AFP USA

Former directors of Voice of America nominated across party lines are pressing Congress to intervene to restore the broadcaster, after a judge said President Donald Trump’s shutdown violated the law.In a letter to lawmakers, nine of the 10 former VOA directors who were alive as of last month asked Congress to “act quickly” to reverse Trump’s effort to end the eight-decade-old US-funded broadcaster.”All these steps were made without consultation with Congress, which has voted repeatedly to support these networks and has had no hand in the plans to shut them down,” they wrote.”At the same time, the orders amount to a gift to China, Iran, Russia and other oppressive regimes around the world.”The signatories included Dick Carlson, the father of conservative pundit Tucker Carlson, who has a close relationship with Trump.The elder Carlson was VOA’s longest serving director, leading it from 1986 under presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. He died on March 24, after the letter was first put together.Organizers publicly released the letter Wednesday after a federal judge issued a preliminary order to restore VOA, saying that the administration had no authority to cut so drastically the funding that was approved by Congress.The administration is expected to appeal, and VOA has been shut down since mid-March.David Ensor, who served as VOA’s director from 2011 to 2015 and led the letter, said that China and Russia have already been taking over signals used by VOA around the world.He said that VOA could also have helped explain the US stance to Iranians as the Trump administration meets with Tehran on its nuclear program.”We are hoping that — there don’t have to be very many — there will be a few Republicans who will come to the view that they want to reassert congressional authority and that they didn’t want to abolish Voice of America,” Ensor told AFP.”Obviously, every week is more damage, so we have a very urgent sense that we’d like to see Voice of America get back to work again.”Trump has questioned why Voice of America is not promoting the administration’s viewpoint, bristling at the editorial “firewall” that let the network operate independently.

Sales of existing US homes pulled back more than expected in March, logging their biggest drop since late-2022 according to industry data released Thursday, as high mortgage rates weighed on affordability for homebuyers.Existing home sales slid 5.9 percent last month from February to an annual rate of 4.02 million, seasonally adjusted, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) said.This was significantly below a 4.2 million rate expected in a Briefing.com consensus estimate, and marked the biggest month-to-month drop since November 2022, the association said on a call.”Home buying and selling remained sluggish in March due to the affordability challenges associated with high mortgage rates,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun in a statement.The popular 30-year fixed-rate mortgage hovered around 6.7 percent as of mid-March, similar to levels for the same period last year.Yun warned that residential housing mobility is “at historical lows,” signaling the “troublesome possibility of less economic mobility for society.”- ‘Subdued’ -“The big picture still is one of a very subdued housing market,” said Oliver Allen, senior US economist at Pantheon Macroeconomics.The market is “frozen by the gulf” between the typical rates on new mortgages, which are nearly seven percent right now, and rates on existing mortgages, which averaged 4.3 percent in the fourth quarter.With mortgage rates elevated in recent times, current homeowners have been reluctant to enter the property market — after having locked in lower rates previously.”The tariff shock is unlikely to alter this dynamic dramatically and has so far worsened it at the margin,” Allen said, referring to sweeping new tariffs US President Donald Trump imposed this year.But he warned: “A hit to housing demand from the economic slowdown likely to follow the tariffs will add to the downward pressure on price growth.”Robert Frick, corporate economist at the Navy Federal Credit Union, added: “Prices for home furnishing will likely rise soon due to tariffs, and rising anxiety among consumers over inflation and jobs may magnify the instinct to hunker down already being felt by many families.”From a year ago, existing home sales fell 2.4 percent, the NAR said.The median price of previously-owned homes in March was up 2.7 percent from a year ago at $403,700 — and all four US regions logged price hikes.Inventory jumped by 8.1 percent from February as of end-March, the NAR said, but Yun told reporters that the volume of units appears to still be “lagging.”

