Alexander, a dual citizen from New Jersey, was serving in the IDF when he was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023. Hamas agreed to release Edan Alexander, a dual U.S. and Israeli citizen believed to be the last living U.S. citizen who remains captive in Gaza, weeks after saying it had lost contact with the group holding him hostage. His release is part of “the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid,” Khalil al-Hayya, head of Hamas’ negotiating team, said in a statement Sunday. Al-Hayya did not provide information on Alexander’s condition. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, confirmed the agreement to NBC News and said he is traveling to Israel to secure Alexander’s release. “We are picking him up probably tomorrow,” Witkoff said. “There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank.” He went on to describe this as a gesture of goodwill toward President Donald Trump, adding that it is a big moment “in large part” because of Trump. “The family is ecstatic,” Witkoff said. In a post to his Truth Social account, the president said he hopes Alexander's release signifies a step toward ending the war between Israel and Hamas. "I am grateful to all those involved in making this monumental news happen," Trump wrote. "This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones." The Hostage Family Forum released a statement on behalf of Alexander's family confirming that they were informed of the agreement. They are "in ongoing contact with the U.S. administration" regarding his potential release in the coming days.​ Alexander was serving in the Israel Defense Forces when he was taken hostage on Oct. 7, 2023, along with roughly 250 others. Hamas previously agreed to release Alexander in March along with the bodies of four other dual nationals. But weeks later the militant group said it lost contact with group holding him. At the time, Hamas blamed the issue on Israeli strikes that hit the area where Alexander was allegedly being held. Hamas and Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire in January, which led to the release of hostages in exchange for freeing Palestinians in Israeli custody. It also saw an influx of aid for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip. But the fragile ceasefire fell apart in March after negotiations stalled on how to expand the pause in hostilities into a sustainable end to the war. Al-Hayya added on Sunday that Hamas was ready to negotiate "and exert serious efforts to reach a final agreement to end the war." Gaza's future is unclear after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced last week that the country's security Cabinet approved a plan to capture the entire enclave. Under this plan, more than 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza would be "moved" out of the strip as Israel's military launched operations to defeat Hamas. This plan was made public after a full-blown blockade on aid into the strip by Israel reached its third month. Representatives for the United Nations and Palestinians accused Israel of using aid as a "weapon of war" at the International Court of Justice last month. Disagreements on how to approach the situation in Gaza as well as Iran has led to tension between Trump and Netanyahu, according to two U.S. officials, two Middle Eastern diplomats and two other people with knowledge. While Netanyahu wants to continue a military approach, Trump sees an opportunity to make a deal with a now-weakened Iran, the sources told NBC News. Netanyahu denied the reports on Sunday, insisting in a video on X that his relationship with Trump was "excellent." He added that the two allies see "eye-to-eye on almost everything."

The PKK decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighboring Iraq as well as in Syria. ISTANBUL — The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militant group, which has been locked in bloody conflict with the Turkish state for more than four decades, decided to disband and end its armed struggle, a news agency close to the group reported Monday. The PKK decision is set to have far-reaching political and security consequences for the region, including in neighboring Iraq and also in Syria, where Kurdish forces are allied with U.S. forces. More than 40,000 people have been killed in the conflict since the PKK launched its insurgency in 1984. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey and its Western allies. “The PKK has completed its historic mission,” the group said, according to the Firat news agency, which published what it said was the closing declaration of a congress that the PKK held last week in northern Iraq where it is based. The PKK held the congress in response to a call in February from its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan to disband. “The PKK 12th Congress decided to dissolve the PKK’s organizational structure, with the practical process to be managed and carried out by Leader Apo, and to end the armed struggle method,” the statement said, using Ocalan’s nickname. “The PKK struggle has broken the policy of denial and annihilation of our people and brought the Kurdish issue to a point of solving it through democratic politics,” the statement said. The PKK’s decision will give President Tayyip Erdogan the opportunity to boost development in the mainly Kurdish southeast, where the insurgency has handicapped the regional economy for decades. Omer Celik, spokesperson for Erdogan’s ruling AK Party, said the PKK’s decision to dissolve was an “an important step toward a terror-free Turkey.” Turkey’s foreign ministry did not immediately comment on the announcement, which Ankara had been expecting. The lira was flat at 38.7375 against the dollar while the main share index rose 2.4%. There have been intermittent peace efforts over the years, most notably a ceasefire between 2013 and 2015 that ultimately collapsed.

