Zimbabwe must abandon Rhodesian style of governance
On March 31, Zimbabwean security forces spent the entire day dispersing small gatherings of people who were trying to stage a peaceful protest against the ruling ZANU-PF party’s attempts to secure an unconstitutional third term for President Emmerson Mnangagwa. By day’s end, the police had apprehended 95 demonstrators for allegedly promoting “public violence” and causing “breaches of peace”. However, the police did not manage to detain the man behind this protest, Blessed Geza. A veteran of the 1970s liberation war, Geza remains at large despite being sought by law enforcement on four criminal charges since February. He was expelled from the ZANU-PF party on March 6 for supposedly undermining the party’s leadership by calling on Mnangagwa to step down. Subsequently, on March 26, Geza took to YouTube, dressed in military fatigues, to criticise Mnangagwa and many key figures associated with the 82-year-old leader. He warned that he was starting to take unspecified action against “Zvigananda” – people who are accruing wealth through illegal means and looting the nation’s wealth. The “Zvigananda” on Geza’s list include numerous government ministers, senior civil servants, party officials, war veterans and three wealthy, highly influential businessmen with close ties to the government who are widely believed to be corrupt: Scott Sakupwanya, Wicknell Chivayo and Kuda Tagwirei. Advertisement According to local media investigations, Chivayo, an ex-convict, made millions of dollars by selling exorbitantly priced electoral materials to Zimbabwean authorities for the highly disputed August 2023 general election. An investigation conducted by NewsHawks, a local newspaper, concluded that he later funnelled millions in kickbacks to influential Zimbabwean figures. Tagwirei is at least as controversial as Chivayo. A July 2023 report published by The Sentry and Open Secrets revealed how he built a shadowy business empire and enormous wealth using complex, controversial corporate structures and seemingly preferential government treatment. Former Finance Minister Tendai Biti has stated that Tagwirei controls the Southern African nation’s fuel sector, more than 60 percent of its gold mines, two of the largest banks and its only gold refinery. Both Chivayo and Tagwirei are believed to have exploited their close ties to Mnangagwa and the ZANU-PF party to land government contracts and further their business interests. On March 28, Geza made it known that he was responsible for setting alight several vehicles parked outside the offices of Tagwirei and Chivayo. His voluntary admission was designed to reflect his “revolutionary” intent to confront the “Zvigananda” and the “political criminals” associated with Mnangagwa. For the past year, Zimbabwe’s leader has been trying to secure a third term even though he has publicly denied this goal and the constitution restricts him to two terms. Advertisement This disastrous ambition, however, appears to be facing notable resistance from his deputy, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, a former military chief. There is widespread speculation that Chiwenga, who still retains substantial backing within the Zimbabwean military, is the principal force driving Geza. On March 27, Mnangagwa moved General Anselem Sanyatwe – a key Chiwenga ally – from the position of army chief to minister of sports, art and recreation in a manoeuvre to diminish Chiwenga’s influence among the defence forces. The intensifying struggle for power may lead to a coup similar to the military takeover on November 15, 2017, led by Chiwenga, which ousted Zimbabwe’s strongman Robert Mugabe. Nonetheless, the primary issue extends beyond Mnangagwa’s alarming malfeasance, as suggested by Geza. It lies in the ZANU-PF party’s conspicuous failure to establish a strong, effective and transparent democratic framework. While Geza’s various perspectives on Zimbabwe’s governance challenges are certainly a positive contribution, his narrow-minded interpretations tend to oversimplify an extremely complex situation. Attributing Zimbabwe’s intricate issues solely to Mnangagwa’s unquestionably poor and corrupt leadership is both misleading and counterproductive. In truth, Chiwenga and Geza – a former ZANU-PF Central Committee member – are also deeply embedded in the systemic issues affecting Zimbabwe. “Zvigananda” have been an integral part of Zimbabwe’s economic environment since the country gained independence from Britain on April 18, 1980. From the early 1980s, prominent businessmen such as Samson Paweni and Roger Boka were