French culture minister's corruption trial complicates Paris' political landscape
President Emmanuel Macron and Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin spoke out in support of Dati, and their statements even provoked reactions within their own camp. "The fact that the president and the justice minister, both responsible for the proper functioning of the judiciary, rushed to the rescue of Ms. Dati, shocks all those for whom the promise of irreproachable ethics and the renewal of political practices heavily influenced their decision to join Emmanuel Macron in 2017," said Gilles Le Gendre, a former Renaissance MP for Paris. "A minister must leave the government when charged," Macron had said in 2017.
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LeMonde
3 hours ago
- LeMonde
Trump orders tariffs on dozens of countries to go into effect next week
President Donald Trump ordered the reimposition of tariffs on dozens of trading partners on Thursday, July 31, his cornerstone strategy for reshaping global trade to benefit the US economy. However, in a minor reprieve, the White House said the measures will take effect in a week, not this Friday as previously expected. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump says will put US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the muscular approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy. And with questions hanging over the effectiveness of bilateral trade deals already struck – including by the European Union and Japan – the outcome of Trump's plan remains uncertain. Trump's new measures in an executive order raised duties on dozens of economies up to a 41% rate. Frantic negotiations Most of these new tariff hikes were first announced in April when Trump slapped a minimum 10% levy on goods from almost every country in the world, citing unfair trade practices and US deficits. However, Washington then postponed implementation, amid a frantic series of negotiations, alongside announcements of new duties and deals with some partners. Just Thursday, Trump announced he was delaying a tariff hike on products from the major US trading partner Mexico. The postponement by 90 days came after talks with his counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum. The 79-year-old Republican has made tariffs core to his protectionist brand of hard-right politics. On Thursday, he claimed that the US economy had "no chance of survival or success" without tariffs. But the latest salvo came amid legal challenges against Trump's use of emergency economic powers. On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments in cases brought against Trump's blanket tariffs targeting different countries. And questions linger over the effectiveness of Trump's grand plans, or even whether he will hold firm on his most drastic threats. While Trump has touted a surge in customs revenues since the start of the year, economists warn the duties could fuel inflation. Proponents of his policy argue that its impact will be one-off, but analysts are awaiting further economic data to gauge for more persistent effects. China? Among those who managed to strike deals with Washington were Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the European Union. Britain also reached a pact with the United States, although it was not originally targeted by higher "reciprocal" tariffs. Washington did not finalize a deal with neighboring Canada, but Trump reached agreement with Mexico to maintain an existing 25% duty on its products. Partner service Learn French with Gymglish Thanks to a daily lesson, an original story and a personalized correction, in 15 minutes per day. Try for free Canada, however, was slapped with duties of 35% in the Trump executive order. An exemption for goods entering the country under a North American trade pact remained in place, according to the White House. But transshipped goods to evade the 35% duty would face even higher levels. Canada's trade relations with the United States came under renewed threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Notably excluded from the latest drama was China, which faces an August 12 deadline instead, when duties could bounce back to higher levels. Washington and Beijing had slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods, bringing them to triple-digit levels before both countries reached agreement in May to temporarily lower these duties. The superpowers are now working towards extending their truce.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Trump to build huge $200mn ballroom at White House
Trump himself and unspecified donors will foot the bill for the $200 million project, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt told a press briefing on Thursday. "For 150 years, presidents, administrations and White House staff have longed for a large event space on the White House complex," the spokeswoman said. "There's never been a president that was good at ballrooms," the 79-year-old president and former real estate developer told reporters of the latest bid to leave his mark on the White House. "I'm good at building things, and we'll get it built quickly and on time. It'll be beautiful," said Trump, assuring that the character of the original building would be preserved. The new structure will span over 8,000 square meters (90,000 square feet) and have space to seat 650 people, according to Leavitt. Work on the ballroom -- one of Trump's long-time ambitions -- will begin in September and is expected to be completed "well