The release came the day before President Donald Trump is set to travel to the Middle East in a trip that is expected to intensify ceasefire efforts. An American-Israeli soldier held hostage for more than 19 months in the Gaza Strip was released by Hamas on Monday. Edan Alexander, who is believed to be the last living U.S. citizen held captive in Gaza, was handed over to Red Cross representatives in the enclave’s southern city of Khan Younis. The 21-year-old was then transfered to its special forces inside the Gaza Strip, the Israeli military said in a statement Monday. They subsequently returned him to Israel where “he will undergo an initial medical assessment and meet with his family,” the statement added. Pictures released by the IDF, showed a smiling Alexander hugging his parents Adi and Yael Alexander. President Donald Trump congratulated Alexander’s “wonderful parents, family, and friends,” on the release in a post on Truth Social. Alexander's family earlier told NBC News that Trump had expressed the wish to meet with Alexander during his visit to Qatar later this week, but added that the meeting would be subject to Alexander’s wishes and medical condition. Calling Alexander’s release “a very moving moment,” Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement that the release was “achieved thanks to our military pressure and the political pressure exerted by President Trump.” Hamas confirmed the release earlier in the day. Shortly after Alexander was freed, the militant group said in a news release that the move was part of “the steps being taken to achieve a ceasefire, open the crossings, and allow aid” into the Gaza Strip. “We urge the Trump administration to continue its efforts to end this brutal war,” it added. Israel on Monday paused its military operations, including airstrikes and drone artillery, in Gaza ahead of the release, according to NBC News' crew on the ground. But Netanyahu's office said in a statement Monday that it was committing only to a safe corridor to allow Alexander’s release, rather than any ceasefire or release of Palestinian prisoners or detainees. “We are in critical days, during which Hamas has a proposal before it that would allow for the release of our hostages,” the statement said, adding, “Negotiations will continue under fire and alongside preparations to intensify the fighting.” The Israeli security Cabinet last week approved a plan to capture the entire enclave under which more than 2 million Palestinians living in Gaza would be “moved” out of the strip as Israel’s military launched operations to defeat Hamas. Welcoming the news that he would be freed, Israeli President Isaac Herzog on Monday said in a post on X that Israel is “founded on a profound commitment to mutual responsibility, and we are obligated to continue doing everything in our power to bring back all the hostages.” The release comes as Trump is set to travel to the Middle East in a trip that is expected to intensify efforts to bring a pause to Israel’s sweeping military offensive in the Gaza Strip, from which aid has been cut off for several weeks. The trip is not expected to include a stop in Israel. In a post on his Truth Social account Monday, Trump called Alexander’s release “great news.” Alexander, 21, was born in Tel Aviv, Israel, and grew up in New Jersey. He was serving in the Israeli army when Hamas captured him during its terrorist attack Oct. 7, 2023, that killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostage, according to Israeli counts, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. Alexander’s family confirmed in a statement Sunday that it was expecting his release. “Today, on Mother’s Day, we received the greatest gift imaginable—news that our beautiful son Edan is returning home after 583 days in captivity in Gaza,” it said. In his hometown of Tenafly, New Jersey, residents gathered in Huyler Park to celebrate the news and watch the events unfold on livestream screens. More than 52,000 people have been killed in the Israeli assault on the Gaza Strip since then, according to health officials in the enclave, which has been run by Hamas since 2007. On Monday, they said that Israeli strikes had killed 33 people and injured 94 others in the past 24 hours, adding that many more remain trapped under rubble. Alexander is one of 59 hostages remaining in Gaza, according to Israeli officials, although less than half are believed to be alive. Hamas previously reneged on an agreement to release Alexander in March, along with the bodies of four other dual nationals, saying it had lost contact with the group holding him and blaming Israel for targeting the area where he was allegedly being held with strikes. Steve Witkoff, the U.S. special envoy to the Middle East, told NBC News on Sunday that he was traveling to Israel to secure Alexander’s release. “We are picking him up probably tomorrow,” Witkoff said. “There was a long negotiation with lots of people to thank.” He added that it was a big moment “in large part” because of Trump. Trump on Sunday said that he hoped Alexander’s release signified a step toward ending the war in Gaza. “This was a step taken in good faith towards the United States and the efforts of the mediators — Qatar and Egypt — to put an end to this very brutal war and return ALL living hostages and remains to their loved ones,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. Mediators Qatar and Egypt also welcomed the move in a statement Sunday.

