US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters

The United States, Japan, India and Australia pledged Tuesday to work together to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as worries grow over China’s dominance in resources vital to new technologies.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed his counterparts from the so-called “Quad” to Washington in a shift of focus to Asia, after spending much of his first six months on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and on President Donald Trump’s domestic priorities such as migration.The four countries said in a joint statement that they were establishing the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, aimed at “collaborating on securing and diversifying” supply chains.They offered little detail but made clear the goal was to reduce reliance on China, which has used restrictions as leverage as the United States in turn curbs its access to semiconductors and as Trump threatens steep tariffs — including on Quad countries.”Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation and supply chain disruptions,” the statement said.The ministers were careful not to mention China by name but voiced “serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions” in the South China Sea and East China Sea that “threaten peace and stability in the region.”China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world’s graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles.In brief remarks alongside the other ministers, Rubio said he has “personally been very focused” on diversifying supply chains and wanted “real progress.”- US refocus on Asia -The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who saw an alliance of democracies surrounding China — which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it.Rubio had welcomed the Quad foreign ministers on January 21 in his first meeting after Trump’s inauguration, seen as a sign the new administration would prioritize engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.But to the surprise of many, China has not topped the early agenda of Trump, who has spoken respectfully about his counterpart Xi Jinping and reached a truce with Beijing to avoid a wider trade war between the world’s two largest economies.Trump is expected to travel to India later this year for a Quad summit. Both the Indian and Japanese foreign ministers said that they wanted the Quad to focus on a “free and open Indo-Pacific” — a phrasing that is a veiled allusion to opposing Chinese dominance in Asia.”It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.At Jaishankar’s urging, the Quad condemned a May attack on the Indian side of Kashmir that killed mostly Hindu civilians and called for “the perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay.”India in May launched air strikes in Pakistan, which it blamed for the attack. Pakistan denied responsibility and responded with its own attacks on the Indian military.In a key concern for Japan, the Quad condemned North Korea for its “destabilizing launches” of missiles and insisted on its “complete denuclearization.”Trump, in one of the most startling moves of his first term, met with North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un, helping ease tensions but producing no lasting agreement.Despite common ground on China, Quad members have differed on other hotspots, with the joint statement not mentioning Ukraine or Iran.India has maintained its long relationship with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine, while both India and Japan also have historically enjoyed cordial ties with Iran.

US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters

The United States, Japan, India and Australia pledged Tuesday to work together to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as worries grow over China’s dominance in resources vital to new technologies.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed his counterparts from the so-called “Quad” to Washington in a shift of focus to Asia, after spending much of his first six months on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and on President Donald Trump’s domestic priorities such as migration.The four countries said in a joint statement that they were establishing the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, aimed at “collaborating on securing and diversifying” supply chains.They offered little detail but made clear the goal was to reduce reliance on China, which has used restrictions as leverage as the United States in turn curbs its access to semiconductors and as Trump threatens steep tariffs — including on Quad countries.”Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation and supply chain disruptions,” the statement said.The ministers were careful not to mention China by name but voiced “serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions” in the South China Sea and East China Sea that “threaten peace and stability in the region.”China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world’s graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles.In brief remarks alongside the other ministers, Rubio said he has “personally been very focused” on diversifying supply chains and wanted “real progress.”- US refocus on Asia -The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who saw an alliance of democracies surrounding China — which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it.Rubio had welcomed the Quad foreign ministers on January 21 in his first meeting after Trump’s inauguration, seen as a sign the new administration would prioritize engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.But to the surprise of many, China has not topped the early agenda of Trump, who has spoken respectfully about his counterpart Xi Jinping and reached a truce with Beijing to avoid a wider trade war between the world’s two largest economies.Trump is expected to travel to India later this year for a Quad summit. Both the Indian and Japanese foreign ministers said that they wanted the Quad to focus on a “free and open Indo-Pacific” — a phrasing that is a veiled allusion to opposing Chinese dominance in Asia.”It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.At Jaishankar’s urging, the Quad condemned a May attack on the Indian side of Kashmir that killed mostly Hindu civilians and called for “the perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay.”India in May launched air strikes in Pakistan, which it blamed for the attack. Pakistan denied responsibility and responded with its own attacks on the Indian military.In a key concern for Japan, the Quad condemned North Korea for its “destabilizing launches” of missiles and insisted on its “complete denuclearization.”Trump, in one of the most startling moves of his first term, met with North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un, helping ease tensions but producing no lasting agreement.Despite common ground on China, Quad members have differed on other hotspots, with the joint statement not mentioning Ukraine or Iran.India has maintained its long relationship with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine, while both India and Japan also have historically enjoyed cordial ties with Iran.

