Page 81 - Donald Trump Administration

Trump's aid freeze shocks Syria camp holding families linked to IS group

Ahmad Abdullah Hammoud was lucky to have some food stored to feed his family after a US-funded organisation abruptly suspended its aid activities at the sprawling tent camp in northeastern Syria where they have been forced to stay for nearly six years. His family is among 37,000 people, mostly women and children, with alleged ties to the Islamic State group at the bleak, trash-strewn al-Hol camp, where the Trump administration's unprecedented freeze on foreign aid caused chaos and uncertainty and worsened the dire humanitarian conditions. When the freeze was announced shortly after Trump took office, US-funded aid programmes worldwide began shutting down operations, including the organisation that runs many operations at al-Hol, which works under the supervision of the US-led coalition formed to fight IS. The US-based Blumont briefly suspended operations, according to the camp's director. It had been providing essentials such as bread, water, kerosene and cooking gas. Blumont didn't

EU leaders meet today to discuss defence against Russia and handling Trump

EU leaders are expected to discuss what military capabilities they need in the coming years, how they could be funded and how they might cooperate more through joint projects

Taiwan to support companies in relocating to US following Trump tariffs

Taiwan, whose companies are key producers of tech products like semiconductors and electronics parts, is vulnerable given that many have factories in both Mexico and China

Trump's tariffs to have limited impact on oil, gas prices: Goldman Sachs

Potential tariff-driven decline in US natural gas imports from Canada is too small to significantly raise US natural gas prices, the bank said

Tariff war with US likely to put Canada into recession, say economists

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's plan to retaliate on C$155 billion ($105 billion) worth of American-made products will trim real gross domestic product growth by 2 to 4 percentage points

Trump's 'tariff thrashing' stimulates crisis response from Canada

Government leaders in Canada also announced more retaliatory measures against the US, and several provinces, including Ontario and Quebec, will remove US products from liquor stores they control

DOGE 'rapidly shutting down' Treasury payments to US contractors: Musk

Musk is targeting systems that process tens of billions of dollars a day in payments for US government agencies and the officials that oversee them

Trump increases EU tariff threat, plans calls with Canada, Mexico

Trump's comments leave little room for optimism of an agreement to avoid a North American trade war that may spread across the world

Trump's tariffs could impact all carmakers, raising industry concerns

All told, GM plants in Canada and Mexico produced nearly 40 percent of all vehicles the company made last year in North America, the region where it gets most of its revenue

Musk's DOGE commission gains access to sensitive Treasury payment systems

The Department of Government Efficiency, run by President Donald Trump's billionaire adviser and Tesla CEO Elon Musk, has gained access to sensitive Treasury data including Social Security and Medicare customer payment systems, according to two people familiar with the situation. The move by DOGE, a Trump administration task force assigned to find ways to fire federal workers, cut programs and slash federal regulations, means it could have wide leeway to access important taxpayer data, among other things. The New York Times first reported the news of the group's access of the massive federal payment system. The two people who spoke to The Associated Press spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly. The highest-ranking Democrat on the Senate Finance Committee, Ron Wyden of Oregon, on Friday sent a letter to Trump's Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent expressing concern that officials associated with Musk may have intended to access these payment .

Donald Trump imposes 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, 10% on China

Trump's tariffs deliver on a threat to punish the three countries for what he says is a failure to prevent the flow of undocumented migrants and illegal drugs

US businesses prepare for Donald Trump's tariffs to drive up expenses

From an ice cream parlour in California to a medical supply business in North Carolina to a T-shirt vendor outside Detroit, U.S. businesses are bracing to take a hit from the taxes President Donald Trump imposed Saturday on imports from Canada, Mexico and China America's three biggest trading partners. The levies 25 per cent on Canadian and Mexican and 10 per cent on Chinese goods will take effect Tuesday. Canadian energy, including oil, natural gas and electricity, will be taxed at a lower 10 per cent rate. Mexico's president immediately ordered retaliatory tariffs and Canada's prime minister said the country would put matching 25% tariffs on up to USD 155 billion in US imports. China did not immediately respond to Trump's action. The Budget Lab at Yale University estimates that Trump's tariffs would cost the average American household USD 1,000 to USD 1,200 in annual purchasing power. Gregory Daco, chief economist at the tax and consulting firm EY, calculates that the tariffs

Did not want this, but Canada is ready: Trudeau announces counter tariffs

Trudeau urged people of his country to purchase local products and consider spending vacations in the country, according to the Canada-based media channel, Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC)

Trump tariffs, reforms target loophole used by Chinese online retailers

Under the de minimis exemption, products below that amount are able to enter the US without tariffs, boon for China's e-commerce retailers who ship often cheaper wares directly to consumers in the US

Complete betrayal: Canada reels as Trump tariffs rattle trade relationship

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has scheduled a news conference for 8:30 p.m. Ottawa time to announce Canada's response to the tariffs, while other political leaders began taking their own actions

China vows unspecified measures to counter US tariffs, threatens WTO action

China "firmly opposes" the levy and will file proceedings to the World Trade Organization, a spokesperson from the Ministry of Commerce said in a statement

Mexico pledges retaliatory tariffs against US while calling for cooperation

Sheinbaum said the country would also implement non-tariff measures, while calling for cooperation with the US on topics including security, migration and addressing the fentanyl public health crisis

US military conducts airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia

The US military has conducted coordinated airstrikes against Islamic State operatives in Somalia, the first attacks in the African nation during President Donald Trump's second term. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said Saturday that the strikes by US Africa Command were directed by Trump and coordinated with Somalia's government. An initial assessment by the Pentagon indicated that multiple operatives were killed. The Pentagon said is assesses no civilians were harmed in the strikes. Trump, in a post on social media, said a senior IS planner and recruits were targeted in the operation. The strikes destroyed the caves they live in, and killed many terrorists without, in any way, harming civilians. Our Military has targeted this ISIS Attack Planner for years, but Biden and his cronies wouldn't act quickly enough to get the job done. I did! Trump said. The message to ISIS and all others who would attack Americans is that WE WILL FIND YOU, AND WE WILL KILL YOU! Trump did not identify

News Highlights: Veteran Himachal BJP leader Kishan Kapoor dies at 73; CM, governor pay tribute

Catch all the latest news updates from around the world here

Colleges around US navigate President Trump's DEI crackdown with caution

In Boston, Northeastern University renamed a programme for underrepresented students, emphasising belonging for all. In New Jersey, a session at Rutgers University catering to students from historically Black colleges had to be abruptly cancelled. And around the US, colleges are assessing programme names and titles that could run afoul of a Trump administration crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives. New White House orders ban DEI policies in programmes that receive federal money. Across higher education, institutions rely on federal funding for research grants, projects and contract work. As they figure out how to adapt, some schools are staying quiet out of uncertainty, or fear. President Donald Trump has called for compliance investigations at some schools with endowments over $1 billion. Others have vowed to stand firm. The president of Mount Holyoke College, a liberal arts school in Massachusetts, said she hopes colleagues in higher education will not capitu