closely linked to senior ZANU-PF officials and were involved in financial misconduct amounting to millions of dollars. Thus, Geza’s evaluations are certainly superficial and fail to offer effective solutions to the ongoing democratic deficit in the nation. Rather than challenging the existing political structure, he aims to maintain the status quo, albeit with a new leader and possibly a different set of “Zvigananda”. The reality is that all factions within the ZANU-PF party – new, old and emerging – are woefully corrupt and shockingly averse to the rule of law. Advertisement In April 2018, Marry Mubaiwa, the ex-wife of Chiwenga, found herself embroiled in allegations of corruption. Only 55 days after the coup in November 2017, she was awarded a lucrative multimillion-dollar contract to provide travel services to the office of the president and cabinet, all without going to tender and following the proper procedures. Then, in December 2019, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission arrested Mubaiwa on charges of money laundering, fraud and violations of exchange control regulations. A month later, during court testimony in divorce proceedings against Mubaiwa, Chiwenga did not fare any better, openly acknowledging that he had received luxury vehicles from state entities and wealthy “well-wishers”. The ever scheming Tagwirei, for example, had donated a Mercedes Benz E350, which was used to transport Chiwenga’s children. So Chiwenga, too, is not in any way untainted by allegations of corruption – and definitely not the breath of fresh air he is made out to be. That Zimbabweans have not mobilised in large numbers to express their displeasure with the overt and infinite sleaze involving high-ranking ZANU-PF officials is primarily due to harsh restrictions placed upon them. The government has persistently weaponised the law and used violent measures to silence dissent. Zimbabwe, unfortunately, currently resembles Rhodesia, the colonial state that preceded its formation in 1980. A defining characteristic of Rhodesia was the state’s steadfast resistance to the unencumbered expression of civil rights and majority rule. In May 2020,
The trade surplus that Trump never mentions
In justifying his latest tariffs announcement, President Donald Trump complains of unfair trade deficits, saying the US has been “looted, pillaged, raped, plundered” by other countries for decades. He has blamed China for exploiting the United States through unfair trade agreements, condemned Canada’s high tariffs on American dairy as unacceptable, and criticized Cambodia for imposing excessive tariffs and benefiting at the US’s expense for years. What he has left out in his repeated criticisms is the trade surplus the US benefits from when it comes to his country’s service industry. Services make up about 70 percent of the US economy. That includes a wide range of businesses, including education, healthcare, travel and hotels, financial services, as well as media and entertainment, insurance, maintenance and repair, and charging for the use of intellectual property, among others. Exports of these services contribute approximately 25 percent of the US economy, economists say. “The US has a strong comparative advantage in several major service industries: education, health, finance, law, accounting, entertainment. That explains the trade surplus,” said Gary Huffbauer, nonresident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics. Advertisement In 2023, the US exported services worth $1.02 trillion, up 8 percent from a year earlier, and imported services for $748.2bn, up 5 percent. That left it with a trade surplus of $278bn, a trend stretching back at least two decades. “Trump may be ignorant of the services trade surplus, but more likely he thinks he can get more popular approval by talking about deficits in manufactured goods,” Huffbauer added, pointing to the auto worker who Trump brought during his tariff announcement on Wednesday as an example of support for tariffs among the US working class. Rachel Ziemba, an economist and adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, agreed that it was “a puzzlement” that Trump never referred to this metric. “He was the same way in his first term, underemphasising services, despite the fact that he spent his career in services,” said Ziemba, referring to Trump’s real estate, tourism and entertainment ventures, all of which come under services. Trump’s focus on goods reflects the fact that manufacturing is important to the industrial base, including the defence sector, and it would be problematic if too much manufacturing