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Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Brics tariff to be applied only if they adopt policies deemed ‘anti-American', source says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Leaders of the BRICS group pose for the family photo during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares WASHINGTON - The Trump administration will not immediately impose a new 10% tariff against members of the developing nation BRICS bloc, but will proceed if countries take so-called "anti-American" policy actions, according to a source familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with so-called "anti-American policies" of the BRICS group of developing nations, triggering sharp denials from its members that they were oriented against the United States. "A line is being drawn. If policy decisions are made that are anti-American, then the tariff will be charged," said the source, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the matter. No executive order has been released by the White House. Trump's announcement, made on his Truth Social media platform, came as India, Indonesia and other countries within the BRICS group were negotiating last-minute trade deals with the U.S. government ahead of a July 9 deadline when tariff rates had been scheduled to go up. The effective date for those tariffs has now been postponed until August 1. Trade experts said the new tariff threat was aimed at maintaining and increasing pressure on countries seeking to avoid high tariffs proposed by Trump in April. Many BRICS members and partner countries are highly dependent on trade with the United States. Trump's posting came hours after BRICS leaders issued a 31-page statement in which they condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran, called for reforms to global institutions and warned that unilateral tariffs threatened global trade. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain The first BRICS summit in 2009 was attended by leaders from Brazil, China, India and Russia, with South Africa joining later. Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates were included last year, and Saudi Arabia, while accepted as a member, is participating as a partner country. Other partner countries include Bolivia, Nigeria, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Uganda. Trump has close ties to leaders of some of those countries, such as Saudi Arabia and UAE, and has been touting the prospect of a trade deal with India for weeks. His administration concluded a framework trade deal with Vietnam last week, and has been in talks about a similar agreement with Thailand. In the BRICS leaders Sunday statement, they condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran by Israel, a U.S. ally, and called for reforms to global institutions, warning that the rise in "unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures" threatened global trade. It was not immediately clear if Trump's latest tariff threat would derail trade talks underway with India, Indonesia and other BRICS nations. South Africa insisted it was not "anti-American" and said its talks with the U.S. government remained constructive. Indonesia, keen to avert a threatened 32% tariff rate, is due to sign a $34 billion pact with U.S. partners this week and has offered to cut duties on key imports from the United States to "near zero" and to buy $500 million worth of U.S. wheat. REUTERS
Straits Times
07-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
BRICS tariff to be applied only if they adopt policies deemed 'anti-American', source says
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Leaders of the BRICS group react during the family photo during the BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil July 7, 2025. REUTERS/Pilar Olivares WASHINGTON - The Trump administration will not immediately impose a new 10% tariff against members of the developing nation BRICS bloc, but will proceed if countries take so-called "anti-American" policy actions, according to a source familiar with the matter. President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States will impose an additional 10% tariff on any countries aligning themselves with so-called "anti-American policies" of the BRICS group of developing nations, triggering sharp denials from its members that they were oriented against the United States. "A line is being drawn. If policy decisions are made that are anti-American, then the tariff will be charged," said the source, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to speak on the matter. No executive order has been released by the White House. Trump's announcement, made on his Truth Social media platform, came as India, Indonesia and other countries within the BRICS group were negotiating last-minute trade deals with the U.S. government ahead of a July 9 deadline when tariff rates had been scheduled to go up. The effective date for those tariffs has now been postponed until August 1. Trade experts said the new tariff threat was aimed at maintaining and increasing pressure on countries seeking to avoid high tariffs proposed by Trump in April. Many BRICS members and partner countries are highly dependent on trade with the United States. Trump's posting came hours after BRICS leaders issued a 31-page statement in which they condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran, called for reforms to global institutions and warned that unilateral tariffs threatened global trade. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Eligible S'poreans to get up to $850 in GSTV cash, up to $450 in MediSave top-ups in August Singapore Four golf courses to close by 2035, leaving Singapore with 12 courses Singapore Singapore's second mufti Sheikh Syed Isa Semait dies at age 87 Singapore Fewer marriages in Singapore in 2024; greater marital stability for recent unions Singapore Competition watchdog gives SIA, Malaysia Airlines conditional approval to continue cooperation Singapore About 20 delivery riders meet Pritam Singh to discuss platform worker issues Business OCBC sets loan target of $5b and covers more territories in boost for serial entrepreneurs Singapore Reform Party to leave opposition group People's Alliance for Reform; two parties remain The first BRICS summit in 2009 was attended by leaders from Brazil, China, India and Russia, with South Africa joining later. Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates were included last year, and Saudi Arabia, while accepted as a member, is participating as a partner country. Other partner countries include Bolivia, Nigeria, Cuba, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Uganda. Trump has close ties to leaders of some of those countries, such as Saudi Arabia and UAE, and has been touting the prospect of a trade deal with India for weeks. His administration concluded a framework trade deal with Vietnam last week, and has been in talks about a similar agreement with Thailand. In the BRICS leaders Sunday statement, they condemned attacks on Gaza and Iran by Israel, a U.S. ally, and called for reforms to global institutions, warning that the rise in "unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures" threatened global trade. It was not immediately clear if Trump's latest tariff threat would derail trade talks underway with India, Indonesia and other BRICS nations. South Africa insisted it was not "anti-American" and said its talks with the U.S. government remained constructive. Indonesia, keen to avert a threatened 32% tariff rate, is due to sign a $34 billion pact with U.S. partners this week and has offered to cut duties on key imports from the United States to "near zero" and to buy $500 million worth of U.S. wheat. REUTERS
Wall Street Journal
07-07-2025
- Business
- Wall Street Journal
Who Are the Brics Countries? Why Is Trump Threatening Higher Tariffs?
