Bruce Springsteen unveils his 'lost albums' with the box set 'Tracks II'
The "dried-up prune," as Donald Trump described him in language hardly befitting a president of the United States, refuses to be intimidated. At 75, Bruce Springsteen remains one of the few American artists, alongside his friend Robert De Niro, to openly denounce the current administration, which he has condemned as "corrupt, incompetent and treasonous." He has repeated these criticisms at every stop on his European tour, which is set to conclude on Thursday, July 3, in Milan, denouncing attacks on freedom speech, workers' rights, universities, migrants and "abandoning our great allies and siding with dictators."
In response to Trump's slogan "Make America Great Again," the Democrat, who is close to Barack Obama, offers his own: "Land of Hope and Dreams," a vision of a hopeful, inclusive country. The title echoes "This Land is Your Land," the song written by American folksinger Woody Guthrie in 1940 as a rebuttal to Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." First performed in the late 1990s and inspired by The Impressions' 1965 civil rights anthem, "Land of Hope and Dreams" now gives its name to Springsteen's current tour and a four-track live EP recorded on May 14 in Manchester. Springsteen stands by his words, as his diatribes against the occupant of the White House are included in the release.
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France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
Most Asian stocks rise as investors eye US trade talks
And the dollar weakened on growing expectations for more interest rate cuts, while eyes were on Donald Trump's signature tax-cutting bill -- now inching towards a Senate vote -- that some experts warn could add trillions of dollars to the national debt. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq finished at all-time peaks Friday amid optimism governments will be able to avoid swingeing tariffs imposed by the US president in April and paused until July 9 to allow for negotiations. Officials from Japan and India have extended their stays in Washington to continue talks, raising hopes for agreements with two of the world's biggest economies. Hopes that the deadline could be extended were boosted Friday by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who told Fox Business "we have countries approaching us with very good deals" but they might not all be finalised by next week. But he added: "If we can ink 10 or 12 of the important 18 -- there are another important 20 relationships -- then I think we could have trade wrapped up by Labor Day," which falls on September 1. Trump said at the weekend that he did not expect to extend the deadline, telling the "Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo" show: "I don't think I'll need to". "I could, no big deal," he added in the interview that was taped Friday. Meanwhile, Canadian Finance Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne said Sunday that Ottawa would rescind taxes impacting US tech firms in hopes of reaching a trade agreement with Washington after Trump called off talks in retaliation for the levy. Negotiations would resume with the aim of getting a deal by July 21, Ottawa added. After Wall Street's record day, most of Asia followed suit. Tokyo extended its recent rally fuelled by tech firms, while there were also gains in Shanghai, Sydney, Seoul, Singapore, Manila and Jakarta. But Hong Kong, Wellington and Taipei fell. There was little major reaction to data showing the contraction in Chinese factory activity eased further in June after a China-US trade truce. The dollar extended losses against its peers as traders increased bets on at least two rate cuts this year following Trump's indication he could choose a successor to Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell within months. "Markets... are already pricing not just two Fed cuts this year, but a full-blown easing cycle stretching deep into 2026," said SPI Asset Management's Stephen Innes. "Powell may still hold the gavel, but traders are betting the next Fed chair walks, talks, and cuts like a dove in MAGA red." Senators were also debating Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill", which extends his expiring first-term tax cuts at a cost of $4.5 trillion and beefs up border security. The Republican president has ramped up pressure to get the package to his desk by July 4, and called out wavering lawmakers from his party. However, there are worries about the impact on the economy, with the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimating the measure would add nearly $3.3 trillion to US deficits over a decade. Key figures at around 0230 GMT Tokyo - Nikkei 225: UP 1.6 percent at 40,809.82 (break) Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 0.4 percent at 24,183.73 Shanghai - Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,433.80 Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1724 from $1.1718 on Friday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3723 from $1.3715 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 144.31 yen from 144.68 yen Euro/pound: UP at 85.45 pence from 85.43 pence Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $67.57 per barrel © 2025 AFP
