Good morning, everyone! Happy Thursday.
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Today, we will look at President Donald Trump’s new tariff threats, U.S.-Africa summitry, developments in the Middle East, and other news spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
Africa
-President Donald Trump hosted leaders from Senegal, Liberia, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, and Gabon in Washington, D.C., yesterday.
The White House said the event was intended to explore “commercial opportunities” with the African countries.
At a joint lunch, Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema said Trump deserved a Nobel Peace Prize and that his country was open to U.S. investment.
Bilateral meetings are expected to run through Friday.
-Trump said he would impose a 30% tariff on products from Algeria and Libya.
-Kenyan President William Ruto ordered security forces to shoot violent protesters in the leg after two days of nationwide anti-government demonstrations.
-Core inflation in Egypt slowed to 11.4% in June, down from 13.1% the month prior.
-The African Union’s Executive Council will meet today in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea.
Other Links:
Trump asks Liberian president where he learned English, his country's official language - Reuters
Tunisia sentences prominent opposition leader to 14 years in prison - Africa News
Death toll from Kenya’s latest anti-government protest surges to 31 - France 24
Al-Shabab claims responsibility for an explosion at a Somalia military training school - AP
South Sudan says 8 men deported from the US are now in its custody - AP
Americas and the Caribbean
-President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would impose a 50% tariff on products made in Brazil, citing the government’s “attacks” on U.S. technology companies and criminal charges against former President Jair Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro—a close ally of Trump during his time in office—is currently on trial on charges of plotting a coup following his election defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.
Earlier this week, Trump called on Lula to “LEAVE BOLSONARO ALONE!”
Lula responded to that statement on his X account, saying, “No one is above the law. Especially those that threaten freedom and the rule of law.”
-Inflation in Venezuela could surge to 530% this year, according to the Miami Herald. Skyrocketing prices have rocked the country as it grapples with political and economic isolation, a volatile currency, and oil distribution problems.
-Colombian President Gustavo Petro said he does not trust the “transparency” of the country’s general elections next year.
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