US and EU Avert Trade War with 15% Tariff Deal
Trump, riding high after announcing a huge trade agreement with the European Union late on Sunday, said he expected Starmer would also be pleased.
"The prime minister of the UK, while he's not involved in this, will be very happy because you know, there's a certain unity that's been brought there, too," Trump said. "He's going to be very happy to see what we did."
Starmer had hoped to negotiate a drop in U.S. steel and aluminum tariffs as part of the discussions, but Trump on Sunday ruled out any changes in the 50% duties for the EU and has said the trade deal with Britain has been "concluded."
The two men are expected to travel from Trump's luxury golf resort in Turnberry, on Scotland's west coast, to a second sprawling estate owned by Trump in the east, near Aberdeen.
Starmer was heading to Scotland from Switzerland, where England on Sunday won the Women's European Championship final.
Casting a shadow over their visit has been the deepening crisis in the war-torn Gaza enclave, where images of starving Palestinians have alarmed the world.
Starmer has recalled his ministers from their summer recess for a cabinet meeting, a government source said on Sunday, most likely to discuss the situation in Gaza as pressure grows at home and abroad to recognize a Palestinian state.
The British leader on Friday said his country would recognize a Palestinian state only as part of a negotiated peace deal, disappointing many in his Labour Party who want him to follow France in taking swifter action.
Trump on Friday dismissed French President Emmanuel Macron's plan to recognize a Palestinian state, an intention that also drew strong condemnation from Israel, after similar moves from Spain, Norway and Ireland last year.
Trump said he understood Starmer wanted to discuss Israel, adding that while the U.S. would increase its aid to Gaza, it wanted others to join the effort. Ukraine will also be on the agenda.
Dozens of Gazans have died of malnutrition in recent weeks, according to the Gaza Health Ministry in the Hamas-run enclave, with aid groups warning of mass hunger among Gaza's 2.2 million people.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led fighters stormed southern Israel, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Since then, Israel's offensive has killed nearly 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to Gaza health officials. It has reduced much of the enclave to ruins and displaced nearly the entire population.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Belgium asks ICC to look at war crimes claims against 2 Israelis
Belgium said Wednesday it would ask the International Criminal Court (ICC) to look into accusations of war crimes leveled against two Israelis who travelled to a Belgian music festival this month. The pair were briefly held for questioning by prosecutors upon attending the electronic dance music festival near Antwerp, following a complaint filed by pro-Palestinian groups who identified them as Israeli soldiers and accused them of violations in Gaza. Authorities initially said they took action after concluding that Belgian courts had extraterritorial jurisdiction over war crimes cases. But after analyzing the complaints, the federal prosecutor's office said on Wednesday that the justice ministry would refer the cases to the ICC, which is already investigating possible violations of humanitarian law in the Palestinian Territories. "This decision was taken in the interest of the proper administration of justice and in accordance with Belgium's international obligations," the office said. The two Israelis, who have not been named, were held after travelling to Tomorrowland, one of the world's largest electronic dance music festivals. The Israeli foreign ministry described the pair as "an Israeli citizen and an IDF soldier." "The ministry of foreign affairs and the IDF dealt with this issue and are in touch with the two," it added in a statement. Both men were released after questioning by the Belgian authorities and their current whereabouts are unclear. The Hind Rajab Foundation (HRF), a Belgian pro-Palestinian organisation which triggered the investigation, welcomed the referrals but argued Belgium "should have gone further" and prosecuted the pair directly or extradited them to the ICC. "We now urge the ICC to act without delay," it said in a statement. The ICC opened an investigation in 2021 into possible war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Palestinian Territories, including in Gaza. In 2024, the court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity during the campaign against Hamas in Gaza. At the same time, the ICC issued arrest warrants against three senior Hamas leaders over the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that sparked the war. All three have since died. The ICC collects potential evidence from many different sources and under its founding statute, anyone — individuals, NGOs, institutions, or governments — can submit whatever they like. It is then up to the prosecutor to decide how credible the source and the information are and whether to use them in a potential case.
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
HSBC under Swiss, French investigation for money laundering linked to Lebanon
BEIRUT — HSBC's Swiss private bank is being probed by Swiss and French law enforcement authorities over money laundering allegations, the bank revealed in its 2025 interim results report on Wednesday. Authorities are examining breaches 'in connection with alleged money laundering offences in respect of two historical banking relationships,' the statement said without specifying when the probes were launched. 'These investigations are at an early stage,' it added. In June, 2024, the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Switzerland's financial watchdog, accused HSBC's Swiss branch of failing to prevent money laundering involving two unnamed politically exposed persons from Lebanon. FINMA had identified multiple transactions conducted between 2002 and 2015 that were insufficiently clarified and documented and totaled over $300 million. The funds were transferred from a state institution in Lebanon to Switzerland, and most were returned shortly afterward to different accounts in Lebanon. The financial regulator had imposed a series of measures against the bank, including prohibiting the opening of new business relationships with politically exposed persons (PEPs) until it carried out a review of its anti-money laundering practices and of all of its high-risk business relationships, in addition to those with PEPs. Disgraced former central bank governor Riad Salameh – currently in detention– and his brother Raja – placed under formal investigation – are accused of funneling $330 million to Swiss bank accounts through Forry Associates Ltd, an offshore company registered in the British Virgin Islands. According to the Swiss newspaper Sonntags Zeitung, about $250 million was deposited into Raja Salameh's personal account at HSBC's Geneva branch. Additional funds were held at UBS, Credit Suisse, Julius Baer, EFG, and Pictet. The brothers have repeatedly denied any wrongdoing. 'It is not practicable at this time for HSBC to predict the resolution of these matters, including the timing or any possible impact on HSBC,' the bank said, but acknowledged that the consequences could be 'significant.'
L'Orient-Le Jour
an hour ago
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Spain to evacuate 13 ill children from Gaza for treatment
A Spanish military plane will fly 13 ailing children from war-torn Gaza and their families from Jordan to Spain for hospital treatment, Defence Minister Margarita Robles said Wednesday. An A400 military transport aircraft is being fitted with medical equipment and is scheduled to depart later Wednesday for Amman to bring them to Spain "so they can be treated," she said. Spain has repeatedly taken in sick children since the start of the Israeli offensive in Gaza sparked by Hamas's 2023 attack on Israel. The country's leftist government has been among the most vocal critics in the European Union of Israel's ongoing military campaign in the densely populated, narrow coastal strip. "The situation in Gaza is absolutely terrible. The level of cruelty shown by [Benjamin] Netanyahu is absolutely unacceptable, and I believe the international community must respond," Robles said, referring to Israel's prime minister. Earlier this week, the Spanish government said it would airdrop 12 tonnes of food into Gaza as the threat of famine stalks the Palestinian territory after 21 months of war. A similar airdrop of 26 tonnes took place in March 2024. The war was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas into Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, which resulted in the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official data. In response, Israel launched a war that has killed more than 60,000 people in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to data from Gaza's Health Ministry.
