AFP - Squid Business

Trump says US to impose 15% tariff on South Korean goods

President Donald Trump said Wednesday the United States will impose a 15 percent tariff on imports from South Korea, as he touted a “full and complete trade deal” between the two countries.”South Korea will give to the United States $350 Billion Dollars for Investments,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform, adding that the country would buy $100 billion in liquefied natural gas or other energy products.The 15 percent rate is below a 25 percent tariff that Trump had threatened earlier, and was equivalent to deals with Japan and the European Union.Trump added that an additional unspecified “large sum of money” will be invested by Seoul.”This sum will be announced within the next two weeks when the President of South Korea, Lee Jae Myung, comes to the White House for a Bilateral Meeting,” Trump said, offering congratulations to his South Korean counterpart for his “electoral success.”South Korea’s Finance Minister Koo Yun-cheol said Seoul’s commitment to help the United States revive its shipbuilding industry was instrumental in reaching the deal.”I believe MASGA made the greatest contribution to reaching today’s agreement,” Koo said at a news conference in Washington, referring to the “Make American Shipbuilding Great Again” proposal.”Our world-class shipbuilding companies, equipped with the highest level of ship design and construction capabilities, are expected to help revive the US shipbuilding industry,” he said.Shares in South Korean shipbuilder Hanwha Ocean, which owns a shipyard in Philadelphia, soared more than 15 percent Thursday. The leaders’ White House meeting will be their first since Lee assumed the presidency in June.In a statement on Facebook, Lee called the deal “the first major trade challenge” since his administration took power, adding: “We have overcome a major hurdle.””Through this deal, the government has eliminated uncertainty surrounding export conditions and ensured that US tariffs on our exports are either lower than or equal to those imposed on our major trade competitors.”- Mixed reaction -Lee was elected in a snap vote last month following the impeachment of predecessor Yoon Suk Yeol over his disastrous martial law declaration in December.The deal marks an early victory for Lee’s tenure as head of the export-reliant economy, Asia’s fourth biggest.”This agreement represents the convergence of US interests in revitalizing its manufacturing sector and our determination to strengthen Korean companies’ competitiveness in the American market,” Lee’s statement continued.But there were mixed reactions in South Korea. Its six major business associations, including the Korea Chamber of Commerce, said in a joint statement: “We view this agreement as a critical milestone that will not only ease trade-related uncertainties but also pave the way for a significant strengthening of economic cooperation between the two countries.”With much of the external uncertainty now resolved, the Korean business community will redouble efforts to boost domestic investment and job creation.”But a handful of civic groups, including farmers and labour organisations, protested at the US Embassy in central Seoul, opposing “Trump’s madman strategy.” Demonstrators held signs reading “No Trump! No King!” and pointed out that there may be additional negotiations when Lee meets Trump.”Trump’s actions amount to excessive interference in our domestic affairs,” said Park Sung-hoon, head of the Korean Apple Growers Association.Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has imposed a sweeping 10 percent tariff on trading partners — with extra rates for dozens of economies set for August 1 — alongside steeper tolls on steel, aluminium and autos.News of the deal with South Korea came as Trump on Wednesday imposed 25 percent tariffs on Indian goods and 50 percent on those from Brazil.

Le Canada a l’intention de reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine, Israël condamne

