While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 29, 2025
Trump eyes 'world tariff' of 15-20% for most countries
President Donald Trump said on July 28 most trading partners that do not negotiate separate trade deals would soon face tariffs of 15 per cent to 20 per cent on their exports to the United States, well above the broad 10 per cent tariff he imposed in April.
Mr Trump told reporters his administration will notify some 200 countries soon of their new 'world tariff' rate.
'I would say it'll be somewhere in the 15 to 20 per cent range,' Mr Trump told reporters, sitting alongside British Prime Minister Keir Starmer at his luxury golf resort in Turnberry, Scotland. 'Probably one of those two numbers.'
Mr Trump, who has vowed to end decades of US trade deficits by imposing tariffs on nearly all trading partners, has already announced higher rates of up to 50 per cent on some countries, including Brazil, starting on Aug 1.
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Trump gives Russia '10 or 12 days' to act on Ukraine
US President Donald Trump set a new deadline on July 28 of 10 or 12 days for Russia to make progress towards ending its war in Ukraine or face consequences, underscoring frustration with Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 3½-year-old conflict.
Mr Trump has threatened both sanctions on Russia and buyers of its exports unless progress is made.
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The fresh deadline suggests the US president is prepared to move forward on those threats after previous hesitation to do so.
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Taiwan's Lai Ching-te set to push back US stopover
PHOTO: REUTERS
Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te is set to delay a diplomatically sensitive trip his team had floated to the Trump administration for August that would have included stops in the United States, according to three people familiar with the matter.
Such a trip was bound to infuriate Beijing at a time when US President Donald Trump is trying to negotiate a deal on trade with China. China claims democratically governed Taiwan as its own territory, a claim Taiwan rejects, and regularly denounces any shows of support for Taipei from Washington.
The trip, which could have included visits to Guatemala, Belize and Paraguay, was never formally confirmed but had been discussed with the governments involved, according to a person familiar with the matter.
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Floods in Romania kill three, hundreds evacuated
Severe overnight floods in eastern Romania killed three elderly people and damaged thousands of homes, with hundreds of people evacuated and four helicopters searching for stranded villagers, officials said on July 28.
Some 25 villages across nine counties were affected by heavy rain and high winds, which tore off roofs and uprooted trees, blocking traffic on some national roads, according to the emergency response agency.
It released footage showing wooden houses and cars swept away by the floodwaters, with rescue workers checking vehicles for potential victims.
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England women return home to heroes' welcome
The England women's soccer team returned home on July 28 to a heroes' welcome following their Euro 2025 triumph, with government ministers hosting a reception to mark a victory hailed as an inspiration for young people across the nation.
Striker Chloe Kelly fired in the decisive spot-kick as England beat Spain 3-1 in a penalty shootout in Basel on July 27 to win the European Championship, successfully defending the title they won on home soil three years ago.
The team landed at London's Southend Airport on the afternoon of July 28 aboard a plane featuring the England badge, a red Nike logo, and the word 'Home' on its side, a reference to the iconic Three Lions soccer anthem, which contains the lyric 'it's coming home'.
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Bosnian Serb leader Dodik vows to defy political ban, write to Trump
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik arrives at the Kremlin to attend a festive concert, held on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War Two, in Moscow, Russia, May 8, 2025. Alexander Kryazhev/Host agency RIA Novosti/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo The separatist president of the Serb part of Bosnia vowed to defy a court ruling banning him from political office for six years on Friday and said he would seek help from both Russia and U.S. President Donald Trump. Milorad Dodik was responding to a ruling by Bosnia's appeals court upholding a sentence handed down to him for defying the orders of the international peace envoy, whose role is to prevent multi-ethnic Bosnia sliding back into civil war. Dodik told reporters he would continue to go to work. "I do not accept the verdict," he told reporters. "I will seek help from Russia and I will write a letter to the U.S. administration." He said he would ask his associates not to communicate with ambassadors from the European Union, which has a peacekeeping force in Bosnia to ensure stability that has deployed reserve forces over the crisis. The sentence, handed down to Dodik in February for defying the Constitutional Court as well as the peace envoy, included a one-year prison term that under Bosnia's legal system can possibly be exchanged for a fine. His lawyer Goran Bubic said his team would appeal Friday's appeals court ruling to the Constitutional Court and seek a temporary delay of the implementation of the verdict pending its decision. Dodik's conviction in February sparked uproar in Bosnia's autonomous Serb Republic, triggering Bosnia's worst political crisis since the conflict, which killed around 100,000 people in 1992-5. A pro-Russian nationalist who seeks to split his region from Bosnia, Dodik responded with measures to reduce the state's presence in the Serb Republic by ordering lawmakers to ban the state's prosecutor, court, and intelligence agency. The constitutional court then temporarily suspended the regional parliament's legislation as endangering the constitutional and legal order and sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the formal name of the country. Dodik is a long-time advocate of the secession of the Serb-dominated region, which along with the Bosniak-Croat Federation makes up Bosnia. The crisis precipitated by his separatist push represents one of the biggest threats to peace in the Balkans since the conflicts that followed Yugoslavia's collapse. REUTERS
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US sanctions force vessels with Russian oil to divert from India, sources say
