Trump admin sued over dumping of White House debris, tests show toxic metals
Business

Trump admin sued over dumping of White House debris, tests show toxic metals

The debris is coming from the East Wing, which is being demolished to build the US president’s ballroom Debris from the demolition of the White House East Wing that was dumped at a nearby public golf course has tested positive for lead, chromium and other toxic metals, the National Park Service said. An interim report by a Virginia engineering firm says the toxic metals, along with PCBs, pesticides, petroleum by-products and other chemicals were detected at levels above laboratory reporting limits in soil at the East Potomac Golf Links, a historic golf course that US President Donald Trump plans to renovate. The park service began dumping debris from the East Wing onto the golf course in October, and more than 30,000 cubic yards (810,000 cubic feet) of excavated soil had been transported to the site as of last month, the report by Jacobs Engineering Group Inc. said. The report was requested by the park service. The non-profit DC Preservation League has sued the Trump administration, arguing that the dumping was unlawful and possibly hazardous. The group also is challenging the Republican administration’s takeover of the golf course, about 3km (two miles) southeast of the White House, and others in the city.

May 6, 2026 · 2 dk okuma
Boy, 13, shoots 2 dead at Brazil school
Business

Boy, 13, shoots 2 dead at Brazil school

Students tried to escape over a wall, but it was too tall and many were trapped on the school roof A teenage boy shot dead two staff members and injured two other people, including a student, at a school in northeast Brazil on Tuesday, prompting panicked students to try to escape over a wall, authorities and a witness said. A 13-year-old boy was arrested over the attack at Sao Jose Institute in Rio Branco, the capital of Acre state, the local government said in a statement. Eduardo Rodrigues Cavalcante, who works as a receptionist at a hotel next to the school, said that when the shooting began, some students tried to jump over a wall separating the school from the hotel. “The wall is six meters high, and only one person managed to jump over and take refuge here in the hotel. The other people were left on the school roof trying to escape,” the 19-year-old receptionist said, adding that he heard “gunshots and a lot of screaming”. Images released by a local media outlet showed a woman being evacuated on a stretcher and people crying and hugging each other outside the school. It was not yet clear whether the attacker was a current or former pupil at the school.

May 6, 2026 · 2 dk okuma
A year since Singapore election, how has Lawrence Wong’s team fared?
Business

A year since Singapore election, how has Lawrence Wong’s team fared?

Wong and his team have to prove they are ‘more than equal’ to the task of helping Singapore navigate coming headwinds, analysts say Under the scorching midday sun at a lunchtime speech in the heart of the city, Singapore’s leader last April urged voters to re-elect his tested People’s Action Party (PAP), arguing that voting for the opposition would weaken his team’s ability to navigate coming headwinds. On top of surging oil and gas prices wrought by the ongoing Iran war, fears of an artificial intelligence revolution replacing jobs continue to weigh heavily on citizens and policymakers. “Wong has his work cut out for him given that he has to unequivocally demonstrate that he and his team are more than equal to the task of navigating Singapore through treacherous geopolitical waters,” said Eugene Tan, a political observer and associate professor of law at Singapore Management University. “For sure, the current polycrisis is a double-edged sword for the PAP government.” Singapore imports 95 per cent of its energy, with its status as a transport and business hub dependent on ensuring reliable and resilient energy supply.

May 6, 2026
Will Hong Kong’s lending clampdown wean helpers off debt – and save their dreams?
Business

Will Hong Kong’s lending clampdown wean helpers off debt – and save their dreams?

NGOs say regulations should not be so strict that they deny domestic helpers access to loans since they may have legitimate needs such as family emergencies Anna, a domestic helper from the Philippines, had managed her finances well until she took out two loans over the past few months for a friend she described as being “like a mother to me”. The 37-year-old, who asked to be identified only by her first name, now has to pay creditors about HK$9,000 (US$1,149) a month – almost twice her salary – leaving her extremely stressed about her debt. “My friend said she needed the money and asked if I could borrow from banks under my name, saying she would pay back the loans, but I was wrong to believe her,” she said. “I am really hurt about this … I told her, you really put me in trouble, you put my job at risk. But she just says ‘I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean it’.” Anna said the debt had taken a toll on her mental health, but she was prioritising her children’s needs over repayments, even as banks continued to chase her. “The school told me my son has borderline depression because they kept asking him for payments, which I failed to give. That really breaks me,” she said. “My situation really gives me depression.

May 6, 2026 · 2 dk okuma
Joyous reunion of Iranian boy with China classmates after family visit to Iran moves many
Business

Joyous reunion of Iranian boy with China classmates after family visit to Iran moves many

Business trip to conflict-ridden homeland lasts longer than expected as boy and parents lose contact with worried school friends An eight-year-old Iranian boy who left his primary school in China for his mother country in January and later lost contact with his teachers for 42 days has returned to the campus, thrilling his classmates. On April 27, when the boy named Radin, dressed in the school’s uniform, appeared in a classroom at Shaoxing Boya International School, his excited classmates all came to hug him closely, the Yueniu News reported. “I asked my teacher not to tell them the news so this could be a surprise,” Radin told the media. “When I was in Iran, I hoped to return to China every day. I love all of you. I missed everyone here,” added the boy. Radin’s parents have been running a trading business in Shaoxing, eastern Zhejiang province, for three years.

