Palestine Action calls UK ban 'terrifying' for civil liberties
A spokesperson for UK activist group Palestine Action says the government's move to ban it is 'genuinely terrifying' for civil liberties in the UK.
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Al Jazeera
2 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
EU and US announce deal: Here's what you need to know
The United States and the European Union have reached a wide-ranging trade agreement, ending a months-long standoff and averting a full-blown trade war just days before President Donald Trump's deadline to impose steep tariffs. The EU will pay 15 percent tariffs on most goods, including cars. The tariff rate is half the 30 percent Trump had threatened to implement starting on Friday. Brussels also agreed on Sunday to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on US weaponry and energy products on top of existing expenditures. Speaking to reporters at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, Trump hailed the agreement as the 'biggest deal ever made'. 'I think it's going to be great for both parties. It's going to bring us closer together,' he added. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the agreement would 'bring stability' and 'bring predictability that's very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic'. Von der Leyen defended the deal, saying the aim was to rebalance a trade surplus with the US. Trump has made no secret of using tariffs to try to trim US trade deficits. Sunday's agreement capped off months of often tense shuttle diplomacy between Brussels and Washington although neither side disclosed the full details of the pact or released any written materials. It follows preliminary trade pacts the US signed with Japan, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Vietnam and the Philippines and a 90-day trade truce with China. So how will the deal impact the two sides, which account for almost a third of global trade, and will it end the threats of a tariff war? What was agreed? At a news event at Trump's golf resort, von der Leyen said a 15 percent tariff would apply to European cars, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors – all important products for Europe's economy. For his part, Trump said US levies on steel and aluminium, which he has set at 50 percent on many countries, would not be cut for EU products, dashing the hopes of industry in the bloc. Elsewhere, aerospace tariffs will remain at zero for now. In exchange for the 15 percent tariff rate on EU goods, Trump said the bloc would be 'opening up their countries at zero tariff' for American exports. In addition, he said the EU would spend an extra $750bn on US energy products, invest $600bn in the US and buy military equipment worth 'hundreds of billions of dollars'. Von der Leyen confirmed that the EU would seek to buy an extra $250bn of US energy products each year from now until 2027. 'With this deal, we are securing access to our largest export market,' she said. At the same time, she acknowledged that the 15 percent tariffs would be 'a challenge for some' European industries. The EU is the US's largest trading partner with two-way trade in goods and services last year reaching nearly $2 trillion. How have European leaders responded? German Chancellor Friedrich Merz welcomed the agreement, saying it avoids 'an unnecessary escalation in transatlantic trade relations'. He said a trade war 'would have hit Germany's export-oriented economy hard', pointing out that the German car industry would see US tariffs lowered from 27.5 percent to 15 percent. But French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou called the deal a 'dark day' for Europe, saying the bloc had caved in to the US president with an unbalanced deal that spares US imports from any immediate European retaliation. 'It is a dark day when an alliance of free peoples, brought together to affirm their common values and to defend their common interests, resigns itself to submission,' Bayrou wrote on X of what he called the 'von der Leyen-Trump deal'. Wolfgang Niedermark, a board member of the Federation of German Industries trade body, called the deal 'an inadequate compromise' with the EU 'accepting painful tariffs'. A 15 percent tariff rate 'will have a huge negative impact on Germany's export-oriented industry', he said. Earlier, Benjamin Haddad, France's European affairs minister, said: 'The trade agreement … will bring temporary stability to economic actors threatened by the escalation of American tariffs, but it is unbalanced.' Echoing that sentiment, Dutch Foreign Trade Minister Hanneke Boerma said the deal was 'not ideal' and called on the commission to continue negotiations with Washington. The European Commission is responsible for negotiating trade deals for the entire bloc. EU ambassadors will be discussing the agreement with the commission this week. How was trade conducted before the deal? On July 12, Trump threatened to impose 30 percent tariffs on EU goods if the two sides couldn't reach a deal before this Friday, the day a suspension expires on the implementation of what Trump calls his 'reciprocal tariffs', which he placed on nearly all countries in the world. Those 'reciprocal tariffs' are due to come into effect in addition to the 25 percent tariffs on cars and car parts and the 50 percent levy on steel and aluminium products Trump already put in place. On the European side, it is understood that Brussels would have pushed ahead with a retaliatory tariffs package on 90 billion euros ($109bn) of US goods, including car parts and bourbon, if talks had broken down. The EU had been a frequent target of escalating trade rhetoric by Trump, who accused the bloc of 'ripping off' the US. In 2024, the US ran a $235.6bn goods deficit with the EU. Pharmaceuticals, car parts and industrial chemicals were among Europe's largest exports to the US, according to EU data. How will the deal impact the US and EU? Bloomberg Economics estimated that a no-deal outcome would have raised the effective US tariff rate on European goods to nearly 18 percent on Friday. The new deal brings that number down to 16 percent, offering a small reprieve to European exporting firms. Still, current trade barriers are much higher than before Trump took office in 2025. According to Bruegel, a research group, the average US tariff rate on EU exports was just 1.5 percent at the end of 2024. William Lee, chief economist at the Milken Institute, told Al Jazeera: 'I think the [Trump] strategy has been clear from the very beginning. … It's brinkmanship. … Either partner with the US or face high tariffs.' Meanwhile, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said: 'President Trump just unlocked one of the biggest economies in the world. The European Union is going to open its $20 trillion market and completely accept our auto and industrial standards for the first time ever.'
