WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said late Saturday that six Democrats involved in a video calling on military officers to refuse illegal commands &ldquo;should be in jail.&rdquo; The Republican leader&#39;s remarks came after he accused the Democrat lawmakers on Friday of &ldquo;seditious behaviour, punishable by death.&rdquo; Democrats slammed Trump&#39;s comments as &ldquo;absolutely vile&rdquo; threats against the six senators and representatives, all of whom have served in the military or intelligence community. &lsquo;SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL&rsquo;Trump took to social media on Saturday night, writing:&ldquo;THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK.&rdquo; He said that the Democrats&#39; message was &ldquo;SEDITION AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL&rdquo; and that &ldquo;THERE CAN BE NO OTHER INTERPRETATION OF WHAT THEY SAID&rdquo;.<div class="fr-embed"><iframe src="https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115597077845312894/embed" class="truthsocial-embed" style="max-width: 100%; border: 0" width="600" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>&lsquo;Refuse illegal orders&rsquo;The video posted on social media Friday called on the military to &ldquo;refuse illegal orders&rdquo; and featured Arizona&#39;s Mark Kelly, Michigan&#39;s Elissa Slotkin, along with Jason Crow of Colorado, Chris Deluzio and Chrissy Houlahan of&nbsp;Pennsylvania&nbsp;and Maggie Goodlander of New Hampshire. They did not specify which orders they were referring to, but Trump has ordered the National Guard into multiple US cities, in many cases against the wishes of local officials, in a bid to bring alleged rampant unrest under control. Death penalty&nbsp;Abroad, Trump has also ordered strikes on a series of alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean that have left more than 80 people dead and which experts say are illegal. Trump has alluded to the death penalty on previous occasions. In 2023, former US military officer Mark Milley told a journalist he had secretly called his Chinese counterpart after the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol to reassure Beijing that the United States remained &ldquo;stable&rdquo; and had no intention to attack China. Trump subsequently wrote on social media that &ldquo;in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!&rdquo;

Americas

Says, ‘THE TRAITORS THAT TOLD THE MILITARY TO DISOBEY MY ORDERS SHOULD BE IN JAIL RIGHT NOW, NOT ROAMING THE FAKE NEWS NETWORKS TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT WHAT THEY SAID WAS OK.’

Trump urges jail time for Democrats over military message

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said he will host New York&#39;s mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani for a meeting Friday, after fiercely attacking the 34-year-old self-described Democratic Socialist during his recent campaign. Trump said on his Truth Social platform the mayor-elect &quot;asked for a meeting&quot; and it &quot;will take place at the Oval Office on Friday, November 21st.&quot; Mamdani&#39;s spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed the meeting in a statement. &quot;As is customary for an incoming mayoral administration, the Mayor-elect plans to meet with the President in Washington to discuss public safety, economic security and the affordability agenda that over one million New Yorkers voted for just two weeks ago,&quot; Pekec said Wednesday. Two men raised in Queens Trump&#39;s meeting with Mamdani marks the coming together of two men raised in the Queens borough of New York, but their similarities may end there. Anti-immigrant Trump has derided Mamdani&#39;s South Asian name, and threatened to cut federal funding for New York upon the Muslim&#39;s election to run America&#39;s largest city. &quot;Mandami, whatever the hell his name is,&quot; Trump said recently -- deliberately mispronouncing the Uganda-born politician&#39;s surname. &lsquo;Turn the volume up!&rsquo; Mamdani has not backed down from Trump, calling out the 79-year-old Republican during his victory rally earlier this month. &quot;Donald Trump, since I know you&#39;re watching, I have four words for you -- turn the volume up!&quot; he said to his cheering supporters. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt later confirmed the president had indeed watched Mamdani speak.

Trump's meeting with Mamdani marks the coming together of two men raised in the Queens borough of New York, but their similarities may end there; Mamdani's spokesperson Dora Pekec confirmed the meeting in a statement.

Trump says will meet with New York mayor-elect Mamdani on Friday

WASHINGTON: More than 22 million people, many of them children, could die preventable deaths by 2030 due to aid cuts by the United States and European countries, new research said Monday. The findings are an update of a study earlier this year that focused only on US assistance and said that sweeping reductions by President Donald Trump could lead to 14 million additional deaths.

