UK 'working urgently' to ready aid after Israel permits Gaza airdrops
Recognising Palestinian statehood must be part of wider peace plan, Starmer says
Hamas accuses US mediators of reneging on Gaza talks positions
Qatar and Egypt say Gaza ceasefire efforts will continue
Trump and Netanyahu turn back on Gaza ceasefire talks
At least 59,587 Palestinians killed and 143,498 wounded since Gaza war began
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Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
US and China to resume tariff talks in effort to extend truce
Senior US and Chinese negotiators meet in Stockholm on Monday to tackle longstanding economic disputes at the centre of the countries' trade war, aiming to extend a truce keeping sharply higher tariffs at bay. China is facing an August 12 deadline to reach a durable tariff agreement with President Donald Trump's administration, after Beijing and Washington reached a preliminary deal in June to end weeks of escalating tit-for-tat tariffs. Without an agreement, global supply chains could face renewed turmoil from duties exceeding 100%. The Stockholm talks, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, take place a day after European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen meets Trump at his golf course in Scotland to try to clinch a deal that would likely see a 15% baseline tariff on most EU goods. Trade analysts on both sides of the Pacific say the discussions in the Swedish capital are unlikely to produce any breakthroughs but could prevent further escalation and help create conditions for Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping to meet later this year. Previous US-China trade talks in Geneva and London in May and June focused on bringing US and Chinese retaliatory tariffs down from triple-digit levels and restoring the flow of rare earth minerals halted by China and Nvidia H20 AI chips and other goods halted by the United States. So far, the talks have not delved into broader economic issues. They include US complaints that China's state-led, export-driven model is flooding world markets with cheap goods, and Beijing's complaints that US national security export controls on tech goods seek to stunt Chinese growth. 'Stockholm will be the first meaningful round of U.S.-China trade talks,' said Bo Zhengyuan, Shanghai-based partner at China consultancy firm Plenum. Trump has been successful in pressuring some other trading partners, including Japan, Vietnam and the Philippines, into deals accepting higher US tariffs of 15% to 20%. He said there was a 50-50 chance that the US and the 27-member European Union could also reach a framework trade pact, adding that Brussels wanted to 'make a deal very badly'. Two of Trump's top trade officials, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, will attend the Scotland talks and then travel to Stockholm. Analysts say the U.S.-China negotiations are far more complex and will require more time. China's grip on the global market for rare earth minerals and magnets, used in everything from military hardware to car windshield wiper motors, has proved to be an effective leverage point on US industries. In the background of the talks is speculation about a possible meeting between Trump and Xi in late October. Trump has said he will decide soon whether to visit China in a landmark trip to address trade and security tensions. A new flare-up of tariffs and export controls would likely derail any plans for a meeting with Xi. 'The Stockholm meeting is an opportunity to start laying the groundwork for a Trump visit to China,' said Wendy Cutler, vice president at the Asia Society Policy Institute. Bessent has already said he wants to work out an extension of the August 12 deadline to prevent tariffs snapping back to 145% on the US side and 125% on the Chinese side. Still, China will likely request a reduction of multi-layered US tariffs totaling 55% on most goods and further easing of US high-tech export controls, analysts said. Beijing has argued that such purchases would help reduce the US trade deficit with China, which reached $295.5 billion in 2024. China is currently facing a 20% tariff related to the US fentanyl crisis, a 10% reciprocal tariff, and 25% duties on most industrial goods imposed during Trump's first term. Bessent has also said he would discuss with He the need for China to rebalance its economy away from exports toward domestic consumer demand. The shift would require China to put an end to a protracted property crisis and boost social safety nets to encourage household spending. Michael Froman, a former US trade representative during Barack Obama's administration, said such a shift has been a goal of US policymakers for two decades. 'Can we effectively use tariffs to get China to fundamentally change their economic strategy? That remains to be seen,' said Froman, now president of the Council on Foreign Relations think-tank. Reuters
Gulf Today
2 hours ago
- Gulf Today
US, EU chief seek deal in transatlantic trade standoff