US, Japan, India, Australia pledge mineral cooperation on China jitters

The United States, Japan, India and Australia pledged Tuesday to work together to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as worries grow over China’s dominance in resources vital to new technologies.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio welcomed his counterparts from the so-called “Quad” to Washington in a shift of focus to Asia, after spending much of his first six months on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East and on President Donald Trump’s domestic priorities such as migration.The four countries said in a joint statement that they were establishing the Quad Critical Minerals Initiative, aimed at “collaborating on securing and diversifying” supply chains.They offered little detail but made clear the goal was to reduce reliance on China, which has used restrictions as leverage as the United States in turn curbs its access to semiconductors and as Trump threatens steep tariffs — including on Quad countries.”Reliance on any one country for processing and refining critical minerals and derivative goods production exposes our industries to economic coercion, price manipulation and supply chain disruptions,” the statement said.The ministers were careful not to mention China by name but voiced “serious concerns regarding dangerous and provocative actions” in the South China Sea and East China Sea that “threaten peace and stability in the region.”China holds major reserves of several key minerals including the vast majority of the world’s graphite, which is crucial for electric vehicles.In brief remarks alongside the other ministers, Rubio said he has “personally been very focused” on diversifying supply chains and wanted “real progress.”- US refocus on Asia -The four-way partnership was first conceived by late Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, who saw an alliance of democracies surrounding China — which has repeatedly alleged that the Quad is a way to contain it.Rubio had welcomed the Quad foreign ministers on January 21 in his first meeting after Trump’s inauguration, seen as a sign the new administration would prioritize engagement with like-minded countries to counter China.But to the surprise of many, China has not topped the early agenda of Trump, who has spoken respectfully about his counterpart Xi Jinping and reached a truce with Beijing to avoid a wider trade war between the world’s two largest economies.Trump is expected to travel to India later this year for a Quad summit. Both the Indian and Japanese foreign ministers said that they wanted the Quad to focus on a “free and open Indo-Pacific” — a phrasing that is a veiled allusion to opposing Chinese dominance in Asia.”It is essential that nations of the Indo-Pacific have the freedom of choice, so essential to make right decisions on development and security,” Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said.At Jaishankar’s urging, the Quad condemned a May attack on the Indian side of Kashmir that killed mostly Hindu civilians and called for “the perpetrators, organizers and financiers of this reprehensible act to be brought to justice without any delay.”India in May launched air strikes in Pakistan, which it blamed for the attack. Pakistan denied responsibility and responded with its own attacks on the Indian military.In a key concern for Japan, the Quad condemned North Korea for its “destabilizing launches” of missiles and insisted on its “complete denuclearization.”Trump, in one of the most startling moves of his first term, met with North Korea’s reclusive leader Kim Jong Un, helping ease tensions but producing no lasting agreement.Despite common ground on China, Quad members have differed on other hotspots, with the joint statement not mentioning Ukraine or Iran.India has maintained its long relationship with Russia despite the invasion of Ukraine, while both India and Japan also have historically enjoyed cordial ties with Iran.

Son of kingpin ‘El Chapo’ to plead guilty to drug trafficking in US

A son of Mexican drug kingpin Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman has agreed to plead guilty to drug trafficking in the United States as part of a plea deal, court documents show.Ovidio Guzman is accused of conspiring to ship cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana into the United States, via a faction of the notorious Sinaloa Cartel founded by his father.Federal court documents dated June 30 and signed by Ovidio Guzman, alias “Raton” (Mouse), say he wishes to plead guilty to settle the case and to waive trial in Illinois, where he is being held. According to documents from the Chicago court hearing his case, a plea hearing is scheduled for July 9 before Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman. After that hearing, the judge will sentence him at a date yet to be determined.US authorities accuse Ovidio and his three brothers of leading Los Chapitos, a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel designated by the Trump administration as a global “terrorist” organization. The United States accuses the four of trafficking fentanyl into the United States, where the opioid epidemic is linked to tens of thousands of deaths.Ovidio Guzman was extradited to the United States in 2023 to face narcotics charges, joining his father, one of the world’s most infamous drug traffickers, who is serving a life sentence in a US prison.The Sinaloa cartel is one of six Mexican drug trafficking groups designated terrorist organizations by US President Donald Trump.Another son, Joaquin Guzman Lopez, was arrested after arriving in the United States last July in a private plane with cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada, who claimed he had been kidnapped.The arrests sparked cartel infighting that has left more than 1,200 people dead and 1,400 missing in Sinaloa state, located in northwestern Mexico.On Monday, the bodies of 20 people, several of them decapitated, were found on a highway bridge in a part of Mexico where factions of the Sinaloa drug cartel are fighting, authorities said.