A flight carrying a group of 59 White South Africans granted refugee status by the Trump administration arrived in the United States on Monday. They were the first people to be granted refugee status by the Trump administration and are not expected to be the last Afrikaners to come to the US. The South Africans, including children, were greeted upon their arrival at Washington Dulles International Airport in Virginia by US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau and Department of Homeland Security Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar. The Trump administration has moved to not only admit but to expedite the processing of Afrikaners as refugees for alleged discrimination. At the same time, it has suspended all other refugee resettlement, including for people fleeing war and famine. The policy of exempting only White South Africans from the indefinite pause has drawn criticism from the South African government and from refugee advocates. Landau told the new arrivals that the US was “excited” to have them, adding, “We respect what you had to deal with these last few years.” He noted that many of them are farmers and likened them to “quality seeds” that would hopefully “bloom” in the US. “We underscored for them that the American people are a welcoming and generous people, and we underscored the importance of assimilation into the United States, which is one of the very important factors that we look to in refugee admissions,” Landau told reporters after greeting the group. Landau claimed the Afrikaners had been “subject to very serious, egregious and targeted threats” and accused the South African government of failing to act. “The South African government has not done what we feel is appropriate to guarantee the rights of these citizens to live in peace with their fellow South Africans, which is why, under our domestic law, they were given refugee status,” Landau said. Earlier on Monday, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said that those going to the US “do not fit the definition of a refugee.” Ramaphosa said he told Donald Trump that what the US president had been told about the persecution of the White minority group was not true. “Those people who have fled are not being persecuted, they are not being hounded, they are not being treated badly,” he said at a panel at the Africa CEO Forum in Cote d’Ivoire moderated by CNN’s Larry Madowo. “They are leaving ostensibly because they don’t want to embrace the changes that are taking place in our country in accordance with our constitution,” Ramaphosa said. Asked about Ramaphosa’s comments, Landau said, “It is not surprising, unfortunately, that a country from which refugees come does not concede that they are refugees.” Jeremy Konyndyk, the president of Refugees International, called the policy “a racialized immigration program masquerading as refugee resettlement, while real refugees remain stranded.” “The main problem is denying protection to any other refugees from anywhere else in the world,” he said. “There are millions of refugees around the world - people who have had to flee their home countries due to war or persecution – who have far more need for protection than anyone in this group – none of whom, to my knowledge, had been forced to flee from South Africa.” In remarks on Friday, senior White House official Stephen Miller said the arrivals this week are “the beginning of what’s going to be a much larger-scale relocation effort.” Since Trump began his second term, the US has taken a series of punitive measures against South Africa, whose government has been met with ire not only from Trump, but also from his ally Elon Musk, who was born and raised in the country. Both Trump and Musk, the tech billionaire, have alleged that White farmers in the country are being discriminated against under land reform policies that South Africa’s government says are necessary to remedy the legacy of apartheid. In January, South Africa enacted the Expropriation Act, seeking to undo the legacy of apartheid, which created huge disparities in land ownership among its majority Black and minority White population. Under apartheid, non-White South Africans were forcibly dispossessed from their lands for the benefit of Whites. Today, some three decades after racial segregation officially ended in the country, Black South Africans, who comprise over 80% of the population of 63 million, own around 4% of private land. The expropriation law empowers South Africa’s government to take land and redistribute it – with no obligation to pay compensation in some instances – if the seizure is found to be “just and equitable and in the public interest.” In February, Trump suspended aid to South Africa, alleging discrimination against White farmers. In that same executive order, the president said the US would “promote the resettlement of Afrikaner refugees escaping government-sponsored race-based discrimination, including racially discriminatory property confiscation.” Earlier this month, Trump said in a post on social media that “any Farmer (with family!) from South Africa, seeking to flee that country for reasons of safety, will be invited into the United States of America with a rapid pathway to Citizenship.”

