NEWS

Members of the Philippine Coast Guard unfurl the national flag during a trip to a disputed reef that Chinese media had reported was under Beijing's control

China, Philippines Trade Barbs Over Disputed Reef

China and the Philippines on Monday defended their claims to a disputed reef in the South China Sea, after Manila accused Beijing of seeking to "intimidate and harass" with a state media report that suggested the area had been seized.
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Top US diplomat Marco Rubio billed the plan as a major shake-up in the State Department

US State Department To Cut Positions, Rights Offices

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.
The late pope's remains will be on display for three days in Saint Peter's Basilica

Embalming And Make-up: Pope's Body Prepared For Lying-in-state

Ahead of his lying-in-state, Pope Francis's body was made ready to withstand Rome's warm spring weather with a temporary embalming and a touch of make-up, an expert told AFP. The body of the 88-year-old, who died on Monday, will be on display for three days in Saint Peter's Basilica from Wednesday before his funeral on Saturday.
A wounded Palestinian girl stands amid the debris of her family home after overnight Israeli strikes

Israel Says No Humanitarian Aid Will Enter Gaza

Israel said Wednesday it would keep blocking humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, where a relentless military offensive has turned the Palestinian territory into a "mass grave", a medical charity reported.
A woman walks past an electronics store at a shopping mall in Beijing on April 13, 2025

US Says Tech Tariff Exemptions May Be Short-lived

Recent exemptions to sweeping US import tariffs may be short-lived, top officials said Sunday, with Donald Trump warning that no one was "getting off the hook," and China urging the US to simply abandon its aggressive trade levies policy altogether.
The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) is a cornerstone of trade relations between the United States and African countries

AGOA: US-Africa Trade Accord Hangs In The Balance

The African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), whose future is in doubt since Donald Trump returned to the White House, provides duty-free access to the United States for certain African products.

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