U.S. President Donald Trump

April 23, 2025 3:50 PM

Pope Francis’ body lies in state at St Peter’s ahead of funeral

Maria Pia Caruso travelled to Rome from her hometown in northern Italy after she learned Pope Francis had died at age 88, to say a final goodbye to a pontiff she believes brought important changes to the global Catholic Church. Caruso entered St. Peter's Square with her husband at 7 a.m., to make sure they had a seat to watch the solemn procession bringing the pope's body to St. Peter's Basilica, where it will lie in state for three days. "This pope has been really important," said Caruso, spe...

April 23, 2025 11:16 AM

IMF slashes global outlook as White House says trade talks pick up pace

Worldwide economic output will slow in the months ahead as U.S. President Donald Trump's steep tariffs on virtually all trading partners begin to bite, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday, as global finance chiefs swarmed Washington seeking deals with Trump's team to lower the levies. Indeed, the pace of negotiations was brisk, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, with 18 different countries offering proposals so far and Trump's trade negotiating team set to meet with ...

April 23, 2025 10:51 AM

Ukraine presses for ceasefire as Russia reported to offer concession

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Tuesday Ukraine was ready for talks with Russia "in any format" once a ceasefire is set, while the Financial Times reported President Vladimir Putin had offered to halt Russia's invasion at the current front lines. Both sides are trying to demonstrate progress towards ending Russia's war in Ukraine, now well into its fourth year, after U.S. President Donald Trump said he could walk away from efforts to make peace if there is no breakthrough. "We are ready ...

April 18, 2025 6:25 PM

US will abandon Ukraine peace push if no progress ‘within a matter of days,’ Rubio says

U.S. President Donald Trump will walk away from trying to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal within days unless there are clear signs that a deal can be done, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Friday. "We're not going to continue with this endeavour for weeks and months on end. So we need to determine very quickly now, and I'm talking about a matter of days, whether or not this is doable in the next few weeks," Rubio said in Paris after meeting European and Ukrainian leaders. ...

April 17, 2025 10:15 AM

World Bank’s Banga urges developing nations to lower tariffs, focus on regional trade

World Bank President Ajay Banga urged developing countries on Wednesday to liberalize trade, saying many maintained higher tariffs than advanced economies and lowering them could offset the risk of reciprocal import taxes. Banga told reporters that global uncertainty - triggered in recent months by U.S. tariffs and retaliatory measures announced by China and other countries - was contributing to a more cautious business and economic environment. He said the impact would vary country by country...

April 14, 2025 12:36 PM

Back to Russian gas? Trump-wary EU has energy security dilemma

More than three years after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Europe's energy security is fragile. U.S. liquefied natural gas helped to plug the Russian supply gap in Europe during the 2022-2023 energy crisis. But now that President Donald Trump has rocked relationships with Europe established after World War Two, and turned to energy as a bargaining chip in trade negotiations, businesses are wary that reliance on the United States has become another vulnerability. Against this backdrop, executiv...

April 3, 2025 5:06 PM

Hungary says it is withdrawing from ICC as Israeli leader visits

Hungary's government has decided to withdraw from the International Criminal Court, it said on Thursday, shortly after Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu, sought under an ICC arrest warrant, arrived in the country for a state visit. Right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Israeli counterpart to Budapest in November, a day after the ICC issued its arrest warrant over allegations of war crimes in Gaza, where Israel launched its offensive following an attack by Hamas-led fighte...

March 16, 2025 10:13 AM

Who are Yemen’s Houthis and why are they under attack by the US?

U.S. President Donald Trump has launched the biggest military operation in the Middle East since taking office against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis after they resumed Red Sea shipping attacks. The strikes, which have killed at least 24 people so far, could last for weeks according to one U.S. official and come as Trump ramps up sanctions pressure on Tehran. WHAT IS THE HISTORY OF THE HOUTHIS? In the late 1990s, the Houthi family in the far north of Yemen set up a religious revival movement fo...

March 16, 2025 7:47 AM

Trump launches large-scale strikes on Yemen’s Houthis, at least 24 killed

U.S. President Donald Trump launched large-scale military strikes against Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthis on Saturday over the group's attacks against Red Sea shipping, killing at least 24 people at the start of a campaign expected to last many days. Trump also warned Iran, the Houthis' main backer, that it needed to immediately halt support for the group. He said if Iran threatened the United States, "America will hold you fully accountable and, we won't be nice about it!" The unfolding strikes ...

March 15, 2025 9:30 AM

After Trump request, Putin says he will let Ukraine troops in Kursk live if they surrender

U.S. President Donald Trump urged Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin on Friday to spare Ukrainian troops that Russia is pushing out of its Kursk region, an appeal Putin said he would honor if they surrendered. Trump posted on social media after his envoy, Steve Witkoff, held a lengthy meeting with Putin on Thursday night in Moscow that Trump described as "very good and productive". "There is a very good chance that this horrible, bloody war can finally come to an end," Trump said, referring to a U....