Gabon’s junta chief on track for election victory after 2023 coupSat, 12 Apr 2025 01:50:15 GMT
Voters in Gabon head to the polls on Saturday for a presidential election widely expected to make junta chief Brice Oligui Nguema the oil-rich country’s first elected leader since his 2023 coup.Oligui, the general who led the August 30, 2023, putsch in the west African nation, has been leading in opinion polls.He toppled the dynasty …
Iran says seeks ‘real and fair’ deal in nuclear talks with US
Iran said Friday it seeks a “real and fair” agreement on its nuclear programme, as the United States signalled a willingness to compromise ahead of high-stakes weekend talks — while insisting that Tehran cannot have a nuclear weapon.The longtime adversaries are set to meet on Saturday in Oman, weeks after a letter to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei by US President Donald Trump, who sought diplomacy but warned of possible military action if Iran refuses.”Far from putting up a show and merely talking in front of the cameras, Tehran is seeking a real and fair agreement, important and implementable proposals are ready,” Khamenei adviser Ali Shamkhani posted on X.He confirmed that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi was heading to Oman “with full authority for indirect negotiations with America”, adding that if Washington showed goodwill, the path forward would be “smooth”.Ahead of the talks, Trump reiterated his opposition to Iran gaining a nuclear weapon.”I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, hours before his envoy Steve Witkoff was due to meet Araghchi.Witkoff, Trump’s friend who serves as his globe-trotting envoy, sounded a note of flexibility ahead of the talks.Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal that “our position today” starts with demanding that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear programme — a view of hardliners around Trump that few expect Iran would ever accept.”That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries,” Witkoff told the newspaper.”Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponisation of your nuclear capability,” Witkoff added.Former US president Barack Obama negotiated a deal in 2015 that sought to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon without insisting on full dismantlement of its contested programme.Trump denounced the agreement as too weak and ripped it up after taking office the first time, instead imposing sweeping sanctions on Iran’s oil sector.Tehran adhered to the deal for a year before rolling back its own commitments.- ‘Hostile rhetoric’ -Ahead of the talks, Trump reiterated that military action was “absolutely” possible if they failed.Iran responded by saying Tehran could expel United Nations nuclear inspectors, prompting in turn a US warning that this would be an “escalation”.Iran has consistently denied seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.On Friday, foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said Iran was “giving diplomacy a genuine chance in good faith and full vigilance”.”America should appreciate this decision, which was made despite their hostile rhetoric,” he said.On Thursday, Washington imposed additional sanctions on Iran, targeting its oil network and nuclear programme.Iran’s nuclear agency chief Mohammad Eslami downplayed their impact.”They applied maximum pressure with various sanctions, but they were unable to prevent the country from progressing,” he said.”They still think that they can stop this nation and country with threats and intimidation, psychological operations, or stupid actions.”Ahead of the Oman talks, Witkoff — who has also been seeking to end the Ukraine war — visited Russia, which has close cooperation with Iran.The European Union, which backed the Obama-era accord, said Friday that there was “no alternative to diplomacy” on the Iranian nuclear issue.- Changed regional climate -Trump announced the talks Monday during a visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has warned that military action will be “inevitable” if diplomacy drags on.Iran and Israel have attacked each other directly for the first time since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas, which enjoys support by Tehran.Hamas in Gaza has suffered heavy losses, as has Iranian-backed Hezbollah in Lebanon. Iran’s main ally among Arab leaders, Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, was toppled in December.While the West wants to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme and regional influence in negotiations, Tehran maintains it will talk only about its nuclear programme.”If the American side does not raise irrelevant issues and demands and puts aside threats and intimidation, there is a good possibility of reaching an agreement,” deputy foreign minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi said.Hardline Iranian media are sceptical about the talks.The Kayhan newspaper warned that entering negotiations with the United States in a bid to lift sanctions was a “failed strategy”.burs/srm-sct/tgb/rjm/tym
Trump defends policy after China hits US with 125% tariffs
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that his tariff policy was “doing really well” despite China hiking levies on US goods to 125 percent in the spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed after Beijing’s retaliation against Trump deepened concerns on already traumatized global markets.Trump sent financial markets into a tailspin by announcing sweeping import taxes on dozens of trade partners last week, only to abruptly roll them back to 10 percent on Wednesday for 90 days — while raising levies on goods from China.”We are doing really well on our tariff policy,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network after China announced its latest hike.”Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly,” he wrote.The White House said later that Trump remained “optimistic” about a deal with China, and added that 15 other countries have offers “on the table” during his 90-day pause in their tariffs.But Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that “the president made it very clear, when the United States is punched he will punch back harder.”The US and Beijing have been trading salvos of increasingly harsh tariffs since last week.Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his first major comments on the tensions on Friday, with state media quoting him as saying his country was “not afraid.”Xi also said the European Union and China should “jointly resist unilateral bullying practices” during talks with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.