Trump to meet Netanyahu in push for Gaza deal

US President Donald Trump hosts Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday to push for an end to the Gaza war, after Israel and Hamas held indirect talks in Qatar on an elusive ceasefire.Trump has said he believes there is a “good chance” of an agreement this week for a ceasefire in the devastated Palestinian territory, hot on the heels of a truce in the war between Israel and Iran.The US president — who has expressed increasing concern over the situation in Gaza in recent weeks — will have dinner behind closed doors with Netanyahu, their third meeting since Trump returned to power.White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said it was Trump’s “utmost priority… to end the war in Gaza and to return all of the hostages.”Leavitt said Trump wanted Hamas to agree to a US-brokered proposal “right now” after Israel backed the plan for a ceasefire and the release of hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.The latest round of negotiations on the war in Gaza began on Sunday in Doha, with representatives seated in different rooms in the same building. A second session was held on Monday and ended with “no breakthrough,” a Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told AFP. The Hamas and Israeli delegations were due to resume talks later on Monday, the official said.- ‘Good chance’ -Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff was due to join the talks in Doha later this week in an effort to get a ceasefire over the line as the Gaza conflict nears its 22nd month.In Washington, key US ally Netanyahu was to hold separate meetings with Witkoff and Secretary of State Marco Rubio before his dinner with Trump at 6:30 pm local time (2230 GMT).Netanyahu, speaking before heading to Washington, said his meeting with Trump could “definitely help advance” a deal with Hamas.Trump said on Sunday that there was a “good chance we have a deal with Hamas… during the coming week”.He added that during his talks with Netanyahu he wanted to discuss a “permanent deal” with Iran, following a truce with Israel that was precipitated by US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites. But the talks in both Washington and Doha promise to be tense.Netanyahu previously said Hamas’s initial response to the draft ceasefire proposal contained “unacceptable” demands.The proposal included a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, two Palestinian sources close to the discussions had earlier told AFP.But the group was also demanding certain conditions for Israel’s withdrawal, guarantees against a resumption of fighting during negotiations, and the return of the UN-led aid distribution system, they said.- ‘End the war’ -In Israel’s coastal hub of Tel Aviv, hours before the meeting, dozens of people including relatives of hostages demonstrated to demand the release of the remaining captives.”President Trump — make history. Bring them all home. End the war,” read a sign held by protesters outside the US diplomatic mission in the city.Of the 251 hostages taken by Palestinian militants during the Hamas attack that triggered the war, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.Two previous ceasefires have broken down and efforts to broker a new truce have repeatedly failed, with the primary point of contention being Israel’s rejection of Hamas’s demand for a lasting ceasefire.In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 12 people on Monday, including six in a clinic housing people displaced by the war.The war has created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip. The rollout of food distribution by a US- and Israel-backed group in late May has been chaotic, with more than 500 aid seekers killed near its facilities, according to the UN Human Rights Office.Hamas’s October 2023 attack resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed at least 57,523 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry. The UN considers the figures reliable.It has also reduced much of the enclave to rubble, destroying schools, hospitals and residential areas, and severely restricted the entry of aid. burs-dk/aha

Après le décès d’Olivier Marleix, l’Assemblée en “état de choc”

