International
Trade war escalates as Trump metal tariffs take effect
Trade war escalates as Trump metal tariffs take effect
Tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump on imports of steel and aluminium have taken effect in a move that will likely escalate tensions with some of America’s largest trading partners.
It sparked an immediate response from the European Union which said it will impose counter tariffs on billions of euros of US goods.
Trump hopes the tariffs will boost US steel and aluminium production, but critics say it will raise prices for US consumers and dent economic growth, as US markets sunk on Monday and Tuesday in response to recession fears.
On Tuesday, Trump u-turned on doubling the tariffs on Canada specifically in response to a surcharge Ontario had placed on electricity.
The tariffs mean that US businesses wanting to bring steel and aluminium into the country will have to pay a 25% tax on them.
The EU announced retaliatory tariffs on Wednesday in response on goods worth €26bn (£22bn).
They will be partially introduced 1 April and fully in place on 13 April.
European Union President Ursula von der Leyen said she “deeply regrets this measure” adding that tariffs are “bad for business and worse for consumers”.
“They are disrupting supply chains. They bring uncertainty for the economy. Jobs are at stake, prices up, nobody needs that, on both sides, neither in the EU or the US.”
She said the EU’s response was “strong but proportionate” and that the EU remains “open to negotiations”.
However, the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), a group representing US steelmakers, welcomed the tariffs saying they will create jobs and boost domestic steel manufacturing.
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The group’s president Kevin Dempsey said the move closed a system of exemptions, exclusions and quotas that allowed foreign producers to avoid tariffs.
“AISI applauds the president’s actions to restore the integrity of the tariffs on steel and implement a robust and reinvigorated program to address unfair trade practices,” Mr Dempsey added.
The US is a major importer of aluminium and steel, and Canada, Mexico and Brazil are among its largest suppliers of the metals.
‘No exceptions’
Other countries also responded immediately to the move.
Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said he was disappointed and “all options were on the table” to respond in the national interest.
Australia’s Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, said the Trump administration’s decision to go ahead with the new tariffs is “entirely unjustified”.
Albanese, who had been trying to secure an exemption to the tariffs, said Australia will not be imposing retaliatory duties because such a move would only drive up prices for Australian consumers.
Meanwhile, Canada’s Energy Minister, Jonathan Wilkinson, told CNN his country would retaliate but added that Canada is not looking to escalate tensions.
Canada, is one of America’s closest trade partners, and the largest exporter of steel and aluminium to the US.
In 2018, during his first term as president, Trump imposed import tariffs of 25% on steel and 10% on aluminium, but carve-outs were eventually negotiated for many countries.
This time the Trump administration has signalled that there will be no exemptions.
British steel
Gareth Stace, director general at industry body UK Steel, said the US move was “hugely disappointing”.
Some steel company contracts have already been cancelled or been put on hold, he said, adding that customers in the US will have to pay £100m per year extra in the tax.
He said he shared Trump’s concerns about cheap steel flooding the market, but urged for him to work with the UK rather against it.
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“Surely President Trump realises that we are his friend, not his foe, and our valued customers in the US are our partners, they’re not our enemies,” he said.
Tariffs will “hit us hard” at a time when imports of steel into the UK are rising and the industry is “struggling” with energy prices.
The Unite union called on the government to “act decisively to protect the steel industry” because it is “a matter of national security”.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said there should be rules “to ensure that the public sector always buys UK produced steel”.
Recession fears
Michael DiMarino runs Linda Tool, a Brooklyn company that makes parts for the aerospace industry. Everything he makes involves some kind of steel, much of which comes from American mills.
“If I have higher prices, I pass them on to my customers. They have higher prices, they pass it on to the consumer,” Mr DiMarino said, adding that he supports the call for increased manufacturing in the US but warning the president’s moves could backfire.
The American Automotive Policy Council, a group that represents car giants such Ford, General Motors and Stellantis, also echoed suchworries.
The organisation’s president, Matt Blunt, said they “are concerned that specifically revoking exemptions for Canada and Mexico will add significant costs” to car makers’ suppliers.
Some economists are warning that the tariffs could help the US steel and aluminium industries but hurt the wider economy.
“It protects [the steel and aluminium] industries but hurts downstream users of their products by making them more expensive,” said Bill Reinsch, a former Commerce Department official, who is now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Fear of the economic cost of Trump’s trade tariffs have sparked a selloff in US and global stock markets which accelerated this week after the US president refused to rule out the prospect of an economic recession.
Meanwhile, research firm Oxford Economics, said in a report it had lowered its US growth forecast for the year from 2.4% to 2% and made even steeper adjustments to its outlook for Canada and Mexico.
“Despite the downgrade, we still expect the US economy to outperform the other major advanced economies over the next couple of years,” its report added.
Trade war escalates as Trump metal tariffs take effect
BBC
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International
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
US President Donald Trump has linked the ongoing student protests in France to what he described as “out of control” mass migration and an alleged attempt by Islam to take over the country.
Trump made the claim Tuesday in a post on his Truth Social platform, rejecting the view that the protests are primarily about education and school conditions.
The protests have spread across France since late September, with students, teachers and parents demanding better-funded schools, more teachers, improved infrastructure and action over overcrowded classrooms.
More than 250,000 people took part in demonstrations across the country on Tuesday, according to French authorities, while organisers put the turnout at about 450,000.
Trump wrote that the unrest was “nothing less than out of control mass migration” and claimed: “This isn’t about schools, this is about Islam wanting to take over a once great Country!”
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However, there has been no established link between the protests and religious or identity-based demands. The grievances publicly cited by student groups have centred on teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms, deteriorating school buildings and inadequate resources.
The demonstrations have nevertheless escalated in some areas, with clashes between protesters and police reported in cities including Paris, Strasbourg, Rennes and Toulouse.
French authorities said hundreds of people were arrested Tuesday, while hundreds of students, school staff and police officers have reportedly been injured during the unrest.
The protests have also become part of a wider debate over France’s public finances, government spending and political direction ahead of the country’s next presidential election.
Trump’s comments add an international political dimension to the crisis, as the US president continues to make migration in Europe a major focus of his political messaging.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said France was working to present its own account of the unrest rather than allowing foreign governments and political actors to define the narrative around the protests.
For now, the central demands of the protest movement remain focused on education, even as the unrest has become increasingly entangled with broader political disputes over immigration, public spending and France’s future.
Trump Links French Protests To Islam ‘Taking Over’ France
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International
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
UK Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned against the emergence of what she described as “little ghettos” of separatist migrant communities in Britain, arguing that newcomers must integrate and respect the country’s culture and values.
Badenoch made the remarks while opening the Conservative Party’s annual conference in Birmingham, where she set out her vision for rebuilding the party and Britain.
Speaking about immigration and integration, the Conservative leader said she wanted Britain to remain a “high-trust” society in which people coming into the country accept the social expectations and responsibilities that come with living there.
“I don’t want lots of little ghettos of separatist communities where they are recreating the place that they came from. That will ruin the United Kingdom,” Badenoch said.
She added that Britain was “not a dormitory” or “a hotel” and argued that migrants who come to the country, including those who come primarily to work, should respect British culture and values.
Badenoch stressed that she was not advocating race-based citizenship, saying Britain had never operated such a system. However, she argued that British culture, norms and expectations remained important to maintaining social cohesion.
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“It is not just about the values and the principles,” she said, arguing that the way people conduct themselves and the expectations they share also form part of British culture.
The remarks form part of Badenoch’s broader attempt to establish a tougher Conservative Party position on immigration, integration and national identity as the party seeks to regain political ground.
She has also acknowledged failures by previous Conservative governments to deliver promised reductions in immigration. In her newly published policy document, The Right Way, she argues that the party needs clearer principles and a more consistent approach to government.
The Conservatives are also proposing tougher conditions for migrants seeking permanent settlement in the UK, including changes to the rules governing indefinite leave to remain.
Badenoch’s comments have drawn attention because of the sensitivity surrounding immigration and multiculturalism in Britain, with critics arguing that language about migrant communities risks stigmatising minority groups.
Her supporters, however, say the emphasis on integration rather than race is intended to reinforce a shared national identity and social cohesion.
The debate comes as immigration remains a major political issue in the UK, with the Conservatives facing pressure from Reform UK over migration while the Labour government continues to face questions over legal and irregular immigration.
Badenoch, who became Conservative leader in November 2024, used the conference to present her party as a political alternative focused on economic growth, stronger national security, reduced bureaucracy and stricter immigration policies.
Her comments on migrant communities are expected to remain a significant part of the Conservatives’ political message as the party seeks to redefine its approach to immigration, integration and British identity.
Kemi Badenoch: I Don’t Want Migrants Turning UK Into Nation Of ‘Little Ghettos’
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International
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
President Donald Trump has approved the execution by U.S. Army firing squad of former Army Major Nidal Malik Hasan, who was sentenced to death for the 2009 mass shooting at Fort Hood, Texas, that left 13 people dead and 32 others wounded.
The Pentagon announced the decision on Monday, saying Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the firing-squad execution and Trump approved it.
Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Secretary of the Army would determine the date and location of the execution.
Hasan, a former Army psychiatrist, opened fire at a medical facility at Fort Hood on November 5, 2009, shortly before he was due to deploy to Afghanistan.
The attack killed 12 active-duty soldiers and one retired serviceman, while 32 others were wounded. Hasan was shot and seriously injured by a responding civilian police officer and has been partially paralysed since the attack.
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A military jury convicted Hasan in 2013 of 13 counts of premeditated murder and 32 counts of attempted premeditated murder and sentenced him to death.
During his court-martial, Hasan represented himself and did not call witnesses in his defence. He acknowledged that he carried out the shooting and argued that his actions were intended to protect Muslims whom he believed were being targeted by U.S. military operations.
Hasan has remained on military death row at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, while pursuing legal challenges to his conviction and sentence.
Trump’s approval does not mean the execution will take place immediately. Further legal and administrative procedures remain, and Hasan could seek relief through the federal courts, potentially delaying the execution.
If carried out, Hasan’s execution would be an extraordinary event in the history of the U.S. military justice system.
The U.S. military has not carried out an execution since 1961, when Army Private John Bennett was hanged. The last known U.S. military execution by firing squad took place in 1945.
The decision also comes amid renewed debate in the United States over methods of execution. The Trump administration has expanded the available methods for carrying out federal executions, while recent difficulties surrounding lethal injection have intensified scrutiny of capital punishment.
Hasan’s case has remained one of the most prominent military death-penalty cases in the United States since the Fort Hood attack nearly 17 years ago.
The Army is now expected to determine when and where the execution will take place, subject to the remaining legal process.
Trump Approves Firing Squad Execution For Fort Hood Shooter Nidal Hasan
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