Top World News

Aug 24, 2026 - World

Washington launches campaign to isolate Tehran but it is unclear whether it will apply measures to ChinaThe US has threatened to impose severe sanctions against any country or entity maintaining economic ties with Iran, hoping to achieve with economic measures what military means have so far failed to do.It is unclear, however, how far the Trump administration is prepared to go in confronting China, Iran’s biggest trading partner, which has signalled its resistance to US economic pressure to cut off links with an ally. Continue reading...

Aug 24, 2026 - World

Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent issued a threatening ultimatum Monday with a message that CNN’s Jeremy Diamond said would “ripple around the world.”Speaking during a press conference at the Treasury Department in Washington, D.C., Bessent unveiled the Trump administration’s new “economic D-Day” plan, officially named Operation Economic Outcast, which is designed to financially squeeze Iran into submission through the use of secondary sanctions and other measures.“Nations that facilitate any interactions with the regime should quickly heed our message: those who stand with the United States will reap the rewards of our partnership — those who tether themselves to the Iranian regime should expect to share in the isolation of a withering regime,” Bessent warned.“The United States expects action… Every country has a defined timeline to shut down activities we have identified. Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. dollar system. The clock just started ticking.”Operation Economic Outcast was teased by Bessent on Sunday in an op-ed he penned for the Financial Times. Almost immediately, multiple experts warned that the plan was not only destined to fail, but could very well backfire, with one expert — political scientist Robert Pape — warning that it could potentially “shut down critical shipping lanes and spike oil prices overnight.”Treasury Sec. Scott Bessent threatens entire world with consequences for ignoring its new sanctions plan against Iran, says countries have a "defined timeline" to take action."Any entity that facilitates money laundering on behalf of Iran will be removed from the U.S. dollar… pic.twitter.com/oAYMLtwxOW— Alexander Willis (@ReporterWillis) August 24, 2026

Aug 24, 2026 - World

Spokesperson for Duke of Sussex says he remains an ‘active and avid supporter’ of African Parks’ missionThe Duke of Sussex has stepped down from the board of a major African wildlife charity that had been at the centre of a human rights controversy.Prince Harry’s spokesperson confirmed he was no longer a trustee of African Parks, which admitted last year that human rights abuses were committed by its rangers in the Republic of the Congo. Continue reading...

Aug 24, 2026 - World

Taiwanese prosecutors have charged nine people, including one from Nvidia and two from Super Micro, for illegally exporting high-end AI servers to China

Aug 24, 2026 - World

The Trump administration’s new plan to financially squeeze Iran and force it back to the negotiating table is dangerously short-sighted, sanctions expert Brett Erickson warned Monday, and ultimately has only two outcomes — both of which carry severe risks.Revealed by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Sunday, the Trump administration's new plan to force Iran into submission has been called an “economic D-Day,” and would see severe secondary sanctions imposed on any nation or entity providing Iran with financial assistance. However, Trump administration officials have yet to explain how they plan on executing such a plan without sparking a new trade war among the United States’ largest trading partners.In 2025 alone, trade between the United States and China totaled more than $494 billion, a figure notably more than 25% less than the previous year. China also happens to be one of Iran’s largest trading partners, being their single largest buyer of oil over the past several years, according to Reuters.Speaking to Al Jazeera for its report Monday, Erickson argued that for the Trump administration to execute its plan, it would have to either sever ties with China in a manner that could spark a “prolonged period” of potential economic hardship, or exclude China from its secondary tariffs, which itself would be a “tacit admission” that the plan was ineffective.“That is not a relationship you degrade lightly. If the United States decides to really bring China into the ring, it will be a serious indication that the United States plans to wage this economic war for a prolonged period of time,” Erickson told the outlet.“If they do not, it will be a tacit admission from the Trump administration that they do not believe economic hardship can seriously bring about a change in the Iranian position.”Erickson was far from the only critic of the Trump administration’s new plan, which has yet to be revealed in full. Political scientist Robert Pape also warned Monday that not only was the plan doomed to fail, but that it would likely backfire spectacularly, and potentially “shut down critical shipping lanes and spike oil prices overnight.”