La rumeur de son décès bruissait déjà sur les groupes Whatsapp du microcosme politique parisien, quand les portables des journalistes et agents de l’Assemblée nationale se sont mis à vibrer de concert dans la salle des Quatre-Colonnes.”C’est Olivier Marleix… Il s’est donné la mort”, glisse un agent à sa collègue, stupéfait, en lui montrant la notification sur son téléphone.”Je ne comprends pas… je l’ai vu ici la semaine dernière, il avait l’air d’aller bien”, murmure un journaliste, abasourdi.Quelques mètres plus loin, derrière les cordons de velours rouge, la nouvelle de la mort du député LR se propage dans l’hémicycle.En plein examen de la loi pour réformer le mode de scrutin à Paris, Lyon et Marseille, la vice-présidente Naïma Moutchou, qui dirige la séance, demande le silence alors qu’un murmure confus s’élève dans les travées.”Mes chers collègues, une terrible nouvelle (…) vient de me parvenir, par décence et par respect, dans l’attente d’une confirmation, je vais suspendre la séance”, annonce la députée Horizons depuis le perchoir.Quelques minutes plus tard, la voix tremblante, elle confirme le décès de M. Marleix, âgé de 54 ans. “C’est une onde de choc”, dit la vice-présidente avant d’observer avec ses collègues un moment de silence, et de suspendre à nouveau. Dans un recueillement total, les députés quittent l’hémicycle un à un, le regard baissé. Certains ont les yeux humides, comme Jérôme Guedj (PS) ou Erwan Balanant (MoDem). Les journalistes, d’ordinaire prompts à solliciter les élus pour la moindre réaction, restent figés. Par respect, aucun n’ose interpeller un parlementaire.Peu à peu, le Palais Bourbon sort de sa torpeur, aidé par les groupes de visiteurs qui continuent leur ballet, sans se rendre compte de la profonde tristesse qui s’est emparée des lieux.- “Sidérés” -“Ici tous les collègues, tous les collaborateurs qui l’ont connu sont en état de choc”, confie le député LR Vincent Jeanbrun à un groupe de journalistes. “On est sidérés”. “Je ne suis député que depuis un an et il a tout de suite été là à prodiguer des conseils, expliquer comment ça fonctionnait. (…) j’avais une vraie admiration en tant que jeune parlementaire, pour son parcours, pour son talent”, dit-il. Car, au Palais Bourbon, Olivier Marleix n’était pas un débutant: il y siégeait depuis 2012, et a même été entre 2022 et 2024 le patron du groupe de la droite. Dans l’hémicycle, la séance reprend, et les discours à la tribune des orateurs, sur la réforme du scrutin municipal, prennent des allures d’oraison funèbre. Le député de son groupe Nicolas Ray est le premier à prendre la parole: “Olivier a été mon premier président de groupe”, dit-il la gorge serrée, tentant de dénouer un peu sa cravate pour mieux s’exprimer. “Ironie du sort, Olivier était très engagé sur ce texte, très opposé à cette réforme en première lecture”, à contre-courant de son groupe, rappelle-t-il devant un hémicycle bouleversé. 

Après le décès d’Olivier Marleix, l’Assemblée en “état de choc”

