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President Donald Trump’s so-called “America First Priorities” are in some cases being welcomed with open arms by Chinese officials, who have said that the United States’ growing isolation and provocative trade policy is helping China “increase its global influence.”“China may suffer economically because of the tariffs, but politically, China is gaining more sympathy and more support from other countries, and not just in the Global South,” said Xinbo Wu, who leads the Institute of International Studies at Fudan University and Shanghai as its dean, speaking with the Wall Street Journal Friday. “We now certainly face less diplomatic pressure than we did under the Biden administration.”Under Trump’s second administration, he levied high tariffs on China, which Wu said were elevating China’s position on the world stage. The Trump administration has also slapped a 50% tariff rate on India, long a key ally to the United States used to combat China’s influence in the region.Trump’s 50% tariff on India, among the highest of any country and imposed for it continuing to purchase Russian oil, is now appearing to backfire. India halted a weapons purchase from the United States, and now, its prime minister is set to appear at a Chinese summit, the first such instance since 2018 that has some experts worried of the two countries developing stronger ties.“The United States under Trump is launching a revolution after revolution; the Chinese know well about revolutions, and we know that you better know what the consequences will be if you launch a revolution,” said Victor Gao, a former Chinese diplomat who served as an interpreter to former Chinese Paramount Leader Deng Xiaoping, speaking to the Wall Street Journal.“I don’t think Trump is fully aware of the consequences of all these tremendous forces he’s unleashing around the world.”Set to commence on Sunday, the annual Chinese summit was initially created to boost ties with Russia and Central Asian nations, though has grown recently to include India and other countries the United States labels as advisories, including Iran. And Trump’s continued ‘America First’ policies, according to Indrani Bagchi, chief executive of the think tank Ananta Centre in New Delhi, are only strengthening those ties.“India doesn’t see the U.S. as an adversary, but Trump appears to be viewing India as an adversary,” Bagchi said, speaking with the Wall Street Journal. “And, if you’re getting hit by Trump, it makes sense to smoke a peace pipe with the Chinese for a little while.”

Regulator Easa concludes there is not enough evidence it is as safe as flying with two pilots as currently requiredProposals for commercial aeroplanes to operate with just one pilot in the cockpit have been put on ice after a report for the European regulator suggested it would make flying more dangerous.A three-year research project into “extended minimum crew operations” commissioned by the EU Aviation Safety Agency (Easa) found that despite advances in technology there was not sufficient evidence that flying with a single pilot could be as safe as with the two currently required. Continue reading...

The Palestinian president's office on Saturday urged the U.S. government to reverse its unusual decision to revoke his visa, weeks before he was meant to appear at the U.N.'s main annual meeting and an international conference about creating a Palestinian state.

Group of five senators in letter to Marco Rubio call on US to use its ‘full power’ to help people facing starvationFive democratic US senators are demanding secretary of state Marco Rubio facilitate an immediate “massive surge” of baby formula and humanitarian aid to Gaza, where infants are dying of starvation.The letter, led by Democrat Ruben Gallego of Arizona and obtained exclusively by the Guardian, comes as Gaza City and surrounding areas have been officially classified as experiencing famine by international monitors. More than 300 people, including at least 119 children, have died from hunger in Gaza since October 2023, according to health authorities. Continue reading...

The disappearance of U.S. aid in Nigeria’s northeast has threatened a school that supports children who are victims of Boko Haram extremists. Boko Haram, which since 2009 has sought to establish Islamic law in the conflict-battered region, forbids Western education and first rose to global prominence in 2014 after its mass abduction of students in the Chibok village. The Associated Press visited the region to document how U.S. funding cuts has resulted in up to 700 students and 20 teachers being let go by an essential school that benefitted from such support. This is a photo gallery curated by AP photo editors.

The disappearance of U.S. aid in Nigeria’s northeast has threatened a school that supports children who are victims of Boko Haram extremists

Appellate panel upholds lower court’s ruling as homeland security spokesperson attacks ‘activist’ judgesA federal appeals court on Friday blocked Donald Trump’s plans to end protections for 600,000 people from Venezuela who have permission to live and work in the US, saying that plaintiffs are likely to win their claim that the president’s administration’s actions were unlawful.A three-judge panel of the ninth US circuit court of appeals unanimously upheld a lower court ruling that maintained temporary protected status for Venezuelans while TPS holders challenge actions by the Republican president’s administration in court. Continue reading...

President Donald Trump's envoys have been causing diplomatic tensions with allied countries