The US has added several Chinese technology companies, including gaming and social media giant Tencent and battery maker CATL, to a list of businesses it says work with China's military.

Al 21 de enero de 2025, Machado sigue en libertad, liderando la oposición y reafirmando su lucha democrática, mientras el gobierno enfrenta presión interna y crítica internacional.

1. Canadá como estado número 51 de EEUU: “No olvidemos que básicamente protegemos a Canadá". Pero este es el problema con Canadá. Tenemos tantos amigos allí, amo al pueblo canadiense. Son geniales, pero estamos gastando cientos de miles de millones al año para protegerlos. Estamos gastando cientos de miles de millones al año para cuidar de Canadá. "Perdemos en déficit comercial". -TRUMP

   “No existe la más mínima posibilidad de que Canadá se convierta en parte de Estados Unidos (...) Los trabajadores y las comunidades de ambos países se benefician de ser el mayor socio comercial y de seguridad del otro". - Justin Trudeau

2. Imposición del 25% de aranceles a productos canadienses si no detienen "...flujo de migrantes y drogas hacia suelo estadounidense...".

   
   

GROENLANDIA:

“Necesitamos Groenlandia por motivos de seguridad nacional”. - TRUMP

Este territorio danés es de importancia para el Ejército estadounidense y su sistema de alerta temprana de misiles balísticos también, debido a que la ruta más corta desde Europa a América del Norte pasa por la isla del Ártico.

EL CANAL DE PANAMÁ:

• El Canal de Panamá fue iniciado por Francia en 1881, pero tras su fracaso, Estados Unidos asumió el proyecto en 1903 tras apoyar la independencia de Panamá de Colombia. Mediante el Tratado Hay-Bunau-Varilla, obtuvo el control de la Zona del Canal. El canal fue inaugurado en 1914 y administrado por EE. UU. hasta 1999, cuando Panamá asumió el control tras los Tratados Torrijos-Carter. Hoy es gestionado por la Autoridad del Canal de Panamá.

1. "Trump amenazó (...) con retomar el control del Canal de Panamá por temores de la incidencia china en el vital cruce...". Además, agregó que el hecho de que Panamá fuera otorgado el control del canal en el pasado fue un gran error.

   Cuando se le preguntó sobre si descartaría el uso de la fuerza, Trump dijo: “...no voy a comprometerme con eso”. “Podría ser que tengamos que hacer algo”, agregó.

   
   

EL GOLFO DE MÉXICO:

Trump propuso "...cambiar el nombre del Golfo de México a 'Golfo de Estados Unidos'...". idea propuesta por un miembro de la Legislatura de Mississippi en 2012, la cual fue rechazada.

LA FIRES:

Palisades: The first fire to erupt and the biggest in the region. It has scorched more than 23,000 acres as of Tuesday, including the upmarket Pacific Palisades neighbourhood, and is only 14% contained

Eaton: Affecting the northern part of LA, blazing through areas such as Altadena. It is the second biggest fire in the area, burning more than 14,000 acres. It is now 33% contained

Hurst: Located just north of San Fernando, it has grown to 799 acres, but is almost fully contained

Auto: It has reportedly been stopped from moving forwards after spanning 56 acres

The earlier Kenneth, Archer, Sunset, Lidia, Woodley and Olivas fires have been contained.

At least 25 people have died in the fires, with 88,000 Californians still under evacuation orders but desperate to return home

LA County Sheriff Robert Luna said another 39 people were arrested overnight as a curfew remains in place across evacuation order areas

One church told the BBC a third of their congregation have lost their homes while a family said their home is now "just a big pile of ash" with just the chimney remaining

CLIMATE CHANGE:

Although strong winds and lack of rain are driving the blazes, experts say climate change is altering the background conditions and increasing the likelihood of such fires.

US government research is unequivocal in linking climate change to larger and more severe wildfires in the western US.

144.000 personas han recibido órdenes de dejar sus hogares

60.000 personas sin servicio eléctrico

10.000 casas, edificios y locales comerciales destruidos

157 kilómetros cuadrados arrasados por las llamas

"The shadow fleet, or dark fleet, is the name given to aging ships that sail "without the industry's standard Western insurance, have opaque ownership, frequently change their names and flag registrations, and generally operate outside maritime regulations", according to the Atlantic Council."