The curator Koyo Kouoh, a giant of the contemporary art world who tirelessly championed African artists and became the first woman from the continent to curate the Venice Biennale, died on Saturday, age 57. Her death, in a hospital in Basel, Switzerland, was announced in a statement by the Biennale. While the official cause was not disclosed, her husband, Philippe Mall, said she had died of cancer following a recent diagnosis, according to The New York Times. Kouoh had been appointed in December to curate the next edition of the Biennale, the world’s most prestigious international art exhibition. In its statement, the organization said: “Koyo Kouoh worked with passion, intellectual rigour and vision on the conception and development of the Biennale Arte 2026. The presentation of the exhibition’s title and theme was due to take place in Venice on May 20.” It added: “Her passing leaves an immense void in the world of contemporary art and in the international community of artists, curators and scholars who had the privilege of knowing and admiring her extraordinary human and intellectual commitment.” Giorgia Meloni, the Italian prime minister, said in a statement: “I express my deep condolences for the untimely and sudden death of Koyo Kouoh.” Asked how her death might affect the next Biennale, a spokesperson told The Art Newspaper: “We’ll know on May 20.” The spokesperson clarified that the conference was still scheduled to take place on that date. The Biennale is scheduled to run from May 9 to November 22, 2026. The organization had cast Kouoh’s appointment as reinforcing its cutting-edge reputation. In December, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the Biennale’s president, praised her “refined, young, and disruptive intelligence” in a press statement. In the same announcement, Kouoh called her appointment a “once-in-a-lifetime honor and privilege,” describing the Biennale as “the center of gravity for art for over a century.” She expressed hope that her exhibition would “carry meaning for the world we currently live in — and most importantly, for the world we want to make.” ‘Rewriting’ the rules Kouoh was born in Douala, Cameroon, in 1967, and moved to Switzerland at 13. After studying administration and banking, she worked as a social worker assisting migrant women before immersing herself in the art world and returning to Africa in 1996. In Dakar, Senegal, she founded RAW Material Company, an independent art center. In 2016, she joined the Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa (Zeitz MOCAA) in Cape Town, serving as curator and executive director. There, she became a leading advocate for Black artists from Africa and beyond, curating, among other projects, a major retrospective of the South African artist Tracey Rose in 2022. Beyond Africa, she won acclaim for exhibitions such as “Body Talk: Feminism, Sexuality and the Body in the Works of Six African Women Artists,” which opened at WIELS Contemporary Art Centre in Brussels in 2015, and “Still (the) Barbarians” at the 2016 Ireland Biennial in Limerick, which explored Ireland’s postcolonial condition in the context of the 1916 Easter Rising centenary. “Kouoh did not leave a title for the Biennale, but she did leave a grammar: the urgency to rewrite the rules of the curatorial game,” wrote Artuu, an Italian art magazine, in its obituary. “Koyo Kouoh’s theoretical legacy… does not propose new aesthetic models to frame, but undermines the very foundations of cultural hierarchy. It does not offer easy solutions, but asks uncomfortable questions: Who decides what is ‘art’? Who has the right to tell? What is left to say when language itself has been historically colonized?”

For an instantly recognizable contest that has settled untold scores it is, ironically, hard to get a firm grip on the origins of arm wrestling. As host of the World Armwrestling Federation’s (WAF) inaugural World Championship in 1979, the Canadian city of Wetaskiwin could claim to be the birthplace of the formal, global sport, yet descriptions of rivals locked in battles of the biceps stretch back much further. Versions of arm wrestling had already taken root across Japan, Spain and Cuba before the turn of the 20th century, according to anthropologists of the time. Some have even claimed it is depicted in the hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt, though these assertions have been contested. Whatever its place in arm wrestling’s origin story, Africa is not looking back. Last March saw the sport make its first appearance at the 13th African Games in Accra, Ghana, a debut orchestrated by Armwrestling Federation of Africa (AFA) President Charles Osei Asibey. It was the latest step towards Asibey delivering on the promises of his 2022 election manifesto: to make arm wrestling a “household” sport on the continent. “Formerly in Africa, it was only a way to determine the strongest in the community, or even in schools,” Asibey told CNN. “So people didn’t even consider arm wrestling as a sport. It was just a normal game … We have turned it into a sport.” A sport of styles