Trump visite l'”Alcatraz des alligators”, nouveau centre de rétention pour migrants en Floride

Donald Trump, en visite mardi à “l’Alcatraz des alligators”, un nouveau centre de rétention construit au milieu des marécages de Floride, s’est moqué des immigrés clandestins qui risqueraient en cas d’évasion d’être attaqués par la faune sauvage.”On a beaucoup de flics sous forme d’alligators – vous n’avez pas besoin de les payer autant”, a lancé le président américain en admirant les récentes installations à Ochopee, en limite du parc national des Everglades. “Je ne voudrais pas courir longtemps dans les Everglades. Ca gardera les gens là où ils sont censés être.”La construction – en une semaine chrono, vante-t-il – de cet “Alcatraz des alligators” indigne les détracteurs de la politique migratoire brutale de Donald Trump, qui qualifient le site d'”inhumain”.L’idée est-elle que les éventuels fuyards soient attaqués par des alligators ou des serpents? “Je suppose que c’est le concept”, a répondu le républicain.”Les serpents sont rapides, mais les alligators… On va leur apprendre comment échapper à un alligator, ok? S’ils s’évadent de prison, comment s’enfuir: ne courez pas en ligne droite, courez comme ça,” s’est-il amusé en dessinant un zigzag avec sa main. “Et vous savez quoi? Vos chances augmentent de 1%.”Plus tard, Donald Trump a même avancé l’idée d’expulser des criminels qui auraient été naturalisés américains. “C’est controversé mais je m’en fiche complètement”, a-t-il balayé.- Cages grillagées -Ce centre de rétention, fait de lits superposés alignés, enfermés dans des cages grillagées, sous des pavillons de toile blanche, a été édifié à la vitesse de l’éclair sur un ancien aérodrome des Everglades, zone marécageuse naturelle protégée du sud-est du pays.Quelque 3.000 places y sont prévues, selon la ministre de la Sécurité intérieure Kristi Noem.Tant la Maison Blanche que les autorités locales l’ont surnommé “Alcatraz des alligators”, en référence à l’ancienne île-prison de San Francisco que Donald Trump compte par ailleurs rouvrir. Si cet autre projet choc semble au point mort après que des responsables ont notamment estimé son coût exorbitant, “le travail de conception a commencé il y a six mois, et plusieurs entreprises de développement de prison étudient comment faire avec nous. C’est encore un peu tôt, mais très prometteur”, a affirmé l’ex-homme d’affaires new-yorkais sur sa plateforme Truth Social.”N’utilisez pas la nature comme arme”, “ne touchez pas à mon marais”: des manifestants opposés à Donald Trump se sont eux rassemblés devant le centre floridien ces derniers jours.- “Alligators et pythons” -“Pourquoi voudriez-vous passer par l’+Alcatraz des alligators+ si vous pouvez décider de vous-même de repartir?”, a interrogé le gouverneur républicain de Floride Ron DeSantis, qui a accueilli Donald Trump à son arrivée. “Beaucoup de gens vont prendre cette décision”, a-t-il estimé.Quelque 200.000 alligators, qui peuvent dépasser les 4 mètres à leur taille adulte, peuplent le parc national des Everglades et en font sa renommée.Les attaques d’alligators contre des humains restent relativement rares en Floride. Entre 1948 et 2022, 453 “morsures accidentelles non provoquées” y ont été répertoriées, dont 26 mortelles, selon la Commission de conservation de la faune de Floride.Mais les autorités américaines se sont employées à amplifier le risque.”Si les gens sortent, il n’y pas grand-chose qui les attend, à part des alligators et des pythons”, a encore affirmé le procureur général de Floride James Uthmeier.Avant cet “Alcatraz des alligators”, Donald Trump, qui a érigé la lutte contre l’immigration en priorité absolue de son second mandat, avait déjà fait expulser des migrants en situation irrégulière vers une prison géante au Salvador et d’autres à Guantanamo, une base militaire américaine à Cuba.Sa visite en Floride survient au moment où le président républicain pousse pour faire adopter son mégaprojet de loi budgétaire, qui inclut le financement d’un vaste programme d’expulsions d’immigrés clandestins.Les défenseurs de l’environnement dénoncent eux la construction du centre dans un écosystème naturel qui abrite plus de 2.000 espèces d’animaux et de plantes.