France 24
2 hours ago
- France 24
China's top diplomat visits Europe pitching closer ties in 'volatile' world
Wang Yi's tour will take him to the European Union's headquarters in Brussels as well as France and Germany as China seeks to improve relations with the bloc as a counterweight to superpower rival the United States. But deep frictions remain over the economy -- including a yawning trade deficit of $357.1 billion between China and the EU -- and Beijing's close ties with Russia despite Moscow's war in Ukraine. "The world is undergoing an accelerated evolution of a century-old change, with unilateralism, protectionism and bullying behaviour becoming rampant," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said on Friday -- a thinly veiled swipe against the United States under President Donald Trump. In that context, Guo said, Beijing and the European bloc must "keep the world peaceful and stable, safeguard multilateralism, free trade, international rules, fairness and justice, and act firmly as anchors of stability and constructive forces in a volatile world". Wang will meet with his EU counterpart, Kaja Kallas, at the bloc's headquarters in Brussels for "high-level strategic dialogue". In Germany, he will hold talks with Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on diplomacy and security -- his first visit since Berlin's new conservative-led government took power in May. And in France, Wang will meet minister for Europe and foreign affairs Jean-Noel Barrot, who visited China in March. The war in Ukraine will likely be high on the agenda, with European leaders having been forthright in condemning what they say is Beijing's backing for Moscow. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia's more than three-year war with Ukraine. But Western governments say Beijing's close ties have given Moscow crucial economic and diplomatic support, and they have urged China to do more to press Russia to end the war. Trade tensions Ties between Europe and China have also strained in recent years as the EU seeks to get tougher on what it says are unfair economic practices by Beijing. After the European bloc placed tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports, China retaliated with its own duties, including on French cognac. An agreement on cognac has been reached with Beijing but not formally approved by the Chinese commerce ministry, a source in the French economy ministry told AFP. The source said finalization was partially linked with the EU's ongoing negotiations over EVs. Tensions flared this month after the EU banned Chinese firms from government medical device purchases worth more than five million euros ($5.8 million), in retaliation for limits Beijing places on access to its own market. The latest salvo in trade tensions between the 27-nation bloc and China covered a wide range of healthcare supplies, from surgical masks to X-ray machines, that represent a market worth 150 billion euros in the EU. In response, China accused the European Union of "double standards". Another sticking point has been rare earths. Beijing has since April required licences to export these strategic materials from China, which accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 percent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. The metals are used in a wide variety of products, including electric car batteries, and there has been criticism from industries about the way China's licences have been issued.
Euronews
3 hours ago
- Euronews
US to resume trade talks with Canada, says Canadian Prime Minister
Trade talks between the US and Canada resumed after Ottawa rescinded its plan to tax US technology firms, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said on Sunday The news follows an announcement by US President Donald Trump on Friday, where he said he was suspending trade talks with his country's northern neighbour over its plan to continue with its tax on technology firms. Trump described this tax as a 'direct and blatant attack on our country' which was set to go into effect on Monday. Both the American and Canadian leaders reportedly spoke on the phone on Sunday, and Carney's office said they agreed to resume negotiations. The Canadian government said 'in anticipation' of a trade deal 'Canada would rescind' the deal. 'Today's announcement will support a resumption of negotiations toward the July 21, 2025, timeline set out at this month's G7 Leaders' Summit in Kananaskis,' Carney said in a statement. Trump recently travelled to Canada for a G7 summit in Alberta, where Carney said both countries had set a 30-day-deadline for trade talks. Canada's Digital Services Tax was due to his companies like Amazon, Google and Meta with a 3% levy on revenue from Canadian users. It would have applied retroactively, leaving US companies with a $2 billion (€1,71 billion) US bill due at the end of the month. Trump's announcement on Friday was the latest in the trade war he's launched since taking office for a second term in January. Progress with Canada has been a roller coaster, with Trump repeatedly suggesting it should be absorbed as a US state.