The technical term for an arm wrestler is a “puller” and it is technique, not raw power, that makes a champion, stresses Asibey, with training programs focused on developing all aspects of the body. “A lightweight who is smarter, has speed, [and] can swing very well will beat a heavier weight,” explained Asibey, who competed until last year. Such a matchup would not happen at the competitive level, with pullers classed into sex and weight categories, akin to boxing and mixed martial arts. And just as boxing has varying orthodox and southpaw stances, arm wrestling has its own battling styles that play to a puller’s personal strengths. The toproll style, for example, sees pullers turn their wrist inwards (pronation), and often lean back, to increase leverage, while the hook technique involves the outward rotation of the wrist (supination) to create a hook shape with the arm and pull the opponent in. Taller pullers with long arm spans make natural toprollers, while the hook style can be hugely effective for those with a background in powerlifting, bench-pressing or similar disciplines that prioritize tricep strength. During contests, the pullers’ faces are a visceral picture of steely concentration, sinew-straining effort, and fierce competition, but it is the mutual respect that defines the sport for Asibey. “Even in defeat, you congratulate your opponent,” he said. “You get to the table, you shake hands … you go off the table, you shake hands and hug each other.” Golden arms Arm wrestling’s debut at last year’s African Games was a homecoming in all senses of the word for Asibey, with the Accra-born former broadcast journalist having founded the Ghana Armwrestling Federation in 2016. The hosts amassed 41 of the 84 total arm wrestling medals. That put them comfortably clear of Egypt’s 19-medal haul, but the North African nation gathered six more arm wrestling golds than Ghana to finish top of the medal table. Two pullers in particular embodied the team’s “Golden Arms” moniker, accounting for half of Ghana’s eight gold medals between them. Men’s captain Edward Asamoah powered to victory in the 90kg weight class for both left and right arms. A member of the Ghana Immigration Service, in 2017 Asamoah decided to try his luck at a national competition and set in motion a rollercoaster adventure. “The journey hasn’t been very smooth, with injuries and financing, but it was worth it,” he told CNN. “Determination and hard work got me those medals.” It has been a similar breakneck rise for Grace Minta, a police officer who followed up her two golds in Accra by becoming the first Ghanaian to win a World Armwrestling Championships gold, in Moldova five months later. Having dominated continental events, becoming World Champion marked a new high for three-time African Championships gold medalist Minta, who took up the sport in 2017 after excelling in javelin and shotput at school. “I’m so, so proud to be a Ghana arm wrestler,” Minta told CNN. “I want to train the young ones who are coming, to organize them to also become somebody in the future.” Olympic dreams The challenge for Africa now is to replicate Minta’s success more regularly — no easy feat given the established giants of the sport. Kazakhstan dominated last year’s world championships, scooping 52 golds as part of a 159-medal surge. Turkey and Georgia finished second and third in the medal leaderboard. Egypt led the African contingent in 36th, two places ahead of Ghana, a fair reflection of their status as the “top notch” arm wrestling outfit on the continent, according to Asibey. He says that while Africa, which currently has nine nations signed up as members to the WAF, is well on its way, securing more funding will help close the gap to nations like Kazakstan which — partly thanks to the popularity of the sport in schools — sends more than 100 competitors to World Championship events. “That’s why they always dominate, because in those countries they have taken the sport very seriously,” Asibey said. “The Africa Games brought a lot of good things. Governments and institutions have recognized us … (But) We don’t have sponsorship yet. We struggle to raise money.” “We are confident that where we are going, very soon, multinational or corporate institutions will come to invest in our sport,” he added. Such backing would help Asibey to secure arm wrestling’s African Games return in Cairo for 2027. But while that is his short-term focus, he has even bigger aspirations. Though the WAF was unsuccessful in its bid to see para-armwrestling included in the 2028 Paralympic Games in Los Angeles, Asibey — who doubles as one of five WAF vice-presidents — believes it is just a matter of time before it makes the cut. That will be one step closer to his ultimate goal of seeing pullers battle it out on the Olympic stage. By ensuring arm wrestling is a regular fixture at his own continental games, he believes he is doing his part to make that dream a reality in the near future. “We are working so hard to be in the Olympics,” Asibey said. “Very soon we will get there … (Then) I’ll have a good sleep.”

