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United States

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United States
United States
The latest breaking news and stories on the United States (US), a country in North America known as a federal republic, and the world’s largest economy. Also covering US-China relations, plus commentary and updates on US economy, politics, society, healthcare, military and crime.
Capital
Washington, D.C.
Head of State
President Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Head of Government
President Donald Trump
Donald Trump
Humanoid robots perform with children during China Central Television’s Spring Festival Gala 2026. Photo: CCTV
US-China trade war

US trade deficit widens, Spring Gala performances, Merz visit

This week: US trade deficit widens, humanoid robots dazzle in Spring Festival Gala, Wang Yi and Marco Rubio at Munich Security Conference. Next week: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz visits China, Politburo meets ahead of ‘two sessions’, Hong Kong budget speech and more.

Trade

Outside In | Despite Trump’s trade wars, globalisation is Eurasia’s to win or lose

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Artificial intelligence

The next interface race: how AI is bringing smart glasses into focus

Israel-Gaza war

‘Plan B is war’: Gaza truce faces late April test despite Trump’s peace push

Observers say the unresolved question of Hamas’ disarmament leaves the fragile truce vulnerable to collapse.

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US President Donald Trump raises the gavel during the “Board of Peace” meeting in Washington on Thursday. Photo: EPA
Americas and the Caribbean

Venezuela approves amnesty law that could free hundreds of political prisoners

Landmark amnesty bill was signed by Venezuela’s interim president nearly seven weeks after the capture of Nicolas Maduro by the US.

SCMP Highlights

US drone presence worries China, neuroscientist moves to Shenzhen: 7 highlights

From China’s push for foreign Lunar New Year spending to a Hongkonger attacked in Japan, here are highlights from SCMP’s recent reporting.

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Fame and celebrity

Grey’s Anatomy actor Eric Dane dead at 53 after ALS battle

Diagnosed less than a year ago, the American actor turned his final months into a powerful crusade for ALS awareness.

Eric Dane in 2022. Photo: Invision/AP
Space

Nasa ranks 2024 spacecraft mishap among its worst disasters

US space agency delivers a harsh assessment of a botched Boeing Starliner test flight that stranded two astronauts.

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Hong Kong stock market

Hong Kong stocks fall as market reopens after 3-day Lunar New Year holiday

Tech heavyweights Alibaba, Baidu and Kuaishou drop as trading commences in the Year of the Horse.

Japan

Japan’s Takaichi pushes to scrap food tax, ignoring economists’ warnings

The newly reappointed prime minister is gambling 5 trillion yen a year on a popular election promise that could backfire badly.

A shopper visits a supermarket in Tokyo last month. Japan currently applies an 8 per cent consumption tax to most food and drink purchases. Photo: Kyodo
Indonesia

Indonesia seals ‘great’ US trade deal, agrees to send 8,000 troops to Gaza

A US general said Jakarta will take a deputy commander role in the international stabilisation force in Gaza.

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Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (centre) attends the inaugural meeting of the “Board of Peace” in Washington on Thursday. Photo: Getty Images/AFP
Japan

Why plan by US and Japan to relocate Okinawa airbase is hitting turbulence

The US does not intend to vacate the current airbase for now due to disagreement over runway length at a replacement site, a report says.

Science

Scientists test universal vaccine for cold, flu, Covid and allergies

The nasal spray works to protect the lungs of mice, and could eventually replace multiple jabs if shown to be effective and safe for humans.

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US-China trade war

Washington offers US$200 million to boost US smartphone industry in Indo-Pacific

State Department subsidies for US companies to shore up US artificial intelligence supply chain in region and counter China’s dominance.

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Jacob Helberg, the State Department’s Under Secretary for Economic Affairs, believed the US$200 million in government funding would make “millions of smartphones more competitive”. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

Former Biden official says US must work with allies to counter China

Kurt Campbell warns Trump’s strategy risks weakening Washington leverage as policy machinery erodes and Beijing sharpens its approach.

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Kurt Campbell, former US deputy secretary of state and a key architect of Washington’s Indo-Pacific strategy, at an event in 2023. Photo: Getty Images
Fame and celebrity

Meet Lucas Iverson, who plays medical student James Ogilvie in The Pitt

The actor and pastry enthusiast was previously in The Gilded Age with White Lotus actress Carrie Coon and Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon.

Britain

UK public cheers ex-prince Andrew’s arrest, Trump calls it ‘very sad’

Britons say the arrest of the Epstein-linked brother of King Charles sends the message that the royal family is not above the law.

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Diplomacy

Opinion | The 21st-century order has outgrown 20th-century institutions

Despite international tensions, countries still seek cooperation based on shared interests. Institutions must embrace this trend.

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Illustration: Craig Stephens
Crime

US man found guilty of beating 4 to death in New York, including HK migrant

The jury rejected an insanity defence by Randy Santos for the killings of Chuen Kok, 83, and three other homeless men in 2019.

Middle East

Trump appears to set short deadline for Iran, warning of ‘bad things’

US president said he will decide within the next 10 to 15 days whether or not to strike Iran.

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Israel-Gaza war

Trump’s ‘Board of Peace’ debuts with Gaza pledge as war threat looms elsewhere

The US president gathers global allies to fund Gaza’s reconstruction while issuing a final 10-day warning to Iran.

US President Donald during the signing ceremony in Washington. Photo: AFP
US-China trade war

US trade deficit widens sharply in December, testing Trump tariff claims

Trade with China remains a major driver of the US deficit, even as imports shift towards Southeast Asia and other partners.

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In December, the US goods deficit with China stood at US$12.4 billion, underscoring Beijing’s continued role in America’s trade gap. Photo: Getty Images
US-China relations

Born in China, raised in US: adoptees explore their identity at Lunar New Year

Growing up Chinese-American has not been easy for LuLu Grant and Phoebe McChesney, both wanting to fit in, while never too far from the past.

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My Take

My Take | Why Western civilisation is incapable of saving Western society today

People who argue for the uniqueness and high moral standing of the West are actually weaponising it as an ideology against the non-Western cultures of the Global South.

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US-China relations

Opinion | US and China can again find common ground – in AI’s risks

If Beijing and Washington could meet in 1972 to manage a shared threat, today’s leaders can cooperate to shape the rules of AI.

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People use augmented reality headsets during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference at the Shanghai World Expo and Convention Center in Shanghai on July 28, 2025. Photo: AFP / Getty Images / TNS
The Philippines

US missile deployments in Philippines signal deeper strategic shift in region

Analysts said the move bolsters the First Island Chain strategy and deepens Manila’s role in regional defence planning.

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A US M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, or HIMARS, fires during the Balikatan joint military exercises at a naval station in Zambales province, northern Philippines, on April 26, 2023. Photo: AP
China-Japan relations

Tokyo involvement in Taiwan would amount to aggression against Beijing: UN envoy

Fu Cong, permanent representative to the United Nations, warns of a resolute retaliation if Japan intervenes militarily on the issue.

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Israel-Gaza war

Can Trump’s Board of Peace succeed while Hamas still runs Gaza?

Hamas’ continuing influence over key Gaza power structures has fuelled widespread scepticism about the prospects of Trump’s peace plan.

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