Trump says hiking tariffs on South Korean goods to 25%

South Korea’s government on Tuesday held emergency talks after US President Donald Trump said he will raise tariffs on South Korean goods, including autos, lumber and pharmaceuticals.Trump said Monday that he would raise tariffs on the goods, accusing South Korea of not living up to an earlier trade pact struck with Washington.South Korea’s presidential office said it had not been officially informed about the tariff hike plans in advance.The increase would bring tariff levels from 15 percent to 25 percent.”South Korea’s Legislature is not living up to its Deal with the United States,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.He added that he was increasing tariff rates “because the Korean Legislature hasn’t enacted our Historic Trade Agreement, which is their prerogative.”On Tuesday, Seoul convened an emergency meeting to hash out a response, with Trade and Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan, currently in Canada, joining remotely.”Our government intends to convey its commitment to implementing the tariff agreement to the US side, while responding in a calm and measured manner,” Seoul said in a statement.The country added it believed Washington’s “tariff hikes only take effect after administrative steps such as publication in the Federal Register”.South Korea has said Trade Minister Kim will travel to Washington for talks on the issue with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.Trump’s apparent about-face comes months after Washington and Seoul struck a trade and security deal, capping a period of tense negotiations.The agreement was finalized after Trump met his South Korean counterpart Lee Jae Myung in October, and included investment promises by South Korea alongside tariff cuts by the United States.Since then, it has remained in something of a legal limbo in South Korea.Seoul’s presidential office insisted in November that the deal does not require parliamentary approval, arguing it represents a memorandum of understanding rather than a binding legal document.Asked whether the tariff deal had been submitted to parliament for approval, a senior official told AFP on Tuesday they were looking into it but did not elaborate.Under the pact, Washington would maintain levies of up to 15 percent on South Korean goods including vehicles, car parts and pharmaceuticals.Crucially, the deal’s terms brought US tariffs on South Korean cars down from a 25 percent level.Trump’s latest threat, if enacted, would reverse that.- Export pain -The auto industry accounts for 27 percent of South Korea’s exports to the United States, which takes in nearly half of the country’s car exports.A reversal to a higher tariff level could also put South Korean exports in a less advantageous position compared with economies like Japan and the European Union, which have both struck deals for a 15 percent US tariff.The Trump administration has yet to issue formal notices to enact the changes.The US president’s threat targeting South Korea is his latest against key trading partners in recent days.Over the weekend, Trump warned Canada that if it concludes a trade deal with China, he would impose a 100 percent tariff on all goods coming across the border.Earlier in January, Trump also threatened to slap tariffs on multiple European nations until his purchase of Greenland is achieved. He has since backed off the threat.

