Israeli plan to forcibly relocate Gazans blasted as 'crime against humanity'
08/07/2025
Indonesia's volcano Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupts again 🌋
08/07/2025
French poverty rate hits 30-year high
08/07/2025
King Charles hosts France's Macron in first European state visit since Brexit
08/07/2025
Death toll from Texas floods passes 100, including 27 at girls' youth camp
08/07/2025
Japan, South Korea face 25% tariffs as Trump ramps up trade war
08/07/2025
Israel's Katz calls for confining all Gazans in 'humanitarian city'
08/07/2025
Following decades in Iran, 'there's nothing left' for millions of Afghan migrants in Afghanistan
Middle East
08/07/2025
Trump, Netanyahu tout possible Gaza ceasefire, dodge two-state solution question
08/07/2025
Death toll in Texas floods mounts, Trumps agency cuts blamed
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Fashion Network
3 hours ago
- Fashion Network
Trump unveils 25% tariffs on goods from Japan, South Korea in letters to leaders
U.S. stocks fell in response, the latest market ruction since Trump unleashed a global trade war on his return to office in January. His moves have repeatedly roiled financial markets and sent policymakers scrambling to protect their economies. U.S.-listed shares of Japanese automotive companies fell, with Toyota Motor down 4.1% in early afternoon trading and Honda Motor off by 3.8%. U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said earlier on Monday he expected to make several trade announcements in the next 48 hours, adding that his inbox was full of last-ditch offers from countries to clinch a tariff deal before a July 9 deadline. It was not immediately clear if other letters to leaders would be made public ahead of Wednesday's deadline. Bessent did not say which countries could get deals and what they might contain. Trump has kept much of the world guessing on the outcome of months of talks with countries hoping to avoid the hefty tariff hikes he has threatened. "We've had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals," Bessent said in an interview with CNBC. "So it's going to be a busy couple of days." For its part, the European Union still aims to reach a trade deal by July 9 after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Trump had a "good exchange," a Commission spokesperson said. It was not immediately clear, however, whether there had been a meaningful breakthrough in talks to stave off tariff hikes on the United States' largest trading partner. Adding to the pressure, Trump threatened to impose a 17% tariff on EU food and agriculture exports, it emerged last week. Trump had said on Sunday the U.S. was close to finalizing several trade pacts and would notify other countries by July 9 of higher tariff rates. He said they would not take effect until August 1, a three-week reprieve. He also put members of the developing nations' BRICS group in his sights as its leaders met in Brazil, threatening an additional 10% tariff on any BRICS countries aligning themselves with "anti-American" policies. The BRICS group comprises Brazil, Russia, India and China and South Africa along with recent joiners Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates. Trump's comments hit the South African rand. The EU has been torn over whether to push for a quick and light trade deal or back its own economic clout in trying to negotiate a better outcome. It had already dropped hopes for a comprehensive trade agreement before the July deadline. "We want to reach a deal with the U.S. We want to avoid tariffs," the spokesperson told reporters at a daily briefing. "We want to achieve win-win outcomes, not lose-lose outcomes." Without a preliminary agreement, broad U.S. tariffs on most imports would rise from their current 10% to the rates set out by Trump on April 2. In the EU's case, that would be 20%. Von der Leyen also held talks with the leaders of Germany, France and Italy at the weekend, Germany said. Chancellor Friedrich Merz has repeatedly stressed the need for a quick deal to protect industries vulnerable to tariffs ranging from cars to pharmaceuticals. The German spokesperson said the parties should allow themselves "another 24 or 48 hours to come to a decision." Germany's Mercedes-Benz said on Monday its second-quarter unit sales of cars and vans had fallen 9%, blaming tariffs. Russia said BRICS was "a group of countries that share common approaches and a common world view on how to cooperate, based on their own interests." "And this cooperation within BRICS has never been and will never be directed against any third countries," said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
France 24
5 hours ago
- France 24
Trade tensions rise as U.S. targets South Africa
Africa 14:26 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has strongly condemned Donald Trump's decision to impose a 30% tariff on South African goods, targeting 14 countries accused of unfair trade. Trump also threatened an additional 10% levy on nations working with BRICS. Ramaphosa calls it a misinterpretation of data. The tariffs could seriously harm South Africa's economy, as the U.S. remains its largest trading partner. Also, in Nigeria and Malawi, where clinical trials were conducted, the first drug specifically designed to treat malaria in babies and young children has just been approved. This approval could speed up its rollout across eight African countries. Finally, France's parliament has voted to return a historic drum to Ivory Coast, seized by French colonial forces over a century ago. This move follows President Macron's 2018 pledge to return stolen African artworks, but tens of thousands of objects remain in French museums.
LeMonde
6 hours ago
- LeMonde
US Supreme Court clears the way for Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce
The Supreme Court on Tuesday, July 8, cleared the way for President Donald Trump's plans to downsize the federal workforce despite warnings that critical government services will be lost and hundreds of thousands of federal employees will be out of their jobs. The justices overrode lower court orders that temporarily froze the cuts, which have been led by the Department of Government Efficiency . The court said in an unsigned order that no specific cuts were in front of the justices, only an executive order issued by Trump and an administration directive for agencies to undertake job reductions. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the only dissenting vote, accusing her colleagues of a "demonstrated enthusiasm for greenlighting this President's legally dubious actions in an emergency posture." Jackson warned of enormous real-world consequences. "This executive action promises mass employee terminations, widespread cancellation of federal programs and services, and the dismantling of much of the Federal Government as Congress has created it," she wrote. The high court action continued a remarkable winning streak for Trump, who the justices have allowed to move forward with significant parts of his plan to remake the federal government. The Supreme Court's intervention so far has been on the frequent emergency appeals the Justice Department has filed objecting to lower-court rulings as improperly intruding on presidential authority. The Republican president has repeatedly said voters gave him a mandate for the work, and he tapped billionaire ally Elon Musk to lead the charge through DOGE. Musk recently left his role. Tens of thousands of federal workers have been fired, have left their jobs via deferred resignation programs or have been placed on leave. There is no official figure for the job cuts, but at least 75,000 federal employees took deferred resignation and thousands of probationary workers have already been let go. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free In May, US District Judge Susan Illston found that Trump's administration needs congressional approval to make sizable reductions to the federal workforce. By a 2-1 vote, a panel of the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals refused to block Illston's order, finding that the downsizing could have broader effects, including on the nation's food-safety system and health care for veterans. Illston directed numerous federal agencies to halt acting on the president's workforce executive order signed in February and a subsequent memo issued by DOGE and the Office of Personnel Management. Illston was nominated by former Democratic President Bill Clinton. 'A serious blow' The labor unions and nonprofit groups that sued over the downsizing offered the justices several examples of what would happen if it were allowed to take effect, including cuts of 40% to 50% at several agencies. Baltimore, Chicago and San Francisco were among the cities that also sued. "Today's decision has dealt a serious blow to our democracy and puts services that the American people rely on in grave jeopardy. This decision does not change the simple and clear fact that reorganizing government functions and laying off federal workers en masse haphazardly without any congressional approval is not allowed by our Constitution," the parties that sued said in a joint statement. Among the agencies affected by the order are the departments of Agriculture, Energy, Labor, the Interior, State, the Treasury and Veterans Affairs. It also applies to the National Science Foundation, Small Business Association, Social Security Administration and Environmental Protection Agency. The case now continues in Illston's court.
