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    US loosens Iran's grip on Strait of Hormuz but war is not over

    In recent weeks, the United States has succeeded in loosening Iran's grip over the Strait of Hormuz while virtually shutting down Iran's own oil exports, accelerating its economic free fall. But the war launched by the U.S. and Israel in February — intended to last a few weeks — is still far from over, and the stalemate is costly for both sides. An agreement reached in June quickly crumbled , with no sign of diplomatic progress since then. Low-level fighting persists, and the U.S. does not seem to have an exit strategy. The mounting economic pressure on Iran has yet to stoke an uprising, and if its leaders are backed into a corner, they may opt for military escalation rather than capitulation. Their Houthi allies in Yemen have meanwhile stepped up attacks on Saudi Arabia , helping to push oil prices back up. The price of a barrel of Brent crude, the international benchmark, surged above $100 this week, and diesel — heavily used in transport and farming — hit a record, potentially stoking inflation. U.S. President Donald Trump has acknowledged that gas prices are likely to stay h

    4 MIN READBy AP
    US loosens Iran's grip on Strait of Hormuz but war is not over
  • World

    Police say 5 dead, 40 injured in tour bus crash in eastern Switzerland

    1 MIN READBy AP
    Police say 5 dead, 40 injured in tour bus crash in eastern Switzerland
  • World

    BRICS leaders gather in New Delhi as wars strain bloc

    3 MIN READBy AP
    BRICS leaders gather in New Delhi as wars strain bloc
  • World

    China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says

    2 MIN READBy AFP
    China, Iran among countries that have used AI to aid spying, Anthropic says
  • World

    Rescuers search for 84 missing after Philippines ferry fire

    2 MIN READBy AP
    Rescuers search for 84 missing after Philippines ferry fire
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CEO & Publisher: Oh Young-jinDigital News Email: webmaster@koreatimes.co.krTel: 02-724-2114Online newspaper registration No: 서울,아52844Date of registration: 2020.02.05Masthead: The Korea TimesCopyright © koreatimes.co.kr. All rights reserved.

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World

Trump expected to sign beef-related executive order on Friday, sources say

WASHINGTON — U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to sign an executive order related to beef on Friday, according to two sources familiar with the situation. One of the sources said the order would pertain to country-of-origin labeling for beef. Trump is scheduled to sign an executive order behind closed doors at 1:30 p.m. ET (1730 GMT). The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump said last week he would look into whether there were too many regulations restricting ranchers from slaughtering their own cattle. He also signed last week an order to temporarily increase imports of some lower-tariff beef in an effort to bring down consumer beef prices, which have hit record highs this year. Ranchers and farm groups strongly oppose the plan, which they argue will disadvantage American producers. Some ranchers have sought mandatory country-of-origin labeling for beef, arguing that would support domestic producers and provide more transparency to consumers. Under current regulations, meat companies can voluntarily add a "Product of USA" label for meat born, rais

Sep 5, 2026By Reuters
Trump expected to sign beef-related executive order on Friday, sources say
World

US, allies push IAEA to report Iran to UN Security Council

VIENNA/PARIS — The United States, Britain, France and Germany are seeking a resolution by the U.N. nuclear watchdog's board next week reporting Iran to the U.N. Security Council for the first time in 20 years, according to diplomats and the proposed text seen by Reuters. If passed, the resolution would follow up on one adopted on June 12 of last year declaring Iran in breach of its non-proliferation obligations for not fully cooperating with an investigation into uranium traces found at undeclared sites. Israel started bombing Iran's nuclear facilities the next day, soon joined by the U.S. Iran's uranium-enrichment plants were destroyed or badly damaged. Iran has not let International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors return to the bombed sites since then or verify what remains of its stocks of enriched uranium, some of which was enriched to up to 60 percent purity, a short step from weapons grade. Fresh diplomatic escalation A resolution by the IAEA's 35-nation board reporting Iran to the Security Council would also be the culmination of a standoff over IAEA access to those sites, since

Sep 5, 2026By Reuters
US, allies push IAEA to report Iran to UN Security Council
World

