Event: France

NEW YORK – An exhibition on the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki started Monday at the lobby of the United Nations' headquarters in New York, coinciding with a review conference for the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).The exhibition, organized by the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, or Nihon Hidankyo — the 2024 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize — will run until June 1.Photo panels depict the aftermath of the bombings and the activities of hibakusha survivors of the nuclear attacks. The personal belongings of victims are also on display.At the opening ceremony, Jiro Hamasumi, secretary-general of Nihon Hindankyo; Hiroshima Mayor Kazumi Matsui; and Nagasaki Mayor Shiro Suzuki delivered speeches.The two Japanese cities were devastated by the August 1945 U.S. atomic bombings in the closing days of World War II.Hamasumi said he hopes to share through the exhibition his wish that no one else will experience the suffering he and other survivors went through.Suzuki, referring to the United States and Iran trading barbs at the start of the NPT review conference Monday, expressed concern about future developments in the international meeting.He emphasized his hope that Nagasaki would be the last to suffer an atomic bombing and urged conference participants to make use of the exhibition in their discussions.

Thailand’s vision for a land bridge splits opinion: some see it as a crucial new Asian trade route for a global economy held hostage by geography, while others view it as an expensive and environmentally ruinous distraction for a kingdom with plenty already on its plate.But to its backers, the proposed road and rail corridor, bookended by ports on the Gulf of Thailand and another 90km (56 miles) away on the Andaman Sea, to bypass a vital chokepoint, has never felt more urgent.Iran’s virtual closure of the Strait of Hormuz has exposed Asia’s dependence on faraway events and flagged the risks of the throttling of the Malacca Strait, the narrow channel linking East Asia to the Middle East.The Thai government says the land bridge will provide a fresh route to keep goods and fuel flowing – while knitting the kingdom more tightly into global supply chains.Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said his government would push for a special law over the coming months to secure the financing for the scheme, which would cut across Chumphon and Ranong provinces.

U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Busan, South Korea, on Oct. 30. | REUTERS Donald Trump and Xi Jinping are headed toward a summit next month with a shared desire to stabilize ties. That calm is being tested as both leaders rush to shore up strategic vulnerabilities over Iranian oil and AI.The Trump administration has ramped up scrutiny of Beijing’s ties with Tehran in the past week, sanctioning one of China’s largest private refiners. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has warned Chinese banks could face secondary sanctions if China keeps propping up the clerical regime’s revenues, with his department on Tuesday again urging financial institutions to steer clear of Iranian activities.Adding to the tensions, Beijing on Monday blocked Meta Platforms’ $2 billion bid for AI startup Manus — its most dramatic move yet to keep cutting-edge technology inside its borders. China also announced new regulations this month to ensure its manufacturing dominance, targeting foreign companies for shifting supply chains out of the country or complying with U.S. export controls. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

It begins not with missiles but with cutter ships. One morning, dozens of Chinese coast guard vessels start conducting “routine customs inspections” of merchant ships approaching Taiwan’s major ports. Chinese civil aviation authorities begin to demand manifests from flights entering and leaving Taiwan. Beijing insists it is merely asserting existing Chinese customs law, which claims the right to regulate the flow of people and goods in and out of “Taiwan Province.”Immediately, nearly all airlines and shipping companies decide to comply. These private operators have no interest in seeing their ships or aircraft seized, detained, or worse. Nor do they have much of a choice. Insurance companies would not cover them if they resisted. Suddenly, nearly all planes and ships entering or leaving Taiwan must first stop at a mainland port in Fujian Province before traveling to their final destination. Beijing has seized control of most of Taiwan’s links to the outside world.China’s diplomats insist that this is not a blockade. Beijing has no intention of starving Taiwan out, they say. People and goods can continue to flow freely as long as they abide by China’s laws. There are just a few important exceptions: no more weapons into Taiwan, no more dual-use components that Taiwan can use to make weapons, no more U.S. military “advisers.” Members of Taiwan’s China-skeptical Democratic Progressive Party, whom Beijing labels “separatists,” may also find it difficult to gain exit visas. So might the process engineers at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and their families.The White House quickly recognizes the core issue: the burden of escalation is now on the United States. China’s actions, although deeply alarming, do not automatically rupture any supply chains. They are not traditional acts of military aggression. Taiwan’s most important exports—the GPU chips that power the artificial intelligence revolution—can continue to flow…

