united states

US, Russia Meet in Istanbul for Talks on Embassies

US and Russian delegations met in Istanbul on Thursday for talks on restoring the functioning of their embassies, which drastically scaled back staffing following Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The talks, the second of their kind, come after President Donald Trump reached out to Russia following the start of his second term and offered better ties ...

US Backtracks on Some Food Aid Cuts: UN

The United States has backtracked on emergency food aid cuts it announced for 14 countries, restoring assistance to six of them, the UN's World Food Program said Wednesday. The UN agency, already struggling with financing woes, said Monday that the United States advised it Washington was eliminating emergency food aid to those 14 poor and ...

Where Things Stand in the US-China Trade War

US President Donald Trump has ramped up his trade war against China, further raising import tariffs on Beijing to 125 percent despite pausing them for other countries. The move came hours after China announced reciprocal action against the United States in response to a previous levy hike. AFP looks at how the escalating trade war between the ...

Trump's Tariff Pause Gives Market Relief, but China Trade War Intensifies

US President Donald Trump abruptly paused tariffs on most countries, sparking euphoria on global markets Thursday, but upped the ante on a brutal trade war with superpower rival China. After days of turmoil, stocks on Wall Street and across Asia saw huge surges in reaction to Trump's announcement that he was halting a levy hike for almost all ...

US, Saudis Urge Sudan Peace Talks as Top Riyadh Diplomat Visits Washington

Saudi Arabia's top diplomat held talks in Washington on Wednesday, laying the groundwork for a visit by US President Donald Trump, which would be the first foreign trip of his second term. Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio at the State Department, and the two called on the Sudanese army and ...

Oil Price Drop: Key Factors Explained

Oil prices plunged on Wednesday due to the escalating trade war between the United States and China, with Brent crude falling below $60 per barrel for the first time in four years. At around 11:20 GMT (13:20 in Paris), the price of North Sea Brent crude for June delivery dropped by 5.52% to $59.35, briefly reaching a low of $58.47 during the ...

US Imposes New Sanctions on Iran's Nuclear Program Before Talks

The United States on Wednesday announced new sanctions targeting Iran's nuclear program ahead of closely watched talks on the row between the longtime adversaries. The Treasury Department said it was imposing sanctions under additional authorities on five entities, including the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran and one individual over the ...

Saudi Top Diplomat in US to Prepare for Trump Visit

Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan is in Washington to lay the groundwork for US President Donald Trump's upcoming visit, the first foreign trip of his second term, a Saudi government source told AFP Wednesday. Last month, Trump said he may visit Saudi Arabia as early as April in a reprisal of 2017, when the oil-rich, conservative kingdom ...

Japan to Sell More Rice Reserves as Prices Soar

Japan will sell more rice from its emergency stockpile through July in an attempt to stabilize soaring prices, the agricultural minister said Wednesday. After rice prices nearly doubled year-on-year, the government began auctioning its stockpile last month -- the first time since it was started in 1995. "In order to stabilize rice prices ...

Is Hezbollah Open to Discussions on the Future of Its Weapons?

A senior Hezbollah official told Reuters on Tuesday that the group “would be willing to hold talks on the future of its weapons, in particular with the President of the Republic, Joseph Aoun, provided that the Israeli army withdraws from southern Lebanon and halts its continuous airstrikes against the country.” The aforementioned official ...