capacity erodes as it hits productivity, said Ziemba. “But it is surprising he doesn’t look at the whole picture and at the ways in which his policies put services at risk. Plus, cutting research undermines advanced manufacturing. His whole team underestimates services,” Ziemba said. Vulnerable to retaliation There is the reality that a lot of Trump’s voters are in the manufacturing belt, where jobs and lifestyles have been eroded as many plants shut down as the work was relocated to cheaper destinations overseas – one reason Trump has given for his focus on trade imbalances. Advertisement That lack of domestic manufacturing and supply chains was also felt during the COVID pandemic when trade came to a screeching halt and resumed initially at a snail’s pace when international borders started to reopen. But none of that takes away from the reality that Trump’s latest harsh tariff policies will leave the US services sector vulnerable to retaliation. Foreign countries can deny operating permits for US business firms and can tax digital services, Hufbauer said. They can also temporarily suspend copyright, trademark and patent rights or prohibit the payment of royalties. For decades, the US has worked to secure foreign market access and intellectual property protection for US service firms. “Some countries have tried limiting the reach of Hollywood entertainment through screen quotas and other devices. On the whole, those have not been successful. But this time they could invoke stricter measures,” Hufbauer said. “US service and tech companies could lose a lot of market access, and share market value, as a consequence of Trump’s tariff war,” he added. While there may not necessarily be alternatives at scale for US software, countries have imposed taxes like digital service taxes and data localisation requirements, albeit those are more driven by privacy needs than as a source of revenue. There are already some “buy local” – and boycott US – trends in parts of the world which could be formalised by government policies. However, warned Ziemba, for any country that plans to apply taxes on these US services, there is always the danger that the move could backfire as it would increase the costs for the domestic market and prompt further retaliation from Trump. Advertisement By focusing on manufacturing over services, Trump is using “his judgement as to where he can marshal political support”, Hufbauer said. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Death is becoming very imminent now’
NewsFeed “And as I speak, this is the sound of huge explosions.” Israeli strikes could be heard as Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud reported live from Gaza on the many ways Israel is killing Palestinians and instilling the sense that “death is becoming very imminent.” Published On 4 Apr 20254 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Trump tariffs could lead to a new world order: Economist Ha-Joon Chang
What’s next for the US and global economy after Trump’s new tariffs? Redi Tlhabi talks with economist Ha-Joon Chang. On Wednesday, US President Donald Trump unveiled his new global tariff plan, imposing a 10% tariff on all imports, and targeting dozens more countries with additional tariffs on what he called his “Day of Liberation”. So, with Trump’s economic plan set in motion – what will be the fallout? And what will happen next? This week on UpFront, Redi Tlhabi discusses with economist and author, Ha-Joon Chang, Trump’s new tariffs and their global implications. Adblock test (Why?)
‘Just like that’: Yemeni families destroyed by US air strikes
Sanaa, Yemen – On the evening of March 15, Ammar Mohammed* strolled through the vibrant streets of a modern residential neighbourhood in northern Sanaa. The tall, slim man was nattily dressed and expecting a delicious meal at a relative’s home. The pleasant spring air, cooled after sunset, carried the rich aromas of home-cooked dishes as families prepared to break their fast on the last day of Ramadan. The two-storey house of his wife’s relatives, the al-Zeinis*, was lit up, as with the other tightly packed homes on that street. Even from a distance, he could see rows of windows glowing warmly and felt the hum of life radiating from behind closed doors he walked past, as people chatted, children squealed, and cutlery clattered. He was looking forward to iftar and to his wife joining him later at her relatives’ home for a post-iftar gathering. The street was bustling – mosque speakers echoed Quranic recitations, children chased each other barefoot over the asphalt, and the clatter of bustling kitchens spilled