Trump hails Japan’s Takaichi during talks on trade, critical minerals

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday lauded Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, during talks in Tokyo, welcoming her commitment to accelerate Japan’s military buildup and overseeing the signing of new agreements on trade and critical minerals.

Takaichi a close ally of Trump’s late friend and golfing partner, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly told Trump she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt.

Sources familiar with the discussions said the new Japanese leader is also expected to announce a $550 billion investment package, including shipbuilding projects and increased imports of U.S. soybeans, natural gas, and pickup trucks.

Analysts believe these commitments could ease potential U.S. pressure on Tokyo to spend even more on defense amid rising tensions with China.

Takaichi has already pledged to boost defense spending to 2% of GDP as part of her government’s long-term strategy.

“It’s a very strong handshake,” Trump remarked as the two leaders posed for photographs at the Akasaka Palace in central Tokyo.

“Everything I’ve heard from Shinzo and others tells me you’ll be one of Japan’s great prime ministers,” Trump said, congratulating Takaichi on becoming the country’s first woman to hold the office.

Takaichi gifted Trump Abe’s putter, a golf bag signed by Japanese major winner Hideki Matsuyama and a gold leaf golf ball, according to photos posted on X by Trump’s assistant Margo Martin.

DEAL ON CRITICAL MINERALS SIGNED

Trump also praised Japan’s efforts to purchase more U.S. defence equipment, while Takaichi said Trump’s role in securing ceasefires between Cambodia and Thailand, and Israel and Palestinian militants, were “unprecedented” achievements.

Takaichi followed other world leaders to recommended Trump for the Peace Prize he has long said he is worthy of.

The leaders then signed an agreement to support the supply of critical minerals and rare earths, as the countries seek to wean reliance off China’s chokehold on the materials crucial for a wide range of products from smartphones to fighter jets.

The deal aims to jointly identify projects of interest in areas such as magnets and batteries over the next six months and work together to develop stockpiles of key minerals among other measures.

Trump was last at the palace, an ornate residence built in a European style, in 2019 for talks with Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.

After lunch with Takaichi there, Trump met with relatives of people abducted by North Korea in the 1960s and 1970s to train its spies and their relatives.

While some were later repatriated, Japan continues to press Pyongyang for a full accounting of all the abductees and the return of any who remain alive, a cause championed by Abe.

“The United States is with them all the way,” Trump said after greeting the families.

The U.S. leader began his visit on Monday with a meeting at the Imperial Palace with Japanese Emperor Naruhito .

VISIT U.S. NAVAL BASE

Takaichi’s gifts to Trump and repeated references to Abe are aimed at evoking memories of a close bond forged over hours the pair spent golfing together during Trump’s first term.

Abe was assassinated in 2022, with the trial of his assailant coincidentally beginning in the western city of Nara on Tuesday.

A similar close relationship with the leader of Japan’s key security and trade partner could help Takaichi bolster her weak political position at home.

Though she has seen a surge in public support since becoming prime minister, her coalition government is two votes shy of a majority in parliament’s lower house.

Trump and Takaichi will later visit the U.S. naval base in Yokosuka near Tokyo, which is home to the aircraft carrier USS George Washington, part of the U.S. military’s powerful presence in the region.

Trump will then meet business leaders in Tokyo, before travelling on Wednesday to South Korea.

In talks there with Chinese President Xi Jinping, Trump said he hopes to seal a trade war truce between the world’s two biggest economies.

Meta AI launches Urdu version for Pakistani users

American multinational technology company Meta has officially launched Meta AI in Urdu for users in Pakistan, marking a major step toward making artificial intelligence tools more inclusive and locally accessible.

The launch took place during the event “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation,” organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), according to a press release issued by the company.

"These initiatives aim to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country," read the release, adding: "Pakistani users will now be able to interact with Meta AI not only in English but also in Urdu."

Speaking at the event, Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima said: “Under the Prime Minister’s Digital Nation Vision, Pakistan is moving toward a future where technology empowers every citizen."

