Singapore has lowered its 2025 GDP growth forecast to 0-2% due to the anticipated impact of US tariffs on global trade. The Monetary Authority of Singapore has eased monetary policy in response to economic concerns stemming from the US-China trade war. The trade war is expected to negatively affect global trade, economic growth, and business sentiment.
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North Korea on Monday condemned joint US-South Korean military drills as a "provocative act", warning of the danger of sparking war with "an accidental single shot," days after Seoul's air force mistakenly bombed a village on its own territory. The latest exercise comes after two South Korean Air Force fighter jets accidentally dropped eight bombs on a village during a joint training exercise with US forces on March 6.
Thousands protested against US President Trump's immigration policies, blocking a major Los Angeles freeway. The demonstration, part of a broader anti-immigration crackdown movement, saw rallies in Riverside, San Diego, and Dallas. Demonstrators voiced strong opposition to recent ICE raids and Trump's aggressive deportation plans. The protests faced criticism from conservative figures, while Democratic leaders condemned the administration's stringent immigration measures.
The White House OMB withdrew its federal grant spending freeze directive just two days after its implementation, which caused widespread confusion. The freeze aimed to ensure compliance with executive orders, but legal challenges and pressure led to a quick reversal, avoiding potential disruptions in funding for vital programs and services.
Jagmeet Singh warns that Donald Trump's tariff threats pose a significant danger to Canadian jobs and the economy. He urges Canada to respond strongly, possibly by halting the export of critical minerals to the US, and firmly rejects any notion of Canada integrating into the United States.
The European Union has appointed Danish diplomat Peter Sorensen as its new special envoy for the stalled Serbia-Kosovo dialogue, starting in February. Sorensen succeeds Miroslav Lajcak and aims to revive talks that collapsed in March 2023 over a failed normalization agreement. With decades of experience in the Western Balkans, Sorensen will work to ease tensions rooted in Kosovo's 2008 independence, which Serbia still refuses to recognize.
Once again, Ali Ghulam receives mourners at his home -- his brother and nephew killed 40 years apart in the same sectarian conflict that was reignited this year in northwest Pakistan, claiming 200 lives since July alone. - 'Murdered my dreams' - Ghulam's nephew was killed along with at least 42 others last month, when Sunni gunmen opened fire on a convoy of Shiites being escorted by the police to their homes.
President Donald Trump expressed his intention to restart nuclear arms control talks with Russia and China, hoping to cut defense budgets by half. He emphasized the unnecessary expenditures on nuclear weapons and predicted China's nuclear capabilities to match others soon. Trump aims to engage with Presidents Xi and Putin once issues in the Middle East and Ukraine are resolved.
China warned parties in the Ukraine war on Thursday against making "irresponsible remarks" after President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Beijing knew its citizens were being recruited by Russia to fight in the conflict. Asked about Zelenskyy's assertion on Thursday, Beijing's foreign ministry told "relevant parties" to "refrain from expressing irresponsible remarks".
Alhurra, a US-funded Arabic news network, will cease broadcasting and lay off staff due to the Trump administration's funding cuts to government-backed media. Launched in 2004 to counter anti-American sentiment, Alhurra struggled against established networks. The move, part of broader budget reductions, has drawn criticism for potentially leaving space for extremist narratives in the Middle East.
Citing a source, PageSix reported that Kamala Harris' husband Doug Emhoff is telling people that Harris is the leader of the party but no one knows what she is doing. Dem donors who spent billions for Harris' campaign are left high and dry. "The person you just spent $2 billion on trying to elect? I’m glad she’s having a good time going to a musical, and being repped by CAA,†said the insider,