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Bangladesh, the world’s second-biggest garment manufacturer, holds hope to reduce the 35 percent tariff that US President Donald Trump said he will impose, the country’s top commerce official told AFP on Tuesday.Textile and garment production accounts for about 80 percent of exports in Bangladesh and the industry has been rebuilding after it was hit hard in a student-led revolution that toppled the government last year.”There is a hope for getting a reduced rate of tariffs as USTR (Office of the United States Trade Representative) sent another draft document for review,” Commerce Secretary Mahbubur Rahman told AFP.Rahman said the South Asia nation’s national security adviser and commerce adviser were “working on the issue” in the United States.Bangladesh exported $8.36 billion worth of goods to the United States in 2024, while imports from there amounted to $2.21 billion, according to the Bangladesh Bank and the National Board of Revenue.US clothing companies that source products from Bangladesh range from Fruit of the Loom to Levi Strauss to VF Corp — whose brands include Vans, Timberland and The North Face.Trump hit Bangladesh with 37 percent tariffs in an April 2 announcement, but in a letter issued Tuesday, the US leader said it would now be 35 percent.That is more than double the 16 percent already placed on cotton products.Dhaka has proposed to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, which Trump has used as justification for imposing painful levies.Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), called it “a big challenge for the garment sector”.”We had expected the tariff imposed on us to be between 10 to 20 percent,” he said, adding he expected Dhaka’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus to “raise the issue with the United States”.Former BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel warned the impact as tariffs stand would be dire.”The new tariffs raise worries about job losses in Bangladesh as the US is its main export market,” he said.”Bangladesh needs to act quickly by engaging US importers to push for policy changes, resuming high-level trade talks, and highlighting the importance of its products.”

US President Donald Trump reignited his trade war by threatening more than a dozen countries with higher tariffs Monday — but then said he may be flexible on his new August deadline to reach deals.Trump sent letters to trading partners including key US allies Japan and South Korea, announcing that duties he had suspended in April would snap back even more steeply in three weeks.Tokyo and Seoul would be hit with 25 percent tariffs on their goods, he wrote. Countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia were slapped with duties ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.But in a move that will cause fresh uncertainty in a global economy already unsettled by his tariffs, the 79-year-old once again left the countries room to negotiate a deal.”I would say firm, but not 100 percent firm,” Trump told reporters at a dinner with visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu when asked if August 1 deadline was firm.Pressed on whether the letters were his final offer, Trump replied: “I would say final — but if they call with a different offer, and I like it, then we’ll do it.”The US president had unveiled sweeping tariffs on imports on what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, including a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries.But he quickly suspended all tariffs above 10 percent for 90 days following turmoil in the markets. They were due to kick back in on Wednesday and Trump sent the letters in advance of that deadline.Trump’s near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders said he would impose 25 percent tariffs as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”He warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against the levies.But Trump on Monday also signed an order formally extending the Wednesday deadline, postponing it to August 1.- ‘President’s prerogative’ -The new August date effectively marks a further delay — and Trump’s latest comments threaten to compound the uncertainty over when the deadline really is.According to letters posted to Trump’s Truth Social platform, products from Indonesia will face a 32 percent tariff, while the level for Bangladesh is 35 percent and Thailand, 36 percent.Most countries receiving letters so far had duties similar or unchanged from rates threatened in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia saw notably lower levels.The Trump administration is under pressure to show results after promising “90 deals in 90 days.” So far only two firm deals have emerged, with Britain and Vietnam, plus an agreement to dial back super-high tit-for-tat tariffs with China.Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a cabinet meeting Monday that the announcement of the 25 percent tariffs is “genuinely regrettable,” local media reported.South Korea’s National Security Adviser Wi Sung-lac meanwhile met with his US counterpart Marco Rubio in Washington, expressing hope that a bilateral summit could soon be held to achieve “mutually beneficial outcomes across key pending issues.”Asked why Trump opted to start with Japan and South Korea, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said: “It’s the president’s prerogative, and those are the countries he chose.”Thailand’s acting prime minister Phumtham Wechayachai said Tuesday he wanted a “better deal” than the 36 percent tariff Trump threatened to impose, adding: “The most important thing is that we maintain good relations with the US.”Malaysia said it was “committed to continuing engagement with the US towards a balanced, mutually beneficial, and comprehensive trade agreement,” its trade ministry said in a statement, after Washington imposed a 25 percent tariff on the Southeast Asian nation.US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Monday that there would be more deals coming up: “We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours.”Major US stock indexes fell from records Monday on Trump’s fresh threats. The Nasdaq tumbled 0.9 percent and the S&P 500 lost 0.8 percent.Trump has also threatened an extra 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.But partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.The European Commission said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.

