Politics

Lawyers for the Trump administration and Harvard University will face each other in a Boston courtroom Monday with billions in federal funding hanging in the balance. The White House has frozen over $2bn in federal grants to Harvard, demanding changes to the university's hiring, admissions and teaching practices to combat antisemitism and eliminate DEI programs focused on diversity, equity and inclusion. The administration has also blocked Harvard's access to visa systems for international students. Harvard has filed lawsuits seeking summary judgment, hoping for a swift decision based on established facts without a full trial. The hearing will take place before US District Judge Allison Burroughs, who has previously ruled in Harvard's favor regarding the foreign student visa dispute. While an immediate ruling after Monday's hearing is unlikely, Harvard's attorneys have requested a decision by September 3, the deadline the administration […]

Japan's ruling coalition has lost its majority in the upper house, though Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba stated he has no plans to resign. Sunday's closely contested election occurred amid public frustration with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and junior partner Komeito coalition over rising prices and potential US tariffs. Speaking after polls closed, Ishiba said he "solemnly" accepts the "harsh result" while focusing on trade negotiations. The coalition required 50 seats to maintain control of the 248-seat upper chamber but secured only 47. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party finished second with 22 seats. This defeat, combined with losing the lower house majority last year, significantly undermines the coalition's influence. Half the upper chamber seats were contested Sunday, with members serving six-year terms. Jeffrey Hall from Kanda University of International Studies explained that right-wing parties had eroded LDP's conservative support […]

Syria's security forces are deploying to the southern province of Suwayda following heavy fighting between Druze and Bedouin armed groups and government forces that has resulted in hundreds of casualties. The Syrian presidency announced a comprehensive ceasefire on Saturday, stating: "In light of the critical circumstances the country is going through, and out of concern to spare Syrian blood, preserve the unity of Syrian territory, the safety of its people, and in response to national and humanitarian responsibility, the Presidency of the Syrian Arab Republic announces a comprehensive and immediate ceasefire." The presidency urged all parties to allow Syrian state institutions and forces to implement the ceasefire responsibly to ensure stability and end bloodshed. These developments followed earlier announcements by US envoy Tom Barrack that Israel and Syria had agreed to a ceasefire after days of violence in the predominantly […]

The United States Senate has approved a comprehensive spending cuts package that reduces Washington's foreign aid expenditures by approximately $8bn as part of President Donald Trump's commitment to significantly reduce federal spending. The package passed by a narrow 51-48 margin early Thursday, canceling $9bn in previously approved congressional spending, including over $1bn eliminated from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Two of the Senate's 53 Republicans joined Democrats in opposing the legislation. The vote served as a measure of senators' willingness to approve spending cuts recommended by Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Trump, who has prioritized federal spending reduction as a domestic goal, established the department and initially appointed billionaire tech mogul Elon Musk to identify government cost-cutting opportunities before the SpaceX and Tesla CEO departed in May. A public dispute between Musk and Trump over deficit spending emerged shortly […]

President Donald Trump has terminated $4bn in federal funding for California's high-speed rail project, criticizing the initiative as a "boondoggle" and a "train to nowhere." Trump announced the decision Wednesday via social media, stating he had "freed" taxpayers from the "disastrously overpriced" proposed railway connecting Los Angeles and San Francisco. The project has faced significant delays and cost escalations throughout its development. "This boondoggle, led by the incompetent Governor of California, Gavin Newscum, has cost Taxpayers Hundreds of Billions of Dollars, and we have received NOTHING in return except Cost Overruns," Trump posted on Truth Social, using his frequent nickname for Democratic Governor Gavin Newsom. "The Railroad we were promised still does not exist, and never will." Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy supported the funding cut, criticizing Democrats for wasteful spending and emphasizing that federal money is not a "blank cheque." […]

A new Democratic report warns that the United States is ceding strategic ground to China as President Donald Trump's foreign policy approach undermines Washington's global competitiveness. The report, examining Trump's first six months in office, argues his tenure has "significantly undermined" America's ability to compete with China on the world stage. According to the Democratic members of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee who authored Monday's report, staff reductions at the State Department and cuts to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and US Agency for Global Media have weakened American power and influence. The report characterizes China as presenting a "strategic challenge distinct from any in our nation's history" with a comprehensive plan to "unseat the United States as the world's leading superpower." Senator Jeanne Shaheen stated that while Trump "retreats from every corner of the world […]

President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with Vladimir Putin over the ongoing Ukraine conflict and indicated he may impose additional sanctions on Russia. "We get a lot of b******t thrown at us by Putin," Trump stated during a White House cabinet meeting Tuesday. "He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless." Trump noted that Putin is "killing a lot of people," including both Russian soldiers and Ukrainian forces. When questioned about Senate-proposed legislation for further Russian sanctions, Trump responded: "I'm looking at it very strongly." However, Trump declined to elaborate on his plans regarding Putin, telling reporters: "I wouldn't be telling you. Don't we want to have a little surprise?" He then shifted the discussion to last month's US strikes against Iran's nuclear facilities. These remarks coincided with French President Emmanuel Macron's address to the British […]

An Israeli strike on a vehicle near the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli has killed at least three people and injured 13 others, according to Lebanon's Health Ministry, marking another violation of the ceasefire between the two countries. The attack occurred Tuesday in the Ayrounieh area as Israel continues striking Lebanon despite Hezbollah's weakened state, the Lebanese army's limited capacity to respond, and the international community's inability to enforce the truce. The strike near Lebanon's northernmost major city, located more than 180km from the Israeli border, demonstrates Israel's readiness to conduct operations throughout the country beyond southern regions. The Israeli military stated it targeted a "key" figure from Hamas without providing identification. However, a Hamas source in Lebanon told Al Araby TV that no senior official from the group was killed in the strike. Lebanon's Annahar newspaper reported that initial […]

British Foreign Secretary David Lammy has criticized the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and indicated that the United Kingdom could take additional measures against Israel if a ceasefire agreement fails to materialize. During testimony before Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday, Lammy also condemned the new aid distribution system in Gaza operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a group supported by the United States and Israel. "We've been very clear that we don't support the aid foundation that has been set up," Lammy stated. "It's not doing a good job. Too many people are close to starvation. Too many people have lost their lives. We have led globally on our condemnation the system that has been set up." Recent weeks have seen hundreds of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire while seeking GHF assistance. When asked by a legislator whether the […]