US President Donald Trump removed Attorney General Pam Bondi from ⁠her post on Thursday, a White House ⁠official said, following mounting frustration with her performance, including her ⁠handling of investigative files related to the late financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Trump had also reportedly grown frustrated that Bondi was not moving quickly enough to prosecute critics and adversaries who he wanted to face criminal charges. In a social media post, Trump praised Bondi as a “Great...

Direct trade between China and the United States continues its shrinking trend, new US government data showed on Thursday, as the anniversary of “Liberation Day” highlights how last year’s tariff escalations deepened tensions between the two global powers. The figures come ahead of a planned leaders’ meeting in Beijing next month, where both sides are expected to explore ways to stabilise relations after a period of renewed economic strain. The February international trade data by the US Census...

An employee of the property management firm at Hong Kong’s inferno-ravaged Wang Fuk Court housing estate has admitted the company failed in its contractual obligations to identify and follow up on fire hazards, while none of its top management testified at an evidential hearing into the disaster. The eighth day of the hearing by the independent committee investigating the November 26 blaze that claimed 168 lives centred on Cheng Tsz-ying, a property officer at ISS EastPoint, the property...

Four children were stabbed to death on Thursday at a kindergarten in Uganda’s capital, Kampala, police said. The male suspect, in his thirties, gained access by posing as a parent before attacking children aged around two and three with a knife, police said. “We confirm a tragic incident at the Ggaba Early Childhood Development Program school in Makindye Division, Kampala City, where a male suspect brutally stabbed and killed four juveniles,” police spokeswoman Racheal Kawala said. The suspect...

About 40 countries are discussing joint action to reopen the Strait of Hormuz to stop Iran holding “the global economy hostage”, Britain said on Thursday, after US President Donald Trump said securing the waterway was for others to resolve. British foreign minister Yvette Cooper said Iran’s “recklessness” in blockading ‌the waterway was “hitting our global economic security” as she chaired the virtual meeting, which included France, Germany, Canada, the United Arab Emirates and India. “We have...

The US is likely to “escalate to de-escalate” its conflict with Iran, planning more aggressive strikes in the coming weeks to force a resolution, even as a complete ceasefire seems unlikely, according to Chinese analysts. In a prime-time address on Wednesday, US President Donald Trump declared that the US-Israel war against Iran had delivered “decisive, overwhelming victories”, with Washington’s core military objectives nearly completed. Without giving details, Trump also threatened to send...

We have selected seven of the most interesting and important news stories covering global relations from the past few weeks. If you would like to see more of our reporting, please consider subscribing. 1. Iran’s exiled prince Reza Pahlavi plans to flip the script on Beijing Allies of exiled Iranian royal Reza Pahlavi signalled a potential reset in Tehran’s ties with China and Russia, as the 65-year-old increasingly positioned himself as a central figure in Iran’s political future – a claim that...