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Category: International

  • Trump warns Gaza ‘you are dead’ if hostages not freed

    Trump warns Gaza ‘you are dead’ if hostages not freed

    US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened further destruction of Gaza if all remaining hostages are not released, and issued an ultimatum to Hamas leaders to flee.

    Strongly backing Israel as a ceasefire teeters, Trump said he was “sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job” as his administration expedites billions of dollars in weapons.

    “Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform after meeting freed hostages.

    “This is your last warning! For the leadership, now is the time to leave Gaza, while you still have a chance.”

    Trump also made clear there would be repercussions for Gaza as a whole, where virtually the entire population has been displaced by Israel’s relentless military campaign in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.

    “To the People of Gaza: A beautiful Future awaits, but not if you hold Hostages. If you do, you are DEAD!”

    His comments follow Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s warning of “consequences that you cannot imagine” if Hamas does not hand over the remaining hostages seized in the October 7 attack.

    The first phase of a ceasefire ended over the weekend after six weeks of relative calm that included exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

    While Israel has said it wants to extend the first phase until mid-April, Hamas has insisted on a transition to the second phase, which should lead to a permanent end to the war.

    Israel has ramped up pressure not just with threats but also by halting the flow of goods and supplies into Gaza.

    “Hamas has indeed suffered a severe blow, but it has not yet been defeated. The mission is not yet accomplished,” Israel’s new military chief Eyal Zamir warned Wednesday.

    Also on Wednesday, France, Britain and Germany jointly called the humanitarian situation in Gaza “catastrophic,” and urged Israel to ensure the “unhindered” delivery of aid.

    South Africa said Israel’s restriction of aid into Gaza amounted to using starvation as a weapon of war.

    – Talks with Hamas –

    Trump’s hawkish language came after the United States confirmed unprecedented direct talks with Hamas, with the US envoy on hostage affairs, Adam Boehler, discussing American hostages.

    “Look, dialogue and talking to people around the world to do what’s in the best interest of the American people is something that the president” believes is right, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said.

    The United States had refused direct contact with the Palestinian militants since banning them as a terrorist organization in 1997. But Leavitt said that the hostage envoy “has the authority to talk to anyone”.

    Both the White House and Netanyahu’s office confirmed Israel was consulted in advance.

    Five Americans are believed to remain among the hostages — four have been confirmed dead and one, Edan Alexander, is believed to be alive.

    The Hamas assault resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, most of them civilians, while Israel’s military retaliation in Gaza has killed at least 48,440 people, also mostly civilians, data from both sides show.

    Of the 251 captives taken during Hamas’s attack, 58 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military has confirmed are dead.

    In an interview on Wednesday night, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Hamas to take seriously Trump’s threats of retaliation.

    “He doesn’t say these things and not mean it, as folks are finding out around the world. If he says he’s going to do something, he’ll do it,” Rubio said.

    – Doubts on Arab plan –

    Trump has floated a proposal to take over the Gaza Strip and displace its people, an idea that has drawn wide condemnation around the world.

    Arab leaders have sought support for an alternative plan that would finance Gaza’s reconstruction through a trust fund.

    A draft seen by AFP outlined a five-year roadmap with a price tag of $53 billion — roughly the amount the United Nations estimated for Gaza’s reconstruction — but the figure was not included in the summit’s final statement.

    The summit also called for unified representation under the Palestine Liberation Organization to sideline Islamist Hamas.

    Hugh Lovatt at the European Council on Foreign Relations said the Arab leaders’ plan was “far more realistic than what the Trump administration is proposing.”

    But Ghassan Khatib, a Palestinian political analyst and former Palestinian Authority minister, was skeptical.

    “It doesn’t make sense to expect Israel to drop the plan of Trump and to adopt the plan of the Arabs. There’s no chance.”

    Speaking after a UN Security Council meeting on Gaza’s future, French diplomat Jay Dharmadhikari said the final plan should neither allow Hamas to continue governing nor eject Palestinians.

