Policy

• Taiwanese functionarissen vrezen dat zelfs subtiele retorische wijzigingen van president Trump met betrekking tot het Taiwan-beleid de decennialang bestaande status quo in de Straat van Taiwan kunnen destabiliseren, nu Trump zich voorbereidt op een top met de Chinese president Xi Jinping op 14 en 15 mei in Peking. • Een functionaris van het Witte Huis bevestigde dat het Amerikaanse beleid ten opzichte van Taiwan ongewijzigd blijft, gebaseerd op de Taiwan Relations Act, drie gezamenlijke communiqué's tussen de VS en de Volksrepubliek China, en de Six Assurances aan Taiwan, waarbij geen wijzigingen zijn aangekondigd. • Chinese wetenschappers suggereren dat Peking druk zal uitoefenen op Trump om het verklarende beleid te verschuiven — waarbij wordt gestreefd naar expliciete oppositie tegen de onafhankelijkheid van Taiwan in plaats van de huidige formulering van "geen steun" — en zullen Amerikaanse voorafgaande onderhandelingen over wapenverkopen nastreven, beide grote afwijkingen van het vastgestelde beleid.

Organisers of nationwide protest say its aim is to stop the government turning young Germans into ‘cannon fodder’Tens of thousands of pupils across Germany are expected to boycott the classroom and take to the streets in a nationwide protest organisers say is to stop the government’s rearmament policy turning young people into “cannon fodder”.Despite threats from teachers’ associations and education ministries, which have said anyone who demonstrates during school hours could risk penalties and even expulsion, organisers say they expect the number of participants at Friday’s school strike to be at least as high as the estimated 50,000 who attended each of the first two. Continue reading...

• Singapore hosted a gathering of global leaders at Capella Singapore to examine the economic and policy impacts of artificial intelligence deployment worldwide. • The event focused on how governments and organizations can implement AI responsibly while fostering innovation and maintaining digital competitiveness in their respective markets. • This policy-focused dialogue reflects Singapore's strategic positioning as a regional hub for technology governance and AI ethics discussions in the Asia-Pacific region.

• Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont signed HB 5044 into law on April 28, 2026, expanding the state health commissioner's authority to issue vaccine recommendations independent of federal guidance. • The bill includes provisions clarifying the state's Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA), which had sparked significant controversy during legislative debates. • The law also prevents insurance companies from penalizing clinicians who treat patients declining vaccines, protecting physician practice autonomy.

Club chief says ‘anodyne acknowledgements’ can be ‘overworked’. Follow today’s news liveGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastGood morning and welcome to our live news blog. I’m Martin Farrer with the top overnight stories and then it will be Nick Visser with the main action.The RSL has announced it will review its guidance on welcome to country addresses at Anzac Day services after Indigenous leaders were booed at three dawn services on Saturday. Continue reading...

The gambling crisis ‘demands a public health response’ and should be regulated like alcohol or tobacco, expert says Gambling addiction is spiraling “out of control” in the US, a leading campaigner for stricter guardrails has warned, as experts from around the world are set to gather in Boston to push for more regulation of the industry.The rapid expansion of online gambling, prediction markets and sports betting platforms, “demands a public health response”, according to Harry Levant, director of gambling policy at the Public Health Advocacy Institute (PHAI), urging policymakers to intervene. Continue reading...

• Governments of Spain, Brazil, and Mexico issued a joint statement on Saturday expressing deep concern over the grave humanitarian crisis in Cuba and calling for immediate measures to alleviate suffering faced by the Cuban people. • The statement follows US President Trump's recent indication of shifting focus from the Iran war to Cuba, with a senior US delegation sent last week to Havana to negotiate a deal addressing the island's crisis. • This diplomatic push highlights growing international attention to Cuba's deteriorating conditions, potentially signaling a US pivot that could reshape regional geopolitics and aid flows.