"Our partnership with Meta reflects this commitment, promoting AI education, digital transformation, and innovation within government and educational institutions. The inclusion of Urdu in Meta AI marks a milestone that makes technology more inclusive and accessible, ensuring no one is left behind in this digital transformation journey,” she added.

Meta’s Director of Public Policy for South and Central Asia, Sarim Aziz, said: “We aim to support public sector and educational institutions in driving digital transformation through effective use of AI."

"We are also delighted that Meta AI is now available in Urdu, giving the local community new opportunities to connect with technology in their own language,” he added.

Meanwhile, Meta also introduced a localised edition of the guide “Transforming Public Sector Innovation in Asia Pacific with Llama,” developed in collaboration with Deloitte and supported by the ministry.

The guide explains how Meta’s open-source AI model, Llama, can enhance government operations, improve public services, and strengthen data sovereignty. It also highlights best practices and successful case studies from various Asia-Pacific countries, including Pakistan.

Meta further announced the AI Literacy Program, launched in partnership with the Higher Education Commission (HEC), National Computing Education Accreditation Council (NCEAC), MoITT, and atomcamp.

Under this initiative, 350 non-computer science university teachers across Pakistan will receive training in basic AI skills to prepare students for the demands of the digital era.

Meta also unveiled the Government Digital Transformation Xperience (GDTX) 2025 program, which will provide Pakistan’s public institutions with access to Meta’s technologies, solutions, and best practices.

The programme seeks to unite public and private sector experts to exchange strategies and experiences for effective digital transformation, the press release concluded.

Australia takes Microsoft to court over ‘misleading’ AI claims

Australia’s competition watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing the tech giant of misleading millions of users into paying more for its AI assistant, Copilot.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced Monday that it had taken legal action in the Federal Court against Microsoft Australia and its parent company, Microsoft Corp.

According to the regulator, Microsoft made “false or misleading” claims to about 2.7 million Australians subscribed to Microsoft 365 plans with automatic renewal.

The company allegedly implied that users faced two choices: either upgrade to new Microsoft 365 plans integrated with Copilot at a higher cost or cancel their subscriptions altogether.

However, the ACCC said a third, less obvious option existed allowing customers to remain on their existing “Classic” plans without Copilot at the original price.

This option reportedly became visible only after users initiated the cancellation process.

“Microsoft deliberately failed to mention the Classic plans in its communications and concealed their existence until after subscribers began to cancel,” said ACCC Chair Gina Cass-Gottlieb.

“This practice was designed to push more consumers toward the higher-priced Copilot plans.”

Cass-Gottlieb added that Microsoft Office applications included in 365 subscriptions are “essential in many people’s daily lives,” and that limited alternatives make cancellation a difficult choice for consumers.

The watchdog claims Microsoft has been misleading personal and family plan subscribers since October 31, 2024.

Annual subscriptions for Microsoft 365 plans incorporating Copilot were between 29 and 45 percent higher than those without, the watchdog said.

The commission is seeking penalties, injunctions, consumer redress, and costs.

Microsoft could face penalties of Aus$50 million or more (US$30 million) for each breach.

Microsoft did not immediately respond to AFP's request for comment.

Israel asserts control over Gaza despite ongoing truce

Israel reaffirmed on Sunday that it will retain full control of security inside Gaza, despite agreeing to a US-mediated ceasefire that envisions the deployment of an international peacekeeping force.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that Israel alone would decide when and where to strike its enemies and which nations would be permitted to send troops to oversee the truce.

“Israel is a sovereign nation. We will defend ourselves by our own means and continue to shape our destiny,” Netanyahu declared. “We seek no one’s approval for our actions. Our security remains in our hands.”

AFP footage showed an Egyptian convoy entering Gaza carrying rescue personnel and heavy machinery to assist in locating the remains of Israeli hostages reportedly buried under the rubble in the war-ravaged territory.

