Did Trump really ‘exempt’ Chinese phones, chips from tariffs?
United States President Donald Trump has threatened new tariffs on Chinese electronic goods, three days after his administration announced exemptions on smartphones, laptops, flash drives and a host of other tech products from levies he has announced since April 2. Those exemptions provided relief to US tech companies reliant on Chinese manufacturing, like Apple and chip company Nvidia, which saw their stocks rise considerably after the release of Friday’s notice. Then came Monday’s announcement, which sparked criticism of Trump over…
China halts exports of critical materials amid trade war with US – NYT
China has halted exports of several critical rare earth metals and magnets amid a deepening trade war with the US, the New York Times has reported. The move follows US President Donald Trump’s decision to drastically raise tariffs on imports from China and other countries earlier this month.
“History of Racism” page missing from Harvard’s Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging department site
As archived here. History of Racism Louis Agassiz Louis Agassiz (1807-1873) was a Swiss-born natural scientist, a professor of zoology and geology in the predecessor of the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, and a prominent supporter of racial segregation and white supremacy. Agassiz was educated and spent his early career in Western Europe (Irmscher, 2013, p. 41-84). He began his scientific career cataloguing fish fossils, work for which he would later win the Wollaston Medal, the proto-Nobel Prize (Irmscher,…
Video: Bodies of eight missing paramedics found in Gaza mass grave
The Palestine Red Crescent says it’s located the bodies of eight of the nine paramedics who went missing about a week ago. The medics had been surrounded by Israeli forces while responding to the scene of an attack in Rafah. Gaza’s Health Ministry says their bodies had been discovered in a hole, and that some were bound and had gunshot wounds to the chest. Mads Gilbert, professor of Emergency Medicine at Norway’s University of Tromso weighs in.
China adds 12 US entities to export control list, adds 6 US firms to unreliable entity list
China’s Ministry of Commence (MOFCOM) said on Wednesday that it has added 12 US entities to the export control list. In order to safeguard national security and interests and fulfill international obligations such as non-proliferation, in accordance with the relevant provisions of the Export Control Law of China and the regulations on export control of dual-use items, the MOFCOM issued an announcement to include 12 US entities in the export control list and prohibit the export of dual-use items to…
Brussels threatens to block US from bidding for public contracts
Brussels has threatened to bar American companies from bidding for taxpayer-funded contracts as Europe seeks to retaliate against Donald Trump’s tariffs. Stéphane Séjourné, executive vice president of the European Commission, said the EU has “the cards” to hit back at Mr Trump’s new levies of 20pc on goods and 25pc on cars. “We could decide to withdraw all American companies from European public procurement,” Mr Séjourné, who is also commissioner for industrial strategy, told Radio France. It represents a fresh…
Telegram Accused of Removing Popular News Channel at Russia’s Request
The messaging app Telegram is facing censorship accusations after reportedly removing a popular Russian news channel whose alleged owners face criminal prosecution inside Russia. VChK-OGPU, an anonymously run channel claiming to share insider information from Russia’s security and law enforcement agencies, had 1.1 million subscribers when it was taken down overnight Monday. On a backup Telegram channel, VChK-OGPU’s owners wrote that the removal came at the request of the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office, the Federal Security Service (FSB) and state media watchdog Roskomnadzor….
UK court confirms Apple is suing British government over ‘backdoor’ request
A British court has confirmed that Apple is suing the British government over a legal order regarding the company’s encryption of iCloud accounts, lifting a veil of official secrecy regarding the controversial move. In a judgment on Monday, the Investigatory Powers Tribunal — the only court in the country that can hear certain national security cases — said it would confirm “the bare details of the case” despite the British government’s argument that to do so would undermine national security….
UK MPs barred from entering Israel
Two pro-Palestinian British MPs were denied entry to Israel and subsequently deported after local authorities accused them of misrepresenting the nature of their visit and planning to promote campaigns targeting the state. Abtisam Mohamed and Yuan Yang, both members of the governing Labour Party, landed in Tel Aviv at 2:30pm local time on Saturday, accompanied by two aides. During questioning at Ben Gurion Airport, they told border officers they were part of an official UK parliamentary delegation – a claim…
China hits back at Trump with 34% tariff on U.S. imports
China announced a 34% tariff on all products imported from the U.S. on Friday, escalating the trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. The move came two days after President Donald Trump imposed the same tariff on all Chinese imports as part of what he called reciprocal tariffs on a long list of U.S. trade partners. Combined with 20% in other levies that Trump has imposed on Chinese goods since returning to office in January, the total U.S. tariff…
Jeep & Chrysler parent Stellantis lays off 900 US workers as tariffs bite
In sum:
Stellantis pauses production in Mexico and Canada due to tariffs
Automakers face 25% import tax on imported autos
UAW criticizes Stellantis for unnecessary layoffs
US automaker shares fall sharply
South Korea Removes Its Impeached President and Regains Direction
South Korea’s president Yoon Suk Yeol has been removed from office, four months after his shortlived attempt to impose martial law sparked a prolonged political crisis. The Constitutional Court on Friday announced in a unanimous verdict that it would uphold parliament’s vote to impeach Yoon last year over his failed power grab, stripping him of office and ending his presidency less than three years into his five-year term. A presidential election will be held within 60 days. Han Duck-soo, a…
Musk’s father says Tesla tycoon admires Putin
Errol Musk says his family looks up to the Russian leader for his calm leadership and logical speeches Errol Musk has said that his son Elon and their family admire Russian President Vladimir Putin. Speaking to the BBC in an interview, the billionaire’s father described the head of state as a “strong leader” and praised his speeches as logical. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, also leads the US Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as part of US President…
China’s response to US tariff announcement: Breach of WTO rules, countermeasures will follow
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson slammed US’ “reciprocal tariffs,” saying the US’ move seriously violates WTO rules and undermines the rules-based multilateral trading system. “China strongly opposes the US’ move and will resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate interests,” Guo said, responding to a question over the US’ “reciprocal tariffs” on its major trade partners, including 34 percent on China. The Chinese side has repeatedly stressed that there is no winner in trade war and that protectionism leads nowhere, the spokesperson said. “China urges the US to immediately correct its wrongdoings and resolve trade disputes with China and other countries through equal, respectful, and mutually beneficial dialogue.”
In Texas, ‘water is the new oil’ as cities square off over aquifers that may soon dry out
In Central Texas, a bitter fight over a $1 billion water project offers a preview of the future for much of the state as decades of rapid growth push past the local limits of its most vital natural resource. On one side: Georgetown, the fastest growing city in America for three years straight, which in 2023 signed a contract with an investor-funded enterprise to quickly begin importing vast volumes of water from the Simsboro Formation of the Carrizo Wilcox Aquifer,…
JD Vance says Denmark has ‘under invested’ in Greenland
US Vice President JD Vance on Friday criticized Denmark for failing to adequately protect Greenland, during a visit to the strategically significant and resource-rich Arctic territory. His remarks, made at the Pituffik Space Base in northwestern Greenland, have been viewed as a provocation by both Copenhagen and Nuuk. “Denmark has not done enough” Speaking at a press conference, Vance accused Denmark of under-investing in Greenland and neglecting both its people and its security infrastructure. “Our message to Denmark is very…
