United States

US to Significantly Step Up Support to Philippines

The United States will provide $500 million in military funding to the Philippines, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday, as Washington boosts ties with Manila in the face of China's growing assertiveness. Blinken was in Manila with US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin as part of an Asia-Pacific tour to strengthen Washington's ...

Quad ‘Seriously Concerned’ About Situation in South China Sea

The foreign ministers of the United States, Japan, Australia and India expressed on Monday "serious concern" over the situation in the South China Sea in a veiled rebuke to Beijing. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and his counterparts in the so-called Quad grouping issued a joint statement calling for a "free and open" Pacific after talks in ...

Divided We Stand 

If I had to choose a motto to depict, by and large, the international scenery, I would opt for the above-mentioned aphorism. The chaotic landscapes burgeoning, throughout the various geopolitical spectrums, is a quite appropriate representation when it comes to describing the dynamics of implosion on the crossroads between domestic and ...

Blinken in Laos for Key Talks with Chinese Counterpart

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken hit out at China's "escalatory and unlawful actions" in the South China Sea on Saturday, hours before he was due to hold talks with Beijing's top diplomat at a regional meeting in Laos. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Laos on Saturday, where he will attend a regional meeting and hold talks with ...

Trump Slams Rivals as He Meets Netanyahu in Florida

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump sharply criticized his Democratic political rivals and pledged to work for peace in the Middle East if reelected as he met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Florida on Friday. The meeting capped a week in which Netanyahu addressed the US Congress and held talks with President Joe ...

US Elections: Biden Explains Why He Dropped Out

US President Joe Biden told Americans Wednesday that he had dropped out of the 2024 election to unite his party and his country, saying in a historic Oval Office speech that it was time to pass the torch to "younger voices." In his first televised address since his stunning decision, the 81-year-old hailed his "tough" and "capable" Vice President ...

The United States Are Expecting a Ceasefire in Gaza Very Soon

Negotiations for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal are in their "closing stages," a US official said Wednesday, ahead of talks between US President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Biden will try to close some "final gaps" in his talks with Netanyahu at the White House on Thursday but key elements including the ...

US Announces Sudan Ceasefire Talks

The United States announced Tuesday that it had invited Sudan's warring sides to hold ceasefire talks next month. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Washington had invited Sudan's regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) to start US-mediated negotiations beginning on August 14 in Switzerland. "The United States remains ...

US Secret Service Director Resigns After Trump Assassination Attempt

US Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned on Tuesday, a day after acknowledging that the agency failed in its mission to prevent an assassination attempt against Donald Trump. Cheatle was facing bipartisan calls to step down after a 20-year-old gunman wounded the former Republican president and current White House candidate at a July ...

Kamala Harris Launches Her Campaign, Targets Trump

US Vice President Kamala Harris launched her election campaign Monday with a blistering personal attack on Donald Trump and vowed to win in November despite the "rollercoaster" of President Joe Biden's shock exit. As she closed in on the Democratic Party's nomination with the support of a slew of heavyweights and massive voter donations, Harris ...

International Reactions to Biden Dropping Out

World leaders lined up to pay tribute to Joe Biden after he announced Sunday he was dropping out of the US presidential race. Biden notified the public of his decision in a letter, a stunning move that upends the 2024 race for the White House. He endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic Party's new nominee. - European allies ...

WSJ Reporter Evan Gershkovich Sentenced to 16 Years in Prison

Wall Street Journalist Reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a penal colony Friday, accused of spying in a trial the US has called a sham. US reporter Evan Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian penal colony on Friday for "espionage", a verdict reached after three weeks of secretive hearings condemned by Washington as ...