Author: AFP

North Korea on Monday criticized Marco Rubio for calling the country a “rogue state,” dismissing as “nonsense” a comment made by the top US diplomat during a recent interview. In North Korea’s first public denunciation of the new Trump administration, a foreign ministry spokesman said that “we will never tolerate any provocation of the US… but will take tough counteraction corresponding to it as usual,” according to a statement carried on state news service KCNA.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that Americans may feel economic “pain” from his tariffs on key trading partners, but argued it would be “worth the price” to secure US interests. “Will there be some pain? Yes, maybe (and maybe not!)” Trump wrote in all-caps on his Truth social media platform, a day after signing off on tariffs on Mexico, Canada and China over illegal immigration and drug trafficking concerns. “But we will Make America Great Again, and it will all be worth the price that must be paid,” he added.

Türkiye could take in some Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the terms of its ceasefire deal with Hamas, Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said during a visit to Qatar on Sunday. “Our president has declared that we are ready to take in some freed Palestinians… in order to support the agreement. Türkiye , along with other countries, will do its part in this regard so the ceasefire agreement can remain in force,” he said at a press conference in Doha.

Iran revealed a new ballistic missile on Sunday that it said was capable of travelling 1,700 kilometres, unveiling it in a Tehran ceremony attended by President Masoud Pezeshkian. State television broadcast images of the missile, dubbed Etemad, or “trust” in Persian, saying it had a maximum range of 1,700 kilometres (1,056 miles) and was “the most recent ballistic missile” built by the Iranian defence ministry. Western countries have grown concerned over advances in Iran’s ballistic missile programme, accusing it of destabilising the Middle East. Iran’s missiles, including this newest design, are capable of reaching its arch-foe Israel, which it targeted…

President Donald Trump is imposing steep tariffs on major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, with a lower rate on Canadian energy imports, said the White House on Saturday. Washington will impose a 25 percent levy on imports from Canada and Mexico, with a 10 percent rate on Canadian energy resources, until both work with the United States on drug trafficking and immigration. Goods from China, said the White House, would face 10 percent tariffs.

The EU warned Sunday it would hit back “firmly” if US President Donald Trump makes good on his threat to hit imports from the bloc with tariffs. “The EU would respond firmly to any trading partner that unfairly or arbitrarily imposes tariffs on EU goods,” said a European Commission spokesman.

President Donald Trump is due to unleash fresh tariffs Saturday on major US trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, threatening upheaval across supply chains from energy to autos. Trump promises 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico, pointing to their failure to halt illegal immigration and the flow of fentanyl across US borders. He also vows a 10 percent tariff on imports from China, the world’s second biggest economy, charging that it had a role in producing the synthetic opioid. Trump has repeatedly expressed his love for tariffs, and has signaled that Saturday’s action could be the first volley in…

Russia on Friday criticised US President Donald Trump’s plan to build a “Star Wars”-like missile defence shield for the United States, saying it risked turning space into an arena of “confrontation”. “We regard this as yet another confirmation of the US intent to turn space into an arena of armed confrontation and to deploy weapons there,” Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said, comparing Trump’s plans to create a US version of Israel’s “Iron Dome” to an “odious” Reagan-era plan nicknamed “Star Wars”.

Ukraine believes North Korean soldiers fighting alongside Russia’s army on the Kursk front line have been “withdrawn” after suffering heavy losses, a military spokesman told AFP on Friday. Western, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence agencies say Pyongyang deployed more than 10,000 troops to support Russia’s forces fighting in its western Kursk region, where Ukraine launched a shock cross-border offensive in August. Kyiv captured dozens of border settlements in the operation — the first time a foreign army had crossed into Russian territory since the Second World War — in an embarrassing setback for the Kremlin. The North Korean deployment –…

US President Donald Trump is expected to push forth with a Saturday deadline for tariff hikes on major trading partners Canada, Mexico and China, the White House said Friday. “I can confirm that tomorrow, the February 1st deadline that President Trump put into place at a statement several weeks ago continues,” said White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. She reiterated plans for a 25 percent levy on Canada and Mexico, and confirmed a 10 percent rate on China.