BEIJING: Residents of China&#39;s capital city expressed indifference and defiance Saturday when asked by AFP about the latest threat by US President Donald Trump to impose blistering new tariffs on the country. On Friday, Trump announced suddenly that the United States would slap additional 100 percent tariffs on all Chinese imports from November 1 &quot;or sooner&quot;, also calling into question an upcoming meeting with President Xi Jinping. Chinese authorities have yet to publicly respond to the threat, which Trump said was in retaliation for Beijing&#39;s new export control measures in the strategic rare-earth sector. The ministries of foreign affairs and commerce did not comment when asked about it by AFP on Saturday. &quot;I felt nothing when I first saw the news,&quot; said Liu Ming, a 48-year-old employee in a software company, outside a large Beijing shopping mall. &quot;Trump always has these childlike or capricious policies,&quot; said Liu. &quot;China isn&#39;t afraid of any US sanctions or policies aimed at limiting us. We have the confidence and ability to do better ourselves.&quot; Great commotionLike others interviewed by AFP on the streets of Beijing on Saturday, Liu sees Trump as fickle. &quot;From the perspective of a Chinese person, he is a bit unreliable,&quot; he said. &quot;He always goes from this policy to that policy, causing great commotion in the world. &quot;It is not stable.&quot; Irene Wang, an insurance worker in her thirties, echoed the sentiment. &quot;He says one thing today, but maybe after a nap he&#39;ll change his mind again,&quot; joked Wang. &quot;At his age (79), he should be a little more composed!&quot; She believes the sky-high tariffs Trump is threatening could backfire. &quot;For Americans, it could have an impact,&quot; she said, as tariffs on Chinese products could drive up prices in the United States. As for the potential impact on people living in China, Wang acknowledged she couldn&#39;t completely ignore the news. &quot;Honestly, it isn&#39;t the first time, so we will have to wait and see how things play out.&quot; Hoping for &#39;normalSome residents of the Chinese capital told AFP they expected only a moderate impact on their country&#39;s economy if the trade war with Washington escalates again. &quot;The import-export sector, especially those businesses, will inevitably be affected to some extent,&quot; said Jesicca Yu, 40. But &quot;for ordinary people in China, in the immediate future, I don&#39;t think much will change in their daily lives,&quot; she said. Yu also bemoaned the tense relationship between Beijing and Washington. &quot;The more peaceful things are, the more economic development can take place,&quot; she said. &quot;We hope things go back to normal.&quot; Lisa Liu, a colleague of Yu who is in her thirties, said she saw one good thing in Trump&#39;s unpredictable approach to governing. &quot;He gives us a lot to talk about at the dinner table,&quot; she said.

Americas

China

Residents of China's capital city expressed indifference and defiance Saturday when asked by AFP about the latest threat by US President Donald Trump to impose blistering new tariffs on the country

