Category World News

A number of new tariffs will go into effect on most of the US’s trading partners in a week, according to President Donald Trump’s administration.

Trump’s import duties, which were scheduled to start on August 1 and were delayed the majority, will start on August 7.

Trump sees the tariffs as a powerful economic tool that will encourage domestic manufacturing and help US exporters become more competitive.

Different levies will be imposed on nations, starting from 15% on Japan and the European Union to 39% on Switzerland, despite the situation still being dynamic.

How have different markets and nations responded to the news:

China

China has warned that US protectionism “fails the interests of all parties” ().

According to Guo Jiakun, a spokesman for the Chinese government, “the Chinese side’s opposition to tariffs has been consistent and unwavering.”

In a tariff- or trade-war, he continued, “There is no winner.”

Beijing and Washington are negotiating a tariffs deal despite not having a permanent agreement. Following a mutually agreed pause until August 12, a 30% combined tariff will be applied. That came after an imports tariff of 145 percent had already been implemented.

Taiwan

William Lai Ching-te, president of Taiwan, described Trump’s 20 percent tariff as “temporary” and “with the possibility of further reductions if an agreement is reached.”

The US president had threatened to impose a 32 percent tax and possible duties on the island’s massive semiconductor shipments.

Japan

Beginning August 7, a 15 percent tariff agreed last week between Japan and Washington will be in effect. It will replace the threatened 25 percent tariff.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reaffirmed his commitment to the US on Friday, urging the country to implement the agreement, including lowering the tariffs on cars and auto parts.

However, the Bank of Japan (BOJ) warned that Japanese companies’ profits are likely to decline this year as a result of US tariffs, which could cause them to lower their capital expenditure plans.

According to the BOJ, automakers have absorbed the rising costs of the tariffs rather than passing them on to US consumers, as evidenced by a 20% drop in export prices since April.

This suggests that Japanese automakers are avoiding price increases that could cause sales volumes to decline while also allowing for worsening profitability, according to the BOJ.

Malaysia

The trade ministry of Malaysia has declared that the rate, which is currently at a threatened 25%, was acceptable without sacrificing any of the “red line” items.

Thailand

The reduction in tariffs, according to Thailand’s finance minister, will help its struggling economy overcome global challenges.

According to Pichai Chunhavajira, “it helps maintain Thailand’s competitiveness on the global stage, boosts investor confidence, opens the door to economic growth, increased income, and new opportunities.”

Cambodia

Cambodia’s crucial garments sector, which is its biggest economic driver and source of about a million manufacturing jobs, saw a major boost as the US cut its tariff rate on Friday from 36 percent to 49 percent, a major boost.

According to me, if the US kept its industry at 49 or 36 percent, then it would collapse, according to Cambodia’s deputy prime minister and top trade negotiator Sun Chanthol.

European Union

Following a framework agreement between the EU and the US, Maros Sefcovic, the EU’s trade chief, stated that the bloc’s exporters now stand to gain from a “more competitive position,” but that “the work continues.

In a post on social media platform X, Sefcovic wrote that “the new US tariffs reflect the first outcomes of the EU-US agreement, particularly the 15 percent all-inclusive tariff cap.”

He continued, “This increases trust in the transatlantic economy as well as stability for businesses.”

Switzerland

Despite its “very constructive position,” Switzerland regrets “greatly that it was hit with 39 percent – up from the threatened 31 percent”.

The wealthy Alpine nation appeared to be caught off guard by the more than twice the EU’s 15% levy.

In the US, Roche and Novartis, two of the country’s largest pharmaceutical companies, have recently announced major spending plans. Switzerland is currently in the sixth place in terms of direct investment.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka rejoigned that it would face a 20% hit, a significant decrease from the original 44 percent, and hoped for even more.

Harshana Suriyapperuma, a senior official in the finance ministry, told reporters, “We are happy that our competitiveness in exports to the US has been preserved.”

Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s trade agreement reduced Trump’s initial proposal to a 20% tariff on exports to the US.

The interim government of the nation, led by Muhammad Yunus, hailed it as a “decisive diplomatic victory.”

Pakistan

On Thursday, Pakistan and the US agreed to a 19% tariff rate.

The Pakistani Finance Ministry stated in a statement that “this agreement marks the beginning of a new era of economic collaboration, particularly in the fields of energy, mines and minerals, IT, cryptocurrency, and other sectors.”