from open doorways. Advertisement He was a stone’s throw away when the evening was split apart. Shops in Aden – prepared before the beginning of Ramadan, a festive time in Yemen with families coming together for meals throughout the month, on February 25, 2025 [Fawaz Salman/Reuters] A deafening roar shattered the calm, a blinding orange flash turning everything into a terrifying artificial dawn. The ground convulsed beneath him, and he was hurled backwards, ears ringing as a shockwave of dust and debris swept over him, stinging his skin. For a moment, he could not breathe. When he lifted his head, the al-Zeini home was gone. “Just like that, the house had collapsed into a smouldering heap of rubble and twisted metal,” the 30-year-old civil servant said. “All 12 al-Zeinis – mostly women and kids – who were inside on a peaceful Ramadan evening, were killed,” he said in pain. The al-Zeini family had been killed in a raid ordered by United States President Donald Trump. Trump claimed he wanted to target Houthi fighters and military installations, to force them to stop attacking Israeli-linked ships in the Red Sea – which the Houthis say they are doing in response to Israel’s ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip. The US raids continued, and have killed at least 53 people, while nearly 100 others were wounded. A neighbourhood shattered Mohammed, palms bleeding from the force with which he was hurled onto the asphalt, raced to the house to see if there were any survivors. The house had been demolished, along with the one right next to it. Advertisement He joined a crowd of neighbours pulling away bricks and iron rebar in search of people, to ultimately realise no one was alive. “I was swept away by emotions and thoughts, just like my surroundings. I was confused, scared, grateful, alarmed, happy to have survived, and devastated by what happened to this family. “This was a family breaking their fast together, not a military base. Americans make no distinction between a rebel and a child,” he told Al Jazeera. He could not say anything further about his slain relatives, only saying he dreaded what would come next. He vividly recalled how the joyful sounds of children playing were suddenly replaced by piercing screams as panicked parents rushed into the streets, desperately searching for their little ones. A man squats in the middle of an area struck by the US in Sanaa on March 20, 2025 [Mohammed Huwais/AFP] ‘They were there just a minute ago’ Like Khawla*, who was a few houses down from the al-Zeinis, setting the table and keeping an eye on her two sons, eight-year-old Usama and six-year-old Mustafa, playing outside. They were awaiting their father’s return before the family could sit down to break their fast. With the ground shaking and the explosive sound of the raid, the alarmed 30-year-old mother rushed outside in panic, looking for any trace of her little ones. “My children were there moments ago, and suddenly I couldn’t see them,” she said. “I staggered through the wreckage strewn across the street, the air was still full of dust. I was terrified. Advertisement “I screamed out their names … nothing,” she said, her voice cracking as she recalled that night. “A neighbour spotted two small bodies flung several metres away by the blast’s force,” Khawla, who asked to be referred to by her first name only, said. Children especially love the family-oriented, festive atmosphere of Ramadan [File: Khaled Abdullah/Reuters] The neighbour scooped them into his arms and carried them into Khawla’s home, afraid that another attack might follow, and feeling it would be safer to be indoors. “I chased after him, sobbing and trying to understand how badly my boys were hurt. They were too shocked to respond, but once inside, I frantically examined every inch of their bodies.” Luckily, the boys’ injuries were limited to bruises and cuts all over their bodies, and she was able to tend to them herself. “These are cuts that are curable, but there are scars too deep and much more difficult to fix. My kids haven’t been themselves since.” The boys keep asking if more bombs will fall on the neighbourhood, she added. “I hug them, avoid answering the question … but I can’t get over the sight of the household whose children didn’t make it.” * Names changed for the individuals’ safety This article was published in collaboration with Egab. Adblock test (Why?)
South Korea court formally removes President Yoon over martial law
[unable to retrieve full-text content] South Korea’s President Yoon Suk-yeol was formally removed from office by the country’s Constitutional Court on Friday.