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and leaders of other emerging economies at the Brics summit in Rio de Janeiro. (Pilar Olivares/Reuters)
Daily Maverick
30-06-2025
- Politics
- Daily Maverick
Immigration raids leave crops unharvested, California farms at risk
By Tim Reid, Pilar Olivares, Sebastian Rocandio and Leah Douglas Tate knows the farms around her well. And she says she can see with her own eyes how raids carried out by agents from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the area's fields earlier this month, part of President Donald Trump's migration crackdown, have frightened off workers. 'In the fields, I would say 70% of the workers are gone,' she said in an interview. 'If 70% of your workforce doesn't show up, 70% of your crop doesn't get picked and can go bad in one day. Most Americans don't want to do this work. Most farmers here are barely breaking even. I fear this has created a tipping point where many will go bust.' In the vast agricultural lands north of Los Angeles, stretching from Ventura County into the state's central valley, two farmers, two field supervisors and four immigrant farmworkers told Reuters this month that the ICE raids have led a majority of workers to stop showing up. That means crops are not being picked and fruit and vegetables are rotting at peak harvest time, they said. One Mexican farm supervisor, who asked not to be named, was overseeing a field being prepared for planting strawberries last week. Usually he would have 300 workers, he said. On this day he had just 80. Another supervisor at a different farm said he usually has 80 workers in a field, but today just 17. BAD FOR BUSINESS Most economists and politicians acknowledge that many of America's agricultural workers are in the country illegally, but say a sharp reduction in their numbers could have devastating impacts on the food supply chain and farm-belt economies. Douglas Holtz-Eakin, a Republican and former director of the Congressional Budget Office, said an estimated 80% of farmworkers in the U.S. were foreign-born, with nearly half of them in the country illegally. Losing them will cause price hikes for consumers, he said. 'This is bad for supply chains, bad for the agricultural industry,' Holtz-Eakin said. Over a third of U.S. vegetables and over three-quarters of the country's fruits and nuts are grown in California, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. The state's farms and ranches generated nearly $60 billion in agricultural sales in 2023. Of the four immigrant farmworkers Reuters spoke to, two are in the country illegally. These two spoke on the condition of anonymity, out of fear of being arrested by ICE. One, aged 54, has worked in U.S. agricultural fields for 30 years and has a wife and children in the country. He said most of his colleagues have stopped showing up for work. 'If they show up to work, they don't know if they will ever see their family again,' he said. The other worker in the country illegally told Reuters, 'Basically, we wake up in the morning scared. We worry about the sun, the heat, and now a much bigger problem – many not returning home. I try not to get into trouble on the street. Now, whoever gets arrested for any reason gets deported.' To be sure, some farmworker community groups said many workers were still returning to the fields, despite the raids, out of economic necessity. The days following a raid may see decreased attendance in the field, but the workers soon return because they have no other sources of income, five groups told Reuters. Workers are also taking other steps to reduce their exposure to immigration agents, like carpooling with people with legal status to work or sending U.S. citizen children to the grocery store, the groups said. ICE CHILL Trump conceded in a post on his Truth Social account this month that ICE raids on farm workers – and also hotel workers – were 'taking very good, long-time workers away' from those sectors, 'with those jobs being almost impossible to replace.' Trump later told reporters, 'Our farmers are being hurt badly. They have very good workers.' He added, 'They're not citizens, but they've turned out to be great.' He pledged to issue an order to address the impact, but no policy change has yet been enacted. Trump has always stood up for farmers, said White House spokeswoman Anna Kelly in response to a request for comment on the impact of the ICE raids to farms. 'He will continue to strengthen our agricultural industry and boost exports while keeping his promise to enforce our immigration laws,' she said. Bernard Yaros, Lead U.S. Economist at Oxford Economics, a nonpartisan global economics advisory firm, said in a report published on June 26 that native-born workers tend not to fill the void left by immigrant workers who have left. 'Unauthorized immigrants tend to work in different occupations than those who are native-born,' he said. ICE operations in California's farmland were scaring even those who are authorized, said Greg Tesch, who runs a farm in central California. 'Nobody feels safe when they hear the word ICE, even the documented people. We know that the neighborhood is full of a combination of those with and without documents,' Tesch said. 'If things are ripe, such as our neighbors have bell peppers here, (if) they don't harvest within two or three days, the crop is sunburned or over mature,' said Tesch. 'We need the labor.'
Globe and Mail
05-06-2025
- Health
- Globe and Mail
When the water breaks in the Amazon, call the midwife
In photos Midwives in rural Brazil are more vital than ever in places where depleted rivers – a hazard of climate change – put hospitals out of reach Photography by Pilar Olivares Reporting by Pilar Olivares and Manuela Andreoni Reuters Tabita dos Santos Moraes, with Priscilla the dog, rests on a journey down Brazil's Tefé River in a boat steered by her husband, Nonato Lima de Moraes. Tabita, 51, has been practising midwifery since her teens. to view this content.
