United States

Trump Downplays Report China Entities Aided Iran Before Jordan Attack: September 14, 2026

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE — U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday brushed aside a Wall Street Journal report that Iran acquired satellite images of a base in Jordan from Chinese entities before a July attack that killed three U.S. troops there, Reuters reported.

Asked whether he would raise the issue with Chinese President Xi Jinping at a planned September 24 meeting, Trump equated Chinese and American surveillance. “They basically do what we do,” he told reporters. “When they say China spies on us, I say you’re right and we spy on them too.”

The Journal report, which Reuters could not independently verify, said U.S. officials declined to identify the Chinese entities and did not allege direct involvement by Beijing. China on Monday said it “firmly oppose[s] unfounded suspicions and accusations made without evidence,” foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said.

Trump reiterated that he has a good relationship with Xi and said China had “behaved reasonably well.” At least 18 U.S. service members have been killed since the U.S.–Israeli war with Iran began at the end of February.

Sources: Reuters

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South Korea Aims to Finalise U.S. Investment Plan Details This Week: September 13, 2026

SEOUL — South Korea will hold further talks with the United States early this week to finalise details of Seoul’s proposed $350 billion investment commitment to the U.S., Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said Sunday, Reuters reported.

Speaking after returning from the United States, Kim said a $200 billion ceiling for strategic investments — part of the broader $350 billion package — including a $20 billion annual cap, had already been agreed and would not change.

Kim said the two sides were close on many issues but that several matters remained unresolved. This week’s talks will be by videoconference. He declined to name specific projects before negotiations are finished.

Kim travelled to the United States last week for talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and other officials on the scale and conditions of the proposed package, tied to last year’s tariff agreement that lowered reciprocal U.S. rates from 25% to 15% in exchange for the investment pledge.

Sources: Reuters, Yonhap

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Trump Says He Could ‘Settle’ Falklands Dispute With Argentina: September 13, 2026

DUBLIN — President Donald Trump said Saturday he expects to be called on to “settle” any potential conflict over the Falkland Islands, describing rising U.K.–Argentina tension as a “potential disaster,” The Independent and Bloomberg reported.

Speaking alongside Irish Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Trump questioned whether Britain would “be willing to travel that far” if Argentina invaded as in 1982, saying it would take “weeks by boat.” He added: “I’m sure I’ll be called into that potential disaster, but if they do, I’ll probably be able to settle it out.”

The remarks follow earlier comments in which Trump suggested Washington might not back Britain over the islands and said he was reviewing the traditional U.S. position. Argentine President Javier Milei, a Trump ally, has stepped up sovereignty claims and oil-related sanctions threats over the territory Argentina calls Las Malvinas.

In the Commons on Wednesday, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham said the United Kingdom would be “relentless” in defending the Falkland Islanders’ right to remain British. Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband has said the islands “are British and will remain so” because that is the islanders’ overwhelming preference.

Sources: The Independent, Bloomberg

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Trump Says U.S.-Canada Trade Deal Likely ‘Fairly Soon’: September 12, 2026

DUBLIN — President Donald Trump said Saturday that Canada wants a trade deal with the United States “very badly” and that an agreement could come “fairly soon,” Reuters reported after his meeting with Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin.

“Canada has to treat our farmers better. They can’t charge our farmers tariffs,” Trump told reporters, adding: “You’ll probably see a deal with Canada fairly soon.” He did not say whether formal negotiations had resumed after talks collapsed last month.

Asked whether he intended to have the United States leave the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, Trump sidestepped the question and returned to demands for better terms for U.S. farmers, Bloomberg and Reuters reported.

Canada’s retaliatory tariffs covering about $20 billion of U.S. goods took effect September 8 after Ottawa suspended negotiations, intensifying an 18-month trade dispute between the neighbors.

Sources: Reuters, Bloomberg

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Peru Joins U.S.-Led Shield of the Americas Alliance: September 11, 2026

Peru will join the U.S.-led Shield of the Americas, a regional security alliance that shares intelligence and cooperates against drug cartels, President Keiko Fujimori announced Thursday after talks in Lima with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Fujimori, sworn in in July after a security-focused campaign, said Peru knew from past fights with terrorism how hard it is to confront today’s criminal networks. Rubio called the pact a shield against transnational groups that “in many cases, have more money and better military equipment than the state.”

Peru is the world’s second-largest cocaine producer after Colombia. Protesters outside the government palace opposed deeper U.S. military involvement. Rubio said Washington would act only at partners’ request.

The visit capped Rubio’s three-country South America tour. Washington has also pressed Lima over Chinese investment, including the Chancay megaport, and earlier designated Peru a major non-NATO ally while advancing a possible $1.5 billion foreign military sale tied to Callao Naval Base.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Andina

Mexico and Washington Race for Trade Deal Before Midterms: September 11, 2026

Mexico and the United States are racing to strike an interim bilateral trade deal before the Nov. 3 U.S. midterm elections, according to six sources in both countries familiar with the talks, Reuters reported Friday.

