China has announced new tariffs of 84% on imports of all US goods, in a move that sent stock markets falling further and will raise fears of further escalation of Donald Trump’s trade war.

The Chinese ministry of finance said on Wednesday that it would impose 84% tariffs on US goods from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced.

The decision came hours after new rates on imports into the US from dozens of economies rose further, with tariffs imposed on Chinese products since Trump returned to the White House reaching a staggering 104%.

China’s retaliation sent stock markets, which had slumped on Wednesday, falling further with major indices down in the US, UK, Germany, France and Spain.

The S&P 500, the Wall Street benchmark stock index, dropped by 0.4% at the open, while the historic Dow Jones industrial average fell 0.7%.

London’s FTSE 100 dropped by 3.5%, Germany’s Dax index fell by 3.8%, France’s Cac 40 was down by 3.9% and Spain’s Ibex 3.2%.

In his first comments since China’s 84% tariff announcement, Trump posted on Truth Social: “This is a GREAT time to move your COMPANY into the United States of America, like Apple, and so many others, in record numbers, are doing. ZERO TARIFFS, and almost immediate Electrical/Energy hook ups and approvals. No Environmental Delays. DON’T WAIT, DO IT NOW!

“BE COOL! Everything is going to work out well. The USA will be bigger and better than ever before!”

Before the announcement , China’s government said it was unwilling to fight a trade war but “will never sit idly by and watch the legitimate rights and interests of the Chinese people be damaged and deprived”.

The global economy has been rocked since sweeping 10% US tariffs took effect over the weekend, prompting dramatic market sell-offs worldwide and sparking recession fears.

The falls in Europe followed another tumultuous day on some Asian markets. Japan’s Nikkei benchmark index closed down almost 4%, while Taiwan’s benchmark stock index was 5.8% lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index recouped some earlier falls to close 0.4% down, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 index dropped by 1.8%.

However, China’s stock markets rose, appearing to weather the storm after government interventions. The SSE composite index in Shanghai ended the day 1.1% higher, while the Shenzhen SE composite rose 2.2%.

Oil prices fell for a fifth day in a row on Wednesday, to the lowest level in four years, since February 2021, over concerns that a global trade war would dampen demand and dent economic growth. Brent crude oil futures prices dropped to as low as $58.47 (£45.82).

The new US tariffs are tailored to specific countries based on a formula that has been criticised by economists that divides trade in goods deficit by twice the total value of imports.

“President Trump has a spine of steel and he will not break,” the press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, said on Tuesday. “And America will not break under his leadership.”

US stocks dropped on Tuesday for a fourth straight trading day, with the S&P 500 closing below 5,000 for the first time in almost a year.

Beijing has accused the US of abusing trade levers to suppress China, failing to meet obligations under numerous agreements including the phase one trade deal signed during Trump’s first term, and “systematically escalat[ing] economic and other forms of pressure against China”.

Trump believes his policy will revive the country’s lost manufacturing base by forcing companies to relocate to the US. But many business experts and economists question how quickly – if ever – this can take place, warning of higher inflation as the tariffs raise prices.

Scott Bessent, the US treasury secretary, said the new tariffs were at “maximum” levels, and expressed confidence that negotiations would bring them down.

“I think you are going to see some very large countries with large trade deficits [with the US] come forward very quickly,” he told CNBC, the financial news network, on Tuesday. “If they come to the table with solid proposals, I think we can end up with some good deals.”

The US administration has scheduled talks with South Korea and Japan, two close allies and major trading partners, and the Italian prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, is due to visit next week.

“These are tailored, highly tailored deals,” Trump said at a White House event. “We’ve had talks with many, many countries, over 70, they all want to come in. Our problem is, can’t see that many that fast.”

Trump’s top trade official, Jamieson Greer, told the Senate that Argentina, Vietnam and Israel were among those who had offered to reduce their tariffs.

Trump originally announced a 34% additional tariff on Chinese goods. However, after China announced its own 34% counter-tariff on American products, he vowed to pile on another 50% duty. Counting existing levies imposed in February and March, that would take the cumulative tariff increase for Chinese goods during Trump’s second presidency to 104%.

The new US tariffs imposed on 57 target countries, territories and blocs include rates of 20% on the EU, 26% on India and 49% on Cambodia.

