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The United States expects to resolve a bitter tariff row with India within weeks, an envoy of President Donald Trump said Thursday, as he voiced hope for keeping New Delhi in US good graces.India has seen outrage and a spike in anti-US sentiment after Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50 percent on some of its exports over purchases of oil from Russia, under Western sanctions for its invasion of Ukraine.Sergio Gor, nominated by Trump to be ambassador to India, said he expected progress when India’s trade minister visits Washington next week.”I do think it will get resolved over the next few weeks,” Gor told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in his confirmation hearing.Gor has risen quickly in the Trump White House after spearheading the quick vetting for loyalty of 4,000 appointees to run the US government.Despite his lack of formal foreign policy experience, Gor, a 38-year-old former fund-raiser for Trump, appeared prepared for his questions, deftly not replying to a senator’s question on India’s volatile relationship with Pakistan.Describing the tariffs as a “little hiccup,” Gor — also named to a broad position of Trump’s special envoy for South Asia — said of concern over India’s Russia ties, “We hold our friends to different standards.””I will make it a top priority to ensure that they’re pulled in our direction, not away from us,” Gor said of India.Gor noted that Trump, not shy about airing grievances with other leaders, has not personally attacked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a fellow right-wing populist.”When the president has been critical of India, he has gone out of his way to compliment Prime Minister Modi,” Gor said.Trump has accused New Delhi of fueling Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine by buying oil from Russia, its Cold War ally. Trump trade advisor Peter Navarro has even called it “Modi’s war.”Trump has not taken similar action against Russia itself and appeared peeved that Modi did not personally credit him for a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following their conflict in May.India — maintaining a decades-old red line against outside intervention over divided Kashmir — has also rebuffed Trump’s overtures to mediate between the two nuclear-armed nations.- ‘Wrong direction’ -Politicians from across the US political spectrum have nearly unanimously supported warm ties with India, making Trump’s tariffs a greater jolt.US policymakers have eyed democratic India as a balance to the world’s other billion-plus nation, China, seen as the top long-term adversary to the United States. Modi recently paid a friendly visit to China, despite the two powers’ long animosity.Democratic Senator Tim Kaine told Gor that the United States should be “tough when we need to be, but balance that with a real understanding that we want to be close to India and we don’t want to push them in the wrong direction.”Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has used tariffs as a wide-ranging tool to address what Washington deems unfair trade practices as well as assorted other priorities.Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC on Thursday that “India basically has to open their market, has to stop buying Russian oil,” when asked about trade talks.He added that “we’ve got a big deal coming with Taiwan, we’ll probably get a deal done with Switzerland.” Steeper tariffs took effect on both economies in early August.

The killing of right-wing influencer Charlie Kirk, an ally of President Donald Trump, marks a new milestone in an increasingly violent political scene in the United States.Officials are treating the gunning down of Kirk, 31, at a university in Utah as a politically motivated assassination — something that Trump has called a “dark moment for America.”The US president himself, known like Kirk for his divisive rhetoric, was targeted by a would-be assassin in July 2024 during an election campaign in Pennsylvania. He escaped with just a minor injury to his right ear but the attempted killing shook the United States, which has a long line of murdered presidents, politicians and activists.It’s a violent history that does not discriminate on either side of the political aisle. In June, a masked shooter killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband at their home. Another elected official and his wife were also targeted and seriously injured. And Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro — touted last year as a presidential hopeful — had his home set alight in April in an alleged assassination attempt. Kirk’s death in front of a crowd of hundreds has particularly shaken conservative politicians. Trump, whose own supporters attacked the US Congress in 2021 after his election loss, condemned political violence in a video address late Wednesday. But rather than calling for unity, he took aim at the “radical left” for rhetoric that Trump said “is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing in our country today, and it must stop right now.”And listing recent instances of political violence in the US, he notably did not mention the killing of Melissa Hortman. Trump’s finger pointing was repeated by other conservative figures including Elon Musk, who wrote on X: “The Left is the party of murder.”In the House of Representatives late Wednesday, Republican speaker Mike Johnson observed a silent prayer in tribute to Kirk.But even that led to conflict, as a loyal Trump lawmaker Lauren Boebert’s request that the prayer be said aloud was rejected by Democrats, who cited another shooting at a high school in Colorado on Wednesday. “You all caused this,” shouted Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, in apparent reference to Kirk’s murder. That dramatic scene seemed to show how Congress, much like American politics, has tipped into more extreme polarization, even on such a somber night. 