Officials see political benefits for President Donald Trump and Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum if they can announce tariff relief and investment rules before voters go to the polls. “We both want to reach a deal before the midterms,” one Mexico-based source said.

The push accelerated after U.S.-Canada talks collapsed last month and Washington this week banned a broad swath of Canadian alcohol, motorcycle, and dairy imports. Mexico sends more than 80% of its exports to the United States and has pursued a more conciliatory track than Ottawa.

U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick met virtually with Sheinbaum on Thursday. A major sticking point remains Section 232 tariffs of 50% on Mexican steel and 25% on vehicles. Automakers expect a possible framework similar to one discussed with Canada: about 15% on vehicle imports, with further cuts tied to U.S. content. Mexico this month floated investment-screening powers widely seen as answering U.S. pressure over Chinese capital.

Sources: Reuters, Globe and Mail

Americans Mark 25 Years Since September 11 Attacks: September 11, 2026

Americans paused Friday to mark 25 years since the September 11, 2001, attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people when hijacked planes struck the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania.

In New York, Vice President JD Vance and the four living former presidents — George W. Bush, Joe Biden, Barack Obama, and Bill Clinton — joined Mayor Zohran Mamdani and victims’ relatives at the downtown memorial. Family members were to read the names of all 2,977 victims, with moments of silence marking the crashes and collapses. No speeches were planned at the Ground Zero ceremony.

President Donald Trump commemorated the anniversary at the Pentagon. A parallel ceremony was held in Shanksville. A drone display of 2,977 lights rose over New York Harbor ahead of the memorials, organizers said, one light for each person killed.

The New York City Fire Department lost 343 members on the day of the attacks; department figures show more than 600 additional firefighters, including some retirees from the rescue effort, have since died of 9/11-related illnesses, 26 of them this year alone, Reuters reported.

Sources: Reuters via Straits Times, BBC, RTÉ

New York Fashion Week Opens Under CFDA’s First Full Fur Ban: September 10, 2026

NEW YORK — New York Fashion Week’s official Spring/Summer 2027 schedule opened Thursday under the Council of Fashion Designers of America’s first full ban on animal fur at official events, after prelude shows from Ralph Lauren and Coach on Wednesday, AFP reported via agency wires and the CFDA schedule.

Henry Zankov presents his first collection as artistic director at Diane von Furstenberg to open the official week, which runs through September 15 and closes with Thom Browne. Roughly 70 runway shows and presentations are listed, with returns including Tommy Hilfiger and Monse.

Ralph Lauren’s Wednesday presentation drew a front row that included Viola Davis, Ariana DeBose and Cynthia Erivo, agency coverage said, underscoring the house’s continuing pull as preppy Americana cycles back through European runways. Coach staged the other major eve-of-week show.

The fur ban, announced by the CFDA in December for this season, arrives as fashion faces sharper scrutiny over materials, waste and climate impact. Brands on the official calendar must comply; the policy does not by itself rewrite off-calendar presentations across the city.

Other Thursday names include Proenza Schouler, Christian Siriano, Tory Burch and Tommy Hilfiger. Michael Kors and Calvin Klein follow Friday, with the Friday start delayed out of respect for the September 11 anniversary.

For editors and buyers, the week’s test is whether New York can set a clear commercial story — debuts, returns and a materials rule — before the calendar moves on to London, Milan and Paris.

Sources: CFDA; AFP/The Star

US Existing Home Sales Fall to 14-Month Low as Mortgages Climb: September 10, 2026

WASHINGTON — U.S. existing home sales fell to a 14-month low in August as rising mortgage rates continued to suppress demand, the National Association of Realtors said Thursday, Reuters reported.

Resales declined 2.0 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 3.98 million units, matching economists’ forecasts and marking the weakest pace since June 2025. Sales were down 1.2 percent from a year earlier. Closings typically reflect contracts signed in prior months, when the 30-year fixed rate was already climbing.

Freddie Mac data showed the popular 30-year rate averaging about 6.71 percent last week, the highest in more than a year. MBA figures put the rate at 6.85 percent for the week ended September 4. Mortgage costs have risen more than 70 basis points since the U.S. and Israel struck Iran in late February, as oil-driven inflation fears and heavy government borrowing lifted Treasury yields.

“It’s not surprising to see a mild dip in home buying activity due to high mortgage rates,” NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun said. Inventory nonetheless rose 3.2 percent to 1.62 million units — the highest since November 2019 — equating to a 4.9-month supply. The median existing-home price increased 1.6 percent year over year to $429,100.

First-time buyers made up 30 percent of sales, still short of the roughly 40 percent share associated with a robust market. Distressed sales remained low at 2 percent. Regional sales fell in the Northeast, Midwest and South and held steady in the West.

For households, the message is familiar: more listings help shoppers on paper, but monthly payments remain the bottleneck while Middle East risk keeps long-term rates sticky.

Sources: Reuters; NAR; Reuters

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