The EU has sought to cool tensions, with the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, warning against worsening the trade conflict in a call with the Chinese premier, Li Qiang.

Von der Leyen stressed stability for the world’s economy, alongside “the need to avoid further escalation”, an EU readout said.

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, called on Trump to reconsider, adding that if the EU was forced to respond then “so be it”.

Agence France-Presse contributed to this report

The EU has agreed to impose retaliatory tariffs on €21bn (£18bn) of US goods, targeting farm produce and products from Republican states, in Europe’s first act of retaliation against Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The EU plans to introduce 25% tariffs on scores of goods from almonds to yachts, with the first duties being collected from 15 April, while the bulk apply from 15 May and the remainder from 1 December.

In a statement confirming the favourable vote by EU member states, the European Commission said: “The EU considers US tariffs unjustified and damaging, causing economic harm to both sides, as well as the global economy.”

It added: “These countermeasures can be suspended at any time, should the US agree to a fair and balanced negotiated outcome.”

All member states voted for the retaliation, with the exception of Hungary, whose prime minister, Viktor Orbán, is one of Trump’s strongest supporters. “Such measures would cause further damage to [the] European economy and citizens by raising prices. The only way forward is negotiations, not retaliation,” Hungary’s foreign minister, Péter Szijjártó, wrote on social media.

The EU decision came after China announced it was hitting all US goods with 84% tariffs from Thursday, up from the 34% previously announced.

The EU measures are a response to the US tariffs on steel and aluminium announced by the US president in February. The EU has chosen goods that can be easily sourced from elsewhere, while some targets are intended to inflict political pain on key Republican states.

The tariffs include US soya beans, grown abundantly in Louisiana, the home state of the House of Representatives speaker, Mike Johnson.

Ahead of the vote, analysis of the leaked list of customs codes by Politico found that EU duties would hit up to $13.5bn (£10.6bn) worth of exports from red states, including beef from Kansas and Nebraska, cigarettes from Florida and wood products from North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

The commission has said that the second phase of the EU’s response – retaliatory measures in response to tariffs on cars and the sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” announced on 2 April – would be presented “early next week”.

The EU is facing calls to target US tech firms or banks in future retaliation, a potent but politically explosive target, as the US runs a €109bn (£94bn) trade surplus with the EU in service industries.

The commission’s lead official on tech regulation, Henna Virkkunen, confirmed other measures were being prepared, although she did not respond directly when asked about targeting US tech companies. ”We don’t want to have tariffs, we want to negotiate,” she said. “Of course, when needed, we have to also protect our industry and for our citizens and we are currently also preparing those measures.”

About 70% of EU exports to the US, goods worth €382bn (£330bn), are now affected by Trump’s tariffs since the sweeping “reciprocal tariffs” entered into force on Wednesday.

The EU trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, said earlier this week that the EU was “not in the business of going cent for cent or tit for tat or dollar for dollar” when it came to retaliation on goods. EU officials acknowledge that options for retaliatory tariffs that are relatively pain-free for Europeans are narrowing. This week, the EU dropped plans to target bourbon after lobbying from drinks-producing nations France, Italy and Ireland, which feared their wine and spirits industries being hit by Trump’s threat of 200% countertariffs.

The commission’s president, Ursula von der Leyen, revealed on Monday that the White House had been offered a “zero-for-zero” trade deal. She went public with the offer after the billionaire businessman and Trump adviser Elon Musk mused about zero tariffs between the EU and US over the weekend, in a sign of dissent with the administration.

The offer of zero tariffs on cars and industrial goods was first made on 19 February when Šefčovič met his US counterpart, Howard Lutnick, but the idea dates back to a previous effort to persuade Trump to drop tariffs in 2018.

The outlook for negotiations is uncertain, amid questions over whether Trump’s goal is to create leverage over other countries – suggesting tariffs could be rolled back – or to raise revenues and reindustrialise the US, which points to their longevity.

US government bonds, traditionally seen as one of the world’s safest financial assets, are undergoing a dramatic sell-off as Donald Trump’s escalation of his tariff war with China sends panic through all sectors of the financial markets.

