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Tag: Donald Trump

  • South Africa envoy expelled from US says he ‘has no regrets’

    South Africa envoy expelled from US says he ‘has no regrets’

    The South African ambassador who was expelled from the US after a row with Donald Trump’s government has said he has “no regrets”.

    Ebrahim Rasool arrived back home on Sunday and was welcomed by hundreds of raucous supporters at Cape Town International Airport.

    Tensions between South Africa and the US have been on a downward spiral since Trump came into office in January.

    Rasool, 62, was declared unwelcome in the US after State Secretary Marco Rubio called him a “race-baiting politician who hates America”. It followed a statement by the ambassador that Trump was “mobilising a supremacism” as the States’ white population faced becoming a minority.

    Rasool defended his comments on Sunday morning after touching down in Cape Town.

    The remarks, made during a webinar organised by a South African think-tank, were meant to “alert” South African intellectuals and political leaders “to a change of the way we live, to a change of the way we are positioned in the United States, that the old way of doing business with the US was not a good one”, Rasool said.

    While waiting for Rasool to arrive at the airport, members of the African National Congress, South African Communist Party and South African Trade Union members sung and danced.

    Some held placards reading “Ebrahim Rasool, you have served our country with honour!!!”

    Rasool’s expulsion marked a rare move by the US – lower-ranking diplomats are sometimes expelled, but it is highly unusual for it to happen to a more senior official.

    But ties with South Africa have been deteriorating for months.

    In January, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa signed into law a bill allowing the state to seize land without compensation, provided it was in the “public interest”.

    The move followed years of calls for land reform, with activists and politicians seeking to redistribute farmland from the white minority.

    In response to the law, Washington cut aid to South Africa. An executive order cited “unjust racial discrimination” against white Afrikaners – descendants of mainly Dutch settlers who first arrived in the 17th Century.

    South Africa has strongly denied this claim.

    On Sunday, Rasool lamented that he had not been able to challenge the Trump administration’s views.

    He was appointed as ambassador to the US just last year, because of his previous experience and extensive network of Washington contacts.

    He had previously served as US ambassador from 2010 to 2015, when Barack Obama was president.

    [BBC]

  • Trump signs order to begin dismantling of US education department

    Trump signs order to begin dismantling of US education department

    US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order instructing officials to begin the process of dismantling the Department of Education, fulfilling a promise he made during his 2024 campaign.

    “We’re going to shut it down as quickly as possible,” Trump stated after signing the order on Thursday. “It’s doing us no good.”

    Trump has consistently advocated for the elimination of the department, a long-held objective for some conservatives. However, completely abolishing it would require congressional approval, which is unlikely to happen.

    The decision is already encountering legal opposition from those aiming to prevent the agency’s closure, as well as the extensive staff cuts announced last week.

    Trump said “the US spends more money on education by far than any other country” yet students “rank near the bottom of the list in terms of success”.

    The White House stated that his administration would move to cut parts of the department that remain within legal boundaries.

    The executive order is likely to face legal challenges, like many of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the size of the federal government.

    At the ceremony, Trump praised Linda McMahon, whom he appointed to lead the department, and expressed his hope she would be the last secretary of education.

    He said he would find “something else” for her to do within the administration.

    After Trump signed the order, Louisiana Republican Senator Bill Cassidy announced plans to bring legislation aimed at closing the department.

    But Republicans hold a slim 53-47 majority in the Senate, and closing a federal department would require 60 votes, making such a goal a longshot.

    • A conservative pipe dream since Reagan
    • What Department of Education cuts mean for one mum
    • What happens to student loans now?

    But even if the department is not formally closed, the Trump administration could decimate its funding and staff as it has done with the US Agency for International Development (USAID), which subsequently stopped many of its programmes and humanitarian work.

    The text of the executive order does not include specifics on what actions the administration will take and which programmes might be axed.

    It orders McMahon to “take all necessary steps to facilitate the closure” of the department and give authority of such matters to state and local governments.

    It also directs her to ensure “the effective and uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits on which Americans rely”.

    Established in 1979, the education department administers student loans and runs programmes that help low-income students.

    Trump has accused it of indoctrinating young people with racial, sexual, and political material.

    A common misconception is that the department operates US schools and sets curricula – but that is primarily done by states and local districts.

    And a relatively small percentage of funding for primary and secondary schools – about 13% – comes from federal funds. The majority is made up from states and local groups.

    The agency also plays a prominent role in administering and overseeing the federal student loans used by millions of Americans to pay for higher education.