Trucks bearing the Egyptian flag and loaded with bulldozers and diggers were seen heading toward Al-Zawayda, where an Egyptian aid coordination committee is based.

Israeli government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian confirmed that Netanyahu personally authorized the Egyptian team’s entry.

“This is purely a technical team none of the members are military personnel,” Bedrosian clarified. “They have been permitted to cross the IDF’s Yellow Line into Gaza to conduct searches for the missing hostages.”

According to the terms of the US-brokered ceasefire, Israeli forces are to withdraw following two years of intense conflict with Hamas, while an international security contingent expected to consist largely of Arab and Muslim countries will assume responsibility for maintaining order in Gaza.

However, Israel has rejected any role for Turkey in the mission. Facing mounting pressure from hardliners within his coalition for agreeing to the truce, Netanyahu struck a defiant tone during the cabinet session in Jerusalem, emphasizing that Israel alone will dictate Gaza’s future security arrangements.

"We made clear with respect to international forces that Israel will determine which forces are unacceptable to us," he said, one day after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio wound up the latest in a parade of high-level visits by Washington officials.

Later, Bedrosian put it more starkly: "The prime minister has said it's going to be done the easy way or the hard way, and Israel will have overall security control of the Gaza Strip."

"Gaza will be demilitarised and Hamas will have no part in governing the Palestinian people."

Child's dream is gone

Aid agencies complain that humanitarian convoys still do not have enough access to Gaza to alleviate the famine conditions in parts of the territory, and families there are still going hungry.

AFP journalists followed the family of 62-year-old grandmother Hiam Muqdad for a day in their Gaza City neighbourhood, where they live in a tent next to their ruined home and her barefoot grandchildren gather domestic waste and twigs to burn to heat water.

"When they said there was a truce, oh my God, a tear of joy and a tear of sadness fell from my eye," Muqdad told AFP. "The child's dream is gone. In the past they used to go to the park but today children play on the rubble."

Israel has withdrawn its forces within Gaza to the so-called "Yellow Line" but remains in control of more than half the territory, approves every UN aid convoy going through its borders and has carried out at least two strikes since the ceasefire.

To underline Israel's independence of action, Netanyahu said it had pummelled Gaza with 150 tonnes of munitions on October 19 after two of its soldiers were killed, and had conducted a strike on Saturday targeting an Islamic Jihad militant.

The United States and allies have set up a truce monitoring centre in southern Israel -- the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC) -- and dispatched a string of top officials from President Donald Trump's administration to promote the ceasefire.

The latest Israeli strike came just as Rubio was leaving Jerusalem, but Washington's top diplomat said he remained optimistic the ceasefire would broadly hold if Hamas agrees to disarm and hand over the rule of Gaza.

Rubio told reporters that Washington did not expect the Yellow Line to become Gaza's new border and that Israel would eventually pull back.

"I think, ultimately, the point of the stabilisation force is to move that line until it covers hopefully all of Gaza, meaning all of Gaza will be demilitarised," Rubio told reporters on his plane as he flew to Qatar.

The main Palestinian factions, including Hamas, have agreed to form a committee of technocrats to administer Gaza alongside the ceasefire and reconstruction effort.

But Hamas has resisted calls for its immediate disarmament and has launched a crackdown on rival Palestinian gangs and armed groups in Gaza.

Hostage recovery

In a statement on Sunday, Hamas's lead negotiator Khalil Al-Hayya said the militant group's weapons are "linked to the presence of the occupation and aggression".

He added: "If the occupation ends, these weapons will be transferred to the state."

Hamas has insisted it is serious about returning the remaining 13 hostage bodies.

They include 10 Israelis kidnapped during the group's attack on October 7, 2023 that triggered the conflict, one Israeli missing since 2014, a Thai and a Tanzanian worker.

Hamas has already returned the remaining 20 living hostages and 15 bodies of hostages.

But Hamas warns it will struggle to find the bodies of the others in the ruins of Gaza, where more than 68,500 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire, according to figures from the health ministry of the Hamas-run territory deemed reliable by the UN.