US authorities investigating the killing of right-wing youth leader Charlie Kirk released pictures Thursday of a man they were hunting, as Donald Trump paid tribute to a “giant of his generation.”Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who was credited with helping Trump return to the presidency last year, was shot while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.The killing — described by the FBI as a “targeted event” — shocked a nation already reeling from political tensions half a year into Trump’s second term.Authorities acknowledged the gunman remained at large after having escaped initially into woodland.”We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best,” FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls told a media briefing.Authorities said the suspect was of university age and that they had quality video footage, yet to be released, identifying the man. The FBI also announced a reward of up to $100,000 for information.The FBI issued grainy photos of a person of interest — not yet a suspect — and asked for the public’s help identifying him. The pictures showed a man wearing a black baseball cap, dark sunglasses, and what appeared to be jeans, with a long-sleeved top emblazoned with a design including an American flag.Bohls said the presumed murder weapon had been found.”It is a high powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” the FBI agent said.- ‘Dark moment’ -Reflecting the intensely political nature of the incident, it was Trump, rather than law enforcement authorities, who first announced to Americans on Wednesday that Kirk had died from the gunshot to his neck.Trump then addressed the nation in a video address on social media in which he cited a “dark moment for America.”Despite no public information about the shooter’s identity or motive, the president went on to suggest that the left wing was responsible — and to pledge a wide-reaching response.”For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing.”On Thursday Trump used a tribute to victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks 24 years ago to honor Kirk.”Charlie was a giant of his generation, a champion of liberty and an inspiration to millions and millions of people,” Trump said, adding that he would be posthumously awarding the activist the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian honor.- Shot in neck -Kirk was shot while speaking to the crowd and immediately collapsed in his chair.Students at the university described the ensuing panic — and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.”It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas,” said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, told AFP.Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called the killing a “political assassination.”Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a “martyr” for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home, and Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024.Vice President JD Vance was due to travel to Utah to meet Kirk’s family Thursday, a source familiar with the plans said, after he canceled a trip to New York to mark the 9/11 attacks anniversary.

Hundreds of South Koreans detained in a US immigration raid flew out on Thursday, after a stunned Seoul warned that the “bewildering” episode could have a chilling effect on future investment. South Koreans made up the majority of the 475 people arrested last week at a Hyundai-LG battery factory site in the state of Georgia, triggering a delicate effort to resolve the thorny situation between close allies.A specially chartered Korean Air Boeing 747-8I plane was seen flying out of Atlanta after South Korea said it resolved the standoff. President Donald Trump’s administration remained tight-lipped.Photographs run by the Yonhap news agency showed the workers smiling and waving as they boarded buses after days in US detention.South Korea is a staunch security ally and major investor for the United States, with its top companies pouring billions into developing factories and plants in America.South Korean President Lee Jae Myung called the raid “bewildering” and noted it could have a chilling effect on future investment.Lee blamed the raid on “cultural differences” saying that in South Korea, American nationals teaching English while on a tourist visa was not seen as “a serious issue”.After the detentions, South Korean companies “can’t help but question whether setting up a plant in the US is worth the potential risks,” Lee said.”This could have a significant impact on future investment decisions, particularly when evaluating the feasibility of direct operations in the US,” he added.Many South Korean companies have relied on bringing in their own workforce during project development periods, with industry sources telling AFP it is common practice to use visa workarounds to bring in skilled labour and avoid project delays.Lee said that for South Korean companies “when setting up facilities, equipment and factories, skilled technicians are essential.””Someone has to install the machinery, and the necessary workforce simply doesn’t exist locally in the US,” he said, adding that the companies had long relied on bringing in their engineers for short-term periods to train local workers.”But now, even that basic request is being rejected,” he said.Secretary of State Marco Rubio, meeting South Korea’s Foreign Minister Cho Hyun on Wednesday, told him that the United States welcomed investment from Asia’s fourth largest economy, according to the State Department.The State Department also announced Thursday that Rubio’s deputy, Christopher Landau, would travel shortly to Seoul to speak both with the government and businesses.- Handcuff shock -Lee said Seoul was negotiating with Washington “to ensure that visa issuance for investment-related purposes operates normally.” This could include “securing additional quotas” or even creating a new visa category, he said, adding that he trusted the “US side will find a solution”.”But under the current circumstances, Korean companies will have little choice but to hesitate about making direct investments in the US,” he added.The operation was the largest single-site raid conducted since US President Donald Trump launched a sweeping immigration crackdown, a top political priority since he returned to office in January.The raid came less than a month after Trump welcomed Lee to the White House.Images of the South Korean workers being chained and handcuffed have caused widespread alarm, and Seoul has said it negotiated to make sure the workers were not handcuffed again as they were repatriated.The raid highlights lopsided priorities in the Trump administration, which is “actively bringing in large-scale production facilities while neglecting to train local workers,” said Kim Dae-jong, professor of business at Sejong University.”As a result, South Koreans are having to train the local workforce. Logically, the two sides’ workers should be allowed to work together, not be hindered from doing so,” he told AFP.But Cho Dong-geun, professor emeritus of economics at Myongji University warned that South Korean companies had long been aware of the visa problems. “It is regrettable that there was no earlier intervention to address these matters in response to President Trump’s anti-immigration agenda, as it should have been acted on more swiftly.”