'China isn't afraid': Beijingers shrug off Trump tariff threat

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Friday that he&rsquo;s placing an additional 100% tax on Chinese imports starting on November 1 or sooner, potentially escalating tariff rates close to levels that in April fanned fears of a global recession.&nbsp;The president said on his social media site that he is imposing these new tariffs because of export controls placed on rare earth elements by China. The new tariffs built on an earlier post Friday on Truth Social in which Trump said that &ldquo;there seems to be no reason&rdquo; to meet with Chinese leader Xi Jinping as part of an upcoming trip to South Korea.&nbsp;Trump said that &ldquo;starting November 1st, 2025 (or sooner, depending on any further actions or changes taken by China), the United States of America will impose a Tariff of 100% on China, over and above any Tariff that they are currently paying.&rdquo;&nbsp;The announcement came after financial markets closed on Friday and risked throwing the global economy into turmoil. Not only could the global trade war instigated by Trump be rekindled, but import taxes being heaped on top of the 30% already being levied on Chinese goods could, by the administration&#39;s past statements, cause trade to break down between the US and China in ways that could cause growth worldwide to slump.&nbsp;While Trump&#39;s wording was definitive, he is also famously known for backing down from threats. Some investors began engaging in what The Financial Times called the &ldquo;TACO&rdquo; trade, which stands for &ldquo;Trump Always Chickens Out.&rdquo;&nbsp;The prospect of tariffs this large could compound the president&#39;s own political worries inside the US, potentially pushing up inflation at a moment when the job market appears fragile and the drags from a government shutdown are starting to compound into layoffs of federal workers.&nbsp;The president also said that the US government would respond to China by putting its own export controls &ldquo;on any and all critical software&rdquo; from American firms.&nbsp;The United States and China have been jostling for advantage in trade talks, after the import taxes announced earlier this year triggered a trade war between the world&#39;s two largest economies. Both nations agreed to ratchet down tariffs after negotiations in Switzerland and the United Kingdom, yet tensions remain as China has continued to restrict America&#39;s access to the difficult-to-mine rare earths needed for a wide array of US technologies.&nbsp;Trump did not formally cancel the meeting with Xi, so much as indicating that it might not happen as part of a trip at the end of the month in Asia. The trip was scheduled to include a stop in Malaysia, which is hosting the Association of Southeast Asian Nations summit; a stop in Japan; and a visit to South Korea, where he was slated to meet with Xi ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.&nbsp;&ldquo;I was to meet President Xi in two weeks, at APEC, in South Korea, but now there seems to be no reason to do so,&rdquo; Trump posted.&nbsp;Trump&rsquo;s threat shattered a monthslong calm on Wall Street, and the S&amp;P 500 tumbled 2.7% on worries about the rising tensions between the world&rsquo;s largest economies. It was the market&#39;s worst day since April when the president last bandied about import taxes this high. Still, the stock market closed before the president spelled out the terms of his threat.&nbsp;China&#39;s new restrictionsOn Thursday, the Chinese government restricted access to the rare earths ahead of the scheduled Trump-Xi meeting. Beijing would require foreign companies to get special approval for shipping the metallic elements abroad. It also announced permitting requirements on exports of technologies used in the mining, smelting and recycling of rare earths, adding that any export requests for products used in military goods would be rejected.&nbsp;Trump said that China is &ldquo;becoming very hostile&rdquo; and that it&#39;s holding the world &ldquo;captive&rdquo; by restricting access to the metals and magnets used in electronics, computer chips, lasers, jet engines and other technologies.&nbsp;The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an Associated Press request for comment.&nbsp;Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Stimson Center, said Beijing reacted to US sanctions of Chinese companies this week and the upcoming port fees targeting China-related vessels but said there&rsquo;s room for de-escalation to keep the leaders&#39; meeting alive. &ldquo;It is a disproportional reaction,&rdquo; Sun said. &ldquo;Beijing feels that de-escalation will have to be mutual as well. There is room for maneuver, especially on the implementation.&rdquo;&nbsp;The US president said the move on rare earths was &ldquo;especially inappropriate&rdquo; given the announcement of a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in Gaza so that the remaining hostages from Hamas&#39; October 7, 2023, attack can be released. He raised the possibility without evidence that China was trying to steal the moment from him for his role in the ceasefire, saying on social media, &ldquo;I wonder if that timing was coincidental?&rdquo;&nbsp;There is already a backlog of export license applications from Beijing&rsquo;s previous round of export controls on rare earth elements, and the latest announcements &ldquo;add further complexity to the global supply chain of rare earth elements,&rdquo; the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said in a statement.&nbsp;Gracelin Baskaran, director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, said China signaled it is open to negotiations, but it also holds leverage because to dominates the market for rare earths with 70% of the mining and 93% of the production of permanent magnets made from them that are crucial to high-tech products and the military.&nbsp;&ldquo;These restrictions undermine our ability to develop our industrial base at a time when we need to. And then second, it&rsquo;s a powerful negotiating tool,&rdquo; she said. And these restrictions can hurt efforts to strengthen the US military in the midst of global tensions because rare earths are needed.&nbsp;Trump&#39;s trade warThe outbreak of a tariff-fueled trade war between the US and China initially caused the world economy to shudder over the possibility of global commerce collapsing. Trump imposed tariffs totaling 145% on Chinese goods, with China responding with import taxes of 125% on American products.&nbsp;The taxes were so high as to effectively be a blockade on trade between the countries. That led to negotiations that reduced the tariff charged by the US government to 30% and the rate imposed by China to 10% so that further talks could take place. The relief those lower rates provided could now disappear with the new import taxes Trump threatened, likely raising the stakes not only of whether Trump and Xi meet but also of how any disputes are resolved.&nbsp;Differences continue over America&#39;s access to rare earths from China, US restrictions on China&#39;s ability to import advanced computer chips, sales of American-grown soybeans and a series of tit-for-tat port fees being levied by both countries starting on Tuesday.&nbsp;Nebraska Republican Rep. Don Bacon said &ldquo;China has not been a fair-trade partner for years,&rdquo; but the Trump administration should have anticipated China&rsquo;s restrictions on rare earths and refusal to buy American soybeans in response to the tariffs.&nbsp;How analysts see moves by US and ChinaWendy Cutler, senior vice president of the Asia Society Policy Institute, said Trump&rsquo;s post shows the fragility of the d&eacute;tente between the two countries and it&rsquo;s unclear whether the two sides are willing to de-escalate to save the bilateral meeting.&nbsp;Cole McFaul, a research fellow at Georgetown University&#39;s Center for Security and Emerging Technology, said that Trump appeared in his post to be readying for talks on the possibility that China had overplayed its hand. By contrast, China sees itself as having come out ahead when the two countries have engaged in talks.&nbsp;&ldquo;From Beijing&rsquo;s point of view, they&rsquo;re in a moment where they&rsquo;re feeling a lot of confidence about their ability to handle the Trump administration,&rdquo; McFaul said. &ldquo;Their impression is they&rsquo;ve come to the negotiating table and extracted key concessions.&rdquo;&nbsp;Craig Singleton, senior director of the China program at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a think tank, said Trump&#39;s post could &ldquo;mark the beginning of the end of the tariff truce&rdquo; that had lowered the tax rates charged by both countries.&nbsp;It&#39;s still unclear how Trump intends to follow through on his threats and how China plans to respond.&nbsp;&ldquo;But the risk is clear: Mutually assured disruption between the two sides is no longer a metaphor,&rdquo; Singleton said. &ldquo;Both sides are reaching for their economic weapons at the same time, and neither seems willing to back down.&rdquo;

Trump has not formally cancel the meeting with Xi; trip was scheduled to include a stop in Malaysia.



Trump threatens tech export limits, new 100% tariff on Chinese imports starting Nov. 1 or sooner

Washington: A deadly blast rocked a US explosives factory Friday, sending emergency responders rushing to the site and prompting official warnings for the public to avoid the area as multiple people were reported missing. &quot;We can confirm there has been an explosion at Accurate Energetic Systems in the Bucksnort area,&quot; located in Hickman County, Tennessee, the local sheriff&#39;s office wrote on Facebook. &quot;Emergency services are currently on the scene working to address the situation. &quot;Please avoid the area to allow emergency responders to do their work. If you are in the area, stay clear and follow the instructions from local authorities.&quot; The mayor&#39;s office in Hickman County told AFP that it could not immediately confirm any fatalities or the cause of the explosion. But Humphreys County Sheriff Chris Davis reported &quot;some&quot; fatalities and added that several people were missing in the blast, according to US media. &quot;We do have several people at this time that&#39;s unaccounted for,&quot; NBC News quoted Davis as saying. &quot;We are trying to be mindful of families and that situation. We do have some folks. We can confirm that we do have some that are deceased.&quot; Accurate Energetic Systems, an explosives manufacturer founded in 1980, did not immediately respond to AFP&#39;s request for comment.

A deadly blast rocked a US explosives factory Friday, sending emergency responders rushing to the site and prompting official warnings for the public to avoid the area

Deadly blast rocks Tennessee explosives plant: US media

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: United States Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Natalie Baker on Thursday noted growing momentum in Pakistan&ndash;US relations and highlighted American companies&rsquo; strong interest in investing in Pakistan&rsquo;s energy and critical minerals sectors, the Pakistani foreign office said.&nbsp;During a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Baker reaffirmed Washington&rsquo;s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation in trade and investment.&nbsp;The deputy prime minister emphasized that ties between Islamabad and Washington were improving, citing recent high-level engagements in New York and Washington, D.C.&nbsp;Dar also reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s continued efforts to promote peace and stability in the Middle East and the wider region.&nbsp;Baker conveyed that US investors are increasingly exploring opportunities in Pakistan&rsquo;s energy, minerals, and information technology sectors, the statement added.&nbsp;Relations between Pakistan and the United States have seen renewed warmth over the past year, bolstered by diplomatic exchanges and prospective investment in Pakistan&rsquo;s &ldquo;untapped&rdquo; mineral resources, which include some of the world&rsquo;s largest copper and gold deposits.&nbsp;In September, Pakistan and the US signed two memorandums of understanding at a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, and senior American officials.