Europe

 More than 22 million people could die by 2030 due to aid cuts by the United States and European countries

US, European aid cuts could cause 22.6 million deaths: research

WEST PALM BEACH: President Donald Trump on Saturday threatened to send US forces into Nigeria with &quot;guns-a-blazing&quot; if Africa&#39;s most populous country does not stem what he described as the killing of Christians by Islamists. &quot;If the Nigerian Government continues to allow the killing of Christians, the U.S.A. will immediately stop all aid and assistance to Nigeria, and may very well go into that now disgraced country, &#39;guns-a-blazing,&#39; to completely wipe out the Islamic Terrorists who are committing these horrible atrocities,&quot; he said on Truth Social. &quot;I am hereby instructing our Department of War to prepare for possible action. If we attack, it will be fast, vicious, and sweet.&quot;

President Donald Trump threatened action against Nigeria, saying the U.S. may halt all aid and send forces "guns-a-blazing" to target Islamist perpetrators if the government fails to stop killings of Christians, posting on Truth Social.

Trump threatens military action in Nigeria over 'killing of Christians'

Gaitty Ara Anis

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s announcement signaling a possible resumption of US nuclear testing after more than three decades has drawn mixed reactions from nuclear policy experts, who warned of legal hurdles and global security risks.&nbsp;Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump told reporters the United States would conduct nuclear tests if other nations do.&nbsp;&ldquo;We&rsquo;re going to do some testing, yeah, and other countries do it,&rdquo; Trump said in response to a question from AFP. &ldquo;If they&rsquo;re going to do it, we&rsquo;re going to do it.&rdquo;&nbsp;He did not clarify whether he was referring to warhead tests, missile tests, or subcritical experiments.&nbsp;The statement came ahead of Trump&rsquo;s meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in South Korea, where both leaders were expected to discuss tariffs.&nbsp;Dr. Kelly Voss Coletti, a nuclear nonproliferation expert at the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Strategy and Technology, told Pakistan TV Digital that it was &ldquo;too early to call this announcement official.&rdquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;It is still a statement, not a policy,&rdquo; she said, noting that any resumption of nuclear explosive testing in the United States would require congressional approval and a lengthy authorization process.&nbsp;Miles Pomper, a senior fellow at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies in Washington, said the president&rsquo;s wording left critical questions unanswered.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s not clear whether he meant testing missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads or the warheads themselves,&rdquo; he said. Pomper noted that &ldquo;missiles are routinely tested in all nuclear states, including Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;Dr. Coletti cautioned that US moves carry global ripple effects.&nbsp;&ldquo;The international system tends to look to the United States for leadership on nuclear nonproliferation,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;If the US begins the long process of resuming nuclear weapons testing, other countries will likely follow.&rdquo;&nbsp;Pomper acknowledged that the US deterrence strategy plays a political role.&nbsp;&ldquo;Testing is the only way to know how aging plutonium pits perform,&rdquo; he said, adding that deterrence remains central to US strategic policy.&nbsp;Coletti urged Washington to honor its moratorium and ratify the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty to &ldquo;demonstrate the US&rsquo; commitment to global peace.&rdquo; Pomper, meanwhile, suggested such a move would signal a shift back into &ldquo;an already ongoing arms race.&rdquo;&nbsp;Russia and China, both considered strategic competitors, have recently expanded their advanced weapons testing capabilities. Moscow recently announced tests of the Burevestnik nuclear-powered cruise missile and the Poseidon underwater torpedo.&nbsp;Since 1992, the United States has relied on the Stockpile Stewardship and Management Program, using simulations and non-detonating experiments, to ensure the reliability of its arsenal without live testing.&nbsp;Coletti also emphasized that the president does not hold exclusive authority in approving nuclear explosive tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;The power lies with Congress,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Even if proposed, the decision will take time to implement.&rdquo;&nbsp;On regional implications, experts said US testing would not immediately alter deterrence dynamics between Pakistan and India. However, Pomper noted it could &ldquo;provide Iran and North Korea with talking points,&rdquo; ahead of the 2026 Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty review conference.&nbsp;Environmental risks also remain contentious. While Pomper argued underground testing is &ldquo;not hazardous,&rdquo; Coletti warned of long-term groundwater contamination, pointing to the US National Cancer Institute&rsquo;s fallout risk assessments from Cold War&ndash;era tests.&nbsp;&ldquo;Even underground, radioactive materials can escape through cracks caused by the explosion,&rdquo; she said. With additional inputs from AFP

President Donald Trump signaled the US could resume nuclear testing if rivals do, prompting nonproliferation experts to warn of legal hurdles, environmental risks, and a potential renewed arms race, though some argue testing may support deterrence credibility.

