Australia feels the pressure as China dominates EV batteries; may look to Indonesia to gain an edge: RAND
Derek Grossman of RAND says Indo-Pacific nations are increasingly forming security and economic partnerships independent of Washington, driven by concerns over China's rise and a shifting global order.
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New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
LA news anchor sparks fury for calling rioters ‘a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn'
A Los Angeles news anchor sparked outrage for calling rioters 'a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn' — while blaming law enforcement for wanting to stop the carnage. Jory Rand of ABC 7 dramatically underplayed the violence even as his broadcast showed shocking images of cars completely ablaze in smoke-covered streets. Noting there was 'a large group of people' running wild, Rand said it 'could turn very volatile if you move law enforcement in there the wrong way and turn what is just a bunch of people having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation and altercation between officers and demonstrators.' Advertisement Anchor Jory Rand of ABC 7 is under fire for his description of the anti-ICE rioters in Los Angeles. @ABC7Jory/X Joe Kinsey, a senior editor at Outkick, accused Rand of being 'worse than Baghdad Bob propaganda,' referring to the war-time propagandist for warmongering Iraq leader Saddam Hussein. Cars have been set on fire, stores looted and dozens arrested since the protests began on Friday. Aldo-Buttazzoni Advertisement Another viewer outraged by Rand's comments described him as 'a special type of stupid' and claimed he had 'no busy in the media industry.' 'Jory Rand is absolutely tone deaf about the L.A. riots. He's part of the reason why the public can't trust the media anymore,' another posted. Another called him ther 'biggest woke [journalist] I've ever seen.' 'You're supposed to be neutral and report the news you should just go work for CNN,' one X user said. Advertisement Neither Rand nor ABC 7 appeared to have addressed the outrage. Several cars, including law enforcement vehicles, have been torched or vandalized and multiple stores looted in the country's second largest city riots that have engulfed downtown Los Angeles since the weekend continued for a fourth night on Monday. At least five driverless Waymos set ablaze during protests against ICE enforcement in downtown Los Angeles Sunday evening — prompting the company to suspend the ride-sharing service to the area. Minutes later, the California Highway Patrol dispersed the crowd of protesters from the 101 Freeway — however the agitators returned later and hurling fireworks and rocks at CHP cruisers parked on the highway, according to KTVU. Advertisement Video from the scene shows one CHP car engulfed in flames. Dozens of rioters have been arrested in the demonstrations, which were sparked by ICE raids and have spread to other parts of the Golden State.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Japan says two Chinese aircraft carriers seen in Pacific
Two Chinese aircraft carriers were operating in the Pacific for the first time, according to Japan, whose defence minister said Tuesday the move revealed the expansion of Beijing's military activities. China's Shandong and Liaoning carriers -- its only two currently in operation, with a third undergoing sea trials -- were both spotted with their fleets in recent days, Tokyo said. "We believe the Chinese military's purpose is to improve its operational capability and ability to conduct operations in distant areas," a defence ministry spokesman told AFP. Defence Minister Gen Nakatani told reporters the sightings show that the Chinese military's "activity area is expanding". "Japan has expressed its position that the Chinese activities should not threaten Japan's safety" through diplomatic routes to Beijing, Nakatani said. The Japanese military would continue to closely monitor and patrol the operations of Chinese naval warships, he added. China's use of naval and air assets to press its territorial claims has rattled the United States and its allies in the Asia-Pacific region. When asked about the moves at a regular news briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian reiterated a statement given the previous day about the Liaoning's trip. "The activities of Chinese warships in the relevant sea areas are fully in line with international law and international practice," he said, adding that Japan should "take an objective and rational look at this issue". - Island chains - On Monday, the Shandong sailed inside the Japanese economic waters surrounding the remote Pacific atoll of Okinotori, Tokyo's defence ministry said. It was accompanied by four other vessels including a missile destroyer, and fighter jets and helicopters conducted take-offs and landings there, having also been seen sailing through Pacific waters on Saturday. The ministry previously said that China's other operational carrier Liaoning and its fleet entered Japan's exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the Pacific over the weekend, before exiting to conduct drills involving fighter jets. Japanese and US defence officials say China wants to push the American military out of the so-called "first island chain" from Japan down through the Philippines. Eventually, its strategy is to dominate areas west of the "second island chain" in the Pacific between Japan's remote Ogasawara Islands and the US territory of Guam, they say. The Liaoning's recent cruise eastwards marked the first time the Japanese defence ministry has said a Chinese aircraft carrier had