Protests in Bangladesh that toppled the government last year triggered a diplomatic pivot, with Dhaka warming towards China after neighbouring India was angered by the ousting of its old ally Sheikh Hasina.One year since the protests, that realignment risks intensifying polarisation — and fears of external interference — as political parties in Bangladesh jostle for influence ahead of elections next year.For the caretaker government, seeking domestic consensus for overhauling democratic institutions in the country of 170 million people, it is another challenge to juggle.”India-Bangladesh relations have probably never experienced such intense strain before,” said New Delhi-based analyst Praveen Donthi, from the International Crisis Group.There is deep resentment in Dhaka over the fate of fugitive ex-prime minister Hasina, who escaped a student-led uprising by helicopter in August 2024 and flew to New Delhi as thousands of protesters stormed her palace.Interim leader Muhammad Yunus said popular anger in Muslim-majority Bangladesh had been “transferred over to India” because Hasina was offered sanctuary by New Delhi’s Hindu nationalist government.Hasina, 77, has defied extradition orders to attend her crimes against humanity trial, and has already been convicted in absentia for contempt of court with a six-month sentence.- ‘Readjustment’ -Md Touhid Hossain, who heads Bangladesh’s foreign ministry, said that “the relationship is now at the readjustment stage”.Nobel Peace Prize winner Yunus’s first state visit was to China in March, a trip that saw him secure $2.1 billion in investments, loans and grants.Beijing has also courted leading politicians directly.Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, a senior leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — the expected election frontrunner — said China is “keen” to work with the next elected government with “sincerity, steadfastness, love, and affection”.India has long been wary of China’s growing regional clout and the world’s two most populous countries compete for influence in South Asia, despite a recent diplomatic thaw.Bangladesh has also moved closer to Pakistan, India’s arch-enemy.In May, more than 70 people were killed in four days of missile, drone and artillery fire between the forces of New Delhi and Islamabad, sparked by a deadly militant attack on civilians in India-administered Kashmir. The following month, officials from Dhaka and Islamabad met counterparts in China. Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said the trio had agreed to “cooperation programmes” including in trade, industry, education and agriculture.Obaidul Haque, who teaches international relations at the University of Dhaka, said talks with Beijing had “borne fruit”, including alternative healthcare after once popular medical tourism to India was restricted.”For example, China designated three hospitals for Bangladeshi patients when India made access difficult,” he said.- ‘Tread carefully’ -Bangladesh and Pakistan — which split in 1971 after Dhaka’s independence war — began trade by sea last year, with direct flights also slated. That sparked worry in New Delhi.”The current Indian political leadership, owing to its ideological foundations… are unwilling to accept Dhaka under a government they perceive as Islamist and hostile towards India,” Donthi said.”The visible engagement between Dhaka, Islamabad, and Beijing enhances this perception further.”Both New Delhi and Bangladesh have imposed trade restrictions on each other.India, which encircles much of Bangladesh by land, has imposed multiple trade restrictions — including tightening rules on Indian imports of jute fibres, ready-made garments, plastic products and food.But trade between the neighbouring nations remains high, said Md Humayun Kabir, a former Bangladeshi ambassador to Washington, who has also served in India.But he urged caution, saying Dhaka should “tread carefully forming alliances”, and seek to strengthen “multilateral relations” as a balance.”Cooperation still exists between the countries, but the warmth is gone,” he said. – ‘Attempts to undermine’ -Separately, Bangladesh, the world’s second-largest garment exporter, has also been caught in the global shakeup caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.Dhaka is proposing to buy Boeing planes and boost imports of US wheat, cotton and oil in a bid to reduce the trade deficit, with Yunus in June telling US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of his “commitment to strengthening” ties.But in terms of regional tensions, analysts say little will change soon — and warn they have the potential to escalate.”Things might change only if New Delhi is satisfied with the electoral process and sees somebody amenable to it come to power in Dhaka,” the Crisis Group’s Donthi added. “It is very unlikely that their position will change towards the current government in Dhaka,” he said. “There may be attempts to undermine it rather than to collaborate.” 