Le Canada prévoit de reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine en septembre à l’ONU, a annoncé mercredi le Premier ministre canadien, Mark Carney. Un changement de politique aussitôt condamné vigoureusement par Israël.”Le Canada a l’intention de reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine lors de la 80e session de l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies en septembre 2025″, a déclaré Mark Carney lors d’une conférence de presse à Ottawa, soulignant que “le niveau de souffrance humaine à Gaza est intolérable”.En franchissant le pas de la reconnaissance, le Canada est motivé par une conviction “de longue date” en faveur d’une solution à deux Etats pour mettre fin au conflit israélo-palestinien, qui dure depuis des décennies, a justifié son Premier ministre.”Cette possibilité d’une solution à deux États s’érode sous nos yeux”, a déclaré Mark Carney.L’intention du Canada “repose sur la volonté de l’Autorité palestinienne de mener des réformes essentielles”, a expliqué le Premier ministre, citant l’engagement pris par le président Mahmoud Abbas d’organiser des élections générales en 2026 et de ne pas militariser l’État palestinien.Ce dernier a salué mercredi la décision “courageuse” du Canada, qui “intervient à un moment historique critique pour sauver la solution à deux Etats”.Il s’agit du troisième pays membre du G7, après les récentes annonces de la France et du Royaume-Uni, à signaler son intention de reconnaître l’État palestinien en septembre.- Israël condamne, la France salue -Israël a immédiatement décrié cette annonce et a dénoncé une “campagne de pression internationale déformée” venant “durcir la position du Hamas à la table des négociations à un moment critique”, a réagi l’ambassade d’Israël à Ottawa dans un communiqué.Le ministère israélien des Affaires étrangères a de son côté fustigé dans une publication sur X le changement de position du gouvernement canadien, affirmant que cela “récompense le Hamas et nuit aux efforts visant à obtenir un cessez-le-feu à Gaza et un cadre pour la libération des otages”.Donald Trump a également critiqué la décision de Mark Carney et averti qu’elle compliquerait les négociations avec Ottawa au sujet des droits de douane.”Wow! Le Canada vient d’annoncer qu’il soutient un Etat palestinien. Cela va devenir très difficile pour nous de conclure un accord commercial avec eux. O Canada !!!”, a écrit le président américain sur son réseau Truth Social.Avec cette décision, le Canada se positionne aux côtés de la France, qui a récemment annoncé son intention de reconnaître l’Etat de Palestine à l’Assemblée générale des Nations unies et qui espère créer une dynamique collective en ce sens.La présidence française a salué mercredi l’annonce du Premier ministre canadien et s’est réjoui “de pouvoir travailler de concert avec le Canada pour relancer une perspective de paix dans la région”, précisant qu’Emmanuel Macron s’est entretenu avec Mark Carney “un peu plus tôt dans la journée” à ce sujet.Le Premier ministre britannique Keir Starmer a également annoncé mardi que son pays reconnaîtrait l’État de Palestine en septembre, sauf si Israël prenait une série d’engagements, dont celui d’un cessez-le-feu dans la bande de Gaza.- Une approche qui “n’est plus tenable” -Cette annonce du Canada intervient alors qu’un organisme international de surveillance de la faim soutenu par l’ONU a affirmé mardi que le “pire scénario de famine” était “en cours à Gaza”. Mark Carney a par ailleurs ajouté que son pays a toujours été un membre indéfectible du groupe de nations qui espéraient qu’une solution à deux États “serait réalisée dans le cadre d’un processus de paix fondé sur un accord négocié entre le gouvernement israélien et l’Autorité palestinienne”.”Malheureusement, cette approche n’est plus tenable”, a-t-il dit, s’en prenant au “terrorisme du Hamas” et “le rejet violent et de longue date par le groupe du droit d’Israël à exister”.Il a également critiqué “l’incapacité persistante” d’Israël à empêcher une catastrophe humanitaire à Gaza, ainsi que l’expansion des colonies en Cisjordanie occupée et à Jérusalem-Est annexée par Israël, considérées comme illégales au regard du droit international. Quelque 2,4 millions de Palestiniens sont assiégés à Gaza par Israël depuis le début de la guerre, déclenchée par une attaque du mouvement islamiste palestinien Hamas le 7 octobre 2023 sur le sol israélien.

