Author: Lester Holt
Ottawa will lift some retaliatory duties while retaining tariffs on vehicles, steel, and aluminium. Prime Minister Mark Carney announced Friday that Canada will reduce a portion of its trade retaliation against the United States. Levies on autos, steel, and aluminium will remain, but other tariffs on American goods will be removed starting September 1. Decision follows missed trade deadline The announcement comes after Carney’s first phone call with President Donald Trump since both nations failed to meet their self-imposed deadline for a new trade pact. Canada had previously imposed a 25% tariff on roughly C$30bn (£16bn; $21.7bn) of US goods,…
Federal Effort Shifts to Major Cities President Donald Trump announced plans to extend his federal crime initiative to Chicago and New York, describing Chicago as in disarray and stating that New York would follow. The effort continues a focus on Democratic-led cities with Black mayors, prompting criticism from local officials who view the actions as politically motivated. National Guard Troops to Carry Weapons in Capital Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered that National Guard members in Washington DC will now be armed, reversing previous assurances that they would remain unarmed. About 2,000 troops are stationed in the city, including reinforcements from…
Tariff reduction conditional on European legislation The United States will maintain its 27.5% tariff on European automobiles until the European Union formally tables laws to reduce tariffs on American products. According to the framework released Thursday, the US will lower the rate to 15% once the EU takes the required legislative step. Agreement finalized in Scotland The deal was announced on 27 July following a meeting between President Donald Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at Trump’s Turnberry golf course. The agreement outlines mutual commitments: the EU will remove duties on US industrial goods and grant better…
Countdown to September Brazil is calling on governments worldwide to step up with fresh climate commitments ahead of a September deadline, as the country readies to host Cop30. So far, only a small fraction of nations have filed plans, and some of the largest polluters have yet to act. UN report depends on pledges The UN’s climate body must receive all updated national pledges by 25 September to prepare its synthesis report. This document will map how close—or far—the world is from staying within the 1.5C temperature threshold agreed in Paris. Brazil ramps up engagement André Corrêa do Lago, the…
Children Most AffectedHealth officials and aid workers warn of a sharp rise in diphtheria across Somalia, with children making up more than 97% of those infected. The highly contagious bacterial illness, which can be prevented with vaccines, is spreading quickly due to low immunisation rates and difficult living conditions. Sharp Increase in InfectionsDr Abdulrazaq Yusuf Ahmed, head of Demartino Hospital in Mogadishu, reported a dramatic spike. “In 2024, we saw just 49 cases, but in the first four months of 2025 alone, we’ve already treated 497 patients,” he said. Deaths have also climbed from 13 to 42. Rising Nationwide NumbersAccording…
Extreme temperatures escalate fire risk Southern Europe is facing a severe heatwave, intensifying ongoing wildfires. In Spain, one-quarter of weather stations reported temperatures above 40°C, with Cádiz reaching 45.8°C on Sunday. The national weather agency, Aemet, warned that although the heatwave is slowly easing, very high temperatures will persist in eastern and southern regions. Fires ravage land and threaten lives Preliminary data from Copernicus shows that wildfires have burned 348,000 hectares in Spain this year, exceeding the previous record from 2022. In Portugal, 216,000 hectares have been destroyed. Fatalities include four in Spain, including a firefighter, and two in Portugal.…