US President Donald Trump has announced a series of tariffs, arguing they will boost American manufacturing and protect jobs. But the import taxes have thrown the world economy into chaos and many have argued that they will make products more expensive for US consumers. The US and China have now agreed to slash tariffs they had imposed on each other, for 90 days. The UK and US have also announced a deal on tariffs, and other countries are hoping to reach an agreement with the White House. What are tariffs and how do they work? Tariffs are taxes charged on goods bought from other countries. Typically, they are a percentage of a product's value. A10% tariff means a $10 product would have a $1 tax on top - taking the total cost to $11 (£8.35). Companies that bring foreign goods into the US have to pay the tax to the government. They may pass some or all of the extra cost on to customers. Firms may also decide to import fewer goods. Why is Trump using tariffs? Trump says tariffs will encourage US consumers to buy more American-made goods, increase the amount of tax raised and lead to huge levels of investment. He wants to reduce the gap between the value of goods the US buys from other countries and those it sells to them. He argues that America has been taken advantage of by "cheaters" and "pillaged" by foreigners. The US president has made other demands alongside tariffs. When he announced the first tariffs of his current term against China, Mexico and Canada, he said he wanted them to do more to stop migrants and illegal drugs reaching the US. What tariffs has Trump announced? China: The US and China ramped up huge tariffs against one another in recent months, but have now reached an agreement for significant reductions. Trump unveiled a 10% tariff on goods from China on 4 February, which doubled to 20% a month later. On 2 April, Trump announced a universal 10% baseline tariff on all imports to the US, on what he called "Liberation Day". But some nations, including China, were subjected to higher rates. China retaliated with tariffs of its own, and the ratcheting up of taxes ultimately led to the US imposing a 145% tariff on Chinese imports, on 9 April. Beijing had a 125% levy on some US goods. However, the US and China have now both suspended all but 10% of their Liberation Day tariffs for 90 days, starting on 14 May. They have cancelled other retaliatory levies. This will cut US tariffs on Chinese imports to 30%, while Chinese tariffs on US imports will be reduced to 10%. The US measures still include 20% aimed at putting pressure on Beijing to do more to curb the illegal trade in fentanyl, a powerful opioid drug. Trump also imposed significant tariffs on China during his first presidential term. These were expanded by his successor Joe Biden, which cut the amount America imports from Beijing. But the US still buys much more from China ($440bn) than it sells to it ($145bn). Canada and Mexico: Canada and Mexico were also targeted by Trump in February, when he introduced a 25% tax on imports from both countries and a 10% levy on Canadian energy. There have been a number of delays and exemptions to these tariffs. In response, Canada introduced a 25% tax on some vehicles imported from the US on 9 April. Steel and aluminium: A 25% import tax on all steel and aluminium entering the US - including products made from these metals - took effect on 12 March. Cars: Since 2 April, foreign-made cars have faced a 25% levy. This was extended to cover imported engines and other car parts on 3 May. On 29 April, Trump softened the rules to reduce the effect on US car companies. 10% 'baseline' and higher tariffs: On 2 April, Trump announced most countries - including the UK - would face a 10% "baseline" tariff on all goods sent to the US. On 9 April, he unveiled a range of much higher tariffs for about 60 countries, described as the "worst offenders" among America's trading partners. Hours later he announced a 90-day pause, during which the 10% "baseline" rate would be paid by all named countries apart from China. In response, many countries are working on retaliatory measures. Smartphones and computers: An exemption for some electronic devices from China and elsewhere - including smartphones and computers - was announced on 12 April. Trump later warned the concession could be short lived. Films: On 4 May, Trump said he wanted to introduce a 100% tariff on foreign films to boost the US movie industry. The UK and the US have reached a narrow agreement over tariffs on some goods traded between the countries. The UK exported about £58bn of goods to the US in 2024, mainly cars, machinery and pharmaceuticals. The blanket 10% tariffs on imports from countries around the world still applies to most UK goods. But the deal means there are some exemptions to tariffs being applied to other countries. The additional 25% import tax the US had placed on cars has now been cut to 10% for a maximum 100,000 UK cars - about the number the UK exported last year. A 25% tariff on steel and aluminium imports into the US that came into effect in March has also been scrapped for the UK. There will be a quota for how much steel can be exported, although it is currently unclear how much this will cover. In return, the UK has scrapped a 20% tariff on US beef and raised the quota from 1,000 to 13,000 metric tonnes. The UK has said there will be no weakening of food standards on beef. How has the world economy responded to Trump's tariffs? Trump's various announcements have caused volatility on global stock markets, where firms sell shares in their business. Many people are affected by stock market price changes, even if they don't invest in shares directly, because of the knock-on effect on pensions, jobs and interest rates. The value of the US dollar, usually considered a safe asset, has also fallen in recent months. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) downgraded its prediction for global economic growth in 2025 as a result of the tariffs. It expects America to be hardest hit, and says a US recession is now more likely in 2025. As Trump marked 100 days in power, the commerce department said the US economy shrank in the first three months of 2025, after strong growth in the previous quarter. The president insists his policy is working, but influential voices within his own Republican Party have joined opposition Democrats and foreign leaders in attacking the measures. Will prices go up for US consumers? Price increases are expected across a range of imported goods, as businesses pass on some or all of their higher costs. Adidas and Barbie maker Mattel are among the global firms which have said they will charge American customers more. Some companies may also decide to import fewer foreign goods, which could make those that are available more expensive. The costs of goods manufactured in the US using imported components are also expected to rise. For example, car parts typically cross the US, Mexican and Canadian borders multiple times before a vehicle is completely assembled. The new tariffs have also resulted in tighter customs checks at the US border, leading to delays.