    Soon after she was sworn in, McMahon sent the department’s 4,400 employees a memo titled “Our Department’s Final Mission”.

    “This is our opportunity to perform one final, unforgettable public service to future generations of students,” she wrote.

    “I hope you will join me in ensuring that when our final mission is complete; we will be able to say that we left American education freer, stronger, and with more hope for the future.”

    Earlier reports suggested Trump would look to end some of the department’s programmes and send others to different departments, such as the Treasury.

    Trump and fellow Republicans have accused the department of promoting a “woke” political ideology, and say the department is pushing liberal views about gender and race.

    America’s largest teachers’ union recently decried Trump’s plans, saying he “doesn’t care about opportunity for all kids”.

    In its statement, the AFT said: “No-one likes bureaucracy, and everyone’s in favour of more efficiency, so let’s find ways to accomplish that.

    “But don’t use a ‘war on woke’ to attack the children living in poverty and the children with disabilities, in order to pay for vouchers and tax cuts for billionaires.”

    Most US children attend public schools, which are free and governed by local officials. Nearly all of their funding comes from state and local taxes and curriculum decisions are made by state governments and school districts.

    The current cabinet-level department was established by Congress at the end of 1979.

    Two years later, former President Ronald Reagan, a Republican, started the call to undo it to save money and to favour “local needs and preferences”.

    With 4,400 employees, it is the smallest agency in the president’s cabinet and takes up less than 2% of the total federal budget.

    Some of those staff have already been affected by the Trump administration’s sweeping workforce cuts, led by the Department of Government Efficiency (Doge), with many urged to retire, laid off, or placed on paid administrative leave.

    Nearly 2,100 people at the agency are set to be placed on leave from 21 March.

    Efforts by Doge to slash federal spending and radically restructure – or simply abolish – many government agencies have been overseen by tech billionaire Elon Musk.

  • Judge blocks enforcement of Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from US military service

    Judge blocks enforcement of Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from US military service

    A federal judge has blocked the enforcement of United States President Donald Trump’s executive order banning transgender people from military service.

    Ana Reyes, US district judge, made the ruling on Tuesday, the latest in a string of legal setbacks for Trump’s sweeping agenda.

    Reyes was the second judge to block the order in one day.

    Both rulings came within a few hours of each other as Trump sought to stir impeachment proceedings against a third judge who temporarily suspended deportation flights.

    “The court knows that this opinion will lead to heated public debate and appeals. In a healthy democracy, both are positive outcomes,” Reyes wrote in her ruling.

    “We should all agree, however, that every person who has answered the call to serve deserves our gratitude and respect.”

    Reyes said she did not take lightly her decision to issue an injunction blocking Trump’s order, noting: “Judicial overreach is no less pernicious than executive overreach.”

    She said it was also the responsibility of each branch of government to provide checks and balances for the others, and the court “therefore must act to uphold the equal protection rights that the military defends every day”.

    Immediately after taking office, Trump ordered that all US government staff working on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) schemes were to be put on immediate paid administrative leave.

    Trump said the programmes were “dangerous, demeaning, and immoral”.

    The order would affect transgender people in the military service as well.

    As part of the order, the US army announced last month that it would no longer accept applications from transgender individuals.

    During his first term in 2017, Trump issued an order stating that transgender people had no place in the US army.

    Joe Biden, his successor, reversed the order.

  • FULL LIST: Russia, Angola, Cape Verde, 40 other countries Trump is considering imposing visa ban

    FULL LIST: Russia, Angola, Cape Verde, 40 other countries Trump is considering imposing visa ban

    United States President Donald Trump is considering imposing a travel ban on dozens of countries.

    In a report on Saturday, Reuters cited an internal memo and officials familiar with the matter.

    The memo lists a total of 43 countries divided into three groups: red, orange, and yellow.

    The list comprises several African countries, with African economic powerhouses like Nigeria, South Africa, Algeria and Egypt excluded.

    The red group consists of 11 countries- Afghanistan, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Cuba, Bhutan, Venezuela, North Korea, Yemen, and Somalia- whose nationals would be barred from entering the US.

    The orange group comprises 10 countries whose visas would be sharply restricted. They include Russia, Belarus, Myanmar, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Pakistan, Laos, Turkmenistan, Haiti, and Eritrea.

    The countries in the last group were given 60 days to address concerns.

    The nations on the 22-country yellow list include Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Dominica, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, São Tomé and Príncipe, Vanuatu and Zimbabwe.

    The New York Times had first reported the list of countries earmarked for the proposed visa ban.

    However, a US official told Reuters that there could be changes on the list and that it was yet to be approved by the administration, including Marco Rubio, the secretary of state.

    The proposal is part of an immigration crackdown that Trump launched at the start of his second term in January.

    Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis, and St.Lucia—island countries on the yellow list—are popular options for purchasing citizenship by investment.

    In 2023, the European Union (EU) raised security concerns over the trade in ‘golden passports’ after discovering that the Caribbean states sold citizenship to 88,000 individuals from nations like Iran, Nigeria, Russia and China.

    The EU had said it was seeking to review its visa-mechanism in countries that offer investor citizenship schemes to countries with corruption perception and poor human rights records.

    Dominica, an island with a population of just over 70,000, had reportedly issued 34,500 passports as of 2023.

    St Kitts and Nevis, with a population of 48,000, was said to have issued 36,700 passports.

  • US launches wave of air strikes on Yemen’s Houthis

    US launches wave of air strikes on Yemen’s Houthis

    The US has launched a “decisive and powerful” wave of air strikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen, President Donald Trump has said, citing the armed group’s attacks on shipping in the Red Sea as the reason .

    “Funded by Iran, the Houthi thugs have fired missiles at US aircraft, and targeted our Troops and Allies,” Trump wrote on his Truth social platform, adding that their “piracy, violence, and terrorism” had cost “billions of dollars” and put lives at risk.

    The Houthi-run health ministry said at least nine had been killed and another nine injured in the strikes.

    The group – which began targeting shipping in response to Israel’s invasion of Gaza – told Arab media that it would continue its attacks.

    The Houthis are an Iranian-backed rebel group, which considers Israel its enemy. It controls the Yemeni capital, Sanaa, and north-west of Yemen, but it is not the country’s internationally-recognised government.

    Since the start of the war between Israel and Hamas, it has launched hundreds of attacks on commercial vessels travelling through the Red Sea.

    These attacks, Trump said, “will not be tolerated”.

    “We will use overwhelming lethal force until we have achieved our objective.”

    Initially, the group said it was attacking ships connected with, or that had docked in, Israel. However, many of the vessels have no connection with Israel.

    Trump said that it had been more than a year since a US-flagged ship had sailed safely through the Suez Canal – which the Red Sea leads to – and four months since a US warship had been through the body of water between east Africa and the Arabian peninsula.

    The Suez Canal is the quickest sea route between Asia and Europe, and is particularly important in the transportation of oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG).

    Addressing the Houthis directly, Trump wrote that if they did not stop, “HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE”.

    Meanwhile, US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the Houthi’s “benefactor”, Iran, was “on notice”.

    For more than a year major shipping companies were forced to stop using the Red Sea – through which almost 15% of global seaborne trade usually passes – and used a much longer route around southern Africa instead.

    The Houthis launched 190 attacks in the Red Sea between November 2023 and October 2024, according to the US Congress.

    Previously, the UK and US conducted joint naval and air strikes against the group. Israel has also targeted sites linked to the Houthis in separate strikes.

    Trump urged Iran to cease its support for the Houthis, warning that Washington would hold Tehran “fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it”.

    He also accused the previous White House administration, under Joe Biden, of being “pathetically weak” and allowing the “unrestrained Houthis” to keep going.

    [BBC]

  • Trump halts plan for 50% steel, aluminium tariffs on Canada

    Trump halts plan for 50% steel, aluminium tariffs on Canada

    Donald Trump has halted a plan to double US tariffs on Canadian steel and metal imports to 50%, just hours after first threatening them.

    Tariffs of 25% are still going ahead and will take effect from the 12 March.

    The move by the president comes after the Canadian province of Ontario suspended new charges of 25% on electricity that it sends to some northern states in the US, hours after Trump threatened to sharply increase his tariffs on the country.

    It marked the latest skirmish in a trade war that risks economic damage to the two North American neighbours.

    “Cooler heads prevailed,” said Trump trade adviser Peter Navarro told broadcaster CNBC, confirming that Trump would not move forward with his latest tariff threats.

    Canada, one of America’s closest trade partners, has borne the brunt of Trump’s ire as he has launched trade battles in his first months in office.

    Trump has hit goods from the country, along with Mexico, with a blanket 25% tariff, though he signed orders temporarily exempting a significant number of items from the new duties, which he said were a response to drug and migrants crossing into the US.

    Canada is also facing 25% tariffs on its steel and aluminium, which are set to go into effect on Wednesday, after Trump said he was ending exemptions to the duties previously granted to some countries.

    Canada has called Trump’s attacks unjustified and announced retaliation, including new tariffs on C$30bn ($22bn; £16bn) US products.

    Ford had announced he would tax electricity exports to the US in an effort to get those tariffs removed.

    He had also previously said he would “not hesitate to shut off electricity completely” if the US “escalates”.

    Announcing the decision to suspend the electricity duties, Ford said he thought it was the “right decision” to try to start focus the discussions on the wider North American free trade deal.

    “With any negotiation that we have, there’s a point that both parties are heated and the temperature needs to come down,” he said, thanking Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick for reaching out about a meeting.

    “They understand how serious we are,” he added. “We have both agreed, let cooler heads prevail. We need to sit down and move this forward.”

    In his social media post early on Tuesday, which threatened to double levies on Canadian steel and aluminium, Trump said he was responding to Ford’s moves.

    He also criticised Canada for relying on the US for “military protection”, and reiterated that he wanted the country to become the 51st US state.

    He add that it “would make all tariffs, and everything else, totally disappear” if Canada were to join the US as a state.

    The White House declared the episode a win, saying in a statement that Trump had “once again used the leverage of the American economy, which is the best and biggest in the world, to deliver a win for the American people”.

    Tariffs are taxes charged on goods imported from other countries.

    The companies that bring the foreign goods into the country pay the tax to the government.

    Stock market falls

    The back-and-forth came during a turbulent time for markets.

    The S&P 500 index of the largest firms listed in the US fell a further 0.7% on Tuesday after dropping 2.7% on Monday, which was its biggest one-day drop since December.

    The UK’s FTSE 100 share index, which had edged lower earlier on Tuesday, fell further following Trump’s latest comments and closed down more than 1%. The French Cac 40 index and German Dax followed a similar pattern.

    Monday’s stock market sell-off had begun after Trump said the economy was in a “transition” when asked about whether the US was heading for a recession.

    Investors have been concerned about the economic effects of Trump’s trade policies, which it is feared could push up inflation in the US and beyond, while uncertainty leads to economic paralyisis.

    ‘Worrying time’

    Even before Tuesday’s comments, Trump’s tariffs had already been causing concern for US businesses.

    On Monday, Jason Goldstein, founder of Icarus Brewing, a small beer-maker in New Jersey that employs 50 people, told the BBC that previous tariff announcements had prompted a slew of emails from his suppliers.

    They have been warning that price increases for everything from grain and aluminium cans are likely to be coming.

    Mr Goldstein has stockpiled an extra month’s supply of cans and held off on new purchases as a result of the uncertainty and rapidly changing situation.

    “It’s definitely a worrying time for us,” he said.

    “Never before in my life have I had to read so much news, watch so much news to know, here’s what my industry’s going to look like tomorrow.”

    [BBC]

  • Trump delays implementation of Mexico tariffs for another month

    Trump delays implementation of Mexico tariffs for another month

    United States President Donald Trump has delayed the tariffs imposed on Mexican imports for another month.

    Announcing the development on Thursday, Trump said he shifted the tariffs after speaking with Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum.

    The agreement will last until April 2 and covers goods under the US-Mexico-Canada trade agreement (USMCA).

    “Our relationship has been a very good one, and we are working hard, together, on the Border, both in terms of stopping Illegal Aliens from entering the United States and, likewise, stopping Fentanyl,” Trump said of Sheinbaum.

    “Thank you to President Sheinbaum for your hard work and cooperation!”

    There was no mention of a pause for Canada or China—both of which are also affected by the tariffs.

    Sheinbaum said she and Trump “had an excellent and respectful call in which we agreed that our work and collaboration have yielded unprecedented results”.

    Meanwhile, Canada and China have fought back with retaliatory tariffs.

    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his country will be in a trade war with the US “for the foreseeable future” and called on Canadians to “buy Canadian”.

    Trump accused Trudeau of using the tariff problem, “which he has largely caused,” to run again for prime minister.

  • Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky ‘regrets’ clash with Trump at White House, expresses readiness to negotiate

    Russia-Ukraine war: Zelensky ‘regrets’ clash with Trump at White House, expresses readiness to negotiate

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says he regrets the clash he had with United States President Donald Trump.

    Zelensky said his administration is ready to work under Trump’s “strong leadership” to get lasting peace in the three-year-old war with Russia.

    Last week’s meeting, the first between the two leaders since Trump assumed office, ended in a shouting bout.

    Trump and JD Vance, the US vice-president, accused the Ukrainian leader of not being grateful enough for American support in the war between his country and Russia. But Zelensky argued that the conflict was beyond their grasp.