Foreign Affairs

US Chargé d’Affaires Natalie Baker and Deputy PM Ishaq Dar discussed expanding Pakistan–US cooperation, with Washington showing keen interest in investments across Pakistan’s energy, minerals, and IT sectors amid improving bilateral ties and recent high-level engagements.

US firms eye Pakistan’s energy, mineral sectors: American diplomat

LONDON: European stocks and gold prices rose, while Wall Street futures fell on Wednesday as the US government shut down after lawmakers failed to reach a funding deal.&nbsp;The prospect of services in the United States being closed pushed gold to another record high of over $3,895.&nbsp;In Asia, Tokyo&#39;s stock market sank, while Hong Kong and Shanghai were closed for holidays.&nbsp;Pharmaceutical shares lifted European markets after Pfizer was granted a reprieve from President Donald Trump&#39;s tariffs by agreeing to lower drug prices in the United States.&nbsp;Trump also announced plans to unveil a website that will allow consumers to purchase certain medications directly from manufacturers at discounted rates.&nbsp;While details remain scarce, shares in British pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca rose by more than six percent, and GSK was up almost three percent in London.&nbsp;The dollar remained under pressure due to concerns caused by the US government&#39;s partial shutdown, which began on Wednesday.&nbsp;Democrats and Republicans failed to break a budget impasse, with talks hinging on health care funding.&nbsp;&quot;Historically, shutdowns have been bad for the US dollar, bad for US equities, and bad for bonds too,&quot; said Emma Wall, chief investment strategist at Hargreaves Lansdown.&nbsp;&quot;Should the shutdown remain unresolved it is likely to drive money outside of the US to markets with more certainty,&quot; she added.&nbsp;While most shutdowns end after a short period, investors were concerned that it could prevent the release on Friday of the key non-farm payrolls report, a crucial guide for the Fed in its rate decisions.&nbsp;The closure will result in the halt of non-essential operations, leaving hundreds of thousands of civil servants temporarily unpaid, and potentially disrupting many social safety net benefit payments.&nbsp;Trump threatened to punish Democrats during any stoppage by targeting progressive priorities and forcing mass public sector job cuts.&nbsp;&quot;Shutdowns have delivered bouts of volatility, but the precedent has been that weakness tends to be short-lived,&quot; noted Joshua Mahony, chief market analyst at Scope Markets.&nbsp;Futures on all three main indexes in New York were in the red.&nbsp;India&#39;s rupee also made small inroads as the country&#39;s central bank decided against cutting interest rates, despite inflation remaining low; however, the unit continued to hover around record lows against the US dollar.&nbsp;The South Asian currency has been hit by concerns over stalled trade talks with the Trump administration, which will not soften the painful tariffs. At the same time, Washington&#39;s strict immigration measures have added to worries.&nbsp;The two sides remain in talks despite sharp disagreements over agricultural trade and New Delhi&#39;s purchases of Russian oil.&nbsp;In company news, Australian mining titan BHP fell 2.5 percent following reports that China had told steelmakers to temporarily stop buying seagoing, dollar-denominated cargoes from the firm, as part of a pricing dispute.&nbsp;

Business

European stocks and gold rose as Wall Street futures fell after a US government shutdown. Pharma shares gained on a tariff reprieve, while the dollar weakened, Tokyo stocks slid, and investors feared economic disruption, as well as a delayed US jobs data release.

