USATrump pauses tariffs against Canada and wants oil pipeline in return
Actually, additional tariffs of 50 percent should have applied to various Canadian products from Wednesday. But the US President is giving the Canadians a three-day reprieve - and is hoping for an oil deal.
Trump pauses tariffs against Canada and wants oil pipeline in return
Shortly before new tariffs on a number of Canadian products came into force, US President Donald Trump put his plans on hold. The collection of import fees should be suspended for three days so that both sides can conclude a deal for the Keystone XL oil pipeline project, he said on his Truth Social platform. According to reports, negotiators from both countries negotiated until the last moment. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney announced on Monday that he would be prepared for any scenario and would negotiate from a “position of strength”.
Keystone XL is an oil pipeline project blocked by Trump's Democratic predecessor Joe Biden. The Republican Trump has long had the desire to revive the project despite concerns from environmentalists. The project, which was actually shelved years ago, was about the 1,900 kilometer long expansion of the Keystone Pipeline, which went into operation in 2010 and runs from the Canadian province of Alberta to the USA. Oil extracted from tar sands was to be pumped through the pipe to the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. But environmentalists were successful in their years-long protest against the oil industry: the operators and the government of Alberta canceled the XL project in June 2021.
In the trade dispute between the two neighboring countries, Trump originally wanted to impose a 50 percent tariff on a long list of Canadian products. The surcharges should be applied to Canadian wine, hockey sticks, furniture, dairy products and other goods. They would actually have come into force at the beginning of Wednesday (local time).
USA and South Korea cut military exercises in half
South Korea and the USA will cut their current military exercises by half. As South Korea's general staff announced, the maneuver will end on Friday at the request of the USA. It was originally planned that the military exercises entitled “Ulchi Freedom Shield”, which have been running since Monday, would last until August 27th.
According to a report by the South Korean public broadcaster KBS, the armed forces of both countries should, as in previous years, practice defense against a simulated attack from North Korea. However, the previously planned counteroffensive was completely canceled. This point has not yet been officially confirmed.
Already at the weekend, US President Donald Trump announced in a post on the online platform Truth Social that the joint military exercise with South Korea would be significantly smaller - because there was no longer enough time to cancel it completely. He referred to his supposedly “very good relationship” with North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-un. The military maneuvers sent a “totally inappropriate and hostile signal” to a country that – as long as he was president – had posed no threat and behaved with respect, Trump wrote.
Regardless of the latest developments, North Korea's state media reacted with sharp criticism to the military exercises that have been ongoing since Monday. Enemy states that violate North Korea's sovereignty will be "targeted at any time by our devastating retaliatory measures," said an article in the state news agency KCNA, which acts as the mouthpiece of the power apparatus in Pyongyang.
USA escalates dispute with International Criminal Court
The USA is intensifying its action against the International Criminal Court. They imposed sanctions on Tuesday against its president Tomoko Akane and a senior lawyer at the court. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the measures were aimed at the Japanese judge and the Senegalese lawyer Abdoulaye Seye. The basis is a decree issued by US President Donald Trump in 2025. The sanctions freeze potential assets of those affected in the USA and largely exclude them from the US financial system. The US Treasury Department granted a deadline of September 17 to wind down current transactions with Akane.
Rubio justified the move by saying that the two lawyers had been involved in the ICC's efforts to investigate government representatives of states that do not recognize its jurisdiction. The USA had already imposed sanctions on ICC representatives last year.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has been prosecuting the most serious crimes such as genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity since 2002. The court has been under strong pressure from the US government since 2024, especially because of the arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Israel's prime minister is accused of war crimes in the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu firmly rejects the allegations.
Reports: US and Canada are negotiating lower auto tariffs
According to sources, the USA and Canada are negotiating a reduction in US tariffs on Canadian vehicles. A reduction to 15 percent after deducting certain value shares is being discussed, three people familiar with the discussions said on Monday. The two countries are under time pressure as a deadline for new US tariffs on another $20 billion worth of Canadian goods expires on Wednesday. An agreement would mean significant relief for the Canadian auto industry. The government of US President Donald Trump is currently imposing tariffs of 25 percent on car imports from Canada, which it justifies on national security grounds.
The crux of the negotiations is therefore the question of which parts of the value should be exempt from customs duties. US negotiators insisted that only the value of US-made parts could be deducted. However, Canada demands that the entire North American value share be taken into account, including parts from Canada and Mexico. This could push the effective tariff rate on vehicles built in North America into the single digits, industry sources said. For comparison: Car imports from the EU, Japan and South Korea incur tariffs of 15 percent in the USA, and for most British vehicles the tariff is ten percent.
Poll: Approval for Trump falls to low of 33 percent
According to a survey, approval of US President Donald Trump among Americans has fallen to the lowest level of his current term in office. In a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey, only 33 percent of respondents said they were satisfied with Trump's work in the White House, while 64 percent were dissatisfied. A large proportion of US citizens are concerned that the US war with Iran will continue for a long time. The 33 percent is the worst value since December 2017 during Trump's first term in office. In the last survey to date, at the beginning of August, Trump got 35 percent.
