Home Ministry bans 2 books 'detrimental to public morals'
The books, 'Chase Me' by American author Tessa Bailey, and 'Ammar Zahrain: The Obsessive Husband' by local author Nssignature, have been banned under Subsection 7(1) of the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA).
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Sinar Daily
9 hours ago
- Sinar Daily
Trump announces new tariffs as deadline nears
WASHINGTON - US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs to punish or favor major trading partners Wednesday, as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 percent tariff for exports to the United States -- significantly below the 25 percent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50 percent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 percent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognize a Palestinian state. The 15 percent rate on Seoul -- Washington's key security ally -- was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union. An additional unspecified "large sum of money" will be invested by South Korea in the United States, the American leader said. Seoul's presidential office said tariffs on automobiles -- one of Seoul's key exports -- would also stay at 15 percent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy. Medicare and Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz (right) listens to US President Donald Trump speak at an event on "Making Health Technology Great Again," in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC. Photo by Jim Watson/AFP But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6 and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products. - Canada trade threat - He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil -- and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular -- for what he has termed a "witch hunt" against former president Bolsonaro. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend "the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States." Among Trump's latest announcements were a 25 percent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday -- slightly lower than previously threatened -- after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact. India would face an unspecified "penalty" over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said. "I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care," Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. "We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World," he added. Canada's trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. "Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine," the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. "That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them." - 'Big day for America' - He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 percent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad. It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry. As Trump's deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords. The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 percent levy on goods from almost all trading partners -- citing unfair trade practices. This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated. The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline "will not be extended" any further. In a Truth Social post, he vowed that this would be "a big day for America." So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions. While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other's products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels. Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth. This could change consumption patterns. Already, consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate that is the highest since the 1930s, according to a recent analysis by The Budget Lab at Yale University. The effect on consumer prices has been limited so far. But analysts cautioned this could become more pronounced as businesses run down on existing inventory and pass on more costs to buyers. - AFP
Borneo Post
11 hours ago
- Borneo Post
Trump announces new tariffs as deadline nears
Trump also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 per cent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad. – AFP photo WASHINGTON (July 31): US President Donald Trump imposed new tariffs to punish or favor major trading partners Wednesday, as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 per cent tariff for exports to the United States — significantly below the 25 per cent that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50 per cent tariffs on Brazil and a 25 per cent levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognise a Palestinian state. The 15 per cent rate on Seoul — Washington's key security ally — was equivalent to levies determined from US trade deals with Japan and the European Union. An additional unspecified 'large sum of money' will be invested by South Korea in the United States, the American leader said. Seoul's presidential office said tariffs on automobiles — one of Seoul's key exports — would also stay at 15 per cent. Trump hit Brazil with high tariffs as well as sanctions against the judge overseeing a trial of his far-right ally Jair Bolsonaro, who is accused of attempting a coup in Latin America's biggest economy. But he delayed its implementation from Friday to August 6, and crucially exempted many products from the prohibitive levy, including orange juice, civil aircraft, iron ore and some energy products. Canada trade threat He had threatened to wield US economic might to punish Brazil — and its Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, in particular — for what he has termed a 'witch hunt' against former president Bolsonaro. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he would defend 'the sovereignty of the Brazilian people in the face of measures announced by the president of the United States.' Among Trump's latest announcements were a 25 per cent duty on Indian goods to begin Friday — slightly lower than previously threatened — after talks between Washington and New Delhi failed to bring about a trade pact. India would face an unspecified 'penalty' over purchases of Russian weapons and energy as well, Trump said. 'I don't care what India does with Russia. They can take their dead economies down together, for all I care,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'We have done very little business with India, their Tariffs are too high, among the highest in the World,' he added. Canada's trade relations with the United States also came under threat after Prime Minister Mark Carney announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September. 