May 6, 2026
US Army fires Typhon for first time in Philippines during Balikatan drills
Business

US Army fires Typhon for first time in Philippines during Balikatan drills

Beijing has opposed the deployment of the Typhon, which is able to strike targets in Chinese territory from the Philippines The army has practised moving it around the rough, hot terrain but stopped short of firing it in previous exercises. Typhon was “highly requested by a number of our partners and allies and it’s at their request that we deploy”, General Ronald Clark, the US Army Pacific commander, said in an interview on Monday. “It’s a pretty strategic deterrent capability.” The American and Filipino militaries have continued to build on a long-enduring relationship with the annual exercise known as Balikatan, which has continued to develop in size, scale and complexity in recent years.

May 6, 2026
Trump administration looks to ease memory chip crunch with supply chain bloc
Economy

Trump administration looks to ease memory chip crunch with supply chain bloc

US officials to visit Philippines for Pax Silica project after Trump-Xi meeting Jacob Helberg, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic affairs, speaks at the 2026 Milken Institute Global Conference in Los Angeles on May 5. (Photo by Yifan Yu) LOS ANGELES -- The U.S. is working to address the global memory chip shortage through a supply chain coalition with allies in Asia, Europe and the Middle East, a State Department official told Nikkei Asia Monday.

May 6, 2026
Honda to shelve $11bn Canada EV plant as demand sputters
Economy

Honda to shelve $11bn Canada EV plant as demand sputters

Automaker to discontinue joint electric model with GM, shift to US hybrids Electric vehicles are disappearing from Honda Motor's North American model lineup with production of the Prologue ending as early as this year. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) TOKYO -- Honda Motor is set to freeze plans to build an electric vehicle factory in Canada, Nikkei has learned, as sluggish U.S. demand pushes it to put hybrids at the center of its North American strategy.

May 6, 2026
Japan moves toward exporting surplus destroyers to Philippines
Economy

Japan moves toward exporting surplus destroyers to Philippines

With wary eye on China, the two sides agree to start working-level talks Japanese Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, left, with Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro in Manilla on May 5. (Photo by Yuki Fujita) TOKYO/MANILA -- Defense chiefs from Japan and the Philippines agreed Tuesday to formally begin discussions toward exporting surplus Japanese naval vessels to the Southeast Asian country.

May 6, 2026
Soaring aluminum, plastics prices push up costs for auto parts makers
Economy

Soaring aluminum, plastics prices push up costs for auto parts makers

Supply chain disruptions from Iran war could reach vehicle prices later The wholesale price of aluminum bullion in Japan is up more than 20% since the end of February. (Photo obtained by Nikkei) TOKYO -- The prolonged conflict in the Middle East is boosting prices of materials used in automobiles like aluminum and plastics, with concerns growing that the trend will trickle downstream and eventually raise vehicle prices as well.

May 6, 2026
Panama minister blasts China’s ship crackdown, tells deputies to demand answers in Beijing
Business

Panama minister blasts China’s ship crackdown, tells deputies to demand answers in Beijing

Foreign minister says court ruling must not be used as leverage against Panama’s merchant fleet as ship detentions mount Javier Martinez-Acha Vasquez said on Monday that the lawmakers should relay a clear message to their Chinese counterparts on Panama’s behalf. “I can only suggest that you convey that Panama respects China, but Panama first respects the Constitution of our country, and that therefore a court ruling must be obeyed and must not be used as a basis for any kind of economic coercion against our merchant fleet,” Martinez-Acha said. The remarks came as seven members of Panama’s National Assembly travelled to China as part of a parliamentary friendship group. The delegation, which includes lawmakers Patsy Lee, Jairo Salazar, Arquesio Arias, Flor Brenes, Gertrudis Rodriguez, Didiano Pinilla and Roberto Archibold, is scheduled to return on May 10. Why the US is worried about China’s growing influence in South America Lee said the group’s agenda included a visit to Huawei Technologies’ headquarters and meetings with Chinese government officials and international cooperation bodies. The lawmakers also attended the Canton Fair, one of the world’s largest trade exhibitions.

May 6, 2026
Japan’s Mirumi plush robots aim to go worldwide with cute glances
Economy

Japan’s Mirumi plush robots aim to go worldwide with cute glances

Charms set to go on sale for limited time in Hong Kong and London The Mirumi plush robots come in gray, ivory and pink. (Photo by Marimi Kishimoto) TOKYO -- Mirumi may be on the verge of becoming a surprise global hit, with the googly-eyed, Japanese-made robotic companion landing on shelves in Hong Kong and London.

May 6, 2026