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President Trump on Saturday started his four-day visit to Japan by declaring that Tokyo has a “substantial” trade advantage over the U.S. — and that he hopes a future trade agreement will rebalance the situation. Trump, speaking to businessmen at the U.S. ambassador’s residence, hailed the U.S.-Japanese relationship. He said that the countries are “working together to promote mutually beneficial investment.” and that they are working on a bilateral trade deal. JAPAN WELCOMES TRUMP WITH A CHARM CAMPAIGN, GOLF AND SUMO “I would say that Japan has had a substantial edge for many, many years but that’s OK,” he said. “Maybe that’s why you like me so much. “But we’ll get it a little bit more fair,” he added. “I think we’ll do that.” Trump has made rebalancing trading relationships, particularly with China and the European Union, a priority of his administration. He has threatened Japan with tariffs on automobiles and auto parts if Japan does not give ground to the U.S. ...

The US justice department has filed 17 new charges against Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, who is facing extradition from the UK. The latest charges accuse him of receiving and unlawfully publishing the names of classified sources. He was previously charged last month on one count of conspiring with ex-intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to the Pentagon network. Assange is serving a jail sentence in the UK for breaching bail conditions. The 47-year-old was found guilty last month after his arrest at the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he had sought refuge since 2012 over sexual assault allegations in Sweden. He denies any wrongdoing. How likely is Julian Assange to be convicted in the US? Is he a campaigner or attention-seeker? A timeline of the Assange saga The new indictment says Assange conspired with Manning in order to obtain and disclose secret US files and also exposed and endangered confidential sources in the Middle East and China. ...

Video footage has shown Hollywood star Arnold Schwarzenegger being attacked at an event in South Africa. The 71-year-old former California governor was interacting with fans during a skipping competition at his Arnold Classic Africa sporting event when a man drop-kicked him from behind. The attacker is seen being restrained following the incident. Schwarzenegger thanked fans on Twitter for their concern, but insisted there was “nothing to worry about”. The video footage, shared widely on social media, shows Schwarzenegger posing for photos and filming at the Johannesburg event on Saturday when the man attacks him with a flying kick. The Terminator star stumbles forward after the kick, while the attacker falls to the ground, where he is immediately restrained by a security guard. The man was later handed over to police officers, event officials said. Schwarzenegger tweeted to his more than four million followers: “I thought I was just jostled by the crowd...

Taiwan’s parliament has become the first in Asia to legalise same-sex marriage following a vote on Friday. In 2017, the island’s constitutional court ruled that same-sex couples had the right to legally marry. Parliament was given a two-year deadline and was required to pass the changes by 24 May. Lawmakers debated three different bills to legalise same-sex unions and the government’s bill, the most progressive of the three, was passed. Thousands of gay rights supporters gathered in the rain outside the parliament building in the capital, Taipei, to await the landmark ruling. There were shouts of joy and some tearful embraces as the result was announced. However, conservative opponents were angered by the vote. What does the bill entail? The two other bills, submitted by conservative lawmakers, refer to partnerships as “same-sex family relationships” or “same-sex unions” rather than “marriages”. But the government’s bill, also the only one to offer ...

There are two competing narratives. The first, which is favoured by US President Donald Trump’s administration , is that Iran is up to no good. Preparations are said to have been seen for a potential attack on US targets, though few details have been revealed publicly. The US has moved reinforcements to the region; it is reducing its non-essential diplomatic personnel in Iraq; and it is reportedly dusting off war plans. The message to Tehran is clear: any attack on a US target from whatever source, be it Iran or one of its many proxies or allies in the region, will be met by a significant military response. The second narrative lays the blame for this crisis squarely at Washington’s door. Iran – not surprisingly – holds to this view, but so too do many domestic critics of the Trump administration’s approach. Indeed, to varying degrees many of Mr Trump’s key European allies share some of these concerns. According to this narrative, the “Iran hawks” in the Tr...