The falls suggest that as Trump’s fresh wave of tariffs on dozens of economies came into force, including 104% levies against Chinese goods, investors are beginning to lose confidence in the US as a cornerstone of the global economy.

The yield – or interest rate – on the benchmark 10-year US Treasury bond rose by 0.16 percentage points on Wednesday to 4.42%, its highest since late February – and this week has undergone the three biggest intraday moves since Trump was elected in November. Yields move inversely to prices, so surging yields mean falling prices as demand drops.

The move in the 30-year bond was more dramatic. The 30-year yield briefly jumped above 5% to its highest since late 2023 and was last trading at 4.9157%, or 0.2 percentage points higher than Tuesday.

“This is a fire sale of Treasuries,” said Calvin Yeoh, portfolio manager at the hedge fund Blue Edge Advisors. “I haven’t seen moves or volatility of this size since the chaos of the pandemic in 2020,” he told Bloomberg.

Analysts believe the US Federal Reserve may need to step in. Jim Reid, at Deutsche Bank, said: “Markets are pricing a growing probability of an emergency [interest rate] cut, just as we saw during the Covid turmoil and the height of the GFC [global financial crisis] in 2008.”

UK bonds were also under severe pressure after the US moves. The yield on a 30-year UK gilt hit 5.518% on Wednesday morning, up 16 basis points and surpassing a previous 27-year high of 5.472% set in January.

Shorter-dated 10-year gilt yields were slightly higher at 4.69% while two-year yields ticked down at 3.92%.

Higher yields on gilts – UK government bonds – will make things even more difficult for Downing Street, as it will raise the cost of borrowing to fund investment.

China’s intransigence in the face of escalating US tariffs appeared to show the world’s two largest economies heading for a showdown with an outcome that analysts said was difficult to predict.

“When challenged, we will never back down,” said China’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Lin Jian. The commerce ministry said: “China will fight to the end if the US side is bent on going down the wrong path.” Further countermeasures have been promised by Beijing.

It was not clear whether China, which is one of the world’s largest holders of Treasuries, included among its policy changes the sale of those bonds, which would increase the US administration’s financial pain.

Global stock markets are suffering another tumultuous day as the tariffs take effect.

Japan’s Nikkei benchmark index closed down almost 4%, while Taiwan’s benchmark stock index was 5.8% lower. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index recouped some earlier falls to close 0.4% down, and South Korea’s Kospi 200 index dropped by 1.8%.

However, China’s stock markets rose, appearing to weather the storm after government interventions. The SSE composite index in Shanghai ended the day 1.1% higher, while the Shenzhen SE composite rose 2.2%.

In Europe, the major markets slumped in the opening trades on Wednesday. In London, the FTSE 100 dropped by 2.2% in early trades on Wednesday, immediately undoing most of the gains on Tuesday. Germany’s Dax index dropped by about 2.3%, while France’s Cac 40 fell by 2.4%. Spain’s Ibex index was down by 2%.

Israeli aircraft struck a residential block in war-ravaged northern Gaza on Wednesday, killing at least 23 people, health officials said, as the renewed fighting in the devastated Palestinian territory showed no signs of letting up.

The Al-Ahli hospital said at least 23 people were killed in the strike, including eight women and eight children, figures confirmed by the territory’s health ministry.

The strike hit a four-storey building in the Shijaiyah neighbourhood of Gaza City and rescue teams were searching for victims under the rubble, according to the health ministry’s emergency service. The civil defence, a rescue group that operates under the Hamas-run government, said other neighbouring buildings were damaged in the strike.

The Israeli military said it struck a senior Hamas militant who it said was behind attacks emanating from Shijaiyah. It did not name him or provide further details. Israel blames the deaths of civilians on the militant group, because it embeds itself in dense urban areas.

As it ratchets up pressure on Hamas to agree to free hostages, Israel has issued sweeping evacuation orders in parts of Gaza, including Shijaiyah. It has imposed a blockade on food, fuel and humanitarian aid that has left civilians facing acute shortages as supplies dwindle. It has pledged to seize large parts of the Palestinian territory and establish a new security corridor through it.

Earlier this week, Hamas fired its strongest volley of rockets since the ceasefire collapsed, aiming 10 projectiles toward southern Israel.