Trump nuclear testing plan sparks expert concern

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump and Indian Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi are taking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to task for their own reasons. Trump is doing it for Modi&rsquo;s refusal to acknowledge his role in ending the Pakistan-India conflict in May, while Gandhi heads an opposition that has been down for too long. US President Donald Trump claimed he used trade pressure to stop a May Pakistan-India clash, saying &ldquo;seven brand new&rdquo; planes were shot down. Indian opposition leader Rahul Gandhi has challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to publicly deny Trump&rsquo;s account and &ldquo;find the courage&rdquo; to respond. &lsquo;Seven brand new planes&rsquo;&nbsp;US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said that &ldquo;seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down&rdquo; during the Pakistan-India conflict earlier this year. While referring to the aerial encounters between the two countries, the US president said the two countries were &ldquo;going at it&rdquo; in May, during which &ldquo;seven planes were shot down.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;Seven brand new, beautiful planes were shot down,&rdquo; Trump said in his speech, available on White House YouTube channel, to business leaders in Japan during a dinner. &nbsp; <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDOKTKbcJC4" title="President Trump Delivers Keynote Remarks at APEC CEOs Luncheon" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div> India continues to deny that any of its aircraft were lost and rejects Trump&rsquo;s claim regarding the ceasefire. &nbsp; &lsquo;Great service to the world&rsquo;The US president said he told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, &ldquo;We&#39;re not going to do any trade if you&#39;re going to be fighting.&rdquo; The same message was also sent to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif &mdash; whom he termed &ldquo;a very nice man, a very good man&rdquo; &mdash; and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. &ldquo;And within about 24 hours, that was the end of that,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;It was amazing, actually.&rdquo; &ldquo;A lot of the wars that I stopped were because of tariffs,&rdquo; he said, adding that he was able to do a &ldquo;great service to the world [&hellip;] because of tariffs, because of trade.&rdquo; &nbsp; &#39;Don&rsquo;t be scared Modi ji&rsquo;&nbsp;Rahul Gandhi, the leader of the opposition in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian parliament, in a post on X on Wednesday, while hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said: &ldquo;Trump is insulting Modi in country after country. Latest is South Korea. 1. Repeated that he used trade to frighten Modi into stopping Operation Sindoor. 2. Said 7 planes were shot down.&rdquo; &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t be scared Modi ji, find the courage to respond,&rdquo; the opposition leader added, while throwing down the gauntlet.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1983482933160939544&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=82a003937f4acc08242766ee2e8d1415521c90d7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 416px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> This is not the first time; the Indian opposition leader has challenged PM Modi on the issue. Back on July 29 during a debate in the Indian Parliament, Rahul Gandhi, in his speech available on his Youtube channel, said: &ldquo;Donald Trump has said 29 times, 29 times he said he got the ceasefire done, if he is lying than the prime minister should say it here, if he has the courage should say it here that he is lying.&rdquo; &ldquo;If he has the courage, if he has the courage, if he has the courage, if he has the courage of Indira Gandhi, let him say here, that &lsquo;Donald Trump you are a liar, you did not make a ceasefire, and that we did not lose any planes&rsquo;, let him say if he has the courage.&rdquo; &ldquo;If he has even 50% of the courage of Indira Gandhi than say it here, if he has the courage, if he really has the courage, than this evening the prime minister should say it here Donald Trump is a liar, don&rsquo;t have President Trump tell you that I have stopped the war 29 times, have the courage to tell him that no, to hell with you, you cannot stop any war, we are going to fight,&rdquo; Gandhi challenged Modi to loud applause from the opposition benches. <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TFmq0kSb9OU" title="Does Modi Have Courage to Call Trump a Liar? | Operation Sindoor Debate in Parliament | Rahul Gandhi" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe>&nbsp;</div>

India

Donald Trump claims credit for stopping the Pakistan-India conflict in May; Rahul Gandhi has challenged Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to show courage and deny Trump’s statements.