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: The Russian vessel Tantal, an oil/chemical tanker, is berthed at the far eastern city of Vladivostok, Russia April 3, 2016. Picture taken April 3, 2016. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo NEW DELHI/MOSCOW - At least two vessels loaded with Russian oil bound for refiners in India have diverted to other destinations following new U.S. sanctions, trade sources said, and LSEG trade flows showed. The U.S. Treasury Department this week imposed sanctions on more than 115 Iran-linked individuals, entities, and ships, some of which are involved in transporting Russian oil. U.S. President Donald Trump has urged countries to halt purchases of oil from Moscow, threatening 100% tariffs unless Russia agrees to a significant peace deal with Ukraine. Three ships - the Aframaxes Tagor and Guanyin and the Suezmax Tassos - were scheduled to deliver Russian oil to Indian ports this month, trade sources said. All three vessels are under U.S. sanctions. Tagor was bound for Chennai on India's east coast, while Guanyin and Tassos were headed to ports in western India, according to trade sources and Russian ports data. Tighter Western sanctions aimed at cutting Russia's oil revenue, seen as funding its war against Ukraine, have been increasingly hitting Russian oil supplies for India, which buys more than a third of its oil needs from Russia. Tagor is now heading to Dalian in China, while Tassos is diverting to Port Said in Egypt, the data shows. Guanyin remains on course to Sikka, a port used by Reliance Industries and Bharat Petroleum Corp Ltd.. Indian Oil Corp, which was to receive the Tagor shipment, and BPCL did not respond to Reuters' emailed requests for comment. Zulu Shipping, linked to Panama-flagged Tassos and Tagor, and Guanyin-owner Silver Tetra Marine could not be reached for comments. Both companies are under U.S. sanctions. A Reliance spokesperson said that "neither of these two vessels, Guanyin and Tassos, is coming to us". Reliance has previously purchased oil in Guanyin. Separately, two other vessels, Achilles and Elyte, loaded with Russian oil, are preparing to discharge Russian Urals for Reliance, according to LSEG data. Both these vessels are sanctioned by Britain and the European Union. India has condemned the EU sanctions. REUTERS
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Singapore factory activity slips into contraction as tariff fears sink in
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Electronics, which accounts for around 40 per cent of Singapore's manufacturing output, was a modestly bright spot. SINGAPORE – Manufacturing output here slipped in July after a slight increase in June amid uncertainty over US tariffs. The purchasing managers' index (PMI) – a barometer of the sector's health – dipped from 50 points in June to 49.9 points. A reading above 50 indicates growth; one below suggests a contraction in output. Electronics, which accounts for around 40 per cent of Singapore's manufacturing output, was a modestly bright spot, with its PMI reading edging up from 50.1 to 50.2 from June to July. Mr Stephen Poh, executive director of the Singapore Institute of Purchasing and Materials Management, which compiles the index, said readings showing electronics in expansion and the broader manufacturing industry in contraction 'painted a mixed outlook'. 'Anecdotal evidence suggests that local manufacturers remained concerned about the uncertain global trade policy and tariffs, and many companies have held back their investment and hiring plans,' he added. The institute compiles PMI data monthly through surveys of logistics, procurement and supply chain managers. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Tech Reporting suspected advanced cyber attacks will provide a defence framework: Shanmugam Business Singapore's US tariff rate stays at 10%, but the Republic is not out of the woods yet World As China-US tariff truce talks drag on, what are prospects for a 'big deal' for Trump? Singapore Thundery showers expected on most days in first half of August Singapore SPH Media awards three journalism scholarships to budding newsroom talent Singapore Synapxe chief executive, MND deputy secretary to become new perm secs on Sept 1 Singapore 5 women face capital charges after they were allegedly found with nearly 27kg of cocaine in S'pore Business Sumo Salad had valid insurance coverage for work injury claims: MOM It said the July reading reflects a slower expansion in areas such as new orders and exports and input purchases. Expansion in finished goods, imports, supplier deliveries and order backlog also slowed, while factory output and employment contracted at a faster pace. OCBC Bank chief economist Selena Ling noted that the electronics sector has benefited from the demand for artificial intelligence-related investment, even though demand from end consumers has been relatively subdued. The manufacturing and electronics employment indexes also stayed in contraction for the fourth consecutive month. This reflects 'cautious hiring intentions among factories, due to the high global uncertainty since Liberation Day (tariffs)', said DBS Bank senior economist Chua Han Teng. 'Labour demand in outward-oriented sectors, particularly those exposed to trade, will likely soften in the coming months.' A sub-index reflecting manufacturers' expectations of the business conditions ahead remained in contraction territory in July, although it shrank at a slower pace. This sentiment was seen in another PMI report also released on Aug 1. S&P Global data showed that manufacturers were the least optimistic about growth since the pandemic in July 2020, as US President Donald Trump pushes on with his tariffs. Front-loading – where advance orders are made to prepare for the prospect of higher tariffs – is a concern for manufacturers, Ms Ling said. 'We are probably at an inflection point where reciprocal tariffs are about to kick in, and there are concerns if the front-loading effects will start to subside, with potential implications for external orders and global supply chain recalibration,' she added. Mr Chua expects weaker demand to weigh on Singapore manufacturers in the months to come. He said the PMI data showed that 'new export orders remained in expansion in July 2025, suggesting supportive external demand for now, but this resilience is likely temporary. 'While the downside direct impact on Singapore would be contained from the unchanged global baseline US tariff rate of 10 per cent, (its) exports and economy will still face indirect negative impact through its trade linkages with key trading partners.'