Israel resumed its war against Hamas in Gaza last month after an eight-week ceasefire collapsed. The ceasefire brought a much-needed reprieve from the fighting to war-weary Palestinians in Gaza and sent an infusion of humanitarian aid to the territory. It also led to the release of 25 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza and the return of the remains of eight others, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Mediators have since attempted to bring the sides to a bridging agreement that would again pause the war, free hostages and open the door for talks on the war’s end, something the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, says he will not agree to until Hamas is defeated. Hamas wants the war to end before it frees the remaining 59 hostages it holds, 24 of whom are believed to be alive.

The war, which was sparked by Hamas’s 7 Ocober 2023 attacks on southern Israel, has brought the deadliest fighting between Israelis and Palestinians in their history. It has ignited a humanitarian crisis in already impoverished Gaza and has sent shock waves across the region and beyond.

Netanyahu travelled to Washington this week to meet President Donald Trump, and the leaders’ public statements offered sympathy for the plight of the hostages but shed little light on any emerging deal to suspend the fighting.

Trump has said he wants the war to end. But his postwar vision for Gaza – taking it over and relocating its population – has stunned Middle East allies, who say any talk of transferring the Palestinian population, by force or voluntarily, is a non-starter. Israel has embraced the idea.

Netanyahu, meanwhile, is under pressure from his far-right political allies to continue the war until Hamas is crushed, an aim Israel has yet to achieve 18 months into the conflict.

The war has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians in Gaza, according to its health ministry, which does not differentiate between combatants and civilians in its count but says more than half of the dead are women and children.

Hamas killed 1,200 people during its 7 October attack, mostly civilians, and took 250 people captive, many of whom have been freed in ceasefire deals.

A prominent pro-Israel group that doxes people it deems antisemitic is calling on Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, to investigate whether beloved children’s entertainer Ms Rachel is operating as a foreign agent after sharing sympathetic content about children suffering in Gaza.

In a letter sent on Monday, the group StopAntisemitism formally requested the Department of Justice determine whether Ms Rachel, whose real name is Rachel Griffin Accurso, is “being remunerated to disseminate Hamas-aligned propaganda to her millions of followers”, claiming her social media posts about Palestinian children in anguish could constitute undisclosed work for foreign entities.

“Given the vast sums of foreign funds that have been directed toward propagandizing our young people on college campuses, we suspect there is a similar dynamic in the online influencer space,” StopAntisemitism’s director, Liora Rez, wrote in the letter shared with the New York Post.

Ms Rachel has been described as a modern-day Mister Rogers, and whose Songs for Littles videos have amassed more than 10bn views since she launched her YouTube channel in 2019. The 42-year-old former teacher who lives in New York with her husband, the Broadway music director Aron Accurso, just announced the birth of her second child via surrogate on Tuesday.

StopAntisemitism specifically objects to posts in which Ms Rachel shared widely reported images of malnourished children in Gaza and cited casualty figures from Gaza’s health ministry that align with UN reports. The group claims she has ignored “the suffering of Israeli victims, hostages, and Jewish children”.

When asked for evidence that Ms Rachel received foreign payments rather than simply exercising free speech, Rez told the Post: “It’s not a secret influencers such as Ms Rachel often have paid collaborations on social media … We could not help but notice post-10/7, Ms Rachel posting a massive barrage of anti-Israel propaganda.”

The group called for an investigation under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (Fara), which requires Americans working on behalf of a foreign government or political entities to register as foreign agents with the US justice department. Hamas, however, is designated by the US as a terrorist organization. Invoking Fara in this case appears legally misplaced, since any support for Hamas would fall under anti-terrorism laws – though such allegations against a children’s entertainer sharing humanitarian concerns appear far-fetched.

The UN has reported that thousands of children have been orphaned or separated from their parents during the 15-month war in Gaza up until the first phase of a ceasefire in January. According to the UN office for the coordination of humanitarian affairs, one-third of the 40,717 Palestinian bodies identified in Gaza – 13,319 – were children.

Unicef estimates that 25,000 children have been injured, while Yasmine Sherif, the executive director of the UN global fund Education Cannot Wait, reports that 650,000 school-age children have not been attending classes and the entire education system requires rebuilding due to widespread destruction.

Still, the StopAntisemitism group takes exception to Ms Rachel’s sharing of viral images, including one of a malnourished child with protruding limbs who became a symbol of Gaza’s humanitarian crisis. StopAntisemitism claimed the images were debunked, asserting the child suffered from cystic fibrosis rather than starvation. However, according to the Washington Post, the child’s mother confirmed he suffered from both conditions.

Ms Rachel did not respond to a request for comment on the allegations, but previously explained that her advocacy began after seeing a video of a traumatized child in Gaza who survived an airstrike. “The look in his eyes has stayed in my mind,” she told the Independent. “No child should experience that kind of fear, shock and terror.”

Last May, Ms Rachel launched a fundraiser through Cameo that raised more than $50,000 for Save the Children’s emergency fund supporting children in conflict zones including Gaza in just a few hours. The effort drew some hateful comments for not specifically including Israeli children, though Save the Children does not currently operate in Israel, a wealthy country.

“I care deeply for all children. Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US – Muslim, Jewish, Christian children – all children, in every country,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “To do a fundraiser for children who are currently starving – who have no food or water – who are being killed – is human.”

StopAntisemitism’s targeting of Ms Rachel appears to follow a pattern for the organization, which maintains an “antisemite of the week” feature on its website. The controversial list has included Gaza-based journalist Bisan Owda, the climate activist Greta Thunberg, the rapper Macklemore, and the actor Jesse Williams.

The group, which describes itself as a Jewish civil rights watchdog, identifies and “doxes” pro-Palestinian demonstrators on university campuses and across the country.

The backlash mirrors previous controversies Ms Rachel has faced for taking a stance on more serious topics, including postpartum depression, early childhood education funding and LGBTQ+ issues.

It is unclear whether the Department of Justice will pursue an investigation. StopAntisemitism did not respond to a request for comment.

Dogs have “extensive and multifarious” environmental impacts, disturbing wildlife, polluting waterways and contributing to carbon emissions, new research has found.

An Australian review of existing studies has argued that “the environmental impact of owned dogs is far greater, more insidious, and more concerning than is generally recognised”.

While the environmental impact of cats is well known, the comparative effect of pet dogs has been poorly acknowledged, the researchers said.

The review, published in the journal Pacific Conservation Biology, highlighted the impacts of the world’s “commonest large carnivore” in killing and disturbing native wildlife, particularly shore birds.

In Australia, attacks by unrestrained dogs on little penguins in Tasmania may contribute to colony collapse, modelling suggests, while a study of animals taken to the Australia Zoo wildlife hospital found that mortality was highest after dog attacks, which was the second most common reason for admission after car strikes.

In the US, studies have found that deer, foxes and bobcats were less active in or avoid wilderness areas where dogs were allowed, while other research shows that insecticides from flea and tick medications kill aquatic invertebrates when they wash off into waterways. Dog faeces can also leave scent traces and affect soil chemistry and plant growth.

The carbon footprint of pets is also significant. A 2020 study found the dry pet food industry had an environmental footprint of around twice the land area of the UK, with greenhouse gas emissions – 56 to 151 Mt CO₂ – equivalent to the 60th highest-emitting country.

The review’s lead author, Prof Bill Bateman of Curtin University, said the research did not intend to be “censorious” but aimed to raise awareness of the environmental impacts of man’s best friend, with whom humans’ domestic relationship dates back several millennia.

“To a certain extent we give a free pass to dogs because they are so important to us … not just as working dogs but also as companions,” he said, pointing to the “huge benefits” dogs had on their owners’ mental and physical health. He also noted that dogs played vital roles in conservation work, such as in wildlife detection.

“Although we’ve pointed out these issues with dogs in natural environments … there is that other balancing side, which is that people will probably go out and really enjoy the environment around them – and perhaps feel more protective about it – because they’re out there walking their dog in it.”

Angelika von Sanden, a trauma therapist and the author of Sit Stay Grow: How Dogs Can Help You Worry Less and Walk into a Better Future, said she had observed that for many clients the companionship of a dog was often “literally the only reason to survive, to get up, to still keep going”.

“It gives them a reason to get up, a reason to get out, a reason to move around and be in contact a little bit with the world outside,” she said.

“Dog owners can get a bad name if they are not aware of the surroundings they are in and of other people around them,” she noted.

In the review, the researchers attributed the extent of the environmental impacts to the sheer number of dogs globally, as well as “the lax or uninformed behaviour of dog owners”.

A simple way to mitigate against the worst impacts was to keep dogs leashed in areas where restrictions apply and to maintain a buffer distance from nesting or roosting shorebirds, the paper suggested.

“A lot of what we’re talking about can be ameliorated by owners’ behaviour,” Bateman said, pointing out that low compliance with leash laws was a problem.

“Maybe, in some parts of the world, we actually need to consider some slightly more robust laws,” Bateman said, suggesting that dog exclusion zones may be more suitable in some areas.

Bateman also raised sustainable dog food as an option to reduce a pet’s environmental paw print, noting however that “more sustainable dog food tends to cost more than the cheap dog food that we buy which has a higher carbon footprint”.

“If nothing else, pick up your own dog shit,” he said.

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he’d like the agency to implement a system of trucks that rounds up immigrants for deportation in a system similar to how Amazon delivers packages around the US.

“We need to get better at treating this like a business,” the acting Ice director, Todd Lyons, said. He said that he wants to see a deportation process “like (Amazon) Prime, but with human beings”. His comments were first reported by the Arizona Mirror.

Lyons was one of a series of Trump administration speakers at the 2025 Border Security Expo at the Phoenix convention center. Other speakers were Trump’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, and the secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.

Speakers at the expo praised Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, the 1798 law that was last used during the second world war to intern Japanese Americans. Noem promised to expand on its use to more efficiently deport immigrants. Lyons also called the act “amazing”.

Homan said “that is a law enacted by Congress, and we are using that”, referring to the Alien Enemies Act. At around the time of the expo, the US supreme court ruled that the Trump administration may continue using the law to deport alleged gang members.

Homan added that it “bothers him” when judges attempt to prevent him from using the act. He also said that family detention is still “on the table” as a policy.

Lyons also spoke highly of other new technology being potentially implemented in the deportation process. He expressed hopes that the agency can utilize artificial intelligence to “free up bed space” and “fill up airplanes”, allowing Ice to deport immigrants at a quicker pace.

The Ice director also said that he has been working with Elon Musk’s ”department of government efficiency” (Doge) for access to social security numbers to look for “voter fraud”.

Several speakers, Homan included, echoed the opinion of having a deportation system that is run like a business, with assurance that the Trump administration is depending on the private sector for completion of its mass deportation agenda. Many representatives from the military-industrial complex were in attendance.

“Let the badge and guns do the badge-and-gun stuff. Everything else, let’s contract out,” Homan said.

Trump campaigned heavily on implementing a system of mass deportation, and has spent his presidency so far attempting to deliver on his campaign promises. Data suggests as many as 1,400 people were arrested during or right after Ice check-ins in the first four weeks of his administration.

One of Trump’s first actions after he was sworn in for his second term was to broaden Ice’s mandate. Now all immigrants without legal status are prioritized for arrest, including those who have been checking in and cooperating with authorities.

Avelo Airlines recently said it had signed an agreement to fly federal deportation flights for the administration from Mesa, Arizona, beginning in May. Several thousand people signed a petition urging the airline to halt plans to carry out the deportation flights.

The mass deportations and ongoing cases of people being detained by Ice has caused unease and fear among immigrants and foreign visitors to the US. Recent data suggests that flight bookings between Canada and the US are down by over 70%.

The head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement said he’d like the agency to implement a system of trucks that rounds up immigrants for deportation in a system similar to how Amazon delivers packages around the US.

“We need to get better at treating this like a business,” the acting Ice director, Todd Lyons, said. He said that he wants to see a deportation process “like (Amazon) Prime, but with human beings”. His comments were first reported by the Arizona Mirror.

Lyons was one of a series of Trump administration speakers at the 2025 Border Security Expo at the Phoenix convention center. Other speakers were Trump’s “border czar”, Tom Homan, and the secretary of the US Department of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.

Speakers at the expo praised Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport Venezuelans, the 1798 law that was last used during the second world war to intern Japanese Americans. Noem promised to expand on its use to more efficiently deport immigrants. Lyons also called the act “amazing”.

