
Exclusive: Indonesia plans $8 bln refineries contract with US firm amid tariffs deal, sources say
The contract is part of last week's trade pact between Indonesia and the United States that led to a reduction in the threatened U.S. proposed tariff rate to 19% from 32%.
Indonesian Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto, the chief negotiator of the deal, disclosed the modular refinery plan during a closed-door briefing to Indonesian business leaders on Monday evening. Two sources confirmed the planned deal was mentioned in a presentation that Reuters also reviewed.
Danantara and KBR Inc, formerly known as Kellogg Brown & Root, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
While some details of the trade deal between the United States and Indonesia have been made public, such as for increased energy cooperation, the proposed contract for refineries has not previously been reported.
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The Independent
20 hours ago
- The Independent
OJ maker sues Trump over tariffs saying his plan could drive up consumer costs by 25%
Sign up for the daily Inside Washington email for exclusive US coverage and analysis sent to your inbox Get our free Inside Washington email Get our free Inside Washington email Email * SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice A New Jersey-based orange juice manufacturer has announced that it is suing Donald Trump's administration over the president's threatened 50 percent tariffs on Brazil, a country whose citrus exports it depends on. Johanna Foods warns that Trump's blanket levy, due to take effect on August 1, could result in a $70 million hit to its business, leading to likely layoffs and a 25 percent increase in the price of orange juice on supermarket shelves. The company said that it and its subsidiary, Johanna Beverage Company, supply nearly three-quarters of private-label, not-from-concentrate orange juice consumed in the United States. They supply a number of major mass grocery retailers, including Aldi, Walmart, Sam's Club, Wegman's, Safeway, and Albertsons. open image in gallery Trump has benen at odds with the Brazilian government over its investigation into his political ally, former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro, shown here ( AP ) Trump's tariff would represent a particular blow because, by the Department of Agriculture's own estimate, Brazil supplies more than half of the orange juice on shelves in American stores, and 80 percent of the global total. The Independent has approached the White House for comment on the rationale behind the president's decision. Johanna argues in its lawsuit that Trump's threat against Brazil, revealed in a letter sent to the country's president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on July 9, was not a formal executive order and did not provide any legal basis for the action. The president followed up his letter by alleging on Truth Social that President Lula had engaged in a 'Witch Hunt that should end IMMEDIATELY!' after charges were brought against his right-wing predecessor, Jair Bolsonaro, a friend of the American who has been nicknamed the 'Trump of the Tropics' and who has been accused of plotting a coup. Lula responded angrily on X with a vow to reciprocate with tariffs of his own on American imports, writing: 'Brazil is a sovereign nation with independent institutions and will not accept any form of tutelage. open image in gallery A worker harvests oranges in Mogi Guacu, Brazil ( AP ) 'Any measure to increase tariffs unilaterally will be responded to in light of Brazil's Law of Economic Reciprocity.' Trump's economic adviser, Kevin Hassett,struggled to explain the tariffs in an interview with Jonathan Karl on ABC News earlier this month, saying: 'The bottom line is the president has been very frustrated with negotiations with Brazil and also with the actions of Brazil. In the end, though, you know, we're trying to put America first.' Karl argued that the Bolsonaro case before the Brazilian Supreme Court was irrelevant to the U.S. national interest and left the adviser floundering by asking: 'On what authority does the president have to impose tariffs on a country because he doesn't like what that country's judicial system is handling a specific case?' Even before the tariffs have been enacted, Trump's threats have had an adverse impact on the South American nation's citrus belt, where orange prices have already dropped to $8 a box, about half of what they were in July 2024, according to the University of Sao Paulo's Cepea index. 'You are not going to spend money to harvest and not have anyone to sell to,' dismayed Minas Gerais farmer Fabricio Vidal told Reuters.