Trump, Rahul Gandhi gibe about Modi 

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: &nbsp;US President Donald Trump said he had clinched a deal with China&rsquo;s President Xi Jinping on rare earths aboard Air Force One on Thursday. The US president told reporters China rare earths deal was for one year and was extendable. He also said that the US and China would &lsquo;work together&rsquo; on the Ukraine war. US President Donald Trump described his meeting with China&#39;s leader Xi Jinping was a &quot;great success&quot; and said he would head to China in April for new talks.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/I2hY2qJYtj0" title="President Trump Gaggles with Press on Air Force One, Oct. 30, 2025" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>&quot;I&#39;ll be going to China in April and he&#39;ll be coming here sometime after that, whether it&#39;s in Florida, Palm Beach or Washington, DC.&quot; &quot;A lot of things we brought to finalisation&quot; at Thursday&#39;s talks in Busan, South Korea, added Trump, praising Xi as a &quot;tremendous leader of a very powerful country&quot;. &nbsp;He also said that he did not discuss Taiwan with President Xi. Trump also said he was too &#39;busy&#39; to meet North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong Un, adding he could &quot;come back&quot;. &nbsp; &#39;Consensus reached&#39;President Xi Jinping said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues, state media reported, after meeting Thursday with US leader Donald Trump. On Thursday, Xi told Trump that the two countries &quot;should have positive interactions on the regional and international stage&quot;, Chinese state news agency Xinhua reported. Xi said that teams from both sides had &quot;exchanged in-depth views on important economic and trade issues and reached a consensus on resolving them&quot;, according to the Xinhua readout which offered no details on specific agreements reached. &quot;Both teams should refine and finalise follow-up work as soon as possible, maintain and implement the consensus and provide tangible results to set minds at ease about the economies of China, the United States and the world,&quot; he added. Earlier, Chinese President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump wrapped up their meeting on Thursday without making any official comments as Trump departed from South Korea. Trump, Xi meeting The meeting took place on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Sitting opposite each other, each leader was flanked by senior officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury chief Scott Bessent, and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Xi&#39;s team, which arrived from Beijing shortly before -- the US side was already in South Korea -- included Foreign Minister Wang Yi, Commerce Minister Wang Wentao, and Vice Premier He Lifeng. Trump and Xi opened their first face-to-face meeting in six years, seeking a truce to end a trade war that has roiled the world economy. Both countries need to work together: XiBefore the meeting, Xi told Trump that while the two countries did not always see eye to eye, they should strive to be &quot;partners and friends.&quot; &quot;China and the US can jointly shoulder our responsibility as major countries and work together to accomplish more great and concrete things for the good of our two countries and the whole world,&quot; Xi said. The US president, who minutes before the meeting said he had ordered the Pentagon to start nuclear weapons testing on a level with China and Russia, complimented a smiling Xi as a &quot;very tough negotiator&quot; as they shook hands. &quot;We&#39;ll have a great understanding,&quot; Trump said, predicting a &quot;fantastic relationship for a long period of time.&quot; The US leader&#39;s latest missive on nuclear weapons testing broadened the stakes for his talks with Xi. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Even in five years&#39;&nbsp;</h2>Minutes before meeting Xi, Trump wrote on Truth Social that &quot;because of other countries testing programs, I have instructed the Department of War to start testing our Nuclear Weapons on an equal basis.&quot; Trump added that in terms of nuclear weapons stockpiles, China was a &quot;distant third&quot; behind the United States and Russia, &quot;but will be even in 5 years.&quot; The comments came a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin said Moscow had successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, in defiance of US warnings. No response&nbsp;Trump did not provide details or respond to a journalist&#39;s question about his surprise nuclear announcement before the crucial meeting with Xi. The world&#39;s two top economies&#39; trade tussle -- encompassing&nbsp;everything from rare earths to soybeans and port fees -- has rocked markets and gummed up supply chains for months. Following productive preparatory talks by top officials, Trump had said on Wednesday, on his way to South Korea, that &quot;a lot of problems are going to be solved&quot; in a &quot;great meeting.&quot; Export controls on rare earths &nbsp;Trump indicated that the agreement would include lowering 20% tariffs on Chinese goods related to fentanyl, which has killed tens of thousands of Americans. Of particular importance to Trump -- with an eye on US farmers -- is whether China will resume purchases of American soybeans. Another major issue is Beijing&#39;s export controls on rare earths announced this month, which prompted Trump to question the Xi summit. Beijing holds a virtual monopoly on these materials, which are essential for sophisticated electronic components across a range of industries. &quot;The easiest wins could include removing port fees for ships or lifting some fentanyl-related tariffs, which fall fully under presidential authority. China, in turn, could agree to purchase more US commodities to show goodwill,&quot; Yue Su at The Economist Intelligence Unit told AFP. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Crowning achievement&nbsp;</h2>The Xi-Trump meeting took place on the sidelines of the APEC summit, attended by leaders of 21 countries, including Japan, Australia, and Canada. South Korea is the final stop on an Asia tour that saw Trump showered with praise and gifts, including a replica of an ancient Korean golden crown. In Japan, new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said she would nominate Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize and gave him a putter and a gold-plated golf ball. &lsquo;Not too distant future&rsquo;However, Trump&#39;s hopes of a re-run of his 2019 meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un at the Demilitarized Zone frontier appear to have dashed. Trump said that they would meet in the &quot;not too distant future&quot; and that he would like to &quot;straighten out&quot; tensions between North and South Korea. On Thursday, he hailed the military alliance with South Korea as &quot;stronger than ever&quot; and said he had given the green light for Seoul to build a nuclear-powered submarine.