European stocks rise, Wall Street futures drop as US shutdown begins

SOUTHPORT: A mass shooting that shattered the evening tranquility of a seaside town in North Carolina was a &ldquo;highly premeditated&rdquo; attack that left three people dead and five injured, police said Sunday. The suspect accused of carrying out the attack at a waterfront bar was in custody. Nigel Edge, 40, of Oak Island, is accused of opening fire Saturday night from a boat into a crowd at the American Fish Company in Southport, a historic port town about 30 miles south of Wilmington, Police Chief Todd Coring said. At a press conference Sunday, Coring said the location was &ldquo;targeted,&rdquo; but did not elaborate. Authorities said Edge piloted a small boat close to shore, where bars and restaurants line the waterfront, stopped briefly and fired before speeding away. About half an hour later, a US Coast Guard crew spotted a person matching the suspect&rsquo;s description pulling a boat from the water at a public ramp on Oak Island. The person was detained and turned over to Southport police, officials said. Edge is charged with three counts of first-degree murder, five counts of attempted first-degree murder and five counts of assault with a deadly weapon. He could face additional charges, Coring said. The weapon used was an assault rifle, though Coring did not specify the type. &ldquo;We understand this suspect identifies as a combat veteran. He self-identifies. Injured in the line of duty is what he&rsquo;s saying. He suffers from PTSD,&rdquo; Coring said, referring to post-traumatic stress disorder. Edge is scheduled to appear in court on Monday, District Attorney Jon David said. He is being held without bond. Among the five people hospitalized with injuries, at least one &ldquo;is now clinging for their life,&rdquo; David said. Some of the victims were vacationers from out of town. Oak Island Police Chief Charlie Morris said the suspect was known to police as someone &ldquo;who frequently hung out on our pier&rdquo; and had filed lawsuits against the town and police department in recent years. He did not elaborate. David said Edge had &ldquo;minor contacts&rdquo; with police in the past, &quot;but nothing significant in his past which would give us any indication that he was capable of such horror.&rdquo; It was not immediately known whether Edge has an attorney. No attorney was listed on court documents, and a call to Legal Aid in Brunswick County went unanswered Sunday. Investigators from multiple agencies, including the State Bureau of Investigation and the Coast Guard, remained on the water and at the scene on Sunday, collecting evidence and interviewing witnesses. Officials did not release the names of the victims.

Police officers on the scene in front of the American Fish Company following a fatal shooting that occurred here the night before

A mass shooting that shattered the evening tranquility of a seaside town in North Carolina was a 'highly premeditated' attack that left three people dead and five injured, police said Sunday. The suspect accused of carrying out the attack at a waterfront bar was in custody.

‘Highly premeditated’ North Carolina shooting leaves 3 dead, 5 injured

TEHRAN: Iran condemned on Sunday the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on its nuclear program, calling the move &ldquo;unjustifiable&rdquo; after the collapse of talks with Western powers and strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian nuclear sites. The sanctions, which restrict activities linked to Tehran&rsquo;s nuclear and ballistic missile programs, were reimposed after Western nations triggered the &ldquo;snapback&rdquo; mechanism of the 2015 nuclear accord. The measures took effect at midnight in Geneva, ending months of diplomatic efforts to revive negotiations. Iran&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry said in a statement that &ldquo;the reactivation of annulled resolutions is legally baseless and unjustifiable&rdquo; and urged countries not to recognize what it described as an &ldquo;illegal situation.&rdquo; It vowed to defend Iran&rsquo;s national rights and respond firmly to any action that undermines its interests. The return of sanctions followed a series of setbacks in talks earlier this year, including Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities in June. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said dialogue channels remained open and urged Iran to accept &ldquo;direct talks held in good faith.&rdquo; He also called on all UN members to implement sanctions immediately. Foreign ministers of Britain, France and Germany, which supported the snapback mechanism, said in a joint statement they remained committed to finding &ldquo;a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon,&rdquo; while cautioning Tehran against escalation. Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Washington&rsquo;s proposal to lift some restrictions in exchange for Iran handing over its entire stockpile of enriched uranium was unacceptable. Russia and China opposed the snapback, but their efforts to delay the measures until April failed in the Security Council. German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul told the UN General Assembly his country had &ldquo;no choice&rdquo; but to act, citing Iran&rsquo;s noncompliance with its commitments. He stressed that diplomacy should continue despite the renewed sanctions. Russia, however, declared it would not enforce the measures, with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov accusing Western powers of &ldquo;blackmail and pressure.&rdquo; The sanctions, which had been lifted in 2015 under the landmark nuclear agreement, add to US restrictions already in place since former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018. Iran recalled its envoys from Britain, France and Germany for consultations on Saturday. On the streets of Tehran, residents voiced concern about the economic fallout. The Iranian rial hit a record low of 1.12 million to the dollar on the black market, raising fears of further inflation. &ldquo;The situation was already very difficult, but it&rsquo;s going to get worse,&rdquo; said Dariush, a 50-year-old engineer. &ldquo;Prices are rising and our standard of living is much lower than two or three years ago.&rdquo; The European powers and the United States said they remain committed to preventing nuclear proliferation while leaving the door open to renewed negotiations. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is solely for peaceful purposes.