La rumeur de son décès bruissait déjà sur les groupes Whatsapp du microcosme politique parisien, quand les portables des journalistes et agents de l’Assemblée nationale se sont mis à vibrer de concert dans la salle des Quatre-Colonnes.”C’est Olivier Marleix… Il s’est donné la mort”, glisse un agent à sa collègue, stupéfait, en lui montrant la notification sur son téléphone.”Je ne comprends pas… je l’ai vu ici la semaine dernière, il avait l’air d’aller bien”, murmure un journaliste, abasourdi.Quelques mètres plus loin, derrière les cordons de velours rouge, la nouvelle de la mort du député LR se propage dans l’hémicycle.En plein examen de la loi pour réformer le mode de scrutin à Paris, Lyon et Marseille, la vice-présidente Naïma Moutchou, qui dirige la séance, demande le silence alors qu’un murmure confus s’élève dans les travées.”Mes chers collègues, une terrible nouvelle (…) vient de me parvenir, par décence et par respect, dans l’attente d’une confirmation, je vais suspendre la séance”, annonce la députée Horizons depuis le perchoir.Quelques minutes plus tard, la voix tremblante, elle confirme le décès de M. Marleix, âgé de 54 ans. “C’est une onde de choc”, dit la vice-présidente avant d’observer avec ses collègues un moment de silence, et de suspendre à nouveau. Dans un recueillement total, les députés quittent l’hémicycle un à un, le regard baissé. Certains ont les yeux humides, comme Jérôme Guedj (PS) ou Erwan Balanant (MoDem). Les journalistes, d’ordinaire prompts à solliciter les élus pour la moindre réaction, restent figés. Par respect, aucun n’ose interpeller un parlementaire.Peu à peu, le Palais Bourbon sort de sa torpeur, aidé par les groupes de visiteurs qui continuent leur ballet, sans se rendre compte de la profonde tristesse qui s’est emparée des lieux.- “Sidérés” -“Ici tous les collègues, tous les collaborateurs qui l’ont connu sont en état de choc”, confie le député LR Vincent Jeanbrun à un groupe de journalistes. “On est sidérés”. “Je ne suis député que depuis un an et il a tout de suite été là à prodiguer des conseils, expliquer comment ça fonctionnait. (…) j’avais une vraie admiration en tant que jeune parlementaire, pour son parcours, pour son talent”, dit-il. Car, au Palais Bourbon, Olivier Marleix n’était pas un débutant: il y siégeait depuis 2012, et a même été entre 2022 et 2024 le patron du groupe de la droite. Dans l’hémicycle, la séance reprend, et les discours à la tribune des orateurs, sur la réforme du scrutin municipal, prennent des allures d’oraison funèbre. Le député de son groupe Nicolas Ray est le premier à prendre la parole: “Olivier a été mon premier président de groupe”, dit-il la gorge serrée, tentant de dénouer un peu sa cravate pour mieux s’exprimer. “Ironie du sort, Olivier était très engagé sur ce texte, très opposé à cette réforme en première lecture”, à contre-courant de son groupe, rappelle-t-il devant un hémicycle bouleversé. 

US envoy says satisfied with Lebanese response on disarming of Hezbollah

US envoy Thomas Barrack said Monday he was satisfied by the response of Lebanon’s authorities to a request to disarm Hezbollah, although warned Lebanon risked being left behind as change sweeps other countries in the region.Lebanese leaders who took office in the aftermath of more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have vowed a state monopoly on bearing arms, while demanding Israel comply with a November ceasefire.Israel has warned it will continue to strike until Hezbollah has been disarmed, while the movement’s leader Naim Qassem said Sunday his group would not surrender or lay down its weapons in response to Israeli threats.”I’m unbelievably satisfied with the response,” Barrack, Washington’s ambassador to Turkey and special envoy to Syria, told a press conference after meeting President Joseph Aoun.”It’s thoughtful, it’s considered. We’re creating a go-forward plan,” he said.”Now what it takes is a… thrust to the details, which we’re going to do. We’re both committed to get to the details and get a resolution,” he said, adding: “I’m very, very hopeful.”Lebanon’s health ministry said two people were killed in Israeli strikes in the country’s south on Monday, the latest report of deadly raids despite the ceasefire. – ‘Future for them’ -Last month, Barrack asked Lebanese leaders to formally commit to disarming Hezbollah, the only group that retained its weapons after Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war, doing so in the name of “resistance” against Israel which occupied southern Lebanon at the time.Hezbollah was heavily weakened in the latest conflict, with Israel battering the group’s arsenal of missiles and rockets and killing senior commanders including longtime chief Hassan Nasrallah.The presidency said on X that Aoun handed Barrack “ideas for a comprehensive solution”.Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally, said his own meeting with Barrack was constructive and “considered Lebanon’s interest and sovereignty… and the demands of Hezbollah”, according to a statement.Barrack said that Hezbollah “needs to see that there’s a future for them, that that road is not harnessed just solely against them.” He warned that “the rest of the region is moving at Mach speed, and you will be left behind”, adding that “dialogue has started between Syria and Israel, just as the dialogue needs to be reinvented by Lebanon.”On Friday, Syria said it was willing to cooperate with the United States to reimplement a 1974 disengagement agreement with Israel, nearly seven months after Islamists ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad, a Hezbollah ally who was also backed by Iran.Syria has also admitted to holding indirect talks with Israel to reduce tensions.- Strikes -A Lebanese official told AFP on condition of anonymity that late last week, Beirut submitted an initial response to Washington, which requested modifications, then officials worked through the weekend to develop the final version.Under the ceasefire, Hezbollah was to pull its fighters back north of the Litani river, some 30 kilometres (20 miles) from the Israeli frontier.Israel was to withdraw its troops from Lebanon, but has kept them deployed in five areas that it deemed strategic.The truce was based on a United Nations Security Council resolution that says only Lebanese troops and UN peacekeepers should bear arms in south Lebanon, and calls for the disarmament of all non-state groups.Lebanese authorities say they have been dismantling Hezbollah’s military infrastructure in the south near the Israeli border.Hezbollah’s Qassem said Sunday that Israel needed to abide by the ceasefire agreement, “withdraw from the occupied territories, stop its aggression… release the prisoners” detained during last year’s war, and that reconstruction in Lebanon must begin.Only then “will we be ready for the second stage, which is to discuss the national security and defence strategy” which includes the issue of the group’s disarmament, he added.

