World

The Trump administration’s FY2026 budget proposal includes a significant increase in defence spending, with a total defence spending slated to receive a discretionary base budget of USD1.01 trillion. While the budget shows key areas of continuity between administrations, it notably deviates in allocating funds for the Pentagon to support border security and drug interdiction. On 2 May 2025, the United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) released President Donald Trump’s FY2026 topline discretionary budget request to Congress. Described by the White House as the ‘skinny budget’, the request strips USD163 billion from government spending as the administration continues to reshape the US federal government.Despite deep cuts across almost all government areas, defence saw a si

Gallup’s monthly indicators of how Americans view key aspects of the country have been broadly steady in May. This includes job approval ratings for President Donald Trump and Congress, evaluations of the U.S. economy, satisfaction with the direction of the country, and perceptions of the most important problem facing the nation. Forty-three percent of Americans approve of the way Trump is handling his job, essentially unchanged from his ratings in March and April after slipping from his second-term high of 47% in late January. https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/rmXib/1 Trump’s 43% job approval rating reflects 90% approval from his fellow Republicans versus 4% from Democrats, both in line with prior readings. Only independents’ views of Trump have changed meaningfully this year, n

China’s ruling Communist Party is preparing for a key annual conclave to be held later this year, with President Xi Jinping indicating that its focus will be the next five-year plan for the country’s economic and political goals.In instructions on its formulation, Xi said the party’s central leadership was “organising the drafting of a proposal for the 15th five-year plan”, according to a Xinhua report on Monday.A one-month online public consultation on the formulation of the plan was also launched on Tuesday. The proposal Xi referred to needs to be endorsed by a plenary session of the party, according to its rules, and would then be detailed during next year’s annual legislative session in March. It is the first official signal about that plenary session – a meeting of more than 37

Thousands took to the streets across the US on Saturday to protest over recent actions by President Donald Trump. Known as "50501", for "50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement", the demonstrations were intended to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolutionary War. From outside the White House and Tesla dealerships and at the centres of many cities, protesters expressed a variety of grievances. Many called for the return of Kilmar Ábrego García, who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador. Political protests are becoming more common in the US - the "Hands Off" demonstrations in early April drew tens of thousands in cities across the country.The most recent polling from Gallup suggests 45% of voters approve of Trump's performance in the first quarter of

The Trump administration is substantially scaling back the State Department's annual reports on international human rights to remove longstanding critiques of abuses such as harsh prison conditions, government corruption and restrictions on participation in the political process, NPR has learned. Despite decades of precedent, the reports, which are meant to inform congressional decisions on foreign aid allocations and security assistance, will no longer call governments out for such things as denying freedom of movement and peaceful assembly. They won't condemn retaining political prisoners without due process or restrictions on "free and fair elections." Forcibly returning a refugee or asylum-seeker to a home country where they may face torture or persecution will no longer be high...

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has cast doubt over the intentions of the United States a day before a second round of nuclear talks is set to take place with Washington. The new round will come a week after the two countries held their highest-level negotiations since US President Donald Trump unilaterally abandoned a 2015 landmark nuclear deal three years later. Iran has since abandoned all limits on its nuclear programme, and enriches uranium to up to 60 percent purity – near weapons-grade levels of 90 percent.“Although we have serious doubts about the intentions and motivations of the American side, in any case, we will participate in tomorrow’s negotiations,” Araghchi said on Friday during a news conference in Moscow with his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov. Araghchi