Qatar Tribune
14 hours ago
- Qatar Tribune
Battling tariffs is no trivial pursuit for USA games retailer
Agencies At a strip mall in Maryland, a miniature landscape extends across a table between Dash Krempel and his friend as a war game unfolds. But their hobby is becoming more expensive as U.S. tariffs take a toll. Krempel, 29, told AFP the cost of models for tabletop games have surged from inflation, and continued rising since U.S. President Donald Trump imposed sweeping tariffs on trading partners this year. UK-made figurines that cost $60 around three years ago now go for $94.50, he said. 'Prices have gotten bigger,' he added. 'It's a very expensive hobby to begin with, so it's maybe pricing a lot of people out.' Instead of buying more products, he now tries to support retailer Game Kastle College Park by renting tables to play in-store. For the shop's owner, Boyd Stephenson, stocking new board games, paints and hobby supplies has only become more challenging. To avoid the harshest of Trump's tariffs, some suppliers had to delay shipments or postpone new releases. As they raised their suggested retail prices, so has Stephenson at Game Kastle. About a fifth of his store's products have seen cost hikes, with increases ranging from 5 percent to 20 percent. 'If we see higher prices or higher tariffs, I'm going to see higher wholesale prices, and then I have to raise my prices accordingly,' he said. Asked what percentage of his store relies on imports, Stephenson replied: 'Almost all of it.' Stephenson estimates some 7,000 board games were released last year from 5,000 different companies. 'You're really looking at 5,000 different approaches (to tariffs),' he said. 'Some producers are saying, 'We're going to eat the cost.' Some producers are saying, 'We're passing the cost through all the way.' And other producers are doing some sort of mix of that.' Like other U.S. retailers, Stephenson could face more cost pressures come August 1, when steeper tariffs are set to hit dozens of economies like the European Union and India. The elevated rates mark an increase from the 10 percent levy Trump imposed on goods from most economies in April. While Chinaa crucial manufacturing hub for games -- is temporarily spared, Trump has separately imposed fresh 30 percent tariffs on products from the world's second biggest economy this year. US tariffs on Chinese products could return to higher levels from August 12 if officials fail to extend their truce. Yet, there is no quick fix to return manufacturing to the United States. 'U.S. manufacturers just don't have the capacity to do that anymore,' said Stephenson, showing an intricate board game figurine.
Al Jazeera
19 hours ago
- Al Jazeera
Countries denounce Israel but keep trading with it
As Israel's killing of Palestinians continues fast and slow, through air strikes and starvation, the foreign ministers of 28 countries have signed a statement calling for an end to Israel's war on Gaza. As these countries deploy words months after the United Nations and other groups warned of an oncoming famine, there has been little action on other fronts. Some of these countries have recognised the Palestinian state while France last week angered Israeli officials by announcing it would do the same in September. Still, many critics have pointed out that as countries make these statements, many of them continue to benefit from trade with Israel and have not imposed sanctions or taken any other action that could push Israel to end its genocidal war on Gaza. The war has killed at least 59,821 people in Gaza and wounded 144,477. Here's all you need to know about the countries profiting from Israel while condemning its military action: How much do the signatories of the statement trade with Israel? Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom all have more than $1bn in imports, exports or both with Israel, according to 2023 figures from the Observatory of Economic Complexity. What do these countries trade with Israel? Among the top items being traded are cars and other motor vehicles, integrated circuits, vaccines and perfumes. About $3.58bn in integrated circuits is the largest individual product going to Ireland, making up the overwhelming majority of Ireland's imports from Israel. Meanwhile, Italy exports to Israel more than any other country that signed the statement. Its $3.49bn of exports included $116m in cars in 2023. Do these countries recognise Palestine? Of those countries that issued the statement, Ireland and Spain recognised Palestine in 2024 and have spoken strongly against Israel's actions in Gaza. Still, that hasn't stopped them from continuing trade with Israel. Seven other countries that signed the statement also recognise the State of Palestine, including Cyprus, Malta and Poland, all of which recognised Palestine in 1988, shortly after the Palestinian Declaration of Independence. Iceland (2011), Sweden (2014), Norway (2024) and Slovenia (2024) also recognise the State of Palestine while France said it will do so in September at the United Nations General Assembly. Who signed the statement? Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK. All of them are still trading with Israel. What was Israel's reaction to the statement? As expected. Oren Marmorstein, a spokesperson for the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs, wrote on X that Israel rejects the statement, saying 'it is disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas.' What else are countries trading with Israel doing? France, Germany and the UK called for an 'immediate ceasefire' in Gaza and 'unconditional release of all hostages' after they held an emergency call to discuss the war and the hunger crisis created by Israel's siege and aid blockade on the enclave. Has any of this made Israel change its behaviour? Attention has turned heavily towards the starvation of Palestinians in Gaza, leading even longtime Israeli stalwart supporters like former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to address the issue. Aid organizations report that thousands of children in Gaza are at risk of starvation while trucks full of food sit waiting across the border. The full flow of humanitarian assistance must be restored — Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 24, 2025 This pressure has led Israel to announce 'tactical pauses' for 'humanitarian purposes' from 10am to 8pm (07:00 to 17:00 GMT) in al-Mawasi, Deir el-Balah and Gaza City. They started on Sunday. Despite the pauses, Israeli forces killed at least 43 Palestinians early on Sunday. The Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Sunday that it had recorded six more deaths over 24 hours due to famine and malnutrition, including two children. This brings the total number of starvation deaths to 133, including 87 children.