China

Says meeting with China's leader Xi Jinping was a 'great success'; China rare earths deal is for one year and is extendable; and US and China to ‘work together’ on the Ukraine war; President Xi said China has reached a consensus with the United States on economic and trade issues.

Clinched deal with China's Xi on rare earths: Trump

ISLAMABAD: US President Donald Trump has urged China to resume purchases of American soybeans and stop the flow of fentanyl into the United States, warning that he would not make a trade deal unless Beijing complied, Reuters reported.&nbsp;Speaking to reporters, Trump said, &ldquo;One of the things I want is China to buy soybeans. I want China to stop with the fentanyl &mdash; very normal things. I don&rsquo;t want them to play the rare earth game with us.&quot;&nbsp;Asked whether he believed China would agree, Trump replied, &ldquo;I do believe, yeah, because otherwise I&#39;m not going to make a deal. Our farmers have been boycotted by China as a negotiating point. I want them to start buying soybeans at least in the amount they were buying before.&quot;&nbsp;Trump also claimed China was paying record tariffs, adding that he was open to lowering them only if Beijing &ldquo;does things for us too.&rdquo;&nbsp;The remarks came amid heightened US-China trade tensions after Beijing expanded export rules on rare earth materials &mdash; a move analysts say mirrors long-standing American trade controls.&nbsp;According to an Associated Press report, China&rsquo;s new export restrictions require foreign firms to seek approval from Beijing to sell products containing even small amounts of Chinese-origin rare earth materials or technology. This effectively gives China influence over the global supply chain of smartphones, electric vehicles, and advanced weapons systems.&nbsp;Analysts say Beijing&rsquo;s strategy borrows directly from US trade playbooks. &ldquo;China is learning from the best,&rdquo; said Neil Thomas of the Asia Society Policy Institute. &ldquo;Beijing is copying Washington&rsquo;s playbook because it saw firsthand how effectively US export controls could constrain its own development.&rdquo;&nbsp;The move follows a series of tit-for-tat measures since Trump relaunched his trade war earlier this year. Beijing has since blacklisted several US firms, tightened export controls on critical minerals, and imposed matching tariffs &mdash; including a 125% &ldquo;Liberation Day&rdquo; tariff in April.&nbsp;Experts warn the spiral could deepen global economic uncertainty. Jeremy Daum of Yale Law School told AP that while both governments now share a &ldquo;holistic view of national security,&rdquo; their reciprocal measures risk turning into a &ldquo;race to the bottom where nobody wins.

Says he wants China to buy soybeans and does not want them to play the rare earth game with us.