Trump tariff threat clouds final day of BRICS summit

US President Donald Trump’s decision to hit “anti-American” BRICS nations — including China and India — with an extra 10 percent trade tariff roiled the final day of the bloc’s summit in Rio de Janeiro Monday.Trump threatened the 11-nation grouping — which includes some of the world’s fastest-emerging economies — late on Sunday, after they warned against his “indiscriminate,” damaging and illegal tariff hikes. “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump wrote on social media.BRICS members account for about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output.Members China, Russia and South Africa responded coolly to Trump’s latest verbal barrage, insisting the bloc was not seeking confrontation with Washington.But host Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was less diplomatic.”We are sovereign nations,” Lula said. “We don’t want an emperor.”Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, BRICS has come to be seen as a Chinese-driven effort to curb US global influence. But it is a quickly expanding and often divergent grouping — bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism of Trump by not mentioning him or the United States by name in the summit statement.  Saudi Arabia — one of the biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons — even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday’s talks and a BRICS group photo, seemingly to avoid Washington’s ire.But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president who said “there will be no exceptions to this policy.” – No shows -In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties on dozens of economies, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off.Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach “deals” by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly faced with higher tariffs than planned. It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities — a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran. Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States. “China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.Beijing also defended the bloc as “an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries.” “It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation,” Mao said. “It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country,” she added. The Kremlin echoed that message with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian media that BRICS cooperation “has never been and will never be directed against third countries.”The political punch of this year’s summit has been depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link.He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance.

Trump tariff threat clouds final day of BRICS summit

US President Donald Trump’s decision to hit “anti-American” BRICS nations — including China and India — with an extra 10 percent trade tariff roiled the final day of the bloc’s summit in Rio de Janeiro Monday.Trump threatened the 11-nation grouping — which includes some of the world’s fastest-emerging economies — late on Sunday, after they warned against his “indiscriminate,” damaging and illegal tariff hikes. “Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff,” Trump wrote on social media.BRICS members account for about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output.Members China, Russia and South Africa responded coolly to Trump’s latest verbal barrage, insisting the bloc was not seeking confrontation with Washington.But host Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva was less diplomatic.”We are sovereign nations,” Lula said. “We don’t want an emperor.”Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, BRICS has come to be seen as a Chinese-driven effort to curb US global influence. But it is a quickly expanding and often divergent grouping — bringing together arch US foes like Iran and Russia, with some of Washington’s closest allies in Latin America, the Middle East, Africa, and Asia. Some US allies inside the bloc had tried to blunt criticism of Trump by not mentioning him or the United States by name in the summit statement.  Saudi Arabia — one of the biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons — even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday’s talks and a BRICS group photo, seemingly to avoid Washington’s ire.But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president who said “there will be no exceptions to this policy.” – No shows -In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties on dozens of economies, before backing off in the face of a fierce market sell-off.Now he is threatening to impose unilateral levies on trading partners unless they reach “deals” by August 1, with BRICS nations seemingly faced with higher tariffs than planned. It cannot have helped that BRICS leaders also condemned the recent US and Israeli bombing of Iran’s nuclear facilities — a show of solidarity with fellow member Iran. Beijing on Monday insisted BRICS was not seeking confrontation with the United States. “China has repeatedly stated its position that trade and tariff wars have no winners and protectionism offers no way forward,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said.Beijing also defended the bloc as “an important platform for cooperation between emerging markets and developing countries.” “It advocates openness, inclusivity, and win-win cooperation,” Mao said. “It does not engage in camp confrontation and is not targeted at any country,” she added. The Kremlin echoed that message with spokesman Dmitry Peskov telling Russian media that BRICS cooperation “has never been and will never be directed against third countries.”The political punch of this year’s summit has been depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who skipped the meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president.The Chinese leader is not the only notable absentee. Russian President Vladimir Putin, charged with war crimes in Ukraine, also opted to stay away, participating via video link.He told counterparts that BRICS had become a key player in global governance.