    “We are clear that any plan must have no role for Hamas, must ensure Israel’s security, must not displace Palestinians from Gaza,” he said.

  • Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office clash

    Trump pauses military aid to Ukraine after Oval Office clash

    United States President, Donald Trump, has ordered a pause on shipments of US military aid to Ukraine after his heated Oval Office argument with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, last week, a White House official told CNN, Monday.

    This came as Zelensky, yesterday, said he wanted to make things right with Trump and to work under the US president’s strong leadership to secure a lasting peace in Ukraine.

    In his first public comments since Trump halted US military aid to Ukraine, Zelensky called for a truce in the sea and sky as a first step to ending the three-year war and pledged to sign a key minerals deal with Washington.

    “My team and I stand ready to work under President Trump’s strong leadership to get a peace that lasts,” Zelensky wrote on X.

    “Our meeting in Washington, at the White House on Friday, did not go the way it was supposed to be. It is time to make things right,” he said.

    The halt in aid came after Trump held a series of meetings with top national security officials at the White House, and will remain in place until Trump determines Zelensky has made a commitment to seeking peace talks, one official said, essentially forcing Ukraine to a negotiating table by threatening further losses on the battlefield.

    “The president has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well. We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the White House official said.

    Trump’s stunning decision Monday to halt aid to Ukraine deepened fears in Kyiv and many European capitals that America was pivoting away from its allies and towards Moscow.

    Moscow hailed Trump’s decision, with Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, calling it a solution which could really push the Kyiv regime to a peace process.

    “If the United States stops military supplies, this would probably be the best contribution to peace,” Peskov said.

    The European Union, which, along with Ukraine, is excluded from US-Russian negotiations towards a potential truce in Ukraine, has been scrambling to bolster support for Kyiv.

    The urgency heightened last week, when Trump and Zelensky clashed in the White House, with Trump warning his Ukrainian counterpart won’t be around very long without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

    European Commission  chief, Ursula von der Leyen, yesterday, presented an EU plan to mobilise some 800 billion euros ($840 billion) for Europe’s defence.

    The funding, she said, would massively step up support to Ukraine and provide it immediate military equipment.

  • This Day in History Video: What Happened on March 6

    This Day in History Video: What Happened on March 6

    The first American raid on Berlin during World War II occurred on March 6th according to Russ Mitchell in this video clip from “This Day in History”. Along with this first raid, Bayer trademarked the name aspirin which became a miracle drug. However the trademark eventually expired, and the name became universal. Famous TV person Walter Cronkite made his last appearance on television this day, and inventor Clarence Birdseye introduced the first pre-packaged, frozen foods to the American people on this day.

  • Where did the dollar sign come from?

    Where did the dollar sign come from?

    If you’re wondering where the dollar sign ($) came from, you’re in good company. No one really knows for sure, and several theories have emerged over the years. The most widely accepted explanation, according to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, goes back to the Spanish peso, which was accepted as the basic unit of value in colonial America during the late 1700s.

    Handwritten manuscripts dating to that time show that the peso—formally “peso de ocho reales” or “piece of eight” in America—was abbreviated PS. It’s believed that as time went on, the abbreviation was often written so that the S was on top of the P, producing an approximation of the $ symbol. The $ first appeared in print after 1800 and was widely used by the time the first U.S. paper dollar was issued in 1875.

    Though the PS theory is now widely accepted, various alternate explanations have been proposed over the years for how this ubiquitous symbol came into existence. One of the most popular came from libertarian philosopher and author Ayn Rand, who in her 1957 novel “Atlas Shrugged” included a chapter on the dollar sign, which she claimed was a symbol not only of American currency but of the nation’s economic freedom.

    According to Rand, the dollar sign (written with two downward slashes instead of one) came from the initials of the United States: A capital U superimposed over a capital S, minus the lower part of the U. No documentary evidence exists to support this theory, however, and it seems clear the dollar sign was already in use by the time the United States was formed.

  • Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler hits #1 with “Ballad of the Green Berets”

    Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler hits #1 with “Ballad of the Green Berets”

    Thanks to Hollywood, America’s collective memory of the Vietnam War is now inextricably linked with the popular music of that era. More specifically, it is linked with the music of the late-’60s counterculture and antiwar movement. But opposition to the war was far from widespread back in 1966—a fact that was reflected not just in popular opinion polls, but in the pop charts, too. Near the very height of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War, on March 5, 1966, American popular-music fans made a #1 hit out of a song called “The Ballad Of The Green Berets” by Staff Sergeant Barry Sadler.

    Sadler was exactly what his name and uniform implied he was: a real-life, active-duty member of the United States Army Special Forces—the elite unit popularly known as the Green Berets. In early 1965, Sadler suffered a severe punji stick injury that brought a premature end to his tour of duty as a combat medic in Vietnam. During his long hospitalization back in the United States, Sadler, an aspiring musician prior to the war, wrote and submitted to music publishers an epic ballad that eventually made its way in printed form to Robin Moore, author of the then-current nonfiction book called The Green Berets. Moore worked with Sadler to whittle his 12-verse original down to a pop-radio-friendly length, and Sadler recorded the song himself in late 1965, first for distribution only within the military, and later for RCA when the original took off as an underground hit. Within two weeks of its major-label release, The Ballad of the Green Berets had sold more than a million copies, going on to become Billboard magazine’s #1 single for all of 1966.

    While it would not be accurate to call “The Ballad Of The Green Berets” a pro-war song, it was certainly a song that enjoyed popularity among those who opposed the growing anti-war movement. A year after “Green Berets” came out, Buffalo Springfield would release “For What It’s Worth,” inspired by the Sunset Strip curfew riots in Los Angeles in November 1966. The song continues to be Hollywood’s go-to choice for many films and television programs depicting American involvement in the Vietnam War. On this day in 1966, however, the American airwaves belonged to a clean-cut, uniformed member of the U.S. Army and his anti-antiwar epic.

  • Abraham Lincoln inaugurated

    Abraham Lincoln inaugurated

    Since Lincoln’s election in November 1860, seven states had left the Union. Worried that the election of a Republican would threaten their rights, especially slavery, the lower South seceded and formed the Confederate States of America. In the process, some of those states seized federal properties such as armories and forts. By the time Lincoln arrived in Washington, D.C., for his inauguration, the threat of war hung heavy in the air. Lincoln took a cautious approach in his remarks and made no specific threats against the Southern states. As a result, he had some flexibility in trying to keep the states of the upper South—North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Maryland, and Delaware—in the Union.

    In his inaugural address, Lincoln vowed not to interfere with the institution of slavery where it existed and pledged to suspend the activities of the federal government temporarily in areas of hostility. However, he also took a firm stance against secession and the seizure of federal property. The government, insisted Lincoln, would “hold, occupy, and possess” its property and collect its taxes. He closed his remarks with an eloquent reminder of the nation’s common heritage:

    “In your hand, my fellow countrymen, and not in mine, is the momentous issue of civil war. The government will not assail you. You can have no conflict without being yourselves the aggressor. You have no oath in Heaven to destroy the government, while I shall have the most solemn one to preserve, protect, and defend it… We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battlefield and patriot grave to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.”

    Six weeks later, the Confederates fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston, South Carolina, and the Civil War began.

  • Government under the U.S. Constitution begins

    Government under the U.S. Constitution begins

    The first session of the U.S. Congress is held in New York City as the U.S. Constitution takes effect. However, of the 22 senators and 59 representatives called to represent the 11 states that had ratified the document, only nine senators and 13 representatives showed up to begin negotiations for its amendment.

    In 1786, defects in the Articles of Confederation became apparent, such as the lack of central authority over foreign and domestic commerce and the inability of Congress to levy taxes, leading Congress to endorse a plan to draft a new constitution. On September 17, 1787, after the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, the new U.S. Constitution, creating a strong federal government with an intricate system of checks and balances, was signed by 38 of 41 delegates to the convention.

