Author: AFP
French luxury group Hermes said Thursday it would hike its prices in the United States to offset the impact of 10-percent import tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump. Famous for its Birkin handbag, silk scarves and leather goods, the increases would take effect on May 1, said the group’s finance chief, Eric Halgouet. Halgouet did not say by how much prices would be raised, but he said the move would “fully offset” the tariffs impact. “It will be a complementary price increase that we are currently finalising, but which will allow us to neutralise this impact,” he told reporters during…
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday accused Steve Witkoff of “spreading Russian narratives”, after the US envoy suggested a peace deal with Russia hinged on the status of Ukraine’s occupied territories. “I believe that Mr Witkoff has taken on the strategy of the Russian side. I think it is very dangerous, because he is consciously or unconsciously, I don’t know, spreading Russian narratives,” Zelensky told journalists.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday told his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov that talks with European officials in Paris towards a ceasefire in Ukraine had been “encouraging”, the State Department said. “The encouraging reception in Paris to the US framework shows that peace is possible if all parties commit to reaching an agreement,” Rubio told Lavrov in a telephone conversation after the talks, the State Department said.
The US State Department is expected to propose an unprecedented dismantling of Washington’s diplomatic reach, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, shuttering programs and embassies worldwide to slash the budget by almost 50 percent. The proposals, contained in an internal departmental memo said to be under serious discussion by senior officials, would eliminate almost all funding for international organizations, including the United Nations and NATO. Financial support for international peacekeeping would be curtailed, along with funding for educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious US scholarships. The plan comes with President Donald Trump pressing a…
The US State Department is expected to propose an unprecedented dismantling of Washington’s diplomatic reach, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, shuttering programs and embassies worldwide to slash the budget by almost 50 percent. The proposals, contained in an internal departmental memo said to be under serious discussion by senior officials, would eliminate almost all funding for international organizations, including the United Nations and NATO. Financial support for international peacekeeping would be curtailed, along with funding for educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious US scholarships. The plan comes with President Donald Trump pressing a…
The uncertainty kicked up by Donald Trump’s stop-start tariff rollout will undoubtedly hit growth, the president of the World Bank said Wednesday, ahead of next week’s semi-annual meeting of global financial leaders in Washington. “Uncertainty and volatility are undoubtedly contributing to a more cautious economic and business environment,” Ajay Banga told reporters, alluding to the market turbulence unleashed by the new US administration’s tariff policy. This uncertainty would “certainly” cause slower growth than previously anticipated, he added during the virtual event. The World Bank and International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) Spring Meetings kick off on Monday, with the Bank keen to…
Donald Trump believes it is up to China, not the United States, to come to the negotiating table on trade, the White House said Tuesday, after the US president accused Beijing of reneging on a major Boeing deal. “The ball is in China’s court. China needs to make a deal with us. We don’t have to make a deal with them,” said a statement from Trump read out by Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt at a briefing. “There’s no difference between China and any other country except they are much larger,” she added. Leavitt’s comments came after Trump accused China of…
NATO chief Mark Rutte said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump’s push for a ceasefire and lasting peace in Ukraine was “not easy” and condemned Russia’s “terrible pattern” of attacks on Ukrainian civilians. “These discussions are not easy, not least in the wake of this horrific violence. But we all support President Trump’s push for peace,” Rutte said of US-led talks during a surprise visit to the port city of Odesa, where he met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky. Rutte’s comments contrast with an assessment from Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff, who said he sees a peace deal “emerging”…
Hamas’s armed wing said Tuesday it had “lost contact” with the group holding Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander following an air strike on their location in Gaza. “We announce that we have lost contact with the group holding soldier Edan Alexander following a direct strike on their location. We are still trying to reach them at this moment,” Abu Obeida, spokesman for the Ezzedine Al-Qassam Brigades, said on his Telegram channel.
Iran must completely halt its uranium enrichment as part of any nuclear deal, US envoy Steve Witkoff said Tuesday, after suggesting it could continue doing so at a low level. “Any final arrangement must set a framework for peace, stability, and prosperity in the Middle East — meaning that Iran must stop and eliminate its nuclear enrichment and weaponization program,” Witkoff said on X. The previous day, he appeared to stop short of calling for a complete dismantling of Iran’s nuclear program, saying in a Fox News interview that “this is going to be much about verification on the enrichment…