The specific reasons for the ship's entrapment in the Baltic Sea are unclear, but the incident has drawn attention due to its potential link to ongoing geopolitical tensions.

"Russia is endangering our European security not only with its illegal war of aggression against Ukraine, but also with severed cables, displaced border buoys, disinformation campaigns, GPS jammers and, as we have seen, dilapidated oil tankers," the German foreign minister said in a statement.

Last December, the European Union said it was working on measures including sanctions to target "Russia's shadow fleet, which threatens security and the environment, while funding Russia's war budget".

"He wants to meet and we are setting it up"-Trump

"Trump has promised to negotiate an end to the war in Ukraine"

Putin "...has said that even publicly and we have to get that war over with. That's a bloody mess."

"They include Hamas’ demands that Israel withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land along the Egypt-Gaza border, and commit to a permanent ceasefire..."

"...Trump is the incentive for Israel to strike a deal with Hamas. The source said Netanyahu “wants to remain close to Trump.”

"Since the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, the death toll from Israeli military action in Gaza has risen to 46,584, with 109,731 people injured, according to the latest daily report from the Palestinian Ministry of Health.

The report added that a number of victims are still under the rubble and on roads, and ambulance and civil defense crews cannot reach them.

Meanwhile, a peer-reviewed study by researchers from a leading health research university in the UK found the number of people killed in Gaza is significantly higher than the figure reported by authorities in the enclave."

The rules put various limitations on the number of A.I. chips that companies can send to different countries, essentially dividing the world into three categories. The United States and 18 of its closest partners—including Britain, Canada, Germany, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan—are exempt from any restrictions and can buy A.I. chips freely.

Countries that are already subject to U.S. arms embargoes, like China and Russia, will continue to face a previously existing ban on A.I. chip purchases.

All other nations will be subject to caps restricting the number of AI chips that can be imported, though countries and companies are able to increase that number by entering into special agreements with the U.S. government.

The rules are aimed at stopping China from obtaining from other countries the technology it needs to produce artificial intelligence

the rule would ensure that the infrastructure for training the most advanced artificial intelligence would be in the United States or the jurisdiction of close allies

It will be up to the Trump administration to decide whether to keep the new rules or how to enforce them.

Companies have protested those limitations, saying the restrictions could hamper innocuous or even beneficial types of computing, anger U.S. allies, and ultimately push global buyers into buying non-American products, like those made by China.

The rules, which run over 200 pages, also set up a system in which companies that operate data centers, like Microsoft and Google, can apply for special government accreditations.

In return for following certain security standards, these companies can then trade in AI chips more freely around the globe. The companies will still have to agree to keep 75 percent of their total AI computing power within the United States or allied countries and locate no more than 7 percent of their computing power in any other nation.

Gender apartheid: economic and social sexual discrimination against individuals because of their gender or sex.

Las autoridades locales afirmaron que Dang “tuvo un altercado verbal y físico” con un estudiante de primer año de apellido Guo por “perturbar su descanso” en su dormitorio. Esa noche, un funcionario de la escuela ayudó a resolver la discusión.

Alrededor de las 3 de la mañana, según lo informado por las autoridades, otro estudiante del dormitorio de Dang fue al baño, donde encontró un taburete de madera debajo de la ventana del balcón.

“La ventana corrediza estaba abierta y se había quitado la malla metálica. Dang ya se había caído de la ventana al piso inferior”, decía.

Other measures announced include a tax exemption for landlords who provide affordable housing,

and tighter regulation and higher taxes on tourist flats.

Non-EU residents bought 27,000 properties in Spain in 2023 "not to live in" but "to make money from them."

The "golden visa" scheme, which provided fast-tracked Spanish residency in exchange for buying property worth €500,000 (£428,000) or more, will be abolished in April.

non-residents: they live in the country for less than 183 days in a single year.

Both sides agreed that Hamas would release three hostages on the first day of the six-week initial truce, after which Israel would begin withdrawing the troops from populated areas, according to the official.

Seven days later, Hamas would release four additional hostages, and Israel would allow displaced people in the south of Gaza to return to the north, but only on foot via the coastal road.

Cars, animal-drawn carts, and trucks would be permitted to cross through a passage adjacent to the main north-south Salah al-Din Road, monitored by an X-ray machine operated by a Qatari-Egyptian technical security team.

The agreement includes provisions for Israeli forces to remain in the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land running along Gaza's southern border with Egypt, and maintain an 800m-deep (2,600ft) buffer zone along Gaza's eastern and northern borders with Israel during the first phase.

Israel had also agreed to release 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, including approximately 190 who have been serving sentences of 15 years or more.

In exchange, he added, Hamas would release hostages, including women, the elderly, and the sick or wounded.

Israel stipulated that those convicted of murder would not be released into the occupied West Bank.

Negotiations for the second and third phases of the agreement would begin on the 16th day of the ceasefire. The second phase would involve the release of remaining hostages and the withdrawal of troops, and the third would involve the reconstruction of Gaza.

"South Korean authorities have arrested President Yoon Suk Yeol, who faces charges of insurrection following an attempt to impose martial law

Yoon is now at the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) - he said he agreed to the interrogation "even though it is an illegal investigation, in order to prevent any unsavory bloodshed"

Authorities served the warrant after an hours-long standoff with his security staff and supporters, which saw investigators using ladders and wirecutters to enter Yoon's residence

Yoon had been holed up for weeks - investigators tried to arrest him earlier this month but failed

This marks the first time in South Korea's history that a sitting president has been arrested

Yoon's impeachment trial, which will decide if he is removed from office, started yesterday but ended within four minutes because of his absence"

Knowing the pain of responding is not proportional "means that we have to be smarter in how we [Canada] respond - and that's tricky,"

Roughly 75% of Canadian exports go to the US, and economists say the levies would be devastating for the country.

Ottawa also promised to implement C$1.3bn ($900m; £700m) in sweeping new security measures along the country's nearly 9,000km-long (6,000 miles) border with the US to allay some of Trump's concerns.

Trudeau and the premiers of Ontario, Quebec, and Newfoundland are open to imposing counter-tariffs on energy or cutting off energy exports to the US.

Around 40% of the crude that runs through US oil refineries is imported, and the vast majority of it comes from Canada.

It also supplies the US with natural gas and electricity.

oligarchy: a small group of people having control of a country or organization.

"He also used his final televised speech from the White House to issue warnings about climate change and social media disinformation...", specifically focusing on social media giving up fack-checking features and the importance of the steps taken towards tackling the climate crisis, which may be compromised.Furthermore he talked about the ceasefire agreement he helped setting.

Winds have shifted direction and lightened, allowing cool, humid air to replace the dry air that had been prevalent over the region, This has given firefighters a chance to increase the containment of the wildfires.

However, the cooler air means cold overnight lows for residents who may still not have power after the devastation from the wildfires. Freeze alerts have been issued from midnight to 9 a.m. PT Friday for parts of Ventura and San Luis Obispo counties and the San Fernando Valley. Low temperatures will drop to around freezing on Friday morning.

A ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas was reached the 15th of January, 2025, after 15 months of negotiations, but Israeli Prime Minister has delayed a vote to approve it.

Israel accused Hamas of backtracking on the deal - Hamas said it was committed to the deal, but the investigators hear the group is attempting a last-minute push for the release of certain prisoners.

Israeli media reported that the cabinet was expected to meet on Friday to approve the deal and that the alleged issue had been resolved.

Israel's Security Minister said his right-wing party would resign if the deal was ratified, but a majority of Israeli ministers are expected to back the deal.

More than 80 people were killed by Israeli air strikes overnight since the ceasefire announcement, according to the Hamas-run health ministry - Israel says it struck 50 targets.

However, he pinned his claim on promises to expand already-record US oil and gas production, reducing energy costs. However, the forces affecting inflation and energy prices are mostly outside presidential control.

Trump's most unorthodox economic promise was his vow to place tariffs - a border tax - of at least 10% on all goods coming into the US, which would rise to more than 60% for products from China.