US consumer inflation rose last month to its highest level since January, government data showed Thursday, although analysts believe that this will not deter the central bank from an interest rate cut next week.The data also underscored cost-of-living pressures on households as President Donald Trump’s tariffs filter through the world’s biggest economy, complicating the Federal Reserve’s role in maintaining stable prices.The consumer price index (CPI) picked up to 2.9 percent in August, accelerating from 2.7 percent on a year-on-year basis in July, said the Labor Department.The figure was in line with analysts’ expectations, as economists try to gauge if Trump’s duties will trigger a one-off price increase or lead to persistently higher costs.On a month-on-month basis, CPI rose 0.4 percent in August, the report said, also picking up from 0.2 percent in July.A measure of underlying inflation, stripping away the volatile food and energy components, was up by 3.1 percent from a year ago.”We are seeing some impact from tariffs, especially with higher prices on cars and clothes,” said LPL Financial chief economist Jeffrey Roach.He added that grocery costs also clocked their biggest jump since 2022, adding to consumers’ stress.Since returning to the presidency in January, Trump has imposed a 10-percent tariff on almost all trading partners and higher rates hitting dozens of economies.He has separately targeted sector-specific imports such as steel and autos, and economists warn that the cumulative effect will take time to reach consumers.- Rate cuts to begin -All eyes are on inflation numbers given their potential bearing on the Fed’s interest rate decisions.But the central bank is poised to start cutting rates at its next policy meeting from September 16-17 even with slightly hotter inflation, Nationwide chief economist Kathy Bostjancic told AFP.”The jump in initial jobless claims to its highest reading since October 2021 overshadows the importance of the inflation report,” she said, referring to a separate set of data released Thursday.The uptick signals that the labor market is losing steam “and reinforces that the Fed needs to start cutting rates next week.”International Monetary Fund spokesperson Julie Kozack told reporters Thursday that “some strains are beginning to show” in the US economy, with demand cooling and job growth slowing.”There is scope for the Fed to begin to lower policy rates,” she added at a press briefing, noting risks to the employment market.A rate reduction, which would be the first since December, will likely also be the start of a series of cuts, Bostjancic said.Traders widely anticipate that the Fed will lower the benchmark lending rate by 25 basis points at the end of its September meeting.While Trump has repeatedly pushed for lower interest rates, policymakers have kept levels unchanged this year as they monitored the effects of tariffs on prices.With employment weakening, however, the Fed might be inclined to make a cut to boost the economy, as opposed to keeping rates at a higher level when seeking to contain inflation.- ‘Middle-class squeeze’ -The August CPI boost however came as food, energy and shelter costs all increased.”The middle-class squeeze from tariffs is here,” warned Navy Federal Credit Union chief economist Heather Long.”It’s troubling that so many basic necessities now cost more,” she added in a note, cautioning that “this is only the beginning.” While businesses stockpiled inventory in anticipation of Trump’s tariffs, allowing them to stave off some immediate price hikes, they will eventually have to replenish stock at higher import costs.”Coffee is up 21 percent from last August, audio equipment is up 12 percent and living and dining room furniture is up 10 percent. These items are directly impacted by tariffs,” Long said.Roach, the LPL economist, added that August’s inflation data may not change the Fed’s immediate plans for a rate reduction.But “it’s possible the Fed will hold in October if inflation expectations no longer look well-contained,” he said.

