100-year-old Frenchman breaks skydive record with family
Heavy rain causes flooding, evacuations and at least 38 deaths around Beijing region
29/07/2025
Trump gives Putin deadline for Ukraine peace deal, prompting skepticism in Kyiv
29/07/2025
29/07/2025
Trump warns of 'real starvation' in Gaza as aid deliveries pick up
29/07/2025
Israel begins to acknowledge Gaza's need for humanitarian aid under US pressure
29/07/2025
Trump issues new ultimatum calling on Putin to end Ukraine war in '10 or 12 days'
28/07/2025
'There is no alternative to the two-state solution to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict'
Middle East
28/07/2025
'EU has a lot to lose': US-EU trade deal with Trump counter to 'what EU should be standing for'
Europe
28/07/2025
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France 24
an hour ago
- France 24
Asian markets fluctuate as traders weigh tariffs, US jobs
News on Friday that dozens of countries would be hit with levies ranging from 10 to 41 percent sent shivers through exchanges amid concern about the impact on global trade. With the date of implementation pushed back to Thursday, focus will be on talks between Washington and other capitals on paring some of the tolls back. The pain was compounded later by figures showing the US economy created just 73,000 jobs in July -- against 104,000 forecast -- while unemployment rose to 4.2 percent from 4.1 percent. Job gains from June and May were also revised down by nearly 260,000. The figures stoked concerns that Trump's tariffs are beginning to bite, with inflation also seen pushing back towards three percent. The reading also saw the president fire the commissioner of labor statistics, accusing her of manipulating employment data for political reasons. Bets on the Federal Reserve cutting interest rates at its September meeting shot up following the jobs numbers, with some analysts predicting it will go for a 50-basis-point reduction, rather than the regular 25 points. Yields on US Treasury bonds fell sharply as investors priced in the cuts. Investors will now be keenly awaiting every utterance from Fed boss Jerome Powell leading up to the next policy meeting, not least because of the pressure Trump has put on him to lower rates. Observers said news that governor Adriani Kugler will step down from the bank six months early will give the president a chance to increase his influence on decision-making. "Fed credibility, and the veracity of the statistics on which they base their policy decisions, are both now under the spotlight," said National Australia Bank's Ray Attrill. "Fed officials, such as New York President John Williams speaking after the data, profess to be open minded about the September Fed meeting, but Mr Market has already decided they are cutting -- ending Friday 88 percent priced for a 25-basis-points rate reduction." Still, Asian investors tried to get back on the horse after Friday's selloff, with Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and Seoul up, while Tokyo, Sydney, Wellington, Taipei, Manila and Jakarta were all down. The performance was better than New York, where the S&P 500 and Dow each lost more than one percent and the Nasdaq more than two percent -- with some also questioning whether a recent rally to multiple records has gone too far. The dollar edged up but held most of its losses against its peers after tanking on the jobs report. And oil extended Friday's losses of almost three percent, which came after OPEC and other key producers agreed another output hike, fanning oversupply fears owing to the effects of Trump's tariffs and signs of a weakening economy. Key figures at around 0230 GMT Tokyo - Nikkei 225: DOWN 1.6 percent at 40,134.97 (close) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: UP 0.4 percent at 24,607.19 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,570.47 Dollar/yen: UP at 147.86 yen from 147.43 yen on Friday Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1561 from $1.1586 Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3262 from $1.3276 Euro/pound: DOWN at 87.16 pence from 87.25 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.4 percent at $69.36 per barrel
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Trump confirms US envoy Witkoff to travel to Russia 'next week'
Speaking to reporters, Trump also said that two nuclear submarines he deployed following an online row with former Russian president Dmitry Medvedev were now "in the region." Trump has not said whether he meant nuclear-powered or nuclear-armed submarines. He also did not elaborate on the exact deployment locations, which are kept secret by the US military. The nuclear saber-rattling came against the backdrop of a deadline set by Trump at the end of next week for Russia to take steps towards ending the Ukraine war or face unspecified new sanctions. The Republican leader said Witkoff would visit "I think next week, Wednesday or Thursday." Russian President Vladimir Putin has already met Witkoff multiple times in Moscow, before Trump's efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin came to a grinding halt. When reporters asked what Witkoff's message would be to Moscow, and if there was anything Russia could do to avoid the sanctions, Trump replied: "Yeah, get a deal where people stop getting killed." 'Secondary tariffs' Trump has previously threatened that new measures could mean "secondary tariffs" targeting Russia's remaining trade partners, such as China and India. This would further stifle Russia, but would risk significant international disruption. Despite the pressure from Washington, Russia's onslaught against its pro-Western neighbor continues to unfold. Putin, who has consistently rejected calls for a ceasefire, said Friday that he wants peace but that his demands for ending his nearly three-and-a-half year invasion were "unchanged." "We need a lasting and stable peace on solid foundations that would satisfy both Russia and Ukraine, and would ensure the security of both countries," Putin told reporters. But he added that "the conditions (from the Russian side) certainly remain the same." Russia has frequently called on Ukraine to effectively cede control of four regions Moscow claims to have annexed, a demand Kyiv has called unacceptable. Putin also seeks Ukraine drop its ambitions to join NATO. Ukraine issued on Sunday a drone attack which sparked a fire at an oil depot in Sochi, the host city of the 2014 Winter Olympics. Kyiv has said it will intensify its air strikes against Russia in response to an increase in Russian attacks on its territory in recent weeks, which have killed dozens of civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Sunday that the two sides were preparing a prisoner exchange that would see 1,200 Ukrainian troops return home, following talks with Russia in Istanbul in July. Trump began his second term with his own rosy predictions that the war in Ukraine -- raging since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022 -- would soon end. In recent weeks, Trump has increasingly voiced frustration with Putin over Moscow's unrelenting offensive.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Philippine, Indian navies begin first joint South China Sea patrols
The two-day sail includes three Indian vessels and started Sunday, a day ahead of Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos' scheduled trip to New Delhi for talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Philippines has heightened defence cooperation with a range of allies over the past year after a series of clashes in the contested waterway. Beijing claims nearly the entirety of the South China Sea despite an international ruling that its assertion has no legal basis. India's naval vessels arrived in Manila for a port visit late last week. The patrol "started yesterday afternoon, then it's ongoing up to this moment... the activity at the moment is replenishment at sea," Lieutenant Colonel John Paul Salgado told AFP. While in India, Marcos is expected to sign pacts in such fields as law, culture and technology, according to Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Evangeline Ong Jimenez-Ducrocq, but all eyes will be on any potential defence agreements. The Philippines has previously purchased BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles from India, a weapon which has a top speed of 3,450 kilometres (2,140 miles) per hour. India, which has engaged in border clashes with China in the Himalayas, is a member of the so-called Quad, a group that includes fellow democracies the United States, Japan and Australia. Beijing has repeatedly alleged that the four-way partnership, first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, was created as a way of containing China.