Trump's most unorthodox economic promise was his vow to place tariffs - a border tax - of at least 10% on all goods coming into the US, which would rise to more than 60% for products from China.

Analysts say tariffs are likely to lead to higher prices for Americans and pain for companies hit by foreign retaliation.

He has put forward a growth plan - lower taxes, less regulation, and a smaller government, which he says will unleash American business.

To the extent that White House policies make a difference, analysts have warned that many of Trump's ideas - including tax cuts, tariffs, and migrant deportations - risk making the problem worse.

However, analysts say that cutting regulations might take longer than expected. And Trump is widely expected to prioritize extending expiring tax cuts above cutting spending.

Even if the toughest tariffs never materialize, the policy debate alone is generating uncertainty that could depress investment and reduce growth in the US by as much as 0.6% by mid-2025, according to Oxford Economics.

President Donald Trump on Monday announced he had signed four executive orders that will reshape the military, including banning transgender service members from serving in the US armed forces; gutting the military’s diversity, equity and inclusion programs; and reinstating with back pay service members who were discharged for refusing to get vaccinated from Covid-19.

US President Donald Trump declared a national emergency at the border with Mexico last week and deployed the military to several crossings, while seeking to deport potentially millions of people who are in the country illegally.

Both the Egyptian and Jordanian governments “would be met by sweeping domestic opposition if they were seen by their publics as being complacent with a second Palestinian Nakba,” said Hasan Alhasan, senior fellow for Middle East policy at the International Institute for Strategic Studies in Bahrain, referring to 1948, when roughly 700,000 Palestinians fled or were forcibly expelled from their homes in historic Palestine, during the creation of Israel.

“Given that the Palestinians of Gaza are highly unlikely to leave voluntarily, a forced displacement towards Egypt or Jordan would pose a variety of existential threats to these two countries,” Alhasan said.

For Jordan, which is already home to millions of Palestinians, an altered demographic “would threaten the Hashemite monarchy’s hold on power,” he said, adding that financially, “neither Egypt nor Jordan can afford to host millions of additional refugees.”

Both countries may also have security concerns if their territories become staging grounds for attacks on Israel.

In an email, his administration has asked almost all government employees to decide by 6 February whether they want to be part of a "deferred resignation" programme that will mean them leaving their jobs no later than the end of September.

Senior Trump officials told US media that the plan could save the government up to $100bn (£80bn).

"highlighted planned reforms including a requirement that most employees work in their offices five days a week."

The mass offer came at the end of an at-times chaotic day in Washington, following a memo Trump issued which said he would pause federal grants, loans and other assistance.

Also on Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order aimed at restricting young people's access to gender-related medical treatments.

Cyril Ramaphosa, South Africa's president, warned Rwanda that further attacks on its troops would be considered a "declaration of war".

En paralelo a este caso penal, el Tribunal Constitucional está celebrando un juicio político para determinar si ratifica o no su destitución aprobada por el Parlamento el 14 de diciembre.

Si el máximo tribunal surcoreano confirma su inhabilitación, deberán convocarse elecciones presidenciales anticipadas en un plazo máximo de 60 días tras el fallo de la corte.

In a post on the social media platform X, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk claimed Tuesday that the Biden Administration left two astronauts “stranded” and said President Donald Trump has asked SpaceX to step in to rescue them.

But NASA already put such a plan in place months ago when it asked SpaceX to return astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station as part of its Crew-9 mission. A delay in that plan was then announced in December because mission teams said they needed more time to prepare a new SpaceX vehicle.

• Recovery operation: Efforts have been suspended for the night with at least 14 people still missing. Dozens of bodies have been removed from the Potomac River, where the aircraft crashed after the collision, multiple sources tell CNN. The plane, flying from Wichita, Kansas, was carrying 64 people, while three soldiers were aboard the helicopter.

• Investigation underway: The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the probe into the collision, said the plane’s flight data and voice recorders, known as black boxes, have been recovered. The agency hopes to have a preliminary report ready within 30 days. Experts say both the pilots aboard American Airlines Flight 5342 and the military pilots in the Black Hawk would have been used to navigating the complex airspace, and the head of the nation’s air traffic controllers union said it’s too soon to speculate on a cause.

