Category: World

WASHINGTON: After an attack at the official residence of Democratic heavyweight and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, US police said Sunday they had arrested a man for alleged arson and “terrorism”. Widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, Shapiro was inside with his family when the fire broke out in a different part of the Georgian-style mansion in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, state police said. “While the fire was successfully extinguished, it caused a significant amount of damage to a portion of the residence,” the force said in a statement. No casualties…

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SEOUL: South Korea’s former president Yoon Suk Yeol on Monday denied he had committed insurrection, as the impeached leader appeared in court on the first day of his criminal trial over his martial law declaration. Yoon was formally stripped of office earlier this month, after being impeached and suspended by lawmakers over his December 3 attempt to subvert civilian rule, which saw armed soldiers deployed to parliament. He became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in January in connection to the criminal case against him, although…

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Discussions with the United States President Donald Trump’s team are progressing positively, the Kremlin said on Sunday but cautioned that immediate results are unlikely due to the extensive damage to US-Russia relations under the previous president, Joe Biden. Trump, who aims to be seen as a peacemaker, has expressed a desire to end the ongoing war in Ukraine, which his administration now frames as a proxy conflict between the US and Russia — a view that aligns with Moscow’s perspective. Following talks with President Vladimir Putin, Trump’s special envoy Steve…

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US President Trump on Sunday pushed back against the idea that his 90-day tariff delay means countries are avoiding trade penalties, asserting that all nations remain under pressure and that China, in particular, continues to face serious consequences. Following the April 2 announcement of sweeping tariffs, markets have been shaken by uncertainty. A recent pause in the most severe tariffs offered a brief recovery, with most countries now facing a 10 percent levy—except China, which escalated tensions by raising its own tariffs to 125 percent. U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods…

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US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed on Sunday that newly exempted electronics, including smartphones and computers, may soon be subject to a separate set of tariffs, Reuters reported. Speaking on ABC’s This Week, Lutnick indicated that new duties could be imposed within the next two months, also targeting semiconductors and pharmaceuticals. These remarks mark a new development in President Donald Trump’s ongoing tariff strategy, which has unsettled global trade and triggered intense volatility in financial markets since its rollout on April 2 — what Trump called “Liberation Day.” On Friday,…

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The Saudi Ministry of Interior has outlined a series of procedures and guidelines in preparation for Hajj 2025, aimed at ensuring the safety and security of pilgrims throughout the holy season. In a notification issued on Sunday, the ministry announced that the final date for Umrah performers to enter the Kingdom is Sunday, 13 April 2025, while the last permissible date for departure is Tuesday, 29 April 2025. Notice issued by the Minitry of Interior of Saudi Arabia, April 13, 2025. —X/@MOISaudiArabia The ministry cautioned that overstaying beyond the specified…

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Moderate-magnitude earthquakes struck Myanmar, which is already dealing with the extensive damage caused by a recent earthquake, Papua New Guinea and Tajikistan on Sunday. As Myanmar lamented thousands of deaths amid the celebration marking the start of the water festival, the European Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) reported that an earthquake of magnitude 5.6 had rattled the crisis-hit country. As per the seismological centre, the quake was at a depth of 35 kilometres (21.75 miles). The EMSC also reported an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 in the central Asian country of Tajikistan…

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LONDON: British Finance Minister Rachel Reeves has warned that tariffs introduced by US President Donald Trump could have a profound impact on the UK and global economy, as she called for stronger international cooperation on trade. The British minister said this in a column for The Observer, due to be published on Sunday. She says she wants to achieve “an ambitious new relationship” with the European Union while still negotiating a trade deal with the United States. In a separate article from Reeves’ column on Saturday, The Observer said the finance minister wrote…

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WASHINGTON/WEST PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump’s administration has granted exclusions from steep reciprocal tariffs to smartphones, computers, and some other electronics imported largely from China, offering a major reprieve to tech companies like Apple that rely on overseas products. In a notice to shippers, the US Customs and Border Protection agency published a list of tariff codes excluded from the import duties. The exclusions are retroactive to 12:01 am EDT (0401 GMT) on 5 April. The US CBP listed 20 product categories, including the broad 8471 code covering all computers,…

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Iran on Friday expressed its desire for a “real and fair” deal concerning its nuclear programme, as the United States signalled openness to flexibility in the upcoming critical negotiations, while maintaining its firm position that Tehran must not acquire nuclear weapons. The longtime adversaries are set to meet today in Oman, weeks after a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US President Donald Trump, who sought diplomacy but warned of possible military action if Iran refuses. “Far from putting up a show and merely talking in front of…

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