World

US president Franklin D. Roosevelt, at the end of 1940 in one of his famous “fireside chats”, first coined the idea of the US as the “arsenal of democracy”. Congress might have been unwilling to directly join the war in Europe but it could certainly be persuaded to sell the military equipment its allies needed.Since then, the United States has not only retained its formidable military dominance but also eagerly exports its arms, as a source of valuable export earnings and means of subsidising the momentous cost of maintaining global military dominance. Today, the US accounts for 43 per cent of all arms exports, supplying at least 107 countries. A large arsenal? Certainly. All to democracies? No.The spirit of the US as an arsenal of democracy seems alive and well, as seen from President Don...

The US Environmental Protection Agency has drafted a plan to eliminate all limits on greenhouse gases from coal and gas-fired power plants in the United States, according to internal agency documents seen by US mediaThe EPA argued in its proposed regulation that carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from power plants that burn fossil fuels “do not contribute significantly to dangerous pollution” or to climate change because they are a small and declining share of global emissions, according to a New York Times report.The EPA also said that eliminating those emissions would have no meaningful effect on public health and welfare, the report added.According to the United Nations, fossil fuels are by far the largest contributors to global warming, accounting for more than 75 per cent of gl...

Suriname, South America’s smallest country, is preparing for an inflow of cash from a huge offshore oil find, with the president insisting the population will receive a direct share of the wealth.The Dutch-speaking nation of about 600,000 people expects to rake in about US$10 billion in the next decade or two, with crude extraction set to begin in 2028.Projected output is 220,000 barrels per day (bpd) – up from about 5,000 to 6,000 – in a country where one in five people live in poverty.“From 2028, we’ll be an oil-producing country,” President Chan Santokhi said ahead of elections on Sunday for lawmakers who will choose the next president.He is one of several candidates in the running to steer the former Dutch colony wedged between Brazil, Guyana and French Guiana.“It will be a huge amount...

US President Donald Trump threatened sweeping 50 per cent tariffs on the European Union starting June 1, citing a breakdown in trade talks with the bloc, and simultaneously took aim at Apple, warning of a 25 per cent levy on iPhones made outside the US.The moves hit stock markets hard, with the S&P 500 shedding 0.67 per cent and Apple down 3.02 per cent at the close amid a broad downturn in European markets.Trump on Friday took to social media to explain his targeting of Apple.“I have long ago informed Tim Cook of Apple that I expect their iPhones that will be sold in the United States of America will be manufactured and built in the United States, not India, or anyplace else,” Trump wrote, referring to the tech giant’s CEO.“If that is not the case, a Tariff of at least 25 per cent mus...

The European Union is considering cutting more than 20 banks from SWIFT, the international payments system, as well as lowering a price cap on Russian oil and banning the Nord Stream gas pipelines as part of a new sanctions package that aims to increase pressure on Moscow to end its war against Ukraine.The European Commission is consulting member states over the plans, according to people familiar with the matter. A decision on timing of potential restrictions has yet to be taken, said the people, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations. EU sanctions require the backing of all member states, and could change before they’re formally proposed and adopted.The EU is also weighing additional transaction bans on about two dozen banks and some €2.5 billion (US$2.84 bi...

Hours after US President Donald Trump hosted a dinner with holders of his cryptocurrency token $TRUMP, the White House has not released a complete list of attendees, which reportedly included major industry players from overseas. But Justin Sun, the top holder of $TRUMP and founder of the blockchain company Tron, has not been shy about his participation.“The gala dinner we had today I think sends a very strong signal,” Sun told the South China Morning Post in a video interview after the dinner. “I think it’s really going to change a lot of people’s opinions about crypto policymaking here … [It] will have a global impact.”Trump held the dinner on Thursday night at the Trump National Golf Club in Washington with the biggest holders of his so-called memecoin, which he launched in January, thr...

The only times the Palestinian man wasn’t bound or blindfolded, he said, was when he was used by Israeli soldiers as their human shield.Dressed in army fatigues with a camera fixed to his forehead, Ayman Abu Hamadan was forced into houses in the Gaza Strip to make sure they were clear of bombs and gunmen, he said. When one unit finished with him, he was passed to the next.“They beat me and told me: ‘You have no other option; do this or we’ll kill you,’” the 36-year-old said, describing the two weeks he was held last summer by the Israeli military in northern Gaza.Orders often came from the top, and at times nearly every platoon used a Palestinian to clear locations, said an Israeli officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.Several Palestinians and soldiers said that ...

Few Americans knew of Norman Wong, a 75-year-old retired carpenter living quietly in Brentwood, California, until a presidential executive order transformed him into an unlikely symbol of a new national battle over a core constitutional issue: who is an American?His face has appeared across major American news organisations in recent days. When the South China Morning Post interviewed Wong via video, a television crew was en route to his home, and a calendar in the background overflowed with interview requests. With a sheepish grin, Wong admitted he sometimes confused journalists’ names with their media outlets.Amid the whirlwind of attention, Wong has resolved to remain a counterpoint to US President Donald Trump’s order restricting birthright citizenship, a controversial proclamation now...

Harvard sued US President Donald Trump’s administration on Friday over its move to revoke the university’s ability to enrol foreign students, about a fifth of whom hail from China.In a complaint filed in federal court in Boston, Harvard called the move a “blatant violation” of the US Constitution’s First Amendment and due process clause, noting that it had an “immediate and devastating effect” on the university and more than 7,000 visa holders.“With the stroke of a pen, the government has sought to erase a quarter of Harvard’s student body, international students who contribute significantly to the university and its mission,” Harvard added.“It is the latest act by the government in clear retaliation for Harvard exercising its First Amendment rights to reject the government’s demands to co...

Brazilian photographer and environmentalist Sebastiao Salgado, known for his award-winning images of nature and humanity, has died at age 81.Instituto Terra, which was founded by him and his wife, confirmed the information Friday, but did not provide more details on the circumstances or where he died. The French Academy of Fine Arts, of which Salgado was a member, also confirmed his death.The photographer had suffered from various health problems for many years after contracting malaria in the 1990s.“Sebastiao was more than one of the best photographers of our time,” Instituto Terra said in a statement. “His lens revealed the world and its contradictions; his life, [brought] the power of transformative action.”“We will continue to honour his legacy, cultivating the land, the justice and th...