US President Donald Trump unveiled higher tariffs for Japan, South Korea and a dozen other countries in a push for new trade deals Monday — but extended the deadline for the steeper levies to kick in until August.Trump issued similar letters to countries including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Thailand, South Africa and Malaysia, saying he would slap duties on their products ranging from 25 percent to 40 percent.These mark a step up from the 10 percent levy the president earlier imposed on almost all trading partners.But the starting date of August 1 marks a delay in Trump’s reimposition of higher duties, originally due Wednesday.In near-identically worded letters to Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said US tariff hikes to 25 percent came as their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”He warned of further escalation if there was retaliation against the levies.But the president said he was ready to lower the new levels if partners 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.Trump originally announced sweeping tariffs on world economies during what he called “Liberation Day” on April 2, claiming the United States was being “ripped off.”Amid market turmoil, he then suspended higher duties affecting dozens of economies for 90 days, a deadline that would have expired Wednesday.On Monday, Trump signed an order formally extending the Wednesday deadline, postponing it to August 1.With the delay, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt noted that Trump would set out the “reciprocal tariff rate” for partners in the coming month as negotiations continue.According to letters posted to Trump’s Truth Social platform, products from Indonesia will face a 32 percent tariff, while the level for Bangladesh is 35 percent and Thailand, 36 percent.Most countries receiving letters so far had duties similar or unchanged from threatened rates in April, although some like Laos and Cambodia see notably lower levels.While the Trump administration had signaled hopes of striking dozens of deals by July, 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 letters to 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 more 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,” Bessent told CNBC.He added that he would meet with his Chinese counterpart in the coming weeks.Both sides have so far held high-level talks in Geneva and London. But Washington and Beijing’s pause on higher tit-for-tat tariffs is due to expire in mid-August.Major US stock indexes fell from records Monday on Trump’s fresh threats. The Nasdaq tumbled 0.9 percent and the S&P 500 lost 0.8 percent.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.But partners are still rushing to avert Trump’s tariffs altogether.The European Commission said EU chief Ursula von der Leyen had a “good exchange” with Trump on trade when the pair spoke Sunday.

The United Nations General Assembly on Monday denounced the “systematic oppression” of women and girls in Afghanistan by the country’s Taliban authorities.The resolution was adopted by 116 votes in favor versus the United States and Israel against, with 12 abstentions.The text “expresses its serious concern about the grave, worsening, widespread and systematic oppression of all women and girls in Afghanistan by the Taliban.”It said the Taliban, a strictly conservative Islamist armed group that took control of the country in 2021, “has put in place an institutionalized system of discrimination, segregation, disrespect for human dignity and the exclusion of women and girls.”Since taking power, Taliban authorities, who also ruled the country between 1996 and 2001, have restricted women’s education and ability to work, and barred them from participation in many forms of public life. Member states called on the Taliban “to swiftly reverse contradictory policies and practices,” including laws that “extend the already intolerable restrictions on the human rights of women and girls and on basic personal freedoms for all Afghans.”The resolution welcomed the Doha talks, initiated in 2023 by the UN to coordinate the international community’s approach to the Taliban authorities, and called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to appoint a coordinator to facilitate that process.The United States opposed the resolution and rejected engagement with the Taliban government.”Nearly four years following the Taliban takeover, we continue the same conversations and engage with the same so-called Taliban officials about improving the situation in Afghanistan without demanding results from them,” said US representative Jonathan Shrier.”The United States will no longer enable their heinous behavior.”The Taliban returned to power after reaching a peace agreement with the United States during President Donald Trump’s first term, overthrowing the country’s government after foreign forces withdrew under the deal. Russia officially became the first country to recognize the Taliban government last week. 

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.

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.