According to the survey, around 80 percent of US citizens - including 87 percent of Democrats and 71 percent of Republicans - assume that the US military involvement in Iran will continue for a longer period of time. Only 16 percent expect the conflict to end within a few weeks. Trump, who had promised during the election campaign to keep inflation in check and avoid long wars, initially promised an end within a few weeks after the joint attacks with his ally Israel.
The dispute has paralyzed a fifth of global oil trade and triggered a sharp rise in gasoline prices. This also puts a strain on US budgets and puts pressure on Trump's Republicans, who want to defend their majorities in Congress in the midterm elections in November. The nationwide Reuters/Ipsos online survey surveyed 1,166 adults. The margin of error is three percentage points.
US envoy Kushner promotes Gaza peace plan to Netanyahu
US special envoy Jared Kushner met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem. The aim of the meeting was to advance US President Donald Trump's stalled Gaza peace plan. On Sunday, Kushner met the leader of the radical Islamic Hamas, Chalil al-Hajja, in Cairo. It was the second known meeting between Trump's son-in-law and representatives of Hamas, which the United States classifies as a terrorist organization. Nikolai Mladenov also took part in the talks in Jerusalem, as insiders reported. The Bulgarian is the representative of the so-called Peace Council for the Gaza Strip. There was no immediate comment from Netanyahu's office.
Trump's peace plan calls for a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip and a simultaneous disarmament of Hamas. An international stabilization force should ensure security. However, Netanyahu rejects this agreement. He demands that the Israeli military not withdraw until Hamas and other radical groups have completely disarmed.
Trump orders reduction in military maneuvers with South Korea
US President Donald Trump has ordered the Defense Department to significantly reduce joint military exercises with South Korea. He announced this on his online platform Truth Social on Sunday. Although it is too late to completely cancel the annual “Ulchi Freedom Shield” exercises planned for August 17th to 27th, Trump said he was not happy about US participation. As justification, the president referred to his very good relationship with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. The maneuvers were expensive and sent a completely inappropriate and hostile signal to a country that had behaved respectfully and non-threateningly during his presidency, Trump wrote.
Trump also criticized South Korea's stance in the US and Israel's conflict with Iran. He recently asked the South Korean president whether the country wanted to participate in the denuclearization of Iran, which he rejected with the words “No thanks.”
After earthquake: Colombia asks Trump to suspend tariffs
Colombia's President Abelardo de la Espriella has asked US President Donald Trump to suspend tariffs in view of the enormous earthquake damage in his country. The new Colombian head of state announced this on X. So far there has been no public reaction from Trump.
De la Espriella reported on a ten-minute telephone conversation with his counterpart who had supported him in the election campaign. During the conversation, he asked Trump to consider a “temporary suspension of high tariffs affecting Colombian products.” This is intended to provide relief to Colombian entrepreneurs who were going through “very difficult times” due to the earthquake. Just in July, the USA increased customs duties on Colombian goods (with exceptions) from 10 to 12.5 percent. The South American country was hit on Monday by one of the worst earthquakes in decades, claiming almost 300 lives.
The Trump administration had announced aid for Colombia amounting to 26.5 million US dollars (around 22.9 million euros). The USA is supporting with rescue teams, but also with food, emergency shelter and medical supplies. De la Espriella thanked Trump for the “solidarity and support” of the United States. A few days ago, Colombia joined Trump's anti-drug alliance “The Shield of the Americas”. According to US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Colombia and the USA also agreed on joint military operations against the drug cartels.
Troops only for Trump loyalists? USA apparently sends questionnaires to NATO allies
The USA apparently wants to know how loyal the individual NATO allies are to the policies of US President Donald Trump before cutting military resources to defend the alliance. In a document that was recently sent to member states and reported by the Bloomberg news agency, the US asks a series of questions intended to gauge support for the president's course.
Did the country “publicly support” US foreign policy? What “restrictions” has the country placed on the US military’s use of its bases? Does it buy weapons in the USA? It also asks whether the country has “publicly opposed” regulations that “hamper” contracts with US companies, according to Bloomberg.
Combining longstanding U.S. security commitments with such loyalty would upend postwar transatlantic relations, which were based on U.S. military guarantees that overcame many political differences.
The questionnaire arrives a few weeks into the Trump administration's six-month review of its military presence in Europe, which is expected to be completed by December. The move has prompted NATO allies to brace for significant cuts in American support, including in troops stationed in Europe and the military resources the U.S. would send in the event of an attack. A NATO official confirmed that the U.S. is working with allies on this review but did not comment on the letter. The Pentagon had no comment.
Controversial ballroom: Trump turns on the Supreme Court
The government of US President Donald Trump has turned to the Supreme Court in the legal dispute over the controversial ballroom in the White House. As expected, she asked the Supreme Court to...
