9 h. ago Apple to move production of US iPhones from China to India over tariffs – report

Experts have already warned the price of electronics generally, and not just Apple products, are likely to rise.

Politics

11 h. ago Xi announces plan for Chinese economy to counter impact of US trade war

Beijing will ‘strengthen bottom-line thinking’ as reports say it could drop tariffs on some US products Business live – latest updatesXi Jinping has announced a plan to counter China’s continuing economic problems and the impact of the US trade war, as reports swirl that it could drop tariffs on some US products, including semiconductors.Friday’s meeting of the politburo was convened to discuss China’s economic situation, which since the pandemic has faced difficulties fuelled by a housing sector crisis, youth unemployment, and Donald Trump’s tariffs on all Chinese exports. Continue reading...

Events

49 h. ago Treasury secretary says China tariffs not sustainable as US signals willingness to de

Scott Bessent said the tariffs – 145% on Chinese products and a retaliatory 125% on US products – would have to come down before talks can proceedStock markets rise as Trump backtracks on high China tariffs and firing Fed chairNato secretary general Mark Rutte will visit the US and meet the secretary of state, Marco Rubio, the defense secretary, Pete Hegseth, and the national security adviser, Mike Waltz, according to a media notice shared by the military alliance’s press office.Rutte will visit the US on 24 and 25 April. Continue reading...

Politics

56 h. ago Cabinet war over 'youth free movement' deal with EU: Rachel Reeves 'backs relaxing visa rules' to boost stalling growth

A youth mobility scheme has been among the key demands of EU member states as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer bids for closer post-Brexit ties with the bloc.

Economics

58 h. ago JD Vance poses in front of the Taj Mahal with wife Usha and their three children after red carpet tour of India is rocked by tourist massacre

Vance has been trying to shore up relations with India after Donald Trump criticised India's tariffs on cars, farm goods and other products.

Society

4 d. ago From peppercorns to plastic forks: US businesses that rely on Chinese products reel from Trump tariffs

Price hikes worry restaurants and online markets as uncertainty stymies their ability to plan for the futureChang Chang, a Sichuan restaurant in Washington DC, was already noticing that some of its business had dropped off after tens of thousands of federal workers living in the area lost their jobs. But the recent tariff rate hikes mark an even greater blow for the restaurant.Sichuan peppercorns, which create the signature numbing spice of the regional Chinese cuisine, along with other ingredients, face an at least 145% tariff after last week’s tit-for-tat trade battle between China and the United States. The steep rate is an existential threat for restaurants across the country that rely on specialty ingredients imported from China to craft the authentic flavors of their dishes, said operators who were blindsided. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Apple airlifted iPhones worth $2bn from India in March as Trump tariffs loomed

Tech giant stepped up production and chartered cargo flights with at least six jets to ensure sufficient inventoryApple’s main Indian suppliers Foxconn and Tata shipped nearly $2bn worth of iPhones to the United States in March, an all-time high, as the US company airlifted devices to bypass Donald Trump’s impending tariffs, customs data shows.The smartphone maker stepped up production in India and chartered cargo flights to ferry 600 tons of iPhones to the United States to ensure sufficient inventory in one of its biggest markets based on concern that the US president’s tariffs would push up costs. At least six cargo jets were used in the operation, which one source described as a way to “beat the tariffs”. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago UK retail bosses raise fears of Chinese product ‘dumping’ due to Donald Trump’s tariffs

Companies flag signs of goods being diverted from US to Europe via platforms such as Temu, Shein and Amazon

Politics

1 week ago Trump warns exemptions on smartphones, electronics will be short

The US president has said no one is ‘getting off the hook’, as he promises to launch a national security investigation into the semiconductor sectorThe exemption of smartphones, laptops and other electronic products from import tariffs on China will be short-lived, top US officials have said, with Donald Trump warning that no one was “getting off the hook.”“There was no Tariff ‘exception’, Trump said in a social media post on Sunday. “These products are subject to the existing 20% Fentanyl Tariffs, and they are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket.’” Continue reading...