FILE - The Iranian flag flies in front of a U.N. building where closed-door nuclear talks take place at the International Center in Vienna, Austria, on June 18, 2014. 

Central Asia

Middle East

Iran condemned on Sunday the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions on its nuclear program, calling the move “unjustifiable” after the collapse of talks with Western powers and strikes by Israel and the United States on Iranian nuclear sites.

Iran denounces 'unjustifiable' return of UN sanctions

Reuters

WASHINGTON: US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has summoned senior US military officers from around the world to a meeting in Quantico, Virginia, next week, five officials told Reuters on Thursday, a rare gathering of US military leadership in one location. It was not clear why Hegseth had ordered the generals and admirals to meet in one place on such short notice, and two of the officials said this had created uncertainty among the expected attendees. Senior military officials, in some cases, command thousands of troops. Most have detailed schedules weeks in advance, which have now been upended. &quot;People are scrambling to change their plans and see if they have to attend,&quot; one US official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. It was unclear how many officials would actually attend the event, but it is rare to have so many senior officials in the same room at the same time. Asked for comment, Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said only: &quot;The Secretary of War will be addressing his senior military leaders early next week.&quot;&nbsp; Trump has ordered the department to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress. Parnell&#39;s office did not respond to questions about the number of officers, the purpose of the meeting, or why Hegseth called so abruptly. At the White House, US Vice President JD Vance said such a meeting was &quot;not unusual at all.&quot; The US has troops around the world, including in distant locations like South Korea, Japan, and across the Middle East &mdash; which are commanded by two, three, and four-star generals and admirals. Hegseth, a former Fox News host, has moved with stunning speed to reshape the department, firing top generals and admirals as he seeks to implement Trump&#39;s national security agenda and root out diversity initiatives he calls discriminatory. In February, he fired Air Force General CQ Brown, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, along with five other admirals and generals in an unprecedented shake-up of US military leadership. Last month, Hegseth fired the head of the Pentagon&#39;s intelligence agency and two other senior military commanders. In May, Hegseth ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star officers.&nbsp; In that May memo, Hegseth said there would also be a minimum 20% reduction in the number of general officers in the National Guard and an additional 10% reduction among general and flag officers across the military. &quot;More generals and admirals do not lead to more success,&quot; Hegseth said at the time. Now, many of those generals and admirals will be in the same room. &quot;It&#39;s probably more mundane than people think... (but) the lack of clarity isn&#39;t helping,&quot; the official said.

Hegseth fired the head of the Pentagon's intelligence agency and two other senior military commanders; ordered a 20% reduction in the number of four-star officers. 





Pentagon chief orders US military officials from around the world to Virginia next week

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">WASHINGTON &mdash; James Comey was charged on Thursday by a federal grand jury with lying to Congress in a criminal case. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The case was filed days after President Donald Trump appeared to urge his attorney general to prosecute the former FBI director and other perceived political enemies. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The indictment makes Comey the first former senior government official involved in one of Trump&#39;s chief grievances, the long-concluded investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election, to face prosecution.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump has for years derided that investigation as a &ldquo;hoax&rdquo; and a &ldquo;witch hunt&rdquo; despite multiple government reviews showing Moscow interfered on behalf of the Republican&rsquo;s campaign, and has made clear his desire for retribution. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The criminal case is likely to deepen concerns that the Justice Department under Attorney General Pam Bondi is being weaponized in pursuit of investigations and now prosecutions of public figures the president regards as his political enemies. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&nbsp;It was filed as the White House has taken steps to exert influence in unprecedented ways on the department, blurring the line between law and politics at an agency where independence in prosecutorial decision-making is a foundational principle. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Trump on Thursday hailed the indictment as &ldquo;JUSTICE FOR AMERICA!&rdquo; Bondi, a Trump loyalist, and FBI Director Kash Patel, a longtime vocal critic of the Russia investigation, issued similar statements. &ldquo;No one is above the law,&rdquo; Bondi said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Comey, in a video he posted after his indictment, said: &ldquo;My heart is broken for the Department of Justice but I have great confidence in the federal judicial system, and I&#39;m innocent. So let&#39;s have a trial.&rdquo; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Comey was fired months into Trump&rsquo;s first administration and since then has remained a top target for Trump supporters seeking retaliation related to the Russia investigation.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">He was singled out by name in a Saturday social media post in which Trump appeared to appeal directly to Bondi to bring charges against Comey and complained that Justice Department investigations into his foes had not resulted in criminal cases. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&ldquo;We can&rsquo;t delay any longer, it&rsquo;s killing our reputation and credibility,&rdquo; Trump wrote, referencing the fact that he himself had been indicted and impeached multiple times.&nbsp;

