US President Donald Trump's announcement on "reciprocal" tariffs appears to have put South Korea deeper into a soul-searching mode over its growing reliance on the United States for trade, as the protectionist move further jeopardised the fate of a bilateral free trade agreement (FTA).

Trump announced a 10 percent "baseline" tariff on imports from all trading partners and "reciprocal" tariffs, including 26 percent duties for South Korea -- a culmination of his drive to curtail America's trade deficits, boost revenue, attract foreign investments and strengthen domestic manufacturing.

The baseline and reciprocal tariffs are set to go into effect Saturday and next Wednesday, respectively, as Trump has repeated his vow to rectify what he called "unfair" foreign trade practices that have "ripped off" America for too long, reports news agency.

For South Korea's export-reliant economy, new U.S. duties, including planned 25 percent tariffs on imported cars and parts, are raising the nettlesome questions about how to rebalance the trade relationship with the United States potentially under a new deal and avoid unforeseen consequences of economic interdependence.

An out-of-control bushfire burning in the suburbs of Perth, the capital city of Australia's state of Western Australia (WA), has prompted an emergency evacuation warning.

Residents of parts of the suburb of Ferndale, 10 km southeast of central Perth, were on Thursday morning advised to leave immediately due to the threat posed by a nearby fire, reports news agency.

"You are in danger and need to act immediately to survive. There is a threat to lives and homes," a warning issued by the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) shortly before 7 a.m. local time said.

"If the way is clear, leave now for a safer place. Do not wait and see; leaving at the last minute could put your life in danger."

Myanmar's government will allocate 500 billion kyats (about $238.09 million) for earthquake relief and rehabilitation efforts, State Administration Council (SAC) Chairman Min Aung Hlaing has said.

The Myanmar leader made the statement at a cash donation ceremony in Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday, where well-wishers donated 104.44 billion kyats ($49.71 million) in cash and non-cash items worth 12.4 billion kyats ($5.9 million), news agency reported, quoting the state-owned daily The Global New Light of Myanmar.

The contributions were received by the Chairman of the National Disaster Management Committee, the SAC Vice Chairman, council members, and other relevant officials, it added.

Following deadly earthquake that struck Myanmar on Friday, Min Aung Hlaing called for international assistance. In response, rescue teams, medics and nurses from 16 countries and regions have arrived in Myanmar with humanitarian aid and medical supplies as of March 31, it said.

A 26-year-old hotel staff member was rescued from the rubble of a collapsed hotel building in Myanmar's Nay Pyi Taw on Wednesday, five days after the 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck the country, according to the State Administration Council's information team.

Two people were trapped under the debris, and rescue teams from the Myanmar Fire Services Department and Turkey successfully pulled one survivor to safety, the information team said.

The operation at the hotel began at around 3:00 p.m. local time on Tuesday, and the man was rescued by approximately 00:30 a.m. local time on Wednesday, it said.

Efforts are ongoing to locate and rescue the remaining trapped individuals, news agency reported.

Myanmar on Tuesday observed a one-minute silence to honour the victims of the devastating earthquake that has claimed over 2,000 lives.

A powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake, followed by a 6.4 magnitude aftershock minutes later, struck Myanmar’s Mandalay region on Friday, causing massive casualties and damage.

Myanmar announced on Monday a week-long mourning period following the earthquake that struck Myanmar, which wrought widespread destruction,
News Agency reported.

The office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) submitted the 2025 National Trade Estimate (NTE) to President Donald Trump and the Congress on Tuesday.

The NTE is an annual report detailing foreign trade barriers faced by US exporters and the USTR’s efforts to reduce those barriers. The report lists the details of tariffs being imposed by the countries trading with the US.

"No American President in modern history has recognised the wide-ranging and harmful foreign trade barriers American exporters face more than President Trump," said Ambassador Jamieson Greer. "Under his leadership, this administration is working diligently to address these unfair and non-reciprocal practices, helping restore fairness and put hardworking American businesses and workers first in the global market."

Strongly condemning China's joint military drill around Taiwan, Taipei on Tuesday said that Beijing's provocations are threatening regional peace.

This comes after 19 Chinese Navy ships operating around Taiwan were detected on Tuesday morning.

The Taiwanese Ministry of National Defence condemned the move, which it called a disruption to the status quo, and said it had deployed military vessels and aircraft in response to the threats.

In a major escalation of its efforts to combat campus anti-Semitism, the Trump administration has announced a "comprehensive review" of federal contracts and grants at Harvard University and its affiliates.

The decision, revealed on Monday by the Departments of Education (ED), Health and Human Services (HHS), and the US General Services Administration (GSA), is part of an ongoing initiative led by the Joint Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism.

The task force will examine over $255.6 million in federal contracts with Harvard, along with more than $8.7 billion in multi-year grant commitments, to ensure compliance with federal regulations, including civil rights obligations, according to a statement from the US Department of State (DoS).

"Harvard has served as a symbol of the American Dream for generations -- the pinnacle aspiration for students all over the world to work hard and earn admission to the storied institution," said Secretary of Education Linda McMahon.

South Korea's exports gained 3.1 percent from a year earlier in March, marking a second consecutive month of increase, driven by robust demand for semiconductors and other information technology (IT) products, data showed on Tuesday.

Outbound shipments came to US$58.3 billion last month, compared with $56.5 billion the previous year, according to data compiled by the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy, reports news agency.

Imports rose 2.3 percent on-year to $53.3 billion, resulting in a trade surplus of $4.98 billion.

Outbound shipments of semiconductors jumped 11.9 percent on-year to $13.1 billion in March, rebounding from a 3 percent on-year decrease the previous month, thanks to strong demand for high-value products, such as high bandwidth memory and double data rate 5 (DDR5) memory chips.

Hanwha Group Chairman Kim Seung-youn has transferred half of his stake in the group's holding company, Hanwha Corp., to his three sons, the company said on Monday, effectively completing the group's leadership succession.

According to a regulatory filing, Kim has transferred a combined 11.32 percent stake in Hanwha Corp. to his three sons.

Vice Chairman Kim Dong-kwan received 4.86 percent, while President Kim Dong-won and Executive Vice President Kim Dong-seon each received 3.23 percent.

Kim previously held a 22.65 percent stake in Hanwha Corp., the de facto holding company of the conglomerate. Following the transfer, he now retains an 11.33 percent stake.