'The opportunity is in the partnership': 'Savvy' Canadian PM appeals to Trump in real estate terms
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06/05/2025
People taking more 'aggressive, negative' stance towards youth identifying as trans, gender diverse
Americas
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P. Diddy says he is 'a little nervous' as sex trafficking trial gets underway
Americas
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Carney meets Trump in bid to reset strained Canada-US relations
Americas
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Met Gala pays tribute to Black fashion and designers and includes Rihanna pregnancy surprise
Americas
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Sean 'Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial begins with jury selection
Americas
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Science at a crossroads: Europe positions itself as the gateway to global research
Europe
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Rapper P. Diddy's trial begins with jury selection
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'Research renaissance': Macron envisions transatlantic safe haven for the 'brains of the world'
Americas
05/05/2025
Trump orders reopening of Alcatraz prison
Americas
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Euronews
18 minutes ago
- Euronews
Rubio criticises UK over Gaza-related sanctions on Israeli ministers
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has criticised a decision by the UK and four other nations to impose sanctions on two far-right Israeli Cabinet ministers over their comments on Gaza. "These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war," Rubio said in a statement on Tuesday. The UK, alongside Australia, Canada, New Zealand and Norway, imposed sanctions on Israel's Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, claiming the pair had incited "violence against Palestinians in the West Bank". "Extremist rhetoric advocating the forced displacement of Palestinians and the creation of new Israeli settlements is appalling and dangerous," the countries said in a joint statement. Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, and Ben-Gvir, the country's national security minister, are senior members of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet. They have long viewed any pause in fighting as a danger to Israeli deterrence and, as leaders of key far-right coalition parties, hold leverage over Netanyahu, whose political survival depends on their continued support. As a result of the sanctions, both ministers could face travel bans and asset freezes. Ben-Gvir was defiant in response to the UK government's decision to impose sanctions. "We survived Pharaoh; we will also survive Keir Starmer," he said in a statement, comparing the sanctions to Britain's White Paper of 1939, which restricted Jewish immigration to the-then Mandatory Palestine. Ben-Gvir added that he would continue working for Israel and its people without fear or intimidation. Smotrich said: "Britain has already tried once to prevent us from settling the cradle of our homeland, and we will not allow it to do so again. We are determined to continue building." Rubio also called on allies to "not forget who the real enemy is". He urged a reversal of the sanctions and said that the US stood "shoulder-to-shoulder with Israel". US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee called the sanctions "an incredible overreach". Israel's government strongly condemned the announcement. Foreign Minister Gideon Saar called the move "outrageous" and said he would meet with Netanyahu next week to discuss a formal response. He warned the sanctions could harden Hamas' position in ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza. Even centrist Israeli leaders criticised the sanctions. Benny Gantz, a political rival to Netanyahu, called the decision a "profound moral mistake" and said it sends "a dangerous message to terrorists around the world". The sanctions come as traditional allies of Israel have stepped up their criticism of the country's prolonged war in Gaza and aid blockade, which human rights groups warn has pushed the enclave to the brink of famine. South Korea's military said on Wednesday it had stopped broadcasting anti-North Korea propaganda through loudspeakers along the border, as part of the new liberal government's bid to ease tensions and "restore trust" between the rivals. The move fulfilled a campaign promise from South Korea's new liberal president, Lee Jae-myung, who took office last week after winning an early election to replace ousted conservative Yoon Suk Yeol. Lee has vowed to improve relations with Pyongyang, which reacted furiously to Yoon's hardline policies and shunned dialogue with Seoul as a result. South Korea's defence ministry said suspending the broadcasts was part of efforts "to restore trust in inter-Korean relations and promote peace on the Korean Peninsula". North Korea, which is extremely sensitive to any outside criticism of its authoritarian leadership and its ruler, Kim Jong-un, has not commented on the move by Seoul. The broadcasts had previously been paused for six years, but they resumed in June last year in retaliation for North Korea flying rubbish-filled balloons over the border. Between May and November last year, North Korea flew about 7,000 balloons toward South Korea in 32 separate events to drop substances such as wastepaper, cloth scraps, cigarette butts and even manure, according to Seoul. Pyongyang said that its balloon campaign came after South Korean activists sent over balloons filled with anti-North Korean leaflets, as well as USB sticks filled with songs and dramas popular in the South. The Cold War-style psychological warfare campaigns added to tensions fuelled by North Korea's growing nuclear ambitions and South Korean efforts to expand joint military exercises with the US and bolster three-way security cooperation with Japan. During the recent South Korean election campaign, Lee promised to halt the broadcasts, arguing that they created unnecessary tensions and discomfort for residents in border towns in the South. Those residents had complained about North Korea's retaliatory broadcasts, which included howling animals, pounding gongs and other irritating sounds. In a briefing on Monday, South Korea's unification ministry also called for civilian activists in the country to stop flying anti-North propaganda leaflets across the border. Such activities "could heighten tensions on the Korean Peninsula and threaten the lives and safety of residents in border areas," a spokesperson for the ministry said. Despite Lee's vow to reopen communication channels with Pyongyang, the likelihood of an early resumption of dialogue between the rivals remains low. North Korea has consistently rejected such offers from the South and the US since 2019, when nuclear talks between Washington and Pyongyang collapsed over sanctions-related disputes. Pyongyang's foreign policy priority is now with Russia, which has received thousands of North Korean troops and large amounts of military equipment in recent months for its war with Ukraine.