India

Trump stated on Wednesday that Indian goods would be subject to a 25% US tariff starting August 1, a level that was previously anticipated.

Trump stated on social media that the country would also be subject to an “unspecified” penalty for purchasing Russian weapons and energy.

The Indian government stated in a statement on Wednesday that it was “attaching the utmost importance to protecting and promoting the welfare of our farmers, entrepreneurs, and MSMEs” and that it was “examining the implications of these new tariffs.”

South Africa

President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Friday that South Africa will negotiate after the US imposed 30% tariffs for the week to avoid paying the penalty and protect jobs.

Ramaphosa informed journalists that “intensive negotiations are now taking place.”

He said, “Our task is to negotiate with the United States as effectively and effectively as we can.” Really, our goal is to save jobs.

Canada

Trump announced on Thursday that US tariffs would increase from 25% to 35% on some Canadian goods.

After Prime Minister Mark Carney made the announcement to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN General Assembly in September, he had warned about the impact on trade for Canada.

There is no delay, and these begin on Friday, according to a White House fact sheet, unlike the new levies that are imposed on dozens of other countries.

Carney claimed that Trump’s decision disappointed his country.

Trump’s order also cited Canada’s “unreliable” action in halting the current flood of fentanyl and other illicit drugs as well as its “retaliation” against his actions.

Carney outlined Ottawa’s efforts to reduce fentanyl and improve border security. He said that Canada has been working diligently to further reduce these volumes, even though it imports only 1% of US fentanyl.

The vast majority of the products covered by the 2020 United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement will not be subject to the tariff rate.

Markets

Investors were concerned about the impact of the new US levies on numerous nations, and European stocks dropped to a three-week low.

After the tariff announcement, Asian shares were also anticipating the worst week since April.

When I read a report from an internationally renowned NGO called Oxfam International, which revealed that just four of Africa’s richest billionaires have a combined wealth of $57.4 billion, I was overcome by a profound sense of desperation and disappointment on July 9, 2025. This figure, according to Oxfam, exceeds the total wealth of roughly 750 million Africans, or roughly half of the continent’s population.

Additionally, the top 5 percent of Africans now have nearly $4 trillion in assets, which is more than twice the remaining 95%’s combined assets.

The report names the four wealthiest people on the continent in the report, Africa’s Inequality Crisis and the Rise of the Superrich. Nigerian Aliko Dangote, whose estimated net worth is $23.3 billion, is at the top. Johann Rupert and his South African family, who have about $14.2 billion in assets, come next. Nicky Oppenheimer and his family, both of whom are from South Africa, have a fortune worth $10.2 billion. Egyptian Nassef Sawiris’ net worth is estimated to be $ 9.4 billion.

I fall into the bottom 95 percent, the unsightly groups of people who have worked for modest incomes while aspire to socioeconomic transformation. There were no billionaires in Africa at the start of the 21st century in 2000. 23 billionaires, primarily men, make up the majority of the population, whose combined wealth has increased by 56 percent over the past five years, totaling an astonishing $ 112 billion.

No two countries, including Nigeria and South Africa, better illustrate the stark wealth disparity and oligarchic dominance of Africa today, and Aliko Dangote is the most prominent business leader to point out the rise of crony capitalism.

Why, please.

Dangote was merely a multimillionaire businessman with ambition 25 years ago. Then, on February 23, 1999, he contributed significantly to the presidential campaign of General Olusegun Obasanjo. His business trajectory was impacted by that seemingly benign investment.

Under the Backward Integration Policy (BIP), the Obasanjo administration began a comprehensive privatization of state-owned businesses in an effort to liberalize the economy, attract private investment, and promote domestic entrepreneurship. In 2000, Dangote Cement, the country’s largest cement producer, bought both Obajana Cement and Benue Cement, laying the groundwork for Dangote Cement, the latter two now dominate the industry.

On profits of approximately 1 trillion Nigerian naira (roughly $6 billion at 2015 exchange rates), Dangote Cement reportedly paid an effective tax rate of less than 1%. In 2007, Dangote became the country’s richest entrepreneur, becoming a billionaire as a result of the company’s rapid expansion.

The debate over quid pro quo tactics between Dangote and the Obasanjo administration has since become a well-known, albeit contentious, element of Nigerian politics and business.

Critics claim that the BIP has stifled competition and promoted monopolistic practices in important industries like sugar and cement, disproportionately favoring politically connected elites, including Dangote, at the expense of smaller businesses and regular Nigerians.