The gunman who shot dead US right-wing youth leader Charlie Kirk in a targeted killing remained at large Thursday but authorities said they have video images of the suspect and have recovered a “high-powered” rifle.Kirk, a 31-year-old superstar on the Republican right who was credited with helping Donald Trump return to the presidency last year, was shot while addressing a large crowd at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.The killing — described by the FBI as a “targeted event” — shocked a nation already reeling from political tensions half a year into Trump’s second term.Authorities acknowledged the gunman remained at large after having escaped into woodland.”We’re doing everything we can to find him, and we’re not sure how far he has gone yet, but we will do our best,” FBI Special Agent Robert Bohls told a media briefing.Authorities said they had secured quality images of the killer, who was of university age.”We do have good video footage of this individual. We are not going to release that at this time,” said Beau Mason, commissioner of the Utah Department of Public Safety.Bohls said the presumed murder weapon had also been found.”It is a high powered bolt action rifle. That rifle was recovered in a wooded area where the shooter had fled,” the FBI agent said.Two people initially detained for questioning were released after officials determined they had no connection to the shooting.- ‘Dark moment’ -Reflecting the intensely political nature of the incident, it was Trump, rather than law enforcement authorities, who first announced to Americans that Kirk had died from his wound.Trump then addressed the nation in a video address on social media in which he cited a “dark moment for America.”Despite no public information about the shooter’s identity or motive, the president went on to suggest that the left wing was responsible — and to pledge a wide-reaching response.”For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said. “This kind of rhetoric is directly responsible for the terrorism that we’re seeing.””My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity,” Trump said.- Shot in neck -Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking to the crowd and collapsed in his chair.Students at the university described the ensuing panic — and their broader fears as political divisions deepen across the country.”It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas,” said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, told AFP.Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called the killing a “political assassination.”Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a “martyr” for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home, and Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024.Vice President JD Vance was due to travel to Utah to meet Kirk’s family Thursday, a source familiar with the plans said, after he canceled a trip to New York to mark the 9/11 attacks anniversary.

New York on Thursday marked the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001, 24 years after the plane hijackings that claimed almost 3,000 lives and forever changed the United States.Memorial events were held at Ground Zero in Manhattan where the World Trade Center’s twin towers were destroyed in coordinated attacks that also saw a jetliner crashed into the Pentagon in Washington.Another jet, Flight 93, crashed into the Pennsylvania countryside when passengers overran the hijacker and took control of the aircraft.This year’s gathering takes place against a febrile atmosphere following the killing of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk in Utah.Vice President JD Vance had been due to attend events in New York but will reportedly travel to Utah in the wake of the killing.Kirk — a close ally of President Donald Trump — was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday.The United States has faced a rash of political violence in recent months, with the killing of Kirk following the targeted killing of a Democratic Minnesota lawmaker and her husband and the firebombing of a Democratic governor’s residence.New York is in the grip of a divisive mayoral election campaign in which socialist Democratic candidate Zohran Mamdani is facing off against former governor Andrew Cuomo and sitting mayor Eric Adams.New Yorkers go to the polls on November 4.Adams attended the ceremony Thursday alongside former mayor Rudy Giuliani who led the city through the tragedy.Trump has repeatedly attacked Mamdani, a Muslim and naturalized US citizen, calling him a “communist lunatic,” while one Republican lawmaker has called for Mamdani to be deported. Mamdani holds a 22 point lead in the race, according to the latest polling from The New York Times and Siena.”It was this horrific day that was also for many New Yorkers the moment at which they were marked an ‘other,'” Mamdani told The New York Times, describing the surge in Islamophobic attacks that followed 9/11.New York marked a citywide moment of silence at 8:46 a.m. (1246 GMT), the time that hijacked Flight 11 struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.Places of worship across the city then sounded their bells to mark the impact as families of the victims read the names of those killed at ground zero. The official death toll was 2,977 including the passengers and crew of the four hijacked planes, victims in the twin towers, firefighters, and personnel at the Pentagon. The death toll excludes the 19 Al-Qaeda hijackers. 

