Latest news with #Grinch
Metro
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Metro
The bizarre reason Russia wants to ban Shrek and other beloved animations
Shrek is having a 'destructive impact' on children, according to Russian lawmakers. In a roundtable discussion on Monday, several films, toys and games were accused of being vehicles through which Western countries are 'indoctrinating' Russian children. A slideshow was presented by State Duma deputy Yana Lantratova, which showed 'good' Soviet-era children's films and toys in contrast to characters originating from Western countries, with Shrek, the Grinch and Monsters Inc. mentioned. 'They don't seem bad, but they have both physical and personality flaws,' said Lantratova of Western characters including ogre Shrek, according to a report from the Moscow Times. 'Gradually, with the infiltration of Western culture, characters began to appear who embodied negative traits but were elevated to the status of positive characters,' the outlet report one slide read, continuing: 'The image of the purely positive character began to fade.' Sergei Mironov, leader of political party A Just Russia, accused the West of waging a 'hybrid war' via childrens' entertainment, citing the adage: 'If you want to defeat the enemy, raise their children.' 'Unfortunately, [Western countries] are very actively engaged in indoctrinating our children,' he said, as per the outlet. Lantratova, also a member of the minority political party, said unclear laws were stopping authorities from blocking Western-made children's content. More Trending This comes after Russia passed a bill banning content – which it labelled 'propaganda' – promoting child-free ideologies, as Vladimir Putin attempts to encourage women to have children to counteract the country's dwindling birthrate. Content violating this rule may face fines up to 400,000 rubles (£3,724) for individuals and up to 5 million rubles ($46,000) for officials and legal entities. In 2023, Russia ruled that the 'international LGBT movement' was an extremist organisation, and passed a law banning so-called 'propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations'. All these laws are part of the Kremlin's push towards what it calls 'traditional' or 'pro-family' values. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: British missiles could soon be used against Putin deep into his own territory MORE: Kremlin says Trump's 'absolutely crazy' jab at Putin was 'emotional overload' MORE: Mum who put out a hit on her 12-year-old daughter was fed up of 'bad behaviour'
Mint
10-05-2025
- Business
- Mint
US-China meetings might cut tariffs. Uncertainty won't go away.
A path for the U.S. and China to back away from tariffs that have virtually halted traded between the two could emerge this weekend. Yet it isn't clear how they would move beyond that, and whether that initial step would reduce the uncertainty gripping the global economy. The economic and political stakes are high. With 145% tariffs on Chinese imports and levies of 125% on U.S. goods entering China, direct trade between the two countries has been paralyzed. Shipments of cargo to the West Coast are tumbling, and companies are warning of disruptions. While retailers have only a couple of weeks to put in orders for the Christmas season, substantial relief isn't likely unless tariffs are rolled back below 60%, if not further. That means the Trump administration risks becoming the Grinch that spoiled Christmas. Whether this weekend's meetings in Geneva bring tariffs low enough to restart trade, or unthaw the relationship enough for Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump to seek a truce via a phone call, is still unclear. But former trade officials and geopolitical analysts expect both sides to scale back tariffs in the coming week—the U.S. is likely to set them below 50% to 60%—as long as something doesn't go wrong in Geneva. Both sides want a de-escalation and have signaled a shift in their messaging. Earlier in the week, Trump said he wouldn't roll back tariffs before the meeting, and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent has stressed that Trump is the final decision maker on trade. But on Friday, Trump seemed to give Bessent the green light to de-escalate, posting on Truth Social, "80% tariff on China seems right! Up to Scott B." Still, anyone looking for a quick fix may want to lower their expectations. Investors should think of these talks—Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer will meet with their Chinese counterparts—as disarmament negotiations, rather than discussions likely to bring a resolution, says Ambassador Kurt Tong, managing partner of consultancy The Asia Group, who held senior roles throughout Asia in a 30-year State Department career. A tariff rate of 80% wouldn't be low enough to restart trade, or necessarily get Beijing's attention. There is also growing evidence that tariffs aren't returning to where they were before April 2, even for friends, as the administration looks to the revenue they bring in to help its tax-cut legislation get through Congress. Take the United Kingdom. Despite being an ally and having a trade deficit with the U.S., rather than a surplus like China's, the U.K. was still stuck with 10% tariffs in the agreement the White House heralded on Thursday. In any case, deals such as the one with the U.K. are more promises to keep talking than detailed agreements. Though the White House called it a 'full and comprehensive deal," Trump left open the possibility for adjustments 'because we are flexible and think we could do better." Any deal with China is likely to be even less substantive. 'I see the potential for some sort of agreement with China that is even less detailed than the deal with the U.K. and de-escalates a bit, but I would be surprised if any announcement takes tariffs to low double-digit levels," said Ryan Majerus, a partner at the law firm King & Spalding, who previously worked in the Commerce Department and Office of the U.S. Trade Representative. Analysts point to a list of potential negotiating topics if U.S.-China talks continue, from fentanyl flows and the sale of TikTok to China opening up U.S. access to certain markets. But those are likely to be the subject of further talks, not this weekend's discussions. 'If President Donald Trump insists on a whole raft of measures to do an equal reduction of tariffs by both sides, he isn't going to get it," says Tong, the Asia Group managing partner. 'China feels it has more leverage, more than it did eight years ago, and is less likely to quickly make a lot of concessions." While both sides are feeling economic pain, Washington may be under more pressure to act than Beijing. China's exports to the U.S. have tumbled, but its exports elsewhere have risen—an indication that it is shipping goods around the tariffs, through Vietnam or elsewhere, to cushion the blow. Beijing also has a bigger tool kit and patience on its side to manage the economic hit. Analysts expect the government to ramp up fiscal and monetary support—including aid for exporters—while the U.S. is trying to cut spending and the Federal Reserve has made it clear it is in no hurry to cut interest rates. An additional challenge is that the Chinese have been wary about negotiating with Trump, given his tendency to go back with new demands, making them less likely to offer much in concessions, says Derek Scissors, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute who focuses on China. What most investors want is some sort of stable framework as the countries move to delink their economies and navigate a deteriorating relationship. That is something Scissors thinks isn't going to come out of the weekend talks. 'It's going to be very messy analytically because we have uncertainty around where the tariff rates are set, timing, how long a de-escalation would be in place and what is next in terms of exemptions, how much rerouting of trade there will be via other countries, which offers a safety valve," says Michael Hirson, a former Treasury official who heads China research at 22V Research. In other words, neither markets nor the economy may be off the hook even if the Geneva talks go off without a hitch and result in a rollback of tariffs. And there still is the risk that the meetings don't yield a de-escalation, or worsen tensions. 'Unless there is a real dramatic reversal where the Trump administration openly, or privately, waves a white flag, the stalemate the U.S. is in with China and others is likely to endure, certainly through the end of 2025," says Scott Kennedy, a senior adviser focused on China at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Write to Reshma Kapadia at
Washington Post
09-05-2025
- Automotive
- Washington Post
Two dolls instead of 30? Toys become the latest symbol of Trump's trade war
NEW YORK — President Donald Trump's tariffs crusade has taken aim at a number of foreign goods, from European wines and car parts from Mexico to films made abroad . Lately, the president's wandering ire has found another rhetorical poster child: toy dolls. Trump asserted that children will be fine having two dolls — perhaps three or five — instead of 30 if U.S. import taxes increase consumer prices. The response on social media included memes of him portrayed as the Grinch and photos of a young Barron Trump's child-sized Mercedes convertible.
Business Mayor
05-05-2025
- Business
- Business Mayor
U.S. retailers scramble to secure China-made Christmas merchandise as tariff uncertainty persists
YIWU, CHINA – NOVEMBER 26: Foreign clients select festive goods at China Yiwu International Trade City on November 26, 2024 in Yiwu, Zhejiang Province of China. Hu Xiao/VCG via Getty Images For years, Christmas merchandise has been hitting U.S. stores well ahead of the holidays, as retailers try to capitalize on the lucrative holiday season — a phenomenon known as 'Christmas creep.' This year, however, retailers risk empty shelves during the holiday itself. Tariffs could be the Grinch that disrupts year-end festivities, even as Chinese factories and their U.S. customers navigate tariff uncertainties to ensure that shelves stateside are well-stocked in time for Christmas. Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on April 2 — including a 34% tariff on imports from China that were later ramped up to 145% — many U.S. retailers halted their orders from Chinese suppliers, forcing factories to pause production, according to CNBC interviews. However, industry representatives say that some production has restarted in the last few days, as businesses in the U.S. resume orders, with concerns over business disruptions and missed opportunities outweighing tariff uncertainties. 'If you don't start producing in the next couple of weeks, you're going to start missing Black Friday and Christmas,' Cameron Johnson, Shanghai-based senior partner at consulting firm Tidalwave Solutions, said in a phone interview Tuesday. 'Both sides are trying to be flexible to some degree,' he said. 'Retailers are starting to realize if these supply chains stop, it will be much more difficult to get them up and running [again].' Johnson described how, for example, a pause in orders for a factory making spoons would impact the company that rolls the steel, as well as the iron ore smelter. 'These supply chains themselves, the upstream, are also starting to close down. If they close down, even if we have some kind of a deal, it will take time for things to [restart].' Despite some rerouting of China-made goods through other countries, replacing existing supply chains and shipping schedules will be difficult to achieve overnight. For 36% of U.S. imports from China, more than 70% can only be sourced from mainland suppliers, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis earlier in April. Aldik Home, a home goods store in Los Angeles, generates two-thirds of its sales during the Christmas season, selling an extensive array of artificial Christmas trees, ornaments, ribbons, wreaths, garlands and other decorations. Bryan Gold, manager of the family-run business, said he placed this year's Christmas orders in January and is expecting eight shipping containers of holiday decorations now en route from China — where it sources over 95% of the store's inventory. 'There is no domestic production of any of the Christmas products that we sell,' Gold said. Due to the current tariffs, the store now faces a customs bill of about $1 million. Gold said the added cost leaves him no choice but to pass it on to consumers: 'We do not have a million-dollar cushion in our margins.' One of the store's most popular Christmas trees sold for $1,000 last year could cost up to $2,500 this year, Gold said. That's if they come through from the ports at all, he said. Many of Gold's U.S.-based vendors have halted orders from Chinese suppliers or are using bonded warehouses — where goods can be stored without the immediate requirement of paying tariffs — hoping duties could be reduced. Some have already added tariff surcharges to their pricing. Electronic products need to be shipped out of China by early September to hit U.S. shelves right after the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November, taking into account customs clearance and the distribution chain, said Renaud Anjoran, CEO of Agilian Technology, an electronics manufacturer in China. The Guangdong-based company delivers half of its products to the U.S. market. It takes around six months to manufacture, test, assemble and package, meaning suppliers ideally should have started preparing for these orders in March, said Anjoran. Shrinking shipments Many U.S. buyers had started stockpiling inventories since late last year, anticipating higher tariffs after Trump returned to office. As frontloading continued, China's exports to the U.S. rose by 9.1% in March from a year ago, according to CNBC's calculation of official customs data, while imports fell 9.5% on year. April trade figures are expected to be released on May 9. But those frontloading efforts have started to dwindle. The number of cargo-carrying container ships departing from China to the U.S. has fallen sharply in recent weeks, according to Morgan Stanley. Cancelled shipments have also skyrocketed by 14 times in the four weeks from April 14 to May 5, compared to the period from March 10 to April 7, the investment bank said. In April, a gauge of new export orders from Chinese factories fell to its lowest level since late 2022, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. 'Currently, we do not have a lot of purchase orders for the next few months from American customers,' Anjoran said. Most of his clients have stockpiled inventory that was shipped to the U.S. before Chinese New Year at the end of January, with some orders trickling in March and April. Read More What if You Never Had to Charge Your Gadgets Again? Weekly analysis and insights from Asia's largest economy in your inbox Subscribe now Some U.S. buyers are waiting to see whether tariffs will be reduced to a more acceptable level in May before resuming shipments, Ryan Zhao, a director at Jiangsu Green Willow Textile, told CNBC. For now, the company has production on hold for orders from its U.S. clients. Recent reports pointed to some tariff relief on the ground as both governments seek to blunt the economic impacts of punitive duties. China reportedly granted tariff exemptions to certain U.S. goods, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment, semiconductors, and ethane imports. In the latest relief, Trump signed an executive order exempting foreign car and parts imports from additional levies, following an earlier rollback of tariffs on a range of electronic products, including smartphones, computers and chips. Trying to time it right Despite concerns about profit margins, some businesses are hedging their bets by partially refilling orders from China rather than enduring the sight of empty store shelves, said Tidalwave Solutions' Johnson. 'A few factories told me some U.S. importers have instructed them to resume production in an attempt to 'time' anticipated tariff relief,' Martin Crowley, vice president of product development at Seattle-based wholesale toy seller Toysmith, said in an email Tuesday. The company's website urges customers to place orders by May 16, for shipping by July 31, 'to lock in current, non-tariffed pricing.' In the last few days, many factories in the manufacturing centers of Yiwu, Shantou, and Dongguan have received clearance from Walmart and Target to resume production, Crowley added. 'We have not paused purchases from a specific country of origin or across full categories,' Walmart said in a statement to CNBC. 'We are working everyday with our suppliers, item by item and category by category, to navigate this fluid situation for our customers and members.' Big-box retailer Target did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Some of Agilian's American customers are also placing relatively smaller orders for electronic components that go into educational toys for kids, keyboards and sensors, betting that tariff rates will decrease by the time their products arrive at U.S. ports. However, if there is a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade negotiations, there would be a rush to backfill orders which would drive up production and shipping costs. 'It is possible to rush, arrange production faster if quantities are not large … but if all American customers rush at the same time, the factories are going to be overwhelmed and air shipments will be quite expensive,' said Anjoran.