US President Donald Trump said Monday he was slapping 25 percent tariffs on Japan and South Korea, in his first letters to trading partners ahead of a deadline to reach a deal with Washington.Trump had said at the weekend that starting from Monday he would send a first batch of up to 15 letters to countries informing them that he would reimpose harsh levies that he had postponed in April.In near-identically worded letters to the Japanese and South Korean leaders, Trump said the tariffs would apply from August 1 because their trading relationships with Washington were “unfortunately, far from Reciprocal.”Trump warned the countries, both key US allies in East Asia, of an escalation if they responded to the new US tariffs. But he also said he was ready to modify levies “downwards” if Japan and South Korea changed their trade policies.Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Sunday that he “won’t easily compromise” in trade talks with Washington.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, Trump then suspended the initial tariffs for 90 days, a deadline that expires on Wednesday.  But the Trump administration has said that the duties will not “boomerang” back until August 1, apparently extending the deadline despite denials from officials.While the Trump administration has signaled hopes of striking dozens of deals by early 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’ -Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said there would be a number of deals coming up.”We are going to have several announcements in the next 48 hours,” Bessent told CNBC in an interview Monday.”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 said.There was no immediate response from the White House on whether Trump would formally extend the Wednesday deadline for the tariffs to snap back.Asked about Trump’s letters, Bessent said these would inform partners of the tariff rate their products face when trading with the United States, unless they want to “come back and try to negotiate.”Bessent told CNBC Monday that he would “be meeting with my Chinese counterpart sometime in the next couple of 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.””Every country that we run a major deficit with is fully engaged,” he told CNBC on Monday.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.

US President Donald Trump threatened China, India, and some of the world’s fastest-emerging economies with higher import tariffs, hitting back at BRICS criticism of his trade policies as the bloc meets Monday. The 11-nation grouping — which also includes US allies Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia — is concluding a two-day summit in Rio de Janeiro. On Sunday, BRICS leaders described Trump’s stop-start tariff wars as “indiscriminate,” damaging, and illegal, drawing a late-night rebuke from the pugilistic US president.”Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump wrote on social media. BRICS members account for about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output.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 their summit statement.  Saudi Arabia — one of the world’s biggest purchasers of US high-tech weapons — even kept its foreign minister away from Sunday’s talks and a BRICS group photo of leaders, seemingly to avoid Washington’s ire.  But such diplomatic gestures were lost on the US president.  – No shows -In April, Trump threatened a slew of punitive duties, 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 said. 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.

Hundreds of well-wishers lined up outside the home of Nepal’s deposed king to celebrate his 78th birthday on Monday, the latest pro-monarchy show of support in the Himalayan republic.Gyanendra Shah, the last king of Nepal, was deposed in 2008 at the end of a decade-long civil war.”I am thankful to everyone who came,” Shah said in a brief address to the crowd, dressed in a brown suit jacket and sporting a traditional Nepali cloth hat.In the past year, public support for the restoration of the monarchy has grown — in tandem with dissatisfaction over political instability, corruption and slow economic development in the country of 30 million people.Waving flags and carrying banners, supporters lined the streets near Shah’s residence, some honking traditional trumpets and thumping drums.Nepal’s royal palace in the capital Kathmandu is now a museum, and Shah’s home is a sprawling estate fortified with high walls.”I wish him a long life, and hope to see monarchy return soon,” Prajuna Shrestha, a 33-year-old businesswoman, told AFP.Shah accepted flowers and traditional offerings as his grandchildren stood behind him.- ‘Politics has deteriorated’ -Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, 73, began his fourth term last year after his Communist Party forged a coalition government with the centre-left Nepali Congress in the often-volatile parliament.”We need a king because it was the monarchy that first unified Nepal,” Shrestha added. “If we look at the current situation, politics has deteriorated, and the politicians have ruined our country.”Shah was crowned in 2001 after his elder brother king Birendra Bir Bikram Shah and his family were killed in a palace massacre.His coronation took place as a Maoist insurgency was raging in far-flung corners of Nepal.Shah suspended the constitution and dissolved parliament in 2005, triggering a democratic uprising in which the Maoists sided with Nepal’s political establishment to orchestrate huge street protests.That eventually precipitated the end of the conflict, with parliament voting in 2008 to abolish Nepal’s 240-year-old Hindu monarchy.Abdicated king Shah had largely refrained from commenting on Nepal’s fractious politics, but has recently made several public appearances with supporters.According to the World Bank, Nepal is currently facing multiple challenges, with more than 80 percent of the workforce in informal employment.The bank also notes however, that real GDP grew by 4.9 percent in the first half of the 2025 financial year — up from 4.3 percent in the same period a year earlier — primarily due to a “pickup in agricultural and industrial sectors”.Headline inflation over the same period also eased to five percent, down from 6.5 percent the year before,