Bedrosian dismissed this, telling reporters: "Hamas knows where our hostages are," and adding the group needed to make more of an effort to retrieve the bodies.

US, India hold talks to ease tensions as trade dispute lingers

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday as Washington and New Delhi seek to advance trade talks and ease tensions over recent US tariffs.

While few specifics were disclosed, the meeting marked the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the United States imposed sanctions last week on several Russian oil firms  a key source of India’s crude imports.

Jaishankar shared a photo on social media showing him shaking hands with Rubio, noting that he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties, as well as regional and global developments.”

The talks were held on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, which was attended in person by US President Donald Trump, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined via video link.

Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after Trump raised tariffs to 50 percent, with US officials accusing India of fuelling Russia's war in Ukraine by buying Moscow's discounted oil.

Trump, who spoke to Modi last week by telephone, has claimed that the Indian leader has agreed to cut Russian oil imports -- something New Delhi has not commented on.

Trump claims he can ‘easily resolve’ Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict

US President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed confidence that he could “quickly resolve” the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, lauding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir as “great people.”

Trump made the remarks while speaking at the signing ceremony of a Thailand–Cambodia peace accord, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

Border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed since October 11, following deadly clashes earlier this month the most intense since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul which left dozens dead on both sides.

The skirmishes erupted after Islamabad urged Kabul to rein in militants launching cross-border attacks into Pakistan from Afghan territory.

A ceasefire brokered in Qatar and Turkiye last weekend has so far held, and during a follow-up round of talks in Istanbul, Pakistan reportedly handed over a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban, according to diplomatic sources.

Addressing the recent escalation, Trump said he was “very confident” that he could help both nations achieve lasting peace.

“We’re averaging one [peace deal] a month. There’s only one left, although I’ve heard Pakistan and Afghanistan have started up again. But I’ll get that solved very quickly.

I know them both the Field Marshal and the Prime Minister are great people and I have no doubt we’ll get that done fast,” he said.

The US president emphasized that peacebuilding remained a cornerstone of his foreign policy.

“If I can take time and save millions of lives, that’s really a great thing,” he said, adding, “Unlike other presidents, I focus on ending wars, not starting them. I can’t think of any president who ever solved one war they start wars; they don’t solve them.”

Meanwhile, Trump witnessed the signing of an enhanced ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia a diplomatic breakthrough that has already earned him a Nobel Peace Prize nomination for mediating the decades-long border conflict between the two Southeast Asian nations.

The agreement builds on a truce signed three months ago after Trump called the then-leaders of the two countries, urging them to end hostilities, or risk their respective trade talks with Washington being put on hold.

Both sides blame each other for starting the five-day exchange of rockets and heavy artillery, which killed at least 48 people and temporarily displaced an estimated 300,000 people in their worst fighting in recent history.

Trump once again praises Field Marshal Asim Munir, calls him “a great man”

US President Donald Trump has once again lauded Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as a “good man,” while also calling Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a “great leader.”

Speaking at the ASEAN Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, President Trump said he had received reports of possible tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan but praised Pakistan’s leadership for handling the matter “swiftly and peacefully.”

“I am an advocate for peace across the world,” Trump said during his address, adding that he has successfully helped halt eight wars so far.

“I stopped wars through trade,” he remarked, emphasizing that the United States prefers commerce over conflict. “I like stopping wars,” he reiterated, noting that economic cooperation is the true key to lasting global peace.

Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed an expanded ceasefire agreement at a ceremony witnessed by President Trump.

The signing, held under the banner “Delivering Peace,” built upon a truce reached three months earlier.

President Trump arrived in Malaysia to attend the ASEAN Summit and participate in a series of crucial trade talks on the sidelines.

“This declaration, if fully implemented, will provide the building blocks for a lasting peace, but more importantly, it will begin the process of mending our ties,” Hun Manet said.

“Our border communities have been divided by conflict, and innocent civilians have suffered immense losses.”