crossed the second island chain. Daisuke Kawai from the University of Tokyo's economic security research programme told AFP these activities represent "a highly significant strategic escalation". "China's naval incursions into Japan's EEZ are unquestionably provocative, strategically designed to test Japan's reaction thresholds without crossing the legal line into outright illegality under international law," he said. - Third carrier - In September, the Liaoning sailed between two Japanese islands near Taiwan and entered Japan's contiguous waters, an area up to 24 nautical miles from its coast. At the time, Tokyo called that move "unacceptable" and expressed "serious concerns" to Beijing. Under international law, a state has rights to the management of natural resources and other economic activities within its EEZ, which is within 200 nautical miles (370 kilometres) of its coastline. Kawai said the anticipated commissioning of Beijing's third aircraft carrier, named Fujian, later this year means that "China's maritime operational tempo and geographic scope of influence will significantly increase". And the timing of the sailings could be linked to the broader context of US-China economic tensions. "Senior US policymakers, including President Trump himself, have shifted their focus from strategic containment of China toward securing economic compromises," Kawai said. "Thus, Beijing calculated that the United States would be less willing or able to respond militarily at this precise moment, seeing it as an opportune time to demonstrate its expanding military capabilities." kh-ehl/kaf/mtp
Yahoo
13 hours ago
- Yahoo
Stocks rise, dollar tentative ahead of US-China talks outcome
By Rae Wee and Johann M Cherian SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Stocks were buoyant and the dollar remained on guard on Tuesday as trade talks between the United States and China were set to extend to a second day, with tentative signs tensions between the world's two largest economies could be easing. U.S. President Donald Trump put a positive spin on the talks at Lancaster House in London, which wrapped up for the night on Monday and were set to resume at 0900 GMT on Tuesday. "The fact that we're still up here near record highs, does suggest that we are seeing the market accept what has been said by Trump and when you look at some of the other comments from Lutnick and Bessent, to me it seems to suggest that they are relatively happy with the progress," said Tony Sycamore, a market analyst at IG. "But the market always likes to see some concrete announcements." As Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer were set to meet for the second day with their Chinese counterparts, much of investors' focus has been on the progress of the talks. Any progress in the negotiations is likely to provide relief to markets given Trump's chaotic tariffs and swings in Sino-U.S. trade ties have undermined the world's two biggest economies and hobbled global growth. Stocks advanced in Asia, extending their rise from the start of the week. MSCI's broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan advanced 0.5%, while Nasdaq futures gained 0.62%. S&P 500 futures edged 0.43% higher. EUROSTOXX 50 futures and FTSE futures both added roughly 0.1% each. In Tokyo, attention was also on the Japanese government bond (JGB) market, following news that Japan is considering buying back some super-long government bonds issued in the past at low interest rates. The yield on the 10-year JGB fell one basis point to 1.46% in early trade, while the 30-year yield slid 5 bps to 2.86%. Yields on super-long JGBs rose to record levels last month due to dwindling demand from traditional buyers such as life insurers, and jitters over steadily rising debt levels globally. "The volatility at the super-long segment of the curve stems from a supply-demand imbalance that has been brewing since the BOJ embarked on balance sheet normalisation," said Justin Heng, APAC rates strategist at HSBC Global Investment Research. Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Tuesday the government will conduct appropriate debt management policies while communicating closely with market participants. In currencies, the dollar attempted to regain its footing after falling on Monday. Against the yen, the dollar was up 0.45% to 145.25. The euro fell 0.28% to $1.1387 while sterling slipped 0.2% to $1.3523. Trump's erratic trade policies and worries over Washington's growing debt pile have dented investor confidence in U.S. assets, in turn undermining the dollar, which has already fallen more than 8% for the year. The next test for the greenback will be on Wednesday, when U.S. inflation data comes due. Expectations are for core consumer prices to have picked up slightly in May, which could push back against bets of imminent Federal Reserve rate cuts. The producer price index (PPI) report will be released a day later. "May's U.S. CPI and PPI data will be scrutinised for signs of lingering inflationary pressures," said Convera's FX and macro strategist Kevin Ford. "If core CPI remains elevated, expectations for rate cuts could be pushed beyond the June 18 FOMC meeting." Traders see the Fed keeping rates on hold at its policy meeting next week, but have priced in roughly 44 bps worth of easing by December. In the oil market, prices edged up, with Brent crude futures gaining 0.24% to $67.20 a barrel. [O/R] U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude was last up 0.25% at $65.45 per barrel after hitting a more than two-month high earlier in the session. Spot gold fell 0.5% to $3,310.40 an ounce. [GOL/] Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
