Gold prices hit a record high on Wednesday, bolstered by fears of a new trade war between the United States and China after Beijing slapped tariffs on U.S. imports in a response to new U.S. duties on Chinese goods.
Several UN special rapporteurs have accused Israel of committing genocide in Gaza, including, most notably, the special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territory, Francesca Albanese.
Musk, Trump, and some Republican lawmakers have increasingly targeted the U.S. aid and development agency, which oversees humanitarian, development, and security programmes in over 120 countries.
Protesters waved Egyptian and Palestinian flags and said they were in favour of an independent Palestinian state.
U.S.-Canada trade is valued at $683 billion, with 75% of Canadian exports heading south.
Panama Canal was built by the US in the early 20th century and handed over to Panama in 1999. After returning to office, Donald Trump threatened to take the Canal back from Panama, claiming China’s control over it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Sunday, February 2, warned Panama’s President that Washington will “take measures necessary” if Panama does not immediately take steps to end China’s influence and control over the Panama Canal.
The tariffs would also invite retaliation. Doug Ford, the premier of Ontario, has already vowed to counterpunch by pulling American alcohol off store shelves in the Canadian province – no idle threat; Canada is the world’s No. 2 market for America’s distilled spirits (behind the 27-nation European Union).
In economic data, U.S. jobless claims fell to 207,000, beating estimates, while economic growth slowed to 2.3% in Q4, down from 3.1% and below expectations of 2.6%. President Trump confirmed 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican imports starting February 1.
DeepSeek, a chatbot developed by a Hangzhou-based startup, has rapidly emerged as a formidable competitor in the AI industry, long dominated by Western tech giants
US President Donald Trump’s administration has fired more than a dozen justice department lawyers who worked on two criminal cases against him.
