03 World

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Green Party lawmakers reportedly want to spend at least €8.5 billion on weapons for Kiev

A group of German lawmakers from the Green Party has called on Chancellor Friedrich Merz to urgently increase military aid to Ukraine, claiming that Berlin must contribute more in light of a slowdown in US arms deliveries, according to a letter obtained by Bild.

The letter, signed by Bundestag deputies Robin Wagener, Sara Nanni, Sebastian Schafer and Anton Hofreiter, criticized the federal government’s recently announced increase in military assistance from €7.1 billion to €8.3 billion as insufficient.

The lawmakers pointed to the US decision to pause certain weapons shipments to Kiev as a critical factor, arguing that Berlin should raise the figure to at least €8.5 billion and commit to maintaining that level through 2029.

The Green MPs, who have been among Kiev’s most vocal supporters in the Bundestag, reportedly said the government still had room to maneuver within the approved budget framework and argued that Germany’s constitutional limits on debt spending could be sidestepped through special exemptions.

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KYIV – Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy hailed new agreements with allies that he said would provide “hundreds of thousands” of new drones to the fight against Russia, while US President Donald Trump hinted at possible additional sanctions against Moscow as it continues to reject his cease-fire push.

In his nightly video address, Zelenskyy on July 5 said separate agreements with a US firm and European allies — including Denmark and Sweden — would give Ukraine the ability to hit important targets inside Russia, including defense industry assets, airbases, and oil refineries.

Ukraine is “preparing new steps that will make Russia truly feel that it will pay for this war. There must be accountability for the aggressor. And there will be – entirely just and keenly felt.”

The remarks come in uncertain times for Kyiv regarding the supply of weapons from its most important ally. On July 2, Ukrainian officials reacted with shock as the United States announced plans to halt some unspecified supplies of weapons it previously provided to Ukraine, citing its own dwindling stockpiles.

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Former DOGE adviser writes to Tesla Board against Elon Musk after he launches ‘America Party’.

Former DOGE adviser James Fishback wrote to the Tesla Board urging them to ask Elon Musk to clarify his political ambitions. Fishback said his investment firm Azoria Partners will defer the listing of its Azoria Texla Convexity exchange-traded fund after Musk’s announcement that he was forming a new political party called ‘America Party’. The paperwork of the America Party was done, and it was registered with the Federal Election Commission with Tesla CFO Vaibhav Taneja listed as its treasurer.”Elon has gone too far…Our decision comes in direct response to @ElonMusk’s announcement that he is launching a new national political party. This creates a conflict with his full-time responsibilities as CEO of Tesla. It diverts his focus and energy away from Tesla’s employees and shareholders,” Fishback wrote. “In May, when Elon stepped back from his work at DOGE and returned his attention to Tesla, we were encouraged. With Elon fully engaged, he gave shareholders renewed confidence in Tesla’s future. Elon’s announcement today undermines that confidence,” the letter added.

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The letters initially were supposed to go out on July 4 with a tariff imposition date of Aug. 1, based on Trump’s earlier comments. But US officials were busily negotiating through the holiday weekend, including with Japan, South Korea, the EU, India and Vietnam.

For more, read Bloomberg Economics’ INSIGHT: What to Expect as July 9 Trade Deadline Looms

One of Trump’s signature moves in dealmaking is a unilateral threat when negotiations reach critical stages, so it’s unclear whether the letters he describes are real, or merely meant to strike fear into trading partners still reluctant to offer last-minute concessions.

After Trump announced an agreement with Vietnam last week, the country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said negotiators were still coordinating with their US counterparts to finalize the details.

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Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that tariffs announced back in April will take effect on Aug. 1 for countries that have not reached an agreement with President Donald Trump’s administration.

“President Trump’s going to be sending letters to some of our trading partners saying that if you don’t move things along, then on August 1, you will boomerang back to your April 2 tariff level,” Bessent said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

On Aug. 1, countries will “get a letter saying that if we have not reached an agreement, then you will go back to the April 2 level,” he said.

Bessent rejected the idea that Aug. 1 is yet another new tariff deadline, but the August date could still give trading partners more time to renegotiate tariff rates.

“We are saying this is when it’s happening, if you want to speed things up, have at it, if you want to go back to the old rate that’s your choice,” Bessent said.

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The Trump administration is stepping up pressure on trading partners to quickly make new deals before a Wednesday deadline, with plans for the United States to start sending letters Monday warning countries that higher tariffs could kick in Aug. 1.

That furthers the uncertainty for businesses, consumers and America’s trading partners, and questions remain about which countries will be notified, whether anything will change in the days ahead and whether President Donald Trump will once more push off imposing the rates. Trump and his top trade advisers say he could extend the time for dealmaking but they insist the administration is applying maximum pressure on other nations.

Kevin Hassett, director of the White House National Economic Council, told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that Trump would decide when it was time to give up on negotiations.

“The United States is always willing to talk to everybody about everything,” Hassett said. “There are deadlines, and there are things that are close, so maybe things will push back past the deadline or maybe they won’t. In the end the president is going to make that judgment.”

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RUSSIA’S former transport minister has reportedly been found dead just hours after being fired by Vladimir Putin.

Roman Starovoit, who had held the post for less than a year, was dismissed earlier Monday amid escalating turmoil in Russia’s transport sector.

Hours later, he was reportedly found dead in a car at his home in the Odintsovo neighbourhood – marking another grim twist in the Kremlin’s growing shadow of sudden deaths.

Major channels with links to the Russian security forces reported the cause of death as suicide, claiming the minister was found dead with gunshot wounds.

The firearm, according to Russian media, was an award pistol issued to him in 2023 by the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

Some accounts say it was a Yarygin PYa pistol (Rook), or a Makarov.

Unconfirmed reports suggest he was killed using his own weapon.

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Apple has launched an appeal against an “unprecedented” €500m (£430m) fine imposed by the EU on the company, in the latest clash between US tech companies and Brussels.

The iPhone maker accused the European Commission – the EU’s executive arm – of going “far beyond what the law requires” in a dispute over its app store.

In April, the commission fined Apple €500m after finding the company had breached the Digital Markets Act by preventing app developers from steering users to cheaper deals outside the app store.

Last month, Apple overhauled its app store rules to comply with the EU order to scrap its technical and commercial curbs on developers in order to avoid fines of 5% of its average daily worldwide revenue, or about €50m a day.

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When ministers announced major changes to welfare, many were left in shock that such deep cuts would be enacted by a Labour government, despite the urgent need to address the spiraling cost of benefits. But thanks to strong opposition from disabled people, organisations and rebel Labour MPs, many of the proposals were amended or removed before the bill passed through parliament.

The Guardian spent time with dissenting voices in the run-up to the vote, to learn what was at stake for disabled people, already disproportionately affected by rising poverty in the UK. You can watch the video report here:

‘Voting Labour is my biggest regret’: UK government’s betrayal of disabled people – video

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The EU is entering a crunch week with only two days of talks left to secure a trade deal with Washinton to avert Donald Trump’s threatened 50% tariff on its imports into the US.

According to the US treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, on Friday, the negotiations – which continued over the weekend – are focussed on 15 to 18 agreements with important partners, while Trump warned of import tax rates of up to 70% on others.

The uncertainty created by Washington has sent shock waves through the global economy. Businesses have paused investment and the dollar posted its worst performance in 50 years in the first half of the year.

With the clock ticking down to Trump’s 9 July deadline, the European Commission remains uncertain how he will treat the bloc, threatening €1.6tn of transatlantic trade.

“Among member states, the big question will be whether we should reach a deal at all costs to avoid a trade war, or show muscle if the deal is not good enough,” one EU diplomat said.

The German chancellor, , has said he wants a quick UK-style deal to avert a full-scale trade war, while the French president, Emmanuel Macron, favours holding out for a better deal if a rushed deal is “imbalanced”.

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Russia said Sunday it had captured two more settlements in east Ukraine, one in the Donetsk region and one in the Kharkiv region.

Ukraine did not immediately comment on Russia’s claims.

Moscow has been grinding forward on the front line for over a year, pressing its advantage against overstretched and outmanned Ukrainian troops.

On Sunday, Russia said it had captured the village of Piddubne in Donetsk and Sobolivka in Kharkiv.

Piddubne was home to around 500 people before the conflict and lies just 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the border of Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk region.

The Sobolivka village lies some 3 kilometers (2 miles) west of the town of Kupiansk, outside of areas Russia claims it is holding, according to battlefield maps by the U.S.-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW).

In two separate Telegram posts, the Russian Defense Ministry said its army units had “liberated” the settlements of Poddubnoye and Sobolevka, using Russian spellings for the localities.

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LONDON — LONDON (AP) — King Charles III led commemorations Monday on the 20th anniversary of the 2005 London transit bombings, the deadliest attack on the British capital since World War II.

Fifty-two people died and more than 700 were wounded when four British men inspired by al-Qaida blew themselves up on three subway trains and a bus during the morning rush hour on July 7, 2005. They were the first suicide bombings on European soil.

Two weeks later, four other bombers attempted a similar attack, but their devices failed to explode. No one was hurt.

The bombings remain seared into London’s collective memory, and the anniversary will be marked with a ceremony at the 7/7 memorial in Hyde Park and a service of commemoration at St. Paul’s Cathedral.

In a message, the king said his “heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible summer’s day.”

He said the country could take heart from the bravery of the emergency services and others who responded to the attack, and “the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day.”

Charles also hailed the “spirit of unity that has helped London, and our nation, to heal.”

“As we remember those we lost, let us, therefore, use this 20th anniversary to reaffirm our commitment to building a society where people of all faiths and backgrounds can live together with mutual respect and understanding, always standing firm against those who would seek to divide us,” he said.

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U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened an additional 10% tariff on countries that orient themselves along the “Anti-American policies of BRICS.”

Trump’s announcement, which did not elaborate on any specific policy of BRICS, came as the group’s meeting is underway in Rio de Janeiro.

The bloc’s leaders appeared to take aim at Trump’s sweeping tariff policies in a joint statement on Sunday, warning against “unjustified unilateral protectionist measures, including the indiscriminate increase of reciprocal tariffs.”

Without calling out the U.S., the leaders voiced “serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO rules,” warning that the “proliferation of trade-restrictive actions” threaten to disrupt the global economy and worsen the existing economic disparities.

“Any Country aligning themselves with the Anti-American policies of BRICS, will be charged an ADDITIONAL 10% Tariff. There will be no exceptions to this policy,” Trump said in a post Sunday evening stateside on Truth Social.

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A minister fired by Vladimir Putin has been found dead just hours after he was sacked from his position.

The body of Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit, 53, has been discovered inside his vehicle with fatal gunshot wounds. It’s believed he was killed with his own gun, according to reports. There is no official confirmation at the moment, but major channels with links to the Russian security forces reported the death, with preliminary information from these channels suggesting suicide was the cause.

A firearm was found near Starovoit’s body at his home in the village of Myakinino, in the Odintsovo district of Moscow region. Reports said the pistol was an award weapon received from the leadership of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2023.

Russian transport minister Roman Starovoit(Image: Social media/east2west news)

The minister was axed by the dictator in a decree today for unspecified reasons. His sacking came amid unprecedented flight chaos in Russia linked to Ukrainian drones, with thousands of services delayed or cancelled. He was also sacked amid unconfirmed rumours of a corruption probe.

Starovoit was the governor of the Kursk region shortly before the Ukrainian Armed Forces took over a swathe of its territory last year.

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While Americans and foreign nationals continue to protest and riot in the United States under the slogan “no human is illegal,” a very different sentiment is emerging at our southern border.

It turns out that open-border policies are largely a phenomenon of the Western world, while most other countries show little interest in taking on the world’s challenges. Who would’ve thought?

Rioters in Mexico City are demanding that Americans stop moving to the United States, as they claim gentrification is affecting that area and making housing unaffordable for everyone else.

LOL. If legal immigration causes this much trouble, just imagine the toll illegal immigration causes for America.

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At least 21 people were killed in a road accident in Nigeria’s northwestern Kano state on Sunday, said the Federal Road Safety CorpsPreliminary investigations revealed that a commercial passenger vehicle was driving against the traffic on the Zaria-Karo expressway, violating established road safety regulations. The vehicle then collided head-on with a heavy-duty truck.The commercial driver “contravened established traffic regulations, drove against traffic flow, resulting in a fatal head-on collision with the oncoming truck,” reported AP quoting the Federal Road Safety CorpsOf the passengers, only three survived the crash with injuries. The victims included 19 men and two women.Deadly road accidents are a frequent occurrence on Nigeria’s highways. According to the agency’s 2024 data, 5,421 people have died in 9,570 road incidents across the country so far this year.

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So Iran is still waging war through their proxies.

Since President Trump brokered the ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Iran’s proxy the Houthis have been launching missiles into Israeli cities from Yemen. Israel rightfully retaliated harshly against the brutal terror state. Israel is doing the world an enormous favor by decapitating Iran and it’s terror proxies.

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The United States will impose 25% blanket tariffs on imports from Japan and South Korea starting Aug. 1, President Donald Trump revealed Monday.

Trump, in a pair of Truth Social posts, shared screenshots of letters apparently sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myung dictating the new tariff rates.

The two form letters appear to be the first of what Trump said could be as many as 15 letters sent between Monday and Wednesday, the deadline when his so-called reciprocal tariffs on dozens of countries were scheduled to snap back to the higher levels he had set in April.

U.S. financial markets fell to session lows on news of the letters. The Dow Jones Industrial Average shed 447 points, or 1%. The S&P 500 lost 0.8%, and the Nasdaq Composite dropped 0.9%.