before" the end of his second term in January 2029, Leavitt said. The hope is it will host grand state dinners, given in honor of foreign heads of state visiting Washington. Until now, these were generally done by erecting a huge tent on the White House grounds. Facade A model of the ballroom presented by the government shows it will be a white building with tall windows. Its columns and front look reminiscent of the main White House building, a facade is known worldwide. The ballroom building will replace the East Wing, which usually houses the offices of the US first lady. Trump, who does not shy away from the gaudy, has also redone the Oval Office to splash the room in gold -- from the stars surrounding the presidential seal on the ceiling, to the gold statues on the fireplace, to the mantel itself. The project is shaping up to be one of the most significant to break ground at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue since renovation and expansion works undertaken by President Theodore Roosevelt at the start of the 20th century. President Harry Truman also oversaw notable construction work between 1948 and 1952, but did so without changing the external structure. Trump has said for some time that he wants to build a White House ballroom inspired by his own properties. On Thursday, he praised the newly built, lavish ballroom -- named after himself -- at his Turnberry golf resort in Scotland, one of dozens of properties owned by the Trump family. It will also be inspired by the ballroom of the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida, which has served as the model for Trump's remodeling of the White House to suit himself. The Republican billionaire, inspired by the patios of Mar-a-Lago, recently ripped up the lawn at the White House's historic Rose Garden and is paving that area, where official events are often held. He is flying two huge American flags outside the White House, which has been the residence and workplace of American presidents since 1800.
France 24
4 hours ago
- France 24
Trump orders tariffs on dozens of countries in push to reshape global trade
However in a minor reprieve, the White House said the measures will take effect in a week, not this Friday as previously expected. The tariffs are a demonstration of raw economic power that Trump says will put US exporters in a stronger position while encouraging domestic manufacturing by keeping out foreign imports. But the muscular approach has raised fears of inflation and other economic fallout in the world's biggest economy. And with questions hanging over the effectiveness of bilateral trade deals already struck -- including by the European Union and Japan -- the outcome of Trump's plan remained uncertain. Trump's new measures in an executive order raised duties on dozens of economies up to a 41 percent rate. Frantic negotiations Most of these new tariff hikes were first announced in April when Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost every country in the world, citing unfair trade practices and US deficits. However, Washington then postponed implementation, amid frantic series of negotiations, alongside announcements of new duties and deals with some partners. Just Thursday, Trump announced he was delaying a tariff hike on products from the major US trading partner Mexico. The postponement by 90 days came after talks with his counterpart Claudia Sheinbaum. The 79-year-old Republican has made tariffs core to his protectionist brand of hard-right politics. On Thursday, he claimed that the US economy had "no chance of survival or success" without tariffs. But the latest salvo came amid legal challenges against Trump's use of emergency economic powers. On Thursday, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit heard arguments in cases brought against Trump's blanket tariffs targeting different countries. And questions linger over the effectiveness of Trump's grand plans, or even whether he will hold firm on his most drastic threats. While Trump has touted a surge in customs revenues since the start of the year, economists warn the duties could fuel inflation. Proponents of his policy argue that their impact will be one-off, but analysts are awaiting further economic data to gauge for more persistent effects. China question mark Among those who managed to strike deals with Washington were Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, South Korea and the European Union. Britain also reached a pact with the United States, although it was not originally targeted by higher "reciprocal" tariffs. Washington did not finalize a deal with neighboring Canada, but Trump reached agreement with Mexico to maintain an existing 25 percent duty on its products. Canada, however, was slapped with duties of 35 percent in the Trump executive order. An exemption for goods entering the country under a North American trade pact remained in place, according to the White House. But transshipped goods to evade the 35 percent duty would face even higher levels. Canada's trade relations with the United States came under renewed threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. Notably excluded from the latest drama was China, which faces an August 12 deadline instead, when duties could bounce back to higher levels. Washington and Beijing had slapped tit-for-tat tariffs on each other's goods, bringing them to triple-digit levels before both countries reached agreement in May to temporarily lower these duties. The superpowers are now working towards extending their truce.
