Trump sends letters to key trading partners announcing steep tariffs
US President Donald Trump has sent letters to several countries dictating new tariffs that will be implemented on August 1. France's poverty rate has surged to its highest level on record. Plus, one of the world's largest Legolands has opened its doors to tourists in Shanghai.
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France 24
20 minutes ago
- France 24
Slovak gunman who shot PM to go on trial
Nationalist, Kremlin-friendly Fico was shot four times from close range after a government meeting in the central Slovak mining town of Handlova on May 15, 2024, leaving him seriously wounded. Detained at the scene, Juraj Cintula, a 72-year-old poet, who has admitted to shooting the leader with the intention to wound but not kill him, is facing up to life in prison if convicted. The hearing at a special penal court in the central city of Banska Bystrica is due to start at 0700 GMT on Tuesday. 'Examine intent' Prosecutors argue that Cintula sought to "permanently prevent Fico from serving as prime minister, thereby preventing the Slovak government from proper functioning and fulfilling its programme". Just after the shooting, Cintula told the police he wanted to protest against steps taken by Fico's government, including the halting of military aid to war-ravaged Ukraine, according to a leaked video. Cintula, who used a legally owned gun, told the Novy cas tabloid in a rare interview in May that he did not want to kill Fico: "I did not shoot at the heart or the head." He said he had plotted the attack for two days and added he was relieved to see Fico survived. "I have lost physical freedom, but mentally I was liberated... I feel no inner tension. In prison, one must run across green meadows in the mind to stay sane," Cintula told Novy cas. The Cintula case file comprises 18 volumes and more than 6,200 pages. Cintula was originally charged with premeditated murder, but prosecutors later reclassified the shooting as a terror attack. This means they will have to prove Cintula wanted to harm the state, Tomas Stremy, a criminal law professor at Comenius University in Bratislava, told AFP. "It is essential to examine the perpetrator's intent," he said. Lasting 'polarisation' Fico underwent two lengthy operations and returned to work two months after the attack. The 60-year-old is serving a fourth term as premier, heading a three-party coalition governing the EU and NATO member of 5.4 million people since 2023. Since his return to office, Fico's government has launched a crackdown on non-profit organisations, LGBTQ rights, cultural institutions and some media it deems "hostile", drawing protests in the heavily polarised country. Fico's friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin has also led thousands of Slovaks to rally against him under the slogan of "Slovakia is Europe" as Russian troops keep pounding Ukraine. Fico himself called Cintula a "product of hatred, an assassin created by media and the opposition". "The governing coalition naturally tried to use (the shooting) to its advantage," Grigorij Meseznikov, a political analyst at the Institute for Public Affairs, told AFP. "This included associating the horrible act with the activities of opposition parties without any evidence or witness testimony to support these claims," he added. But he said the shooting did not change Slovakia's political landscape. He said the trial would be closely watched, but regardless of the verdict, "the polarisation will last".
Fashion Network
33 minutes ago
- Fashion Network
EU avoids US tariff letter, eyes concessions, EU sources say
The European Union will not receive a letter from the United States setting out higher tariffs, EU sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Monday, and is eyeing possible exemptions from the U.S. baseline levy of 10%. U.S. President Donald Trump began informing, in a wave of letters, a range of trading partners from Japan to Myanmar of sharply higher tariffs on goods they sell into the United States starting August 1. Some EU sources said the bloc was close to an agreement with the Trump administration. This could involve limited concessions to U.S. baseline tariffs of 10% for aircraft and parts, some medical equipment and spirits in an eventual deal with the Trump administration, three sources familiar with the situation said on Monday. Two sources also said that the EU was looking into an arrangement that would allow EU automakers that produce and export cars from the United States to import more EU vehicles at tariff rates below the current 25%. Such an arrangement would benefit German carmakers that have large U.S. plants. The European Commission, which had aimed for a balanced and broader trade agreement with the United States, briefed EU envoys late on Monday that EU countries faced a choice between accepting an unbalanced deal or facing more uncertainty. The Commission also said that there were no guarantees that the Trump administration would not impose further tariffs or demand further concessions. The EU currently faces 50% U.S. tariffs on its steel and aluminium exports, 25% on cars and car parts and 10% on most other products. The U.S. is also looking into further tariffs on pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Trump extends tariffs deadline, hikes levies for over a dozen countries
US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war by threatening more than a dozen countries with higher tariffs Monday -- but then said he may be flexible on his new August deadline to reach deals. Trump sent letters to trading partners including key US allies Japan and South Korea, announcing that duties he had suspended in April would snap back even more steeply in three weeks. Tokyo and Seoul would be hit with 25 percent tariffs on their goods, he wrote. Countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were slapped with duties ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent. But in a move that will cause fresh uncertainty in a global economy already unsettled by his tariffs, the 79-year-old once again left the countries room to negotiate a deal. "I would say firm, but not 100 percent firm," Trump told reporters at a dinner with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when asked if August 1 deadline was firm. Pressed on whether the letters were his final offer, Trump replied: "I would say final -- but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we'll do it." The US president had unveiled sweeping tariffs on imports on what he called "Liberation Day" on April 2, including a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries. But he quickly suspended all tariffs above 10 percent for 90 days following turmoil in the markets. They were due to kick back in on Wednesday and Trump sent the letters in advance of that deadline. Trump's near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders said he would impose 25 percent tariffs as their trading relationships with Washington were "unfortunately, far from Reciprocal." 08:59 He warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against the levies. But Trump on Monday also signed an order formally extending the Wednesday deadline, postponing it to August 1. 'President's prerogative' The new August date effectively marks a further delay -- and Trump's latest comments threaten to compound the uncertainty over when the deadline really is. According to letters posted to Trump's Truth Social platform, products from Indonesia will face a 32 percent tariff, while the level for Bangladesh is 35 percent and Thailand, 36 percent. Most countries receiving letters so far had duties similar or unchanged from rates threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia saw notably lower levels. The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising "90 deals in 90 days." So far only two firm deals have emerged, with Britain and Vietnam, plus an agreement to dial back super-high tit-for-tat tariffs with China. Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that he "won't easily compromise" in trade talks with Washington. Asked why Trump opted to start with Japan and South Korea, Leavitt said: "It's the President's prerogative, and those are the countries he chose." "This announcement will send a chilling message to others," said Asia Society Policy Institute Vice President Wendy Cutler, referring to Trump's initial letters to Tokyo and Seoul. "Both have been close partners on economic security matters," she said, adding that companies from Japan and South Korea have made "significant manufacturing investments in the US in recent years." US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that there would be more deals coming up: "We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours." Major US stock indexes fell from records Monday on Trump's fresh threats. The Nasdaq tumbled 0.9 percent and the S&P 500 lost 0.8 percent. Trump has also threatened another 10 percent tariff on countries aligning themselves with the emerging BRICS nations, accusing them of "Anti-American policies" after they slammed his duties at a summit. But partners are still rushing to avert Trump's tariffs altogether. The European Commission said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a "good exchange" with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.
