Taiwan stresses need for self-reliance in defence
Taipei — Taiwan must be self-reliant for its security, the island’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump’s comment that Chinese President Xi Jinping had told him he would not invade the island while Trump was in office.
Taiwan has in recent years faced intensifying military and political pressure from China, which views the separately governed island as its “sacred” territory. Beijing has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control.
“Taiwan’s security must be achieved through its own efforts, so our country has been dedicating itself to raising its self defence capabilities and resilience. Our country will keep working hard to do this,” Taiwan foreign ministry spokesperson Hsiao Kuang-wei said. Reuters
Much more tariff revenue, thanks
Washington — US treasury secretary Scott Bessent said he expects a substantial increase in tariff revenue from the $300bn he forecast earlier this year, adding that the money would be used to start paying down the US federal debt.
Speaking in an interview on CNBC, Bessent declined to give a specific forecast, but said he and President Donald Trump were “laser-focused” on paying down the debt. Reuters
US soybean farmers urge China soybean deal
Washington — US soybean farmers urged President Donald Trump to reach a trade deal with China that secures soybean purchase agreements, warning of dire long-term economic outcomes if the country continues to shun the US crop.
China, the world’s largest soybean buyer, is turning to Brazilian cargoes as trade tensions with the US mount. The country has not pre-purchased soybeans from the coming US harvest, an unusual delay that has worried traders and farmers.
China bought 54% of US soybean exports in the 2023-24 marketing year, worth $13.2bn, according to the ASA. The country’s soybean imports reached a record high in July this year. Soybean prices jumped after an August 11 post from Trump on his Truth Social media platform urging China to quadruple its soybean purchases. Reuters
Uganda and Honduras to take US deportees
The US has struck deportation deals with Honduras and Uganda amid a search for additional agreements that would allow the US to deport people living in the country illegally to third-party countries, CBS News reported on Tuesday.
Citing internal documents, the news channel reported that the Trump administration has broadened its search for countries which would accept imigrants that are not their citizens. Reuters
More Republican governors send troops to DC
Washington — Hundreds of additional National Guard troops are headed to Washington, DC, from half a dozen Republican-led states, bolstering President Donald Trump’s aggressive move to flood the city with soldiers and federal agents in what he says is an effort to fight violent crime.
The Republican governors of Mississippi, Louisiana and Tennessee agreed to deploy troops to Washington, days after the Republican governors of West Virginia, South Carolina and Ohio also did so at the Trump administration’s request.
Trump has characterised Washington as overrun with violence and homelessness, a description local officials have rejected. Reuters
DRC, M23 miss deadline for peace accord
Kinshasa — The Congolese government and M23 rebels have missed Monday’s deadline to reach a peace agreement in the Qatari capital, Doha, raising fears that tensions between the two parties might derail talks and reverse progress in ending the conflict.
Fighting in eastern Congo has intensified this year, with M23 capturing the two largest cities in the region. Under a mediation effort hosted by Qatar, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the rebels signed a declaration of principles on July 19 in which they vowed to start negotiating a deal no later than August 8 with the goal of reaching it by August 18. Reuters
Sudan’s military boss consolidates his power
Cairo — Sudan’s army chief appointed a raft of senior officers on Monday in a reshuffle that strengthens his hold on the military as he consolidates control of central and eastern regions and fights fierce battles in the west.
Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan made new appointments to the joint chiefs of staff a day after announcing the retirement of several long-serving officers, some of whom have gained a measure of fame over the past two years.
Sudan’s army, which controls the government, is fighting a more than two-year civil war with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, its former partners in power, that has created the world’s largest humanitarian crisis. Reuters
Bid to keep Bayeux tapestry in France
Paris — A petition to stop France lending the Bayeux tapestry to the British Museum in London has attracted more than 40,000 signatures from people concerned that movement could damage the medieval relic.
Art historian Didier Rykner launched the petition on the platform Change.org after French President Emmanuel Macron offered during a trip to London in July to loan the tapestry as part of an art exchange.
“It's already very fragile. There are tears and holes in the fabric. Any movement, any vibration can cause damage,” Rykner said. “You cannot use a fragile piece of art for diplomacy.” Reuters
Nigerian Islamists seek bail over 2022 attack
Abuja — Five men charged with a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria in 2022 were remanded on Tuesday until a court ruling on September 10 on their application for bail.
The massacre at St Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo that killed at least 50 worshippers and wounded more than 100 others, highlighted the growing reach of Islamist militants beyond Nigeria's northeast.
Abdullahi Muhammad, their lawyer, told the court their prolonged detention was unjustified and asked for them to be released on bail. Reuters
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