Trump presses China on soybeans, fentanyl amid escalating rare earth tensions

SYDNEY:&nbsp;Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meets with President Donald Trump in Washington on Monday, touting his country&#39;s abundant critical minerals as a way to loosen China&#39;s grip over global supplies. At the same time, Albanese is hoping to secure Trump&#39;s backing for a 2021 pact to arm Australia with silent, nuclear-powered attack submarines. Australians have a mostly unfavourable view of the Trump administration, polling shows, though the country relies on the United States to balance China&#39;s expanding military clout in the Pacific region. In the run-up to the White House talks, Australia is selling itself to Washington as a future source of critical minerals, including rare earths, of which China is by far the world&#39;s largest supplier. Australia sits on deposits of lithium, cobalt, and manganese as well as rare earth metals used in technologies from semiconductors to defence hardware, electric cars, and wind turbines. Albanese, who said he looked forward to a &quot;positive and constructive&quot; meeting with Trump, announced plans in April for a strategic reserve of critical minerals to provide to &quot;key partners&quot; such as the United States. The reserve is designed to help relax China&#39;s chokehold on global critical minerals production, which it has been accused of leveraging to pressure trade partners. Trump this month threatened 100% tariffs on China in response to its latest rare earths export curbs, though he later eased his stance with a social media post saying: &quot;It will all be fine.&quot; China the &#39;focal point&#39;Australia&#39;s economy minister, Treasurer Jim Chalmers, said his country had &quot;a lot to offer the world&quot; in critical minerals. &quot;We will engage with our partners to make sure that we can be a very reliable supplier to meet the critical minerals needs of this country, here in the US, and other markets around the world,&quot; Chalmers told a news conference in Washington on Friday. But the treasurer has also taken a swipe at impediments to global trade, raising concerns over the economic impact of US tariffs, including a 10-percent levy on Australian goods, and the US-China trade spat. On defence, Australia&#39;s government will be hoping for Trump&#39;s blessing of the 2021 agreement to equip its navy with at least three US Virginia-class submarines within 15 years, and the technology to build its own vessels in the future. The AUKUS submarine deal between Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States could cost Australia up to US$235 billion over the next 30 years, according to Canberra. The nuclear-powered vessels lie at the heart of Australia&#39;s strategy of improving its long-range strike capabilities in the Pacific. But the Trump administration said in June it had put AUKUS under review to ensure it aligned with his &quot;America First agenda,&quot; with some critics saying the United States did not produce enough Virginia-class submarines to supply Australia as well as its own navy. Australia&#39;s government says it has received no indications that Washington will withdraw support for AUKUS, which is expected to be raised in the White House talks. &quot;AUKUS should be given the green light and once again confirmed as the foundation of Australia&#39;s security and vital to the United States&#39; interest in competing with a rising Beijing-led authoritarian axis,&quot; predicted Justin Bassi, executive director of the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, a think tank partly funded by Australia&#39;s Department of Defence. &quot;China will likely be the focal point of discussions even if it is rarely mentioned publicly: AUKUS, critical minerals, cyber, and critical technologies are frontline agenda topics, and all are about China.&quot;

Australasia

Australian PM Anthony Albanese meets President Trump in Washington to promote Australia’s critical minerals and seek reaffirmation of the AUKUS submarine pact, amid tensions over China’s dominance in global supply chains and Pacific security.

