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1. How China’s reported ban on sulphuric acid exports could have overseas buyers reeling

   As the US-Israel war in Iran drags into its third month, sulphuric acid – a chemical ingredient critical for fertiliser production and metal processing that has seldom grabbed global headlines – has become a keenly watched commodity. The military conflict in the Gulf and the effective blockage of the Strait of Hormuz initially triggered a squeeze on sulphuric acid, with prices on the rise after...

2. US draft bill targets Beijing’s AI rise with mandate to name China’s tech leaders

   As the race with China over artificial intelligence intensifies, US lawmakers on Tuesday unveiled a draft bill that would, for the first time, require the State Department to deliver a detailed assessment of Beijing’s artificial intelligence ambitions, including identifying “specific AI leaders”. The State Department should provide Congress with a comprehensive report on China’s AI development,...

3. US-Iran ceasefire can’t paper over fires in the Strait of Hormuz

   While the United States and Iran exchange peace proposals in Islamabad, the Middle East remains trapped in a cycle of escalation. Ships burn in the Strait of Hormuz, Lebanon absorbs strikes by Israel and the nuclear gap remains unbridgeable. Calling this moment a ceasefire might be in line with diplomatic language, but on the ground it has the familiar look of war, just repackaged. While US...

4. US and Nato faced with frustrating ‘marriage crisis’, Belgian defence minister says

   Belgian Defence Minister Theo Francken said the US and Nato were faced with a “marriage crisis” as frustrations mount on both sides of the Atlantic, urging Washington to stand with its allies or risk America’s fall. Francken, speaking at a think tank event in Washington on Tuesday, likened the strained transatlantic relationship, which has held for close to 80 years, to a “crisis”, saying “it’s...

5. US conditions for paying UN dues include China curbs, report says

   The US ⁠has placed specific conditions on releasing billions of dollars it owes to the United Nations, including further cost-cutting, and moves to counter China’s influence at the world body, a development news wire reported on Tuesday. The report by Devex, an independent news organisation covering global development, ‌said two diplomatic notes circulated by the US called for nine “quick-hit”...

6. Trump’s FCC orders review of ABC licences after Kimmel’s ‘expectant widow’ joke

   After a joke by late-night host Jimmy Kimmel drew calls from the White House for ABC to fire the comedian, the US Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday ordered an early licence review of the network’s television stations. The stand-off between US President Donald Trump’s administration and the global entertainment conglomerate is the first crisis facing Walt Disney’s new CEO Josh...

7. Ex-FBI director James Comey indicted again, this time over anti-Trump post

   Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted again on Tuesday, this time in an investigation over a social media photo of seashells arranged on a beach that officials said constituted a threat against US President Donald Trump. The criminal case is the second in a matter of months against Comey and is part of the Trump administration Justice Department’s relentless effort to prosecute political...

8. UK PM Starmer avoids parliament probe over Epstein associate Peter Mandelson

   Embattled UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday survived a bid by opposition politicians to subject him to a parliamentary probe over his controversial appointment of Peter Mandelson as envoy to the US. Members of parliament voted against referring Starmer to a committee to consider if he misled parliament over giving Mandelson, an ex-associate of late US sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the...

9. King Charles hails US-UK unity in speech to Congress amid Iran tensions

   Britain’s King Charles told the US Congress on Tuesday ⁠that despite an age of uncertainty and conflict in Europe and the Middle East, the ⁠UK and the US will always be staunch allies united in defending democracy, at a time of deep divisions between the two long-time allies over the war with Iran. “Whatever our differences, whatever disagreements we may have, we stand united in our commitment...

10. Hong Kong star vows to be ‘companion, not mentor’ to protesters arrested in 2019

    Hong Kong singer Hins Cheung has pledged to be a companion rather than a mentor to youngsters arrested during the 2019 anti-government protests during an event organised as part of a youth rehabilitation programme. The sharing session, themed “New Opportunity, New Journey”, was held at the Hong Kong Museum of History on Tuesday night. More than 300 participants attended the event, including...