Trump says US to hit US$300 billion worth of Chinese goods with 10 per cent tariff
President Donald Trump said on Thursday he would impose a 10 per cent tariff on the remaining US$300 billion (S$400 billion) of Chinese imports starting Sept 1, after negotiators failed to make progress in US-China trade talks, sending shockwaves through US markets.
The levies - which would hit a wide swath of consumer goods from cell phones and laptop computers to toys and footwear - ended a temporary truce in a trade war that has disrupted global supply chains and roiled financial markets for more than a year.
Trump later told reporters he could further ratchet up the tariff rate - even beyond 25 per cent - depending on progress in talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The news hit US financial markets hard.
New North Korea projectile launch detected: US officials
North Korea has carried out a new projectile launch, US officials said on Thursday, adding that initial information indicated the launches were similar to two recent short-range tests carried out by Pyongyang.
South Korea's military said unidentified short-range projectiles were fired at 2.59am and 3.23am local time on Friday, from North Korea's South Hamgyong Province into the East Sea.
A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said at least one projectile was detected that did not pose a threat to North America, although there could have been multiple projectiles.
Saudi Arabia lifts travel restrictions on women, grants them greater control
Saudi Arabia has allowed adult women to travel without permission and granted them more control over family matters, further eroding a heavily criticised male guardianship system at a time of heightened scrutiny over its human rights record.
The decisions issued in a series of cabinet decrees published by the official gazette on Friday stipulate that a Saudi passport should be issued to any citizen that applies for it and that any person above the age of 21 does not need permission to travel.
The amendments to regulations also grant women for the first time the right to register child birth, marriage or divorce and to be issued official family documents and be eligible as a guardian to children who are minors.
US scientists announce 3D heart printing breakthrough
US scientists have successfully built functional heart parts out of collagen using a 3D bioprinter, a breakthrough they say could one day create entire organs.
Their technique, which was described in the journal Science on Thursday, replicates the body's own complex biological scaffolds that provide the structure and biochemical signalling organs need to function.
"What we were able to show was you can actually 3D print a heart valve out of collagen, and they function," Adam Feinberg, one of the paper's co-authors told AFP.
Football: Arsenal sign Ivorian forward Pepe in club record deal
Arsenal have signed forward Nicolas Pepe from French club Lille for a club-record fee, the Premier League side said on Thursday.
Financial details of the transfer were not revealed but British media reported it was around £72 million (S$120 million), eclipsing the £56 million paid to Borussia Dortmund for striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang last year.
"Nicolas is a highly-rated and talented winger who was wanted by many of the top teams in Europe," Arsenal manager Unai Emery said in a statement.
