’s Kast courts China day after US hits exports with forced labour tariff

Chilean president, who campaigned on aligning Chile with Trump, meets Beijing delegation as his party claims Washington cannot be trusted.

1 Aug 2026 - 9:57AMvideocam

2026 Xi-Trump summits

China voices ‘serious concern’ over new US curbs in senior trade talks

Beijing raises objections during high-level call as both sides work towards economic outcomes ahead of an expected Xi-Trump summit.

31 Jul 2026 - 6:16AMvideocam

US-Asean relations

Inside America’s US$1.5 billion play for Southeast Asian energy

Gas exports and mini reactors serve US interests as much as Asia’s – provided promised projects actually lead anywhere.

29 Jul 2026 - 7:00PM

A power plant and transmission lines in Thai Nguyen province, Vietnam. The International Development Finance Corporation has reportedly held talks with Vietnam on grid modernisation. Photo: AP

Artificial intelligence

AI competition heats up as US targets Southeast Asia’s public sector

Washington’s launch of AI Spark is seen as a move to counter Chinese AI models that have made inroads in Southeast Asia, analysts say.

29 Jul 2026 - 9:30AM

An illustration of the US and Chinese AI ecosystems. Photo: Shutterstock

US-Asean relations

Exclusive | Philippines, sovereignty, Pax Silica Industrial Hub – how US’ Helberg sees it

Senior US official tackles suggestions that Manila’s jurisdiction could be eroded by a joint supply chain project.

28 Jul 2026 - 10:09PMvideocam

As I see it | America declares international law for thee but not for me

While the US is seeking to dismantle the International Criminal Court, it has signed a statement upholding the Hague tribunal’s South China Sea ruling.

28 Jul 2026 - 8:30PM