Southeast Asian countries breathed a sigh of relief yesterday after the US announced tariffs on their exports that were far lower than threatened and levelled the playing field with a rate of about 19 percent across the region’s biggest economies.

The UN human rights office said yesterday that 1,373 Palestinians have been killed while waiting for aid in the shortage-stricken Gaza Strip since late May, most of them by the Israeli military.

There was no comment from the Israeli military

US President Donald Trump on Thursday signed an executive order increasing tariffs on Canadian goods to 35% from 25% on all products not covered by the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, the White House said.

It also said 159 people were wounded in Thursday's strikes, including 16 children

Washington has given Moscow until the end of next week to cease hostilities in Ukraine, under threat of severe economic sanctions

Trump ordered stiff tariffs on dozens of trading partners in an effort to reshape global trade in favour of the US economy

The United States and Pakistan hailed a trade deal on Thursday that Islamabad said would lead to lower tariffs and increased investment, but without specifying the level of tariff to be levied on Pakistani exports.

President Donald Trump ordered massive tariffs on Brazil Wednesday and sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy.

President Donald Trump plans to build a ballroom at the White House as he pushes forward with remodeling the US executive mansion, his spokeswoman said Thursday

The United Nations’ humanitarian agency has said that the conditions for delivering aid into Gaza were “far from sufficient” to meet the immense needs of its “desperate, hungry people”.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian warned yesterday that dams supplying the capital could run dry within months unless water consumption was curbed.

A collection of hundreds of jewels linked to Buddha’s remains has returned to India after 127 years following an auction planned for earlier this year that drew threats of legal action from the government in Delhi.

Human trafficking for forced criminal activity is growing at an alarming rate, with hundreds of thousands of people trapped in online scamming centres across Southeast Asia, the United Nations said Wednesday.

Lithuanian Prime Minister Gintautas Paluckas resigned yesterday amid an ongoing investigation into potential financial crimes by firms linked to him.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday urged his allies to bring about “regime change” in Russia, hours after a Russian drone and missile attack on Kyiv killed eight people including a six-year-old boy.

Indian opposition parties yesterday criticised the government, describing US President Donald Trump’s threat of a 25 percent tariff as a diplomatic failure for New Delhi, while the rupee currency tumbled and equity indexes slid in response to the news.

Cambodia yesterday accused Thailand of detaining 20 of its soldiers and killing another in post-ceasefire incidents, as a fragile peace held for a third day along their disputed border.

An Indian court yesterday acquitted a firebrand Hindu nationalist nun and former lawmaker, and six others accused of participating in a deadly bombing near a mosque in 2008.

The opposition leader in Pakistan’s parliament was among more than 100 people convicted yesterday over nationwide protests in support of Imran Khan in 2023, his party said.