The leaders of four major European powers traveled to Kyiv on Saturday and demanded an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. KYIV, Ukraine — Ukrainian authorities said Russian attacks against Ukraine continued on Monday, including an overnight assault using more than 100 drones, despite a ceasefire proposed by Europe and Ukraine that Russia did not agree to abide by. The leaders of four major European powers traveled to Kyiv on Saturday and demanded an unconditional 30-day ceasefire starting Monday. Russian President Vladimir Putin, implicitly rejecting the offer, instead proposed direct Russia-Ukraine talks in Istanbul that he said could potentially lead to a ceasefire. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said late Sunday that the ceasefire offer remained on the table and that he was still waiting for a response from Moscow, but that Ukrainian forces would respond in kind if Russia flouted it. The air force said in its morning readout that Ukraine came under attack overnight from 108 long-range combat drones starting at 11 p.m. (4 p.m. ET), an hour before the ceasefire was due to kick in. Attacks of this kind unfold over the course of hours, as drones fly much slower than missiles. “As of 08:30 (1:30 a.m. ET), it was confirmed that 55 Shahed attack (drones)... were shot down in the east, north, south and center of the country,” it said, adding that 30 others had been lost on radars and caused no damage. A woman was injured by a strike drone in the small port city of Bilhorod-Dnistrovsk in the Black Sea region of Odesa overnight, the regional governor said. Russia also launched guided bombs at targets in the northeastern Kharkiv region and the northern Sumy region, the air force said. The Ukrainian railway company said a Russian drone attacked a civilian freight train in the east. “The truce proposals are being ignored, hostile attacks on railway infrastructure and rolling stock continue,” it wrote in a statement on Telegram. The train’s driver received a shrapnel wound in his leg after the train was struck by a drone, it said. “His life is currently no longer in danger,” it added. The state of play on the sprawling front line was not immediately clear. The military has not yet given a readout that specifically addresses the period from midnight. Russia and Ukraine are both trying to show U.S. President Donald Trump that they are working toward his objective of reaching a rapid peace in Ukraine, while trying to make the other look like the spoiler to his efforts. Kyiv is desperate to unlock more of the U.S. military backing it received from Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden. Moscow senses an opportunity to get relief from a barrage of economic sanctions and engage with the world’s biggest economy. Europe, meanwhile, is doing its best to preserve good relations with Trump despite him imposing tariffs, hoping it can persuade him to swing more forcefully behind Ukraine’s cause, which they see as central to the continent’s security. A group of European foreign ministers and E.U. foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas were set to hold talks in London on Monday. The leaders of Britain, France, Germany and Poland on Saturday threatened Russia with new sanctions if the truce was violated, though it is unclear what firepower they are able to muster on that front in the near term. Putin dismissed what he said was an attempt to lay down “ultimatums.” His foreign ministry spelled out that talks about the root causes of the conflict must precede discussions of a ceasefire. With Russian forces grinding forward, the Kremlin chief has offered few, if any, concessions so far. Russia says a ceasefire would allow Ukraine to catch its breath and rebuild its military. Zelenskyy initially responded guardedly on Sunday after Putin, in a nighttime televised statement that coincided with prime time in the U.S., proposed direct talks in Istanbul this Thursday. But after Trump told Zelenskyy to agree to Putin’s offer “immediately,” the Ukrainian leader challenged the Kremlin chief to meet him in person in Istanbul on Thursday. It was far from clear, however, if Putin meant he would attend in person. Putin and Zelenskyy have not met since December 2019 and make no secret of their contempt for each other.

U.S. Treasury yields moved higher on Monday after the U.S. and China agreed to slash tariffs on each other’s goods, in a move welcomed by investors. At 5:09 a.m. ET, the 10-year Treasury yield was up nearly 6 basis points to 4.433%, while the 2-year Treasury yield jumped 10 basis points to 3.996% One basis point is equal to 0.01% and yields and prices move in opposite directions.The U.S. and China negotiated a trade deal to lower tariffs, with both countries announcing on Monday the suspension of most levies implemented on each other’s imports. Tariffs between both countries will come down from 125% to 10%, according to the terms of the deal. The U.S.′ 20% duties on Chinese imports relating to fentanyl are still in place, bringing total tariffs on China to 30% currently. Previously U.S. tariffs on China stood at 145%, while China implemented 125% levies on U.S. goods. “We had very productive talks and I believe that the venue, here in Lake Geneva, added great equanimity to what was a very positive process,” U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a news conference, after holding talks in Switzerland with China’s trade representatives over the weekend. “We have reached an agreement on a 90-day pause and substantially move down the tariff levels. Both sides on the reciprocal tariffs will move their tariffs down 115%,” Bessent said. Investors will also be looking ahead to a batch of economic data this week, which will offer an outlook on how trade tensions have impacted the economy since U.S. President Donald Trump implemented “reciprocal” tariffs on global trade partners in early April. Investors will parse through the consumer price index reading for April, due on Tuesday morning. They will also await the producer price index and retail sales data on Thursday.