“Iran’s shadow banking system serves as a critical financial lifeline for its armed forces, enabling activities that disrupt global trade and fuel violence across the Middle East,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said. File | Photo Credit: Reuters The U.S. Government ratcheted up pressure on Tehran on Tuesday (April 28, 2026), imposing sanctions on 35 entities ‌and individuals for their roles in Iran’s shadow banking sector, and threatened sanctions against banks doing business with Chinese “teapot” refineries that it said are paying tolls for shipments to cross the Strait of Hormuz.The Treasury ⁠Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control said the designated individuals and firms had facilitated the movement of the equivalent of tens of billions of dollars tied to sanctions evasion and what it called Iran’s sponsorship of terrorism. Published - April 29, 2026 07:51 am IST

Applied Materials, which has significant business supplying China, is among those believed to ​have received a letter from the U.S. Department of Commerce. | Courtesy Applied Materials / via REUTERS NEW YORK – The U.S. Department of Commerce last week ordered multiple chip equipment companies to halt certain tool shipments to China's second-largest chipmaker, Hua Hong, its latest action to slow the country's development of advanced chips, according to two people familiar with the matter.The department sent letters to at least a handful of companies informing them of the new ​restrictions on tools and other materials destined for two Hua Hong facilities that U.S. officials believe may make China's most sophisticated chips, the people said.Top ‌U.S. chip ‌equipment companies Lam Research, Applied Materials and KLA, each of which has significant business supplying China, were among those believed to ​have received a letter, the sources added. It was reported in March that Hua Hong Group had developed advanced chip manufacturing technologies that could be used to produce artificial intelligence chips, a milestone in Beijing's efforts to boost tech self-sufficiency. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

Biobanks store masses of biomedical data such as clinical records, genome sequences and other long-term health metrics that research and drug development depend on. | Bloomberg As a fledgling researcher in U.S., Zhang Li was struck by the efficiency of extracting human tissue in the morning and mining it for data the same afternoon.Such a streamlined process had been missing from his years of training as a bio data scientist in China. Inspired, he returned home to Beijing to join the Chinese Institute for Brain Research and launch a national database that will collect blood and DNA samples from 33,000 children to help identify patterns of brain disease and their risk factors.“Biomedical data is extremely valuable and is fundamental for us to find solutions to diseases and to delay aging,” said Zhang, surrounded by robotic arms carefully organizing blood samples. In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing, you can help us get the story right. SUBSCRIBE NOW

A boat sails past a tanker anchored on the Strait of Hormuz off the coast Qeshm island, Iran. File | Photo Credit: AP The White House said it was examining Iran’s latest proposal to unblock the Strait of Hormuz, as Tehran insisted on Tuesday that Washington was no longer in a position to “dictate” policy to others.Iran has blockaded the waterway — a vital conduit for oil and gas shipments — since the start of the U.S.-Israeli offensive two months ago, sending shockwaves through the global economy. Published - April 28, 2026 02:56 pm IST

France’s foreign minister Jean-Noël Barrot said Iran must be ready to make “major concessions” in negotiations with the United States to end the conflict in the Middle East. Speaking at the United Nations Security Council, he said there could be no lasting solution unless Tehran “fundamentally changes its position”. Barrot added that Iran should pursue “peaceful coexistence within its region”, saying such a shift would allow its people to build their future. His remarks come as diplomatic efforts continue amid stalled negotiations and ongoing tensions.