Netanyahu’s visit to the White House “is a win back home”
Daniel Levy on Trump and Netanyahu’s White House meeting on Iran and Gaza: why now, and what message does it send? Daniel Levy, president of the US / Middle East Project, weighs in on Trump and Netanyahu’s recent White House meeting on Iran and Gaza. Why now — and what message does it send? Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s tariff war: What’s at stake for China’s economy?
It’s started. At 12.01am EST (04:01 GMT) on Wednesday, United States President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” trade tariffs kicked in. And no country has been hit worse than China, which now effectively faces a 104 percent levy on the goods it sells to the US. Even as Washington moved to start negotiations with other trading partners targeted by tariffs, the new levies on Beijing mean that anything the US imports from China will cost more than double what it did two months ago. In response, China quickly raised its US tariffs to 84 percent. Stock markets have nosedived since last week’s announcement of US tariffs on dozens of countries, as investors braced for the fallout from what is now a global trade war. For his part, Trump has long accused other countries – especially China – of exploiting the US on trade, casting his protectionist agenda as necessary to revive domestic manufacturing and re-shore American jobs. What is the status of US-China tariffs? On February 3, Trump imposed an extra 10 percent tariff on all goods from China, on top of various tariffs levied during the first Trump administration in 2017-2021 and the administration of former US President Joe Biden in 2021-2025. Advertisement Then, on March 5, Trump doubled the rate on Chinese imports to 20 percent. On April 2, he lifted it again by another 34 percent – stacking up to 54 percent in total. Last Friday, on April 4, China announced a 34 percent reciprocal tariff on US imports. Trump raised the temperature again by threatening still more tariffs unless Beijing withdrew its levies on US goods. “If China does not withdraw its 34 percent increase above their already long-term trading abuses by tomorrow, April 8th, 2025, the United States will impose ADDITIONAL Tariffs on China of 50%, effective April 9th,” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Monday. As the hours ticked away, Trump remained confident that Beijing would buckle. “China also wants to make a deal, badly, but they don’t know how to get it started,” the US president wrote in a social media post. “We are waiting for their call. It will happen!” It didn’t. Instead, Beijing raised its tariff on US goods to 84 percent on Wednesday. What has China said in response to Trump’s tariffs? Announcing its latest round of tariffs on US exports on April 9, China’s Commerce Ministry said that Beijing “has the firm will and abundant means to take necessary countermeasures and fight to the end”. “History and facts have proven that the United States’ increase in tariffs will not solve its own problems,” said the policy statement. “Instead, it will trigger sharp fluctuations in financial markets, push up US inflation pressure, weaken the US industrial base and increase the risk of a US economic recession, which will ultimately only backfire on itself. Advertisement In a statement the previous day, on April 8, the Ministry of Commerce also made combative overtures, saying Washington’s actions were “completely groundless” and a form of economic “bullying”. Beijing defended its reciprocal tariffs and said they were aimed at safeguarding China’s “sovereignty, security and development interests”, as well as maintaining a balanced international trade market. Elsewhere, China’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said “We Chinese are not troublemakers, but we will not flinch when trouble comes our way.” How will tariffs impact China’s economy? Despite growing tensions between the US and China, Washington and Beijing remain major trade partners. According to the Office of the United States Trade Representative, America imported $438.9bn in Chinese goods last year. That amounts to roughly 3 percent of China’s total gross domestic product (GDP), which is heavily reliant on exports. In a report shared with clients on Tuesday, Goldman Sachs said it expects Trump’s latest tariffs would drag down China’s GDP by as much as 2.4 percent. The investment bank is forecasting 4.5 percent growth for this year, citing concerns that China’s proven tactic of rerouting exports through countries like Vietnam and Thailand – to bypass US tariffs – will become less effective now that Trump has erected trade barriers globally. That 4.5 percent is lower than the Chinese government’s official growth target of 5 percent for 2025. Analysts at UBS are even more pessimistic: They’ve said that Trump’s tariff hikes could reduce China’s economic growth rate to just 4 percent in 2025. And that’s assuming the government engages in “broad fiscal expansion” [i.e. extra public investment]. Advertisement China’s economy has already been growing at a slower pace than when Trump first took office. The latest trade war comes as China is struggling with deflation, a crisis-stricken property market and elevated debt levels. In 2018, when Trump launched his first trade war against China, Beijing’s official GDP growth figure was 6.6 percent. How has Beijing responded so far? Al Jazeera’s Beijing correspondent Katrina Yu says Chinese officials are working to guard against shocks in the stock market. “The government does have the ability to intervene strongly,” Yu said. On Tuesday, China’s Premier Li Qiang said that the government is “fully capable of hedging against adverse external influences”. The same day, several public investment firms – such as Chengtong and Huijin – vowed to increase equity investments and stem financial market selloffs. Yu noted that Chinese stock exchanges have performed better than elsewhere in Asia. Shanghai’s SSE Composite Index posted gains of 1.1 percent on Wednesday, while Shenzhen’s SE Composite rose 2.2 percent. Meanwhile, Japan’s Nikkei index closed down by 3.9 percent. “The [Chinese] government is really looking to stabilise the stock market. It seems to be working so far, but investors here … some of them are still very anxious,” Yu said. Adblock test (Why?)
