Author: France 24

Will global trade ever be the same? In the name of “unrelented economic warfare” allegedly waged by friend and foe alike against the United States, Donald Trump is unveiling a dizzying list: worldwide tariffs, targeted tariffs, retaliatory tariffs, carve-outs, exceptions, all leading to confusion. Trump also signed an executive order ending duty-free shipments of small-value packages from mainland China and Hong Kong; a major blow to e-commerce companies.

Amadou Bagayoko, Grammy-nominated guitarist and singer of the acclaimed Malian duo Amadou & Mariam, has died aged 70 after an illness, his family said Friday. With his wife Mariam Doumbia, Amadou blended traditional Malian sounds with rock and blues, earning global acclaim and selling millions of records worldwide.

One of the dramatic consequences of Donald Trump’s accession to power is the drastic reduction in USAID funding. For the State Department’s deputy spokeswoman, these cuts are not a matter of elimination: the United States wishes to “reorient” aid. FRANCE 24 correspondent in Washington Fraser Jackson went to meet her.

France says a response from the EU to Trump’s new 20 percent tariff will “probably” come at the end of the month. A government spokesperson told French media RTL that services will be targeted, not just goods, including digital products from Big Tech companies like Google and Apple.

The Israeli military said on Friday it had killed Hamas commander Hassan Farhat in the Sidon region of southern Lebanon. The strike also killed Farhat’s son, who was a member of the Palestinian militant group, and his daughter, according to Hamas’ military wing.

An author described by the Los Angeles Times as a writer of unique genius has spoken to FRANCE 24 about his new novel “Wild Houses”. Colin Barrett, who grew up in the northwest of Ireland, bases his books around a series of characters from the region. “Wild Houses” tells the story of a small-town revenge kidnapping that goes very wrong. He says that as a writer you don’t choose the subjects and locations yourself, but they choose you. He spoke to us in Perspective.

Stocks plummeted on Thursday after Donald Trump’s trade war escalation sparked a global sell-off. Beijing is amongst those worst hit by the announcement, and has called the move “bullying”. Reports hint that it could soon be the end of Elon Musk’s time in Washington. Plus, Trump’s tariffs target odd locations like uninhabited volcanic islands home to penguins.

On March 13, Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa approved a temporary constitutional declaration, setting the stage for a new regime. The declaration specifies that only the state can have an army. This has raised concerns for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), the Kurdish-led military faction in northeastern Syria. Under an agreement signed with Damascus, the SDF will eventually be integrated into the national army. But how can Syria’s most powerful armed force join a unified army when some of their potential allies are also their enemies? The path to a unified Syrian army remains uncertain.

Archaeological treasures across Gaza have been damaged and destroyed in the war that is once more raging in the Palestinian territory. Some that escaped the devastation went on show at the Arab World Institute on Thursday, April 3, shedding light on the extraordinary heritage of a land that has been for centuries a crossroads of civilisations. 

With US President poised to unveil his “Liberation Day” tariff plan, Yuka Royer takes a look at how world leaders have been saying and how the trade war in his previous term impacted the US economy and exports. Also, with another major tariff hike – a 25% duty on car imports to the US – taking effect on Thursday, we look at how the global auto industry has been reacting. Plus, Tesla’s Q1 sales drop 13% year-on-year amid a growing backlash against Elon Musk.