Authorities hunted Thursday for a shooter who killed conservative activist Charlie Kirk in an attack that sparked fears of spiraling political violence in the United States.President Donald Trump lashed out after the killing of Kirk, a powerful voice in conservative US politics at just 31 years old, and he vowed to crack down on those responsible for what he described as “a dark moment for America.”Kirk was shot in the neck while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University on Wednesday. Video from the scene showed him addressing a large crowd when a single shot rang out. The father-of-two collapsed in his chair before sounds of panic erupted in the audience.Students at the university described the shooting as “crazy” and “scary.””It makes me feel like I should be very careful about expressing my political ideas,” said Samuel Kimball, a software engineering student, told AFP.Utah Governor Spencer Cox, a Republican, called the killing a “political assassination” but investigators have not yet made public a possible motive.Trump, in a somber video message from the Oval Office hours after Kirk’s death, led a chorus of conservative voices suggesting that liberals had contributed to the killing.”For years, those on the radical left have compared wonderful Americans like Charlie to Nazis and the world’s worst mass murderers and criminals,” he said.”My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity.”- ‘Death penalty’ -The Utah Department of Public Safety said the shooter, dressed in dark clothing, fired from a nearby rooftop. The killer remained at large Thursday morning despite an extensive search by authorities including the FBI.Two people initially detained for questioning were released after officials determined they had no connection to the shooting.Cox, the Utah governor, issued a stark warning to the shooter during an emotional news conference.”I just want to remind people that we still have the death penalty here in the state of Utah,” he said.Kirk’s killing marks another politically linked death in an increasingly divided United States, and a further instance of gun violence that plagues the country.Three months ago, a Minnesota man shot dead a Democratic lawmaker and her husband in their home, and Trump survived an assassination attempt during his election campaign in July 2024.Kirk, who supporters have hailed as a “martyr” for conservative ideals, had an outsized influence in US politics.He co-founded Turning Point USA in 2012 to drive conservative viewpoints among young people, his natural showmanship making him a go-to spokesman on television networks.Kirk used his enormous audiences on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube to build support for anti-immigration policies, outspoken Christianity and gun ownership, and to spread carefully edited clips of his interactions during debates at his many college events.US politicians from both parties, as well as world leaders, condemned Wednesday’s killing. “There is no place in our country for this kind of violence. It must end now,” former president Joe Biden wrote on X.Vice President JD Vance was due to travel to Utah to meet Kirk’s family Thursday, a source familiar with the plans said, after he canceled a trip to New York to mark the 9/11 attacks anniversary.No details on the weapon used have been released, but gun ownership in the United States exacts a staggering toll, with about 20,000 deaths a year from shootings — plus another 25,000 deaths from suicides.Guns outnumber the 340 million people in the country, and attempts to restrict sales fail due to political deadlock as gun activists fiercely defend their Second Amendment rights.

World leaders warned of the harms of politically motivated violence after the murder of right-wing US activist Charlie Kirk, a Donald Trump ally.Kirk, a powerful voice in conservative politics at just 31 years old, was shot while speaking at an event at Utah Valley University in Utah.Here’s how world leaders reacted to his killing:- ‘Dark moment for America’: Trump -“This is a dark moment for America,” US President Donald Trump said in a video posted to his Truth Social website hours after Kirk’s killing, hailing Kirk as a “martyr for truth.””My administration will find each and every one of those who contributed to this atrocity, and to other political violence, including the organizations that fund it and support it.”- ‘No justification’: Canada -“I am appalled by the murder of Charlie Kirk. There is no justification for political violence and every act of it threatens democracy,” Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on X.- ‘Must be free to debate’: Britain -“We must all be free to debate openly and freely without fear — there can be no justification for political violence,” British Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on X.- ‘Deep wound for democracy’: Italy -“An atrocious murder, a deep wound for democracy and for those who believe in freedom. My condolences to his family, to his loved ones, and to the American conservative community,” Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on X.- ‘Murdered for speaking truth’: Israel -“Charlie Kirk was murdered for speaking truth and defending freedom. A lion-hearted friend of Israel, he fought the lies and stood tall for Judeo-Christian civilization,” wrote Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on X.”I spoke to him only two weeks ago and invited him to Israel. Sadly, that visit will not take place.”- ‘Stop the hatred’: Hungary -“Charlie Kirk’s death is the result of the international hate campaign waged by the progressive-liberal left,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on X, though US investigators have not yet made public a possible motive.”This is what led to the attacks on (Slovak Prime Minister) Robert Fico, on (Czech former premier) Andrej Babis, and now on Charlie Kirk. We must stop the hatred! We must stop the hate-mongering left!”- ‘Victim of atrocious murder’: Argentina -Kirk “was the victim of an atrocious murder in the midst of a wave of left-wing political violence across the entire region,” Argentine President Javier Milei wrote on X.”The left is always, at all times and places, a violent phenomenon full of hatred.”- ‘Cowardly, horrific act’: Netherlands -“In a free democracy, you combat each other with words, never with violence,” Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof said on X.”My thoughts are with his family and loved ones. I wish everyone affected by this cowardly and horrific act much strength.”