    Articles of Confederation

    Like the authority to make
    treaties and alliances,

    As dictated by Article VII, the document would not become binding until it was ratified by nine of the 13 states. The Constitution was thus sent to the state legislatures, and beginning on December 7, five states—Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, and Connecticut—ratified it in quick succession. However, other states, especially Massachusetts, opposed the document for its failure to reserve powers not delegated by the Constitution to the states and its lack of constitutional protection for such basic political rights as freedom of speech, religion, and the press, and the right to bear arms.

    In February 1788, a compromise was reached in which Massachusetts and other states agreed to ratify the document with the assurance that amendments would immediately be adopted. The Constitution was thus narrowly ratified in Massachusetts, followed by Maryland and South Carolina. On June 21, 1788, New Hampshire became the ninth state to ratify the document, making it binding, and government under the U.S. Constitution was scheduled to begin on March 4, 1789.

    On September 25, 1789, after several months of debate, the first Congress of the United States adopted 10 amendments to the U.S. Constitution—the Bill of Rights—and sent them to the states for ratification. This action led to the eventual ratification of the Constitution by the last of the 13 original colonies: North Carolina and Rhode Island.

  • Trade wars intensify as US tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China take effect

    Trade wars intensify as US tariffs on Canada, Mexico, China take effect

    Mounting trade wars between the United States and its largest economic partners deepened on Tuesday as US tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China kicked in, sparking swift retaliation from Beijing and Ottawa.

    Steep US tariffs on Canadian and Mexican goods came into effect as a deadline to avert President Donald Trump’s levies passed without the nations striking a deal, in a move set to snarl supply chains.

    Trump had unveiled — and then paused — blanket tariffs on imports from major trading partners Canada and Mexico in February, accusing them of failing to stop illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

    In pushing ahead with the duties, Trump cited a lack of progress in tackling the flow of drugs like fentanyl into the United States.

    The duties stand to impact over $918 billion worth of US imports from both countries.

    Trump also inked an order Monday to increase a previously imposed 10 percent tariff on China to 20 percent — piling atop existing levies on various Chinese goods.

    Beijing condemned the “unilateral imposition of tariffs by the US” and swiftly retaliated, saying it would impose 10 and 15 percent levies on a range of agricultural imports from the United States, from chicken to soybeans.

    Those tariffs will come into effect next week.

    Economists caution that tariffs could raise consumer prices while weighing on growth and employment.

    Asian markets fell on opening Tuesday, with Japan’s Nikkei index dropping more than two percent and Hong Kong’s Hang Seng down 1.5 percent after Trump’s latest tariff actions.

    The Tax Foundation estimates that before accounting for foreign retaliation, tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China this time would each cut US economic output by 0.1 percent.

    And sweeping duties, particularly on Canada and Mexico, are set to upset supply chains for key sectors like automobiles and construction materials, risking cost increases to households.

    This could complicate Trump’s efforts to fulfill his campaign promises of lowering prices for Americans.

    On Monday, Trump told reporters that Canada and Mexico should “build their car plants, frankly, and other things in the United States” in order to face no tariffs.

    Former US officials see Trump’s tariffs over drugs like fentanyl as a means to tackle socio-economic problems — while providing legal justifications to move quickly.

    Washington is also seeking leverage and to rebalance trade ties, analysts say.

    But using emergency economic powers to impose tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China is a novel move, and could trigger lawsuits.

    – ‘Existential threat’ –

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday pledged to impose retaliatory 25 percent tariffs on Washington, saying in a statement: “Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered.”

    Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said her country has contingency plans.

    If Trump continues with his tariff plans, KPMG chief economist Diane Swonk warned ahead of them going into effect: “We could easily reach the highest effective tariff rate since 1936 by the beginning of 2026.”

