When Mohammad Hanif heard Qatar was opening jobs to Afghans, he joined thousands of others to put his name down for a shot to make a living in the gas-rich emirate, his own country wracked by unemployment.The Taliban authorities announced a deal with Gulf state this month to recruit 3,100 workers from Afghanistan, who started applying on Tuesday at centres across the country.By Wednesday, more than 8,500 people had put their names down from the capital Kabul and surrounding provinces, labour ministry spokesman Samiullah Ibrahimi told AFP, and more than 15,500 people are expected to register nationwide.The Taliban government says the jobs will help fight steep unemployment and poverty in the country of around 48 million people, facing what the United Nations says is one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises. “Our country has many problems, most people are poor and work odd jobs,” said Hanif, who travelled to western Herat from neighbouring Badghis to register. “I have skills in car mechanics and cooking, and I have certificates to prove it,” said the 35-year-old, adding he was grateful to Qatar for employing Afghans.  Competition is steep, however, with centres swarmed by hopeful applicants ready to present the required passports, identification cards and professional certificates to nab roles ranging from bus driver to cleaner, cook, mechanic and electrician. More than 1,000 people have applied in southern Kandahar for around 375 positions allocated to the region, and in Herat, around 2,000 people lined up on Wednesday to try for one of a few hundred jobs, AFP journalists said. – Doha instead of Tehran -Qatar, where the Taliban opened an office during the two-decade war with US-led forces, is one of the handful of countries to have strong diplomatic ties with Afghanistan’s rulers after they swept to power in 2021. Only Russia has so far officially recognised the Taliban government.Discussions are also underway with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Turkey and Russia to set up similar deals, labour minister Abdul Manan Omari said in a statement on Tuesday. The process “will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the country’s economic situation and reduce unemployment”, said Abdul Ghani Baradar, the deputy prime minister for economic affairs.Nearly half of Afghanistan’s population lives in poverty, and the unemployment rate (over 13 percent) affects nearly a quarter of young people aged 15 to 29, according to the World Bank. Those who do have work often support large, extended families on stretched salaries.High unemployment has been driven by infrastructure hamstrung by 40 years of conflict, drought impacting the crucial agriculture sector and the recent mass removals of Afghans from neighbouring countries, said Noorullah Fadwi, head of an association of job search companies.  This year, nearly two million Afghans have returned to their country after being driven out or deported from Iran and Pakistan, where many had lived for decades. “We are grateful to Qatar and ask other (Arab) countries to hire Afghan workers too, because the situation in Iran and Pakistan is very bad,” said 39-year-old Noor Mohammad, who registered in Herat, hoping for a hotel job.- ‘There is nothing’ -The Taliban authorities have not yet detailed how the Afghan recruits will be housed or their potential working conditions, while pledging to safeguard their rights.Qatar, where foreigners make up nearly 90 percent of the three million-strong population, has faced heavy criticism over the treatment of migrant labourers, particularly during construction leading up to hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar has since introduced major reforms to improve workers’ safety and punish employers who violate the rules.It has dismantled its “kafala” labour system, which gave employers powerful rights over whether workers could leave their jobs or even the country.Mohammad Qasim, 37, said he would not go to Qatar if he could find a job in Afghanistan, but he earned a university degree in education four years ago and has been unemployed ever since.”I tried very hard to find work but there is nothing,” he told AFP, saying he applied to be a cleaner at a centre in Kandahar.At least in Qatar, he said, “I will earn something.”

Hong Kong’s economy grew by 3.1 percent in the second quarter, according to government estimates released Thursday, beating expectations, with strong exports buoyed by businesses racing to take advantage of US tariff easing.Hong Kong is a special administrative region in China with its own trade policies, but is still vulnerable to tariff threats from US President Donald Trump, thanks to its significant re-exporting of Chinese goods.Improved domestic demand coupled with an increase of 11.5 percent in exports saw the economy “expand solidly”, a Hong Kong government spokesperson said.The “temporary easing of US tariff measures led to some ‘rush shipments'” which also helped growth, they added. Earlier in the year tariffs between China and the United States reached triple digits before a truce slashed them to more manageable levels. A 90-day grace period is meant to end on August 12, but the latest round of trade talks ended Tuesday without a deal.The US president on Wednesday announced tariffs on major trading partners South Korea, Brazil and India — a pattern Hong Kong’s government said would also affect its economy in the second half of the year. “The US’ renewed tariff hikes of late will exert pressure on global trade flows as well as its domestic economic activity and inflation. The uncertain pace of US interest rate cuts will also affect investment sentiment,” the government spokesperson said.- Trouble ahead? -Thursday’s estimates showed private consumption, which had declined for four consecutive quarters, increased 1.9 percent, while exports of services saw 7.5 percent growth. Hong Kong’s capital market has rebounded strongly this year, with dozens of companies from China piling into the city to raise overseas capital due to policy support from the Chinese government and optimised listing rules by Hong Kong regulators.But China’s regulator this month approved the fewest number of listing applications in eight months, Bloomberg reported, raising concerns that the IPO boom in the first half of this year may be slowing.Hong Kong’s government warned that the second half of the year could be harder.  “Given the geopolitical landscape, there is enormous uncertainty and volatility (for Hong Kong),” Financial Secretary Paul Chan told a press conference on Wednesday.Growth in the first quarter was three percent, but nevertheless authorities have set a goal of two to three percent for the whole year — which would be “prudent to keep”, Chan said. “The seemingly modest growth has not been fully reflected in the labour market,” Gary Ng, senior economist at Natixis Corporate and Investment Banking, told AFP.”It is hard to say the recovery is solid and shielded from geopolitical and trade tensions.”