- ‘Numbers game’ -Beijing announced after Xi’s comments that new tariffs of 125 percent on US goods would take effect Saturday — almost matching the staggering 145 percent level imposed on Chinese goods coming into America.A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the United States bore full responsibility, deriding Trump’s tariffs as a “numbers game” that “will become a joke.”But China’s finance ministry said tariffs would not go any higher in an acknowledgement that almost no imports are possible at the new level.Trump had reiterated on Thursday that he was looking to do a deal with Xi despite the mounting tensions.”He’s been a friend of mine for a long period of time. I think that we’ll end up working out something that’s very good for both countries,” he told reporters.But American officials have made it clear they expect Xi to reach out first.Pressure was growing on Trump, however, as markets continued to fret.As investors fled the dollar, which is typically considered a key haven currency, Trump attempted to squelch fears on Friday.”We’re the currency of choice. We’re always going to be… I think the dollar is tremendous,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after the dollar plunged to its lowest level against the euro in more than three years.Meanwhile yields on crucial US government bonds, which are normally seen as a financial refuge, were up again Friday, indicating weaker demand as investors take fright.The White House said however that it had no evidence to support speculation by traders that China was offloading some of its vast holdings — which would increase the cost of borrowing for the US government — in retaliation.Wall Street stocks finished higher Friday, concluding a rollercoaster week on a positive note amid hopes that the market has absorbed the worst headlines about trade conflicts.Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve meanwhile warned of higher inflation and slower growth ahead due to Trump’s tariff policy.- ‘Countermeasures’ -Economists warn that the disruption in trade between the tightly integrated US and Chinese economies will increase prices for consumers and could spark a global recession.Ipek Ozkardeskaya, an analyst at Swissquote bank, told AFP the tariff figures were “so high that they don’t make sense anymore,” but said China was “now ready to go as far as needed.”The rest of the world is still calibrating its response.Trump on Thursday described the European Union — which was originally hit with 20 percent tariffs by Trump — as “very smart” for refraining from retaliatory levies.EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will hold talks in Washington on Monday.But the 27-nation bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times it remained armed with a “wide range of countermeasures” including a possible hit on digital services that would strike US tech firms.
Trump defends policy after China hits US with 125% tariffs
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that his tariff policy was “doing really well” despite China hiking levies on US goods to 125 percent in the spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed after Beijing’s retaliation against Trump deepened concerns on already traumatized global markets.Trump sent financial markets into a tailspin by announcing sweeping import taxes on dozens of trade partners last week, only to abruptly roll them back to 10 percent on Wednesday for 90 days — while raising levies on goods from China.”We are doing really well on our tariff policy,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network after China announced its latest hike.”Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly,” he wrote.The White House said later that Trump remained “optimistic” about a deal with China, and added that 15 other countries have offers “on the table” during his 90-day pause in their tariffs.But Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that “the president made it very clear, when the United States is punched he will punch back harder.”The US and Beijing have been trading salvos of increasingly harsh tariffs since last week.Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his first major comments on the tensions on Friday, with state media quoting him as saying his country was “not afraid.”Xi also said the European Union and China should “jointly resist unilateral bullying practices” during talks with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.- ‘Numbers game’ -Beijing announced after Xi’s comments that new tariffs of 125 percent on US goods would take effect Saturday — almost matching the staggering 145 percent level imposed on Chinese goods coming into America.A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the United States bore full responsibility, deriding Trump’s tariffs as a “numbers game” that “will become a joke.”But China’s finance ministry said tariffs would not go any higher in an acknowledgement that almost no imports are possible at the new level.Trump had reiterated on Thursday that he was looking to do a deal with Xi despite the mounting tensions.”He’s been a friend of mine for a long period of time. I think that we’ll end up working out something that’s very good for both countries,” he told reporters.But American officials have made it clear they expect Xi to reach out first.Pressure was growing on Trump, however, as markets continued to fret.As investors fled the dollar, which is typically considered a key haven currency, Trump attempted to squelch fears on Friday.”We’re the currency of choice. We’re always going to be… I think the dollar is tremendous,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after the dollar plunged to its lowest level against the euro in more than three years.Meanwhile yields on crucial US government bonds, which are normally seen as a financial refuge, were up again Friday, indicating weaker demand as investors take fright.The White House said however that it had no evidence to support speculation by traders that China was offloading some of its vast holdings — which would increase the cost of borrowing for the US government — in retaliation.Wall Street stocks finished higher Friday, concluding a rollercoaster week on a positive note amid hopes that the market has absorbed the worst headlines about trade conflicts.Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve meanwhile warned of higher inflation and slower growth ahead due to Trump’s tariff policy.- ‘Countermeasures’ -Economists warn that the disruption in trade between the tightly integrated US and Chinese economies will increase prices for consumers and could spark a global recession.Ipek Ozkardeskaya, an analyst at Swissquote bank, told AFP the tariff figures were “so high that they don’t make sense anymore,” but said China was “now ready to go as far as needed.”The rest of the world is still calibrating its response.Trump on Thursday described the European Union — which was originally hit with 20 percent tariffs by Trump — as “very smart” for refraining from retaliatory levies.EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will hold talks in Washington on Monday.But the 27-nation bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times it remained armed with a “wide range of countermeasures” including a possible hit on digital services that would strike US tech firms.
