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Trump says Cuba is seeking help, will hold talks
Business

Trump says Cuba is seeking help, will hold talks

Trump had threatened that Cuba was ‘next’ after the US military seized ‌the leader of long-time Cuban ally Venezuela earlier this year US President Donald Trump on Tuesday said Cuba was asking for help and “we are going to talk”, without providing any more detail. “No Republican ‌has ever spoken to me about Cuba, which is a failed country and only heading in one direction – down! Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!! In the ⁠meantime, I’m off to China!” Trump wrote on social media. Representatives for the White House and the State Department could not be immediately reached ‌for comment. Representatives for Havana also could not ⁠be immediately ⁠reached. Trump had threatened that Cuba was “next” after the US military seized ‌the leader of long-time Cuban ally Venezuela earlier this year and has ‌since imposed ‌fresh financial sanctions and expanded others. His administration has ‌also imposed a fuel blockade, curtailed US travel and ⁠remittances to the island nation and sought to dissuade regional ⁠allies from contracting Cuban doctors. China, where Trump is travelling this week to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping, ‌has called ‌on Washington to immediately end its embargo and sanctions on Havana.

Elon Musk joins Trump’s Beijing delegation as a ‘natural bridge’ for trade
Business

Elon Musk joins Trump’s Beijing delegation as a ‘natural bridge’ for trade

Gigafactory stakes and a push for self-driving software approval cast the billionaire as a key US envoy while seemingly sealing a reconciliation with Trump The Tesla and SpaceX chief’s presence alongside Trump for meetings with President Xi Jinping adds a distinctive commercial and personal layer to a diplomatically delicate trip. “Musk’s inclusion in Trump’s China delegation has indeed come as a surprise to many,” said Bai Wenxi, chief economist at China Enterprise Capital Union (CECU). Bai suggested that the move signals Washington’s effort to ease tensions by prioritising commercial interests, recognising that progress – including on issues such as Taiwan, tariffs and artificial intelligence controls – requires leveraging business figures deeply embedded in the Chinese market. Musk’s local standing was most visibly cemented with the rise of Tesla’s Gigafactory in Shanghai – the firm’s first wholly foreign-owned automotive plant in China. The facility was approved unusually quickly and became a flagship project in Beijing’s broader push to signal openness to advanced manufacturing and global capital.

Hong Kong police arrest 2 women after sewage-soaked puppy found in bin, put down
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Hong Kong police arrest 2 women after sewage-soaked puppy found in bin, put down

Golden Retriever pup, suffering from terminal canine distemper, found in rubbish bin drenched in sewage and chilli oil Hong Kong police have arrested two women on suspicion of animal cruelty after a sick three-month-old Golden Retriever was found dumped in a rubbish bin in Mong Kok, covered in sewage, and later euthanised. Inspector Yip Ho-lam said on Tuesday that police opened an investigation Saturday morning after a street cleaner discovered the puppy inside a bin in the alley behind 104 Hak Po Street. Officers from the animal crime investigation team later took over the case. “The puppy was immediately handed over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for medical treatment and care. Following an examination, it was identified as a three-month-old Golden Retriever. It had no identification microchip and was in poor health,” Yip said. After reviewing CCTV footage and seeking help from local veterinary clinics, police tracked the suspects to a residential unit in Ho Man Tin and arrested two women, aged 28 and 39, on Monday morning. They were released on bail and must report to police in mid-June. During a search of the flat, officers discovered three additional dogs.

China backs Hong Kong courts, ignores calls to free Jimmy Lai ahead of Trump visit
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China backs Hong Kong courts, ignores calls to free Jimmy Lai ahead of Trump visit

Beijing reaffirms support for Hong Kong judiciary as foreign ministry calls former media boss ‘principal mastermind’ of 2019 anti-government protests China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has reaffirmed its “firm support” for Hong Kong’s judicial authorities when asked whether Beijing would consider releasing jailed former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying ahead of US President Donald Trump’s three-day state visit starting Wednesday. “[Jimmy] Lai Chee-ying is the principal mastermind and perpetrator behind the riots that shook Hong Kong,” ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said at a press briefing, when asked whether Beijing would consider Lai’s release if Trump raised the issue during talks with Chinese officials. “Hong Kong affairs are China’s internal affairs. The central government of China firmly supports the Hong Kong judicial authorities in performing duties in accordance with the law.” Guo’s remarks came a day before Trump’s much-anticipated visit to China, which had previously been delayed and is taking place at the invitation of President Xi Jinping. The summit comes amid a US-Iran ceasefire and will mark the first time a US president has visited China since 2017, when Trump travelled there during his first term.

In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines
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In a bind over rare earths, Europe watches US-China tussle from the sidelines

As Xi Jinping and Donald Trump prepare to meet in Beijing, one European diplomat says the bloc is aware ‘we have little leverage here’ Crucially, there was now an extraterritorial element: China could deny exports not only to direct buyers, but also restrict products made in third countries if they contained Chinese-origin rare earth content or controlled inputs. “It’s not the most fun thing for a diplomat to say that I’ve been shepherding a steadily declining relationship on a daily basis for the last four years and trying to manage decline … but it’s hard to disagree,” Porter said.