Major stock markets and the dollar traded mixed Thursday as traders weighed a cautious Federal Reserve, strong tech earnings and new US tariffs.The US central bank held interest rates steady Wednesday and refrained from suggesting it would cut them any time soon as inflation stays stubbornly high in the world’s biggest economy.Ahead of US jobs data Friday, focus was on company earnings, with energy giant Shell plus automakers Renault and BMW reporting profit slumps after Microsoft and Facebook owner Meta posted better-than-expected earnings.The two American giants saw their share prices soar in futures trading ahead of Wall Street’s reopening Thursday and results from Amazon and Apple.”US markets are expected to enjoy a buoyant open thanks in no small part to the bumper earnings seen from Meta and Microsoft,” noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at trading group Rostro.The latest developments on the tariffs front saw Trump announce a deal that sees 15 percent levies on South Korean goods and a commitment from Seoul to invest $350 billion in the United States.The president Thursday said his sweeping tariffs were making the US “great & rich again”.It came after he revealed that India would face 25 percent tolls, coupled with an unspecified penalty over New Delhi’s purchases of Russian weapons and energy.Trump has also signed an executive order implementing an additional tax on Brazilian products, as he lambasts what he calls Brazil’s “witch hunt” against his far-right ally, former president Jair Bolsonaro, on coup charges.Traders are keeping tabs on talks with other countries that are yet to sign deals with Washington ahead of Trump’s self-imposed Friday deadline.After a broadly negative session Wednesday on Wall Street, Asian markets struggled.Hong Kong, Shanghai, Sydney, Singapore, Seoul, Manila, Wellington and Jakarta closed lower, while Tokyo, Taipei, Mumbai and Bangkok climbed.London was higher around midday in the UK, while eurozone indices Paris and Frankfurt steadied.The yen retreated against the dollar after the Bank of Japan decided against hiking interest rates, while lifting economic growth and inflation costs. The BoJ cautiously welcomed the country’s trade deal with the United States.- Key figures at around 1045 GMT -London – FTSE 100: UP 0.6 percent at 9,189.22 pointsParis – CAC 40: DOWN 0.1 percent at 7,852.55 Frankfurt – DAX: FLAT at 24,261.38Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.0 percent at 41,069.82 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.6 percent at 24,773.33 (close)Shanghai – Composite: DOWN 1.2 percent at 3,573.21 (close)New York – Dow: DOWN 0.5 percent at 44,632.99 (close)Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1434 from $1.1409 on WednesdayPound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3220 from $1.3239Dollar/yen: UP at 149.98 yen from 149.50 yenEuro/pound: UP at 86.50 pence from 86.15 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.5 percent at $69.67 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.6 percent at $72.05burs-bcp/ajb/rl

US President Donald Trump said Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country “great & rich again” as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline.”Tariffs are making America GREAT & RICH Again,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform.”ONE YEAR AGO, AMERICA WAS A DEAD COUNTRY, NOW IT IS THE “HOTTEST” COUNTRY ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD,” he added.A day earlier, the US President imposed new tariffs to punish or favor several major trading partners — the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world.South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States — significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce.But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state.The 15 percent rate on Seoul — Washington’s key security ally — was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union.He added that South Korea had committed to investing $350 billion in the United States, as well as the purchase of “$100 billion worth” of liquefied natural gas (LNG) or other energy sources.Seoul’s presidential office said tariffs on automobiles — one of Seoul’s key exports — would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America’s biggest economy.But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products.- Canada trade threat -He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil — and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular — for what he has termed a “witch hunt” against former president Bolsonaro.Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend “the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States.”Among Trump’s latest announcements were a 25 percent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday — slightly lower than previously threatened — after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact.India would face an unspecified “penalty” over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said.”I don’t care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.”We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,” he added.Canada’s trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September.”Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,” the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. “That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.”- ‘Big day for America’ -He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad.It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry.As Trump’s deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords.The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost all trading partners — citing unfair trade practices.This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated.The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline “will not be extended” any further.So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions.While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other’s products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels.Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth.