Syria says deadly Israeli strikes a ‘blatant violation’

Syria on Thursday condemned deadly Israeli strikes across the country as a “flagrant violation” of its sovereignty, after Israel said it struck “military capabilities”.Syrian state media said the strikes hit close to a defence research centre in Damascus, among other sites, while a war monitor reported four dead in the latest Israeli attack on Syria since Islamist-led forces ousted longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad.”In a blatant violation of international law and Syrian sovereignty, Israeli forces launched airstrikes on five locations across the country,” the Syrian foreign ministry said in a statement on Telegram.”This unjustified escalation is a deliberate attempt to destabilise Syria and exacerbate the suffering of its people.”It said the strikes resulted in the “near-total destruction” of a military airport in central Syrian province Hama, injuring dozens of civilians and soldiers.Syria’s SANA news agency reported a strike that “targeted the vicinity of the scientific research building” in Damascus’s northern Barzeh neighbourhood, and a raid in the vicinity of Hama, without specifying what was hit.The Israeli military said in a statement that forces “struck military capabilities that remained at the Syrian bases of Hama and T4, along with additional remaining military infrastructure sites in the area of Damascus”.Israel has said it wants to prevent weapons from falling into the hands of the new authorities, whom it considers jihadists.The Syrian ministry said the strikes came as the country was trying to rebuild after 14 years of war, calling it a strategy to “normalise violence within the country”.Last month, Israel said it struck the T4 military base in central Homs province twice, targeting military capabilities at the site.The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that “four people were killed and others wounded, including Syrian defence ministry personnel, in the strikes on Hama military airport”.- Buffer zone -The monitor said those raids, which targeted “remaining planes, runways and towers, put the airport completely out of service,” also reporting that the Damascus strikes targeted the research centre in Barzeh.In the days after Assad’s fall on December 8, the Britain-based Observatory reported Israeli strikes targeting the centre.Western countries including the United States had previously struck the defence ministry facility in 2018, saying it was related to Syria’s “chemical weapons infrastructure”.Also since Assad’s fall, Israel has deployed troops to a UN-patrolled buffer zone on the strategic Golan Heights and called for the complete demilitarisation of southern Syria, which borders the Israeli-annexed Golan.Authorities in south Syria’s Daraa on Telegram late Wednesday said that several Israeli military vehicles entered an area in the province’s west, reporting that “three (Israeli) artillery shells” targeted the area.The Observatory has reported repeated Israeli military incursions into southern Syria beyond the demarcation line in recent months.Last month, during a visit to Jerusalem, EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said that Israeli strikes on Syria were “unnecessary” and threatened to worsen the situation.

Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement

Global financial markets were rocked on Wednesday by Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs, targeting China and the European Union in particular, with the risk of undermining the international economy.The US president laid out the new measures after Wall Street stock markets had closed. But his announcement still rippled through the markets that were open at the time, sending stock futures and bond yields lower, while gold surged to a new record high.- Stocks struggle -As the evening progressed, US futures fell sharply, with the Dow Jones dropping 2.4 percent at around 2345 GMT, the Nasdaq index plunging 4.2 percent, and the broader futures index for the S&P 500 falling 3.5 percent. Wall Street has largely suffered from Trump’s various trade announcements in recent weeks.”The silver lining for investors could be that this is only a starting point for negotiations with other countries and ultimately tariff rates will come down across the board,” Northlight Asset Management’s Chris Zaccarelli wrote in a note to clients.”But for now traders are shooting first and asking questions later,” he added. The share price of technology companies whose components are produced abroad also fell sharply, with Apple losing 7.4 percent after-hours, Nvidia falling 5.2 percent and TSMC declining 5.9 percent. Futures markets are typically much more volatile than the regular indices. The clothing sector was also hit especially hard, with a particularly heavy bill for China, where products will be hit by an additional duty of 34 percent from April 9, and Vietnam, where the new “reciprocal” rate will be 46 percent.Brands whose clothes are partly made in China or Vietnam were sharply lower, with Gap down 8.5 percent after hours, Ralph Lauren falling 7.3 percent, and Nike losing 7.1 percent.- Safe-haven assets in demand -Investors flocked to gold, which has been setting new records in the face of trade uncertainties.The yellow metal blew past its previous day’s record high after Donald Trump’s new announcements, and was trading at roughly $3,160 an ounce at around 2345 GMT. The price of gold has jumped by close to 20 percent since the start of 2025. The bond market also played its role as a safe haven, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year US Treasury, easing to 4.10 percent after Donald Trump’s announcement. Bond yields move in the opposite direction to prices, with yields typically falling in the face of increased demand for bonds. – Weaker dollar -Within minutes of Trump’s first words on Wednesday, the dollar plunged by over one percent against the euro.”The increased tariffs have been a negative factor for the US dollar,” Forex.com’s Matthew Weller told AFP.One euro was equivalent to 1.04 dollars on the day Trump was inaugurated to his second term. By 2345 GMT on Wednesday, it was worth around 1.09 dollars. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, also suffered from the White House announcements, falling more than three percent on Wednesday evening.