Stocks fall as strong jobs report raises rate hike prospects

U.S. stocks fell and Treasury bond yields mostly rose Friday after the government reported that employers unexpectedly added 162,000 jobs last month. The surprise increase in hiring could give the Federal Reserve leeway to raise its benchmark short-term interest rate to fight inflation when central bank policymakers meet later this month. The S&P 500 fell 0.5 percent in morning trading. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was down 378 points, or 0.7 percent, as of 11:08 a.m. Eastern time. The Nasdaq composite fell 0.4 percent. Gains in technology stocks helped limit declines in other sectors. Nvidia rose 1.9 percent, Micron Technology gained 4.3 percent and Sandisk climbed 8.7 percent. Lululemon Athletica sank 19.1 percent after the retailer reported quarterly revenue that fell short of analysts' estimates and lowered its fiscal full-year outlook again. Markets were mixed in Europe and Asia. U.S. government bond yields, which had eased the last couple of days, mostly rose. The yield on the 10-year Treasury, which influences mortgage rates, held steady at 4.77 percent. It has been rising steadi

Sep 5, 2026By AP
Stocks fall as strong jobs report raises rate hike prospects
World

Trump's bid to shield chip supply chain could backfire in Tennessee

WASHINGTON — A Tennessee factory that Washington had hoped to protect as part of a push to safeguard the U.S. semiconductor supply chain is at risk of closure after the Trump administration's new trade measures drove away its two remaining customers, according to sources familiar with the matter. Germany's Wacker Chemie, which produces polysilicon that goes into chips and solar panels, will make a decision in the coming weeks on whether to close its Charleston, Tennessee, facility, which employs about 600 workers, the sources said. Reuters was not able to confirm the names of the two customers. The move follows a White House proclamation last month that seeks to incentivize purchases of American polysilicon, the sources said, declining to be named because the matter was not public. Wacker did not comment on the loss of customers or potential plant closure. It said it was too soon to assess the policy's impact on its business but noted the proclamation "does not, as it reads now, effectively support the use of U.S. made polysilicon." The company also said it was in active discussions wit

Sep 5, 2026By Reuters
Trump's bid to shield chip supply chain could backfire in Tennessee
World

US adds 162,000 jobs in August, putting focus back on inflation

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market rebounded in August as employers added a surprising 162,000 jobs. The unemployment rate stayed at a low 4.1 percent. Hiring far exceeded the 65,000 forecasters had expected, according to a poll by FactSet. Labor Department revisions also looked good, adding 55,000 to June and July payrolls. Employers created 21,000 jobs in July; the Labor Department had originally reported that they’d cut 23,000. Two months before the midterm elections, President Donald Trump welcomed the strong hiring report Friday. “Great jobs number just announced, breaking all estimates (except mine!) by double and triple - And you haven’t seen anything yet!” Trump wrote in a social media post. But it is inflation that has dominated conversations this year at both business and in households. Voters are increasingly frustrated by higher costs, particularly fuel prices that have hit record levels since the U.S. and Israel attacked Iran in late February. And meager pay raises have made rising prices more painful for many. Average hourly wages rose 3.1 percent last month from a

Sep 5, 2026By AP
US adds 162,000 jobs in August, putting focus back on inflation
World

US job market rebounds with 162,000 new jobs; the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%

WASHINGTON — The U.S. job market rebounded in August as employers added a surprising 162,000 jobs. The unemployment rate stayed at a low 4.1%. The jobs report, issued by the Labor Department Friday, could be good news for President Donald Trump two months before midterm elections in which the health of the economy is weighing on voters' minds. Hiring far exceeded the 65,000 forecasters had expected, according to a poll by FactSet. Labor Department revisions also looked good, adding 55,000 to June and July payrolls. Employers created 21,000 jobs in July; the Labor Department had originally reported that they’d cut 23,000. Restaurants and bars added 59,000 jobs last month, construction companies 22,000 and manufacturers 16,000. And the U.S. labor force — the number of people working or looking for work — jumped by 683,000 last month after falling in June and July. Yet many households are struggling with the high cost of living, and wage gains aren’t helping much. Average hourly wages rose 3.1% last month from a year earlier, the weakest year-over-year increase since May 2021. Frida

Sep 4, 2026By AP
US job market rebounds with 162,000 new jobs; the unemployment rate stayed at 4.1%
World