Trump urges 60-day Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of Netanyahu visit

US President Donald Trump urged Hamas on Tuesday to accept a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, saying that Israel had agreed to finalize such a deal, as its forces also stepped up operations in the Palestinian territory.Trump, in a post on social media, said his representatives had met with Israeli officials about the raging conflict, ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington next week.”Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” Trump wrote.He said representatives of Qatar and Egypt, mediators in the conflict, would deliver “this final proposal.””I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he added.Trump earlier on Tuesday said he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu when they meet on July 7.The end of Israel’s 12-day war with Iran — which followed a US bombing mission on Tehran’s nuclear sites — has provided a window of opportunity for a deal, with Trump keen to add another peace agreement to a series of recent deals he has brokered.Israel’s campaign meanwhile continued to rage on, with Gaza’s civil defense agency reporting Israeli forces killed at least 26 people on Tuesday.In response to reports of deadly strikes in the north and south of the territory, the Israeli army told AFP it was “operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities.”Separately, it said Tuesday morning that in recent days it had “expanded its operations to additional areas within the Gaza Strip, eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites both above and below ground.”Raafat Halles, 39, from the Shujaiya district of Gaza City, said “air strikes and shelling have intensified over the past week,” and tanks have been advancing.”I believe that every time negotiations or a potential ceasefire are mentioned, the army escalates crimes and massacres on the ground,” he said. “I don’t know why.”AFP photographers saw Israeli tanks deploying at the Gaza border in southern Israel and children picking through the rubble of a destroyed home in Gaza City.Others photographed Palestinians mourning over the bodies of relatives in the city’s Al-Shifa hospital and the Al-Aqsa hospital in Deir el-Balah, central Gaza.- Aid seekers killed -The Red Cross warned that Gaza’s few functioning medical facilities were overwhelmed, with nearly all public hospitals “shut down or gutted by months of hostilities and restrictions” on supplies.”The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply alarmed by the intensifying hostilities in Gaza City and Jabaliya, which have reportedly caused dozens of deaths and injuries among civilians over the past 36 hours,” the ICRC said in a statement.Gaza’s civil defense service said 16 people were killed near aid distribution sites in central and southern Gaza on Tuesday, in the latest in a spate of deadly attacks on those seeking food, with 10 others killed in other Israeli operations.Commenting on the incidents, the Israeli military told AFP its forces “fired warning shots to distance suspects who approached the troops”, adding it was not aware of any injuries but would review the incidents.Referring to an incident in Rafah, it said the shots were fired “hundreds of meters (yards) away from the aid distribution site”, which was “not operating”.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.- Aid reform call -A group of 169 aid organizations called Monday for an end to Gaza’s “deadly” new US- and Israeli-backed aid distribution scheme which they said was leading to civilian deaths.They urged a return to the UN-led aid mechanism that existed until March, when Israel imposed a full blockade on humanitarian assistance entering Gaza during an impasse in truce talks with Hamas.The new scheme’s administrator, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), has distanced itself from reports of aid seekers being killed near its centers.- Netanyahu’s US visit -Netanyahu announced he would visit Trump and senior US security officials next week, amid mounting pressure to end the devastating fighting in Gaza and bring the remaining hostages home.Trump, while visiting a migrant detention center in Florida, said Netanyahu “wants to end it too.”Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP the group is “ready to agree to any proposal if it will lead to an end to the war and a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of occupation forces”.”So far, there has been no breakthrough.”bur-rlp-acc-des/md

Trump assure qu’Israël est prêt à finaliser un cessez-le-feu à Gaza

Donald Trump a assuré mardi qu’Israël, allié des Etats-Unis, avait accepté de finaliser les termes d’un cessez-le-feu de deux mois dans la bande de Gaza et a exhorté le Hamas à l’accepter, au moment où l’armée israélienne étend son offensive dans le territoire palestinien.”Israël a accepté les conditions nécessaires pour finaliser le cessez-le-feu de 60 jours, au cours duquel nous travaillerons avec toutes les parties pour mettre fin à la guerre”, a écrit le président américain sur sa plateforme Truth Social.”Les Qataris et les Egyptiens, qui ont travaillé d’arrache-pied pour contribuer à la paix, présenteront cette proposition ultime”, a ajouté le républicain. “J’espère, pour le bien du Moyen-Orient, que le Hamas acceptera cet accord, car la situation ne s’améliorera pas – ELLE NE FERA QU’EMPIRER”.Des habitants de Gaza racontent que les bruits de tirs et d’explosions ne cessent quasiment plus ces derniers jours à travers le territoire palestinien, ravagé par près de 21 mois de guerre entre Israël et le Hamas.”Nous sommes disposés à accepter toute proposition si celle-ci mène à la fin de la guerre”, avait dit à l’AFP un porte-parole du mouvement islamiste, Taher al-Nounou, avant les déclarations de Donald Trump.Le président américain doit recevoir la semaine prochaine le Premier ministre israélien Benjamin Netanyahu à Washington.Le ministre israélien des Affaires stratégiques Ron Dermer se trouvait mardi dans la capitale américaine pour y rencontrer de hauts responsables à la Maison Blanche.- “Le danger est partout” -“J’ai l’impression que l’armée intensifie les massacres sur le terrain dès qu’il est question de négociations ou d’un potentiel cessez-le-feu”, témoigne Raafat Halles, un Gazaoui de 39 ans.Il court régulièrement se mettre à l’abri lorsque des chars israéliens, parfois accompagnés de bulldozers, patrouillent son quartier de Choujaïya, dans l’est de la ville de Gaza. “Nous fuyons dès que les chars approchent et puis nous revenons, car le danger est partout”, raconte-t-il. L’armée israélienne a fait savoir mardi que son aviation avait frappé en 24 heures “plus de 140 cibles terroristes pour appuyer les forces terrestres” et annoncé avoir démantelé dans le sud de Gaza environ 3 kilomètres de tunnels, utilisés selon elle par des combattants du Hamas.Elle a indiqué avoir ces derniers jours “étendu ses opérations dans de nouveaux secteurs de la bande de Gaza”. Ce dont le Comité international de la Croix-Rouge s’est dit “profondément alarmé”.La Défense civile de Gaza a fait état d’au moins 26 morts mardi dans des tirs et des frappes de l’armée israélienne, dont 16 personnes tuées alors qu’elles attendaient pour recevoir de l’aide humanitaire.Interrogée par l’AFP, l’armée a répondu avoir tiré des coups de semonce pour éloigner des suspects et ne pas avoir connaissance de personnes blessées à la suite de ces tirs.- Cas de méningite -Compte tenu des restrictions imposées aux médias dans la bande de Gaza et des difficultés d’accès sur le terrain, l’AFP n’est pas en mesure de vérifier de manière indépendante les bilans et les affirmations de la Défense civile.Près de 170 ONG internationales ont appelé à mettre fin au nouveau système de distribution d’aide, géré depuis fin mai par la Fondation humanitaire de Gaza (GHF), une entreprise au financement opaque soutenue par Israël et les Etats-Unis.Les autorités sanitaires locales alertent par ailleurs sur une augmentation des cas de méningite chez des enfants, favorisés par des conditions de vie catastrophiques et le manque de moyens des hôpitaux.La guerre a été déclenchée par une attaque sans précédent du Hamas sur le sud d’Israël le 7 octobre 2023.Cette attaque a entraîné côté israélien la mort de 1.219 personnes, en majorité des civils, selon un décompte de l’AFP réalisé à partir de données officielles. Sur les 251 personnes enlevées ce jour-là, 49 sont toujours otages à Gaza, dont 27 ont été déclarées mortes par l’armée israélienne.  Plus de 56.640 Palestiniens, majoritairement des civils, ont été tués dans la campagne de représailles israéliennes sur la bande de Gaza, selon des données du ministère de la Santé du gouvernement du Hamas, jugées fiables par l’ONU.