GENEVA — The U.S. treasury secretary and America’s top trade negotiator began talks with high-ranking Chinese officials in Switzerland Saturday aiming to de-escalate a dispute that threatens to cut off trade between the world’s two biggest economies and damage the global economy. China’s Xinhua News Agency says Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer have begun meetings in Geneva with a Chinese delegation led by Vice Premier He Lifeng. Diplomats from both sides also confirmed that the talks have begun but spoke anonymously and the exact location of the talks wasn’t made public. However, a motorcade of black cars and vans was seen leaving the home of the Swiss Ambassador to the United Nations in the wealthy Swiss city, and a diplomatic source, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the meeting, said the sides met for about two hours before departing for a previously arranged luncheon. Prospects for a major breakthrough appear dim. But there is hope that the two countries will scale back the massive taxes — tariffs — they’ve slapped on each other’s goods, a move that would relieve world financial markets and companies on both sides of the Pacific Ocean that depend on U.S.-China trade. U.S. President Donald Trump last month raised U.S. tariffs on China to a combined 145%, and China retaliated by hitting American imports with a 125% levy. Tariffs that high essentially amount to the countries’ boycotting each other’s products, disrupting trade that last year topped $660 billion. Even before the talks began, Trump suggested Friday that the U.S. could lower its tariffs on China, saying in a Truth Social post that “ 80% Tariff seems right! Up to Scott.” Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, noted it will be the first time He and Bessent have talked. She doubts the Geneva meeting will produce any substantive results. “The best scenario is for the two sides to agree to de-escalate on the ... tariffs at the same time,” she said, adding even a small reduction would send a positive signal. “It cannot just be words.” Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has aggressively used tariffs as his favorite economic weapon. He has, for example, imposed a 10% tax on imports from almost every country in the world. But the fight with China has been the most intense. His tariffs on China include a 20% charge meant to pressure Beijing into doing more to stop the flow of the synthetic opioid fentanyl into the United States. The remaining 125% involve a dispute that dates back to Trump’s first term and comes atop tariffs he levied on China back then, which means the total tariffs on some Chinese goods can exceed 145%. During Trump’s first term, the U.S. alleged that China uses unfair tactics to give itself an edge in advanced technologies such as quantum computing and driverless cars. These include forcing U.S. and other foreign companies to hand over trade secrets in exchange for access to the Chinese market; using government money to subsidize domestic tech firms; and outright theft of sensitive technologies. Those issues were never fully resolved. After nearly two years of negotiation, the United States and China reached a so-called Phase One agreement in January 2020. The U.S. agreed then not to go ahead with even higher tariffs on China, and Beijing agreed to buy more American products. The tough issues — such as China’s subsidies — were left for future negotiations. But China didn’t come through with the promised purchases, partly because COVID-19 disrupted global commerce just after the Phase One truce was announced. The fight over China’s tech policy now resumes. Trump is also agitated by America’s massive trade deficit with China, which came to $263 billion last year. In Switzerland, Bessent and Greer also plan to meet with Swiss President Karin Keller-Sutter. Trump last month suspended plans to slap hefty 31% tariffs on Swiss goods -- more than the 20% levies he plastered on exports from European Union. For now, he’s reduced those taxes to 10% but could raise them again. The government in Bern is taking a cautious approach. But it has warned of the impact on crucial Swiss industries like watches, coffee capsules, cheese and chocolate. “An increase in trade tensions is not in Switzerland’s interests. Countermeasures against U.S. tariff increases would entail costs for the Swiss economy, in particular by making imports from the USA more expensive,” the government said last week, adding that the executive branch “is therefore not planning to impose any countermeasures at the present time.” The government said Swiss exports to the United States on Saturday were subject to an additional 10% tariff, and another 21% beginning Wednesday. The United States is Switzerland’s second-biggest trading partner after the EU — a 27-member-country bloc that nearly surrounds the wealthy Alpine country of more than 9 million. U.S.-Swiss trade in goods and services has quadrupled over the last two decades, the government said. The Swiss government said Switzerland abolished all industrial tariffs on Jan. 1 last year, meaning that 99% of all goods from the United States can be imported into Switzerland duty-free.