Nigeria has world-class human capital and is abundantly resourced. However, despite the most recent population estimates of about 227 million, more than 112 million people, or nearly half of the country’s population, live in poverty. The country’s five wealthiest individuals, who rule over industries like oil and gas, banking, telecommunications, and real estate, have a combined wealth of $ 29.9 billion.

Nigeria’s dysfunctional system has fostered oligarchic patterns and allowed the “big five” to grow. In its post-apartheid era, South Africa, the most industrialized nation in Africa, faces similar but distinct challenges.

The African National Congress (ANC) introduced the Broad-Based BEE Initiatives (BBBEE) and Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) on April 27, 1994, after apartheid ended. These policies sought to increase employment, promote effective Black economic participation, and promote fairer income distribution.

However, the ANC itself acknowledged over time that the majority of Black South Africans, particularly Black women, did not gain from these affirmative action initiatives in significant ways. Economic conditions have only marginally improved in the 31 years since apartheid. Despite the recent emergence of a few Black business leaders, they continue to excel in a system designed to favor a select few.

Patrice Motsepe, a mining magnate and one of Africa’s richest people, is one such example, with an estimated net worth of $3 billion. Supporters claim that his wealth is a direct result of the post-apartheid economic transformation, but critics, including economist Moeletsi Mbeki, refute this claim. In a system plagued by elite capture, Motsepe, who is also President Cyril Ramaphosa’s brother-in-law, is a hardly recognisable exception.

South Africa’s official unemployment rate was 32.9 percent by April 2025, which equaled the number of people actively looking for work. The overall rate, which included discouraged job seekers, increased to 43.1 percent. More than half of South Africa’s population, or 34.3 million people, were living in poverty around the same time.

The Oppenheimer family’s wealth is growing as a result of its deep historical connections to South Africa’s colonial past, which are evident in the enormous fortune it has in diamond mining. According to a study by the Harvard Growth Lab that was published in November 2023, the economy is defined by stagnation and exclusion, and the current strategies fail to achieve inclusion and empowerment in practice.

Unsurprisingly, ANC insiders and aligned business elites have been the most notable beneficiaries of the BEE initiatives, including Bridgette Radebe, sister of Motsepe, and Jeff Radebe’s wife, a staunch supporter of the ANC.

This particular elite group is in stark contrast to the regular South Africans who are the intended beneficiaries of the BEE. Instead, these individuals are grappling with persistent cuts to the budgets for education and health, as well as widespread corruption, poor service delivery, and lingering effects of oligarchic state control.

This pattern is prevalent in Nigeria. In a vibrant African economy, Dangote’s enormous wealth should at least be considered to be the pinnacle of success. He instead exemplifies Africa’s most powerful and wealthy oligarch, showing how close proximity to political power can lead to contentious paths to fortune. Regrettably, almost every African nation has its own Motsepe or Dangote, which are both influential and prevent fair and equitable economic development.

Political connections preclude innovation and advancement, which is a marked departure from free market ideals. This distortion results in social inequality, economic inefficiency, and corruption. By allowing private interests to exert excessive influence over public policy, it also weakens democratic norms.

According to a 2015 study from Columbia University, politically connected oligarchs’ wealth has a significant negative impact on economic growth, whereas unconnected billionaires’ wealth has little impact. This finding suggests that limiting the political power of politically connected elites would lead to slower economic growth in African countries.

It is time for significant reform right now.

High-net-worth individuals are subject to a wealth tax, and it must be used to fund essential services in underdeveloped countries.

A modest tax increase, which would be equivalent to 2.29 percent of Africa’s gross domestic product, would help close funding gaps in education and access to electricity, say Oxfam.

To reduce poverty and promote happiness, African nations must adopt economic policies that are more inclusive.

We are 95% of the neglected and disenfranchised population.

A violent crime was the beginning. A Venezuelan man fatally stabbed Polish woman Klaudia, 24, to death as she was leaving work in a park in the center of Torun, central-north Poland in June.

On Sunday, July 6, thousands of protesters marched silently through Torun following that horrific incident. According to local media reports, far-right Konfederacja political alliance supporters planned the march, and demonstrators carried signs that read “stop illegal immigration.”

Then came the misinformation and rumors. A Paraguayan man allegedly photographed children on a playground on July 14 when someone in Walbrzych, southwestern Poland, called the police.

