Ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s state visit to Washington, starting on Wednesday, US law enforcement agencies have increased security as Chinese diaspora groups organise welcoming events and protest groups plan demonstrations. The US Secret Service, which is leading security for the visit, said it is committed to ensuring the safety and security of all foreign heads of state while they are on US soil. “Secret Service personnel have been planning for the visit of the Chinese president for...

US President Donald Trump praised his strong relationship with Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi in New York on Tuesday, days before he is due to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping. The talks, held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, came at a time when relations between Beijing and Tokyo show no signs of thawing. Both leaders hailed their good working relationship, with Takaichi saying the two countries looked forward to deepening ties. Trump lavished praise on the...

US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his country’s relations with Britain were better under new Prime Minister Andy Burnham, but he criticised a deal to hand over the Chagos Islands. Trump and Burnham shook hands as they met for the first time on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. “No, I think they’re up – well, they’re more up now than they were with your last prime minister, let me put it that way,” Trump told reporters, referring to Keir Starmer. “Right...

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva renewed his backing on Tuesday for a peace initiative he launched with China to end the war in Ukraine, using his opening speech at the UN General Assembly to take thinly veiled aim at the United States over tariffs, military pressure and access to critical minerals. Speaking in New York just days before Brazilians vote in a tight presidential race, Lula described the war between Russia and Ukraine as a five-year humanitarian drama that “continues to...

US actress Hayden Panettiere died from an accidental overdose of several drugs, including fentanyl, a coroner in South Carolina said on Tuesday. Panettiere, 36, was found unresponsive in an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina, on August 16. Her on-and-off boyfriend Brian Hickerson and his brother Zach Hickerson were at the home. According to a statement from the Greenville County Coroner’s Office, a combination of fentanyl and its chemical by-product, as well as the anti-anxiety medication...

A prominent economist at the Chinese University of Hong Kong has apologised after he analysed women “marrying for money” in a talk on campus that led students to accuse him of making gender-biased remarks. The backlash erupted shortly after Terence Chong Tai-leung, an associate professor of economics, delivered his talk about how to invest in one’s life at the university’s bi-weekly assembly on Tuesday. According to posts on social media platform Threads, slides presented by Chong included one...

US President Donald Trump addressed the global community on Tuesday morning with a speech that sought to justify his war with Iran, touted how he has “made peace” and argued that his “make America great again” policies benefit the world. His speech before the UN General Assembly came as the world grapples with years of conflict in Ukraine, Iran, Gaza, Sudan, Yemen and Lebanon, with no relief in sight. “I can report to you with pride that America is back, and our country is stronger today than...