Trump defends policy after China hits US with 125% tariffs
President Donald Trump insisted Friday that his tariff policy was “doing really well” despite China hiking levies on US goods to 125 percent in the spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed after Beijing’s retaliation against Trump deepened concerns on already traumatized global markets.Trump sent financial markets into a tailspin by announcing sweeping import taxes on dozens of trade partners last week, only to abruptly roll them back to 10 percent on Wednesday for 90 days — while raising levies on goods from China.”We are doing really well on our tariff policy,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network after China announced its latest hike.”Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly,” he wrote.The White House said later that Trump remained “optimistic” about a deal with China, and added that 15 other countries have offers “on the table” during his 90-day pause in their tariffs.But Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that “the president made it very clear, when the United States is punched he will punch back harder.”The US and Beijing have been trading salvos of increasingly harsh tariffs since last week.Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his first major comments on the tensions on Friday, with state media quoting him as saying his country was “not afraid.”Xi also said the European Union and China should “jointly resist unilateral bullying practices” during talks with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.- ‘Numbers game’ -Beijing announced after Xi’s comments that new tariffs of 125 percent on US goods would take effect Saturday — almost matching the staggering 145 percent level imposed on Chinese goods coming into America.A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the United States bore full responsibility, deriding Trump’s tariffs as a “numbers game” that “will become a joke.”But China’s finance ministry said tariffs would not go any higher in an acknowledgement that almost no imports are possible at the new level.Trump had reiterated on Thursday that he was looking to do a deal with Xi despite the mounting tensions.”He’s been a friend of mine for a long period of time. I think that we’ll end up working out something that’s very good for both countries,” he told reporters.But American officials have made it clear they expect Xi to reach out first.Pressure was growing on Trump, however, as markets continued to fret.As investors fled the dollar, which is typically considered a key haven currency, Trump attempted to squelch fears on Friday.”We’re the currency of choice. We’re always going to be… I think the dollar is tremendous,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after the dollar plunged to its lowest level against the euro in more than three years.Meanwhile yields on crucial US government bonds, which are normally seen as a financial refuge, were up again Friday, indicating weaker demand as investors take fright.The White House said however that it had no evidence to support speculation by traders that China was offloading some of its vast holdings — which would increase the cost of borrowing for the US government — in retaliation.Wall Street stocks finished higher Friday, concluding a rollercoaster week on a positive note amid hopes that the market has absorbed the worst headlines about trade conflicts.Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve meanwhile warned of higher inflation and slower growth ahead due to Trump’s tariff policy.- ‘Countermeasures’ -Economists warn that the disruption in trade between the tightly integrated US and Chinese economies will increase prices for consumers and could spark a global recession.Ipek Ozkardeskaya, an analyst at Swissquote bank, told AFP the tariff figures were “so high that they don’t make sense anymore,” but said China was “now ready to go as far as needed.”The rest of the world is still calibrating its response.Trump on Thursday described the European Union — which was originally hit with 20 percent tariffs by Trump — as “very smart” for refraining from retaliatory levies.EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will hold talks in Washington on Monday.But the 27-nation bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times it remained armed with a “wide range of countermeasures” including a possible hit on digital services that would strike US tech firms.