Terrified by Trump raids, LA’s undocument migrants hide at home

For over a month, Alberto has hardly dared to leave the small room he rents in someone’s backyard for fear of encountering the masked police who have been rounding up immigrants in Los Angeles.”It’s terrible,” sighed the 60-year-old Salvadoran, who does not have a US visa.”It’s a confinement I wouldn’t wish upon anyone.” To survive, Alberto — AFP agreed to use a pseudonym — relies on an organization that delivers food to him twice a week.”It helps me a lot, because if I don’t have this… how will I eat?” said Alberto, who has not been to his job at a car wash for weeks.The sudden intensification of immigration enforcement activity in Los Angeles in early June saw scores of people — mostly Latinos — arrested at car washes, hardware stores, on farms and even in the street.Videos circulating on social media showed masked and heavily armed men pouncing on people who they claimed were hardened criminals.However, critics of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) sweeps say those snatched were only trying to earn a meagre wage in jobs that many Americans don’t want to do.The raids — slammed as brutal and seemingly arbitrary — sparked a wave of demonstrations that gripped the city for weeks, including some that spiraled into violence and vandalism.Alberto decided to hole up in his room after one such raid on a car wash in which some of his friends were arrested, and subsequently deported.Despite being pre-diabetic, he is hesitant to attend an upcoming medical appointment. His only breath of fresh air is pacing the private alley in front of his home. “I’m very stressed. I have headaches and body pain because I was used to working,” he said. In 15 years in the United States, Trump’s second term has turned out to be “worse than anything” for him. – ‘Ghost town’ – Trump’s immigration offensive was a major feature of his re-election campaign, even winning the favor of some voters in liberal Los Angeles.But its ferocity, in a place that is home to hundreds of thousands of undocumented workers, has taken the city by surprise.Faced with mounting raids, migrants are limiting their movement as much as possible. In June, the use of the public transportation system — a key network for the city’s poorer residents — dropped by 13.5 percent compared to the previous month. “As you’re driving through certain neighborhoods, it looks like a ghost town sometimes,” said Norma Fajardo, from the CLEAN Carwash Worker Center, a non-profit organization that supports these workers. It has joined forces with other groups to deliver hundreds of bags of food every week to those afraid to step outside.”There is a huge need for this,” said the 37-year-old American.”It’s very saddening and infuriating. Workers should be able to go to work and not fear getting kidnapped.”In June, ICE agents arrested over 2,200 people in the Los Angeles area, according to internal documents analyzed by AFP. About 60 percent of them had no criminal record. Given the colossal resources recently allocated to ICE by Congress — nearly $30 billion to bolster immigration enforcement, including funding to recruit 10,000 additional agents — Fajardo says she is not expecting any let up.- ‘New normal’ – “It seems like this is the new normal,” she sighed.”When we first heard of an ICE raid at a car wash, we were in emergency crisis mode. Now we are just really accepting that we need to plan for the long term.”Food assistance has also become essential for Marisol, a Honduran woman who has been confined to her building for weeks with 12 family members.”We constantly thank God (for the food deliveries) because this has been a huge relief,” says the 62-year-old Catholic, who has not attended Mass in weeks.Marisol — not her real name — has hung up curtains on the windows at her home entrance to block any view from outside.She forbids her grandchildren from opening the door and worries enormously when her daughters venture out to work a few hours to provide for the family’s needs.”Every time they go out, I pray to God that they come back, because you never know what might happen,” she said. Marisol and her family fled a Honduran crime gang 15 years ago because they wanted to forcibly recruit her children.Now, some of them wonder if it’s worth continuing to live in the United States. “My sons have already said to me: ‘Mom, sometimes I would prefer to go to Europe.'”