Opposing Taiwan independence is in America’s own interest
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Opposing Taiwan independence is in America’s own interest

During Trump’s visit, Washington has an opportunity to send a restrained but clear signal that it is willing to work with China to manage risks This could be the moment when a clear US stance against Taiwan independence would carry the lowest cost and yield the highest return. If the Taiwan Strait spirals out of control, China and the US would risk a systemic confrontation affecting finance, supply chains, energy markets and military security. This would serve neither China’s interests nor those of the US, and certainly not those of Asia or the wider world.

Dela Rosa’s flight turns Philippine Senate into battleground for ICC accountability
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Dela Rosa’s flight turns Philippine Senate into battleground for ICC accountability

Dela Rosa evading the ICC arrest and the Senate leadership coup could mark a turning point for a Duterte camp under siege, analysts say Dela Rosa, Duterte’s first national police chief and one of the most recognisable faces of his “war on drugs”, narrowly escaped arrest on Monday after officers from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) tried to serve the ICC warrant inside the Senate. He was caught on camera running up a flight of stairs and along a corridor inside the Senate building, hours before the ICC unsealed the warrant.

Spain reports new hantavirus case as outbreak grows to 11
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Spain reports new hantavirus case as outbreak grows to 11

World Health Organization chief says there is currently ‘no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak’ A Spanish passenger evacuated from the cruise ship at the centre of a hantavirus outbreak has tested positive for the virus, Spain’s health ministry announced on Tuesday as the World Health Organization said it has now confirmed 11 cases, including three people from the cruise who died. The passenger with the new confirmed case of hantavirus was in quarantine in a military hospital in Madrid, where 13 other Spanish nationals evacuated on Sunday – who all tested negative for the virus – also are staying. With the evacuation of all passengers and many crew members completed, the MV Hondius is now sailing back to the Netherlands, where it will be cleaned and disinfected. The director-general of the World Health Organization, who was in Madrid, said all 11 confirmed cases are among passengers or crew of the MV Hondius cruise ship, including three people who died. Nine of the 11 cases have been confirmed as the Andes virus. “These numbers have changed little over the past week thanks to the governments of multiple countries and partners,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO director-general, said.

Melania, Rush Hour director returns to China with Trump’s delegation
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Melania, Rush Hour director returns to China with Trump’s delegation

Brett Ratner, director of the documentary Melania and the Rush Hour franchise, is travelling to China as part of US President Donald Trump’s delegation, sources familiar with the filmmaker’s plans have told the South China Morning Post. During the three-day trip, which begins on Wednesday, Ratner intends to advance preparations for the action-comedy franchise’s latest sequel, Rush Hour 4, including meetings with crew members, actors and potential Chinese film distribution partners. He is also...

Meet Hiroshi Suzuki, the Japanese envoy showing Britons how to love Britain
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Meet Hiroshi Suzuki, the Japanese envoy showing Britons how to love Britain

‘He has made me feel more proud to be British than any politician or any figure since I was born,’ a content creator says Videos of him singing the Welsh national anthem, for example, and his valiant attempts to copy local dialects and expressions have generated an outpouring of love for him online. Many comments say Suzuki is reminding often pessimistic Britons of the nation’s achievements and rich heritage. His entertaining efforts have garnered the kind of publicity and recognition other embassies can only dream of, with a series of complimentary articles in prestigious publications. Media commentators have also taken note and written about Suzuki’s novel methods. Since his arrival in November 2024, he has managed to accrue over 220,000 social media followers and many of his videos go viral and can be found on apps popular with younger audiences.

AI disinformation? Singapore accused in pro-China videos of being ‘ungrateful’
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AI disinformation? Singapore accused in pro-China videos of being ‘ungrateful’

Clips on Chinese social media showing speakers disparaging the city state are likely to be deepfakes, experts say The clips, each featuring an individual in a different setting and circulating on Chinese platforms such as Douyin and WeChat, were most likely generated by artificial intelligence, according to digital experts, pointing to clues such as identical scripts. A check by This Week in Asia showed there were at least 40 such clips shared in the last month, all echoing the same content, with multiple videos garnering more than 1,000 likes each. Some videos on WeChat have been flagged by the platform for potentially being created by AI technology. Local social media users have also caught on to their existence, such as one user, who shared screenshots of the videos highlighting the matching speeches. “This is what a disinformation campaign looks like,” she wrote in a post late last month. A common theme in the videos is that Singapore has been accused of being disrespectful to China despite receiving Beijing’s support in trade. Content shared by these accounts includes videos of the same individuals speaking on different topics, including US and Chinese politics.

Panda power: Pakistan to tap China debt market with first sale of yuan-priced notes
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Panda power: Pakistan to tap China debt market with first sale of yuan-priced notes

Islamabad turns to ‘panda bonds’ to secure cheaper credit and diversify its borrowing into yuan-denominated funding, with a focus on sustainable development Pakistan is poised to become the latest partner in a China-centred trading network, known as the Belt and Road Initiative, to sell “panda bonds”. Islamabad seeks to raise as much as US$250 million through its first-ever sale of the bonds – yuan-denominated debt instruments sold by foreign entities in mainland China’s onshore market – as early as this week. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb confirmed on Saturday that Islamabad was preparing to access Chinese capital markets with the sale – the first tranche of a broader US$1 billion programme that Islamabad has been pursuing since at least December. The three-year bonds, focused on sustainable development, will carry guarantees from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) and the Asian Development Bank covering 95 per cent of the debt issuance, according to Bloomberg. The planned deal comes as Pakistan steps up its return to international capital markets following years of financial instability.