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Trump mentions Taiwan, S. Korea while saying America lost chip business
US President Donald Trump mentioned Taiwan and South Korea Friday, as he argued that the United States lost semiconductor business to foreign countries. During a press availability at the White House, Trump also renewed his criticism of the CHIPS and Science Act, calling it a "tremendous waste of money." The act was signed by his predecessor Joe Biden in 2022 to boost domestic chip manufacturing through incentives. "We gradually lost the chip business, and now it's almost exclusively in Taiwan.
March 8, 2025 -
China slaps extra tariffs of up to 15% on imports of major US farm exports, adds trade curbs
China announced Tuesday it will impose additional tariffs of up to 15 percent on imports of key US farm products, including chicken, pork, soy and beef, and also expanded controls on doing business with key US companies. The tariffs announced by the Commerce Ministry are due to take effect from March 10, though goods already in transit will be exempt until April 12. They follow US President Donald Trump’s order to raise tariffs on imports of Chinese products to 20 percent across the board. Those
March 4, 2025 -
Ukrainians grapple with consequences of Trump's pause on military aid
Ukrainians grappled Tuesday with the ramifications of a US decision to pause military aid that is critical to their fight against Russia’s invasion , as a rift between Kyiv and Washington deepens. Days after an explosive meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, US President Donald Trump ordered the assistance halted in a bid to pressure Kyiv to engage in peace talks with Russia. A White House official said the US was “pausing and reviewing” its aid to “ensure that it is contributing
March 4, 2025 -
Japan's births fell to record low in 2024
TOKYO -- The number of babies born in Japan fell to a record low of 720,988 in 2024 for a ninth consecutive year of decline, the health ministry said on Thursday, underscoring the rapid ageing and dwindling of the population. Births were down 5 percent on the year, despite a range of steps unveiled in 2023 by former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida to boost childbearing, while a record number of 1.62 million deaths meant that more than two people died for every new baby born. Although the fertility
Feb. 27, 2025 -
EU pushes back against Trump tariff threats and his caustic comments that bloc is out to get the US
The European Union's executive branch said Thursday that the 27-nation bloc wasn't out to undermine the United States, as US President Donald Trump put it, but instead was the world's largest free market that has created an economic windfall for American companies working on and with the continent. The bloc also added it would vigorously fight a wholesale tariff of 25 percent on all EU products headed for the US, as Trump has threatened in the latest round of vitriolic comments aimed at an age-o
Feb. 27, 2025 -
Microsoft will urge Trump to overhaul curbs on AI chip exports, WSJ reports
Microsoft will call for President Donald Trump's team to ease the limits on chips that can be used in data centers for training AI models so they no longer apply to a group of US allies, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. The proposal, mentioning allies including India, Switzerland and Israel, will be released in a Microsoft blog post, scheduled for release on Thursday, the report said. Tighter US restrictions on the exports of advanced artificial intelligence chips, such as those mad
Feb. 27, 2025 -
Russia and US to hold new talks on Thursday in Turkey, Lavrov says
Russian and US diplomats will meet in Istanbul on Thursday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said, for talks on resolving bilateral disputes that form part of a wider dialogue they see as crucial to ending the Ukraine war. Lavrov said the talks would focus on creating better conditions for Russian diplomats in the United States and their US counterparts in Russia, after a series of rows over staffing levels and embassy properties. The outcome of the Istanbul talks - which follow a call bet
Feb. 26, 2025 -
Trump hopes war nears end as he meets with Macron
WASHINGTON (AP) -- President Donald Trump expressed hope that Russia's war in Ukraine is nearing an endgame as he met Monday with French President Emmanuel Macron on the third anniversary of the invasion. But France's leader cautioned that it's crucial that any potential agreement with Moscow does not amount to surrender for Ukraine. Their talks come at a moment of deep uncertainty about the future of transatlantic relations, with Trump transforming American foreign policy and effectively tuning
Feb. 25, 2025 -
Apple reveals its version of budget AI: the $599 iPhone 16e
Apple launched on Wednesday a budget-minded phone with artificial intelligence, the iPhone 16e, designed to win back mid-market customers at home and in crucial growth markets China and India. The new phone, which drops the SE naming convention for Apple's budget series, will take on popular Android smartphones at a time when rivals Samsung and China's Huawei are adding AI tools to their devices. Sales of Apple phones dropped last quarter, and sales of its budget line of phones have plummeted as
Feb. 20, 2025 -
Trump tells 'dictator' Zelenskyy to move fast for peace or lose Ukraine
WASHINGTON/KYIV -- US President Donald Trump denounced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "a dictator without elections" on Wednesday and said he had better move fast to secure peace or he would have no country left. Trump spoke hours after Zelenskyy hit back at his suggestion that Ukraine was responsible for Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion, saying the US president was trapped in a Russian disinformation bubble. "A Dictator without Elections, Zelenskyy better move fast or he is not goi
Feb. 20, 2025 -
Hundreds mourn Hong Kong champion of prisoners' rights
Shiu Ka-chun, a social worker who represented his profession in Hong Kong's legislature, died last month aged 55 after earlier revealing he was diagnosed with stomach cancer. Watched by dozens of plainclothes police, people queued to enter the Methodist International Church on Saturday morning to pay their last respects, followed by a closed-door memorial service. "(Shiu) has a unique place in history... When I think of prisoners' rights, I think of him," said political scientist Ivan Choy outsi
Feb. 15, 2025 -
Beijing to facilitate frequent business travelers with visa requirements
Beijing authorities will facilitate eligible business travelers with visa applications, with a letter provided to organizations inviting them to the Chinese capital, the city's foreign affairs office said on Saturday. The visitors must receive an invitation letter from qualified Chinese enterprises registered in Beijing to apply for the visa, the office said in a statement. The visa grants eligible foreigners traveling frequently to Beijing for trade and commercial activities a 180-day stay per
Feb. 15, 2025 -
Trump plans to announce auto tariffs on April 2
US President Donald Trump said Friday that he will announce tariffs on imported cars in early April in what could be a direct setback to the South Korean automotive industry. The president announced the plan to unveil auto tariffs on April 2 as he has been using tariffs as a key tool to shrink America's trade deficit, boost domestic manufacturing and achieve other policy goals, including preventing the inflow of unauthorized migrants and drugs. Amid Trump's tariff-based policy push, fears have b
Feb. 15, 2025 -
DeepSeek gives different answers about kimchi's origin: 'Korea' in Korean, 'China' in Chinese: Seoul spy agency
The Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) model DeepSeek provided different answers to sensitive questions depending on the language -- for example, defining kimchi's origin as Korea when asked in Korean, but claiming it is Chinese when asked in Chinese, Seoul's spy agency said Sunday. The National Intelligence Service (NIS) said it has also found the AI service provides its advertisers with unlimited access to users' personal data and such information is subject to submission to the Chinese gove
Feb. 9, 2025 -
S. Korea issues special travel advisory for Santorini, others over quakes
More than 700 earthquakes have occurred since Jan. 24 South Korea on Friday issued a special travel advisory for Santorini and three other Greek islands -- Anafi, Ios and Amorgos -- as hundreds of earthquakes hit or affected the islands in the last two weeks. More than 700 earthquakes, with magnitudes between 3 and 4, have occurred on and around the popular tourist island since Jan. 24. Thousands of local residents have been evacuating from the island, with authorities closing schools and advisi
Feb. 7, 2025