Trump says to slap allies Japan, South Korea with 25% tariffs

President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on Japan and South Korea on Monday, stepping up pressure on the two key US allies and a dozen other economies to reach trade deals with Washington.Trump issued similar letters to South Africa, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Kazakhstan, saying he would slap duties on their products ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.The president had said at the weekend that, starting from Monday, he would send a first batch of letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies earlier postponed in April.In near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the tariff hikes came as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”The tariffs set out in Trump’s latest letters are due to take effect August 1. He warned of further escalation if the countries involved retaliated against the duties.Currently, the affected countries have been hit with a 10 percent levy Trump imposed on almost all trading partners.But Trump said he was ready to lower the new levels if countries changed their trade policies: “We will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that he “won’t easily compromise” in trade talks with Washington.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump would sign an order later in the day to delay his original July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs to take effect — postponing their imposition to August 1.She added that besides Japan and South Korea, there would be approximately 12 other partners receiving letters from Trump soon.With the deadline extension, Leavitt noted that Trump would set out the “reciprocal tariff rate” for partners in the coming month as negotiations continue.Trump originally announced sweeping tariffs on world economies on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, claiming the United States was being “ripped off.”Amid market turmoil, he then suspended the initial tariffs for 90 days, a deadline that would have expired Wednesday without the latest extension.While the Trump administration had signaled hopes of striking dozens of deals by July — at one point boasting of “90 deals in 90 days” — there have been limited results so far.Washington has unveiled pacts with only Britain and Vietnam, while the United States and China agreed to temporarily lower tariff levels on each other’s products that earlier reached three-digits.- ‘Change their tune’ -Asked why Trump opted to start with 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 announcements on 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 a number of deals coming up: “We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours.””We’ve had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,” Bessent told CNBC.He added that he would meet with his Chinese counterpart in the coming weeks.The two sides have so far held high-level talks in Geneva and London. But Washington and Beijing’s pause on tit-for-tat tariffs is due to expire in mid-August.On whether he was disappointed in the number of trade deals achieved so far, Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro maintained that he is “happy with the progress we’ve had.”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.For now, partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.The European Commission said that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.