Homan said “that is a law enacted by Congress, and we are using that”, referring to the Alien Enemies Act. At around the time of the expo, the US supreme court ruled that the Trump administration may continue using the law to deport alleged gang members.

Homan added that it “bothers him” when judges attempt to prevent him from using the act. He also said that family detention is still “on the table” as a policy.

Lyons also spoke highly of other new technology being potentially implemented in the deportation process. He expressed hopes that the agency can utilize artificial intelligence to “free up bed space” and “fill up airplanes”, allowing Ice to deport immigrants at a quicker pace.

The Ice director also said that he has been working with Elon Musk’s ”department of government efficiency” (Doge) for access to social security numbers to look for “voter fraud”.

Several speakers, Homan included, echoed the opinion of having a deportation system that is run like a business, with assurance that the Trump administration is depending on the private sector for completion of its mass deportation agenda. Many representatives from the military-industrial complex were in attendance.

“Let the badge and guns do the badge-and-gun stuff. Everything else, let’s contract out,” Homan said.

Trump campaigned heavily on implementing a system of mass deportation, and has spent his presidency so far attempting to deliver on his campaign promises. Data suggests as many as 1,400 people were arrested during or right after Ice check-ins in the first four weeks of his administration.

One of Trump’s first actions after he was sworn in for his second term was to broaden Ice’s mandate. Now all immigrants without legal status are prioritized for arrest, including those who have been checking in and cooperating with authorities.

Avelo Airlines recently said it had signed an agreement to fly federal deportation flights for the administration from Mesa, Arizona, beginning in May. Several thousand people signed a petition urging the airline to halt plans to carry out the deportation flights.

The mass deportations and ongoing cases of people being detained by Ice has caused unease and fear among immigrants and foreign visitors to the US. Recent data suggests that flight bookings between Canada and the US are down by over 70%.

Germany’s biggest mainstream parties have sealed an agreement to form a government keeping the far right out of power, as Europe’s top economy struggles to reverse a downturn and gird itself for the potentially catastrophic impact of new US tariffs.

The prospective chancellor Friedrich Merz’s conservative CDU/CSU announced the breakthrough deal with the centre-left Social Democrats (SPD), which had led the ruling coalition since 2021.

The 146-page “Responsibility for Germany” roadmap “is a very strong and clear signal to the citizens of our country. And it is also a clear signal to our partners in the European Union,” said Merz during a news conference with his coalition partners.

“Germany is back on track,” he added.

The compromise package, which Merz had aimed to have completed by Easter, must still win majority approval among the SPD’s 357,000 members via an online ballot as well as from the leadership of the CDU and CSU, known as the Union parties.

Assuming those hurdles are cleared by the end of April, Merz could be sworn in before the Bundestag in early May, realising a decades-long dream for the longtime rival of veteran leader Angela Merkel.

The agreement includes tax breaks for low and moderate income households, phased-in tax reductions for corporations, subsidies for electric cars to help the ailing auto industry and further reform of the “debt brake” seen as hobbling public investment.

On border policy, a pivotal issue in the campaign after a series of attacks blamed on asylum seekers, Merz said Germany would “effectively put an end to irregular immigration” and aim to cooperate with neighbours to turn back people at the frontier.

But SPD co-leader Lars Klingbeil, who is expected to become vice-chancellor, insisted the government would work on the principle that the “basic right to asylum remains inviolable” and that “Germany is a country of immigration” that benefits socially and economically from newcomers.

He said the coalition would lead a modernisation drive in a nation often criticised as slow to change.

“The excavators have got to get to work and the fax machines must go,” Klingbeil said.

Germany has been in protracted political limbo since chancellor Olaf Scholz of the SPD, whose fractious three-way coalition was deeply unpopular, in November announced the collapse of the government and called for an early election.

The 23 February poll saw the CDU/CSU come out on top with 28.5%, ahead of the anti-immigration, pro-Kremlin Alternative für Deutschland (AfD) on 20.8% – the strongest showing for a German far-right party since the second world war.

The SPD turned in a dismal 16.4% result but became Merz’s only potential partner in a two-way coalition given a pledge by the centrist parties to lock out the AfD.

