Dozens of economies including India, Canada and Mexico face threats of higher tariffs Friday if they fail to strike deals with Washington.Here is a summary of duties President Donald Trump has introduced in his second term as he pressures allies and competitors alike to reshape US trade relationships.- Global tariffs -US “reciprocal” tariffs — imposed under legally contentious emergency powers — are due to jump from 10 percent to various steeper levels for a list of dozens of economies come August 1, including South Korea, India and Taiwan.The hikes were to take effect July 9 but Trump postponed them days before imposition, marking a second delay since their shock unveiling in April.A 10 percent “baseline” levy on most partners, which Trump imposed in April, remains in place.He has also issued letters dictating tariff rates above 10 percent for individual countries, including Brazil, which has a trade deficit with the United States and was not on the initial list of higher “reciprocal” rates.Several economies — the European Union, Britain, Vietnam, Japan, Indonesia and the Philippines — have struck initial tariff deals with Washington, while China managed to temporarily lower tit-for-tat duties.Certain products like pharmaceuticals, semiconductors and lumber are excluded from Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs, but may face separate action under different authorities.This has been the case for steel, aluminum, and soon copper. Gold and silver, alongside energy commodities, are also exempted.Excluded too are Mexico and Canada, hit with a different set of tariffs, and countries like Russia and North Korea as they already face sanctions.- Canada, Mexico -Canadian and Mexican products were hit by 25 percent US tariffs shortly after Trump returned to office, with a lower rate for Canadian energy. Trump targeted both neighbors over illegal immigration and fentanyl trafficking, also invoking emergency powers.But trade negotiations have been bumpy. This month, Trump said Canadian goods will face a higher 35 percent duty from August 1, and Mexican goods will see a 30 percent level.Products entering the United States under the USMCA North American free trade pact, covering large swaths of goods, are expected to remain exempt — with Canadian energy resources and potash, used as fertilizer, to still face lower rates.- China focus -Trump has also taken special aim at China. The world’s two biggest economies engaged in an escalating tariffs war this year before their temporary pullback.The countries imposed triple-digit duties on each other at one point, a level described as a trade embargo.After high level talks, Washington lowered its levies on Chinese goods to 30 percent and Beijing slashed its own to 10 percent.This pause is set to expire August 12, and officials will meet for further talks on Monday and Tuesday in the Swedish capital Stockholm.The US level is higher as it includes a 20 percent tariff over China’s alleged role in the global fentanyl trade.Beyond expansive tariffs on Chinese products, Trump ordered the closure of a duty-free exemption for low-value parcels from the country. This adds to the cost of importing items like clothing and small electronics.- Autos, metals -Trump has targeted individual business sectors too, under more conventional national security grounds, imposing a 25 percent levy on steel and aluminum imports which he later doubled to 50 percent.The president has unveiled plans for a 50 percent tariff on copper imports starting August 1 as well and rolled out a 25 percent tariff on imported autos, although those entering under the USMCA can qualify for a lower rate.Trump’s auto tariffs impact vehicle parts too, but new rules ensure automakers paying vehicle tariffs will not also be charged for certain other duties.He has ongoing investigations into imports of lumber, semiconductors, pharmaceuticals and critical minerals that could trigger further duties.- Legal challenges -Several legal challenges have been filed against the tariffs Trump invoked citing emergencies.The US Court of International Trade ruled in May that the president had overstepped his authority, but a federal appeals court has allowed the duties to remain while it considers the case.If these tariffs are ultimately ruled illegal, companies could possibly seek reimbursements.

Godzilla has morphed over the years, but one constant is the devotion of its fans, who celebrated the Japanese monster’s 70th anniversary at the pop culture convention Comic-Con.The Japanese studio Toho, which created Godzilla, maintains a calendar of events to celebrate the beast often called the king of monsters, and Comic-Con is on the agenda.Godzilla was born on November 3, 1954 with the launch of the first movie about it, directed by Ishiro Honda. “I am a very big fan of Godzilla,” said Angela Hill, a teacher who traveled from Arizona to take part in Comic-Con, which this year featured events and displays celebrating Godzilla.One of the world’s largest celebrations of pop culture, Comic-Con brings together 130,000 people, many of whom come dressed as wizards, princesses or characters from movies, games or TV series.As the story of Godzilla goes, a prehistoric amphibious beast is awakened and mutated by nuclear bomb testing in the Pacific. It emerges from the sea and attacks Japan in a rage, symbolizing the deadly power of nukes.”I think because he came from such a historic event — like, a lot of other monsters are just interesting creatures, but they don’t hold the grief of a nation,” Hill said, referring to the US nuclear bomb attacks against Hiroshima and Nagasaki in World War II.At the pop culture watering hole in San Diego, people lined up to shoot pictures and video with an image of Godzilla, which was also the theme of a panel discussion on Friday that featured Shinji Higuchi, who co-directed a reboot in 2016 called “Shin Godzilla.”The movie franchise includes nearly 40 films and has spawned hundreds of animated productions about the monster as well as TV series and graphic work.- ‘Rooting for him’ – On Saturday the writers Ed Godziszewski and Steve Ryfle signed autographs of their book “Godzilla: The First 70 Years,” which sold out at Comic-Con. “It’s a rich history,” Ryfle told AFP.”This is the longest running feature film franchise in cinematic history that’s focused on a single, continuous character. It’s been around longer than James Bond.”He said the key to its longevity is that Godzilla has evolved over time but stayed faithful to its origins.”Godzilla has been serious, it’s been scary, it’s been heroic, it’s been funny. But at the same time this is a movie character that’s rooted in something that’s very real,” Ryfle said.”And that’s the trauma that Japan experienced, both during World War II, and also the trauma of the aftermath of World War II, the aftermath of Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” he added.He said Honda, who directed the first Godzilla movie, was a veteran who used the film to send a message against war and in particular against nuclear weapons.Michelle Pena, a Godzilla fan who waited in line to get the autograph of the two writers, said part of the monster’s charm is how it has changed over the years.”Good, bad, hero, anti-hero, you know. And I like that,” she said.”He’s not, like, lovable,” she added.”He’s a big dinosaur-looking thing, you know. He’s scary. But, like, you really, really find yourself rooting for him.”

Comic-Con fans pulled out their lightsabers Sunday to welcome “Star Wars” creator George Lucas to the prominent pop culture convention for the very first time.Attendees lined up for hours to grab a seat inside the 6,500-person capacity venue in San Diego, California to see the legendary filmmaker behind the “Indiana Jones” franchise speak at the event on its final day.Comic-Con, which draws some 130,000 attendees, has become an important platform for movie studios and their stars to showcase the latest film and television offerings, especially those with a genre fan base.”We’ve been waiting five decades for this!” said panel moderator Queen Latifah, who oversaw the discussion by Lucas and other filmmakers.Instead of discussing his film works, however, Lucas graced the convention to preview the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — opening in Los Angeles in 2026 — which the director co-founded with his wife, businesswoman Mellody Hobson.”I’ve been collecting art since I was in college,” Lucas, 81, told the crowd, adding that he has amassed tens of thousands of pieces in his collection.”I’ve been doing this for 50 years now, and then it occurred to me that what am I going to do with it all because I, I refuse to sell it.”I could never do that, it’s just, it’s not what I think art is — I think it’s more about an emotional connection,” the director said.In his description of the museum, Lucas said the institution will feature a blend of works.They include illustrations by Normal Rockwell, Jessie Willcox Smith and N.C. Wyeth; artworks by Frida Kahlo, Jacob Lawrence, Charles White and Robert Colescott; and pieces by cartoonists and artists like Winsor McCay, Frank Frazetta and Jack Kirby.”This is sort of a temple to the people’s art,” he said in summation.The museum, housed in a sleek, curved building, will also feature items from Lucas’s films and other exclusive pieces.For the “Star Wars” mastermind, the museum aims to be a tribute to the importance of narrative art.”When you’re born, the baseline is fear. And as you go through life, you’re curious about things, but you’re especially curious about things you don’t understand, and therefore that’s a threat to you.”And as a result, you make up stories to make it feel good,” he continued.”Science fiction is a myth… but we’ve made it real because of science fiction books and art.”- ‘A critical moment’ -Among the other members of the panel were Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro and production designer Doug Chiang, who shaped the aesthetic of the “Star Wars” universe for decades.”What’s remarkable about George is that he leads from the heart, and this museum is him,” Chiang said. Del Toro, who will release his latest film “Frankenstein” in November, said many of the museum’s pieces will celebrate freedom of speech.”We are in a critical moment in which one of the things they like to disappear is the past, you know, and this is memorializing a popular, vociferous, expressive and eloquent moment in our visual past that belongs to all of us,” Del Toro said. The fantasy filmmaker also described comics as a medium with “a lot of social conscience” and joked that comic artists “were the first one to punch a Nazi” in their works.”What a panel!” said attendee Jesse Goldwater, who traveled to San Diego from Los Angeles. “They are the embodiment of Comic-Con itself, without them Comic-Con wouldn’t exist.”

The United States and European Union on Sunday clinched what President Donald Trump described as the “biggest-ever” deal to resolve a transatlantic tariff stand-off that threatened to explode into a full-blown trade war.Trump emerged from a high-stakes meeting with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen at his golf resort in Scotland to announce that a baseline tariff of 15 percent would be levied on EU exports to the US.The deal, which the leaders struck in around an hour, came as the clock ticked down on an August 1 deadline to avoid an across-the-board US levy of 30 percent on European goods.”We’ve reached a deal. It’s a good deal for everybody. This is probably the biggest deal ever reached in any capacity,” said Trump.Trump said the 15-percent tariff would apply across the board, including for Europe’s crucial automobile sector, pharmaceuticals and semiconductors.As part of the deal, Trump said the 27-nation EU bloc had agreed to purchase “$750 billion worth of energy” from the United States, as well as make $600 billion in additional investments.Von der Leyen said the “significant” purchases of US liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels would come over three years, as part of the bloc’s bid to diversify away from Russian sources.Negotiating on behalf of the EU’s 27 countries, von der Leyen had been pushing hard to salvage a trading relationship worth an annual $1.9 trillion in goods and services.”It’s a good deal,” the EU chief told reporters.”It will bring stability. It will bring predictability. That’s very important for our businesses on both sides of the Atlantic,” she said.She said bilateral tariff exemptions had been agreed on a number of “strategic products,” notably aircraft, certain chemicals, some agricultural products and critical raw materials.Von der Leyen said the EU still hoped to secure further so-called “zero-for-zero” agreements, notably for alcohol, which she hoped to be “sorted out” in coming days.Trump also said EU countries — which recently pledged to ramp up their defence spending within NATO — would be purchasing “hundreds of billions of dollars worth of military equipment.”- ‘Best we could get’ -The EU has been hit by multiple waves of tariffs since Trump reclaimed the White House.It is currently subject to a 25-percent levy on cars, 50 percent on steel and aluminium, and an across-the-board tariff of 10 percent, which Washington threatened to hike to 30 percent in a no-deal scenario.The bloc had been pushing hard for tariff carve-outs for critical industries from aircraft to spirits, and its auto industry, crucial for France and Germany, is already reeling from the levies imposed so far.”Fifteen percent is not to be underestimated, but it is the best we could get,” acknowledged von der Leyen.Any deal will need to be approved by EU member states — whose ambassadors, on a visit to Greenland, were updated by the commission Sunday morning. They were set to meet again after the deal struck in Scotland.German Chancellor Friedrich Merz rapidly hailed the deal, saying it avoided “needless escalation in transatlantic trade relations”.But German exporters were less enthusiastic. The powerful BDI federation of industrial groups said the accord would have “considerable negative repercussions” while the country’s VCI chemical trade association said the accord left rates “too high”. The EU had pushed for a compromise on steel that could allow a certain quota into the United States before tariffs would apply.Trump appeared to rule that out, saying steel was “staying the way it is”, but the EU chief insisted later that “tariffs will be cut and a quota system will be put in place” for steel.- ‘The big one’ -While 15 percent is much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods, which average around 4.8 percent, it mirrors the status quo, with companies currently facing an additional flat rate of 10 percent.Had the talks failed, EU states had greenlit counter tariffs on $109 billion (93 billion euros) of US goods including aircraft and cars to take effect in stages from August 7. Trump has embarked on a campaign to reshape US trade with the world, and has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs if they do not reach a pact with Washington by August 1.Asked what the next deal would be, Trump replied: “This was the big one. This is the biggest of them all.”burs-gv/jj