Aussie PM meets Trump with critical minerals on offer

PALM BEACH, The United States will slash assistance to Colombia because its leader, Gustavo Petro, &ldquo;does nothing to stop&rdquo; drug production, President Donald Trump said Sunday, escalating the friction between Washington and one of its closest allies in Latin America. In a social media post, Trump referred to Petro as &ldquo;an illegal drug leader&rdquo; who is &ldquo;low-rated and very unpopular.&rdquo; The Republican president warned that Petro &ldquo;better close up drug operations or the United States will close them up for him, and it won&rsquo;t be done nicely.&rdquo; Hours later, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the latest US strike on a vessel that was allegedly carrying &ldquo;substantial amounts of narcotics.&rdquo; He said the vessel was associated with a Colombian rebel group &mdash; the National Liberation Army, or ELN &mdash; that has conflicted with Petro&rsquo;s government. He did not provide any evidence for his assertions, but he shared a brief video clip of a boat engulfed in flames after an explosion on Friday. Petro, who can be as vocal on social media as his American counterpart, rejected Trump&rsquo;s accusations and defended his work to fight narcotics in Colombia, the world&rsquo;s largest exporter of cocaine. &ldquo;Trying to promote peace in Colombia is not being a drug trafficker,&rdquo; Petro wrote. He suggested that Trump was being deceived by his advisers, described himself as &ldquo;the main enemy&rdquo; of drugs in his country, and said Trump was being &ldquo;rude and ignorant toward Colombia.&rdquo; The Colombian foreign ministry described Trump&rsquo;s statement as a &ldquo;direct threat to national sovereignty by proposing an illegal intervention in Colombian territory.&rdquo; Defense Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez told reporters that the country &ldquo;has used all its capability and also lost men and women fighting drug trafficking.&rdquo; US pressure increasing &nbsp;Trump&rsquo;s latest broadside against Petro raises the possibility of an expanding clash in Latin America, where the US has already increased pressure on neighboring Venezuela and its leader, Nicol&aacute;s Maduro. American naval ships, fighter jets, and drones are deployed in the region for what the administration has described as an &ldquo;armed conflict&rdquo; with drug cartels. Trump also authorized covert operations inside Venezuela. Unlike Venezuela, Colombia is a longtime US ally and the top recipient of American assistance in the region. But coca cultivation reached an all-time high last year, according to the United Nations, and there has been fresh violence in rural areas where the government spent years battling insurgents before reaching a peace deal a decade ago. In September, the Trump administration accused Colombia of failing to cooperate in the drug war, although at the time Washington issued a waiver of sanctions that would have triggered aid cuts. Colombia received an estimated $230 million in the US budget year that ended Sept. 30, a drop from recent years that exceeded $700 million, according to US figures. Petro, Trump at loggerheadsPetro, Colombia&rsquo;s first leftist president, has repeatedly feuded with Trump this year. Petro initially rejected US military flights of deported migrants, leading Trump to threaten tariffs. The State Department said it would revoke Petro&rsquo;s visa when he attended the UN General Assembly in New York because he told American soldiers to disobey Trump&rsquo;s orders. Petro and Trump have also been at odds over American strikes on boats in the Caribbean. On Sunday, Petro accused the US government of assassination, pointing to a Sept. 16 strike that he said killed a Colombian man named Alejandro Carranza. Petro said Carranza was a fisherman with no ties to drug trafficking, and his boat was malfunctioning when it was hit. &ldquo;The United States has invaded our national territory, fired a missile to kill a humble fisherman, and destroyed his family, his children. This is Bol&iacute;var&rsquo;s homeland, and they are murdering his children with bombs,&rdquo; Petro wrote on social media. He said that he asked his country&rsquo;s attorney general&rsquo;s office to initiate legal proceedings internationally and in US courts. The White House and the Pentagon did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Petro&rsquo;s accusations. Despite Petro&rsquo;s criticism, his government plans to prosecute the Colombian survivor of a more recent US strike on a submersible that was allegedly carrying drugs. Another survivor was repatriated to Ecuador, where the Ministry of the Interior said he would not face charges after prosecutors met with him and determined that he had not committed any crimes within the country&rsquo;s borders. ELN denies role in drug traffickingThe ELN, which Hegseth said was the target of Friday&rsquo;s strike, has long denied any role in drug trafficking and offered to submit to the scrutiny of an international commission. It did not respond to Hegseth&#39;s announcement. Colombian authorities regularly report the dismantling of cocaine laboratories and the seizure of drugs believed to belong to the guerrillas. There have been seven US strikes in the region since early September that the administration says are targeting alleged drug traffickers. At least 32 people have been killed. Trump said Sunday that Petro had &ldquo;a fresh mouth toward America.&rdquo; He complained that drug smuggling continues &ldquo;despite large-scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long-term rip off of America.&rdquo; &ldquo;AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLOMBIA,&rdquo; he added. Feud could have &quot;catastrophic effects&quot; Elizabeth Dickinson, senior analyst for the Andes region at International Crisis Group, said, &ldquo;It is befuddling and profoundly unwise of the United States to alienate its strongest military partner in Latin America at a moment when tension between Washington and Venezuela is at its highest point in recent years.&rdquo; She said Washington and Bogota have long treated their relationship as foundational, but &ldquo;that wisdom is being thrown out the window, with really catastrophic effects.&rdquo; Colombia lost significant US funding when Trump slashed the US Agency for International Development earlier this year. More cuts could affect military cooperation and undermine efforts to fight rebel groups. &ldquo;If that is cut, we will see a strategic loss of capability for the Colombian military and police at precisely the moment when they&rsquo;re confronting the greatest security crisis in Colombia for over a decade,&rdquo; she said.

Donald Trump said the US will cut aid to Colombia, calling President Gustavo Petro a 'drug leader' who fails to curb cocaine production. Petro condemned Trump’s remarks as a threat to Colombian sovereignty and 'rude ignorance.'

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