Minneapolis: départ annoncé d’agents fédéraux, Trump joue l’apaisement

Des agents des services fédéraux déployés à Minneapolis vont commencer à quitter la ville mardi, a assuré la municipalité, alors que Donald Trump joue l’apaisement face à la vague d’indignation suscitée par la mort d’un deuxième manifestant américain tué par des agents fédéraux.Des agents déployés par le président américain pour lutter contre l’immigration dans cette ville du Minnesota vont commencer à quitter les lieux dès mardi, a annoncé le maire démocrate, Jacob Frey.”Je continuerai à lutter pour que le reste (des agents) impliqués dans cette opération s’en aille” aussi, a-t-il écrit dans un message sur X.Il s’était auparavant entretenu par téléphone avec Donald Trump, lequel a affirmé sur son réseau Truth Social avoir eu une “très bonne” conversation avec l’édile, comme il l’avait déjà indiqué après un échange avec le gouverneur démocrate Tim Walz.Le décès d’Alex Pretti, un infirmier de 37 ans, lors d’une manifestation samedi est une “tragédie” et le président américain “ne veut pas voir de gens blessés ou tués dans les rues”, a dit la porte-parole de la Maison Blanche, Karoline Leavitt, lors d’un point presse à la mi-journée.Confronté à des critiques, y compris de son camp, sur la ligne dure adoptée dans cette ville du nord, le milliardaire a dépêché sur place Tom Homan, le responsable de la politique d’expulsions massives de migrants menée par le gouvernement.Celui-ci rendra “directement compte” au chef de l’Etat et dirigera désormais les opérations de la police de l’immigration (ICE) sur place en remplacement du chef de la police aux frontières, Greg Bovino, a précisé M. Trump. Le magazine américain The Atlantic a affirmé que ce dernier avait été relevé de ses fonctions, ce que le gouvernement dément.M. Trump continue toutefois d’exiger que les autorités locales coopèrent avec les agences fédérales chargées de l’immigration, une ligne rouge par les élus démocrates.Une grande partie de l’Etat est en effet un “sanctuaire” limitant la collaboration des forces de l’ordre locales avec ICE.- La justice sollicitée -La mort d’Alex Pretti intervient après celle d’une autre manifestante, Renee Good, une Américaine de 37 ans elle aussi tuée par balles par un agent fédéral à Minneapolis le 7 janvier.Le malaise atteint jusqu’au camp républicain.Lundi, Chris Madel, un des avocats qui a assisté le policier de l’ICE mis en cause, a annoncé renoncer à briguer l’investiture de ce parti pour le poste de gouverneur du Minnesota.”Je ne peux pas soutenir les représailles lancées par les républicains à l’échelle nationale contre les citoyens de notre Etat, ni me compter comme membre d’un parti qui le ferait”, a souligné ce juriste connu pour défendre les forces de l’ordre.Selon des médias américains, une juge fédérale a promis de rendre une décision rapide concernant la demande du procureur général du Minnesota de suspendre l’opération anti-immigration dans l’Etat. Cela pourrait faire jurisprudence aux Etats-Unis, a estimé auprès de l’AFP David Schultz, professeur de sciences politiques et de droit à l’université Hamline. Les élus démocrates au Congrès menacent, par ailleurs, de bloquer le financement du gouvernement si les agences fédérales de l’immigration ne sont pas réformées.Dans ce contexte de violence politique, “tout le monde est en danger”, a estimé auprès de l’AFP l’écrivain Salman Rushdie, qui a lui-même réchappé d’une violente attaque au couteau il y a trois ans.- “Mensonges écoeurants” -A Minneapolis, des habitants continuent de rendre hommage à Alex Pretti devant un mémorial improvisé.”C’est terrifiant et profondément ignoble de pouvoir exécuter quelqu’un de sang-froid dans la rue, puis le diffamer et mentir sur ce qui s’est passé”, s’est indigné auprès de l’AFP lundi Stephen McLaughlin, un retraité de 68 ans.Comme pour Renee Good, le gouvernement a rejeté la faute sur l’infirmier, lui reprochant de porter un pistolet — ce pour quoi il disposait d’un permis, selon les autorités locales.Une analyse de vidéos par l’AFP semble contredire la version officielle le présentant comme menaçant. Les images montrent l’infirmier dans la rue, filmant avec son téléphone des hommes armés portant des gilets “Police”. Il s’interpose lorsqu’un agent pousse une manifestante et reçoit du gaz lacrymogène au visage. Un agent le plaque à terre et plusieurs de ses collègues interviennent.Alors qu’un policier vêtu de gris semble retirer une arme au niveau de la taille d’Alex Pretti, agenouillé entre plusieurs policiers, un coup de feu est tiré. Les agents s’écartent brusquement et tirent plusieurs fois à distance. Au moins dix détonations sont entendues.Dans un communiqué, ses parents ont accusé l’administration de répandre “des mensonges écœurants” sur leur fils.

