Spotlight on female animation directors at Annecy festival
02:17
12/06/2025
At least 49 killed in South Africa floods
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Beach Boys founder Brian Wilson dies at age 82
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Air India plane headed for London crashes at India's Ahmedabad airport
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Trump says US personnel moved as Iran nuclear talks stall
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Carbon storage in spotlight at UN Ocean Summit
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Israeli fire kills 60 in Gaza, many near aid site, medics say
12/06/2025
Police 'becoming much more forceful' as more than 400 arrested at LA protests
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How would Iran retaliate in event of Israeli strikes?
12/06/2025
NATO chief in Rome for key Ukraine talks
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France 24
13 hours ago
- France 24
Spain economy minister urges fair, balanced EU-US tariff deal
"There is still a long way to go to reach an agreement, but there remains the will to do so," Cuerpo told AFP in an interview on Thursday. His comments came on the sidelines of a trip to Houston, Texas, as he sought to reassure Spanish businesses rattled by US President Donald Trump's wide-ranging tariffs. Trump has slapped a 10 percent tariff on almost all trading partners including the European Union since returning to the presidency in January. He also threatened to impose heftier duties of 50 percent on the bloc, although pausing the higher rate until July 9. For now, Trump's existing tariffs, including 25 percent US duties on imported automobiles and 50 percent levies on steel and aluminum, are affecting European companies, Cuerpo said. Pressure is mounting as July approaches. US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told CNBC this week that an EU deal will likely be among the last that Washington completes, even as he remained optimistic that both sides would reach this goal. Arriving at a deal by July 9 would be ideal as it signals "certainty and confidence," Cuerpo said. He maintained that things are "progressing," stressing that "there is unanimity among the 27 member states to reach a fair and balanced agreement." No 'overreaction' He added that while Europe has prepared a response package to Trump's tariffs, Brussels is holding off implementation so that it cannot be "interpreted as an escalation in this tariff conflict." It is critical that the EU gives a "very clear signal" that it wants to strike a deal with the Trump administration, he said. "The fundamental thing is to avoid any element of overreaction," he added. Besides the EU, higher US tariffs on goods from dozens of economies including Japan and India are also due to take effect in July. Trump has taken an especially harsh stance on China as Beijing pushed back on US levies, with both sides engaging in an escalating tariffs war that has only been temporarily rolled back. The Spanish minister expects Trump's tariffs to have limited effect on his country's economic growth this year, given its smaller exposure to the US market. But he warned that certain sectors like olive oil and wine are at higher risk as more of such exports head to the United States. In the interim, Cuerpo noted the importance too of the Mercosur agreement, a trade deal between the European Union and four South American nations including Brazil. Asked if a new global trade order is emerging, Cuerpo said: "This feeling is widely shared." "We are witnessing a rebalancing of these trade relations at the international level and what nobody knows is what's the new point we will reach," he added.
France 24
15 hours ago
- France 24
Gulf countries fear Israel-Iran spillover
"Gulf states are very much caught between a rock and a hard place," Sanam Vakil, director of the Chatham House think-tank's Middle East and North Africa Programme told AFP. While "they are quietly applauding the further weakening of Iran they face real risks and have to play their cards carefully", she said. Their close ties to Israel's protector Washington, which maintains military bases in the region, and their proximity to Iran -- and its missiles -- pose risks. Vakil said that "Saudi diplomats are distancing themselves from Israel and condemning the strikes as a means to stay out of this conflict". The unfolding situation is playing out against a recent diplomatic rapprochement Riyadh has been building with Tehran ever since China in 2023 brokered an agreement aiming to restore ties. "This is a notable difference with the situation that prevailed in the region 10 years ago, when Saudi Arabia was sort of inciting the United States to strike Iran, calling it the 'head of the snake'," said Karim Bitar, a lecturer in Middle Eastern studies at Paris's Sciences Po university. Indeed, as Tehran reeled from Israel's attacks and planned retaliation, Saudi Arabian Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan called his Iranian counterpart and "stressed the importance of dialogue to address disputes". Stability at risk "Gulf countries realise that this Israeli attack will jeopardise their economic interests as well as the entire stability" of the region, Bitar said. That is a major preoccupation of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has been focusing on economic growth, giga-projects at home and diversification away from oil. During Donald Trump's first US presidency, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had pushed for a stronger stance against Iran. Gulf countries supported Trump's decision to pull the United States out of the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. But Gulf sentiment began to change after the United States failed to provide significant backing following attacks blamed on Tehran, analysts said. A 2019 attack -- claimed by Yemen's Huthis but blamed by Riyadh and Washington on Tehran -- hit Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq processing plant and Khurais oil field, temporarily halving the kingdom's crude output. Tehran denied involvement. The UAE too has been targeted by attacks from the Huthis that hit Abu Dhabi in 2022. Seeking to avert attacks by Iran and its proxies, especially as they host US bases that could become targets in the wake of a broader conflict, Gulf monarchies have pursued a detente. "The greatest concern in the Gulf now will be to what extent the United States will have to rely on their bases to assist in the defence of Israel," said Middle East analyst Andreas Krieg. US 'red line' While Trump's administration has distanced itself from Israel's operation, it has warned Iran not to hit US targets in the Middle East. "It has... drawn a firm red line, warning that any attacks on US personnel or military installations will provoke a response," Vakil said. She added, however, that "for now, Iran is unlikely to target Gulf infrastructure or assets". The leaders of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar last month had urged Trump, as he visited the region, to not order US strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities and to pursue a deal instead, according to the US news outlet Axios. "The Gulf states had hoped that Trump would show strong leadership and would contain (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's neo-conservative tendencies to escalate," said Krieg. Negotiations on Iran's nuclear programme had been going on between Washington and Tehran, although with little headway. Oman had been readying to host a sixth round of talks on Sunday, before Israel's attack threw that into doubt. For Bitar, the Israeli strikes seemed to be trying to "torpedo" the US-Iran talks. "What will be the US reaction? Will they maintain their blind and unconditional support for Israel, or will they try to go back to the negotiating table and reach a new deal?" he asked.
France 24
15 hours ago
- France 24
War, trade and Air India crash cast cloud over Paris Air Show
More than 2,400 companies from 48 countries are showing off their hardware at the week-long event at Le Bourget airfield on the outskirts of Paris. The sales rivalry between Airbus and Boeing usually drives the headlines as the world's top civilian planemakers announce many of their biggest orders at the air show. But this year's event "is much more complex", said Airbus chief executive Guillaume Faury, who also chairs the board of the Gifas association of French aerospace firms that organises the biennial event. The list of challenges is growing. Russia's war in Ukraine is stretching into its fourth year and there are fears of a wider conflict in the Middle East after Israel launched strikes on Iran on Friday, disrupting commercial flights across the region. The world economy is expected to slow sharply after US President Donald Trump launched his tariff blitz in April. And Boeing is facing a new crisis after Thursday's crash of a 787 Dreamliner operated by Air India in the city of Ahmedabad, which killed at least 265 people on board and on the ground. Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg cancelled plans to attend the Paris Air Show to focus on the investigation into the crash. Prior to the tragedy, Boeing had been making progress under a new leadership as the US company sought to restore trust after a series of safety and quality lapses. Boeing and its European rival, Airbus, have also been dealing with delays in delivering aircraft due to supply chain issues. Trade war US President Donald Trump's tariff onslaught has added to the issues facing the industry, which relies on a global supply chain. Trump imposed 10 percent tariffs on US imports of goods from nearly every country in April, and steeper levies on dozens of countries could kick in next month. The Trump administration is also mulling whether to impose sector-specific tariffs of between 10 and 20 percent on civil aircraft and parts. The heads of Airbus and Boeing have both called for tariffs to return to zero as had been the case since a 1979 agreement. "The entire Western aerospace industry considers that would be the best that could happen," said Faury. In a recent interview with trade journal Aviation Week, Ortberg warned that that tariffs are an added cost for Boeing, which has been financially weakened in recent years by production problems. We're "not in a position to pass those (costs) along to our customers," he told Aviation Week. "I'm hopeful that, as each of these country-by-country negotiations resolve, those tariffs will go away in the long run." The tariff problems come as the industry has yet to fully recover from effects of the Covid pandemic on its supply chain. Airbus is having trouble getting enough fuel-efficient engines for its top-selling A320 family of single-aisle jets, holding back the delivery of around 40 aircraft. The main bottleneck is a lack of toilets for widebody aircraft, said Christian Scherer, the head of Airbus's commercial aircraft division. Fighter jets The Paris Air Show is also about showing off the latest military hardware, at a time of conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. European countries are boosting defence budgets in the face of the Ukraine war and fears about Trump's commitment to the NATO alliance. "The geostrategic environment has led us to bolster this aspect which was in the background in previous years," said Gifas head Frederic Parisot. Some 75 companies related to weapons production will be participating at the show, with military jets, helicopters and drones to be displayed. Lockheed Martin's F-35 fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter will be featured, along with the Rafale produced by France's Dassault Aviation. Nine Israeli companies -- fewer than in the past -- are expected to have displays after a French court rejected a bid by NGOs to ban them over their alleged role in the Gaza conflict.
