Seen in the News

[Stanley]

See THIS report from Taiwan after Trump's warnings....
7 hours ago
Taiwan has insisted it is a sovereign, independent nation, after US President Donald Trump cautioned it against formally declaring independence from China. Trump's remarks came after a two-day summit in Beijing, after which he said he had "made no commitment either way" about the self-governing island - which China claims as part of its territory and has not ruled out taking by force. After talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump also said he would soon decide whether to approve an $11bn ($8bn) package of weapons to be sold to Taiwan. The US administration is bound by law to provide Taiwan with a means of self-defence, but has frequently had to square this alliance with maintaining a diplomatic relationship with China. Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te has previously stated that Taiwan does not need to declare formal independence because it already sees itself as a sovereign nation. On Saturday, presidential spokesperson Karen Kuo said it was "self-evident" that Taiwan was "a sovereign, independent democratic country". She added, however, that Taiwan was committed to maintaining the status quo with China - in which Taiwan neither declares independence from China nor unites with it. Many Taiwanese consider themselves to be part of a separate nation, though most are in favour of maintaining their current status. Washington's established position is that it does not support Taiwanese independence, with continued ties with Beijing being contingent on its acceptance that there is only one Chinese government.
Meanwhile the Iran problem seems to be deadlocked and the economic damage world wide increases.

[Stanley]

HERE'S the latest from Trump.
US President Donald Trump has warned Iran the "clock is ticking" as talks to bring the war to an end have stalled. "They better get moving, FAST, or there won't be anything left of them," he wrote on his Truth Social platform. "TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!" The message came as the president was due to speak with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday. Iranian media meanwhile reported the US had failed to make any concrete concessions in its response to Tehran's latest proposals to end the conflict. A lack of compromise from Washington would lead to an "impasse in the negotiations", the semi-official Mehr news agency reported. Trump's message echoed his threat that a "whole civilisation" would die unless Iran agreed to a deal to end the war, shortly before the ceasefire was announced in early April. The president warned earlier this week that truce was on "massive life support" after rejecting Tehran's demands, labelling them "totally unacceptable". Esmail Baghaei, an Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson, insisted they were "responsible" and "generous". According to Iran's semi-official Tasnim news agency, they included an immediate end to the war on all fronts - a reference to the continued Israeli attacks against Iran-supported Hezbollah in Lebanon - a halt to the US naval blockade of Iranian ports, and guarantees of no further attacks on Iran. They also reportedly included a demand for compensation for war damage and an emphasis on Iranian sovereignty over the Strait of Hormuz.
I suppose we should be glad to see that Trump has turned his attention away from China and back to the most pressing business, normalising conditions in the Middle East.