Former FBI Director James Comey was indicted on two charges of lying to Congress. The case follows Trump’s calls for prosecution, sparking concerns over Justice Department politicization. Comey maintains innocence saying he will stand trial.

Former FBI Director James Comey indicted on two charges

DURBIN: Starbucks said Thursday it&#39;s closing hundreds of US and Canadian stores and laying off 900 non-retail employees as it focuses more of its resources on a turnaround.&nbsp;The Seattle coffee giant said store closures would start immediately. The company wouldn&#39;t give a number of stores that are closing, but it said it expects to have 18,300 North American locations when its fiscal year ends on Sunday, which is 124 fewer than it had at the end of its 2024 fiscal year. As of June 29, the company had 18,734 locations.&nbsp;Starbucks said workers in its stores will be offered transfers to other locations where possible and severance packages.&nbsp;Starbucks said it will notify non-retail employees whose positions are being eliminated early Friday. Starbucks asked employees who can work from home to do so on Thursday and Friday.&nbsp;In a letter sent to employees Thursday, Starbucks Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol said a review of the company&#39;s stores identified locations where the company doesn&#39;t see a path to financial stability or isn&#39;t able to create the physical environment customers expect. Those stores are being closed.&nbsp;&ldquo;Each year, we open and close coffeehouses for a variety of reasons, from financial performance to lease expirations,&rdquo; Niccol wrote. &ldquo;This is a more significant action that we understand will impact partners and customers. Our coffeehouses are centers of the community, and closing any location is difficult.&rdquo;&nbsp;Starbucks said it expects to spend $1 billion on the restructuring, including $150 million on employee separation benefits and $850 million related to the physical store closing and the cost of exiting leases.&nbsp;Starbucks shares were down less than 1% in morning trading on Thursday.&nbsp;It was not immediately clear how many of the stores that are closing are unionized.&nbsp;Workers at 650 company-owned US Starbucks stores have voted to unionize since 2021, but they have yet to reach a contract agreement with the company.&nbsp;Starbucks Workers United, the labor group organizing workers, said Thursday that the closures were made without input from Starbucks&#39; baristas. The union said it intends to engage in bargaining at every union-represented store that is closing to ensure workers can be placed at another store they prefer.&nbsp;&ldquo;Fixing what&rsquo;s broken at Starbucks isn&rsquo;t possible without centering the people who engage with the company&rsquo;s customers day in and day out,&rdquo; the union said.&nbsp;News of the store closures came just over a week after unionized employees in three states sued Starbucks over its new dress code, saying the company refused to reimburse workers who had to buy new clothes.&nbsp;Starbucks said it used a consistent set of criteria to determine the stores that are closing, and union representation wasn&#39;t a factor.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s rare for Starbucks to shrink its store count during a fiscal year.&nbsp;Niccol said Starbucks plans to increase its North American store count in its next fiscal year. The company said it also plans to redesign more than 1,000 locations in the next 12 months to give them a warmer, more welcoming feel.&nbsp;This is the second big round of layoffs at Starbucks this year. In February, Niccol announced the layoffs of 1,100 corporate employees globally and eliminated several hundred open positions. At the time, Niccol said Starbucks needed to operate more efficiently and increase accountability for decisions.&nbsp;In July, Starbucks reported its sixth straight quarter of lower same-store sales, as weak US traffic continued to be a drain on the company.Niccol is trying to turn that around by adding staff, making stores cozier and introducing software that helps prioritize orders and make sure customers can get their drink within four minutes.

American coffee brand closing hundreds of US and Canadian stores and laying off 900 non-retail employees in a $1 billion restructuring plan. The move follows declining sales, with efforts to redesign stores and boost efficiency underway. 

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