• Athletes on board: Several members of the figure skating community were aboard the jet, returning from a developmental camp in Wichita, US Figure Skating said. The Skating Club of Boston named six victims, including Evgenia Shishkova and Vadim Naumov, the 1994 world champs in pairs.

The office said that among those killed were seven peace treaty signatories and Carmelo Guerrero, the leader of the Association for Peasant Unity in Catatumbo (Asuncat), a local advocacy group.

• Israeli authorities initially delayed the release of 110 Palestinian prisoners after what they said were unacceptable, chaotic scenes at the hostage handover in southern Gaza, before continuing with their release later Thursday.

• Israeli soldier Agam Berger was the first to be released by Hamas. Arbel Yehoud and Gadi Mozes were later released in Khan Younis amid chaotic scenes, along with five Thai nationals.

• In phase one - the current phase - of the ceasefire and hostage release deal, a total of 33 Israeli hostages taken captive by Hamas and other armed groups in the October 7 attacks are supposed to be freed. Israel is expected to release around 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in turn.

• Two rounds of releases have already taken place. Eight of the remaining Israeli hostages set to be released are dead, according to the Israeli government.

The AfD's rise in Berlin signals a broader trend across Germany, where the party's anti-immigration, nationalist agenda is resonating with an increasing number of voters, particularly those who feel alienated from the political elite. This shift is creating a more polarized political environment, challenging traditional party coalitions, and raising concerns about the normalization of far-right rhetoric.

The AfD's success also highlights a growing divide between urban and rural populations, and its influence could impact future elections and democratic norms in Germany. In essence, the breach of Berlin’s political “firewall” reflects a significant shift in the country’s political landscape, with the far-right becoming a more prominent and disruptive force.

Stockholm police said in a statement that five people had been arrested after a man in his 40s was shot dead overnight.

About 12,000 North Korean soldiers have been sent to Russia, according to Ukrainian officials and Western intelligence reports, which say around 4,000 those troops have been killed or injured.

Ukraine’s military has said that Russian forces struck a boarding school housing people preparing for evacuation in a part of Russia’s Kursk region held by Ukrainian forces, killing at least four people.

Trump said the US would impose tariffs beginning on Tuesday of 25% on Canada and Mexico, and 10% on China. Canadian energy faces a lower 10% tariff.

He had threatened to impose the import taxes if the three countries did not address his concerns about illegal immigration and drug trafficking.

Both Canada and Mexico said they are preparing retaliatory tariffs of their own.

"La salida es algo en evaluación. Por lo tanto, no hay una determinación pero se está evaluando", respondió Adorni.

En los últimos meses, Argentina se viene descolgando de iniciativas multilaterales, congeló su participación en la Agenda 2030 de la ONU e incluso votó en contra de resoluciones que condenaban la violencia contra la mujer y apoyaban a los pueblos indígenas.

En julio de 2024, Argentina ya había rechazado firmar el acuerdo de pandemias. "Argentina no va a adherir al acuerdo de pandemia de la OMS, que se comunicó en Ginebra, donde dejamos en claro que nuestro país no suscribirá ningún acuerdo pandémico que pueda afectar la soberanía nacional", dijo entonces Adorni.

"el proceso no sería inmediato y demandaría por lo menos un año."

“El calendario de vacunación está asegurado y la cooperación internacional no se corta. La realidad es que Argentina no recibe financiamiento directo de la OMS. Los proyectos específicos de cooperación técnica que sí reciben fondos se gestionan a través de la OPS y seguirán vigentes, como el funcionamiento y la provisión de reactivos y controles de calidad para los laboratorios y centros de referencia nacionales y regionales”

"...el país no se retiraría de la OPS"

la Argentina “enfrenta una doble dinámica migratoria: la emigración de médicos locales en búsqueda de mejores oportunidades y la inmigración de profesionales de la salud de la región”, dijo García Diéguez. “Colaborar con la OMS –explicó– permite a la Argentina desarrollar políticas migratorias informadas y consistentes con las de otros países”.