Trump’s ‘reciprocal’ tariffs hit dozens of countries, stock markets plunge
NewsFeed US President Donald Trump unleashed a massive 104% tariff on China as the ‘reciprocal’ trade levies against dozens of countries took effect on Wednesday. China soon hit back, hiking its tariffs on US imports to 84% Published On 9 Apr 20259 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Arsenal stun Real Madrid in Champions League with Declan Rice double
Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice nets two free kicks in shock 3-0 quarterfinal first-leg win against defending champions. Declan Rice curled home two superb free kicks to help give Arsenal a 3-0 win over defending champions Real Madrid in the first leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Rice opened the scoring in the 58th minute on Tuesday by bending a free kick around the Madrid wall and inside the near post, leaving goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois stranded. With Madrid great Roberto Carlos looking on in the stands – the Brazilian scored a number of spectacular free kicks in his day – Rice then repeated the feat in the 70th by curling another effort into the far top corner. Mikel Merino added the third five minutes later to put Arsenal on the brink of returning to the semifinals for the first time since 2009. Declan Rice of Arsenal scores his team’s first goal from a free kick as Jude Bellingham, Antonio Ruediger, Eduardo Camavinga and Federico Valverde of Real Madrid jump in a defensive wall [Justin Setterfield/Getty Images] Only a handful of saves from Courtois prevented the scoreline from getting even bigger. Advertisement “In the second half, we knew we had to score and to score three was a real positive,” Rice told Prime Sports. “The message from the manager was that we needed to be super convinced that we could come and win this game. “As a group of players, we were really convinced that we were out there as a team fighting for each other.” It was the teams’ first meeting since 2006, when Arsenal eliminated Madrid in the round of 16. The second leg will be played on April 16 at Santiago Bernabeu Stadium. “It’s not going to hit me yet because there is another leg to go,” Rice said of his two sensational strikes. “I’m excited, I’m happy, I’m over the moon. I don’t mean to be cliched but I think this will hit me in a few years’ time – that what I did was really special.” French forward Kylian Mbappe had the best of Real’s chances but was twice denied by David Raya in the Arsenal goal. “For 68 minutes, the game was level, and then they hit two fantastic free kicks and the game changed,” Real Madrid coach Carlo Ancelotti told Prime Sport. “We did not react as we need to react and they scored another goal and now it will be very difficult but we have to try. Mentally, we went down and we had problems in the last 30 minutes of the game.” Real midfielder Jude Bellingham was more critical of last season’s double winners: “We were nowhere near it, that’s the fact. Arsenal were really good. I know two of their goals were free kicks but, to be honest, they could have had way more. We were lucky to get away with three. Advertisement “If there’s one place where crazy things can happen, it’s our house … We are still alive, we’ve still got 90 minutes of football and anything can happen at the Bernabeu.” Adblock test (Why?)
DR Congo repatriates three US citizens convicted over failed coup
Move coincides with DRC’s drive to sign minerals deal with US in exchange for security in war with Rwanda-backed rebels. Three United States citizens initially sentenced to death in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) over a botched coup attempt have been repatriated after Kinshasa commuted their death sentences to life imprisonment last week. Congolese presidential spokesperson Tina Salama said on Tuesday that the three men, including the son of political exile Christian Malanga, who led the attack on the presidential palace in May last year, would all serve out their life sentences in the US. Marcel Malanga, 21, claimed he had been forced to take part by his father, who live-streamed from the palace during the coup attempt before being shot and killed by Congolese forces. Also repatriated were Tyler Thompson Jr, 21, a friend of the younger Malanga, and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun, 36, who reportedly got to know the father through a gold mining company. US Department of State spokesperson Tammy Bruce confirmed the transfer on Tuesday, saying that the US condemned the armed attacks and supported DR Congo’s bid to hold the convicts accountable, but that it also sought “consistent, compassionate, humane treatment and a fair legal process”. Advertisement When the US assumes custody of prisoners convicted abroad, it typically agrees to carry out the sentence of imprisonment designated by that country. Jared Genser, a US-based international human rights attorney, said that lawyers representing the three could try to get their sentences reduced by arguing they signed their consents to the prisoner transfer treaty under duress. “But it would be very hard to prevail in such a case as there would be enormous implications for other potential transfers in the future if the US failed to abide by such agreements,” Genser said. Multibillion-dollar deal The repatriation came amid efforts by Congolese authorities to sign a minerals deal with the US in exchange for security support that will help Kinshasa fight Rwanda-backed M23 rebels in the country’s conflict-hit east. US senior adviser for Africa Massad Boulos said last week that the countries were in talks on the issue, adding that it could involve “multibillion-dollar investments”. The US has estimated that Congo has trillions of dollars in mineral wealth. Boulos, whose son is married to US President Donald Trump’s daughter, is set to visit DR Congo to discuss tensions between the country and Rwanda. News of the trio’s repatriation brought joy to the families. Miranda Thompson, stepmother of Thompson, who had flown to Africa from Utah for what his family believed was a free vacation, said the family was “excited” to have him return home. A total of 37 people were sentenced to death in the purported coup attempt, also including a Belgian, Briton and Canadian, all naturalised Congolese. Advertisement The fate of the others was not immediately clear. Family members last year said the men slept on the floor at a high-security military prison in Kinshasa, struggling with health issues and having to pay for food and hygiene products. Adblock test (Why?)
