logo
This Taco gives Trump indigestion, so watch out

This Taco gives Trump indigestion, so watch out

Straits Times2 days ago

US President Donald Trump offered the world a Rose Garden tariffs spectacle in April that caused financial markets to plunge. PHOTO: AFP
Mr Donald Trump relished his favourite versions of tacos during his first presidential term.
'The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill,' he tweeted in early 2016, sharing a photo of himself chowing down on a large serving at his desk. 'I love Hispanics!'
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Leverkusen sign Dutch goalkeeper Flekken from Brentford
Leverkusen sign Dutch goalkeeper Flekken from Brentford

Straits Times

time30 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Leverkusen sign Dutch goalkeeper Flekken from Brentford

Bayer Leverkusen have signed Dutch goalkeeper Mark Flekken from Premier League Brentford on a three-year contract, the Bundesliga club said on Tuesday. The 31-year-old will return to Germany after two seasons at Brentford, where he made 74 appearances in the Premier League. "Mark Flekken possesses a wide range of skills that a goalkeeper in modern top-flight football must possess," Leverkusen Sporting Director Simon Rolfes said. "Mark exudes an impressive physical presence; from a footballing perspective, he has certainly been one of the best goalkeepers in the Premier League over the past two years." Flekken, who has played eight times for the Netherlands, has spent the majority of his career in Germany with clubs including Freiburg and Duisburg. Leverkusen appointed former Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag as their head coach in May, replacing Xabi Alonso who left to join Real Madrid. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

Nato is pushing for fivefold boost to ground-based air defences
Nato is pushing for fivefold boost to ground-based air defences

Straits Times

time30 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Nato is pushing for fivefold boost to ground-based air defences

Nato members are in dire need of ramping up ground-based air-defence systems that shield against threats. PHOTO: REUTERS BRUSSELS – Nato is asking European member states to expand their ground-based air-defence capabilities fivefold, as the alliance races to fill a key gap in response to the threat of Russian aggression, according to people familiar with the matter. The ramp-up will be discussed at a gathering of Nato defence ministers in Brussels on June 5, the people said on condition of anonymity as deliberations take place behind closed doors. The fivefold target would be collective for the alliance's European member states, with individual levels varying at the end, the people said. A timeframe for the air-defence effort was not clear. Ministers this week are already set to approve one of the most ambitious commitments to raising weapons stocks since the Cold War as part of European and Canadian efforts to re-arm and scale back their dependence on US defence systems. The Brussels meeting will lay the groundwork for a June 24 to 25 leaders summit in The Hague. The boost in weaponry is part of broader ambitions to raise defence spending across the alliance. Spurred by US President Donald Trump, Nato members are coalescing around a target of spending 5 per cent of economic output – 3.5 per cent on core defence and another 1.5 per cent in defence-related outlays on areas, including infrastructure, cyber defence and civilian preparedness. 'We are not at war, but we're not at peace either,' Nato Secretary-General Mark Rutte said at a meeting in Vilnius on June 2. 'We must continue to strengthen our deterrence and defence and that means pivoting toward a full war-fighting readiness.' Nato members are in dire need of ramping up ground-based air-defence systems that shield against threats, including ever-more sophisticated drones, missiles and fighter jets, according to a senior European military official. The alliance has scaled back on such systems over the past three decades as Nato's attention shifted outside its Cold War-era sphere to focus on threats in the Middle East and North Africa, the official said. German ramp-up That calculus has changed since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine and mounting fears in member states on Nato's eastern flank that the Kremlin is only years away from being able to attack. Air-defence systems are central to the ramp up – and among the most expensive items the alliance is intending to stock up on. Germany has offered to take the lead on joint European Union projects on air defence, as Brussels has urged members to jointly invest in areas of common interest. Chancellor Friedrich Merz is determined to accelerate Berlin's splurge in defence spending and invest billions of euros in additional air defence, according to a person familiar with the deliberations in Berlin. That will include an expansion of the European Sky Shield initiative, which was launched by Mr Merz's predecessor, Mr Olaf Scholz. The project, backed by Nato, aims to build a ground-based European air defence system geared towards downing ballistic missiles. Responding to a request for comment, a Nato official said air and missile defence, long-range arms, logistics and land forces 'are among our top priorities'. 'We continue to revise our force posture, modernise our command structure and strengthen our integrated air and missile defence,' the official said. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

UK trade minister to meet US counterpart to discuss implementing tariff deal
UK trade minister to meet US counterpart to discuss implementing tariff deal

Straits Times

time34 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

UK trade minister to meet US counterpart to discuss implementing tariff deal

FILE PHOTO: Britain's Secretary of State for Business and Trade Jonathan Reynolds walks at Downing Street, on the day of a Cabinet meeting in London, Britain, January 7, 2025. REUTERS/Hollie Adams/File Photo LONDON/PARIS - Britain's trade minister Jonathan Reynolds will meet U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer on Tuesday to discuss the implementation of a trade deal that has been complicated by the announcement of fresh U.S. tariffs on steel. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and U.S. President Donald Trump agreed to reduce tariffs on British imports of cars and steel to the United States, but a delay in implementing the deal means tariffs may go up before they come down. Last week, Trump said that tariffs on imported steel would rise to 50% from 25% starting on Wednesday. Industry body UK Steel said it understood that British producers were likely to be affected, which would be a "body blow" to the sector. A British government spokesperson said the UK was engaging with the United States on the implications of the announcement, before Reynolds met Greer in Paris to discuss implementation timelines of the bilateral agreement. Starmer's spokesperson said that, once implemented, the deal with Washington would eliminate tariffs on the "majority of steel products" exported to the United States, regardless of the 50% tariff announced by Trump. "We'd continue to expect that to be the case," he said. He also said that industry minister Sarah Jones was meeting with representatives from the steel sector on Tuesday. Asked if the 50% tariffs would go ahead on Wednesday, Greer, speaking French with reporters in Paris, said: "We'll see." Ahead of his three-day trip to Paris and Brussels, Reynolds said that he recognised that Britain's relationship "with G7 allies and EU counterparts must continue to evolve and deliver a better trading environment for our businesses and exporters." After meetings with Group of Seven and OECD counterparts in Paris, Reynolds will hold talks with EU trade commissioner Maros Sefcovic. Britain struck deals with the U.S. and the European Union - its two biggest trading partners - last month, but both are political pacts rather than formal trade agreements, and the details of their implementation have not been set out. With the EU deal, plans to remove red tape on the food sector are yet to be finalised. In advance of that agreement coming into force, Britain on Monday said it would scrap border checks on fruit and vegetables imported from the EU that had been due to be effective beginning in July. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store