    Both consumers and manufacturers stand to bear the costs of additional tariffs, which could diminish demand and trigger layoffs as businesses try to keep costs under control, she told AFP.

    Robert Dietz, chief economist at the National Association of Home Builders, told AFP the group expects a possible “combined duty tariff rate of above 50 percent on Canadian lumber” as proposed duties add up.

    Even as the United States also plans to expand forestry, Dietz said, prices will likely rise in the short-run.

    Anecdotally, some builders expect they could face higher costs of $7,500 to $10,000 per newly built single family home, he said.

    – Industry pushback –

    Trump’s doubling down on tariffs has already drawn industry pushback.

    The US-China Business Council, a group of around 270 American firms that do business in China, warned in a statement that sweeping tariffs would hurt US firms, consumers and farmers “and undermine our global competitiveness.”

    “Any use of tariffs should be strategic and targeted, focusing on specific US national security goals and unfair Chinese economic practices,” the council’s president Sean Stein said.

    The National Retail Federation, meanwhile, warned that as long as tariffs on Canada and Mexico are in place, “Americans will be forced to pay higher prices on household goods.”

    While Washington has targeted China over chemicals for illicit fentanyl, many of the components have legitimate uses, too — making prosecution tricky.

    Trudeau has said that less than one percent of the fentanyl and undocumented migrants that enter the United States come through the Canadian border.

  • Canada imposes 25% tariffs on $155bn US goods

    Canada imposes 25% tariffs on $155bn US goods

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced that Canada would impose 25 per cent tariffs on $155bn worth of United States goods in response to new tariffs introduced by the Donald Trump administration.

    The retaliatory measures are set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday, mirroring Trump’s decision to impose a 25 per cent tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico, as well as a 10 per cent tariff on goods from China.

    Trudeau criticised the US tariffs, noting that “there is no justification for these actions,” pointing to the White House’s argument that the flow of drugs, including fentanyl, into the US warranted the tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China, though the amount of fentanyl coming across the northern border is very low.

    “While less than one of the fentanyl intercepted at the US border comes from Canada, we have worked relentlessly to address this scourge that affects Canadians and Americans alike,” Trudeau said in a statement on Monday reported by Fox Business.

    “We implemented a $1.3 billion border plan with new choppers, boots on the ground, more co-ordination, and increased resources to stop the flow of fentanyl.”

    He continued, “We appointed a Fentanyl Czar, listed transnational criminal cartels as terrorist organizations, launched the Joint Operational Intelligence Cell, and are establishing a Canada-US Joint Strike Force on organised crime.

    “Because of this work – in partnership with the United States – fentanyl seizures from Canada have dropped 97 per cent between December 2024 and January 2025 to a near-zero low of 0.03 pounds seized by US Customs and Border Protection.”

    According to Fox Business, in his statement, Trudeau made it clear that Canada would not let the US decision go unanswered. The first round of tariffs will target $30 billion worth of US goods, followed by an additional $125bn in tariffs after 21 days.

    Trudeau warned that the tariffs could result in higher prices for American consumers, affecting goods like groceries, gas, and cars. He also cautioned that the tariffs could lead to job losses in the US and disrupt the long-standing trade relationship between the two nations.

    He reiterated that Canada would remain firm in defending its economy and workers, emphasising the importance of a fair trade agreement.

    The PM said Canada “will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered”

    “Our tariffs will remain in place until the US trade action is withdrawn, and should US tariffs not cease, we are in active and ongoing discussions with provinces and territories to pursue several non-tariff measures.

    “While we urge the US administration to reconsider their tariffs, Canada remains firm in standing up for our economy, our jobs, our workers, and for a fair deal.

    “Tariffs will disrupt an incredibly successful trading relationship.They will violate the very trade agreement that was negotiated by President Trump in his last term,” the prime minister said.