    Zelensky was ordered to leave the White House abruptly, and his press conference was cancelled.

    A few days later, Trump was reported to have paused Washington’s military aid to Ukraine.

    In a tweet on Tuesday, Zelensky said the meeting did not go the way it was supposed to.

    “It is regrettable that it happened this way. It is time to make things right. We would like future cooperation and communication to be constructive,” he said.

    “We are ready to work fast to end the war, and the first stages could be the release of prisoners and truce in the sky—ban on missiles, long-ranged drones, bombs on energy, and other civilian infrastructure—and a truce in the sea immediately, if Russia will do the same,” he added.

    “Then we want to move very fast through all next stages and to work with the US to agree a strong final deal. We do really value how much America has done to help Ukraine maintain its sovereignty and independence.”

    Zelensky also said Ukraine is ready to sign the minerals deal “any time and in any convenient format” as a step toward solid security guarantees.

  • US tariffs on Canada, Mexico resumes Tuesday – Trump

    US tariffs on Canada, Mexico resumes Tuesday – Trump

    United States President Donald Trump says tariffs against Canada and Mexico will be effective on Tuesday (today) after a deal to pause the taxes expired on Monday.

    Trump proposed the tariffs last month on the neighbouring countries as part of efforts to curb the flow of “illegal drugs and undocumented migrants” into the US.

    Following his announcement, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country would impose retaliatory tariffs.

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also announced “far-reaching” retaliatory levies.

    Barely three days later, Trump said he had reached a deal with his Mexican counterpart to halt the proposed tariffs for a month and that talks with Trudeau were ongoing.

    “No room left for Mexico or for Canada,” Trump said at the White House on Monday.

    “The tariffs, you know, they’re all set. They go into effect tomorrow.

    “What they’ll have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things, in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs,” he added.

    Canada has repeatedly said tariffs will harm both economies but added that it will defend itself if they happen.

    China was also listed as affected, but unlike Mexico and Canada, a deal was not announced with the Asian country.

    China has promised to bite back if the US proceeds with the tariff proposals

  • How US funding cuts will affect world health, safety – UN Secretary-General

    How US funding cuts will affect world health, safety – UN Secretary-General

    The United Nations (UN) Secretary-General, António Guterres, has said the United Nations (UN) the United States decision to cut humanitarian and development funding will have dire consequences for millions of vulnerable people worldwide.

    Guterres said the cuts threaten humanitarian assistance and development projects, which he noted are essential programmes.

    He said reducing US financial support would worsen conditions for those in need and undermine global stability.

    “These cuts will be especially devastating for vulnerable people around the world. From war-torn regions to areas struck by natural disasters, the loss of support will leave millions more at risk,” Guterres said.

    “American funding directly supports people living through wars, famines, and disasters, providing essential health care, shelter, water, food, and education—the list goes on.

    “The generosity and compassion of the American people have not only saved lives, built peace, and improved the state of the world. They have contributed to the stability and prosperity that Americans depend on.

    “Going through with recent funding cuts will make the world less healthy, less safe, and less prosperous.

    “I can only hope that these decisions can be reversed based on more careful reviews. The same applies to other countries that have recently announced reductions in humanitarian and development aid.”

    The UN chief highlighted how critical programmes in countries like Afghanistan, Syria, South Sudan, and Ukraine are severely affected.

    In Afghanistan, over nine million people risk losing access to healthcare and protection services.

    In northeast Syria, the lack of funding will significantly disrupt relief efforts where 2.5 million people depend on aid.

    Cash-based aid programmes assisting one million people in Ukraine have already been suspended while funds have run out for refugee support programmes in South Sudan, worsening overcrowding and unsanitary conditions at border areas.

    Beyond humanitarian relief, Guterres warned that the cuts would severely weaken global health initiatives, counterterrorism efforts, and the fight against drug trafficking.

    He noted that the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) may have to halt key counter-narcotics operations, including those addressing the fentanyl crisis.

    He added that funding for programmes tackling HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, and cholera has been stopped.

    Guterres said the UN will continue lifesaving assistance while seeking alternative funding sources.

    “Our absolute priority remains clear. We will do everything we can to provide life-saving aid to those in urgent need,” he said.

    “We remain committed to making the global humanitarian effort as efficient, accountable, and innovative as possible while continuing to save lives.”

    Last month, UN agencies began cutting back global aid operations after the Donald Trump administration ordered a 90-day suspension of all foreign assistance provided by the US.