Top World News
Canada to counter ‘unjustified’ US tariffs with 25% taxes on US cars, says Carney
Canadian prime minister says country will impose taxes on US vehicles not compliant with continental free trade dealCanada will retaliate against “unjustified, unwarranted” tariffs imposed by the United States with a 25% tax on US vehicles, says Mark Carney.On Wednesday, Donald Trump announced wide-ranging tariffs on dozens of countries, but did not add new trade levies to Canada or Mexico. Despite the reprieve, however, the US has placed 25% taxes on Canadian steel, aluminum and vehicles. Continue reading...
US tourist arrested for landing on forbidden Indian tribal island
Police say man landed on island in attempt to meet the Sentinelese people – a tribe untouched by the industrial worldIndian police said on Thursday they had arrested a US tourist who sneaked on to a highly restricted island carrying a coconut and a can of Diet Coke to a tribe untouched by the industrial world.Mykhailo Viktorovych Polyakov, 24, set foot on the restricted territory of North Sentinel – part of India’s Andaman Islands – in an attempt to meet the Sentinelese people, who are believed to number only about 150. Continue reading...
Pentagon IG to probe Hegseth's use of Signal to discuss anti-Houthi operations in Yemen
The Pentagon's independent watchdog announced Thursday that it will launch an investigation into Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss upcoming military strikes against Houthi militants in Yemen.
Hungary to pull out of ‘political’ ICC as Netanyahu visits Budapest
Israeli PM, who is wanted by the court, hails Viktor Orbán’s ‘bold and principled’ decision to leave the ‘corrupt’ bodyHungary will leave the international criminal court because it has become “political”, the country’s prime minister, Viktor Orbán, said as he welcomed his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanhayu – the subject of an ICC arrest warrant – to Budapest for an official visit.Standing beside Netanyahu at the start of the four-day visit, Orbàn said Hungary was convinced the “otherwise very important court” had “diminished into a political forum”. Continue reading...
'Did you have a lobotomy?': Conservative slams 'free-trader' Rubio for kissing up to Trump
Conservative commentator and MAGA critic Ana Navarro-Cárdenas had some sharp words for Secretary of State Marco Rubio's praise of the Trump administration's sweeping tariffs that may well spark a global trade war.Navarro-Cárdenas claimed she has known Rubio for 30 years, from their early days in Miami, FL, politics. She has been highly critical of Rubio's descent into MAGA policies, where he once called Donald Trump a "con artist" who "hijacked the conservative movement."Rubio was present in the Rose Garden Wednesday when Trump declared "liberation day" and signed an executive order imposing reciprocal tariffs affecting some 65 countries.Shortly after the event, Rubio posted on X, "Thank you, @POTUS! 'Made in America' is not just a tagline — it’s an economic and national security priority."ALSO READ: 'The Hard Reset': Here's how the U.S. is exporting terrorism around the worldNavarro-Cárdenas immediately jumped on the tweet, writing, "Marco, you are a free-trader. You argued against tariffs until like 5 minutes ago. Did you have a lobotomy, or does your servility just have no limits?"A search of Rubio's past stance on free trade showed that he challenged Trump's desire to start a punitive trade war against countries he believed treated the United States unfairly. During a 2016 Republican debate, Rubio said, "About the trade war — I don't understand, because your ties and the clothes are made in Mexico and in China. You're going to start a trade war against your own ties and suits. Why don't you make them in America?" Also, in 2016, when Trump argued for 45% tariffs on Chinese goods, Rubio retorted, "I think we need to be very careful with tariffs, and here's why. China doesn't pay the tariff, the buyer pays the tariff: it gets passed on in the price to the consumer. So I think the better approach, the best thing we can do to protect ourselves against China economically is to make our economy stronger. It begins with tax reform. It continues with regulatory reform."Another person who questioned Rubio for going all-in on tariffs was Kyle Matthews, with the Montreal Institute for Global Security. He posted under Rubio's tweet, "Best of luck in your diplomacy. You are going to need it."
Residents of Israeli community attacked by Hamas try to rebuild lives and homes
The tranquility of Kibbutz Kfar Aza, a small Israeli community just a mile from the Gaza border, was shattered Oct. 7, 2023, by a brutal Hamas-led assault that left 67 residents dead, 19 kidnapped and almost every household scarred by violence. The attack was one of the deadliest in the nation's history and exposed the vulnerability of a community that had been defined by its optimism and hopes for peace.