Israel has turned two-thirds of Gaza into no-go zones, UN says
The latest displacement orders in Rafah and Gaza City have forced hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to flee again. Israel has now restricted Palestinians’ access to roughly two-thirds of Gaza, either by declaring large areas as no-go zones or issuing forced displacement orders, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). Among the restricted areas is a large swath of southern Rafah, where Israel’s military issued a new displacement order on March 31, declaring it was returning to “fight with great force”. The restrictions also cover parts of Gaza City, where Israeli troops launched a new ground offensive on Friday morning to expand their “security zone”. These escalations have triggered one of the largest mass displacements of the war, pushing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians – many already displaced multiple times – to flee yet again. “Our biggest struggle now is displacement,” Abu Hazem Khalef, an elderly man displaced from Gaza City’s east, told Al Jazeera. “We have no idea how to handle this situation. I’m heading west of Gaza City, looking for any street where I can set up a tent.” Advertisement “We are being forced to leave and we don’t even know where to go,” added Mahmoud al-Gharabli, another displaced Palestinian. “We are exhausted and completely broken.” ‘Dividing the Strip’ The military push follows Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s threat to intensify the offensive to pressure Hamas into further concessions. “We are now dividing the Strip and we are increasing pressure step by step so they will give us our hostages,” Netanyahu said in a video message on Wednesday. On Friday, Israeli forces continued devastating aerial attacks, killing at least 30 people since dawn, according to local medical sources and Gaza’s civil defence agency. This followed an intense day of bombardment on Thursday that left 112 dead – many of them women and children. Conditions inside Gaza City’s al-Ahli Hospital, also known as the Baptist Hospital, where many victims in the north were taken, are “nothing short of apocalyptic,” Al Jazeera’s Hani Mahmoud said after visiting the facility. “We are seeing bodies laid on the ground and they are counted in the 10s,” Mahmoud said. “We’ve seen doctors, they are helpless. They don’t know what to do. They are unable to save lives given the dire situation inside the hospital.” Israel resumed its attacks in Gaza on March 18, shattering a two-month ceasefire after talks with Hamas broke down over the next phase of the agreement. Netanyahu wants Hamas to release the 59 remaining Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and aid, but without Israel committing to end the war or pull out troops. For a final ceasefire deal, Netanyahu insists Hamas must disarm – a demand the group calls a “red line” – and has openly backed plans for Israel to seize security control of Gaza and push Palestinians out. Advertisement Hamas calls for a return to the previously agreed three-stage ceasefire framework and has offered to free all the captives at once in return for a permanent ceasefire. Since October 7, 2023, Israel’s war in Gaza has killed 50,523 Palestinians and wounded 114,638. At least 1,139 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas-led October 7 attacks and more than 200 taken captive. Adblock test (Why?)
Have Trump’s tariffs killed US-Africa preferential trade?
United States President Donald Trump’s tariffs announcement on most trading partners, including several in Africa, will affect businesses and people across the continent and likely force more producers to trade with China, experts have warned. Trump’s “Liberation Day” declaration on Wednesday threw markets into chaos, as the US took its strongest turn to protectionist policies since the 1930s, weakening a global trade system the US helped build and strengthen. The tariffs, which include a baseline, universal 10 percent duty on all US imports as well as additional tariffs on “worst offender” countries like Nigeria and South Africa, will also likely override a decades-long open trade agreement that has seen African manufacturers export goods to the US duty-free and that has been credited for creating tens of thousands of jobs, analysts say. Established in 2000, the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) framework helped grow the continent’s exports of textiles, steel, and agricultural products, among others, to the US. Advertisement The AGOA was set for a second renewal this year, but is now likely to be jeopardised by Trump’s trade war, according to analysts. Here’s what to know about how African countries were hit and what the likely effects could be: Matumelo Manosa, centre, works in a garment factory in Maseru, Lesotho, Thursday, February 24, 2022 [Neo Ntsoma/AP] Which African countries have been hit and by how much? Africa’s largest economies, Nigeria (14 percent) and South Africa (31 percent), were among those on Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs list — that is, countries the president said “treat us badly”. They included those that impose high tariffs on US goods or have introduced other barriers to US trade, according to Washington. Those tariffs will take effect on April 9, while the universal tariffs begin on April 5. Southern African countries were particularly badly hit. Lesotho, the small Southern African country that Trump claimed “ no one has heard of” last month, was hit with the highest tariff rates at 50 percent. The country, which carries the second-highest HIV burden of any other in the world, is still reeling from the shock of Trump’s sweeping aid cuts earlier that have gutted HIV response efforts across the region. Other Southern African countries hit were: Madagascar (47 percent); Mauritius (40 percent); Botswana (37 percent); and Angola (32 percent). South Africa was also earlier affected by a separate 25-percent tariff on all foreign-made cars that went into force this week. South Africa exports vehicles and parts worth $2bn to the US under the AGOA framework, according to the country’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Competition. Advertisement Here are the tariffs in excess of 10 percent imposed on other African countries: Algeria – 30 percent Cameroon – 12 percent Chad -13 percent Democratic Republic of the Congo – 11 percent Equatorial Guinea – 13 percent Ivory Coast – 21 percent Libya – 31 percent Malawi – 18 percent Mozambique – 16 percent Namibia – 21 percent Tunisia – 28 percent Zambia – 17 percent Zimbabwe – 18 percent What have African governments said? South Africa’s government, which has been involved in a series of spats with Washington in recent weeks, was the first to respond to the tariff hikes. In a statement on Thursday, President Cyril Ramaphosa’s office called the tariffs on the country “punitive” and added that they would “serve as a barrier to trade and shared prosperity.” The government also pledged to seek redress with Washington. The Presidency has noted with concern the newly imposed tariffs on South African exports to the United States of America (USA). https://t.co/Y3YgJd7ECP — The Presidency 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) April 3, 2025 “The tariffs affirm the urgency to negotiate a new bilateral and mutually beneficial trade agreement with the US, as an essential step to secure long-term trade certainty,” the statement read. According to the US government, South Africa charges a 60 percent tariff on US goods, while Lesotho charges 99 percent. Madagascar, the White House claimed, levies 93 percent tariffs on US goods, and Mauritius, 80 percent. Trump and his close ally, Elon Musk, who was born in South Africa, have criticised South Africa for land reform policies that they claim discriminate against the country’s white minority population. Trump has also offered citizenship to white South Africans. On Wednesday, during his announcement, Trump said, “Bad things are going on there.” Former US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, right, addresses the 8th Africa Growth Opportunity Act Conference (AGOA), in Nairobi, Kenya, Wednesday, August 5, 2009 [Sayyid Azim/AP] How will tariffs impact AGOA? Experts say the tariffs will most significantly impact African economies that are reliant on US trade, and that they will effectively override AGOA privileges. Currently, 32 African countries are eligible for the programme. Countries can be, and have been, taken off the list – such as Niger and Gabon, which lost their benefits after military coups. Advertisement The AGOA, which expires in September, grants duty-free access to more than 1,800 products from eligible sub-Saharan African countries and has formed the backbone of US-Africa trade policy for 25 years. It was renewed for 10 years in 2015. Chocolate and basket-weaving materials from Mauritius, musical instruments from Mali and nuts from Mozambique are among the products that have reached US buyers through AGOA. While it is still officially operational, it’s unclear if the Trump administration will renew it again. Certainly, Trump’s tariff announcements “set it along the path to die”, Cheta Nwanze, lead partner at Lagos-based risk analysis firm SBM Intelligence, told Al Jazeera. “African countries aren’t known for making firm geopolitical stances, so many of them will try to hold on to AGOA, which means it will go into zombie mode rather than dying off,” he said. The programme has been hailed by economists for years for opening the US market to African manufacturers, although critics say its strict production and packaging requirements often favour bigger economies. Kenya’s AGOA sales, mainly textiles and apparel, went from $55m in 2001 to $603m in 2022. What countries will be most affected? South
How much will Trump’s new tariffs hurt other countries and US consumers?
On Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump imposed sweeping reciprocal tariffs on the US’s trading partners. The day was termed “Liberation Day” by Trump, who signed an executive order imposing a flat 10 percent tariff on almost all nations and then additional tariffs on those countries that the US accuses of charging higher levies on American goods. The levies sent shock waves through global markets and prompted criticism from world leaders. China and the European Union have already responded with retaliatory measures, signalling the risk of a global trade war. China’s Ministry of Commerce called on Washington to cancel the tariffs. “There is no winner in a trade war, and there is no way out for protectionism,” the ministry said in a statement. The 10 percent flat tariffs come into force on April 5, while the other tariffs will come into effect on April 9. What are the new tariffs announced? Trump has targeted roughly 60 countries with customised reciprocal tariffs. These are countries that have been singled out as ones that charge higher levies on US goods. The steeper rates apply to both major US trading partners and smaller economies – and allies and rivals alike. Advertisement China has been hit with a 54 percent tariff, including 20 percent levies from earlier; Lesotho faces a 50 percent tariff; Cambodia 49 percent; and neighbouring Vietnam 46 percent. “The hike in tariffs was more aggressive than expected,” Lynn Song, chief economist for Greater China at Dutch bank ING, told Al Jazeera. “Many were expecting a range of 10-20 percent tariffs. This sort of aggressive move will probably risk some retaliation from the bigger players, though smaller countries could choose to try and negotiate for a lower rate.” The EU has also been hit with a 20 percent tariff. Baseline tariffs of 10 percent have been applied to all imports coming to the US. Some countries facing 10 percent levies are the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore, Brazil and the United Arab Emirates. There will be no additional tariffs on Canada and Mexico – both countries are already subject to 25 percent tariffs, except for products covered by a free trade deal with the US. Explore the table below to see which countries have been hit the least and most. Which countries export the most to the US? In 2024, Mexico exported $505.9bn of goods to the US, according to the US International Trade Administration. This was followed by China, which exported $438.9bn; Canada, $412.7bn; Germany $160.4bn; and Japan $148.2bn. Which countries will be most affected? While Trump did not impose extra tariffs on Canada or Mexico, these countries are the most likely to be affected by US levies, given the high percentage of exports that go to the US. Advertisement In 2023, 77.6 percent of Canada’s total exports went to the US, according to data from the United Nations Comtrade. Mexico’s total exports to the US were 79.6 percent. By contrast, while the US is the EU’s largest export destination, the bloc has many other countries that buy its products: In 2023, the US accounted for less than 20 percent of the EU’s exports, according to Comtrade. Similarly, while a heavy tariff is being applied to Chinese products, only 14.8 percent of Chinese exports went to the US in 2023. So while the US was China’s biggest export market that year, China’s vast portfolio of other export destinations – including Japan, Germany, India and Mexico – means that it might hurt less than Canada or Mexico. Still, the tariffs could influence how China approaches future trade with the US, according to experts. “Escalation of tariffs and a continuation of unilateral measures could deepen the erosion of trust in the global trade system, further pushing China to diversify its partners and reduce reliance on the US market,” Carlos Lopes, a Chatham House associate fellow with expertise in international trade and China, told Al Jazeera back in January. How will this affect US consumers? In 2023, the US imported $3 trillion worth of goods – about $1 trillion more than it exported. US consumers are already facing higher car prices following Trump’s 25 percent levies on all autos and auto parts coming into the US, which came into effect on Wednesday, April 2. Since the tariffs also apply to auto parts, cars manufactured in the US using imported parts will become more expensive. Advertisement “The increased costs would cause significant disruption throughout the supply chain and, perhaps, most importantly, lead to significant price increases to the cost to American consumers for vehicles,” the Detroit Regional Chamber and MichAuto, an automotive and mobility association, said in a letter, the Reuters news agency reported. On Thursday, New Zealand Prime Minister Christopher Luxon responded to the 10 percent tariffs imposed on the country: “It ends up driving higher prices for US consumers, higher inflation, slows down growth and, as a result, that puts real pressure in across the world.” Adblock test (Why?)