Extreme cold grips millions as US digs out of deadly snowstorm

Perilously cold temperatures threatened millions of Americans Monday in the wake of a sprawling winter storm that left at least 23 people dead as it knocked out power and paralyzed transportation.A frigid, life-threatening Arctic air mass could delay recovery as municipalities from New Mexico to Maine tried to dig out following the storm, which dropped a vicious cocktail of heavy snow and wind, along with freezing rain and sleet.Forecasters warned that much of the northern half of the country will see temperatures that are “continuously below freezing through February 1,” and “record low temperatures tonight across the South are particularly dangerous in the wake of the weekend winter storm with many still without power,” the National Weather Service said in an X post.While skies began clearing in parts the country, relentless snowfall in the northeast meant parts of Connecticut saw over 22 inches (56 cm) of snow, with more than 16 inches (40.6 cm) recorded in Boston, Massachusetts.The storm was linked to at least 23 deaths, according to a compilation of state government and local media reports, with causes including hypothermia as well as accidents related to traffic, sledding, ATVs and snowplows.One man was found in the snow unresponsive with a shovel in his hand.In New York City, eight more people were found dead amid plummeting temperatures, and an investigation to determine the causes was underway. It was not known if all of these fatalities were storm-related.Electricity began blinking back on across the south but as of Monday evening well over 550,000 customers remained without it, according to the tracking site Poweroutage.com.Tennessee, Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana — southern states unaccustomed to intense winter weather — were especially impacted.Approximately 190 million people in the United States were under some form of extreme cold alert, the National Weather Service (NWS) told AFP.The Great Lakes region’s residents woke up to extreme temperatures that could cause frostbite on exposed skin within minutes. In parts of Minnesota and Wisconsin, the NWS reported early Monday morning temperatures as low as -23F (-30.6C), with windchills exacerbating the bite.Over the weekend nearly half of the states in the contiguous US received at least a foot of snow (30.5 cm), and in many cases far more. The NWS said New Mexico’s Bonito Lake accumulated the highest US total over the weekend with 31 inches (78.7 cm).Nashville Mayor Freddie O’Connell told journalists that trees were continuing to fall under the weight of encrusted ice across the Tennessee capital city — sometimes knocking out power that had already been restored.Nashville and other municipalities across the country were establishing emergency warming shelters.NWS meteorologist Allison Santorelli told AFP this storm recovery was particularly arduous because so many states were impacted — meaning northern states with more winter supplies were unable to share their resources with less-prepared southern regions.”A lot of those locations don’t have the means or the resources to clean up after these events,” she said. “We’re particularly concerned about the folks in those areas that are without power right now.”- Polar vortex -At least 20 states and the capital Washington were under states of emergency in order to deploy emergency personnel and resources.The snowfall and biting icy pellets that pummeled cities left impassable roads along with canceled buses, trains and flights — thousands of departures and arrivals were scrapped over the weekend.The storm system was the result of a stretched polar vortex, an Arctic region of cold, low-pressure air that normally forms a relatively compact, circular system but sometimes morphs into a more oval shape, sending cold air pouring across North America.Scientists say the increasing frequency of such disruptions may be linked to climate change, though the debate is not settled and natural variability plays a role.Dave Radell, a NWS meteorologist based in New York, told AFP that the character of this storm’s snow was “very dry” and “fluffy,” meaning the wind could lash it around with ease, impeding roadway-clearing efforts and visibility.”That makes it even more challenging,” he said.

Trump attempts to pivot in face of Minneapolis killing backlash

President Donald Trump sent his top border enforcer to Minneapolis on Monday and struck a conciliatory note in a bid to tamp down nationwide outrage over the second killing of a US citizen protesting militarized immigration raids this month.The White House was scrambling as video of the latest shooting went viral, prompting street protests, criticism from former presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and, increasingly, from within Trump’s Republican Party.Trump said Tom Homan, his point man for border security, “will report directly to me.”Homan’s new role appears to acknowledge the administration has run into political damage, with polls showing a majority of Americans disapprove of the often brutal crackdown by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents.In a marked change of tone, Trump said he held a “very good” talk with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat whom he has repeatedly accused of corruption. Trump also said he had called Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, another Democrat, with the latter saying “the president agreed the present situation can’t continue.”Frey also said “some federal agents” will begin leaving Minneapolis on Tuesday, without providing specifics.White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said that “nobody in the White House, including President Trump, wants to see people getting hurt or killed.”She also expressed sorrow for the death of Alex Pretti, an intensive care unit nurse who was gunned down Saturday at point blank range by immigration officers while protesting in Minneapolis. Earlier, top Trump officials had branded Pretti, 37, a “domestic terrorist.”Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison on Sunday accused the Trump administration of pushing a “flat-out insane” narrative.- DHS denies Bovino ouster -In yet another indication of a pivot, US media reported that controversial Border Patrol commander Gregory Bovino was leaving Minneapolis — though the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has vehemently denied he is being let go.”Chief Gregory Bovino has NOT been relieved of his duties,” DHS assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin posted on X, reiterating the White House messaging that Bovino “is a key part of the President’s team and a great American.”Despite his recent moves, there was no sign Trump was retreating from the broader, hardline policy of sending heavily armed, masked and unidentified ICE agents into Democratic-run cities to track down people breaking immigration laws — actions that Bovino has relished leading.There remain “hundreds of thousands” of “the worst illegal aliens” left to deport, Leavitt said.Campaigning against illegal immigration helped Trump get elected in 2024, but daily videos of violent masked agents, and multiple reports of people being targeted on flimsy evidence, have helped send Trump’s approval ratings plummeting.Minneapolis has become ground zero in the turmoil. Huge rallies took place despite bitter cold on Friday to protest an ICE agent’s killing of protester Renee Good, a 37-year-old mother of three on January 7.Like Pretti, she had been shot at close range and was a US citizen.- Race against shutdown -Opening a new front in the crisis, a federal judge in Minneapolis heard arguments Monday on whether the deployment of federal officers violates the state of Minnesota’s sovereignty.In a separate hearing, a judge was considering a request to force federal officials to preserve evidence in the killing of Pretti, saying she would rule quickly.Pressure is also mounting in Congress, where Democrats are threatening to hold up funding for the US government unless immigration enforcement agencies are reformed.Monday’s shift in White House messaging came as Republicans — who rarely criticize their 79-year-old party leader in public — began to express alarm, including House Oversight Committee chairman James Comer and Texas Governor Greg Abbott.Republican Chris Madel sent shockwaves when he dropped out of the running for Minnesota’s upcoming governor race to replace Walz, saying he could not remain a member of a party inflicting “retribution on the citizens of our state.”

