Report by special inspector general blames Trump and Biden administrations, as well as the Afghan government of Ashraf GhaniAfghan armed forces collapsed last year because they had been made dependent on US support that was abruptly withdrawn in the fa…
US sues casino mogul Steve Wynn to compel him to register as an agent of China
Justice department says Wynn lobbied the Trump administration for China to protect his business interests in MacauThe US Department of Justice on Tuesday sued Steve Wynn, the billionaire former casino mogul and senior Republican fund raiser, to compel …
Sharri Markson’s book on Covid’s Wuhan lab leak theory raises more questions than it answers
Details are deficient, scientific analysis contentious and expert voices missing in Markson’s thesis about ‘what really happened’ in China, which establishes a crime scene around the Wuhan Institute of Virology With 4.55 million deaths from the Covid-1…
The Afghanistan Papers review: superb exposé of a war built on lies
Craig Whitlock of the Washington Post used freedom of information to produce the definitive US version of the warIn the summer of 2009, the latest in a long line of US military commanders in Afghanistan commissioned the latest in a long line of strateg…
China announces sanctions against ‘lying and cheating’ outgoing Trump officials
Chinese foreign ministry announced sanctions against Mike Pompeo and 27 others as Biden was taking presidential oathChina has said it wants to cooperate with Joe Biden’s new US administration, while announcing sanctions against the “lying and cheating”…
Majority of Europeans say China will overtake ‘broken’ US within decade
Survey finds more Europeans than not say US cannot be trusted after four years of TrumpA majority of Europeans believe America’s political system is broken, that China will be the world’s leading power within a decade, and that Joe Biden will be unable…
Pompeo lifts US-Taiwan restrictions in move likely to anger China
Tensions already high between Washington and BeijingTrump aide says former measures meant to appease ChineseSecretary of state Mike Pompeo is lifting restrictions on contacts between US officials and their Taiwanese counterparts, a move welcomed by Tai…
Trump reportedly plans to withdraw nearly half of US troops in Afghanistan
Cuts would decrease military presence from 4,500 to 2,500 in Afghanistan and from 3,000 to 2,500 in IraqThe Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut the US military presence in Afghanistan by almost half, before Joe Biden takes over the presi…
Trump’s Afghanistan withdrawal announcement takes US officials by surprise
Tweet calling for troops’ return by Christmas puts peace negotiations in jeopardy and was greeted enthusiastically by the TalibanDonald Trump has announced on Twitter that he wants to bring all US troops home from Afghanistan by Christmas – a plan that…
Global report: Donald Trump calls 200,000 US coronavirus deaths ‘a shame’
US president says it could have been 2.5 million deaths; Japan considers easing border controls; WHO announces record weekly casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePresident Donald Trump has said the 200,000 US deaths from cor…
Trump attacks WTO after it says US tariffs on China broke global trade rules
President says he has to ‘do something’ about the body after it rules that duties on $200bn worth of Chinese goods breached regulations The United States has described the World Trade Organization as “completely inadequate” after it criticised the Trum…
#NZhellhole: how Kiwis are hitting back at Trump’s Covid taunts
In August the US president said New Zealand was seeing a ‘big surge’ in cases, but it only reminded people of how well they had doneFollowing comments by Donald Trump that New Zealand was dealing with a “big surge” of new Covid-19 cases, Kiwis have sna…
Coronavirus live news: India adds nearly 2m cases in August, France cases rise 50% in one month
India’s economy shrinks nearly 24%; Hong Kong launches mass testing; WHO says states can’t ‘pretend pandemic is over’. Follow the latestUS tops 6m cases as some states post record daily totalsWhen will a coronavirus vaccine be ready?Portugal may go bac…
Coronavirus live news: US nears 6m cases, Japan reports 600 new cases
Midwestern states report record infections; Colombia passes 600,000 Covid-19 cases; India sets global daily case record. Follow latest updatesUK records 1,715 Covid cases in largest weekend figure since mid-MayAustralia – coronavirus liveWorld map: whi…
Coronavirus live news: Russia to start vaccine trials on 40,000 people; Europe reporting 26,000 new cases a day
Russia to start mass testing of vaccine next week; WHO warns about high average of new cases in Europe; Africa CDC reports drop in new casesSouth Korea fears fresh nationwide outbreakThree quarters of New Zealand public intend to get vaccine, study fin…