Peter Mandelson, who has been sacked as the UK’s ambassador to the US, has been a pivotal figure in shaping modern British politics, but his Machiavellian tactics and choice of friends have seen him repeatedly embroiled in controversy.The 71-year-old, dubbed the “Prince of Darkness” of British politics, has twice been forced to resign as a minister in the past over alleged misconduct.A master of constant reinvention, his latest incarnation as UK ambassador to the US came to a shuddering halt on Wednesday when he was forced out over his links to the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.His relationship with Epstein had been public knowledge for years.In 2019 an internal report by bank JP Morgan found that Epstein “appears to maintain a particularly close relationship with Prince Andrew… and Lord Peter Mandelson”, whom he called “Petie”.The report also revealed an email from Epstein in which he said that Mandelson “will be staying” at his New York apartment, despite the financier being in prison at the time for soliciting prostitution from a minor.But new revelations over past days led to his swift removal.Mandelson along with Tony Blair were the co-architects of “New Labour”, which transformed the UK Labour Party in the 1990s into an election-winning juggernaut that made the country a beacon of economic and social liberalism.But unlike Blair, Mandelson appeared more comfortable operating in the background, plotting strategy and building up a global network of contacts that current Prime Minister Keir Starmer had hoped would help him smooth over rocky relations with US president Donald Trump.His in depth knowledge of international trade was also likely to have been a factor in Starmer’s decision to appoint him given Trump’s drive to impose tariffs on imported goods.- ‘Fighter’ -The remarkable but shortlived comeback was a testament to Mandelson’s resilience, but also raised eyebrows due to his chequered political history.Blair made him minister for trade and industry in July 1998 but he was forced to quit after failing to declare that he had taken a loan for a house from a cabinet colleague whose business dealings Mandelson’s department was scrutinising. He returned to government nearly a year later, becoming minister for Northern Ireland, but was forced out after just 14 months following accusations that he used his position to influence a passport application. An independent inquiry later concluded that he had not acted improperly.He retained his seat as an MP at the 2001 election, saying in his victory speech that “they underestimated me because I am a fighter and not a quitter.” A vociferous supporter of the UK’s participation in European politics, Mandelson quit as MP in 2004 to become an EU trade commissioner.Mandelson made a surprise return to UK politics in 2008 as a minister in Gordon Brown’s government, also receiving a peerage to make him a lord.Once again he sparked controversy after ordering strict punishments for those guilty of online copyright infringement, shortly after meeting with DreamWorks Records co-founder David Geffen.His Epstein links are not the first time a friendship with a world power-broker has landed him in trouble.In October 2008, Mandelson came under fire over his links to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. – Intellect ‘commands respect’ -Starmer called upon Mandelson’s expertise during Labour’s successful campaign for last July’s general election, and then tasked him with the crucial job of rebuilding the UK-US “special relationship”. Relations had been tested by previous comments from UK ministers, and also a war of words with Trump confidant Elon Musk.Mandelson’s dovish stance on China was also seen as potentially clashing with Trump’s hawkish position, but his pragmatism had been expected to help track a way out of any bickering.Despite having previously criticised Trump as “little short of a white nationalist”, Mandelson later told the News Agents podcast that much of the rhetoric around Trump was “hyperbole”.He added that it was “absolutely essential that we establish a relationship with president Trump that enables us to not only understand and interpret what he is doing, but to influence it”.Mandelson already said that the UK could “have our cake and eat it” on trade, forging closer ties with Europe and the US rather than choosing between the two.Trump friend and right-wing figurehead Nigel Farage also offered a surprisingly positive assessment of Mandelson.”While I’m not certain he’s the ideal fit for dealing with Trump directly, his intellect would at least command respect,” Farage told his GB News show.