At least 66 killed in Dominican Republic nightclub roof collapse
A catastrophic roof collapse at an iconic nightclub in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, has left at least 66 people dead including a provincial governor and former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher Octavio Dotel. At least 160 other people were injured and some 400 emergency crews were still working to pull survivors from the rubble as families of the victims gathered at the site searching for their loved ones, authorities said on Tuesday. Juan Manuel Mendez, head of the Dominican Republic’s emergency operations centre, said that efforts to rescue those trapped under the debris were continuing, though the exact number of people inside the Jet Set nightclub at the time of the collapse remained unclear. Local media reported there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when disaster struck in the early hours of Tuesday. The roof collapse happened during a concert attended by politicians, athletes and other prominent figures. Among the victims was Nelsy Cruz, governor of the northern Monte Cristi province, President Luis Abinader said. Cruz is the sister of former baseball player Nelson Cruz, a seven-time MLB All-Star. Advertisement Former MLB pitcher Dotel died en route to a local hospital after being pulled from the debris, a spokesman for the nation’s Ministry of Sports said. The Dominican Republic’s Professional Baseball League expressed “its sorrow over the death of former pitcher Octavio Dotel” and concluded: “Peace to his soul”. Dotel, 51, debuted for the New York Mets in 1999 and played until 2013 for more than a dozen teams including the Houston Astros, Oakland A’s, New York Yankees, Chicago White Sox and Detroit Tigers. “Thinking about our people in the Dominican Republic,” Carlos Mendoza, manager of the Mets, said in a press conference. “We have a lot of the Dominican community in the baseball world.” Nearly 150 people have been taken to local hospitals for treatment, according to the government. The cause of the roof collapse remains under investigation. ‘Save lives’ Iris Pena, a woman who had attended the concert, told the Dominican channel SIN how she escaped with her son. “At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table. I asked the security officers … whether the ground had shaken,” she said. “A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out,” Pena recounted. “The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake.” Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news. “We are desperate,” Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert, told SIN. “They are not giving us news; they are not telling us anything.” Rescuers work at the site of the collapsed Jet Set nightclub in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic [Reuters] At the scene, meanwhile, helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club’s roof once was. A construction crane was helping to lift some of the heavier rubble as men in hard hats dug through the debris. Advertisement The authorities have issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood. “We are rescuing all the people we can save alive and recovering those bodies we find along the way. But we have focused on people we can rescue alive because we hear them asking for help,” Mendez said. “The main objective is to save lives,” President Abinader said as he arrived at the scene. The Instagram page of the Jet Set club said it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours. On Tuesday, the club issued a statement saying it had “collaborated fully and transparently with the authorities to help the victims and clarify what happened”. The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, received more than 11 million visitors in 2024, according to its Ministry of Tourism. Tourism generates about 15 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), with visitors attracted by the country’s Caribbean beaches, music and nightlife, as well as the colonial architecture of Santo Domingo. Adblock test (Why?)
Palestinians mourn journalist burned alive in Israeli strike on Gaza tent
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Palestinians in Gaza are mourning the death of journalist Ahmad Mansour who was filmed burning alive.
‘Mediterranean Blue’: Rare diamond makes dazzling debut
[unable to retrieve full-text content] Sotheby’s unveiled a newly discovered 10.03-carat fancy vivid blue diamond at an Abu Dhabi exhibit.