Canada intends to recognize Palestinian state at UN General Assembly: Carney

Canada plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday, a major policy shift that drew an angry response from US President Donald Trump and was rejected by Israel. Carney said the move was necessary to preserve hopes of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, a long-standing Canadian goal that was “being eroded before our eyes.””Canada intends to recognize the State of Palestine at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025,” the prime minister said. This makes Canada — a G7 nation — the third country, following recent announcements by France and the United Kingdom, to signal plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September.Carney said the worsening suffering of civilians in Gaza left “no room for delay in coordinated international action to support peace.”Israel blasted Canada’s announcement as part of a “distorted campaign of international pressure,” while Trump warned that trade negotiations with Ottawa may not proceed smoothly.”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.”Asked by reporters if there was a scenario where Canada could change its position before the UN meeting, Carney said: “there’s a scenario (but) possibly one that I can’t imagine.”Canada’s intention “is predicated on the Palestinian Authority’s commitment to much-needed reforms,” Carney said, referring to the body led by President Mahmoud Abbas, which has civil authority in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank. Carney said his plans were further predicated on Abbas’s pledge to “hold general elections in 2026 in which Hamas can play no part, and to demilitarize the Palestinian state.”- ‘Historic’ decision -With Wednesday’s announcement, Carney positioned Canada alongside France, after President Emmanuel Macron said his country would formally recognize a Palestinian state during the UN meeting, the most powerful European nation to announce such a move.The Israeli embassy in Ottawa said “recognizing a Palestinian state in the absence of accountable government, functioning institutions, or benevolent leadership, rewards and legitimizes the monstrous barbarity of Hamas on October 7, 2023.”The PA’s Abbas welcomed the announcement as a “historic” decision, while France said the countries would work together “to revive the prospect of peace in the region.”Canada’s plan goes a step further than this week’s announcement by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer.Starmer said the UK will formally recognize the State of Palestine in September unless Israel takes various “substantive steps,” including agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.- Two-state solution -Carney stressed that Canada has been an unwavering member of the group of nations that hoped a two-state solution “would be achieved as part of a peace process built around a negotiated settlement between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority.” “Regrettably, this approach is no longer tenable,” he said, citing “Hamas terrorism” and the group’s “longstanding violent rejection of Israel’s right to exist.”The peace process has also been eroded by the expansion of Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and east Jerusalem, Carney said. The prime minister said a two-state solution was growing increasingly remote, with a vote in Israel’s parliament “calling for the annexation of the West Bank,” as well as Israel’s “ongoing failure” to prevent humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza.He framed his decision as one aimed at safeguarding Israel’s future.”Any path to lasting peace for Israel also requires a viable and stable Palestinian state, and one that recognizes Israel’s inalienable right to security and peace,” Carney said.

Des millions de riverains du Pacifique évacués après un très fort séisme au large de la Russie