US pressure on Iran starting to tell as sanctions and blockade bite

DUBAI — A U.S. campaign to throttle Iran's economy by blockading its oil exports and stopping sanctions evasion is growing increasingly difficult to withstand, three senior Iranian sources said. Washington has in recent weeks sought to ratchet up the economic pressure on Tehran, in an effort to extract concessions in any future negotiation that six months of conflict have so far failed to secure. Although Iran's clerical rulers managed to bypass sanctions for decades, the latest U.S. moves have left them in a far more sensitive position, with few remaining channels to secure foreign currency or buy goods, the sources said. In particular, the effort to stop Iran accessing international financing networks in other countries it has long used to keep its economy functioning poses a real and urgent threat, the sources said. Any sign the economic campaign may break a months-long deadlock in the conflict will likely cheer U.S. planners, though Iran has also warned it could respond to the pressure with military escalation, raising the stakes at a key moment. Petrol stocks low as currency collap

Sep 4, 2026By Reuters
US pressure on Iran starting to tell as sanctions and blockade bite
World

Why finding missing workers from Nepal's hydropower tunnels is proving to be difficult

NEW DELHI — Two workers have been rescued from a flooded hydropower tunnel in Nepal, nine days after the disaster that has killed more than 1,200 people across Nepal and China. The men were pulled alive on Friday from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River. Officials said one of the survivors told rescuers that more people were still alive inside the tunnel. At least 900 workers are missing from hydropower projects , with about 500 believed to be inside tunnels, according to officials and industry representatives. But access to the tunnels has been hampered by flooding, debris and damaged infrastructure, making it difficult for rescue teams to reach workers. Rescuers are scouring tunnels filled with debris Teams aided by foreign experts have been working at several hydropower projects, while rescuers have combed dark, debris-filled tunnels, wading through mud and scrambling over rocks in search of the missing. Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal, said floods damaged at least 12 hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwako

Sep 4, 2026By AP
Why finding missing workers from Nepal's hydropower tunnels is proving to be difficult
World

2 trapped workers rescued from hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods

KATHMANDU, Nepal — Rescuers in Nepal pulled two workers alive from a hydropower tunnel Friday as emergency teams continued an operation to reach others believed to be trapped inside, officials said. The two men were rescued from the Trishuli 3A tunnel nine days after floods, likely caused by a glacier collapse, devastated towns and swept away villages in Nepal on Aug. 26. Nepalese lawmaker Shri Ram Neupane posted about the second rescue on his Facebook page shortly after army spokesperson Brig. Gen. Raja Ram Basnet confirmed the first trapped worker’s rescue. Officials identified the two men as a mechanical foreman and a mechanical supervisor. Local television news channels showed images of the first rescued worker covered in mud and being carried from the site on a rescuer’s shoulder. Officials said both men were in stable condition and were flown to a hospital in Kathmandu. At least 557 workers are missing from the Trishuli 3A hydropower project along the Trishuli River, with about 115 believed to be trapped in the main tunnel, according to the Independent Power Producers Associa

Sep 4, 2026By AP
2 trapped workers rescued from hydropower tunnel 9 days after Nepal floods
World

US hits Cuba with new sanctions as island's crises multiply

HAVANA — The U.S. government on Thursday slapped new sanctions on Cuba in a fresh push to strangle the island’s economy and deepen its multiple crises. Among those hit with sanctions are Fidel Ernesto Castro, grandson of former President Raúl Castro, and Cuba’s Oil Industry Supply Import Company, known as Abapet. The company is responsible for importing special equipment and spare parts needed to sustain Cuba’s crumbling power grid. The sanctions aim to push Cuba’s critical machinery offline and exacerbate its energy crisis, said Brett Erickson, a sanctions expert and managing principal at Obsidian Risk Advisors, a consulting firm. “The U.S. is trying to really tighten the screws as much as possible,” he said. “The Trump administration seems to have no seriousness to accept any change from Cuba other than a toppling of regime. Marco is not going to let that go,” he added, referring to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Erickson anticipated that Cuba’s government would try to circumvent the sanctions “because they have to.” “They’ll get creative in how they tr

Sep 4, 2026By AP
US hits Cuba with new sanctions as island's crises multiply
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