How do Russian propagandists react to the White House talks? – DW – 08/19/2025
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DW
2 hours ago
- DW
Middle East: Israel approves West Bank settlement project – DW – 08/20/2025
A controversial settlement project has been approved that critics have said will divide the West Bank. Meanwhile, Israel is preparing to expand its offensive in Gaza City. Follow DW for has announced the final approval for a controversial plan allowing new settlements in the occupied West Bank. Israeli far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich announced the plan last week. It calls for development in an open tract of land east of Jerusalem, known as E1. The Israeli government would build nearly 3,500 new apartments to enlarge the Israeli settlement of Maale Adumim, which lies next to E1. The UN has warned that the plan would divide the West Bank and make any two-state solution untenable. A statement released by Smotrich's office announcing the settlements said they were "burying the idea of a Palestinian state." The plan Smotrich presented would divide the occupied West Bank, Aviv Tatarsky, a researcher at the Ir Amim organization, told DW when it was introduced last week. "It breaks up the West Bank into a northern part and the southern part," he said, adding that it would make a Palestinian state "not possible." Plans for new Israeli settlements in the West Bank have been widely condemned and are considered illegal under international law, which Israel has consistently disputed. Israel's Defense Ministry has approved plans to call up tens of thousands of reservists ahead of a planned operation in Gaza City. The newspaper, citing military officials, reported on Monday that about 60,000 reservists would be called up in stages. The majority, numbering 40,000 to 50,000 troops, have been ordered to report for duty at the beginning of September. Another, smaller, contingent is due in November, and a third will be called up in February. About 130,000 reservists are expected to be active during the planned offensive. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Israel's military leadership has signed off on a preliminary plan to take over Gaza City, according to officials speaking off the record to Israeli and international media. The plan has been approved by Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz, the Defense Ministry told the AFP news agency. The start date of the operation is currently unclear. However, an unnamed Israeli military official told AP news agency that the operation will be in parts of Gaza City where the Israeli military has not yet operated and where Hamas is still active. Israeli troops are currently operating in the Zeitoun and Jabaliya neighborhoods of Gaza City to prepare for the expanded operation, the official said. The official added that the plan will proceed to final approval now that the military has signed off. The preliminary approval comes weeks after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel planned to completely take over Gaza City, with the objective of eliminating the threat of Hamas militants and recovering the remaining hostages who were abducted in the terror attacks in southern Israel on October 7. It comes after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal yesterday. However, Israel has not yet provided an official response to the proposal. Plans for a full takeover of the Gaza Strip had earlier met pushback from Israeli armed forces Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir, who dropped opposition to the framework plan last week. Humanitarian organizations are warning of mass displacement and a humanitarian catastrophe for Palestinians living in Gaza's most densely populated area. The plan has also been condemned by countries like UK, Germany, Italy, Australia, New Zealand. Israel's military says Gaza City is Hamas' main stronghold, and the militant group is still actively regrouping and carrying out attacks. Israel, Germany, the United States and several other countries designate Hamas a terrorist organization. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Today, we are reporting on an expanded Israeli offensive in Gaza City that has reportedly just received military officials' approval. Details are still emerging, but reports indicate that tens of thousands of reservists will be called up in September to begin the new operation. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video
Int'l Business Times
3 hours ago
- Int'l Business Times
Japan Hosts African Leaders For Development Conference
Japan hosted African leaders on Wednesday for a three-day development conference, offering itself as an alternative to China as the continent reels from a debt crisis exacerbated by Western aid cuts, conflict and climate change. Attendees at the Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD) included Nigerian President Bola Tinubu, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa, William Ruto of Kenya and UN head Antonio Guterres. "The debt and liquidity crisis on the African continent is worsening the challenging socio-economic environment and constraining the fiscal space for governments to cast a safety net over its citizens," Ramaphosa's office said in a statement. China has invested heavily in Africa over the past decade, with its companies there signing deals worth hundreds of billions of dollars to finance shipping ports, railways, roads and other projects under Beijing's Belt and Road global infrastructure initiative. But new lending is drying up, and developing countries are now grappling with a "tidal wave" of debt to both Beijing and international private creditors, the Lowy Institute, an Australian think tank, said in May. African countries have also seen Western aid slashed, in particular through President Donald Trump's dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID). TICAD was expected to touch on possible future free-trade deals between Japan and African nations, loan guarantees and investment incentives for Japanese firms, local media reported. However, Japan's biggest business lobby, Keidanren, warned that Tokyo must work to win the trust of developing nations. "By actively contributing to solving the social issues faced by countries in the Global South, Japan must be chosen as a trustworthy partner," Keidanren said in a policy recommendation in June. Africa presents opportunities with its young population and natural resources, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba told reporters on Tuesday. "We will be discussing how we may leverage these human and material resources as a source of vitality and connect them to Japan's growth and the prosperity of the world," he said. "Rather than focusing on our own needs, we want to carefully identify the needs of our partners and earn their trust, thereby fulfilling our role as a nation," Ishiba said. Ishiba was set to propose at the conference -- the ninth since 1993 -- an "economic zone" encompassing the Indian Ocean region and Africa, Kyodo News reported. Japan will pledge to cultivate 30,000 artificial intelligence experts over the next three years to promote industrial digitalisation and job creation, Kyodo said.