After years spent working in sweatshops in California, Francisco Tzul got a job at a trendy lingerie brand that prides itself on ethical business practices and a “Made in America” approach.But the 60-year-old immigrant from Guatemala now fears being laid off over President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariffs on US trading partners.Trump acknowledges his tariffs will cause Americans some pain initially, but believes that in the long run they will help bring industrial production back to the United States.But for the Cantiq brand, which makes lingerie in Los Angeles from fabrics often sourced from Asia, the additional tariffs mean higher production costs and potential layoffs.The tariffs “will harm the economy, not only for the owners, but the workers as well,” Tzul, who has been employed at Cantiq for five years, told AFP on a recent afternoon.- ‘Everybody’s going to get hurt’Chelsea Hughes, 35, founded Cantiq 10 years ago as an “ethical” company that would employ people from her local community, pay them proper wages and maintain decent working conditions.But with Trump’s tariffs, she said, all that could go out the window.”Now they’re just going to make it even more difficult for me to keep jobs for people that are here, and keep all of my production here,” Hughes told AFP from her boutique in the trendy Echo Park neighborhood. Marketed as lingerie for all body types and styles, the brand’ most popular item is a racy $35 brief that can be worn by women and men alike. It’s made out of three different fabrics: two sourced from China, and one from Taiwan.With imports from China now subject to an additional 145 percent tariff, Hughes estimates that the price tag on the briefs may jump to $42, making it unaffordable to many customers.”I think it doesn’t matter big or small, I think everybody’s going to get hurt by this, it’s just a question of how hard,” she sighed.- ‘Reduce my workforce’ -Buying fabric in the United States would be prohibitively expensive, Hughes said.”We have an amazing variety of incredible garment workers, don’t get me wrong, but when it comes to producing stretch fabrics like lace, like mesh, no one does it here as cost effective as they do overseas.”And it’s not just her profits — her commitment to supporting local employment is also being called into question with the tariffs.”My whole point was that I wanted to… create jobs in an ethical way, and now they’re making it impossible for me to do that,” Hughes said. “I need programs that support me financially, otherwise I’ll have to reduce my workforce, which is contrary to what they say they want to do.”In Cantiq’s sewing workshop located behind the boutique, Tzul has nothing left but to hope that the tariffs would eventually be rescinded or reduced.Tzul said he came to the United States from Guatemala two decades ago because his government, like in many others across Latin America, ruined local economies with their policies.”That’s one of the reasons that millions of us had to leave our countries, because the decisions that governments made, instead of helping the people, they just destroy the economies,” he said.”And we don’t want that to happen in America,” he said.

Mourners queued in their thousands for hours on Thursday to catch a last glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes as Italian authorities stepped up security arrangements ahead of his weekend funeral.Some 61,000 people had filed past the late Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first 26 hours since Francis was laid in state at St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, the Vatican said.Such was the demand to see him that authorities extended visiting hours on Wednesday from midnight local time until 5:30 am.After a break of just one and a half hours, the doors opened again, with authorities saying the window might again be extended on Thursday night if necessary.Italian authorities have begun increasing security for the funeral, even blocking drones.On Thursday morning, the queue quickly stretched far past the two entry points at St Peter’s Square, where spirits were high despite the long wait.”It’s true that it feels oppressive but at the same time you all feel united, everyone happy,” Frenchwoman Laure Du Moulin who visited with her family, told AFP.”Everyone seems enthusiastic, fraternal, like a big community.”Friends Florencia Soria and Ana Sofia Alicata, both 26 and — like Francis — from Argentina, came prepared for the long wait with coffees and wondered whether the light rain might work in their favour.”We’re here and we hope it will go as well as possible, with people leaving because of the rain,” joked Soria, although the sun soon re-emerged.- World leaders expected -Francis died on Monday aged 88, after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.Condolences have flooded in from around the world for the Jesuit, an energetic reformer who championed the most vulnerable and marginalised in society.His funeral on Saturday is expected to draw huge crowds as well as world leaders including US President Donald Trump.The ceremony will be held in front of St Peter’s Basilica.Lined in red silk, the pope’s wooden coffin has been set before St Peter’s altar, with Francis dressed in his papal vestments — a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes — with a rosary in his hands.Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, while authorities on Thursday banned the use of smartphones inside the Basilica.A day earlier the flow of mourners was slower with many people trying to capture photos or videos.”It was a brief but intense moment next to his body,” Italian Massimo Palo, 63, told AFP after his visit.”He was a pope amongst his flock, amongst his people, and I hope the next papacies will be a bit like his,” he added.The coffin is due to be sealed on Friday night at 8:00 pm in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected.- Massive security operation -Francis, who suffered a stroke, died at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.The Vatican said on Thursday that 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs will attend the funeral. Those coming include US President Donald Trump, Argentina’s Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William.At least 130 foreign delegations have confirmed their attendance, the Vatican said, as security is ramped up for the funeral.A defence source told AFP the air force had already deployed electromagnetic devices to prevent drones from flying over the city.Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.- No conclave date yet -After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.A group of “poor and needy” will be present at the basilica to welcome the coffin, the Vatican said.He will be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus. People will be able to visit it from Sunday morning, the Vatican announced.Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis’s successor.Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was Francois’s number two, is the favourite with British bookmakers William Hill, ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila.Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.Only those under the age of 80 — currently some 135 cardinals — are eligible to vote. They have held a series of meetings to discuss preparations for the funeral and looming conclave.Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales”, will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months but had continued to make public appearances right up until Easter Sunday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday he had spoken to President Donald Trump about the conflict in Ukraine and they planned to meet “soon”.Ramaphosa made the statement as he hosted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on a working visit to South Africa which was cut short after deadly Russian attacks on Kyiv overnight.Zelensky said on social media he would “return to Ukraine immediately” after meeting Ramaphosa, following overnight attacks that killed at least nine people in the Ukrainian capital.”I spoke to President Donald Trump to discuss the peace process in Ukraine,” the South African leader said.The leaders had “agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” he said on social media.”We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations.”Ties between Pretoria and Washington took a nosedive after Trump came to power this year. He has criticised various South African domestic and international policies, including Pretoria’s case at the International Court of Justice on Israel’s war in Gaza.The tensions culminated in the expulsion of Pretoria’s ambassador last month. Trump has also cut financial aid over what he alleged was an anti-white land policy and offered refugee settlement to the white Afrikaner minority that he has claimed is being persecuted.In his social media post, Ramaphosa said he and Trump had agreed on “the need to foster good relations between our two countries.”- South African shift -Zelensky’s visit to South Africa — his first to the continent — underscores a shift in Pretoria’s stance on Russia’s invasion, which it had initially refused to condemn.It takes place just weeks after South Africa joined for the first time a UN General Assembly resolution criticising Russia for “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.Pretoria’s close ties with the Kremlin — forged by its support in the struggle against the previous apartheid regime — has raised eyebrows at home and abroad, with attempts to pressure it to drop a non-aligned stance. Ramaphosa invited the Ukrainian leader in February as South Africa was coming under attack from Trump, who had also taken aim at Zelensky and moved to negotiate an end to the war without involving Ukraine or its European allies.Analysts said that Zelensky would be hoping for an invitation to the G20 summit of leading economies taking place in November in South Africa, which holds this year’s presidency of the group.In one of his latest salvos against South Africa, Trump suggested earlier this month he would skip the summit and repeated unfounded claims of alleged anti-white crimes in South Africa.”Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!” he said in a social media post.Ramaphosa’s spokesman said at the time: “We were no longer expecting him to attend in any case.”US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to attend a G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa in February, saying it had an “anti-American” agenda.- Mediation -South Africa appears to believe it can work with both sides in the Ukraine conflict and facilitate an inclusive peace process, perhaps drawing on its own relatively smooth transition out of white-minority rule in 1994 after decades of armed struggle.Even while welcoming Zelensky to South Africa, Ramaphosa has maintained warm ties with Russia, which he said in October was an “ally and precious friend”.He and President Vladimir Putin spoke Monday to “affirm the strong bilateral relations”, according to a South African government statement. “South Africa will continue engaging all interested and affected parties, including the government of Ukraine on finding a path to peace,” it said.

Thousands of people gathered Thursday for a glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes, after St Peter’s Basilica stayed open almost all night to accomodate the crowds.With waiting times reaching four hours to enter the basilica, some 48,600 people had already filtered past the Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin by Thursday morning, the Vatican announced.The lying in state began on Wednesday and instead of a planned closing at midnight, the basilica remained open until 5:30am (0330 GMT) on Thursday morning, before reopening at 7:00am.The queue to get in on Thursday morning stretched long past the two entry points at St Peter’s Square, where 82-year-old Amerigo Iacovacci was waiting patiently. “I’m here because of the great faith that unites me with Pope Francis,” said the Roman. “He was a great man, he was the father of the least fortunate, of the invisible.”Francis died on Monday after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, during which time he made a name for himself as a pope of the marginalised.Italy is preparing a massive security operation for his funeral on Saturday in front of St Peter’s.World leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky due to join hundreds of thousands of mourners.- ‘Sense of peace’ -Lined in red silk, the pope’s wooden coffin has been set before St Peter’s altar, with Francis dressed in his papal vestments — a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes — with a rosary in his hands.Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, many hurriedly catching the moment on their smartphones.Argentine Federico Rueda, 46, said that despite the rush, he would not have missed the opportunity.”It is worth missing out on other places to say goodbye to an Argentine: a very worthy pope,” he said as he stood proudly wearing the jersey of Argentina’s national football team, the current world champions.Mexican Leobardo Guevara, 24, draped in his country’s flag, said he felt “a sense of peace” as he filed past the body of the first pope from the Americas.Francis, an energetic reformer who became pope in 2013, died on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke.His death at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican came less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.Francis’s casket was initially put on display for Vatican staff and clergy in the Santa Marta chapel, before being transferred to St Peter’s Wednesday in a procession including cardinals, clergy and Swiss Guards.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among those who paid respects on Wednesday, and scores of world leaders and dignitaries plan to attend the funeral.They include Argentine President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William, although Russia — which has for centuries had icy ties with the Vatican — said it would send its culture minister.Authorities, who expect up to 170 foreign delegations, have ramped up security for the funeral.Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.- No conclave date yet -After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.His will requested that he be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus.Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis’s successor.Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.Only those under the age of 80 — currently some 135 cardinals — are eligible to vote. Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales”, will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.Another meeting of cardinals of all ages was set for Thursday at 9:00am (0700 GMT). However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months.But the headstrong pope continued to make public appearances despite appearing tired and short of breath. On Easter Sunday, one day before he died, he circled St Peter’s Square in his popemobile to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.

It is lunchtime at a Texas eatery called Trump Burger and diners are enjoying fast food and the frenetic first 100 days of their president’s second term.Donald Trump imagery is everywhere in this joint with a dozen tables — in cardboard cutouts of the man eking out his trademark forced smile, on banners from the 2024 campaign, and on hats and T-shirts displayed for sale.It is a franchise of a company with four such Trump-themed outlets in Texas and no equal anywhere else in America.This particular one opened in 2020 and is in Bellville, about a 90-minute drive northwest of Houston in a county where 80 percent of voters cast their ballots for Trump over Kamala Harris back in November.The chain is not linked to the Trump Organization.On weekends the Bellville eatery is particularly busy as bikers on roaring Harley-Davidsons roll up, as do families in pickup trucks with big tires.The menu features the Trump Burger or the supersized Trump Tower with two hamburger patties, the latter costing $16.99.Those and other sandwiches all come with the word Trump emblazoned on the bun.Also on offer, in writing at least, is something called the Biden Burger, described as being made from old tomatoes, stale buns and costing a whopping $50.99 — though presently unavailable due to “cheating and inflation.” -‘On the right path’-On a recent day, many customers told AFP they were delighted so far with Trump 2.0.Jason Sullivan, 47, who works in oil and gas, said Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” attitude toward fossil fuels and dismissal of climate change concerns as he rolls back Biden-era environmental restrictions have been a godsend.”We’ve seen a boom and actually sometimes new projects and developments that happened not just in Texas, but across the country so far,” said Sullivan.”A lot of projects that were put on the back burners from the previous administration are now coming to fruition,” he added.Kim Vanek, a 59-year-old retiree, said the first 100 days of Trump’s second stint in the White House have gone swimmingly.Working at a dizzying pace, the Trump administration has moved to slash the government by firing tens of thousands of civil servants, launched a global trade war with tariffs against most countries, and begun a mass deportation of undocumented people.It has also all but ended US overseas humanitarian aid, locked horns with the media and universities, and launched a campaign of revenge against people Trump sees as enemies.”He’s been planning now for four years to get back in here and people think it’s going to happen overnight, things are going to change overnight,” said Vanek.”It’s not, but he’s on the right path. You’re going to see a lot of good things come out of the next three years.”- ‘Could have been done better’ – But not everyone at Trump Burger is impressed with Trump’s performance so far.August Money, a 34-year-old Republican who works in health care technology, said the on-again, off-again tariff rollout — aimed at forcing companies to relocate their factories to the United States — was chaotic.”I understand the larger goal of really wanting to bring back domestic manufacturing,” said Money.”Hopefully most of it is really just his, you know, famed negotiating techniques. But yeah, it could have been done better. The calculations they used didn’t really make a lot of sense,” said Money.He also criticized the administration for deporting alleged gang members to a grim El Salvador prison without even a court hearing.Money said, “That’s dangerous and a slippery slope right there.” 

President Donald Trump’s various U-turns are leaving Americans disillusioned — especially after he was elected on vows of guaranteeing economic prosperity.He has floated wanting to fire the Fed chair before backing off for now, and he slapped tariffs on China only to then promise compromise and mollification.”There is no chance the US flip-flops on trade the past month were remotely planned,” Joseph Grieco, professor of political science at Duke University, told AFP.”It’s been one improvisation after another.”In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early April, when President Trump was already downgrading his trade war with many countries to focus his ire on China, just 40 percent of respondents approved of his job performance — a seven-point slide from February.With the exception of Bill Clinton and now Trump, US presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan have had an approval rating topping 50 percent after their first 100 days in office, Pew noted.However, the pollsters pointed out that the ratings for Trump, ever the divider who plays to his strengths, are essentially on par with those in 2017, at the same time in his first term.- Majority dissatisfied -Specifically, nearly six in 10 Pew respondents were critical of the Republican billionaire’s trade policies.Another opinion poll, by Reuters/Ipsos, notes that just 37 percent of Americans now say they are satisfied with the president’s economic approach.This is substantially below the upbeat numbers early in the first term for Trump, whose strong point, politically speaking, has always been the economy.Results of a YouGov poll from early April reinforced the bad news for the real estate tycoon. A majority of Americans, 51 percent, were now dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies.That was a four-point slide from late March, before his earth-shaking tariff announcements — which were themselves followed a week later by a sweeping U-turn by Trump. Absent a clear White House strategy, the world’s markets are on edge, alternately soaring or plunging on the slightest remarks by Trump or his top officials on trade or monetary policy.Such whipsaws have brought anxiety to millions of American investors, especially those whose retirement savings are in stock-related plans.Concern only grew with the president’s amped-up criticism of US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “loser” for refusing to cut interest rates.The attack on the central bank’s independence sent markets tumbling — before Trump backed off, assuring on Tuesday he had no intention of firing Powell.- Adulation, too -It is virtually impossible to know how the trade confrontation with China will play out, even as Trump says the 145 percent tariffs he has slapped on the world’s second-largest economy will be reduced sharply.According to a recent Gallup poll, 53 percent of Americans believe their personal financial situation will worsen. Since 2001, the renowned polling organization has noted how most people it surveyed have expressed optimism about their wallets.Increasing worry would translate to a reluctance to consume, which could slow economic growth.While the major opinion polls reflect a growing mistrust of White House economic policy, most also agree that such pessimism has yet to reach Trump’s core base of supporters, whose adulation of the president largely has remained strong through thick and thin.In today’s hyper-divided political America, 70 percent of Republican voters and Republican-leaning independents still support Trump’s tariff hikes, while 90 percent of Democrats oppose them, according to Pew.

Tesla electric car sales in Europe plunged in the first three months of the year, industry data showed Thursday, in a fresh blow to its boss Elon Musk who has been criticised for his work in US President Donald Trump’s administration.Sales of the sleek machines fell 45 percent to just over 36,000 units in the first quarter of 2025 in the 27-nation bloc, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said in a report.They dropped by 36 percent just in March, suffering in both periods the biggest fall in sales of any of the major car groups tallied in the association’s report, despite a growth in electric vehicle sales overall.Tesla showrooms have been hit by vandalism, demonstrations and boycott calls in Europe and the United States in a backlash against public service cuts introduced by Musk in his role as a close adviser to Trump.On Tuesday the company reported a 71-percent drop in first-quarter profits, signalling a hit to demand due to what it called “changing political sentiment.”It reported profits of $409 million following a drop in sales, while revenues fell nine percent to $19.3 billion.Musk promptly announced he would scale back his work for the Trump administration in May to focus on Tesla.- Auto tariff concerns -Trump’s combative trade policies have raised concerns in the auto sector after he enacted 25-percent tariffs on cars imported into the United States to try to boost US manufacturing.”Uncertainty in the automotive and energy markets continues to increase as rapidly evolving trade policy adversely impacts the global supply chain and cost structure of Tesla and our peers,” Tesla said on Tuesday.”This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.”Tesla pointed to tariffs as another headwind for the company and analysts have also cited a stale portfolio of vehicles as among the challenges facing the company.But Tesla said it was on track to launch new vehicles “including more affordable models” in the first half of 2025.Analysts warn of significant brand damage to Tesla from Musk’s leadership role in the “Department of Government Efficiency,” which has granted itself access to government databases with sensitive personal information and implemented thousands of job cuts.- EU electric car drive -Electric vehicle sales grew in several EU countries including Germany, as well as non-EU member Britain, the ACEA said — but they still only accounted for 15 percent of the auto market.Under ambitious efforts to combat climate change, the EU introduced a set of emission-reduction targets that should lead to the sale of fossil fuel-burning cars being phased out by 2035.But ACEA director-general Sigrid de Vries in a news release highlighted a “persistent gap between ambitious decarbonisation goals, and the ‘reality check’ of slower-than-expected consumer uptake” of electric cars.”It is vital that policymakers prioritise the measures that will incentivise a supportive ecosystem — from charging infrastructure to fiscal incentives — to ensure the uptake of zero-emission vehicles can accelerate meaningfully,” she said.Hybrid fuel-electric cars held the biggest share of the EU market: 36 percent compared to 29 percent for petrol-only vehicles.The bloc’s car industry has been plunged into crisis by high manufacturing costs, the slow switch to electric vehicles and increased competition from China.Some manufacturers complain the switch is harder than expected as consumers have yet to warm to electric vehicles, which have higher upfront costs and lack an established used-vehicle market.Musk in a conference call on Tuesday reiterated his bullish outlook on the long-term prospects for Tesla, highlighting its leadership in key growth areas: robotics, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that Washington has “no currency targets” in its talks with Japan on tariffs, after repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a stronger yen.Japanese media reported meanwhile that a second round of talks in Washington was set for May 1, which will be closely watched as a barometer for efforts by other countries seeking tariff relief.Bessent said Washington is looking at “tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers, currency manipulation and government subsidy of labor and fixed capital investment” in the negotiations with Japan.But he added that there were “absolutely no currency targets.”Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said he was ready for “close consultations about exchange rates” with Bessent when they meet Thursday on the sidelines of an IMF gathering in Washington, Japanese media reported.A weak yen makes Japanese exports relatively cheaper, while a strong dollar means that US exports are less competitive.The yen rose significantly since Trump’s tariffs were announced — it was trading at 158 for a dollar in mid-January.The close US ally and world’s number four economy is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs that have been imposed on most countries, plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminum. Trump also imposed “reciprocal” tariffs on Japan of 24 percent, but those have been paused for 90 days along with those on other countries except China.Japan’s envoy Ryosei Akazawa met Trump and other senior US officials last week, and Japanese media reported Thursday that he will return for another round on May 1.Japanese broadcaster NHK on Thursday quoted unnamed sources as saying that US negotiators have said Washington cannot make exceptions for Japan.Other media reports have suggested that Tokyo is eyeing concessions such as increasing imports into Japan of US rice and soybeans as well as easing auto safety rules.