CNBC
02-05-2025
- Business
- CNBC
U.S. tariff uncertainty puts China-made Christmas presents in question
For years, Christmas merchandise has been hitting the U.S. shelves earlier, as retailers try to capitalize on the lucrative holiday season — a retail phenomenon known as "Christmas creep." However, tariffs could be the Grinch that disrupts year-end festivities, as Chinese factories and their U.S. buyers navigate tariff uncertainties to ensure that shelves stateside will be well-stocked in time for Christmas. Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled sweeping tariffs on April 2 — including a 34% tariff on imports from China that were later ramped up to 145% — many U.S. retailers' reaction was to halt their orders from Chinese suppliers, forcing factories to pause production, according to CNBC interviews. However, industry representatives say that some production has restarted in the last few days, as concerns about business disruptions and missed opportunities outweigh the tariff uncertainties. "If you don't start producing in the next couple of weeks, you're going to start missing Black Friday and Christmas," Cameron Johnson, Shanghai-based senior partner at consulting firm Tidalwave Solutions, said in a phone interview Tuesday. "Both sides are trying to be flexible to some degree," he said. "Retailers are starting to realize if these supply chains stop, it will be much more difficult to get them up and running [again]." Johnson described how, for example, a pause in orders for a factory making spoons would impact the company that rolls the steel, as well as the iron ore smelter. "These supply chains themselves, the upstream, are also starting to close down. If they close down, even if we have some kind of a deal, it will take time for things to [restart]." Despite some rerouting of China-made goods through other countries, replacing existing supply chains and shipping schedules will be difficult to achieve overnight. For 36% of U.S. imports from China, more than 70% can only be sourced from mainland suppliers, according to a Goldman Sachs analysis earlier in April. For example, electronic products need to be shipped out of China by early September to hit U.S. shelves right after the Thanksgiving holiday at the end of November, taking into account customs clearance and the distribution chain, said Renaud Anjoran, CEO of Agilian Technology, an electronics manufacturer in China. The Guangdong-based company delivers half of its products to the U.S. market. It takes around six months to manufacture, test, assemble, and package, meaning suppliers ideally should have started preparing for these orders in March, said Anjoran. Many U.S. buyers had started stockpiling inventories since late last year, anticipating higher tariffs after Trump returned to office. As frontloading continued, China's exports to the U.S. rose by 9.1% in March from a year ago, according to CNBC's calculation of official customs data, while imports from fell 9.5% on year. April trade figures are expected to be released on May 9. But those frontloading efforts have started to dwindle. The number of cargo-carrying container ships departing from China to the U.S. has fallen sharply in recent weeks, according to Morgan Stanley's tracking of high-frequency shipping indicators. Cancelled shipments have also skyrocketed by 14 times in the four weeks from April 14 to May 5, compared to the period from March 10 to April 7, the investment bank said. In April, a gauge of new export orders from Chinese factories fell to the lowest level since late 2022, according to the national statistics bureau. "Currently, we do not have a lot of purchase orders for the next few months from American customers," Anjoran said. Most of his clients have stockpiled inventory that was shipped to the U.S. before Chinese New Year at the end of January, with some orders trickling in March and April. Some U.S. buyers are waiting to see whether tariffs will be reduced to a more acceptable level in May before resuming shipments, Ryan Zhao, a director at Jiangsu Green Willow Textile, told CNBC. For now, the company has production on hold for orders from its U.S. clients. Recent reports pointed to some tariff reliefs on the ground as both governments sought to blunt the economic impacts of punitive tariffs. China reportedly granted tariff exemptions to certain U.S. goods, including pharmaceuticals, aerospace equipment, semiconductors, and ethane imports. In the latest relief, Trump signed an executive order exempting foreign car and parts imports from additional levies, following an earlier rollback of tariffs on a range of electronic products, including smartphones, computers and chips. Despite concerns about profit margins, some businesses are hedging their bets by partially refilling orders from China rather than enduring the sight of empty store shelves, said Tidalwave Solutions' Johnson. "A few factories told me some U.S. importers have instructed them to resume production in an attempt to 'time' anticipated tariff relief," Martin Crowley, vice president of product development at Seattle-based wholesale toy seller Toysmith, said in an email Tuesday. The company's website urges customers to place orders by May 16, for shipping by July 31, "to lock in current, non-tariffed pricing." In the last few days, many factories in the manufacturing centers of Yiwu, Shantou, and Dongguan have received clearance from Walmart and Target to resume production, Crowley added. Walmart and Target did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment. Some Agilian customers are also placing relatively smaller orders, betting that tariff rates will decrease by the time their products arrive at U.S. ports. However, in the event of a breakthrough in U.S.-China trade negotiations — and a rush to backfill orders ensues — that could drive up factories' production costs and shipping prices. "It is possible to rush, arrange production faster if quantities are not large … but if all American customers rush at the same time, the factories are going to be overwhelmed and air shipments will be quite expensive," said Anjoran.