'Wow! Canada has just announced that it is backing statehood for Palestine,' the US president wrote on his Truth Social platform. 'That will make it very hard for us to make a Trade Deal with them.' 'Big day for America' He also signed an order Wednesday to impose previously threatened 50 per cent tariffs on certain copper products and end a tariff exemption for low-value shipments from abroad. It left out products like copper ores, concentrates and cathodes, bringing some relief to industry. As Trump's deal deadline neared, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick told Fox News that Washington had struck trade deals with Cambodia and Thailand, but provided no details of the accords. The US tariff hikes due Friday were initially announced in April as part of a package in which Trump slapped a minimum 10 per cent levy on goods from almost all trading partners — citing unfair trade practices. This rate was set to rise to varying levels for dozens of economies such as the European Union, Japan and others, but Washington twice postponed their implementation as financial markets gyrated. The US leader insisted Wednesday that the August 1 deadline 'will not be extended' any further. In a Truth Social post, he vowed that this would be 'a big day for America.' So far, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia, the Philippines, the EU and South Korea have reached initial deals with Washington to secure less punishing conditions. While the United States and China earlier slapped escalating tariffs on each other's products, both sides are working to further a truce maintaining duties at lower levels. Although Trump has promised a surge in government revenues from his duties, economists warn that higher tariffs can fuel an uptick in inflation and weigh on economic growth. This could change consumption patterns. Already, consumers face an overall average effective tariff rate that is the highest since the 1930s, according to a recent analysis by The Budget Lab at Yale University. The effect on consumer prices has been limited so far. But analysts cautioned this could become more pronounced as businesses run down on existing inventory and pass on more costs to buyers. – AFP deadline donald trump tariff
New Straits Times
12 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Trump gets his way on tariffs, but global trade system intact for now
PARIS: President Donald Trump has succeeded in strong-arming nations to accept higher tariffs on US exports, yet for now experts see little threat to the postwar trend of lower duties in the pursuit of greater wealth all around. Since World War II, most politicians and economists view free trade as a pillar of globalisation, enshrined in the 1947 signing of the GATT accord. It was the precursor to the World Trade Organisation, which now has 166 members and covers 98 percent of global commerce. "What we've learned in the postwar is that lower tariffs are better for prosperity of your own country," said Richard Baldwin, a professor at the IMD Business School in Switzerland. "And it's also good if other countries lower their tariffs, so we have a vibrant international economy," Baldwin, who was a member of US president George Bush's Council of Economic Advisors, told AFP. Trump however has embarked on a punishing trade war, claiming that deficits with other nations show they are "ripping off" the United States. He has recently landed accords with Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia and, most importantly, the European Union. For dozens of other nations, US "reciprocal" tariffs are to jump from 10 percent to various steeper levels come August 1, including powerhouse economies such as South Korea, India and Taiwan. "To me, the most beautiful word in the dictionary is 'tariff'," Trump repeatedly said during the 2024 election campaign that returned him to office. Despite the headline figures, many economists expect the fallout for the global trade system overall to be limited. US importers may well decide to procure more from American producers as the tariffs are applied, or pass along the higher costs to consumers. "That won't have a systemic impact" outside the United States, Pascal Lamy, a former WTO chief, told AFP, calling the tariffs a "Pyrrhic victory" for Trump. He noted that Trump is targeting only the US deficits for goods and not services, "the part of global trade that is increasing the fastest." "You need to change your outlook when it comes to international trade," Lamy said, adding that "Donald Trump has a medieval view" of the issue. And instead of making a country more prosperous, the accepted economic wisdom is that by making goods more expensive, tariffs weigh on economic growth for everyone involved. "Putting up your own tariffs is not a way to make yourself richer – that's something that people have given up on many years ago," Baldwin said. "Trump has not screwed up the entire world trading system yet because the rest of the world hasn't changed their opinion as to whether trade is good or bad," he said. "And generally speaking, it's good." Global trade has risen sharply in recent decades, totalling nearly US$24 trillion in 2023, according to WTO figures. US imports represent just 13 per cent of overall imports – meaning the vast majority of international commerce will not be directly affected by Trump's levies. "It's significant, but it's only a small part of imports worldwide, and the rest of the world still wants the system of engagement and interdependence to work," said Elvire Fabry, a specialist in geopolitical economics at the Jacques Delors Institute. Several countries have moved in recent years to forge new trade deals, a trend Trump's tariffs blitz could accelerate. In March, Japan, South Korea and China pledged to speed up negotiations on an accord, while Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has called for a deal between the Mercosur Latin America bloc and Japan. The European Union has also signed a free-trade deal with Mercosur, though its ratification has been held up, in particular by France over concerns about unfair agriculture competition. The EU has also relaunched efforts to secure a deal with Malaysia and countries in Central Asia. In April, the WTO said world merchandise trade would fall 0.2 per cent this year before a "modest" recovery to growth of 2.5 per cent in 2026. But those forecasts took into account only the tariffs Trump had announced up to then – not the more severe levels he has threatened to put in place starting August 1 for countries that have not signed deals with Washington.