  • Trump suspends aid to Ukraine after clash with Zelensky

    Trump suspends aid to Ukraine after clash with Zelensky

    US President Donald Trump suspended military aid to Ukraine on Monday, a White House official said, sharply escalating pressure on Kyiv to agree to peace negotiations with Russia.

    The move comes just days after a stunning public clash between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Trump, who is seeking a rapid end to the war.

    Trump earlier on Monday had declined to rule out a pause when quizzed by reporters, but any disruption in the flow of US arms to the front line would rapidly weaken Ukraine’s chance of beating back Russia’s invasion.

    “The President has been clear that he is focused on peace. We need our partners to be committed to that goal as well,” a White House official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

    “We are pausing and reviewing our aid to ensure that it is contributing to a solution,” the official added.

    Congressional Democrats immediately condemned the pause as dangerous and illegal.

    “My Republican colleagues who have called Putin a war criminal and promised their continued support to Ukraine must join me in demanding President Trump immediately lift this disastrous and unlawful freeze,” said Gregory Meeks, top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

    Trump also warned he would “not put up” much longer with Zelensky’s defiance, and said Ukraine’s leader should be “more appreciative” of US support.

    Speaking at the White House, Trump said Zelensky “won’t be around very long” without a ceasefire deal with Moscow.

    The pause has gone into effect immediately and impacts hundreds of millions of dollars of weaponry in the process of being sent to Ukraine, The New York Times reported.

    Zelensky for his part said Monday he was seeking for the war to end “as soon as possible.”

    The comment came after Zelensky accused Russia — which invaded Ukraine in 2014 and greatly expanded the conflict in 2022 — of not being serious about peace.

    He insisted tough security guarantees were the only way to end the war.

    But Trump’s stance has upended US support for Ukraine, and Washington’s allies more broadly, and stoked concern about Washington pivoting to Russia.

    – European support –

    After weekend crisis talks in London, Britain and France are investigating how to propose a one-month Ukraine-Russia truce “in the air, at sea and on energy infrastructure” — potentially backstopped by troops on the ground.

    Zelensky said discussions were still focusing on the “first steps,” adding: “An agreement on ending the war is very, very far away” — a comment that angered Trump.

    Zelensky added in a video statement that “real, honest peace” would only come with security guarantees for Ukraine, which agreed to denuclearize in 1994 only in exchange for protection provided by the United States and Britain.

    “It was the lack of security guarantees for Ukraine 11 years ago that allowed Russia to start with the occupation of Crimea and the war in Donbas, then the lack of security guarantees allowed Russia to launch a full-scale invasion,” Zelensky said.

    Russia dismissed the comments, accusing him of not wanting peace — echoing US criticism after he was shouted down Friday in the Oval Office.

    On the ground, Ukrainian officials reported fatalities from a Russian missile strike on a military training facility some 130 kilometers (80 miles) from the front line.

    A respected military blogger said between 30 and 40 soldiers were killed and 90 more wounded in the attack near Dnipro on Saturday.

    – ‘Deliberate’ escalation? –

    Trump has previously called Zelensky, president since 2019, a “dictator” for not holding elections, even though martial law precludes any vote because of the war.

    Zelensky dismissed calls for him to resign, repeating his pledge to do so only if Ukraine were given NATO membership, which Russia — and now the United States under Trump — opposes.

    In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov blamed Zelensky for Friday’s blow-up with Trump and Vice President JD Vance, saying he “demonstrated a complete lack of diplomatic abilities.”

    “He doesn’t want peace,” Peskov told reporters.

    On Monday Vance told broadcaster Fox News he was confident Zelensky would “eventually” agree to peace talks with Moscow.

    “I think Zelensky wasn’t yet there, and I think, frankly, now still isn’t there,” Vance said. “But I think he’ll get there eventually. He has to.”

    But Germany’s likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, said the astonishing White House clash was a “deliberate escalation” by Trump.

    US and Russian officials have held talks on ending the war, enraging Kyiv and Europe for being sidelined, and prompting fears that any deal could threaten Ukraine’s future.