Zelenskyy: Chinese soldiers fighting for Russia inside Ukraine
NewsFeed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his country’s military captured two Chinese soldiers fighting alongside Russian forces in the territory of Ukraine. He added that he believes there are “significantly more” and is raising the issue with Beijing. Read more Name(required) Email(required) Website Message Submit Published On 8 Apr 20258 Apr 2025 Adblock test (Why?)
Under Trump, US Justice Department ends cryptocurrency investigations
The United States Department of Justice has announced it plans to pare back its investigations into cryptocurrency fraud, instead redirecting those resources towards immigration enforcement, terrorism and drug trafficking. In a memo late on Monday, Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche quoted President Donald Trump’s pledge to “end the regulatory weaponization” of the cryptocurrency industry. “The Department of Justice is not a digital assets regulator,” Blanche wrote. “The Justice Department will no longer pursue litigation or enforcement actions that have the effect of superimposing regulatory frameworks on digital assets.” Instead, Blanche explained that Trump regulators in other departments would enforce financial law “outside the punitive criminal justice framework”. “Prosecutors should not charge regulatory violations in cases involving digital assets,” Blanche wrote. As part of the changes, the Justice Department will immediately dismantle its National Cryptocurrency Enforcement Team (NCET), which was launched in February 2022 under the administration of former President Joe Biden. Advertisement The team was designed to pursue cases of alleged fraud and illicit finance schemes. In 2024, it announced a conviction in its first “cryptocurrency open-market manipulation case”. The suspect, Avraham Eisenberg, was found guilty of commodities fraud for artificially manipulating cryptocurrency prices. That, in turn, allowed him to amass $110m in cryptocurrency, according to prosecutors. NCET has also led high-profile investigations against cryptocurrency firms like Binance and Tornado Cash, the latter of which was accused of laundering money for North Korea. Trump has repeatedly slammed the Biden administration and has set about dismantling some of the former president’s signature policies, including NCET. In Monday’s memo, Blanche echoed Trump by blaming the “prior administration” for pursuing “a reckless strategy of regulation by prosecution”. Trump has sought to distance himself from Biden’s investigations into the largely unregulated cryptocurrency industry, instead positioning himself as a champion of digital currencies. On January 23, three days after returning to the White House for a second term, Trump issued Executive Order 14178, entitled “Strengthening American leadership in digital finance technology”. It revoked a Biden-era executive action pushing for “responsible development” of cryptocurrency and instead laid the groundwork for a “national digital asset stockpile”. In the weeks since, Trump has made good on that pledge, announcing a national strategic reserve for cryptocurrency in early March. He named five currencies to the reserve — XRP, Cardano, Solana, Bitcoin and Ethereum — giving each a brief boost in value. Advertisement Trump also released his own “meme coin” and has business interests in the cryptocurrency firm World Liberty Financial (WLF), netting him and his family billions of dollars. Critics, however, have questioned the ethics of those ventures, given Trump’s outsized role in the global economy. Calling himself the “crypto president”, Trump has nevertheless continued to make overtures to the digital currency industry. For example, he held a meeting with cryptocurrency leaders at the White House on March 7, dubbed the “first-ever White House Digital Assets Summit”. “Last year, I promised to make America the Bitcoin superpower of the world and the crypto capital of the planet, and we’re taking historic action to deliver on that promise,” Trump said at the meeting. “This will be a virtual Fort Knox for digital gold to be housed within the United States Treasury. That’s a big thing,” he added. He also drew a parallel between his legal woes and the investigations into the cryptocurrency industry. In 2023, Trump became the first president ever to be indicted on criminal charges, and in 2024, he was convicted of falsifying business documents in New York. “They weaponised government against the entire industry,” Trump said of the Biden administration’s actions probing cryptocurrency firms. “I know that feeling also, maybe better than you do. All of that will soon be over.” Under Trump’s direction, the federal government has indeed dropped several investigations into cryptocurrency businesses. Advertisement The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), for instance, dropped its probe into Coinbase, while the Justice Department ended its investigation of the financial company Robinhood, which had been accused of mishandling crypto assets. Monday’s memo did nevertheless say that some cryptocurrency-related investigations would remain a priority at the Justice Department. Instead, Blanche said the department would narrow its scope to focus on illegal activity that causes “financial harm to digital asset investors and consumers” and supports cartels, drug traffickers and designated “terrorist” groups. “For example, cartels and human trafficking and smuggling rings have increasingly turned to digital assets to fund their operations and launder the proceeds of their illicit businesses,” Blanche wrote. While the department would continue to pursue cartels and criminal organisations that use digital currencies, Blanche specified that his prosecutors “will not pursue actions against the platforms that these enterprises utilize to conduct their illegal activities”. Adblock test (Why?)