'Worse-than-anticipated' reaction to Trump tariffs is 'freaking out Wall Street': reporter
Investors are holding their collective breaths over President Donald Trump's sweeping tariffs that experts and consumers alike fear could plunge the economy into a recession. CNN reporter Matt Egan declared Thursday, "Clearly the president's trade war is freaking out Wall Street. It's sending shockwaves across global markets." Egan pointed out huge drops in future Thursday morning, with the Dow down 3%, with a nearly 4% drop in the S&P 500, and a nearly 5% drop for the NASDAQ. After the markets closed on Wednesday, Trump held a Rose Garden "celebration" as he prepared to sign his executive order. "While specifics about enforcement and duration of the new tariffs remain unclear, a document distributed to reporters included a list of 65 countries with calculated reciprocal rates," Newsweek reported. ALSO READ: 'The Hard Reset': Here's how the U.S. is exporting terrorism around the world "I guess this answers one question: why the White House waited until after the closing bell for the president to actually roll out his trade plan," Egan said. Egan added that investors "were bracing for some rough news on tariffs yesterday, but I think this reaction shows that the result was even worse than they had anticipated." "Look at this!" Egan exclaimed in front of a chart showing the U.S. tariff rate going back 200 years. "And what you can see here is one, it's going straight higher. Fitch ratings says that it's going to be at at least 22% because of these new Trump tariffs — that is the highest level since around 1910, even surpassing Smoot-Hawley, which infamously made the Great Depression even worse." Egan said JP Morgan financial services issued a note to their clients Wednesday night, "and they say look, if these policies are sustained and they're implemented, it's likely going to push the U.S. and the global economy into recession this year." Egan also quoted Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi, saying, "If they follow through, i would buckle up and brace for impact. He said a recession seems more likely than not." Watch the clip below via CNN or click the link.
Rubio tries to reassure wary allies of U.S. commitment to NATO as Trump sends mixed signals
Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the Trump administration's new envoy to NATO are seeking to reassure wary members of the U.S. commitment to the alliance.
'The patient lived!' Trump celebrates tariffs with 'operation' comparison as markets tank
President Donald Trump tempted fate with a social media post celebrating his controversial tariffs that called to mind George W. Bush's infamous "mission accomplished" speech during the Iraq war. The president announced sweeping tariffs Wednesday on U.S. imports that shook up world markets and will increase prices for American consumers, but he fired off an all-caps post on Truth Social preemptively celebrating his policy's impact on the economy. "The operation is over!" Trump posted at 8:33 a.m. EST. "The patient lived, and is healing. The prognosis is that the patient will be far stronger, bigger, better, and more resilient than ever before. Make America great again!!!" ALSO READ: 'Came as a surprise to me': Senators 'troubled' by one aspect of government funding bill Trump argues that the tariffs will boost domestic manufacturing, although economists generally disagree about their beneficial impact, and the post has the potential to haunt the president like Bush's premature speech weeks after the March 2003 invasion of Iraq. Global markets tumbled on Thursday morning after Trump's announcement, with S&P 500 futures slumping more than 3 percent and the value of the U.S. dollar dropping more than 1 percent.
Prime Minister Mark Carney says Canada will match U.S. auto tariffs
Prime Minister Mark Carney said Thursday that Canada will match U.S. President Trump's 25% auto tariffs with a tariff on vehicles imported from the United States.
Haiti announces new measures to fight gangs after thousands of protesters demand security
The leader of Haiti’s transitional presidential council says it is taking measures to crack down on a surge in gang violence as he acknowledged that the country has “become hell for everyone.”
World Bank announces multimillion-dollar redress fund after killings and abuse claims at Tanzanian project
Communities in Ruaha national park reject response to alleged assault and evictions of herders during tourism scheme funded by the bankThe World Bank is embarking on a multimillion-dollar programme in response to alleged human rights abuses against Tanzanian herders during a flagship tourism project it funded for seven years.Allegations made by pastoralist communities living in and around Ruaha national park include violent evictions, sexual assaults, killings, forced disappearances and large-scale cattle seizures from herders committed by rangers working for the Tanzanian national park authority (Tanapa). Continue reading...