The man was stopped by the police, but his phone was unincriminated. Two Polish men soon after that began beating him up. A group of about 50 people stormed the hostel where he and other migrants were residing the following day. The owner has since been forced to shut down the hostel after some people threw flares into the building.

Anti-immigrant sentiment in Poland has increased in recent weeks, fueled by far-right rhetoric, which claims that there has been “unconstrained illegal migration” in Poland. Legislators frequently and even encourage claims that migrants take local jobs and that they pose a threat to Poles both physically and figuratively due to their “foreign lifestyle.”

Konrad Berkowicz, a member of Konfederacja’s Konfederacja, said that xenophobia is a crucial component of our national unity. We should cherish xenophobia because it has been condemned and stifled in the West by rapes and terrorist attacks.

Elmi Abdi, 62, a Somali refugee who immigrated to Poland in 1996, claimed that all parties are using us as scapegoats despite the fact that politicians are aware that this is all untrue. Abdi is currently the founder of the Good Start foundation, which assists migrants by providing assistance in terms of legal assistance, language classes, and other issues.

“It’s sad because we [immigrants] do everything possible to work safely here, pay taxes, and become members of society.”

The Polish Migration Forum, a rights organization, has described Poland’s culture as “pre-pogrom-like” as misinformation about immigrants spreads, such as in the Walbrzych incident.

The violence is what makes the current situation unique. The forum’s head, Agnieszka Kosowicz, stated that “we are in a very bad place.” People are insulted, threatened, and displayed hostility and contemptuously in acts of violence already occur. A swift response from the state is required because this situation is very alarming.

Rumors of “illegal returns”

Poland’s border controls with Germany and Lithuania were reinstated on July 7. That was in response to restrictions that Germany earlier in the year made Poland unaffordable.

According to EU regulations, Poland is also currently actively monitoring the return of migrants by the German police, both as asylum seekers and non-asylum seekers. These people first crossed into Germany after arriving in Poland from outside the EU.

Unofficial, far-right patrols have been stationed at the borders to monitor the situation and make “citizen arrests” of people they believe are entering the country illegally, but this is not the case because rumors about “illegal returns” of migrants by the German authorities continue to spread.

The EU charged Belarusian and Russian authorities with inciting the continent’s migration crisis by encouraging people from the Global South to visit Belarus and then travel through Poland to Europe.

Poland constructed a fence along its border with Belarus in 2022 to stop illegal entry of foreigners into the nation. However, the fence didn’t effectively stop people entering.

In order to deter visitors, Poland suspended the right to seek asylum altogether in March of this year.

All of this has heightened anti-migrant fear in Poland, which far-right organizations have gotten even more vocal about to their own political goals.

We are being humiliated, they say.

Anti-migrant marches organized by the far-right Konfederacja party and football fans slurred racist slurs and slogans through 80 Polish towns and cities on Saturday, July 19, bringing the hysteria to a new high nearly two weeks ago.

Nikola, a 16-year-old girl, reported to Al Jazeera that she had traveled 125 kilometers (80 miles) from Gorlice, southern Poland, to the Krakow march. She claimed she came along after watching YouTube videos that claimed Western Europeans were “afraid to leave their homes” due to the large number of undocumented immigrants.

She argued that joining a cause that “unites Poles today” was important to her.

I desired to belong to a group. People are demonstrating to the leaders that Poland is our nation and that they are concerned about security. She argued that we should take every precaution possible to stop what is happening in Western Europe.

She continued, “I want to feel safe in my city, and I’ve already seen a few people who appear to be from elsewhere.”

Nikola walked to Market Square alongside a sizable crowd of several hundred people, many of whom were wearing Polish flags and Wisla football team t-shirts. They passed tourists as they passed, some of whom were filming the protesters.

White-and-red Polish flags were waved proudly among the football fans by three elderly women. The current state has been sufficiently repressed by the country. Danuta, 60, said she was waking up because she was living in fear and suffering. She continued, referring to the right-wing organizations that patrol the Polish-German border and saying that the borders are not sealed and that civilians must guard them.

The march crossed paths with a smaller counterdemonstration led by local left-wing organizations in Market Square, and the two organizations exchanged insults as the police separated them.

No significant incidents were found during the day by the police. However, Abdi and other immigrants Al Jazeera spoke to via phone and confirmed they did not dare to leave their homes on Saturday.