US President Donald Trump and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen were set for make-or-break talks in Scotland Sunday, aimed at ending a months-long transatlantic trade standoff, as negotiations went down to the wire. Trump has said he sees a one-in-two chance of a deal with the European Union, which faces an across-the-board US levy of 30 per cent unless it strikes a trade pact by August 1 − with Washington warning Sunday there would be 'no extensions.' Von der Leyen's European Commission, negotiating on behalf of EU countries, is pushing hard for a deal to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services. According to an EU diplomat briefed ahead of the meeting, set for 4:30 pm (1530 GMT), the contours of a deal are in place after talks went late into Saturday night − but key issues still need settling. And of course the final word lies with Trump. 'A political deal is on the table − but it needs the sign-off from Trump, who wants to negotiate this down to the very last moment,' the diplomat told AFP. The proposal, they said, involves a baseline levy of around 15 per cent on EU exports to the United States − the level secured by Japan − with carve-outs for critical sectors including aircraft and spirits, though not for wine. Any deal will need to be approved by EU member states − whose ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were updated by the commission Sunday morning, and would meet again after any accord. According to the EU diplomat, the 27 countries broadly endorsed the deal as envisaged − while recalling their negotiating red lines. Baseline 15 per cent - The Trump-von der Leyen meeting was taking place in Turnberry on Scotland's southwestern coast, where the president owns a luxury golf resort. He was out on the course for much of the weekend. The 79-year-old Trump said Friday he hoped to strike 'the biggest deal of them all' with the EU. 'I think we have a good 50-50 chance,' the president said, citing sticking points on 'maybe 20 different things'. The EU is focused on getting a deal to avoid sweeping tariffs that would further harm its sluggish economy − while holding out retaliation as a last resort. Under the proposal described to AFP, the EU would commit to ramp up purchases of US liquefied natural gas, along with other investment pledges. Pharmaceuticals − a key export for Ireland − would also face a 15-percent levy, as would semi-conductors. The EU also appears to have secured a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the United States before tariffs would apply, the diplomat said. Questions on auto sector - Hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House, the EU is currently subject to a 25-percent levy on cars, 50 per cent on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 per cent, which Washington threatens to hike to 30 per cent in a no-deal scenario. It was unclear how the proposed deal would impact tariff levels on the auto industry, crucial for France and Germany, with carmakers already reeling from the levies imposed so far. While 15 per cent would be much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods − averaging 4.8 per cent − it would mirror the status quo, with companies currently facing an additional flat rate of 10 per cent. Should talks fail, EU states have greenlit counter tariffs on $109 billion (93 billion euros) of US goods including aircraft and cars to take effect in stages from August 7. Brussels is also drawing up a list of US services to potentially target. Beyond that, countries like France say Brussels should not be afraid to deploy a so-called trade 'bazooka' − EU legislation designed to counter coercion that can involve restricting access to its market and public contracts. But such a step would mark a major escalation with Washington. Ratings dropping - Trump has embarked on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world, and has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs if they do not reach a pact with Washington by August 1. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said Sunday the August 1 deadline was firm and there will be 'no extensions, no more grace periods.' Polls suggest however the American public is unconvinced by the White House strategy, with a recent Gallup survey showing his approval rating at 37 per cent − down 10 points from January. Agencies
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Unrwa chief says Israel spread false aid theft claims to control relief
The head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (Unrwa) has accused Israel of fabricating claims that Hamas was stealing large amounts of aid, saying the allegations were designed to push out humanitarian groups and tighten Israeli control over food distribution in Gaza. 'No proof of aid diversion in Gaza,' Unrwa Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini wrote on social media. He said the accusations were part of a deliberate effort to damage the reputation of international relief agencies. 'Claims were only aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the humanitarian community & attempting to replace it with a diabolic and politically motivated distribution scheme,' he added. 'It's time for principled and at scale humanitarian response including through Unrwa.'