L’un des séismes les plus importants jamais enregistrés, survenu mercredi au large de l’Extrême-Orient russe, a provoqué des tsunamis dans le Pacifique, du Japon à l’Equateur, obligeant des millions de personnes à évacuer le littoral.Selon l’institut géophysique américain (USGS), le tremblement de terre de magnitude 8,8 s’est produit à 11H24 locales (23H24 GMT mardi) à 20,7 km de profondeur, à 126 km au large de Petropavlovsk-Kamtchatsky, la capitale de la péninsule russe du Kamtchatka.Au moins six répliques, dont une de magnitude 6,9, ont ensuite secoué ce territoire.Peu peuplé, le Kamtchatka, où le volcan Klioutchevskoï est par ailleurs entré en éruption, est une des zones sismiques les plus actives de la planète, au point de rencontre entre les plaques tectoniques du Pacifique et nord-américaine.Il s’agit du plus important séisme depuis celui, de magnitude 9,1, qui s’est produit en mars 2011 au large du Japon et qui a provoqué un tsunami ayant causé la mort de plus de 15.000 personnes.- Séisme record depuis 1952 -Dans le port de Severo-Kourilsk, dans le nord de l’archipel russe des Kouriles, plusieurs vagues successives ont submergé les rues. L’une d’elles, sur la péninsule du Kamtchatka, a atteint 3 à 4 mètres.L’état d’urgence a été décrété et le chef l’administration territoriale, Alexandre Ovsiannikov, a assuré que “tout le monde” avait été évacué. “Tout est inondé, la côte entière est inondée”, a témoigné un habitant de la région. “Le port et les usines de la côte sont complètement détruits”, a-t-il affirmé.Les autorités russes ont cependant levé l’alerte tsunami dans la soirée.”Nous avons tous couru en sous-vêtements avec les enfants. Heureusement, nous avions préparé une valise”, a raconté une femme.La magnitude de 8,8 est la plus élevée enregistrée au Kamtchatka depuis le 5 novembre 1952, quand un tremblement de terre de magnitude 9 avait déclenché des tsunamis dévastateurs dans tout le Pacifique.Une seule victime a été signalée, une femme dont la voiture a chuté d’une falaise au Japon alors qu’elle tentait de fuir mercredi, ont rapporté les médias locaux.- Deux millions de Japonais -Au Japon, la télévision a montré des personnes partant en voiture ou à pied vers des lieux plus en hauteur, notamment sur l’île septentrionale d’Hokkaido.Plus de 2 millions de Japonais ont au total été appelés par les autorités à se mettre à l’abri en de tels endroits.Une vague de 1,30 m a atteint un port dans le département de Miyagi, dans le nord.Après avoir rétrogradé les alertes au tsunami dans la majeure partie de l’archipel, l’Agence météorologique japonaise a décidé de maintenir jeudi le niveau “avertissement” sur une grande partie de la cote pacifique.”Nous étions venues ici pour nager mais dès que nous avons entendu qu’une alerte au tsunami avait été émise, nous ne sommes pas du tout allées dans l’eau”, a confié Tomoyo Fujita, une femme de 35 ans accompagnée sa petite fille sur la plage d’Inage, dans la région de Chiba, proche de Tokyo.La Chine a également émis une alerte au tsunami dans plusieurs régions côtières.”Nous avons conseillé aux clients de rester prudents, et d’éviter d’aller sur la côte”, a pour sa part raconté à l’AFP Wilson Wang, un employé d’un hôtel de Taitung, dans le sud-est de Taïwan. Les Philippines ont quant à elles exhorté la population des côtes orientales à se rendre vers l’intérieur des terres.Les autorités des Palaos, à environ 800 kilomètres plus à l’est, ont ordonné de quitter “toutes les zones le long du littoral”.- “Une peur réelle” -Sur l’autre rive du Pacifique, le Mexique a aussi mis en garde contre un éventuel raz-de-marée, de même que la Colombie, le Pérou et l’Equateur, qui ont procédé à des évacuations.Au Chili, les autorités ont procédé à l’évacuation d’1,4 million de personnes du littoral, “peut-être la plus massive” jamais réalisée dans le pays selon les autorités. Aucun dégât n’a été signalé à ce stade.”On nous a avertis par haut-parleurs qu’il était préférable de ne pas s’approcher de la côte”, a indiqué de son côté une pêcheuse de l’archipel équatorien des Galapagos, à Puerto Ayora.”Nous ressentons une peur réelle: il y a un sentiment d’incertitude, nous ne savons vraiment pas ce qui va se passer”, a confié Patricia Espinosa, une habitante de l’île Isabela, dont la population a été déplacée vers des lieux en altitude.Les parcs nationaux des Galapagos ont été provisoirement interdits d’accès et les visiteurs ont dû débarquer des bateaux de tourisme pour se réfugier sur la terre ferme.Au Pérou, plus de la moitié des ports, 65 sur 121, ont été fermés et la suspension des activités de pêche a été recommandée, tandis que les habitants ont été incités à s’éloigner de l’océan.Plusieurs vagues mesurant 1,5 mètre ont touché l’île de Nuku Hiva, dans l’archipel des Marquises, en Polynésie française.Les Etats-Unis ont quant à eux émis une série d’alertes de différents niveaux en Alaska, en Californie et à Hawaï, où seul un appel à la vigilance reste en vigueur.