DW
3 hours ago
- DW
US steel tariffs leave Indian foundries gasping – DW – 08/20/2025
Trump's 50% steel tariff has rattled India's small foundries. Facing mass layoffs and shutdowns, they urge urgent government action to survive the shockwaves. In Kolkata, a major hub for India's steel foundries that export sanitary castings, work has slowed or stopped. Owners discuss distress in private but don't share much in public, and workers are confused. But some owners, like Vijay Shankar Beriwal of Calcutta Iron Udyog, are not holding back. He blames the 50% tariff on steel and aluminum imposed by US President Donald Trump, which went into effect in June. Trump cited national security concerns under Section 232 of the US Trade Expansion Act of 1962 for the move. In addition to the steel tariffs, Trump has also imposed 25% "reciprocal tariffs" on most Indian goods. The US president has proposed an additional 25% tariff, set to go into effect later this month, in response to India's purchases of Russian oil. "The full impact has yet to hit the market, but the stressors have begun to show. Those with existing US orders are clearing them fast, but new orders are slow or absent. Many foundries have stopped work," he says. The 50% steel and aluminum tariff, part of Trump's protectionist trade policies, threatens to choke eastern India's export-driven foundries and medium and small enterprises (MSMEs), which rely heavily on the US market. India exported $4.56 billion in iron, steel, and aluminium products to the US last year, including $587.5 million in iron and steel, $3.1 billion worth of iron or steel products, and $860 million in aluminium products, based on data from the Ministry of Commerce and Industry. This accounts for roughly 5.3% of India's $86.51 billion total exports to the US. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Although a smaller portion, they represent a significant share of India's foundry sector, which employs over 200,000 workers in labor-intensive production across more than 5,000 units, of which over 95% are categorized as small-scale. Moreover, unlike in the state of Maharashtra or Tamil Nadu, where foundries cater to domestic automotive and construction markets, eastern India's foundries specialise in export-oriented castings, making them particularly vulnerable to tariff disruptions. Indian Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has downplayed the impact of tariffs on steel and aluminium, arguing that steel and aluminium exports to the US are negligible. "How does it matter if out of 145 million tons, you are not able to export 95,000 tons?" he said at a Bengal Chamber of Commerce and Industry event. The domestic market is also under pressure. With export orders stalling, manufacturers are flooding the local market, intensifying competition. "Some clients are demanding 5% price cuts, others want credit payment. These are unprecedented moves," says RK Damani, owner of Industrial Casting Corporation in Kolkata. The Federation of Indian Export Organizations (FIEO) estimates an 85% drop in US-bound steel exports, leading to a surplus that could push down domestic steel prices by 6-8%, squeezing MSME margins further. "With the tariffs now, competitive pricing will be a deciding factor. But some countries, like China, have a great appetite for undercutting prices. Indian SMEs may not have the wherewithal to match that," said FIEO Director General Ajay Sahai. While his comment mainly focuses on sectors like textiles, the steel sector faces similar pressures, as China's ability to redirect low-cost steel to India threatens smaller producers. The Indian Stainless Steel Development Association (ISSDA) notes that India has become a net importer of finished steel since FY 2023-24, with imports rising significantly between 2021 and 2024, largely from China. "The problem with steel exports is that all developed countries are closing. Europe [European Union] has been charging duties since 2018, and from January 2026, it will impose the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM)," said Ajai Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video India's steel and aluminium exports to the European Union have been under pressure due to the duties, and the CBAM, a carbon tax on high-emission imports, could make it worse by further eroding India's competitiveness. The foundry sector mostly comprises small players with narrow profit margins. The 50% tariff makes US orders cost-prohibitive, and redirecting to markets like the Middle East or Southeast Asia requires time and capital that many of these companies lack. The Indian government is responding to the situation with a multi-pronged strategy. The Ministry of Commerce is pursuing a bilateral trade agreement with the US, aiming to lower the tariffs. Measures like interest subsidies, loan guarantees, and reduced certification fees are being considered to support MSMEs. The Directorate General of Trade Remedies has also proposed a 12% safeguard duty on certain steel products to protect the domestic market from Chinese dumping. Beriwal of Calcutta Iron Udyog remains hopeful about government intervention to protect the foundries. "The industry urgently needs some support from the government to stay afloat. We will be approaching the government with a proposal, but as of now, we are holding on for how things roll with the US President," he said. However, industry insiders warn that without swift action, MSMEs could face layoffs and closures by early 2026.
