Global stocks mixed amid lingering unease over trade war

Global stocks were mixed Tuesday as investors digested strong bank earnings and monitored ongoing developments in the US-China trade war amid lingering unease over last week’s market gyrations.Some stability has returned to markets after last week’s roller-coaster ride over Trump’s stop-start tariff announcements, but uncertainty remains over speculation of new levies on high-end technology and pharmaceuticals.”While financial markets have steadied, with many looking as if they are consolidating at current levels, this feels as if it is the calm before the storm,” said David Morrison, senior analyst at financial services firm Trade Nation.”Markets remain skittish, and investors feel safer sitting on their hands for now, hoping that last week’s worrying dislocations revert back to normal,” he said.Wall Street stocks finished lower after two positive sessions.A White House spokeswoman described the ball as being “in China’s court” in the trade war between Washington and Beijing.”Will we have relief or progress with the trade tariff situation or is the situation going to get worse?” said Adam Sarhan of 50 Park Investments. “We don’t know. That question mark is leading investors to hold off from taking any big positions.”Shares in Bank of America and Citigroup climbed after the financial giants posted solid earnings reports.Boeing slumped as Trump said China “reneged” on a major deal with the US aviation giant, after Bloomberg reported that Beijing ordered airlines not to take further deliveries from the company amid an escalating trade war. Shares in European rival Airbus rose.European indices closed higher, with London and Frankfurt gaining 1.4 percent each.Paris made more modest gains, weighed down by shares in Louis Vuitton owner LVMH falling almost eight percent over weak sales. The group was overtaken by rival Hermes as France’s most valuable company by market capitalization.Shares in European and Asian automakers rallied following Trump’s comments on Monday that he was “very flexible” and “looking at something to help some of the car companies” hit by his 25 percent tariff on all imports.”This serves to double down on the weekend narrative that Trump will reverse some of his tariffs once company execs approach him to highlight the huge negative implications of his action,” said Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.  In Asia, Toyota jumped 3.7 percent and Hyundai more than four percent.But in the United States, General Motors and Ford slumped.- Key figures around 2050 GMT -New York – Dow: DOWN 0.4 percent at 40,368.96 (close)New York – S&P 500: DOWN 0.2 percent at 5,396.63 (close)New York – Nasdaq: DOWN 0.1 percent at 16,823.17 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 1.4 percent at 8,249.12 (close)Paris – CAC 40: UP 0.9 percent at 7,335.40 (close)Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.4 percent at 21,253.70(close)Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.8 percent at 34,267.54 (close)Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 0.2 percent at 21,466.27 (close)Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.2 percent at 3,267.66 (close)Dollar/yen: UP at 143.18 yen from 143.09 yen on MondayEuro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1291 from $1.1351Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3232 from $1.3190Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.30 pence from 86.05 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.3 percent at $61.33 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.3 percent at $64.67 per barrel

Trump resurrects ghost of US military bases in Panama

US President Donald Trump’s bid to take back control of the Panama Canal has put his counterpart Jose Raul Mulino in a difficult position and revived fears in the Central American country that US military bases will return.After Trump vowed to reclaim the interoceanic waterway from Chinese influence, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth signed an agreement with the Mulino administration last week for the United States to deploy troops in areas adjacent to the canal.For more than two decades, after handing over control of the strategically vital waterway to Panama in 1999 and dismantling the bases that protected it, Washington has regularly conducted maneuvers in the country.So what is changing and why is the new agreement causing controversy?- Will US military bases return? -Although the agreement does not allow the United States to build its own permanent bases, Washington will be able to maintain a long-term rotational force in Panama, similar to the one it has in Australia and other countries, for training, exercises and “other activities.”The United States will be able to deploy an unspecified number of personnel to three bases that Washington built when it previously had an enclave in the canal zone.That is a “flagrant violation” of the constitution, which prohibits foreign bases, and the 1977 handover treaties that establish the “neutrality” of the canal and permit only Panama to have military forces on national territory, Euclides Tapia, a Panamanian professor of international relations, told AFP.But there is a loophole: one of the treaties “allows the US to defend the canal when it feels the neutrality is jeopardized,” said Will Freeman, an expert at the Council on Foreign Relations, a US-based think tank.Benjamin Gedan, former director for South America on the US National Security Council, argues that Panama has cooperated with the United States in securing the canal. Panamanian lawyer Arturo Hoyos sees no violation of laws or treaties, as the new agreement allows “joint” operations.- Is Mulino in trouble? -Mulino’s government says that the facilities and land belong to Panama and will be for “joint use” by US and Panamanian security forces.He maintains that he has not ceded an inch of sovereignty to Trump, a natural right-wing allyThe agreement is a “trade-off” because it “limits the Trump administration’s pressure tactics and hostility and maybe the scope of the concessions” by Panama, Freeman said.”The risk that nobody’s pricing in, at least on the US side, is that they make Mulino a lame duck” by humiliating him, leaving the Panamanian leader “unable to govern,” he added.Former presidential candidate Ricardo Lombana accused Mulino of “camouflaging” military bases and disguising “surrender” as “cooperation.””The United States is recolonizing and reoccupying us,” said Julio Yao, who advised the Panamanian government in the 1977 negotiations.Gedan, a professor at Johns Hopkins University, believes Panamanians “are not willing” to allow the return of US bases due to the trauma of the past occupation of the canal zone and the 1989 US invasion to overthrow dictator Manuel Antonio Noriega.- What does Trump really want? -The United States considers a Hong Kong company’s operation of ports at both ends of the canal to be a threat to its national security.”Trump wants to minimize the risk of Beijing blocking the canal to prevent the passage of military vessels in a potential conflict,” Gedan said.Natasha Lindstaedt, an expert at Britain’s University of Essex, sees the US moves as “part of a larger conflict with China as the US is trying to curb China’s influence in Panama and the region more generally.”Freeman said that the Trump administration “most likely is trying to show that if it wanted to, it could close the canal to Chinese commerce as a way of exerting pressure on China, either not to invade Taiwan or in the event of a conflict over Taiwan.””What we’re seeing in Panama is also about Trump’s doctrine of peace through strength,” he said.But Tapia was skeptical that China really poses a threat, suggesting the threats were aimed at boosting Trump’s domestic support.”Canada becoming part of the United States or saying that they will take over the canal and Greenland is just a gimmick aimed at the American public,” he said.

“L’amour avec vous”: Polnareff à la barre pour l’ouverture du Printemps de Bourges

Le Printemps de Bourges a ouvert mardi sa 49e édition en même temps que le bal des festivals musicaux, avec une pluie de stars, dont le retour de Michel Polnareff, et des nuages sur le plan budgétaire.Le chanteur à tubes, dont “Goodbye Marylou”, rempile à 80 ans pour une nouvelle – et peut-être dernière – tournée, dont Bourges est la première date française, après un démarrage à Londres.Assis à son piano, coiffé d’un chapeau de cowboy et lunettes blanches sur le nez, Polnareff a entamé son show avec un “Bal des Laze” poussif, devant une salle comble.”Avant de monter sur scène, je suis toujours dans un état absolument épouvantable. Et ça prend 2-3 titres pour se dire: bon, je suis content d’être là”, confiait “Polna” à l’AFP, fin mars.Mais le rythme s’est ensuite accéléré, avec une voix toujours présente pour chanter ses succès des années 1960 à 1980: “Tam Tam”, “La poupée qui fait non” et “L’Amour avec toi” dont il a remplacé les paroles par “l’amour avec vous”.Il a aussi invité le public à lui souffler le prochain morceau, façon “chanson à la demande”.- “Amiral” et moussaillons -“L’Amiral” montre qu’il n’est pas encore prêt à lâcher la barre, après avoir essuyé des critiques sur la qualité de prestations en 2023.Il revient avec “Un temps pour elles”, un album attendu le 25 avril.Avant lui, Emma Peters a lancé la soirée: la chanteuse, qui a explosé avec un remix de sa reprise de “Clandestina”, a été bercée par les tubes de Michel Polnareff. “J’avais un double CD à la maison que j’écoutais sur mon walkman, donc c’est vraiment un plaisir d’être programmée avec lui ce soir”, a-t-elle confié à l’AFP, avant son concert.L’affiche du Printemps se décline aussi sous différents styles: la “grenade” pop Clara Luciani, l’indébranchable Jean-Louis Aubert, l’artiste électro The Avener ou encore Lucky Love et Styleto, tous deux nommés aux dernières Victoires de la musique.La fin de semaine se fera plus rap, avec la nouvelle référence Tiakola, la star algérienne Soolking, l’ancien youtubeur Théodort (“Wayeh”) ou encore Vald, de retour avec son remarqué “Pandémonium”.La découverte continue également d’être l’ADN du festival du centre de la France: depuis 40 ans, son dispositif national d’accompagnement, les Inouïs, a pris sous son aile 1.600 artistes. Feu! Chatterton, Fishbach et Eddy de Pretto – président du jury 2025 -, y sont passés.Le Printemps de Bourges dévoile en parallèle six créations, dont une célébration du répertoire d’Oum Kalthoum, disparue il y a 50 ans.”C’est un peu magique: il y a des têtes d’affiche et tout un tas d’artistes pour les +djeuns+ (“les jeunes”) ou moins connus”, s’enthousiasme Erika Maurice, 54 ans, venue avec sa fille. Même si “ça a changé, j’ai connu l’époque Daniel Colling (co-fondateur du festival décédé en janvier), c’étaient des javas non-stop !”.Un hommage lui sera rendu mercredi, en présence de la ministre de la Culture Rachida Dati.- Coup de rabot -Les concerts se tiennent jusqu’à samedi mais le festival bat jusqu’à dimanche avec “le Printemps dans la ville”, sa déclinaison gratuite.Tous espaces confondus, Bourges a accueilli environ 250.000 festivaliers l’année dernière.A l’approche de la cinquantaine, le Printemps ne peut pas se reposer sur ses lauriers: entre baisse des crédits et inflation des coûts de production et des cachets, l’effet ciseau plombe ses finances.Pour la première fois en dix ans, le budget – 7,5 millions d’euros en 2024 – a été revu à la baisse, amputé de 400.000 euros de financement, dont 250.000 euros d’aides publiques. Une situation qui reflète de récents arbitrages politiques défavorables au milieu culturel.”C’est une décroissance contrainte”, observe son directeur Boris Vedel, estimant qu’il n’y a pas d’autre choix que de “se renforcer sur l’émergence”, plutôt que lorgner sur de gros noms.Ce constat est similaire à celui d’autres festivals, qui font également face à une offre multiple, un changement de consommation des jeunes fans et sont à la merci des caprices météorologiques. Selon le Centre national de la musique, 44% des festivals affichant des taux de remplissage supérieurs à 90% ont bouclé une édition déficitaire en 2024. 

Sudan paramilitary chief declares rival government two years into warTue, 15 Apr 2025 20:38:05 GMT

Sudan’s paramilitary declared on Tuesday the establishment of government rivalling the army-backed administration, two years into a war that has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.The war that erupted on April 15, 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 13 million, with no sign of peace on the horizon.The fighting has pitted …

Sudan paramilitary chief declares rival government two years into warTue, 15 Apr 2025 20:38:05 GMT Read More »

Sudan paramilitary chief declares rival government two years into war

Sudan’s paramilitary declared on Tuesday the establishment of government rivalling the army-backed administration, two years into a war that has triggered the world’s worst humanitarian crisis.The war that erupted on April 15, 2023 has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced 13 million, with no sign of peace on the horizon.The fighting has pitted the regular army, led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, against the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, headed by his former deputy Mohamed Hamdan Daglo.”On this anniversary, we proudly declare the establishment of the Government of Peace and Unity, a broad coalition that reflects the true face of Sudan,” Mohamed Hamdan Daglo said in a statement on Telegram.In late February, the RSF and its allies signed a charter in Kenya declaring the formation of a “government of peace and unity” in areas under their control.Daglo added on Tuesday that the paramilitaries, along with “civil and political forces”, had signed a transitional constitution, describing it as a “roadmap for a new Sudan”.That constitution provides for a 15-member presidential council “representing all regions, symbolising our voluntary unity”.Analysts have previously warned that the conflict could leave Sudan permanently divided between the warring sides, both of which face accusations of abuses.With the RSF emboldened in Darfur, “the territorial division that’s occurring could mean a de facto separation,” said Sharath Srinivasan, a professor at Cambridge University who studies Sudan.- Mass displacement -At the start of the war, the capital Khartoum became a battleground, with bodies lining the streets, sending hundreds of thousands fleeing.Those left behind struggled to survive.”I’ve lost half my bodyweight,” said 52-year-old Abdel Rafi Hussein, who stayed in the capital under RSF control until the army retook it last month.”We’re safe (now), but still, we suffer from a lack of water and electricity and most hospitals aren’t working.”The army’s recapture of Khartoum marked a turnaround after more than a year of setbacks.Many civilians celebrated what they called the “liberation” of the capital from the RSF, whose fighters were accused of widespread looting and sexual violence.But now the RSF is seeking to cement its grip on the vast western region of Darfur, where it has launched a deadly assault on El-Fasher — the last major city in the region outside its control.More than 400 people have been killed in the offensive, the United Nations said, with the paramilitaries having claimed control of the nearby Zamzam displacement camp on Sunday.An estimated 400,000 civilians fled the famine-hit camp as the RSF advanced, according to the International Organization for Migration.The army said on Tuesday that it had carried out “successful air strikes” against RSF positions northeast of the city.In total, the conflict has displaced some 13 million people, 3.8 million of them abroad, according to UN figures.- ‘End the suffering’ -In London on Tuesday, officials from around the world were meeting to “agree a pathway to end the suffering” in Sudan, British Foreign Secretary David Lammy said.But neither of the warring parties attended the meeting, where the African Union and European countries called for an end to the war.Precise death tolls are not available because of the collapse of the healthcare system, but former US envoy Tom Perriello cited estimates last year of up to 150,000 dead.On Tuesday, the UN said 2.1 million people are expected to return to Khartoum over the next six months following the army’s recapture.In central Sudan — where the UN said nearly 400,000 people had returned to areas retaken by the army by March — many have come back to ruins, preferring destitution at home to displacement.Zainab Abdel Rahim, 38, returned to Khartoum North this month with her six children, to find their home looted beyond recognition.”We’re trying to pull together the essentials, but there’s no water, no electricity, no medicine,” she said.According to Catherine Russell, executive director of the UN’s children’s agency, the war has “shattered the lives of millions of children across Sudan”.The Zamzam camp, which had been sheltering up to a million people, was the first place in Sudan where famine was declared. Other nearby camps have followed and famine is expected to take hold in El-Fasher itself by next month.On Monday, Guterres called for an end to “the external support and flow of weapons” fuelling the war.”Those with greatest influence on the parties must use it to better the lives of people in Sudan — not to perpetuate this disaster,” he said, without naming any countries.The army-backed government has accused the United Arab Emirates of arming the paramilitaries via neighbouring Chad, an accusation both Abu Dhabi and the RSF deny.burs-bha/jsa/ser

Wall Street termine en baisse, dans l’attente de nouvelles étapes de la guerre commerciale

La Bourse de New York a terminé en baisse mardi, les investisseurs reprenant leur souffle après une vague de séances très chahutées et restant dans l’expectative des nouveaux développements de la guerre commerciale, alors que Donald Trump souffle le chaud et le froid sur l’économie mondiale.Après une ouverture en hausse, le Dow Jones a finalement reculé de 0,38%, l’indice Nasdaq a terminé pratiquement à l’équilibre (-0,05%) et l’indice élargi S&P 500 a perdu 0,17%.La séance a été globalement “calme”, et a représenté une étape de “consolidation d’un marché très volatil au cours des dernières semaines”, relève auprès de l’AFP Adam Sarhan, de 50 Park Investments.”La situation concernant les droits de douane va-t-elle s’améliorer ou s’aggraver? Nous n’en savons rien. Ce point d’interrogation incite les investisseurs à ne pas prendre de positions importantes” en l’absence de nouveaux développements, “tant qu’un accord définitif n’est pas conclu”, ajoute l’analyste.”La balle est dans le camp de la Chine” si elle veut abaisser les droits de douane imposés par Donald Trump, a déclaré mardi la porte-parole de la Maison Blanche, Karoline Leavitt, assurant que Washington n’a “pas besoin d’un accord” avec elle.Mais Pékin ne semble pas de cet avis et a, au contraire, choisi de maintenir la pression sur l’économie américaine, au-delà des droits de douane déjà appliqués, en suspendant toute réception d’avion fabriqué par Boeing (-2,36%).Selon l’agence de presse Bloomberg, la Chine a également demandé aux compagnies aériennes du pays “de stopper tout achat d’équipements et de pièces détachées pour avions auprès d’entreprises américaines”.Les deux pays sont entrés dans une surenchère de droits de douane, se rendant coup pour coup pour monter à plus de 125% de droits de douane de part et d’autre sur les produits importés depuis son rival.Les Etats-Unis ont imposé au total 145% de droits de douane sur les produits chinois, au-delà de ceux préexistants au retour de Donald Trump à la Maison Blanche.Sur le marché obligataire, le rendement des emprunts d’Etat américains à dix ans s’établissait à 4,33% vers 20H20 GMT contre 4,38% la veille en clôture, après une franche détente qui avait soulagé la place américaine lundi.Par ailleurs, “toutes les données économiques” publiées dans les prochaines semaines “seront importantes, car les investisseurs du marché vont assembler les pièces du puzzle” sur l’état de santé de l’économie américaine, juge Adam Sarhan.La place américaine attend notamment mercredi les chiffres des ventes au détail pour le mois de mars.Ailleurs à la cote, “c’est le début de la saison des résultats (et) les banques n’ont pas publié de chiffres terribles, ce qui est en soi un bon signe”, pour M. Sarhan.Bank of America a été recherchée (+3,60%) après avoir publié mardi des résultats supérieurs aux attentes au premier trimestre, dopés par les activités de courtage. La banque se dit prête à faire face à “une économie changeante à l’avenir” sur fond de conflit commercial. De janvier à fin mars, le chiffre d’affaires de la banque américaine a atteint 27,4 milliards de dollars, en hausse de 6% sur un an, selon un communiqué publié mardi, supérieur aux attentes des analystes de Bloomberg.La banque américaine Citigroup a aussi terminé en hausse (+1,76%) après avoir fait mieux qu’attendu au premier trimestre grâce à l’ensemble de ses métiers, en particulier les activités de marchés, malgré un bond du coût du crédit du fait d’une “détérioration des perspectives macroéconomiques”.La société informatique américaine Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) a pris de la vitesse (+5,11%) après des informations de presse faisant état d’une prise de participation dans l’entreprise d’un montant de 1,5 milliard de dollars par le fonds d’investissement activiste Elliott Management, connu pour demander des changements stratégiques au sein des groupes dans lesquels il investit.

Dernières négociations poussives à l’OMS sur l’Accord sur les pandémies

“On en a besoin maintenant”. C’est l’injonction du patron de l’OMS aux Etats membres qui cherchent à mettre la dernière touche au projet d’accord international visant à mieux se préparer et lutter contre les pandémies au siège de l’Organisation mondiale de la santé.Les discussions des délégués -en conférence hybride- ont avancé plus lentement que prévu, après trois jours de pause. Elles butent essentiellement sur l’article 11 qui concerne le transfert de technologies pour la production de produits de santé liés aux pandémies, en particulier au profit des pays en développement, ont indiqué plusieurs sources à l’AFP.Le sujet avait été au cœur des nombreux griefs des pays les plus démunis lors de la pandémie de Covid-19, quand ils voyaient les pays riches s’accaparer les doses de vaccin et autres tests.Plusieurs pays, où l’industrie pharmaceutique pèse lourd dans l’économie, sont opposés à l’idée d’obligation de transfert et insistent sur son caractère volontaire. Un consensus a émergé autour du principe de transfert de technologies “convenu d’un commun accord”, mais la question était de savoir si cette explication doit apparaître dans plusieurs parties de l’accord.- Virus pire que la guerre -Le directeur général de l’OMS, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, est venu rejoindre les négociateurs et en a profité pour s’adresser à la presse. Pour lui le texte est “équilibré” et apporte “plus d’équité”. Et surtout, il met en garde de ne pas perdre de vue l’essentiel : “Le coût de l’inaction est bien plus élevé” parce que “le virus est le pire ennemi, il pourrait être pire qu’une guerre”.Les négociations se déroulent à huis clos mais les délégués multiplient les pauses et les discussions informelles. Samedi pourtant, après 5 jours dont 24 heures de négociations sans interruption, les choses se présentaient sous de bons auspices.Anne-Claire Amprou, co-présidente de l’organe de négociation et ambassadrice de France pour la santé mondiale, avait annoncé “un accord de principe”, en attendant l’accord définitif des capitales. Et c’est une salle en liesse, où les délégués ont applaudi à tout rompre et se sont embrassés, qui s’est séparée pour une pause de trois jours.Mardi devait servir à “toiletter” une dernière fois le texte, qui cinq ans après l’arrivée du Covid-19, ses millions de morts et une économie mondiale dévastée, doit permettre de mieux préparer le monde, loin d’être équipé pour affronter une autre pandémie, selon l’OMS et les experts. – Etats-Unis absents -Les négociations se déroulent dans un contexte de grave crise du multilatéralisme et du système de santé mondial, provoqué par les coupes drastiques dans l’aide internationale américaine décidée par le président Donald Trump, alors que les Etats-Unis étaient de très loin le principal donateur humanitaire. Ils étaient aussi absents des négociations, le président américain ayant décidé qu’ils quittaient l’organisation. Mais la présence des Etats-Unis se fait sentir dans les couloirs de l’OMS, avec la menace de droits de douanes américains sur la pharmacie.Mais pour les ONG, il est temps de conclure.”Bien que l’accord ait fait l’objet de plusieurs compromis, il comporte de nombreux éléments positifs permettant la mise en place d’un nouveau cadre pour une préparation et une réponse aux pandémies plus équitables et plus justes à l’avenir”, a commenté Médecins sans frontières (MSF).”Si le texte est adopté, ce sera une première dans l’histoire des accords internationaux : à travers ce texte, les pays affirment la nécessité, lorsqu’ils financent la recherche et le développement de nouveaux traitements, diagnostics ou vaccins avec des fonds publics, d’assortir ce financement de conditions permettant de s’assurer que le public puisse en bénéficier”, a déclaré à l’AFP Michelle Childs, directrice à l’Initiative Médicaments contre les maladies négligées (DNDi).S’il est validé, le texte – qui aura valeur de traité – devra encore être adopté lors de l’Assemblée mondiale de la santé, en mai à Genève, par les pays membres de l’OMS.

Trump eyes slashing State Department by 50 percent: US media

The US State Department is expected to propose an unprecedented dismantling of Washington’s diplomatic reach, multiple news outlets reported Tuesday, shuttering programs and embassies worldwide to slash the budget by almost 50 percent. The proposals, contained in an internal departmental memo said to be under serious discussion by senior officials, would eliminate almost all funding for international organizations, including the United Nations and NATO.Financial support for international peacekeeping would be curtailed, along with funding for educational and cultural exchanges like the Fulbright Program, one of the most prestigious US scholarships.The plan comes with President Donald Trump pressing a broader assault on government spending, and a scaling back of America’s leading role on the international stage.State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce downplayed the reports, telling journalists “there is no final plan, final budget, final dynamic.””That is up to the White House and the president of the United States as they continue to work on their budget plan and what they will submit to Congress,” Bruce said Tuesday. She added that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had “reiterated our complete commitment to NATO, as has the president of the United States.”The American Foreign Service Association called the proposed cuts “reckless and dangerous” while former US ambassador to Moscow Michael McFaul blasted a “giant gift to the Communist Party of China.”The memo says the State Department will request a $28.4 billion budget in fiscal year 2026, beginning October 1 — $26 billion less than the 2025 figure, according to The New York Times.Although it has little to say about humanitarian aid, programs tackling tropical disease, providing vaccines to children in developing nations and promoting maternal and child health would go, the Times reported.The remnants of USAID — the sprawling development agency already crippled and eyed for closure by Trump and Musk — is assumed by the memo’s authors to have been fully absorbed into the State Department, said The Washington Post.Only Congress — which the majority Republicans still need some Democratic votes to pass most laws — can authorize such cuts.But the proposals will likely loom large in lawmakers’ negotiations over the 2026 budget.Government departments were facing a deadline of this week to send the White House their plans for cuts, but the State Department has yet to make any public announcements. It is not clear if Rubio has endorsed the April 10 memo, but he would need to sign off on any cuts before they could be considered by Congress.The document earmarks 10 embassies and 17 consulates for closure, including missions in Eritrea, Luxembourg, South Sudan and Malta, according to politics outlet Punchbowl News. Five consulates earmarked for closure are in France while two are in Germany, Punchbowl reported. The list also includes missions in Scotland and Italy.In Canada, US consulates in Montreal and Halifax would be downsized to “provide ‘last-mile’ diplomacy with minimal local support,” the website reported, citing the document.US missions to international bodies such as the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development and the UN’s children’s fund, UNICEF, would be merged with the diplomatic outposts in the city where they are located.Rubio, meanwhile, wrote on X Tuesday that the State Department had canceled a further 139 grants worth $214 million for “misguided programs,” citing an anti-hate speech project in Britain as one example.

France expels 12 Algerian officials amid diplomatic escalation

France on Tuesday ordered the expulsion of 12 Algerian diplomats and consular officials and recalled its ambassador in the latest escalation between the two countries.The measure, announced by President Emmanuel Macron’s office, came after Algeria on Sunday ordered 12 French officials to leave within 48 hours in response to the arrest of an Algerian official in France.The Algerian officials in France have also been given 48 hours to leave.Macron’s office called Algeria’s actions “incomprehensible and unjustified” and said Algiers should “resume dialogue” and “take responsibility for the degradation in bilateral relations”.France was “stunned” that relations had taken such a turn just two weeks after a phone call between Algeria’s President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and Macron in a bid to repair ties, Macron’s office added.Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot, who went to Algiers at the start of the month as part of efforts to ease strains, said that Algeria had “chosen escalation”.Relations became strained last year when France recognised Moroccan sovereignty over the disputed Western Sahara, where Algeria backs the pro-independence Polisario Front.Ties soured further when Algeria arrested and jailed French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal in November on national security charges.Sansal 80, is in poor health and his daughters on Tuesday appealed for Macron to secure his release in a commentary for Le Figaro newspaper that said Sansal was “a hostage” of the diplomatic battle. Algeria’s foreign ministry said it had declared the 12 persona non grata after the arrest in France of an Algerian consular official last week which it called a “vile act”.It has accused France’s hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau of wrecking the efforts to repair ties.Algeria has refused to take back nationals France has ordered to leave in recent months, including a 37-year-old who went on a stabbing rampage in the eastern city of Mulhouse in February, killing one person.Barrot said earlier that Algeria’s latest expulsion orders were linked to the arrest of three Algerians, including an employee in an Algerian consulate, in France.The three were charged on Friday with kidnapping and terrorist conspiracy linked to the abduction of Amir Boukhors, an influencer and exiled opponent of the Algerian government.Retailleau backed Tuesday’s expulsion of the Algerians and said it was “inadmissible that France becomes a playground for the Algerian (security) services.””In this difficult context, France will defend its interests and continue to demand that Algeria fully fulfil its obligations, in particular with regards to our national security and cooperation on migration,” Macron’s office commented.