June 5, 2026

The European Commission has presented a sweeping tech sovereignty package to boost homegrown technologies and reduce dependency on American and Chinese companies. Whether it will make a meaningful difference — and how the two superpowers will react — remain open questions. ADVERTISEMENT ADVERTISEMENT “We live in a world where geopolitics and technology are inseparable. Those who champion technological innovation will shape the future, and we must ensure that Europe plays a leading role in this,” European Commission Executive Vice President Henna Virkkunen said. The package seeks to boost Europe’s domestic tech sector, with a heavy focus on cloud infrastructure, AI … Read more

June 5, 2026

Is Japan Actually Breaking Free From the US-China Trap in 2026?

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The conventional read of Japan’s foreign policy in 2026 is that Tokyo is hedging: carefully managing relationships on multiple fronts in response to an uncertain environment. It is the kind of framing that sounds analytically serious and explains very little. Every country hedges. What is actually happening in Tokyo is more consequential and more original than that word suggests. Japan is in the early stages of becoming something it has not been since 1945: a country with genuine strategic autonomy. Not independence from its alliances; Tokyo is not walking away from Washington, and anyone who reads the current defense buildup … Read more

June 5, 2026

Trade, Taiwan and Iran cast shadows on Trump’s China summit with Xi

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BEIJING — President Donald Trump will begin a two-day summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Beijing on Thursday as the world’s two biggest economies look to stabilize a trade truce against the backdrop of the simmering U.S. conflict with Iran. Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content. Trump’s visit, the first by a U.S. president since his own trip nine years ago, will be “a wild one,” he promised this year, recounting at an event in Washington that he had told Xi “to put on the biggest display you’ve ever had … Read more

June 4, 2026

Asian shares retreat as US stocks halt their record-breaking rally, while oil prices fall back

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Asian shares retreated on Thursday following declines on Wall Street that snapped a nine-day winning streak for the S&P 500.… Asian shares retreated on Thursday following declines on Wall Street that snapped a nine-day winning streak for the S&P 500. Oil prices fell back after surging Wednesday as renewed fighting threatened the U.S.-Iran ceasefire. Early Thursday in Asia, Brent crude was $1.17 lower at $96.64 per barrel, while benchmark U.S. crude oil shed $1.08 to $94.94 per barrel. Oil prices had climbed a day earlier after both the United States and Iran said they launched retaliations for earlier attacks or … Read more

June 4, 2026

Oman resists US pressure to break ties with Iran over strait of Hormuz | US-Israel war on Iran

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Oman is resisting US pressure to break its links with Iran, and insists it has only been negotiating with Tehran on a future management system for the strait of Hormuz that would be compliant with international law. The aim would be to implement any regime after consulting the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO). Traditionally Oman, a longtime US ally that shares stewardship of the strait, has adopted the role of a back-channel mediator allowing it to remain neutral in disputes that have led to fissures in other parts of the Gulf. Its neutrality has limits. It is highly critical of … Read more

June 4, 2026

War breaking news. US House orders withdrawal from Iran war, but Trump may veto it

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LiveLast updated 12 minutes ago Peace negotiations with Iran could be concluded ‘by the weekend’, US President Donald Trump said while answering reporters’ questions in the Oval Office. Nine dead in Israeli raids in Gaza City, 4 are children The death toll of the four Israeli air raids that hit residential complexes in Gaza City overnight has risen to nine, including four children, Al Jazeera Arabic reported. The Israeli warplanes, the Arabic news outlet points out, carried out the raids without any warning to the civilian population. Search and rescue operations continue at the sites of the attacks. The UN … Read more