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Australia has been included in a proposed 12.5 percent additional tariff announced by the US Trade Representative. The decision is part of a new US package targeting forced-labour risk in global supply chains.
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva said China has opened new purchase quotas for Brazilian beef and that Brazil is finding alternative markets in response to US tariffs. Lula said growth in the China market provides important compensation after additional US duties on Brazilian exports.
Wool prices in New Zealand have hit their highest level in 15 years on the back of surging demand. The yield outlook for sheep farmers depends on developments in the global textile market.
Official data show that the number of workers in Germany has declined while average working hours have lengthened. The euro area's largest economy faces both labor market contraction and productivity pressure.
The Office of the US Trade Representative proposed fresh tariffs on 60 economies, including China, under Section 301. Greer said the actions target supply chains linked to forced labor.
Australian infrastructure fund Macquarie and private-equity manager IG4 Capital have agreed to sell their controlling stake in Brazilian multimodal logistics operator CLI to Abu Dhabi-based AD Ports Group for 835 million US dollars.
Al Jazeera reports that China's expanded duty-free access for many African products has revived hopes of industrial growth across the continent. Trade flows remain uneven, however, with raw materials still dominating shipments.
Representatives from the US Indo-Pacific Command and the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy held maritime military safety talks in Honolulu, Hawaii. The two sides discussed contact protocols in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. The Pentagon and Beijing said the meeting was 'candid and constructive'.
The US State Department has announced the number of embassies in Africa that can process visa applications will be cut from 47 to 12. The policy change, mandated by presidential directive, will take effect on 1 September. The African Union Commission and major African governments described the decision as 'damaging to continental cooperation'.
According to the South China Morning Post, a Chinese policy team has drafted a detailed sanctions list covering 63 technology sectors as a response to Washington restrictions on semiconductors, AI, quantum computing and aerospace. A White House reaction is expected.
Caribbean hot sauce producers in Jamaica say the Scotch bonnet peppers central to their recipes are in limited supply. Climate conditions and harvest disruptions are expected to raise producer prices and trim export volumes in the months ahead.
Ferrari unveiled the Luce, its first fully electric model designed to compete with Chinese premium EVs, but the launch drew sharp criticism from within the community over the brand's V12 heritage and identity. Maranello defended its 2030 electrification plan as strategic balance questions emerged.
Colombia headed to the polls to choose a successor to leftist President Gustavo Petro in an election held under the shadow of months of cross-border recriminations and tariff tensions with the United States. The outcome will shape Bogota's regional diplomacy, coca policy and security cooperation with Washington.
New Zealand's government has committed NZ$50,000 to support a local growers' group's bid to take over the McCain Foods factory in Hawke's Bay, in a move aimed at preventing the plant's planned closure. The grant is intended to preserve regional food-production infrastructure. The investment could delay the factory's July closure date.
Australia has announced an agreement to buy three second-hand Virginia-class submarines from the United States under a major shake-up of the AUKUS defence partnership. The deal aims to close a capability gap before 2032. The agreement is the largest defence acquisition in federal Australian budgetary history.
India has confirmed signing a deal to supply BrahMos cruise missiles to Vietnam. New Delhi said similar discussions with Indonesia are in their final stage. The move expands India's Indo-Pacific defence-diplomacy footprint.
After Romuald Wadagni's swearing-in as Benin's new president, China is emerging as a major partner in the country's economic growth. A draft $1.2 billion investment package backed by the People's Bank of China is under discussion. SCMP analysis says Beijing is pursuing wider influence in West Africa.
Concerns are growing about a shift in U.S. President Donald Trump's posture toward Taiwan, Nikkei Asia reports in a four-point analysis. The piece argues that the White House appears to be softening Washington's decades-old strategic ambiguity over 'Taiwan independence,' and that Beijing's firm response is rattling investor confidence and Taipei's defence planning.
Ecuador's President Daniel Noboa has been accused of meddling in Sunday's Colombian presidential election after pledging punitive tariffs on his neighbour if a left-wing candidate wins. BBC reports that Colombian officials called the comments an attempt to influence the vote, while the OAS and the EU said they were following the situation closely.
BBC Asia reports US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth told the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that the US is not 'turning back' on its Asian allies but expects them to boost defence spending. Hegseth also warned against China's bid for hegemony in the region.
Anadolu Agency Ekonomi reports that the heads of the IEA, IMF, World Bank and WTO have jointly warned about downside risks to energy, trade and growth from the Middle East war. The institutions flagged the inflationary implications of disruptions to global goods flows.
Investing.com reports that the US and Mexico have concluded the first round of trade-deal talks covering autos, metals and border security. The publication did not detail the final text of any comprehensive deal; both sides described the talks as constructive.
The US, Australia and the United Kingdom have unveiled a new 'signature' project to develop cutting-edge weapons systems and sensors for underwater drones, ABC News Australia reported. The move aims to reinvigorate AUKUS's technology pillar.
Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands and Poland have agreed on a joint position to accelerate the EU's Capital Markets Union, Anadolu Agency Ekonomi reported. The move aims to narrow the bloc's investment gap and support technology scale-up.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Türkiye is willing to cooperate with Japan in unmanned aerial vehicles, citing joint development and joint production potential, Anadolu Agency reported. The remarks open a new track in the Türkiye-Japan defence-industry dialogue.
US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Asian allies at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore that China cannot impose hegemony on US partners in the region. The remarks frame Washington's Indo-Pacific posture and request for greater allied 'burden-sharing'.
Speaking at Asia's premier defence forum in Singapore, Vietnam's To Lam warned that crises of international order, development models and strategic trust are converging to drive global instability. It was his first foreign-policy address to an international audience since his April election as president.
The European Commission has agreed a tougher approach to trade relations with China, with Trade Commissioner Sefcovic saying new instruments may be needed in critical sectors. Beijing said it would respond with retaliatory and sectoral measures.
Abula, a Nigerian sport inspired by the Yoruba concept of a balanced meal, is mounting an organised push to grow from a local pastime into an internationally recognised discipline. Federations are working on structure and international acceptance.
Istanbul Airport averaged 1,519 daily flights during 18-24 May, making it Europe's busiest, according to TRT Haber Ekonomi. Traffic is expected to rise further as the summer season approaches.
According to Straits Times Business, the roughly 350 global commodity traders with a significant presence in Singapore are updating logistics and hedging strategies to manage supply-chain disruptions linked to the Iran war.
According to the South China Morning Post, China's ambassador to the United States, Xie Feng, told a high-profile gala in New York that the two countries' relationship is at a 'historical crossroads'. The remarks follow the Xi-Trump summit and stress building strategic stability in the bilateral track.
According to SCMP, Chinese electric-vehicle makers are pivoting fast into the premium segment to escape cut-throat price competition. NIO, Zeekr and XPeng are targeting higher-margin territory with new models.
Japan's crude-oil imports fell 50 percent year on year in April, according to Nikkei Asia. The Iran-war-related disruption in the Strait of Hormuz has exposed the country's heavy reliance on Middle East supply.