El acuerdo es un tratado internacional jurídicamente vinculante sobre el cambio climático. Su objetivo es limitar el calentamiento global muy por debajo de 2°C, y preferiblemente a 1,5°C, en comparación con los niveles preindustriales.

"No estoy de acuerdo con la agenda ambientalista, que me parece un completo fraude. La forma en la que hablamos del cambio climático hoy es completamente errónea", manifestó Milei en Le Point.

____________________________________

Para los países firmantes, el acuerdo significa:

• Presentar planes de acción para reducir sus emisiones

• Informar a la sociedad sobre el progreso en la consecución de sus objetivos

• Aumentar sus compromisos con el tiempo

• Cooperar para adaptarse a los impactos del cambio climático

• Recibir ayuda de los países desarrollados para mitigar y adaptarse al cambio climático

• Presentar planes de acción cada cinco años con objetivos más ambiciosos

• Evaluar cada cinco años el estado de implementación del acuerdo

NO DEBEN REALIZAR NINGÚN TIPO DE PAGO, SOLO FINANCIAR MEDIDAS

La Casa Blanca no aclaró cómo afectará la orden ejecutiva a los Juegos Olímpicos de Los Ángeles 2028, pero Trump adelantó que intentará impedir que compitan mujeres transgénero y explicó que el secretario de Estado, Marco Rubio, trasladará al Comité Olímpico Internacional (COI) que deben rechazar la "locura transgénero".

Trump también anunció que EE.UU. denegará los visados a mujeres transgénero deportistas, lo que podría afectar a la participación de algunos equipos, ya que estas deportistas cuentan con una ventaja injusta, una afirmación que la comunidad científica no respalda.

But the leadership of the island nations refused. “The Bahamas simply does not have the resources to accommodate such a request,” Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis said at the time.

Guatemala:

Guatemala has agreed to ramp up the number of deportation flights it receives from the United States, after a visit from Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“His willingness to accept not just nationals but those from other nationalities as they seek to ultimately return to their own homelands is also important, and we’ve pledged our support with those efforts,” Rubio said.

President Arevalo, for his part, indicated that the question of accepting migrants with criminal records was not discussed.

A day before, the president of El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, offered to jail any violent offenders the US sends his way — whether they be migrants or US citizens.

However, even officials in the Trump administration have expressed scepticism about the legality of that offer.

“Hubo una importante fuga de prisión (MUNZENZE) con 4.000 prisioneros fugados. En esta prisión también había varios cientos de mujeres. “A todas las violaron y luego prendieron fuego al ala de mujeres”.

El ministro de Comunicaciones congoleño, Patrick Muyaya, dijo a Reuters que los rebeldes habían violado el alto el fuego durante la noche y encontraron resistencia de las fuerzas congoleñas en la zona de Nyabibwe. Las actividades militares pueden indicar que el M23 ha reanudado su avance sobre Bukavu, la capital de la provincia de Kivu del Sur.

Israel es el único país que tiene un tema fijo en la agenda (punto 7) y es denunciado en cada reunión. El país ha sido condenado en más de 100 resoluciones, más que Irán, Cuba, Corea del Norte y Venezuela juntos, escribió Saar. Esta discriminación ya no será tolerada.

La víspera, Trump había firmado un decreto cuestionando la participación de Estados Unidos en varias organizaciones de las Naciones Unidas. Entre otras cosas, prevé la retirada de Estados Unidos del Consejo de Derechos Humanos de la ONU. Sin embargo, actualmente no son miembros, ya que su último mandato de tres años en el Consejo finalizó a principios del nuevo año. Por tanto, no es posible una retirada formal. Como máximo, Washington puede decidir no participar más en las actividades del Consejo como observador o no solicitar su membresía.

"Todo desplazamiento forzado de personas equivale a una limpieza étnica", afirmó el portavoz del secretario general de la ONU , António Guterres

También la ministra federal de Asuntos Exteriores, Annalena Baerbock (Verdes) , se posicionó claramente en contra de la propuesta de Trump. "Una expulsión de la población civil palestina de Gaza no sólo sería inaceptable y contraria al derecho internacional","Esto también provocaría nuevos sufrimientos y nuevos odios"

A gunman opened fire at an adult education center in the Swedish city of Örebro on Tuesday, killing at least 10 people in what the country’s prime minister called the “worst mass shooting in Swedish history.”

