WASHINGTON, Aug 12 (Reuters) – Closed aircraft window shades. A ballcap pulled low to hide the president’s face. Seized cellphones. Strict warnings against leaks. These are all hallmarks of secret, unannounced trips made by American presidents to war zones and high-risk areas, a decades-old practice that has drawn new scrutiny after President Donald Trump sneaked…
By Joyce Lee and Kyu-seok Shim SEOUL, Aug 12 (Reuters) – North Korea fired a ballistic missile on Wednesday toward the sea off the Korean Peninsula’s east coast, South Korean and Japanese authorities said, days ahead of major joint military exercises by Seoul and Washington long denounced by Pyongyang. The missile was launched from the…
BERLIN, Aug 10 (Reuters) – A German far-right influencer whose online posts have been amplified by Elon Musk has applied for funding from the U.S. State Department to launch a media network for political content, Germany’s Handelsblatt news outlet reported on Monday. The self-professed libertarian and supporter of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) told…
TAIPEI, Aug 8 (Reuters) – China’s attempt to implement traffic control measures on shipping heading into the Taiwan Strait during Typhoon Dolphin is “ridiculous”, Taipei said, adding that Beijing has no right to restrict access to international waters. China, which views democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, also claims the strategic strait through which…
Aug 6 (Reuters) – Ukraine will provide assistance to farmers hit by Russian attacks on shipping and port facilities, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Thursday. Zelenskiy, speaking in his nightly video address, said the measures had been elaborated at a government meeting and would focus on farmers “who are now in a difficult situation because…
By Nichola Groom and Alexandra Alper WASHINGTON, Aug 6 (Reuters) – The White House on Thursday imposed a series of price floors and a 15% tariff on products made from polysilicon, the raw material used in semiconductors and solar panels that is primarily produced by China. U.S. President Donald Trump’s proclamation under Section 232 of…
By Ahmed Tolba, Nafisa Eltahir and Yasmine Ghania CAIRO/DUBAI, July 31 (Reuters) – Oil prices rose on Friday after Iran said it had stopped two vessels seeking to exit the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring concerns over global energy supplies following a drone attack on ships in a Mediterranean Egyptian port this week. Iran said four…
LONDON, July 31 (Reuters) – Britain’s approval for China to build a vast embassy in London was lawful, the High Court ruled on Friday, rejecting a legal challenge brought by a group of local residents. China’s plans to build an embassy on the site of the two-century-old Royal Mint Court near the Tower of London…
By Maxwell Akalaare Adombila DAKAR, July 28 (Reuters) – The U.S. is backing the Ampasindava rare earths project in Madagascar as part of its strategy to loosen the dominance of rivals in critical minerals supply chains, the State Department has said, underscoring Washington’s push to develop alternative sources of minerals now largely controlled by China….
BEIJING, July 28 (Reuters) – China’s No.2 leader, Premier Li Qiang, visited the city of Tangshan on Tuesday for the 50th anniversary of a 1976 earthquake that killed a quarter of a million people – a trip usually made by Chinese presidents. Li paid his respects on President Xi Jinping’s behalf, state media said, while…