Financial markets tumble after Trump tariff announcement

Global financial markets were rocked on Wednesday by Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs, targeting China and the European Union in particular, with the risk of undermining the international economy.The US president laid out the new measures after Wall Street stock markets had closed. But his announcement still rippled through the markets that were open at the time, sending stock futures and bond yields lower, while gold surged to a new record high.- Stocks struggle -As the evening progressed, US futures fell sharply, with the Dow Jones dropping 2.4 percent at around 2345 GMT, the Nasdaq index plunging 4.2 percent, and the broader futures index for the S&P 500 falling 3.5 percent. Wall Street has largely suffered from Trump’s various trade announcements in recent weeks.”The silver lining for investors could be that this is only a starting point for negotiations with other countries and ultimately tariff rates will come down across the board,” Northlight Asset Management’s Chris Zaccarelli wrote in a note to clients.”But for now traders are shooting first and asking questions later,” he added. The share price of technology companies whose components are produced abroad also fell sharply, with Apple losing 7.4 percent after-hours, Nvidia falling 5.2 percent and TSMC declining 5.9 percent. Futures markets are typically much more volatile than the regular indices. The clothing sector was also hit especially hard, with a particularly heavy bill for China, where products will be hit by an additional duty of 34 percent from April 9, and Vietnam, where the new “reciprocal” rate will be 46 percent.Brands whose clothes are partly made in China or Vietnam were sharply lower, with Gap down 8.5 percent after hours, Ralph Lauren falling 7.3 percent, and Nike losing 7.1 percent.- Safe-haven assets in demand -Investors flocked to gold, which has been setting new records in the face of trade uncertainties.The yellow metal blew past its previous day’s record high after Donald Trump’s new announcements, and was trading at roughly $3,160 an ounce at around 2345 GMT. The price of gold has jumped by close to 20 percent since the start of 2025. The bond market also played its role as a safe haven, with the yield on the benchmark ten-year US Treasury, easing to 4.10 percent after Donald Trump’s announcement. Bond yields move in the opposite direction to prices, with yields typically falling in the face of increased demand for bonds. – Weaker dollar -Within minutes of Trump’s first words on Wednesday, the dollar plunged by over one percent against the euro.”The increased tariffs have been a negative factor for the US dollar,” Forex.com’s Matthew Weller told AFP.One euro was equivalent to 1.04 dollars on the day Trump was inaugurated to his second term. By 2345 GMT on Wednesday, it was worth around 1.09 dollars. Bitcoin, the most popular cryptocurrency, also suffered from the White House announcements, falling more than three percent on Wednesday evening.

Starbucks faces new hot spill lawsuits weeks after $50mn ruling

Starbucks was facing two new lawsuits over spilled hot drinks Wednesday, just weeks after a court ordered the coffee giant to pay $50 million to a man who was injured by a cup of tea.Both suits were lodged in California, and seek damages over what they say are problems caused by scalding liquids slopped over customers at drive-throughs.One case filed last week claims Sabrina Michelle Hermes was seriously hurt when hot liquid tipped into her lap at a branch in Norwalk, near Los Angeles, two years ago.The suit says one of the cups in her order was not properly secured when it was handed to her, and the drink sloshed onto her legs, a hip, a knee and her feet, causing severe injuries.Starbucks “owed a duty to exercise reasonable care with respect to the preparation, handling and service of hot beverages so as to prevent them from spilling onto and injuring customers such as plaintiff,” the suit says.The negligence suit seeks unspecified general and special damages, including reimbursement for past and future medical costs and lost earnings.A spokesperson for Starbucks told AFP on Wednesday the company would be contesting the claim.”We have always been committed to the highest safety standards in our stores, including the handling of hot drinks,” the spokesperson said.”We are aware of Ms. Hermes’ claims and firmly believe they are without merit. We look forward to presenting our case in court.”In nearby Alhambra Superior Court, lawyers for Ernesto Vladimir Sanchez Avendano were also seeking unspecified damages for negligence.Their suit, filed Wednesday, says Avendano was handed a drink at a North Hollywood drive-through, with a lid that was not properly fastened.The drink spilled onto his lap, leaving him with “severe burns, disfigurement and debilitating nerve damage to his genitals and buttocks,” the suit says.The Starbucks spokesman said the company had not yet been served with the suit “but will carefully review Mr. Avendano’s claims.”Last month a jury in Los Angeles ordered the firm to pay $50 million to delivery driver Michael Garcia, who suffered burns when a super-sized drink spilled in his lap at a drive-through.Garcia’s lawyers claimed the server who handed him three large drinks in February 2020 did not push one of them into the cardboard cupholder properly.Starbucks said at the time of the ruling that it would appeal the award, which it said was “excessive.”A landmark legal ruling against McDonalds in New Mexico in 1994 established something of a precedent for Americans suing fast food companies when 79-year-old Stella Liebeck was awarded over $2.8 million after spilling hot coffee on herself.Although the award was reduced on appeal, the case was often cited as an example of the need to reform US tort law.

Trump déclare la guerre commerciale au monde, en pilonnant l’Asie et l’Europe

Donald Trump a lancé mercredi une colossale charge commerciale en annonçant des droits de douanes très lourds en particulier contre l’Asie et l’Union européenne, au risque d’asphyxier l’économie mondiale, mais aussi américaine.Le président américain a vanté une “déclaration d’indépendance économique”.”Notre pays a été pillé, saccagé, violé et dévasté par des nations proches et lointaines, des alliés comme des ennemis”, a asséné Donald Trump, avant d’exhiber une liste des partenaires commerciaux concernés.Dans les échanges électroniques après la clôture de Wall Street, le Dow Jones, le Nasdaq et le S&P 500 ont plongé. L’or, valeur refuge, a flambé.L’offensive protectionniste de la Maison Blanche, sans équivalent depuis les années 1930, passe par un droit de douane plancher supplémentaire de 10% sur toutes les importations et par des majorations pour les pays jugés particulièrement hostiles en matière commerciale.L’addition est astronomique pour la Chine, dont les produits feront l’objet d’une nouvelle taxe à l’importation de 34% s’ajoutant aux 20% de droits de douane additionnels déjà mis en place par l’administration Trump. Les marchandises de l’UE prendront 20% de taxes. Les taux ont été fixés à 24% pour le Japon, 26% pour l’Inde ou 46% pour le Vietnam.Ces surtaxes sont censées répondre aussi aux barrières dites “non tarifaires” à l’entrée de produits américains, par exemple des normes sanitaires ou environnementales, en répondant au principe d’une réciprocité “gentille”, selon l’expression de Donald Trump.- “Détendez-vous” -Les analystes peinent pourtant à comprendre comment la Maison Blanche a calculé des taux parfois exorbitants et établi une liste en partie incongrue, sur laquelle on trouve des îles arctiques reculées appartenant à la Norvège.Pas trace en revanche de la Russie ni de la Corée du nord – au motif, selon un responsable américain, qu’elles sont soumises à tant de sanctions qu’elles ne sont plus des partenaires commerciaux significatifs.Gare aux pays tentés par une surenchère: “Détendez-vous, encaissez le coup, et attendez de voir comment la situation évolue. Car si vous ripostez, il y aura une escalade”, a déjà averti sur la chaîne Fox News le ministre américain des Finances Scott Bessent.La taxe généralisée de 10% entrera en vigueur le 5 avril à 04H01 GMT et les droits de douane majorés le 9 avril.Pour Maurice Obstfeld, économiste du Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), il s’agit d’une “déclaration de guerre à l’économie mondiale”.Ni le Mexique ni le Canada n’apparaissent sur la liste fournie par la Maison Blanche. Ces deux pays, signataires d’un accord de libre-échange avec les Etats-Unis, relèvent d’un autre régime.Mais ils vont encaisser, comme le reste du monde, les 25% de taxes additionnelles sur les voitures fabriquées à l’étranger, ainsi que les pièces détachées, devant entrer en vigueur jeudi à 04h01 GMT.- “Garder la tête froide” -C’est là un autre front de la guerre commerciale ouverte par Donald Trump, qui a par ailleurs aussi déclenché des taxes sur les importations d’acier et d’aluminium.”Nous allons combattre ces droits de douane avec des contre-mesures”, a déclaré le Premier ministre canadien Mark Carney.Le Royaume-Uni, qui négocie un traité commercial bilatéral, sort relativement épargné, avec un taux plancher de 10%.”Notre approche consiste à rester calme et à nous engager à conclure cet accord”, a réagi mercredi le ministre britannique du Commerce Jonathan Reynolds.L’industrie chimique allemande, dont les Etats-Unis sont le premier marché d’exportation, a appelé l’UE à “garder la tête froide”.L’Irlande, qui enregistre l’excédent le plus large des membres de l’UE avec les Etats-Unis, a plaidé pour une réponse “proportionnée.”Donald Trump présente les droits de douane comme une baguette magique capable de réindustrialiser le pays, de rééquilibrer la balance commerciale et d’éponger le déficit budgétaire.Le chef de file des sénateurs démocrates Chuck Schumer a lui assuré que l’offensive protectionniste allait “coûter plus de 6.000 dollars par an à un ménage américain moyen”, sous forme de hausse du prix des produits importés.Elle promet aussi de secouer les géants de la tech et les grandes marques américaines qui se fournissent en Asie.

Trump déclare la guerre commerciale au monde, en pilonnant l’Asie et l’Europe

Donald Trump a lancé mercredi une colossale charge commerciale en annonçant des droits de douanes très lourds en particulier contre l’Asie et l’Union européenne, au risque d’asphyxier l’économie mondiale, mais aussi américaine.Le président américain a vanté une “déclaration d’indépendance économique”.”Notre pays a été pillé, saccagé, violé et dévasté par des nations proches et lointaines, des alliés comme des ennemis”, a asséné Donald Trump, avant d’exhiber une liste des partenaires commerciaux concernés.Dans les échanges électroniques après la clôture de Wall Street, le Dow Jones, le Nasdaq et le S&P 500 ont plongé. L’or, valeur refuge, a flambé.L’offensive protectionniste de la Maison Blanche, sans équivalent depuis les années 1930, passe par un droit de douane plancher supplémentaire de 10% sur toutes les importations et par des majorations pour les pays jugés particulièrement hostiles en matière commerciale.L’addition est astronomique pour la Chine, dont les produits feront l’objet d’une nouvelle taxe à l’importation de 34% s’ajoutant aux 20% de droits de douane additionnels déjà mis en place par l’administration Trump. Les marchandises de l’UE prendront 20% de taxes. Les taux ont été fixés à 24% pour le Japon, 26% pour l’Inde ou 46% pour le Vietnam.Ces surtaxes sont censées répondre aussi aux barrières dites “non tarifaires” à l’entrée de produits américains, par exemple des normes sanitaires ou environnementales, en répondant au principe d’une réciprocité “gentille”, selon l’expression de Donald Trump.- “Détendez-vous” -Les analystes peinent pourtant à comprendre comment la Maison Blanche a calculé des taux parfois exorbitants et établi une liste en partie incongrue, sur laquelle on trouve des îles arctiques reculées appartenant à la Norvège.Pas trace en revanche de la Russie ni de la Corée du nord – au motif, selon un responsable américain, qu’elles sont soumises à tant de sanctions qu’elles ne sont plus des partenaires commerciaux significatifs.Gare aux pays tentés par une surenchère: “Détendez-vous, encaissez le coup, et attendez de voir comment la situation évolue. Car si vous ripostez, il y aura une escalade”, a déjà averti sur la chaîne Fox News le ministre américain des Finances Scott Bessent.La taxe généralisée de 10% entrera en vigueur le 5 avril à 04H01 GMT et les droits de douane majorés le 9 avril.Pour Maurice Obstfeld, économiste du Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), il s’agit d’une “déclaration de guerre à l’économie mondiale”.Ni le Mexique ni le Canada n’apparaissent sur la liste fournie par la Maison Blanche. Ces deux pays, signataires d’un accord de libre-échange avec les Etats-Unis, relèvent d’un autre régime.Mais ils vont encaisser, comme le reste du monde, les 25% de taxes additionnelles sur les voitures fabriquées à l’étranger, ainsi que les pièces détachées, devant entrer en vigueur jeudi à 04h01 GMT.- “Garder la tête froide” -C’est là un autre front de la guerre commerciale ouverte par Donald Trump, qui a par ailleurs aussi déclenché des taxes sur les importations d’acier et d’aluminium.”Nous allons combattre ces droits de douane avec des contre-mesures”, a déclaré le Premier ministre canadien Mark Carney.Le Royaume-Uni, qui négocie un traité commercial bilatéral, sort relativement épargné, avec un taux plancher de 10%.”Notre approche consiste à rester calme et à nous engager à conclure cet accord”, a réagi mercredi le ministre britannique du Commerce Jonathan Reynolds.L’industrie chimique allemande, dont les Etats-Unis sont le premier marché d’exportation, a appelé l’UE à “garder la tête froide”.L’Irlande, qui enregistre l’excédent le plus large des membres de l’UE avec les Etats-Unis, a plaidé pour une réponse “proportionnée.”Donald Trump présente les droits de douane comme une baguette magique capable de réindustrialiser le pays, de rééquilibrer la balance commerciale et d’éponger le déficit budgétaire.Le chef de file des sénateurs démocrates Chuck Schumer a lui assuré que l’offensive protectionniste allait “coûter plus de 6.000 dollars par an à un ménage américain moyen”, sous forme de hausse du prix des produits importés.Elle promet aussi de secouer les géants de la tech et les grandes marques américaines qui se fournissent en Asie.

‘A little tough love’: Top quotes from Trump tariff talk

US President Donald Trump unveiled his “Liberation Day” tariffs on Wednesday, sending fears of a trade war ricocheting around the world.In a closely watched speech in the White House Rose Garden, the billionaire businessman said April 2, 2025 would “forever be remembered as the day American industry was reborn,” insisting that domestic manufacturing would surge with companies flocking to the United States to make their products.That has yet to be seen, but Trump made clear he was no longer allowing imports into the United States without an appropriate tariff — and said countries should embrace “a little tough love.””Foreign leaders have stolen our jobs, foreign cheaters have ransacked our factories, and foreign scavengers have torn aport our once-beautiful American Dream,” Trump warned. “But it is not going to happen anymore.”Here are the other highlight quotes from his remarks.- ‘Independence’ -“For decades, our country has been looted, pillaged, raped and plundered by nations near and far, both friend and foe alike,” Trump said, stressing that trade abuse by allies was often more intense than that committed by rivals.”This is one of the most important days, in my opinion, in American history. It’s our declaration of economic independence.””Jobs and factories will come roaring back into our country, and you see it happening already. We will supercharge our domestic industrial base. We will pry open foreign markets and break down foreign trade barriers, and ultimately, more production at home will mean stronger competition and lower prices for consumers.”- Benevolence? -Despite unveiling “minimum baseline” tariffs of 10 percent on trading partners, Trump sought to spin his move as a positive for global trade.”We are being very kind,” the president said. “We will charge them approximately half of what they are and have been charging us.”And if countries recoil? “If they complain, if you want your tariff rate to be zero, then you build your product right here in America.”- China hit hard -The world’s second largest economy, China, appeared at the top of the tariffs list Trump held up at the podium, with the president claiming that total tariffs on US goods charged by Beijing — with currency manipulation factored in — amounted to 67 percent.”So we’re going to be charging a discounted reciprocal tariff of 34 percent” on China imports, Trump said. “They charge us, we charge them, we charge them less. So how can anybody be upset? They will be, because we never charged anybody anything. But now we’re going to charge.”Trump said China’s President Xi Jinping was among several world leaders who “understand” the need for the tariffs, such as the ones he slapped on Chinese steel and other products during his first term as president. “They all understand we’re going to have to go through a little tough love, maybe. But they all understand. They’re ripping us off and they understood it.”- Way back when -“From 1789 to 1913 we were a tariff-backed nation, and the United States was proportionately the wealthiest it has ever been,” said Trump, who has repeatedly elevated 1890s protectionist president William McKinley as one of his heroes who also slapped tariffs on imports.”In 1913 for reasons unknown to mankind, they established the income tax so that citizens, rather than foreign countries, would start paying the money necessary to run our government,” Trump said. “Then in 1929 it all came to a very abrupt end with the Great Depression. And it would have never happened if they had stayed with the tariff policy,” Trump said, conveniently ignoring the multiple factors — including global economics, bank troubles, and the stock market crash — that led to the Great Depression.- No surrender -In addition to highlighting tariffs on China, other Asian powers and the European Union, Trump turned his ire closer to home. “The United States can no longer continue with the policy of unilateral economic surrender,” he said. “We cannot pay the deficits of Canada, Mexico and so many other countries. We used to do it. We can’t do it anymore.”