Russia-Ukraine war: List of key events, day 1,135
These are the key events on day 1,135 of Russia’s war on Ukraine. These are the key events from Thursday, April 3: Fighting A Russian ballistic missile strike killed at least four people and wounded 17 in the city of Kryvyi Rih, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown. The attack also sparked a fire in the city, said Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of Kryvyi Rih’s military administration. Russian drone attacks overnight targeted the Ukrainian regions of Zaporizhia and Kharkiv, killing one person and injuring several others, officials said. Two people were killed and at least 32, including two children, were injured by a Russian drone attack which hit several multistorey apartment blocks in Kharkiv, the region’s governor said. One person was also injured in a separate drone attack on Ruski Tyshky, a village outside Kharkiv. Kyiv’s air force said Russia launched 39 drones towards Ukraine overnight, of which 28 were shot down. According to the air force, seven others failed to reach their targets due to electronic warfare measures. Russian air defence units repelled a drone approaching Moscow, the city’s mayor Sergei Sobyanin said. Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine of launching more than 30 “provocative” attacks on Russian energy facilities, despite a mutually agreed moratorium on strikes against energy facilities brokered by the United States. According to Russia’s Ministry of Defence, Ukrainian forces attacked Russian energy facilities four times in the past 24 hours. Ukraine’s military denied the accusations, saying its troops were adhering to the ceasefire, but claimed Russia had violated the moratorium “numerous times”. Advertisement The Russian Defence Ministry said its forces took control of two settlements, Vesele and Lobkove, in eastern Ukraine. Reuters news agency reports, citing war bloggers, that Russian troops have intensified their attacks in Russia’s western Kursk region to rout Ukrainian forces, including hundreds of Ukrainian troops holding out in a monastery – which it described as the last major Ukrainian foothold in the Russian territory. US Army General Christopher Cavoli said Ukraine’s army had resolved some of its manpower shortages to fight against Russia but warned that a cut-off of US weapons to Ukraine would be severely harmful to Kyiv’s war efforts. Cavoli also said Russia lost more than 4,000 tanks during its war on Ukraine, describing the scale of the war as “awe-inspiring”. Economy The 10 percent reciprocal tariffs imposed on Ukraine by the United States are “difficult, but not critical”, said Kyiv’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. She also said Ukraine had an export volume of $874m to the US last year while Kyiv bought goods worth $3.4bn from the US during this period. Russia remains patient and is not surprised by US President Donald Trump’s threats to impose new tariffs on Russian oil, said Sergei Ryabkov, Moscow’s deputy foreign minister in charge of ties with the US. Ceasefire Ryabov warned that there might not be a peace agreement in the war on Ukraine unless the US recognised the “belligerent” stance of the European Union and Ukraine. President Zelenskyy, during a meeting with community leaders in northern Ukraine’s Chernihiv region, said that maintaining the country’s army size would be a top priority in peace negotiations. Zelenskyy also said that Ukraine would not accept the recognition of Russian-controlled Ukrainian territories as parts of Russia. He suggested finding a compromise to return such territories back to Ukraine over time through diplomatic means. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha informed US Secretary of State Marco Rubio of Russia’s violation of the energy ceasefire brokered by the US. Advertisement Politics and Diplomacy Russian President Vladimir Putin’s investment envoy Kirill Dmitriev accused unidentified forces of trying to sow tension between Russia and the US by “distorting Russia’s position” and said meeting with the US demonstrated a “positive dynamic” between Washington and Russia. Finland’s President Alexander Stubb said France, or the United Kingdom as part of the “coalition of the willing”, should take charge in engaging with Russia as part of Europe’s efforts to support Kyiv. The US has withdrawn from the team of European and US investigators put together under the EU’s judicial body Eurojust to collect evidence of potential Russian war crimes in Ukraine. The move was inspired by a “change in priorities” within the US Department of Justice, Eurojust said. Adblock test (Why?)