Trump says to slap allies Japan, South Korea with 25% tariffs

President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on Japan and South Korea on Monday, stepping up pressure on the two key US allies and a dozen other economies to reach trade deals with Washington.Trump issued similar letters to South Africa, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Kazakhstan, saying he would slap duties on their products ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.The president had said at the weekend that, starting from Monday, he would send a first batch of letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies earlier postponed in April.In near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the tariff hikes came as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”The tariffs set out in Trump’s latest letters are due to take effect August 1. He warned of further escalation if the countries involved retaliated against the duties.Currently, the affected countries have been hit with a 10 percent levy Trump imposed on almost all trading partners.But Trump said he was ready to lower the new levels if countries changed their trade policies: “We will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that he “won’t easily compromise” in trade talks with Washington.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump would sign an order later in the day to delay his original July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs to take effect — postponing their imposition to August 1.She added that besides Japan and South Korea, there would be approximately 12 other partners receiving letters from Trump soon.With the deadline extension, Leavitt noted that Trump would set out the “reciprocal tariff rate” for partners in the coming month as negotiations continue.Trump originally announced sweeping tariffs on world economies on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, claiming the United States was being “ripped off.”Amid market turmoil, he then suspended the initial tariffs for 90 days, a deadline that would have expired Wednesday without the latest extension.While the Trump administration had signaled hopes of striking dozens of deals by July — at one point boasting of “90 deals in 90 days” — there have been limited results so far.Washington has unveiled pacts with only Britain and Vietnam, while the United States and China agreed to temporarily lower tariff levels on each other’s products that earlier reached three-digits.- ‘Change their tune’ -Asked why Trump opted to start with 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 announcements on 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 a number of deals coming up: “We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours.””We’ve had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,” Bessent told CNBC.He added that he would meet with his Chinese counterpart in the coming weeks.The two sides have so far held high-level talks in Geneva and London. But Washington and Beijing’s pause on tit-for-tat tariffs is due to expire in mid-August.On whether he was disappointed in the number of trade deals achieved so far, Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro maintained that he is “happy with the progress we’ve had.”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.For now, partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.The European Commission said that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.

Trump says to slap allies Japan, South Korea with 25% tariffs

President Donald Trump announced tariffs of 25 percent on Japan and South Korea on Monday, stepping up pressure on the two key US allies and a dozen other economies to reach trade deals with Washington.Trump issued similar letters to South Africa, Malaysia, Myanmar, Laos and Kazakhstan, saying he would slap duties on their products ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.The president had said at the weekend that, starting from Monday, he would send a first batch of letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies earlier postponed in April.In near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the tariff hikes came as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”The tariffs set out in Trump’s latest letters are due to take effect August 1. He warned of further escalation if the countries involved retaliated against the duties.Currently, the affected countries have been hit with a 10 percent levy Trump imposed on almost all trading partners.But Trump said he was ready to lower the new levels if countries changed their trade policies: “We will, perhaps, consider an adjustment to this letter.”Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that he “won’t easily compromise” in trade talks with Washington.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters Monday that Trump would sign an order later in the day to delay his original July 9 deadline for steeper tariffs to take effect — postponing their imposition to August 1.She added that besides Japan and South Korea, there would be approximately 12 other partners receiving letters from Trump soon.With the deadline extension, Leavitt noted that Trump would set out the “reciprocal tariff rate” for partners in the coming month as negotiations continue.Trump originally announced sweeping tariffs on world economies on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, claiming the United States was being “ripped off.”Amid market turmoil, he then suspended the initial tariffs for 90 days, a deadline that would have expired Wednesday without the latest extension.While the Trump administration had signaled hopes of striking dozens of deals by July — at one point boasting of “90 deals in 90 days” — there have been limited results so far.Washington has unveiled pacts with only Britain and Vietnam, while the United States and China agreed to temporarily lower tariff levels on each other’s products that earlier reached three-digits.- ‘Change their tune’ -Asked why Trump opted to start with 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 announcements on 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 a number of deals coming up: “We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours.””We’ve had a lot of people change their tune in terms of negotiations. So my mailbox was full last night with a lot of new offers, a lot of new proposals,” Bessent told CNBC.He added that he would meet with his Chinese counterpart in the coming weeks.The two sides have so far held high-level talks in Geneva and London. But Washington and Beijing’s pause on tit-for-tat tariffs is due to expire in mid-August.On whether he was disappointed in the number of trade deals achieved so far, Trump’s trade adviser Peter Navarro maintained that he is “happy with the progress we’ve had.”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.For now, partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.The European Commission said that EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.