LeMonde
an hour ago
- LeMonde
Musk regrets some of his Trump criticisms, says they 'went too far'
Elon Musk, the world's richest person and Donald Trump's former advisor, said Wednesday, June 11, he regretted some of his recent criticisms of the US president, after the pair's public falling-out last week. "I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far," Musk wrote on his social media platform X. Musk's expression of regret came just days after Trump threatened the tech billionaire with "serious consequences" if he sought to punish Republicans who vote for a controversial spending bill. Their blistering break-up – largely carried out on social media before a riveted public since Thursday last week – was ignited by Musk's harsh criticism of Trump's so-called "big, beautiful" spending bill, which is currently before Congress. Some lawmakers who were against the bill had called on Musk, one of the Republican Party's biggest financial backers in last year's presidential election, to fund primary challenges against Republicans who voted for the legislation. "He'll have to pay very serious consequences if he does that," Trump, who also branded Musk "disrespectful," told NBC News on Saturday, without specifying what those consequences would be. Trump also said he had "no" desire to repair his relationship with the South African-born Tesla and SpaceX chief, and that he has "no intention of speaking to him." In his post on Wednesday, Musk did not specify which of his criticisms of Trump had gone "too far." 'Wish him well' The former allies had seemed to have cut ties amicably about two weeks ago, with Trump giving Musk a glowing send-off as he left his cost-cutting role at the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). But their relationship cracked within days as Musk described the spending bill as an "abomination" that, if passed by Congress, could define Trump's second term in office. Trump hit back at Musk's comments in an Oval Office diatribe and from there the row detonated, leaving Washington stunned. "Look, Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore. I was surprised," Trump told reporters. Musk, who was Trump's biggest donor to his 2024 campaign, also raised the issue of the Republican's election win. "Without me, Trump would have lost the election, Dems would control the House and the Republicans would be 51-49 in the Senate," he posted, adding: "Such ingratitude." Trump later said on his Truth Social platform that cutting billions of dollars in subsidies and contracts to Musk's companies would be the "easiest way" to save the US government money. US media have put the value of the contracts at $18 billion. With real political and economic risks to their falling out, both appeared to inch back from the brink on Friday, with Trump telling reporters "I just wish him well," and Musk responding on X: "Likewise." Trump had spoken to NBC on Saturday after Musk deleted one of the explosive allegations he had made during their fallout, linking the president with disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. Musk had alleged that the Republican president is featured in unreleased government files on former associates of Epstein, who died by suicide in 2019 while he faced sex trafficking charges. Trump was named in a trove of deposition and statements linked to Epstein that were unsealed by a New York judge in early 2024. The president has not been accused of any wrongdoing in the case. "Time to drop the really big bomb: (Trump) is in the Epstein files," Musk posted on X. "That is the real reason they have not been made public." Musk did not reveal which files he was talking about and offered no evidence for his claim. He appeared to have deleted those tweets by Saturday morning.