London-based Persian TV aims to air ‘truth’ about Iran protests

Journalists at the Persian-language TV station Iran International in London have been working flat out, vowing to “show the truth” about the protests in Iran, despite threats against them and their families.The private broadcaster, housed in a heavily-secured building in west London, was labelled a “terrorist” organisation by Tehran in 2022 along with the BBC’s Persian-language channel.But Iranians can still access it via satellite and private VPN codes, and have continued to tune in even after authorities imposed an unprecedented nationwide communications blackout on January 8.Thousands of Iranians managed to send the channel videos of the crackdown, broadcast after verification. Many also sent audio or written testimonies describing atrocities they had witnessed.Farnoosh Faraji, a senior journalist, scrolled through images of piles of bodies, a man killed by a bullet in his back, and armed forces firing on fleeing protesters.”Honestly, it’s horrible. At the beginning I couldn’t believe it. I thought maybe the images were made with AI,” said the journalist, who fled Iran in 2012.- ‘Shocked by brutality’ -Part of the digital team, she spends her days analysing footage of the bloodshed.”I promised myself to be strong. I must help my people, this is part of my job,” she said.Presenter Reza Mohaddes said: “We were shocked by the brutality of the regime. How can you do this sort of things to your own people?”On Sunday, the channel reported that at least 36,500 people had been killed by security forces during the January 8-9 crackdown, citing newly obtained classified documents and accounts from medical sources and families.The anti-government demos were sparked by economic grievances in late December, but soon turned into mass street rallies against the Islamic republic.The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) said Monday it had confirmed that 5,848 people had been killed, adding it was still investigating another 17,091 possible fatalities.Launched in 2017, Iran International “was created to be the voice of truth, the voice of the people of Iran,” Mohaddes said.The channel estimates its weekly audience is “probably now over 40 million,” said spokesman Adam Baillie.It is one of several Persian‑language outlets critical of Iran’s clerical leadership operating from abroad, including the London‑based station Manoto.According to Baillie, Iran International is the most-watched television channel inside Iran and is also followed by the large Iranian diaspora.The newsroom employs about 200 journalists, with correspondents in Washington, Paris, Berlin and Tel Aviv. Iran International is regularly accused of receiving backing from Saudi Arabia — claims the station denies.”Our investor is a British-Saudi national. But it is not … controlled by Saudi Arabia. It’s nothing to do with the Saudi Arabian state,” said Baillie.- Anonymous threats -He insisted the station is independent and supports neither Reza Pahlavi, the exiled son of Iran’s former shah who has backed the sweeping protests, nor Israel, contrary to allegations from Tehran.Working at Iran International “you need a lot of courage … You have to be quite tough,” said Baillie.”The threats against the channel have grown exponentially since we began. We’ve never been free of them … but it has reached another level”.Faraji recalled how her best friend, who is still in Iran, was arrested and forced by police to send her a message urging her to resign.Mohaddes recently received an anonymous email threatening to kill him and also to blow up the building.Like previous threats, the message was reported to London police.In 2023, on the advice of British counter-terrorism police, Iran International was forced to shut down and temporarily broadcast from Washington for seven months. In March 2024, one of the channel’s reporters was stabbed near his London home, spurring an investigation by Scotland Yard.Britain’s foreign ministry has also summoned Iran’s most senior diplomat to protest “serious threats” against journalists living in the UK.”I’m not afraid at all,” insisted Mohaddes. “We’re all fighting to get rid of this brutal regime.”