POLITICS

President Donald Trump's top diplomat Marco Rubio on Tuesday unveiled a restructuring of the US State Department that will cut positions and scale back human rights offices, saying the "bloated" organization was ideologically out of sync with the administration.

Singapore's election campaign officially kicked off Wednesday, with Prime Minister Lawrence Wong facing his first major test amid public frustration over rising living costs and a rejuvenated opposition.

Envoys from Washington, Kyiv and European nations gathered for talks in Britain on Wednesday amid a new US push to end Russia's war in Ukraine, but a planned meeting of foreign ministers was postponed.

Elon Musk will significantly scale back his Trump administration work in May to focus on Tesla, the billionaire announced Tuesday as the electric vehicle maker reported a 71 percent drop in first-quarter profits.

With his storm of tariffs on Chinese goods, US President Donald Trump has torched ties with Beijing and likely wrecked any hope of meeting his counterpart Xi Jinping in the near term, analysts say.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared information on forthcoming US air strikes on Yemen in a private Signal chat group that included his wife, brother and personal lawyer, the New York Times and CNN reported on Sunday.

South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol appeared in court Monday for the second hearing of his criminal trial to defend himself against insurrection charges over his short-lived declaration of martial law.

The United States would drastically reduce its diplomatic footprint in Africa and scrap State Department offices dealing with climate change, democracy and human rights, according to a draft White House order.

Russia fired a fresh volley of missiles and drones at Ukraine overnight, wounding dozens of people, Kyiv said Friday, as the United States warned it could end efforts to broker a ceasefire if it did not see progress soon.

While China's leaders use their economic and political might to fight Donald Trump's trade war "to the end", its army of social media soldiers are embarking on a more humorous campaign online.

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney faced sustained attacks from his Conservative rival at an election debate Thursday, but the Liberal leader sought to focus attention on what he calls Canada's top threat, President Donald Trump.

American Senator Chris Van Hollen said Thursday he had met with a Salvadoran man wrongfully deported to his home country by the Trump administration, in a case that has sparked outrage in the United States.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he does not hold Volodymyr Zelensky "responsible" for Russia's invasion of his country but continued to criticize the pro-Western Ukrainian leader.

UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi met the head of Iran's atomic energy agency, Mohammad Eslami, on Thursday ahead of a fresh round of nuclear talks between Tehran and Washington.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni meets with Donald Trump Thursday in Washington, hoping a personal charm offensive can help convince the US president to cut a more favourable deal on EU tariffs.

Russian President Vladimir Putin praised Elon Musk on Wednesday, telling university students he was a pioneer comparable to legendary Soviet rocket engineer Sergei Korolev.

Canada's main party leaders face off Wednesday in a debate that could prove pivotal ahead of this month's election, with Prime Minister Mark Carney's French language skills set to be tested.

China told Washington on Wednesday to "stop threatening and blackmailing" after US President Donald Trump said it was up to Beijing to come to the negotiating table to discuss ending their trade war.

Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Wednesday that Iran's enrichment of uranium as part of its nuclear program was "non-negotiable" after US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff called for a halt.

US President Donald Trump ordered a probe Tuesday that may result in tariffs on critical minerals, rare-earth metals and associated products such as smartphones, in an escalation of his dispute with global trade partners.

US Vice President JD Vance hailed his country's transatlantic alliances, striking a more positive note, but in an interview urged European states to show greater independence.

China's President Xi Jinping urged Vietnam to join forces in upholding free trade, before wrapping up a visit to Hanoi on Tuesday which President Donald Trump said was aiming to "screw" the United States.

US President Donald Trump is set to meet with Salvadoran counterpart Nayib Bukele on Monday, who has won heaping praise from Washington for partnering in its legally contested migrant crackdown.

South Korea's former president Yoon Suk Yeol denied Monday he had committed insurrection, as the impeached ex-leader appeared in court for the opening of his criminal trial over his martial law declaration.

Chinese leader Xi Jinping warned that protectionism "leads nowhere" and that a trade war would have "no winners", state media said, as he arrived in Vietnam on Monday on the first leg of a Southeast Asia tour.

Markets on Monday welcomed a US tariffs reprieve for electronics, but President Donald Trump warned no country would get "off the hook" in his trade war -- especially China.

Hungary's parliament on Monday is expected to approve constitutional changes further clamping down on rights for LGBTQ people and other groups, part of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's "Easter cleanup" against his domestic opponents.

South Korea's impeached ex-leader Yoon Suk Yeol embraced supporters as he left the presidential residence in the capital Seoul on Friday, after being stripped of his duties.

Chinese President Xi Jinping urged the European Union on Friday to join hands with Beijing in resisting "unilateral bullying", in reference to swingeing tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump.