World

An electronic display in the dealing room of Hana Bank in Seoul, South Korea, shows the state of play of the benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index at the close on Thursday after investors dumped stocks in response to Trump’s “Liberation Day” tariffs announcement. Markets around the world extended losses into a second day on Friday. Photo by Yonhap/ EPA-EFE

Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, having initially calmly called Trump’s 24% levy on Japanese goods “unfortunate,” set alarm bells ringing Friday by telling lawmakers the country was facing a national crisis.”

Ishiba said he would seek urgent talks with Trump, most likely by phone in the first instance. Opposition leaders urged Ishiba to seek a face-to-face meeting.

Analysts warned the tariffs, taken together with the 25% levy on cars, could trigger an economic recession, with the potential to shave more than 0.7% off Japanese economic growth in the first year and inflict a negative 2% hit to Japanese GDP growth in the medium term.

Markets in Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong and China were closed for a holiday Friday. That didn’t stop China from retaliating to the hefty tariffs on its imports, announcing 34% tariffs of its own on U.S. goods coming into the country.

In Europe, the sell-off continued from where it left off on Thursday, with the blue-chip FTSE 100 Index in London trading 1.78% lower, down 150 points at 8,324 in mid-morning trade, with the pace of the decline gaining momentum from Thursday when the index lost 1.6% of its value.

In Frankfurt, Germany’s main Xetra DAX index was down more than 540 points, around 2.5%, while France’s CAC 40 was off by 2.2% and the wider Stoxx 50, the eurozone’s blue-chip index, was down 2.6%.

The disarray in the markets came as the International Monetary Fund issued a warning of “significant risk” to the global economy from Trump’s tariff measures imposing minimum 10% tariffs on all U.S. trading partners, with some slapped with rates of more than 50%.

“We are still assessing the macroeconomic implications of the announced tariff measures, but they clearly represent a significant risk to the global outlook at a time of sluggish growth,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said in a statement.

“It is important to avoid steps that could further harm the world economy. We appeal to the United States and its trading partners to work constructively to resolve trade tensions and reduce uncertainty.”

Georgieva said the United Nation-funded body would have more to say about the impact when it published its latest assessment of the prospects for global growth at the IMF/World Bank Spring Meetings in Washington, April 21 through April 26.

After-hours trading in the United States signaled another tumultuous day ahead for U.S. markets with CNBC reporting the data showed the Dow Industrial Average heading for another 1,000-point plunge Friday.

Premarket activity saw declines in bank shares and companies highly exposed to China, mostly tech giants, with Apple and Qualcomm stock falling 5% and 6%. Tesla was down 5% and Nvidia around 4%.

Trump remained upbeat, telling reporters Thursday night that it was all going according to plan and that he was determined to stay the course.

“I think it’s going very well. It was an operation. Like when a patient gets operated on and it’s a big thing. I said this would exactly be the way it is,” adding that countries impacted were now beating a path to his door in hopes of “making a deal.

“The markets are going to boom, the stock is going to boom, the country is going to boom, and the rest of the world wants to see is there any way they can make a deal. They’ve taken advantage of us for many, many years. For many years we’ve been at the wrong side of the ball. And I’ll tell you what, I think it’s going to be unbelievable.”

Memo to President Trump and Elon Musk:

If you keep messing with Social Security, Seal Beach Leisure World is coming for you.

Members of two groups, Seniors for Peace and the Democratic Club, gathered Tuesday outside a clubhouse on the 500-acre property to plan a weekend demonstration and distribute flyers that warned:

“Hands Off Social Security, Medicare & Medicaid!”

Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez is a California native who has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001. He has won more than a dozen national journalism awards and is a four-time Pulitzer finalist.

Most of the 15 rabble-rousers, ranging in age from 60s to 80s, raised a hand when I asked if their monthly budgets rely heavily on Social Security checks. And they’re ticked off that Musk, a gazillionaire, has called Social Security a ponzi scheme and orchestrated the elimination of thousands of jobs in the agency.

But is a there a genuine threat to the preservation of a sacred, 90-year-old American promise, given majority support for entitlement programs across party lines?

“Yes, it’s absolutely real,” Dan Larkin said. “Right now we don’t have but one branch of government, and that’s the executive branch. [Trump is] able to do whatever he wants with impunity. … It’s terrifying.”

“It’s our money,” said Shel Magnuson, noting that employees contribute to Social Security through payroll deductions during their working years.

William Bruce, center in a blue shirt, talks to fellow members of Seniors for Peace and the Democratic Club in Leisure World Seal Beach.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

“I’ve been paying in since I was a kid,” Larkin added.

Ray Olsowka, who plans to demonstrate Saturday under the big Leisure World globe at the main gate on Seal Beach Boulevard, said he had an idea for a protest sign directed at Musk, DOGE’s rabid Doberman and SpaceX founder.

“Please Fly to Mars.”

As you might have imagined, not every one of the more than 9,000 residents of the 55-and-older community is lining up against Trump and Musk, although one resident cruises the grounds in a golf cart that sports a big laminated sign that lists the “Early Warning Signs of Fascism.”

Roughly one-third are registered Republicans, one-third are Democrats and one-third have no party affiliation, according to William Bruce, president of the Democratic Club.

“There’s a lot of MAGA here,” said Pamela Mills-Sen, who aligns with the anti-Trump corps and thinks the president is drawing from the Putin playbook, trying to “financially and emotionally” marginalize people and sap them of the energy and resources to fight back.

But Don Horning, president of the Leisure World Republican Club, has an entirely different perspective. He likes what he’s been seeing from Trump and Musk, and said his perspective is informed by his own government service.

Horning said he and his wife, Hope, are U.S. Navy veterans who worked in Veterans Administration healthcare. They think claims of bureaucratic bloat and misspent tax dollars are legit across all levels of government, and he noted that in California, undocumented immigrants qualify for Medi-Cal.

Horning, who spoke with me at the clubhouse and by phone the day before, said it would be “very sad” if retirees were to see a decline in benefits. But he said that, as he sees the math, there aren’t enough working people paying into entitlement programs to support the growing population of recipients, and in the absence of assured solvency, something’s got to be done.

“No matter what happens, there will always be an issue with funding for Social Security,” Horning said. “The DOGE effort can do nothing but help, because it’s fighting all of the waste.”

Donald Horning is president of the Leisure World Republican Club.

(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)

Is there waste in government spending, and room for greater efficiencies?

No doubt, but Social Security has operated relatively efficiently for nearly a century, keeping millions out of poverty, and Musk’s claims of widespread fraud have not been backed up.

Across the full spectrum of federal programs targeted by Trump, we are not witnessing precision strikes for the sake of improved services and the common good. Trump, Musk and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. are like kids playing with dynamite. The enemies include public schools, higher ed, scientific research, healthcare, the courts, and anyone who has a difference of opinion.

Jeffrey Mulqueen, president of Leisure World Seniors for Peace, said that when he worked as a school superintendent in Massachusetts, he saw the need to trim administrative costs and cut budgets. But he said he acted in the interest of improving services and outcomes rather than making indiscriminate cuts.

“What we see now is that they’re just taking a hatchet to the federal budget,” Mulqueen said. “If the mission at Social Security is to … protect and support the most vulnerable members of our community, like seniors and those with disabilities, and children … they can do that in a way that makes sense and saves money.”

But there’s an ulterior motive at play, according to Bruce.

“I think the Trump administration really wants to cut back on things so that they can fund their tax breaks that they implemented during his first term,” the Dem Club president said.

Trump has said he does not intend to scale back Social Security benefits, but the Leisure World cynics don’t believe him. They cited thousands of firings at what critics had already called an understaffed agency, and they also cited news accounts of chaos and website crashes that have made it hard for beneficiaries to access their online accounts.

“Trump and Musk and the GOP are … trying to make it fail from the inside out,” said Mills-Senn.

Larkin tapped his phone, trying to get into the Social Security website, and showed me the response:

“Online service not available. We’re sorry but the online service you requested isn’t available right now. We apologize for the inconvenience.”

This is happening at a time when those on fixed budgets could be hit with higher prices for consumer goods thanks to Trump’s tariffs, and may see their nest eggs threatened by stock market volatility.

Lily McCoy is concerned about her own Social Security benefits and her son’s disability checks, but she’s worried about much more than that. She’s the one who tools around Leisure World in a golf cart flying an American flag and showcasing the placard that lists the “Early Warning Signs of Fascism.”

The signs include “identification of enemies as a unifying cause,” “controlled mass media,” “corporate power protected,” “labor power suppressed,” “disdain for intellectuals and the arts,” “obsession with crime and punishment,”and “rampant cronyism & corruption.”

Yep, all sounds frighteningly familiar.

McCoy — who intends to join the Saturday protest — said she’s gotten cheers and barbs from fellow residents, and she had two words of advice for a neighbor who gave her a hard time:

“Keep walking.”

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A new round-the-world-in-100-days train journey will launch next year, visiting some of the world’s top destinations — however it comes with a hefty price tag

A new train journey will take you around the entire world in 100 days – if you can stump up the hefty price of a ticket.

New tour operator named Adventures By Train has announced its flagship tour, Around the World by Train in 100 is now available for bookings at a general price of £112,900. The first departure scheduled is for March 17 next year and only 12 people will be able to join the inaugural journey. Those booking as a couple do get a slight saving on each ticket, as it would lower the price to £89,950 each.

READ MORE: Spanish island sees tourism numbers rocket before summer and it’s not because of Brits

Adventures by Train director Jim Louth said: “Trip provides the perfect mix of world-class rail travel with hand-picked immersive experiences in optimum comfort”. A total of 14 countries (France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Türkiye, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, China, Japan, Canada and the USA) will be visited, reports Time Out.

The 100-day itinerary sees passengers travel through both the Swiss and Austrian Alps, experience sleeper trains through central Asia, enjoy the thrill of China’s high-speed rail network to Xian, venture on Japan’s ‘shinkansen’ bullet train and voyage on the California Zephyr Amtrak route through the Rocky Mountains in America.

As for activities, there is plenty to keep passengers entertained as they’ll enjoy wine in Georgia, undertake marble workshops in Türkiye, enjoy classical concerts in Vienna, Austria, taste different cuisines on a food tour in Kyoto, Japan, and plod around UNESCO-protected Khiva, the city of a thousand minarets, in Uzbekistan.

In addition to train life, 23 days will be spent on the North Pacific Passage Luxury Cruise from Tokyo in Japan to Vancouver in Canada. There will also be a seven-night crossing of the Atlantic Ocean on the Queen Mary 2 from New York to Southampton.

It doesn’t stop there — as passengers will also experience a 24-30 hour trip from Azerbaijan to Kazakhstan and an overnight one from Shanghai in China to Osaka, in Japan.

Travellers will also get to stay at some of the world’s most outstanding hotels, including the Fairmont Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China, Shangri-La in Vancouver, Canada, and The Langham New York Fifth Avenue, in America. A stop in Türkiye also includes Istanbul’s Pera Palace, where Agatha Christie famously penned Murder On The Orient Express.

This over £1,000-a-day trip, obviously requires a lot of packing — however, passengers will be constrianed to packing small bags, small enough to fit in overhead lockers. Consequently, the tour operator will give passengers $100 (£78) per person per hotel for laundry services.

Next year, the Circle Pacific cruise will also launch which will travel 29,000 nautical miles, visiting 19 countries and 60 destinations. Passengers can choose from either a 115-day roundtrip from LA, America, or the 131-day journey from Fort Lauderdale, America through the Panama Canal.

April 4 (UPI) — Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada has announced reciprocal tariffs on U.S.-made vehicles as President Donald Trump‘s sweeping tariffs went into effect, sending shockwaves through the global financial system and straining international relations with Washington.

Trump imposed tariffs on 180 global trading partners on Wednesday, including punitive measures against 60 nations, sparking concerns about the risk they pose to the global financial system. Stock markets worldwide on Thursday plunged, including Wall Street, in response.

Canada avoided the reciprocal tariffs, but previously announced 25% tariffs on Canadian-made automobiles went into effect on Thursday. In response, Canada was imposing a reciprocal 25% tariff on U.S.-made vehicles, Carney announced Thursday during a press conference.

“Yesterday marked the latest in President Trump’s unprecedented series of U.S. tariffs that are designed to reshape the international trading system,” he said, stating the tariffs will “rupture the global economy and adversely affect global growth.”

The Canadian tariffs apply to fully fabricated U.S.-made vehicles that do not comply with the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement. Auto parts, which frequently cross the U.S.-Canada border multiple times, are not affected.

Revenue generated from the Canada tariffs will be used to support Canadian auto workers and the domestic industry, which was already feeling the negative effects of Trump’s economic measures.

Unifor Local 444 said it has been notified by Stellantis that its Windsor, Ont., plant will be closed for at least two weeks starting Monday due to Trump’s tariffs, putting thousands of employees out of work.

“This has and continues to create uncertainty across the entire auto industry, Unifor Local 444 president James Stewart said in a statement announcing the plant’s closure. “This is not just affecting our plant — it’s impacting facilities in the U.S. and Mexico as well.”

The auto tariffs are the third batch from the United States to be imposed against Canada, after Trump imposed 25% tariffs on Canadian goods and 10% on energy and potash exports on March 4 and 25% tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum products on March 14. A fourth round of 25% tariffs on certain automobile parts is expected to go into effect before May 3.

“While they have been imposed under different premises, some things are consistent: They are all unjustified, unwarranted and in, our judgment, misguided and we are already seeing the consequences,” Carney said.

Trump, who has long used tariffs to address trade deficits, first announced he would hit Ottawa, as well as Mexico and China, with the economic punitive measures in November as president-elect over allegations that Canada permitted fentanyl and migrants to enter the United States through their shared border.

Though the number of drugs and migrants entering the United States is comparatively minuscule compared to its southern border, Canada has imposed measures to curb both, while also enacting counter tariffs against Washington.

In his remarks Thursday, Carney did not mince words in stating that the once-strong relationship between the United States and Canada has now been fundamentally altered.

“The global economy is fundamentally different today than it was yesterday. The system of global trade anchored on the United States that Canada has relied on since the Second World War — a system that, well, not perfect, has helped deliver prosperity to our country for decades — is over,” he said.

“our old relationship of steadily increasing integration with the United States is over.

Describing the current state of the U.S.-Canada relationship and the global economic situation due to Trump’s tariffs a “tragedy,” Carney acknowledged that it is “also the new reality.” He stated that Canada will challenge the U.S. tariffs in court as illegal while strengthening deeper relations with other nations, including Mexico and Europe.

Trump’s tariffs against nearly all trading partners sent U.S. markets plummeting on Thursday, with the Dow Jones falling 4%, the S&P 500 nearly 5% and the Nasdaq Composite 6%.

The International Monetary Fund said in an statement emailed to UPI that it was still assessing the macroeconomic implications of the mass tariffs, “but they clearly represent a significant risk to the global outlook at a time of sluggish growth.”

“We appeal to the United States and its trading partners to work constructively to resolve trade tensions and reduce uncertainty,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said.

The court found that Yoon’s actions were serious enough to warrant his removal from office, Moon said, as he committed a “grave infringement of citizens’ rights.”

The decision closed a chapter on a months-long saga that has roiled the country and shaken Seoul’s international standing, although concerns remain about whether it will further divide a deeply polarized country.

A new presidential election must now be held within 60 days. Yoon, who did not attend court for the reading of the verdict, becomes the second South Korean president to leave office through impeachment, after President Park Geun-hye in 2017.

The leadership vacuum comes amid daunting international challenges for the country, analysts noted.

“Today’s ruling means South Korea remains without an elected president for another two months just as U.S. President [Donald] Trump hits the country with 25% tariffs and teases resuming direct diplomacy with North Korea‘s Kim Jong Un,” Sean King, senior vice president and East Asia expert at New York-based consulting firm Park Strategies, told UPI. “South Korea’s effectively leaderless at a critical time.”

Yoon, a 64-year-old former prosecutor, was impeached on Dec. 14 by the National Assembly over his shocking and short-lived declaration of martial law earlier in the month.

The Constitutional Court had the final say on whether to formally remove Yoon from office and a lengthy trial was concluded on Feb. 25. A decision was widely expected by mid-March, based on the timelines of two previous impeachment proceedings.

Instead, the drawn-out deliberation process sparked massive rallies on both sides of the issue, with hundreds of thousands of anxious protesters descending on central Seoul each weekend.

Police were at their highest alert level in the hours leading up to the decision Friday, completely closing off a 500-foot radius around the courthouse in what acting police chief Lee Ho-young described as a “vacuum state.”

Buses and large portable fences were erected as barriers on streets surrounding the downtown courthouse and some 14,000 officers were deployed in Seoul. Schools and kindergartens within a radius of roughly half a mile of the court were closed on Friday, along with nearby national museums and popular tourist attractions.

A no-fly zone was imposed over the court, with police employing signal jammers for unauthorized drones. The South Korean military also said that it would bolster its surveillance operations against North Korea on the day of the impeachment decision.

The United States Assembly in Seoul canceled routine consular services on Friday and warned citizens to avoid large crowds and demonstrations related to the verdict.

Ahead of the decision, thousands of protesters on both sides of the issue continued to rally, with one faction calling for Yoon’s impeachment holding an overnight vigil outside a subway station near the court.

Yoon claimed that he declared martial law on Dec. 3 to protect the public from “pro-North Korea anti-state forces” in the Democratic Party that were obstructing his agenda and paralyzing the government. Lawmakers were able to overturn the martial law decree hours later in a dramatic early-morning vote held as special forces troops dispatched by Yoon stormed the Assembly.

The impeached president has also continued to repeat unsubstantiated claims of election fraud alongside intimations of other nefarious North Korean and Chinese plots.

Yoon’s supporters have echoed and amplified the conspiracies on platforms such as YouTube, with their demonstrations at times turning violent. In January, dozens of angry protesters stormed Seoul’s Western District Court after Yoon was formally arrested for his martial law attempt, breaking windows, destroying property and injuring 17 police officers.

Public opinion has remained solidly in favor of Yoon’s removal from office. In a survey released on Friday ahead of the verdict by pollster Gallup Korea, 57% percent of respondents said Yoon’s impeachment should be upheld, while 37% said it should be dismissed.

Yoon is still facing a separate criminal trial on insurrection charges, which is slated to begin on April 14. He was being held in a detention center near Seoul, but was released in March.

As with many of his political positions, President Trump’s extraordinary new tariffs are based on the presumption that the United States is being treated unfairly by the rest of the world.

He proclaims his tariffs are merely “reciprocal.” “They do it to us, and we do it to them,” Trump said. “Very simple.”

But are the new levies on foreign goods sold in the U.S. truly “reciprocal”?

No, not by any commonly agreed definition of the term.

“A ‘reciprocal’ tariff is one that is equal to the tariff rate charged on our exports to them,” Brad DeLong, a professor of economics at UC Berkeley, said via email. “Vietnam’s tariff on our exports . . . averages 10%. That is not the 46% rate that Trump has imposed” on Vietnam.

The Trump administration tariffs are not even based on the tariffs other countries impose. Instead, they are derived using a novel calculation that focuses on America’s trade deficits with other nations. And the levies Trump said he intends to impose on goods will often be much higher than the ones they charge on American imports.

Here’s how the Trump administration calculated the new tariffs: It took the U.S. trade deficit with individual trading partners, then divided it by U.S. imports from that partner. It then divided that total in half. Thus, Trump claims that his tariffs are not only reciprocal but “discounted.”

Trump’s acknowledgment that the calculations were not based on other nations’ tariffs alone is demonstrated in one of his social media posts. A chart laying out the new tariffs contends the charges by other nations include “currency manipulation and trade barriers.” To Trump, the new duties are “reciprocal” because they respond to another country’s actions, even if the new U.S. tariffs are much higher.

What the post does not acknowledge is that a substantial portion of the advantage other nations have in trade is tied to lower operating costs, particularly the lower wages and benefits that their workers earn, which are unrelated to tariffs.

Trump Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick insisted that the charges will pay dividends in the long run, as foreign companies — stung by the tariffs — decide to move their factories to the U.S. “Global governments have backed taking our factories away from us,” Lutnick told Newsmax. “But what you’re going to see is the most modern factories of the world come back here.”

Trump has insisted that by effectively raising taxes on imports from other countries, he will help drive down America’s trade deficit. Most economists polled on that notion aren’t buying it.

Fifty-eight percent of the economists surveyed by the Kent A. Clark Center for Global Markets at the University of Chicago disagreed with the claim that America’s trade deficit would grow smaller because of the higher tariffs. Forty-one percent said they were unsure. Only 1% of economists said they thought the Trump move would improve America’s balance of trade.

Trump’s view of international trade is also overly simplistic in that it attends only to the material goods the U.S. sells overseas and how much other nations sell in the U.S. without accounting for professional services that America sells in other countries, said Jesse Rothstein, another UC Berkeley economist.

“With many of these countries, and generally with the world, we have a trade surplus when it comes to services,” Rothstein said. “So they send us cheap clothing and we send them accounting services. It’s a good deal. We would much rather be getting paid as accountants than getting paid as garment workers.”

Virginia Giuffre, center, exits the U.S. Federal Courthouse in New York City on August, 27, 2019, and recently claimed to suffer life-threatening injuries in a disputed accident in Australia. File Photo by Alba Vigaray/EPA-EFE

Giuffre, 41, lives in Perth and on Tuesday posted photos on social media showing her laying in a hospital bed with a badly bruised face and chest.

She claimed to have “four days to live” and said a bus traveling 68 mph struck a vehicle in which she was a passenger.

The accident caused life-threatening kidney renal failure, Giuffre said.

A West Australian police report of the accident says a “minor” collision occurred between a bus and car after 3 p.m. local time on March 24 in Neergabby, which is 12 miles north of Perth.

“The collision was reported by the bus driver the following day. The car sustained approximately $2,000 worth of damage,” a police spokesperson said. “There were no reported injuries as a result of the crash.”

Munns had 16 years of bus-driving experience and disputes Giuffre’s claim.

He said the bus was traveling at about 46 mph with 29 school children aboard when he tried to pass a slow-moving vehicle driven by a 71-year-old woman.

As he began overtaking the slow vehicle, Munns said the driver suddenly turned into his path.

His bus clipped the vehicle and damaged its taillight, Munns said, so he stopped and exchanged information with the elderly woman, who confirmed she was unhurt.

Munns said he thought the accident was suspicious and reported it the next day despite not being required to do so.

He also called the elderly driver, and she told him a passenger in her car suffered a black eye.

Munns said he did not know a passenger was in the vehicle and was shocked to see Giuffre’s post on social media.

“I didn’t see her in the car,” Munns told media. “The driver basically pulled out in front of me. I made sure she was alright.”

He said the two talked briefly and parted ways, adding, “It wasn’t a major crash.”

Giuffre is a mother of three and previously accused financier Jeffrey Epstein of sex trafficking and said England’s Prince Andrew had sex with her while she was a teen.

She is scheduled to appear in Joondalup Magistrates Court on Wednesday for allegedly violating a family violence restraining order.

The alleged offense occurred on Feb. 2 in the Ocean Reef suburb of northern Perth.

Seven-time winner Ronnie O’Sullivan will give himself “as much time as possible” to decide whether to compete at the World Snooker Championship.

The Englishman, 49, has been an ever-present at the Crucible since turning professional in 1992 and would be going for a record eighth world title in the modern era.

However, he has not played on the World Snooker Tour (WST) since January, when he withdrew from his Championship League group – and was so frustrated with his game that he snapped his cue after losing four of his five matches.

O’Sullivan subsequently pulled out of the Masters at Alexandra Palace on medical grounds, missed the German Masters in Berlin and apologised to fans after electing not to play at the Welsh Open.

He also withdrew from the World Grand Prix in Hong Kong in March, increasing speculation he may not return to action in Sheffield, where he is one of the seeds.

“I don’t know yet. I haven’t made my mind up, I’ll probably make a decision on maybe 17 or 18 April,” O’Sullivan said on TNT Sports.

“I don’t know when I’m due to play my first match, so I’m going to try and leave myself as much time as possible.

“I’d love to be able to go there and play. I’d love to be able to have the confidence to be able to get my cue out and go and play snooker.

“I just need to give myself as much time as possible to see where I’m at with it, and see whether it’s something I’m going to be able to do.”

The World Championship, which is regarded as the sport’s toughest test, begins on 19 April and runs for 17 days until 5 May.

Qualification for the event ends on 16 April and if ‘The Rocket’ were to withdraw on the eve of the tournament, it would mean a qualifier receiving a bye to the second round.

SAN JOSÉ, Costa Rica — Former Costa Rica President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Oscar Arias says the U.S. government’s unexplained cancellation of his visa won’t stop his public criticism.

Arias, 84, told the AP on Wednesday that he received an email from the U.S. State Department on Tuesday, notifying him of the decision. The brief email said that the decision “is based on the fact that subsequent to visa issuance, information has come to light that you may be ineligible for your visa.”

It said that if Arias wanted to travel to the U.S. he would have to reapply. The U.S. State Department did not explain the decision.

He spoke shortly after President Trump announced a wave of tariffs against dozens of its trading partners around the world, including a 10% duty on imports from Costa Rica.

It made no sense coming from the country that pushed free trade around the world and signed dozens of free-trade treaties, Arias said.

“History proves it. You can empirically analyze that those countries with more open economies and more free trade are the ones that have grown more and have been able to improve in little time,” he said. Arias was the biggest promoter of the free trade agreement that the U.S. signed with Central America.

Arias says he doesn’t know why his visa was revoked, but acknowledged that Washington may not have liked his comments on the war in Ukraine, the U.S. commercial conflict with China or the situation in Gaza.

“Another of the big issues has been disarmament, spending less on weapons and soldiers to free up resources,” he said. “To give them to education, healthcare and protecting the environment and so many other priorities there are in the world to benefit humankind.”

The decision to dismantle the U.S. Agency for International Development, which addressed basic human needs around the world, confounds Arias.

“What it all shows is that the priorities are all mistaken and the priorities are all mistaken because the ethical values are mistaken,” Arias said.

Arias said he isn’t losing sleep over the decision.

“The United States already gave me 93 honorary degrees,” he said. “They aren’t going to give me any more. The main reason for my trips [to the U.S.] was to receive those doctorates. I would have preferred this didn’t happen because I admire that country, I admire it’s people.”

Cordoba writes for the Associated Press.

Eight OPEC oil producing nations Thursday agreed to boost crude oil production by 411,000 barrels a day, lowering prices by 6%. The increase was much more than expected and starts in May. President of the Opec Conference and Saudi Arabian Energy, Industry and Mineral Resources Minister Khalid Al-Falih seen during a news conference at OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria, May 25 2017. File photo by Lisi Niesner/EPA/EFE

“The gradual increases may be paused or reversed subject to evolving market conditions. This flexibility will allow the group to continue to support oil market stability,” OPEC said in a statement.

The move sent oil prices lower by 5.94% for Ice Brent which was at $70.50 a barrel in London trading.

Nymex WTI prices were down 6.41% at $67.11 per barrel.

The OPEC countries were expected to ramp up production by just under 140,000 barrels a day.

They said this move will increase the compensation of the nations producing more oil.

The added production is equivalent to three monthly increments of increases, according to OPEC.

It comes as the 8 nations are ending a voluntary reduction in their crude oil output of 2.2 million barrels a day.

The larger 22-member OPEC organization has a cut of 3.66 million barrels a day still in force through the end of 2026.

If the filmmaking duo known as Daniels had not named their Oscar-winning movie “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” it would have been the perfect title for a tribute to Laurence Fishburne.

Since his breakthrough as the energetic “Mr. Clean” in 1979’s “Apocalypse Now,” the actor has been a ubiquitous presence in Hollywood and beyond, shifting seamlessly from hit franchises (“The Matrix” and “John Wick”) to groundbreaking films (“Boyz N the Hood,”) to television (“black-ish”) and theater (“Thurgood” and the recent Broadway revival of David Mamet’s “American Buffalo”). He also writes and directs, and has been recruited to lend his distinctive voice to animated movies, video games and podcasts.

The latest entry in that voluminous output is 20th Century Studios’ action-espionage drama “The Amateur,” starring Rami Malek as Charlie Heller, a talented CIA analyst who undertakes a mission of vengeance after his wife is killed in a terrorist attack. Fishburne is Henderson, a retired colonel specializing in training field agents who comes into Heller’s orbit.

And although Fishburne is in only a handful of scenes, his formidable presence adds gravitas to the entire film.

James Hawes, who directed “The Amateur,” praised the actor’s “enigmatic nature” and his ability to project simultaneous danger and charm: “He was the first name on the list for this role.”

Laurence Fishburne and Rami Malek in “The Amateur.”

(John Wilson / 20th Century Studios)

“The Amateur,” in theaters April 11, drops into a dizzying schedule for Fishburne, a strong indicator that although he is marking his 50th anniversary in show business, he shows no sign of slowing down. It also raises the question of whether he finds time to sleep.

He recently responded to the query with a deep, booming laugh. “Yes, I do,” he said while taking a break from a photo shoot at a Hollywood studio. “I sleep very well.”

You’d be forgiven for assuming otherwise. March, for instance, was occupied by theater work: Fishburne was joined by Titus Welliver (“Bosch”) in a staged reading/revival of his first produced play as a playwright, 1995’s “Riff Raff,” and he closed out the month in “Like They Do in the Movies,” the one-man show he wrote and stars in about “the stories and lies people have told me. And that I have told myself.” He hopes to tour the production over the next few years.

Upcoming projects on the big and small screens include South by Southwest premiere “The Astronaut,” starring Kate Mara as a woman encountering strange happenings following her return from a NASA mission, and the fourth season of Netflix’s fantasy-drama “The Witcher” (“It’s a new kind of character and world for me,” he said.).

Despite his accomplishments, though, Fishburne still thinks of himself as a young thespian hoping to get his first break.

“At this point, I can’t describe my career any other way [than] to say that I am a journeyman,” he said. “What drives me is the same thing that drove me when I first started. I’m still hungry, hungry to do good work and interesting things. I’m curious about stuff I don’t know, and that curiosity makes me bounce around.”

Laurence Fishburne poses for a portrait ahead of the actor’s strong supporting role in Disney’s new spy movie “The Amateur.”

(Jason Armond / Los Angeles Times)

Teaming up with Malek, who won a lead actor Oscar for his portrayal of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury in 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody,” fits squarely in that creative quest. Fishburne has been a fan since Malek co-starred in HBO’s epic World War II miniseries “The Pacific.”

“When I saw him in that, I felt, ‘This guy is the real deal,’ ” Fishburne recalled. The opportunity to work alongside Malek and the strength of the script were the factors that led Fishburne to sign on to the project.

“My choices are intuitive for the most part, whether a piece of material speaks to me or not, “ he said, though he admits that other factors have also come into play in the past — including one very important instance of being in the right place at the right time.

“I met John Singleton when I was doing ‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse,’ ” he said, reflecting on his first encounter with the late “Boyz N the Hood” writer-director, during his stint as Cowboy Curtis on the eccentric Saturday morning TV show.

“He was a production assistant on that show and I had just finished ‘School Daze.’ He approached me and said, ‘I want to know everything about that movie, everything about [director Spike Lee].’ And then he said, ‘Why are you doing this kids’ show?’ I said, ‘I need a job. I gotta work.’ My wife had just had our first baby and a second child was on the way. I had bought a house and had a mortgage.”

Reflecting on some of his more well-known work, as well as some “deep cuts,” Fishburne was upbeat, his trademark laugh punctuating many of his memories: “I love what I do, and being able to do it in many different arenas and many differing mediums makes it fun. I feel I’m fulfilling my purpose.”

Fishburne in “Apocalypse Now.”

(CBS Photo Archive / CBS via Getty Images)

‘Apocalypse Now’ (1979)

Fishburne was only 14 when he began filming his breakthrough performance, the first of his collaborations with director Francis Ford Coppola, which include “The Cotton Club” and “Megalopolis.”

It changed my life, set me on the path of living an artistic life. This is where I came to the realization that I could be an artist, and that there was more to this thing of being in the movies than what I thought. I discovered there was a way to be of service with this talent I’ve been given. Whenever I happen across this film when it comes on, I see Larry Fishburne, the kid.

‘Death Wish II’ (1982)

The sequel to the hit 1974 film starring Charles Bronson as architect-turned-vigilante Paul Kersey featured Fishburne as a gang member named Cutter who targets Kersey’s family. Things do not end well for him.

I needed a job. I went to the audition and they said, “OK, you guys have to rape this chair.” So I jumped in and sexually assaulted a chair. Got the gig. It was an honor to share the screen with Charles Bronson — and to get wasted by him.

Fishburne with Paul Reubens in “Pee-wee’s Playhouse.”

(Michael Ochs Archives / Getty Images)

‘Pee-wee’s Playhouse’ (1986-90)

Fishburne played Cowboy Curtis in Paul Reubens’ groundbreaking show that appealed to kids and adults alike.

What was marvelous about “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” was that it was very experimental. It was not for everybody. Paul had come up with this very strange boy/man. He and Paul Paragon and Lynn Marie Stewart from the Groundlings said, “We need a cowboy.” I said, “OK.” I did this very serious gunslinger, like Yul Brynner from “The Magnificent Seven,” because I had no hair when I auditioned. They said, “Um, can you do it lighter?” and I said, “Oh, comedy!” So I decided to be silly. I bought a jheri curl wig because that was the big thing on the West Coast. It reminded me of the thing that gave me joy when I was a child, which was “Batman” with Adam West. And it wasn’t just kids that watched. Adults watched. It was the ‘80s, so people would party all night, and then end the night by watching “Pee-wee” in the morning. I was just thrilled we did something that people enjoyed.

‘School Daze’ (1988)

Spike Lee’s musical drama, set at a top historically Black college, took on issues of colorism, “good” and “bad” hair and more. Fishburne starred as Vaughn “Dap” Dunlap, a militant student who clashes with fraternity leader Julian “Big Brother Almighty” Eaves (Giancarlo Esposito).

I love “School Daze.” I recently revisited it with my teenage daughter. It’s again one of those cultural touchstones. We hadn’t seen that world before in a movie — the only people who knew about that world were people who lived in that world. The fact that we told it musically took it to another level. The “good and bad hair” number, the “Doing Da Butt” sequence — those things are timeless. Then there’s the cast. Myself, Giancarlo, Samuel L. Jackson, Tisha Campbell, Kadeem Hardison, Jasmine Guy, Branford Marsalis. All of those people went on to wonderful work. It’s a significant achievement for Spike.

Cuba Gooding Jr., left, Fishburne and Ice Cube in “Boyz N the Hood.”

(Columbia Pictures)

‘Boyz N the Hood’ (1991)

Singleton scored an Oscar nomination for directing for his gritty coming-of-age drama set in South Los Angeles. Fishburne starred as Furious Styles, a single father trying to keep his son, Tre (Cuba Gooding), on the right path.

Another historic cinematic achievement. I was working with a first-time director who was very young but supremely confident. I trusted him because his story was authentic. He was telling his story — no lies, no fabrication.

‘Deep Cover’ (1992)

Fishburne starred as undercover cop Russell Stevens, who almost gets in over his head as he tries to bring down drug dealer David Jason (Jeff Goldblum).

That film was important as establishing myself as a leading man. It still holds up. It’s the kind of movie I always wanted to make — I saw movies like that when I was young. It’s like “Serpico” and “Baretta.” To get to play with someone like Jeff, who is so mercurial and cerebral yet is so playful — and then he goes dark — was a joy.

Fishburne with Angela Bassett in “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”

(D. Stevens / Fox)

‘What’s Love Got to Do With It’ (1993)

Fishburne and Angela Bassett scored Oscar nominations for this film about Tina Turner’s struggle to break free of her volcanic and abusive husband Ike Turner.

I love music — jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, all genres. I fully got to live out my rock ‘n’ roll fantasy. I rock a Beatle wig and knee-high boots. C’mon! Sly Stone and Billy Preston got nothing on my Ike! Yes, he was dark, but I try to keep in the light.

‘Always Outnumbered’ (1998)

The HBO adaptation of Walter Mosley’s novel “Always Outnumbered, Always Outgunned” starred Fishburne as Socrates Fortlow, an angry ex-convict trying to deal with life outside prison. Cicely Tyson and Natalie Cole co-starred.

That’s a great piece of work. Walter Mosley is a genius — I’m a huge Walter fan. Socrates was really complex and really simple at the same time. He was seething with rage, but he was also incredibly patient and compassionate because of the tragic mistakes. Natalie Cole was fabulous. She was not an actress, but she held her own in that film.

Fishburne and Keanu Reeves, left, have teamed up in two blockbuster franchises, “The Matrix” and “John Wick.”

(Chris Pizzello / Associated Press)

‘The Matrix’ (1999)

Wearing sunglasses and a heavy leather trenchcoat, Fishburne showed off his action movie chops as the enigmatic operative Morpheus in the original film and the first two sequels.

Another life-changing experience. I’m so proud to have been a part of that, one of the culturally impactful films of the last century. I had no idea it would become so iconic. But I did know it was the most original thing I had ever read. I had never come across anything like it. It’s so ingrained in the public psyche — everyone is always talking about “I’m going down the rabbit hole” or “red pill, blue pill.” It also borrowed from the Chinese school of action movies, advancing and improving the American school of action work. Since we made that movie, the idea that you can exist in different worlds is now a staple of moviemaking. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” is the best version of that.

‘Thurgood’ (2008)

Fishburne was nominated for a Tony Award for the one-man play in which he portrayed civil rights attorney and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

I learned a lot about the history of our country and the importance of the law, our Constitution, the patience and determination and fortitude required in the dismantling of segregation in our country. I gave what I consider to be a command performance for President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. It was one of the proudest moments of my life to portray that man for that couple in that city at that time.

Fishburne with the cast of “black-ish” in the landmark police brutality episode “Hope.”

(Patrick Wymore / ABC)

‘black-ish’ (2014-22)

Fishburne was an executive producer and co-star of this ABC sitcom about a Black family living in an upper-class, predominantly white neighborhood.

I’ve always admired Anthony Anderson. I knew innately he had dramatic chops as well as his obvious comedic chops. I was also a great fan and admirer of Tracee Ellis Ross. The three of us anchored that show in a really powerful way. And then there were the young people in the cast [Yara Shahidi, Marcus Scribner, Miles Brown and Marsai Martin] — it’s scary to think how great they are going to be. Then there’s the great Jenifer Lewis. There was just a natural chemistry with all of us. We didn’t try to manufacture anything. It just worked. That show also falls in line with one of the major things in my work, which is to show what it is like to be Black in America, with all its vicissitudes — not just the tragedy.

‘John Wick Chapter 2’ (2017)

Reuniting with his “Matrix” colleague Keanu Reeves, Fishburne was introduced in the second installment of the assassin franchise as the Bowery King, the commander of the Soup Kitchen, a homeless shelter that serves as a front for an underground intelligence network.

So I see “John Wick” and it seemed like so much fun. I got together with Keanu and said, “Who do I need to talk to — or bribe — to be a part of this?” He said, “We’re thinking about you for something.” It’s just pure joy to be in another movie and franchise with him. It’s so much fun to do an action movie unlike anything you’ve ever seen. It’s another one that pushes and takes it to the next level.

A man clambers amid the ruins of a building in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Thursday. The country’s military government belatedly declared a cease-fire in its war with rebel groups five days after the country was devasted by a powerful quake that struck the central regions, close to Mandalay. Photo by Nyein Chan Naing/EPA-EFE

“For paying sympathy to the victims of the earthquake across the country, for providing the effective rescue operation and rehabilitation,” state-run television reported.

The country’s military rulers extended the olive branch after international condemnation of its decision to continue airstrikes on rebel targets, including in Sagaing Province where the epicenter of Friday’s 7.7 magnitude quake was located, and calls by China for all sides to “prioritize earthquake relief efforts.”

The Chinese Foreign Ministry made the appeal Wednesday hours after Myanmar government forces opened fire on a convoy of Chinese Red Cross vehicles delivering disaster relief equipment and supplies in Shan State in the east of the country.

The ministry said none of the rescue personnel were hurt and their mission went ahead unhindered following the incident.

Ta’ang National Liberation Army rebels said junta troops opened fire with machine guns on the nine-vehicle convoy as it was en route to Mandalay on Tuesday — but the government said it was all a misunderstanding and insisted troops fired their weapons in the air and only after the convoy ignored orders to stop.

A government spokesman appeared to blame the Chinese Red Cross contingent for failing to inform the government of its movements, saying that international organizations must notify Naypyidaw of their presence.

The rebels who were providing security for the convoy insisted they had provided the military council with advance notice of the route being taken to Mandalay.

The country’s military leader Min Aung Hlaing was due to meet Thursday with regional leaders at a summit 800 miles away in Bangkok, Thailand, which is still recovering from the impact of the quake in the capital where at least 22 people were killed, 15 of them construction workers caught in the collapse of an unfinished skyscraper.

It was unclear if Min would be seeking assistance from his counterparts at the seven-nation summit amid United Nations reports that more than 1.7 million people in Mandalay were without power or running water.

Severe diarrhea and heat-related disease were on the rise amid humanitarian efforts that were being hampered by ongoing aftershocks and an acute shortage of resources, according to the United Nations.

Medecins Sans Frontieres told CNN that severe shortages of clean water were a particular problem, both in quantity and in quality, in earthquake-impacted areas but also country-wide.

“The lack of water is creating an issue in terms of immediate survival, but could also create an issue in terms epidemics in the future that we definitely want to avoid,” said MSF Field Coordinator Mikhael De Souza.

Secretary-General Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said Wednesday that 45,000 people in and around Naypyitaw were receiving deliveries of drinking water after water-trucking operations began in the capital region, but that the assistance was only reaching a fraction of the more 300,000 who needed it.

The disaster struck when Myanmar is very poorly placed to cope, mired as it is in deep crisis due to an ongoing civil war ignited after the military overthrew the elected government, led by Aung San Suu Kyi‘s National League for Democracy, in a military coup in February 2021.

Four years of fighting has displaced huge numbers of people with the number in desperate need of humanitarian assistance standing at more than three million even before the earthquake, according to the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban pulled out all the stops for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (R) at the start of his four-day state visit, including a full military honor guard at Lion’s Court, Buda Castle, in Budapest. Photo by Zoltan Fischer/EPA-EFE

“The withdrawal process will begin on Thursday, in line with Hungary’s constitutional and international legal obligations,” Orban spokesman Zoltan Kovacs said in a post on X.

The decision extricates Hungary from having to blatantly flout the court’s authority by not enforcing the warrant — something Orban made clear was his intention when he extended the invitation for a state visit to Netanyahu in November, a day after the ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former defense minister Yoav Gallant and Hamas commander Mohammed Diab Ibrahim Al-Masri.

Neatly sidestepping his obligation to detain Netanyahu and hand him over to the court, Orban instead laid on a lavish reception complete with an honor guard at the historic Royal Palace in Budapest.

Earlier, Netanyahu posted a video on his official account on X of himself and his wife, Sara, being greeted at the airport by Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky and Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh.

The court is seeking the arrest of the two Israelis on suspicion of committing war crimes during Israel’s war on Gaza, accusing them of purposely ordering military attacks against civilians, but Orban said bilateral ties with Israel were a higher priority for Hungary and were his “sole consideration.”

Fellow ICC signatory Mongolia set a precedent for Orban’s snub to the 125 member-country tribunal Thursday by not arresting Russian President Vladimir Putin — who is also being sought by the ICC on suspicion of illegally deporting Ukrainian children to Russia — when he visited the East Asian nation in September.

The need for an international court was first recognized in the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide more than seven decades ago in the aftermath of World War II with the ICC finally coming into being in 2002.

The United States, Russia, China and Israel are among dozens of countries that are not signatories to the Rome Statute establishing the ICC and do not recognize its jurisdiction.

More than 35 million international tourists visited Thailand in 2024, which is a 24.3% rise in one year. Meanwhile, Vietnam saw 17.5 million arrivals, which is a 39.5% gain.

United will offer flights from the United States to 32 different cities in the Pacific region — four times that of any other U.S. carrier, the airline said.

“At United, we’re changing the way people think about where they travel — by offering the greatest access to see and explore the world, whether it’s for relaxation, adventure or business,” Patrick Quayle, Senior Vice President, Global Network Planning and Alliances at United, said in a news release. “We offer more than the best schedule and travel options — we connect customers to sought-after destinations and opportunities to explore new, vibrant cities.”

Also starting Dec. 11, United will launch the first nonstop flights between the United States and Adelaide, Australia, in time for that continent’s summer. The tri-weekly seasonal service on a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner will make United the leading carrier to Australia from the continental United States.

United also offers service to Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.

United will be adding a second daily flight between San Francisco and Manila starting Oct. 25. Travelers from both cities will have the option of a daytime or evening flight. United is the only U.S. airline to serve the Philippines — with service in Manila and Cebu. The flights will be aboard a Boeing 777-300ER with 350 seats in four classes.

As the world’s leading carrier across the Pacific, the airline served more than six million business and leisure passengers in the region last year.

In May, United will launch five new nonstop flights from its hub in Newark/New York to destinations: Nuuk, Greenland; Palermo, Italy; Bilbao, Spain; Madeira Island, Portugal and Faro, Portugal. The airline also is adding three new nonstop routes from Washington D.C./Dulles, including its first flight to Dakar, Senegal in West Africa, operating year-round, and new seasonal nonstop flights to Nice, France and Venice, Italy.

United, with more than 4,343 flights a day worldwide, also has hubs in Chicago, Denver and Houston.

A hotel in Brazil was named the best in the world by travellers for the The Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best title last year – and it’s not as expensive as you might think

Travellers crowned the splendid Hotel Colline de France as “the best in the world,” and it surprisingly won’t break the bank. Gracing the top position for The Travelers’ Choice Awards Best of the Best in 2024, this gem in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, is winning hearts.

Boasting a five-star rating and an impressive 4,260 reviews on Tripadvisor, it’s no wonder guests are smitten with the hotel. The essence of French elegance infuses every aspect of Hotel Colline de France, from its intimate and magical vibe to its bespoke guest services.

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Tucked away near the quaint mountain town of Gramado, the hotel flaunts 34 uniquely-styled suites adorned with handcrafted furnishings and shimmering touches of gold and silver, accompanied by a signature scent crafted specifically for the place.

Luxury flourishes here with L’Occitane amenities, while Trussardi’s bath and bed linens – spun from fine Egyptian cotton – promise opulent comfort. And if that wasn’t lavish enough, rooms are equipped with Nespresso coffee machines and Smart TVs packed with a plethora of channels.

The pampering continues at Bistrot L’Escoffier, where guests can indulge in a peerless breakfast experience, and at the wellness centre, which offers tempting massages and beauty treatments.

Yet despite all these indulgences, the hotel remains surprisingly accessible price-wise, with stays averaging around £250 a night, reports the Express.

Coming in at number two was the OBLU SELECT Lobigili, nestled in the stunning Maldives. This luxury resort is just a stone’s throw away from Malé International Airport.

Lobigili is an adults-only haven, boasting modern designs and surrounded by breathtaking tropical scenery, creating a secluded, castaway vibe. It’s the perfect romantic escape for couples.

Acting Soiuth Korean President Han Duck-soo (second from left), attends a meeting of the task force for strategies of economic security at the government complex in Seoul on Thursday after U.s. President Trump announced tariffs on trading partners. Photo courtesy South Korea Prime Minister’s Office/EPA-EFE

Sixty nations, the “worst offenders,” were hit with harsher rates up to 50% for the tiny nation of Lesotho and Saint Pierre and Miquelon south of the Canadian island of Newfoundland followed by 49% for Cambodia

Canada and Mexico are exempted from new tariffs because other ones went into effect last month. Canada has a 25% tariff on goods and 10% on energy, with Mexico also at 25%.

It won’t apply for goods from Canada and Mexico compliant with the USMCA free trade agreement.

In all, the U.S. tariff rate will climb from just 2.5% last year to 22%, according to Fitch Ratings. It was 20% in 1930 after the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, which set off a global trade war that economists say made the Great Depression worse.

“This is a game changer, not only for the US economy but for the global economy,” Olu Sonola, head of US economic research at Fitch Ratings, wrote in a statement, predicting many nations will plunge into a recession.

Asia

A spokesperson in China said it “firmly opposes this and will resolutely take countermeasures to safeguard its own rights and interests.

China, already subject to a 20% across-the-board tariff on goods, will have a 54% tariff with the 34% boost.

In South Korea, acting President Han Duck-soo ordered the government to “exert all its capabilities to overcome the trade crisis” at an emergency meeting. He described the situation as “extremely serious.” The nation was hit with a 15% tariff.

In Japan, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba questioned whether it “makes sense to apply uniform tariffs to all countries,” adding “we’re putting all options on the table in considering the most effective response.” Despite “making the largest amount of investments” to the U.S., the nation received a 24% tariff.

North America

In Canada, Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters the reciprocal tariffs will “fundamentally change the international trading system.” The U.S. northern neighbor was hit will new tariffs but pointed out planned additional tariffs being considered on pharmaceuticals, lumber and semiconductors “will directly affect millions of Canadians,” Carney said. “We’re going to fight these tariffs with countermeasures.”

In Mexico, President Claudia Sheinbaum said the country will “announce a comprehensive program, not a tit-for-tat on tariffs.”

Oceania

In New Zealand, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said the tariffs were “a day of celebration” as its rate of 15% is better than other nations. Trade Minister Todd McClay ruled out imposing reciprocal tariffs.

In Australia, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said the 10% tariffs on the country’s exports aren’t “not the act of a friend. Today’s decision will add to uncertainty in the global economy — and it will push up costs for American households.” But he ruled out any retaliatory tariffs on the United States, saying U.S. consumers will “pay the biggest price.”

Europe

The 27-member European Union is preparing countermeasures to the 20% tariffs on imports

“President Trump’s announcement of universal tariffs on the whole world including the European Union is a major blow to the world economy,” Ursula von der Leyen, head of the European Union’s executive arm, said Thursday. “I deeply regret this choice.”

She said the EU is ready to respond.

“We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel, and we are now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail,” she said.

In Italy, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, said she considers the tariffs bad and “we will do everything we can to work a deal with the United States, aiming to prevent a trade war that would inevitably weaken the West in favor of other global actors.”

In Ireland, Prime Minister Micheál Martin said in a video posted on X: they “would work with the European Union to get on “a negotiation pathway with the US to limit the damage of these tariffs.” Ireland was hit by a 20% increase, three weeks after meeting with Trump in the Oval Office. At the time, Trump told Martin he respects what he and Irish lawmakers have done and said he would not do anything to hurt Ireland.

In Britain, which is not part of the EU, Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said the government remained “fully focused” on negotiating a deal to strengthen their “balanced trading relationship.”

Africa

Lesotho, a country Trump said last month “nobody has ever heard of,” was hit with a 50% reciprocal rate. It has a population of 2.3 million.

“To my surprise, the country that nobody has heard of is the country where the U.S. has a permanent mission,” Lesotho’s Foreign Minister Lejone Mpotjoane said.

South America

In Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is “evaluating all possible actions to ensure reciprocity in bilateral trade, including resorting to the World Trade Organization, in defense of legitimate national interests,” the government said in a statement. Trump imposed a 10% tariff on imports from Latin America’s largest economy.

With more young people diagnosed with cancer than ever before, scientists are in a race against time to find out why. Mum Fran Oxlade reveals the devastation of her diagnosis aged just 33

When Fran Kirkbright got the all clear from bowel cancer, having been diagnosed at the age of 33, it meant she could finally set the date and marry her fiancé Dean. It had been a devastating blow to be told she had cancer after multiple visits to the doctor for unusual symptoms – with no one suspecting it at first in someone so young.

Mum-of-one Fran, now 35, from Horley, Surrey, remembers the moment vividly. She says: “I just didn’t feel well. Some of my bowel habits had changed. There was blood, there was cramping, and tiredness like I have never known before. I was finally sent for a colonoscopy and when the results appeared it was like the air had been sucked out of the room. I knew something was wrong.

“I was told then and there that it was cancer. I was with my mum and she said ‘Don’t get upset, it might not be bad,’ and the doctor said, ‘No unfortunately your daughter does have cancer.'”

Fran adds: “I remember walking outside of the hospital and looking around and seeing people laughing and just going about their day and finding it really weird that I felt like my world had just ended and everyone was being normal. I wanted to scream at them. I just couldn’t get my head round it at all. My world has never been the same since.”

Fran, an office manager, began months of aggressive chemotherapy and radiotherapy and had surgery to remove nearly all her bowel, leaving her with a life-changing stoma bag and side effects including sickness, hair thinning and painful nerve damage in her hands.

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She says: “There were some long, dark days. I gave Dean an out. We’d only been together 18 months and I said I don’t know how this is going to be. I’ll have a bag attached to me, my body will change. His response was to get down on one knee and propose. We were at Chessington Zoo for his birthday. We fed the giraffes, we had dinner, we went back to the hotel. Then he was standing there with a ring. We were going to get married in October this year, until everything changed again.”

With more young adults diagnosed with cancer in recent years than ever before, scientists are in a race against time to find out why. The world was shocked last year when the Princess of Wales revealed she was undergoing treatment for cancer at the age of 42.

Other high profile cases, such as Sir Chris Hoy and ‘Bowel Babe’ Deborah James have brought attention to a worrying global trend – cancer is no longer just an illness of the elderly. A moving ITV1 documentary Cancer Under 50: Searching For Answers, airing tonight, investigates the reasons behind the alarming increase in cancer in people under 50.

Fran, who features in the documentary, is desperate to raise awareness – especially after her journey took a shattering turn. She says: “I got the all clear last July and everything felt hopeful. We could start getting our lives back on track, set the date for the wedding. But then three months later a scan found a very extensive and aggressive spread. The oncologist told me that my life expectancy was about two years, with aggressive chemo just to treat my symptoms and side effects.”

Fran, who is undergoing a third kidney operation today, says: “That news was worse than hearing the initial diagnosis. To have to break that news to my friends and family, including my 14-year-old son Callum – my world crumbled. In July we’d had an ‘I kicked cancer’s butt’ party. We were planning the wedding. In that moment, I still feel it, the hope’s gone. The world doesn’t feel as sunny or as shiny as it did.”

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According to new analysis by Cancer Research UK, almost 35,000 under 50s are now diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year, with 5,800 young adults each year dying from the disease. Since the early 1990s, cancer rates in 25-49 year olds in the UK have increased by 24%, with bowel cancer one of the fastest rising cancers in under 50s.

Fran was told that if she wanted to do anything, she should do it soon – so she and Dean brought their wedding forward and tied the knot in Sussex on January 25th this year. Fran – now Fran Oxlade – says: “It was the perfect day. My sister Lisa was my maid of honour, Callum walked me down the aisle. For one day we parked it all. In our vows we did not say ‘In sickness and health’ or ‘Til death do us part’. There was no mention of cancer or sickness or anything negative. It was just a lot of love from all our friends and family.”

She adds: “I was very conscious that the next time we’d all be in a room together would be at my funeral. I’m registered at a hospice now, I have shared my end of life care plan with my family. They want me to live forever but sadly that can’t be. My funeral will be my last hurrah, the last thing I can do for everyone, I’m planning it to be a celebration.”

In the ITV documentary, experts say that while better detection and reporting could account for the numbers, it doesn’t account for the scale of the increase. Experts say there is a rise in certain types of cancer, like colo-rectal, thyroid, breast and melanoma, while looking at causes like diet, obesity, smoking and alcohol, as well as environmental factors like air quality and little known issues such as microplastics.

Professor Sarah Berry from the PROSPECT study into Bowel cancer, says: “Alcohol intake, physical inactivity, smoking, dietary factors and living with obesity together account for about 60% of the risk of developing bowel cancer. But there’s also so many questions and so much we don’t know, like environmental exposures, pollutants like microplastics. We’re going on a hunting expedition to find out more.”

READ MORE: Bowel cancer rates skyrocketing among younger generation – and it’s one of the hardest to spot

Health information manager at Cancer Research UK, Megan Winter, says: “Globally and in the UK we’re seeing an increase in early onset cancers, affecting people aged 25-49. Cancer is still far more common in older adults, but this doesn’t change how difficult it is for anyone who is diagnosed with the disease. There isn’t one clear answer to what’s causing the rise, but exposure to risk factors, genetics and improvements to early detection might all play a part. More research is crucial to understand the causes of early onset cancer, so we can know how to prevent it.”

Fran, who admits she never used to like talking about toilet habits, has raised thousands for Bowel Cancer UK doing the Race for Life and says that raising awareness of the symptoms will save lives. Fran says: “Cancer does not discriminate, even the royals have had cancer. Cancer does not care who you are. As a nation we are very toilet shy, but maybe if we weren’t, if I wasn’t, things would have been different for me. If I can stop one mother from being away from their child or seeing them grow up, or one wife not being able to live until retirement age with their husband, that will be a small win and I’m at peace with that.” Fran, who is hoping to plan a honeymoon with Dean, adds: “Now I find the glimmers in the day, the little joys. We should all do that.”

*Cancer Under 50: Searching For Answers – Tonight is on Thursday 3rd April, ITV1, 8.30pm

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Yared Nuguse has come out publicly in the most heartwarming way.

On 29 March, the Olympic athlete ‘introduced’ the world to his boyfriend, Julian Falco, via seven intimate photos and videos on his Instagram page.

Nuguse also celebrated their one-year anniversary while joking, “Don’t act so surprised.”

His post was met with love and support from fellow athletes such as Chris Mosier, Courtney Wayment, Dani Jones, Grayson Murphy, Hunter Woodhall, Jeffrey McEachern, Kara Goucher, Kara Winger, Keira D’Amato, Nikki Hiltz, Oliver Hoare, Olivia Fabry and Raymond Braun.

Fabry requested “more Julian content,” Hiltz said she was “obsessed” and Wayment revealed that she’s “been waiting for this!”.

One fan left the following beautiful message: “I loved seeing this as I chatted with my queer XC/TF loving kiddo. I went back to show her about Tyro, Olympics and your world record. Thank you for sharing your authentic self to help the next generation.”

Nuguse, 25, is a middle-distance runner who specialises in the 1500 meters. In 2024, he earned a bronze medal at the Summer Olympics and finished second at the World Indoor Championships in Scotland.

He joins the expanding ranks of out Olympians; in 2024, approximately 199 queer athletes competed in the Paris Olympics and brought home 43 medals for Team LGBTQIA+.

Congratulations to Yared Nuguse!

“The Houthis remain reliant on Sa’id al-Jamal and his network to procure critical goods to supply the group’s terrorist war machine,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement.

Targeted by the sanctions for assisting Sa’id al-Jamal were Russian-based businessman Hushang Ghairat and his brother Sohrab Ghairat, a Russian-based Afghan businessman.

“This network has procured tens of millions of dollars’ worth of commodities from Russia, including weapons and sensitive goods, as well as stolen Ukrainian grain, for onward shipment to Houthi-controlled Yemen,” Treasury said.

Hong-Kong based company AM Asia M6 Ltd, owner and operator of the AM THESUS vessel, were sanctioned for allegedly shipping goods to the Houthis from Ukraine’s occupied Crimea peninsula.

Russian nationals Yuri Vladimirovich Belyakov and Vyacheslav Vladimirovich Vidanov were sanctioned for serving as AM THESUS captains in 2024.

According to Treasury, Hushang, Sohrab, AM Asia M6 Ltd, Vidanov and Belyakov allegedly “materially assisted, sponsored, or provided financial, material, or technological support for, or goods or services to or in support of, Sa’id al-Jamal.”

The Houthi smuggling network allegedly laundered money and shipped goods to the Houthis in Yemen.

The Treasury Department said the Houthis “have deployed missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles, and naval mines to attack commercial shipping interests in the Red Sea, threatening global freedom of navigation and the integrity of international commerce.”

The network sanctioned Wednesday, Treasury said, supported the Red Sea attacks “enabled and incentivized by the support of the Iranian regime.”

The attacks have killed civilians and caused millions of dollars in damage to commercial shipping, according to Treasury.

Taiwan Navy vessels, including a landing craft (top), maneuver in Keelung harbor, in Keelung City in northern Taiwan on Wednesday as major joint-force exercises by the Chinese military around the democratically-ruled island entered their second day. Photo by Ritchie B. Tongo/EPA-EFE

“In the face of China’s intimidation tactic and destabilizing behavior, the United States’ enduring commitment to our allies and partner, including Taiwan, continues,” State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce said.

“The United States supports peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait and opposes unilateral changes to the status quo, including through force or coercion.”

The People’s Liberation Army Eastern Theater Command said day two of the joint Navy, Army and Rocket forces maneuvers saw the group conduct simulated “precision strikes” on key targets, including ports and energy infrastructure as part of exercise “Strait Thunder-2025 A,” which it said were successful.

Senior Col. Shi Yi said the drills also put the joint blockade and control capabilities of the various forces to the test in the Taiwan Strait in waters west and south of the island.

However, Shi stressed that the “live-fire strike drills” by ground forces using long-range rocket artillery systems were conducted further north in the East China Sea, within designated fire zones.

Taiwan’s Defense Ministry said Wednesday’s early-morning maneuvers involved 76 aircraft and 19 PLA Navy ships and other Chinese vessels, similar numbers to Tuesday when the Chinese forces massed around Taiwan without prior warning.

The ministry, which said drills also took place east of the island in and over the Philippine Sea, said its forces were on high alert in the face of what is said was China’s “aggressive, provocative and irresponsible” behavior.

The PLA took to social media as the drills got underway Tuesday saying they were “a stern warning and forceful deterrence against ‘Taiwan Independence’ separatist forces,” a response fully justified by the legitimate need to protect “China’s sovereignty and national unity.”

Analysts at the Eurasia Group told CNBC China was angered by a speech by Taiwan President William Lai last month in which he accused Beijing of attempting to interfere in Taiwan’s democracy and called for a legal and economic effort to fend off its attempts to infiltrate.

Beijing was forced to postpone its response due to the China Development Forum last week, a two-day event attended by CEOs of top American and European multinationals, including Apple’s Tim Cook and Pascal Soriot of AstraZeneca — plus the presence in the region of U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth making his first swing through the Asia-Pacific since taking over at the Pentagon on Jan. 25.

Hegseth further ruffled feathers within the Chinese Communist Party leadership by reiterating the United States’ commitment to counter “China’s aggression” in the region by re-establishing deterrence and praising Japan as an “indispensable partner in deterring communist Chinese military aggression,” including in the Taiwan Strait.

Hegseth made the comments while in the Philippines on Friday.

Cornell University Military History and Policy Professor David Silbey told CNBC that the exercises were both China intimidating Taiwan and preparation for potentially re-taking it by force, which Beijing has consistently refused to rule out.