Events

1 week ago US stock markets expected to recover after Trump drops tariffs on mobiles

Exemption, seen as a climbdown, includes laptops and chips, and is likely to help firms such as Apple and NvidiaUS stock markets were expected to stage a recovery on Monday after Donald Trump excluded imports of smartphones and laptops from his tariff regime late on Friday night.Shares in Apple and chip maker Nvidia were on course to soar after tariffs on their products imported into the US were lifted for 90 days. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Government cuts prices of 89 everyday items including spices, juices and pasta

UK Global Tariffs on 89 products have been suspended until 2027 - which could be good news for many including families and certain businesses

Politics

1 week ago What I’ve learned after 40 years as the Observer’s science editor

Almost as amazing as the knowledge we have gained in the past four decades is the fact that some people continue to deny the damage we are doing to our worldEarlier this year I received an email from a reader asking background questions about an article I had written more than four decades ago. Given the time gap, my recollection was hazy. To be honest, it was almost non-existent. So I was intrigued – and then astonished when I read the feature.I had written about the British glaciologist John Mercer, author of a 1978 Nature paper in which he warned that continuing increases in fossil fuel consumption would cause amounts of atmospheric carbon dioxide to soar. Global temperatures could rise by 2C by the mid-21st century, causing major ice loss at the poles and threatening a 5-metre rise in sea levels, he warned. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago China raises US tariffs to 125% as Xi invites EU to team up against Trump ‘bullying’

Chinese leader canvasses Spain and other trading partners on how to tackle economic fallout as market turmoil continuesBusiness live – latest updatesWhy did ‘strongman’ Trump back down on tariffs? – podcastChina has raised its tariffs on US products to 125% in the latest salvo of the trade dispute with Washington, just hours after Xi Jinping said there were “no winners in a tariff war”.Xi made the comments during a meeting with the Spanish prime minister in which he invited the EU to work with China to resist “bullying”, part of an apparent campaign to shore up other trading partners. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago China to restrict US film releases after Trump’s tariff hike

After the US president imposed 125% duties on Chinese imports, Beijing says it will restrict American films opening in its lucrative market Hours after Donald Trump imposed record 125% tariffs on Chinese products entering the US, China has announced it will further curb the number of US films allowed to screen in the country.“The wrong action of the US government to abuse tariffs on China will inevitably further reduce the domestic audience’s favourability towards American films,” the China Film Administration said in a statement on Thursday. “We will follow the market rules, respect the audience’s choice, and moderately reduce the number of American films imported.” Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago China says Trump’s trade war ‘will end in failure’, as Beijing’s tariffs take effect

China’s 84% tariffs on US products come into force amid market relief after Trump pauses steep reciprocal tariffs elsewhereBusiness live – latest updatesChina says Donald Trump’s trade war with Beijing “will end in failure” for Washington, hours after the US president announced he would be increasing his tariffs on the country’s imports to 125%.China’s own 84% tariffs on US imports came into effect on Thursday amid an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago China says Trump’s trade war ‘will end in failure’ as Beijing tariffs take effect

China’s 84% tariffs on US products come into force amid market relief after Trump pauses steep tariffs elsewhereBusiness live – latest updatesChina says Donald Trump’s trade war with Beijing “will end in failure” for Washington, hours after the US president announced he would increase his tariffs on the country’s imports to 125%.China’s own 84% retaliatory tariffs on US imports came into effect on Thursday amid an escalating trade war between the world’s two biggest economies. Continue reading...

Events

2 w. ago Trump issues executive order to block state climate crisis policies – US politics live

Move directs US attorney general to block laws addressing carbon emissions and comes hours after president issued orders to increase coal productionChina will impose 84% tariffs on US goods from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced, the finance ministry said on Wednesday.In early March, the Trump administration sent warning letters to 60 US universities it said were facing “potential enforcement actions” for what it described as “failure to protect Jewish students on campus” in the wake of widespread pro-Palestinian protests on campuses last year. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Ireland’s deputy PM to meet US secretary of commerce as EU finalises first part of response to Trump’s tariffs – Europe live

Simon Harris to meet Howard Lutnick as EU member states vote on final list of €21bn of goods facing retaliatory tariffsUS president Donald Trump continues to rewrite the rules of global trade, as his sweeping tariffs take effect.Rates on imports to the United States from dozens of economies rose further from 12.01am (0401 GMT) on Wednesday, with tariffs imposed on Chinese products since Trump returned to the White House reaching a staggering 104%. The new tariffs include rates of 20% on the European Union, 26% on India and 49% on Cambodia. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Chinese plan to BAN Hollywood movies as they respond to Trump tariff 'blackmail': Huge blow could cost films such as Jurassic World: Rebirth and new Mission Impossible sequel half a BILLION dollars

It will put more tariffs on US agricultural products, prevent all US poultry from entering China and ban the import of US movies into the country, a Chinese journalist linked to the Communist party said.

Economics

2 w. ago EU drops bourbon, wine and dairy products from tariffs list against US

‘We are not in the business of tit-for-tat or penny for penny’, says EU commissioner Maroš Šefčovič

Economics