Des millions de riverains du Pacifique évacués après un très fort séisme au large de la Russie

Laos braced for blow of Trump tariff threat

Hawking clothes outside the garment factory where her daughter toils inside, a Laos vendor weighs US President Donald Trump’s threat of trade tariffs that may soon snarl both their livelihoods.”I just live day by day. For now, I still have my business, and the factory is operating as usual,” she told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity in the capital Vientiane.”I’m not too worried about my daughter’s job yet,” she added. Then again, she says: “I don’t know anything about what the US will decide.”Landlocked Laos — a country of only eight million — has a gloomy outlook as it counts down to a Friday deadline when Trump says a 40 per cent levy will kick in unless a trade deal is sealed.The rate is among the highest Trump has touted in his global tariff blitz, which has yielded a handful of deals with countries including Britain, Japan and Vietnam but left dozens others scrambling for a pact.Laos has limited exports, little leverage and supply chains deeply entwined with US trade rival China.The United States had a trade deficit of more than $760 million with Laos last year — singling it out for steep tolls alongside other nations Trump sees as imbalanced business partners.”A 40 percent tariff is just a nail in the coffin for any industry trying to ship to the United States,” said John F. Somers, head of garment manufacturing firm Diep Vu Co. Only a handful of factories, mostly in the capital, supply the US market and sales make up only between three and six percent of the country’s gross domestic product.But with the Southeast Asian country already suffering from high inflation and a severe labour shortage, Trump’s default tariff could still have a devastating effect, industry insiders say.- ‘Cause for suspicion’ -“We estimate about 20,000 workers or more could be impacted,” said Xaybandith Rasphone, head of the Association of the Lao Garment Industry.”We’re not certain about the exact number yet, but it could easily be higher if companies shut down,” said Xaybandith, who is also vice-president of the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI).He warned between 35 and 40 factories could be affected if buyers are spooked by the tariffs.”If the tariff stays in place, some factories will definitely close,” he said. “Finding alternative markets takes time, negotiations and a lot of effort. It could take years.”Like neighbouring Cambodia and Vietnam, Laos is a hub of the garment industry — producing brands for western markets including Dr. Martens.But the production of mattresses, silicone products and solar panels also stands to be impacted.Solar panel manufacturing has exploded in Laos since 2023 and driven up its export figures after Trump hit China with a 50 percent tariff on the renewable power sources.However the US trade offensive has focussed on “transshipment” — a practice it alleges some countries use to help China dodge American tariffs by repackaging its goods for American markets.Casey Tolzman, head of the Lao-American Business Association (LABA), said the explosion of Laos’ solar industry had likely been “a cause for suspicion” in Washington.- ‘A big question’ -Rules governing the source of materials and the level of Laotian labour required to define products as domestically produced may prove the country’s biggest bargaining chip.”A big question for countries like Cambodia and Laos is what they can offer the US that’s attractive enough to reach a deal,” Tolzman said.”Any deal would probably need to see Laos enforce stricter rules on transshipment and country of origin, to ensure products aren’t just coming from China and getting a Laos label slapped on.”The US may also ask Vientiane to crack down on internet scam centres targeting wealthy Americans from compounds in Laos, or seek concessions for American goods to enter the market, he added.The LABA and LNCCI say they are helping the government draft an appeal asking for tariffs to drop back to previous levels, or at least be capped at 20 percent.But Diep Vu Co boss Somers warns even if Laos manages to reach a deal with Washington, a bigger test soon lies ahead.Laos is on track to graduate from “Least Developed Country” status next year, meaning it is set to lose duty-free access to the European Union — dealing another blow.”We’ll be at a competitive disadvantage, our industry will probably collapse within a few years,” Somers warned. “The real discussion is the EU relationship with Laos, not just what the US is doing.”