Fans of fake news, the flames

According to experts, false information and fake news about the number of people entering Poland have fueled anti-immigrant sentiment.

Kosowicz claimed that Poland is not experiencing any large-scale irregular migration. People who sought asylum in Poland and then entered Germany are returned within the Dublin procedure, according to EU regulations. In 2024, there were 688 such people, and this year – 318. Nothing about this is new.

In Poland, 2.2% of the population was born abroad in 2023, according to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) report on the global migration outlook for 2024. Comparable to other European nations like the UK (15.4%), Germany (18.2%), and France (13.8%), this is not very high.

According to the OECD, 152, 000 immigrants in Poland obtained residence permits for more than a year in 2022.

Since 2021, migrants from Global South countries have been attempting to cross the Polish-Belarusian border, but the number of migrants arriving in Europe has not been particularly high either. Official data indicates that 15, 022 illegal crossing attempts were made between January and late June of this year, of which only 5% of the attempts were successful.

In 2024, there were nearly 30, 000 attempts, out of which, by contrast, one-third (10, 900) were successful. Before Poland constructed a fence along Belarus’s border in 2021, there were 52 000 attempted.

Kosowicz also attributes hate attacks to the government, which she claims has failed to raise awareness of the costs and advantages of immigration and development, making foreigners all the more vulnerable.

According to a study conducted by Deloitte and UNHCR, 2.7% of Polish GDP is solely generated by Ukrainian refugees. However, she claimed, “This isn’t the information we hear from politicians.”

Abdi worries a lot about their futures because he is married to a Polish woman who he has two children with.

“Poland welcomed me so warmly when I arrived, and I’m very proud of Poland because it’s where I call home. He fluently told Al Jazeera, “I want it to be safe for everyone.

Donald Trump, the president of the United States, has threatened new sanctions while criticizing Russia’s military actions in Ukraine as “disgusting.”

“Russia,” I find it repulsive what they are up to. On the same day that more than two dozens of people were killed in Moscow’s attacks on Kyiv, Trump declared to reporters that he thought it was “disgusting.”

Trump added that he intends to visit Russia next along with Steve Witkoff, his special envoy currently in Israel.

Before Trump’s efforts to mend ties with the Kremlin slowed to a grinding halt, Russian President Vladimir Putin had already met Witkoff numerous times in Moscow.

Washington is threatening severe economic sanctions against Moscow if it doesn’t ratchet up hostilities in Ukraine until the end of the week.

Trump reiterated Thursday’s deadline.

“We’re going to impose sanctions,” The US president made reference to Putin, saying, “I don’t know whether sanctions bother him.

Trump has previously vowed that any new regulations could lead to “secondary tariffs” aimed at China and India, two of Russia’s remaining trading partners. This would stifle Russia even more, but there would also be significant international unrest.

The US president made his own rosy predictions for the conclusion of the conflict in Ukraine, which had been raging since Russia’s invasion of its neighbor in February 2022.

Trump has recently expressed his frustration with Putin over the unrelenting offensive Moscovite has been taking.

‘Regime change’ is a call for it.

Following a Russian attack the day before, Kyiv’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Friday that rescue operations were complete.

“Unfortunately, there are currently 31 known fatalities, including five children,” according to the report. He wrote on social media that the youngest child was only two years old.

The president also stated that Russia launched attacks on Ukraine in July using nearly 260 drones and more than 3,800 missiles.

Zelenskyy urged his allies to “regime change” in Russia in a separate statement on Thursday, just after the deadly attack in Kyiv.

Zelenskyy said he believed Russia could be “pushed” to end the war during a conference on Thursday marking the 50th anniversary of the Helsinki Accords’ signing.

Moscow will continue to try to destabilize neighboring countries even after the war is over, he said, “but if the world doesn’t want to change the regime in Russia.”

Ukraine was the primary target of Russia’s missile launches from late on Wednesday through early on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian air force, firing at least 300 drones and eight cruise missiles.

Meanwhile, the Russian army claimed to have taken control of Chasiv Yar, a crucial hill town in eastern Ukraine, which the two parties have engaged in months of bloody hostility.

Moscow has increased its deadly aerial assaults on Ukraine in recent months of the conflict, putting pressure on US forces to put an end to its nearly three-and-a-half-year invasion.

In response to Kyiv’s growing drone and missile attacks, Germany announced on Friday that it would start delivering two more Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine asap.