Witnesses of Sweden’s worst mass shooting described horror and panic that gripped an adult education center west of Stockholm as the gunman killed at least 10 people. He also died, although it’s not yet clear how.

Greece lies in a highly seismically active part of the world and earthquakes are frequent. But it is extremely rare for any part of the country to experience such an intense barrage of frequent earthquakes.

“I want to make it very clear to the country my absolute rejection of the statement from the State Department,” he said. “It is based on a falsehood.”

Trump's halt to Section 321 de minimis is part of his implementation of an additional 10% tariff on China and 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico, which were paused for a month.

Trump accuses China of unfair trade practices and blames it for a crisis over the deadly drug fentanyl.

WHAT IS DE MINIMIS?

De minimis, a legal term referring to matters of little importance, describes the U.S. waiver of standard customs procedures and tariffs on imported items worth less than $800 that are shipped to individuals.

It is one of the most generous such exemptions in the world: the EU de minimis threshold, for example, is 150 euros ($156).

WHY IS DE MINIMIS CONTROVERSIAL?

Contentions largely concern U.S. trade imbalances and the synthetic opioid fentanyl - which is fuelling a national epidemic that killed nearly 75,000 people in 2023.

Reuters reporters last year found they could easily import the core precursors for at least 3 million fentanyl tablets - with a potential street value of $3 million – at a cost of $3,607.18. The shippers successfully mislabelled the packages as, for instance, electronics.

A senior officer from the army’s Nahal Brigade tied the explosive cord around the man’s neck before he was ordered to scout houses. After eight hours, soldiers ordered the man to flee with his wife from their home in Gaza City’s Zeitoun neighbourhood in May, said +972 magazine, which reported the piece in partnership with The Hottest Place in Hell.

But when another Israeli battalion spotted the elderly couple on the street, they were shot dead on the spot.

“mosquitoes”, referring to a procedure where the Israeli army forces Palestinian civilians to serve as human shields to protect the Israeli forces from being shot or blown up.

The Adani Group is constructing the Khavda plant, the largest renewable project in the world, in the state of Gujarat. The conglomerate is controlled by Adani, whose close relationship with the prime minister, Narendra Modi, has recently been under intense scrutiny.

Now, national security concerns have been raised over the project after private communications and confidential government minutes seen by the Guardian showed the defence ministry amended security protocols on behalf of developers to make sensitive territory on the India-Pakistan border commercially viable.

The Adani Group is constructing solar panels and wind turbines 1km (0.6 miles) from the border with Pakistan in the Rann of Kutch, on land leased out by the government of Gujarat. The Rann of Kutch was targeted in past India-Pakistan conflicts and is adjacent to Sir Creek, a disputed territory with Pakistan. The two countries have gone to war four times.

Delhi on 21 April 2023: At the end of the meeting, the defence ministry agreed with a “mutual consensus” to allow for solar panels and wind turbines to be built as close as 1km to Pakistan, in order to make the land economically viable for renewable energy.

Retired indian army coronel: “By changing border defence norms and protocols to make cheaper land available for commercial exploitation, the military is effectively taking on even more expansive defence responsibilities for private commercial benefit.”

The decision was highly lucrative for the Adani Group. Khavda now occupies 445 sq km, an area four times the size of Paris, and at its peak, the company claims the park will generate 30GW of renewable energy – enough to power entire nations such as Belgium, Chile or Switzerland. Google will be among its customers.

But in Russia, China and Iran, media outlets celebrated the news. “This is an awesome decision by Trump!” said Margarita Simonyan, editor of Russia’s RT network. “We couldn’t shut them down, unfortunately, but America did so itself."

Its success in building global reach was due, in part, to its annual budget of $267.5 million – a large sum compared with other public service international broadcasters. 

“Voice of America had the means and the scale,” says Scott. “It was effective because of its massive reach in so many different languages to so many hard-to-reach precarious parts of the world.”

Both radio stations had undeniably political aims. “Their entire job was to highlight aspects of regimes that are run counter to what you might call liberal democratic values," Thompson says.