The Independent
20 hours ago
- The Independent
Earnings and trade hopes send FTSE 100 to new high
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The yield on the US 10-year Treasury was quoted at 4.4%, stretched from 4.38%. The yield on the US 30-year Treasury was quoted at 4.94%, unmoved from Wednesday. In London, BT surged 10% after what Berenberg called a 'reassuring' first-quarter trading update. Berenberg said earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation was slightly ahead of consensus, with Openreach the main driver of this beat. In addition, BT said Virgin Media O2 chief financial officer Patricia Cobian will replace Simon Lowth as BT's chief financial officer, joining in the summer of 2026. Mr Lowth has been chief financial officer for for nine years, and will retire following a handover to Ms Cobian. BT will announce the date of Ms Cobian's arrival 'in due course'. Reckitt Benckiser jumped 10% as it raised full-year guidance, lifted its dividend and launched a new share buyback, as it said its strategic reset is bearing fruit. 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The Independent
21 hours ago
- The Independent
Trump promised to back Detroit automakers - his deal with Japan has them shaking in their boots
General Motors, Ford and Stellantis - the big three U.S. automakers - pushed back against the Trump administration after President Donald Trump announced a trade deal with Japan that would lower tariffs on vehicles made overseas and hurt the American car companies. Earlier this week, the president said he had signed the 'largest' trade deal in history with Japan, which would include a 15 percent tariff on imported cars – significantly lower than the 25 percent tariff on other imported vehicles. Trump announced the 25 percent tariff on cars made overseas earlier this year, and many of Detroit's companies manufacture cars in Mexico and Canada, which would make them subject to the 25 percent tariff. Higher tariffs likely mean higher costs for consumers, which could lead people to turn to the cheaper Japan-made models. 'Any deal that charges a lower tariff for Japanese imports with virtually no U.S. content than the tariff imposed on North American built vehicles with high U.S. content is a bad deal for U.S. industry and U.S. auto workers,' Matt Blunt, the head of the American Automotive Policy Council, which represents the big three Detroit auotmakers, said in a statement. Blunt said American Automakers were still reviewing the terms of the agreement. During the campaign, Trump visited Detroit and touted the American car industry, promising to 'revolutionize' it. However, shortly after taking the White House, he quickly imposed tariffs on all cars made overseas. General Motors warned just this week that it expects a $4 to $5 billion impact from Trump's tariffs. Auto Drive America, a group that represents U.S. operations of foreign vehicle makers, praised the Japan deal while also calling for Trump to reach similar agreements with the European Union, South Korea, Canada and Mexico. 'We share President Trump's vision to make the U.S. the worldwide center of automotive production, and our member companies need stability in order to create an environment where we can maintain our competitive edge both in the U.S. and on the global stage,' Auto Drive America said. While the deal with Japan will impose lower tariffs, Trump said it will also open market access to the U.S. U.S. auto manufacturers have long struggled to infiltrate the Japanese market, in part because smaller cars that drive on the left side of the road are in much more demand – the type that the U.S. does not typically make. Kush Desai, a spokesperson for the White House, said, 'No president has taken a greater interest in restoring the American auto industry's dominance than President Trump, and his Administration is working closely with the auto industry to achieve this goal.' 'President Trump's trade agenda has already secured historic market access to Japan and Indonesia for Made in America cars with more America First trade deals to come,' Desai added. 'The Administration's domestic policy agenda – from rapid deregulation to the pro-growth tax cuts of The One Big Beautiful Bill – will further boost our auto industry's competitiveness on the world stage and Make American Automakers Great Again.' Hoping to stimulate U.S. manufacturing, the president imposed lofty automotive tariffs earlier this year. Automakers initially raised concerns with the 25 percent tariff in addition to other levies such as those on steel and aluminum. After, Trump offered U.S. automakers some relief through a complicated discount program. Two of the big three Detroit automakers appear to have suffered setbacks. General Motors said Tuesday its second-quarter earnings plummeted 35 percent, compared to the same quarter last year. It also reported a $1 billion loss in second-quarter profits. Stellantis, which makes Chryslers, Jeeps, and more, said it expects to see nearly $350 million in losses in the first two quarters of the year, in part due to tariffs. Around 60 percent of car parts are imported, even if the car is finally assembled in the U.S. Every single 2025 model car sold in the U.S. had at least 15 percent of its parts from a country outside of North America. Trump has threatened to hike tariffs on the U.S.'s largest trading partners, Mexico and Canada, to 30 and 35 percent, respectively.