Euronews
an hour ago
- Euronews
Tesla stock rises as Trump-Musk feud cools and robotaxi launch nears
Tesla stock rose marginally in pre-market trading on Wednesday after CEO Elon Musk extended an olive branch to US President Donald Trump following their public feud. Shares were up over 2% by around midday CEST, at $332.76 (€290.98) 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,' Musk said in a post on X on Wednesday. After spending millions backing Trump's successful presidential bid, Musk heavily criticised the Republicans' new tax and spending bill, creating a rift between the two men. Musk was previously appointed by Trump to lead DOGE, the US' Department of Government Efficiency. The tech billionaire argued that the new bill, dubbed by Trump as the 'One Big Beautiful Bill Act', would irresponsibly raise the public deficit and undermine DOGE's work. Musk resigned from the department in late May after saying he was 'disappointed' with spending proposals. In an escalation of the conflict last week, Musk called for Trump to be impeached and replaced with Vice President JD Vance. He also implied that Trump was linked with late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, an allegation the White House denied. As for the president, Trump threatened to terminate government contracts awarded to Musk's SpaceX firm. On Monday, the president then took a more conciliatory tone. Trump said he wished Musk 'very well' and claimed that he would retain Starlink internet service at the White House. Even so, the US President suggested that he might remove his own Tesla from White House grounds. The value of Tesla shares have been rocked by volatility as investors track the dramas playing out in Washington — and some dump stock in protest of Musk's politics. Both Argus Research and Baird downgraded ratings for Tesla stock on Monday, which has seen its value drop by more than 19% since the start of the year. Aside from the Trump-Musk feud, experts noted that risks to Tesla include the expiration of EV credits, which could dampen demand. A $7,500 tax credit for an EV purchase is set to be fully eliminated by the end of 2026, although restrictions will be applied before this. For those wishing to use the credit in 2026, they can only buy from manufacturers that haven't yet sold 200,000 EVs. This would disqualify Tesla. Other challenges include increased competition in the EV market, particularly from Chinese rivals such as BYD. Despite these storm clouds ahead, Musk's enthusiasm about robotaxis appears to be inflating the stock's value. The CEO is currently hoping to roll out the self-driving taxi service in Austin, Texas, on 22 June. In a post on his X social media platform, Musk said the date could change because Tesla is 'being super paranoid about safety'. Remember negative interest rates? Back in early 2020, as the world grappled with the COVID-19 pandemic, central banks across advanced economies rushed to slash interest rates, offering cheaper borrowing to cushion the economic blow alongside unprecedented fiscal support. In many countries, rates tumbled to near or even below zero — an extraordinary policy shift reflecting the urgency of avoiding a prolonged recession. Fast forward five years, and no major economy currently operates with rates at or below zero. But Switzerland could soon change that. Switzerland could soon become the first advanced economy to re-enter the era of negative interest rates. A confluence of weakening price pressures and a subdued economic outlook has sparked growing expectations that the Swiss National Bank (SNB) will resume ultra-loose monetary policy, potentially cutting interest rates below zero in the coming months. Last week, the Swiss Federal Statistical Office reported that consumer prices fell by 0.1% in May 2025 compared to a year earlier, marking the first deflationary print since March 2021. The decline was broad-based, with notable year-on-year contractions in transport costs (-3.7%), food and non-alcoholic beverages (-0.3%), healthcare (-0.2%), and household goods and services (-2.6%). While a modest bout of deflation is not in itself alarming, it underscores the fragility of domestic demand and presents a challenge for the SNB's inflation target. The central bank defines price stability as annual inflation between 0% and 2%. "Swiss inflation could remain close to 0%, which represents the lower end of the SNB's price stability range," said Niklas Garnadt, economist at Goldman Sachs. The expert identified declining inflation expectations, falling energy prices, and potential trade frictions as downside pressures on the price outlook going forward. The SNB, which currently holds its policy rate at 0.25%, meets on 19 June, and economists are expecting another rate cut of 25 basis points. According to Goldman Sachs' base case, the SNB will lower its policy rate to -0.25% by September, in two successive cuts. Yet, there is a 40% chance, the bank noted, that policymakers may opt for more aggressive easing, with two 50 basis point cuts taking the rate back to -0.75% — the lowest in its history. Although the SNB also has foreign exchange operations at its disposal, economists expect interest rate cuts to take precedence in the near term. There are some reasons for this preference, according to Goldman Sachs. "The SNB has prior experience managing the impact of negative rates," Garnadt said. Moreover, domestic inflation is more responsive to interest rates than currency movements. And finally, Switzerland remains on the US Treasury's watchlist for currency manipulation, potentially constraining foreign-exchange intervention activity. That said, foreign exchange interventions have not been ruled out entirely. During the post-2008 low-inflation years, the SNB frequently bought foreign currency to stem franc appreciation. The SNB is again navigating familiar territory, balancing the need to support inflation against the risks of overreliance on unconventional measures. While Switzerland's economic fundamentals remain relatively strong, the renewed threat of deflation could push the central bank to breach interest-rate lower bounds again.