That do-or-die situation strengthened the Social Democrats’ hand in the coalition negotiations, leading Merz to water down a number of campaign pledges including strict fiscal discipline, major tax breaks for corporations and wealthy individuals, and an uncompromising line on immigration.

The SPD extracted a pledge to keep pensions at the current rate until 2031, and will have control of powerful briefs including the finance and defence ministries.

The Union will take over the foreign and interior ministries. The latter steers immigration and domestic security policy – core issues for the conservatives as they scramble to fend off the far-right challenge.

Merz, a wealthy former corporate lawyer, largely stuck to a pledge during the month-long talks to avoid the spotlight despite a deluge of troubling economic news, leaving an opening for AfD leaders to hammer the mainstream parties as unfit to steer the ship through the storm.

The far right has only gained in support since the election, with one poll on Wednesday showing the AfD in first place with 25%, ahead of Merz’s CDU/CSU on 24%.

“The AfD has become the strongest force in Germany for the first time in the polls!” party co-leader Alice Weidel cheered on X. “Citizens want political change and not a more-of-the-same coalition between the Union and the SPD!”

Turmoil on global markets and fears for the postwar order of transatlantic cooperation have also taken a toll on Merz’s personal popularity, with many Germans doubting his leadership abilities in a time of converging economic, diplomatic and security crises.

A Forsa institute poll released on Monday showed that only 32% thought Merz was the right person to be chancellor, down from 40% in early March, with 60% saying they disapproved of him.

Germany’s lengthy political vacuum amid an extended economic slump has also frustrated allies looking to the European heavyweight to show leadership in the face of Donald Trump’s erratic course on trade and defence and an emboldened Russia.

Merz has pledged to maintain Germany’s strong backing for Ukraine while mending frayed ties with neighbours including France and Poland and fostering “independence” from Washington under Trump.

He has already encouraged many partners by agreeing last month to a historic pact to loosen rules on running up debt to allow for steeper defence spending and boost sorely needed investment in infrastructure.

The move to release the “debt brake” however has met with criticism from within his own conservative camp and drawn attacks from the AfD as breaking with German fiscal orthodoxy.

Merz on Wednesday acknowledged his centrist government must use its four-year term to address voters’ growing disillusionment or risk the AfD coming out on top at the next general election.

“That is our mission: to show that problems can be solved by the political centre of our country,” he said.

Search efforts continued early on Wednesday after nearly 100 people died in a nightclub roof collapse in the Dominican Republic.

The popular Dominican merengue singer Rubby Pérez, who was performing at the Jet Set nightclub before hundreds of people when the collapse occurred shortly after midnight on Tuesday, was one of those killed, according to his manager.

Relatives of clubgoers gathered around the disaster site in the capital, Santo Domingo, as rescuers ferried the injured to hospital and used a crane to remove debris.

“We have some friends here, a niece, a cousin, some friends, who are in the rubble,” said Rodolfo Espinal as he waited for information on his loved ones.

About 370 rescue personnel combed mounds of fallen bricks, steel bars and tin sheets for survivors.

Also among the dead were the former Major League Baseball players Octavio Dotel and Tony Blanco. Dotel, who was 51, was rescued alive but later died of his injuries, local media reported.

Local media said there were between 500 and 1,000 people in the club when the roof collapsed at about 12.44am on Tuesday. The club had capacity for about 1,700 people.

Pérez was on stage when there was a blackout and the roof came crashing down, according to witnesses. Pérez’s daughter Zulinka told reporters she managed to escape after the roof collapsed but he did not.

The Dominican president, Luis Abinader, said the governor of the Monte Cristi municipality, Nelsy Cruz, was also killed. Abinader declared three days of national mourning.

By early Wednesday, the preliminary death toll had reached 98, said Juan Manuel Méndez, the director of the Emergency Operations Center. “No people have been found alive since 3pm,” Méndez said in his latest update.

He said earlier: “As long as there is hope for life, all authorities will be working to recover or rescue these people.”

Iris Peña, who had attended the show, told SIN television how she escaped with her son. “At one point, dirt started falling like dust into the drink on the table,” she said. “A stone fell and cracked the table where we were, and we got out. The impact was so strong, as if it had been a tsunami or an earthquake.”

Dozens of family members flocked to hospitals for news. “We are desperate,” Regina del Rosa, whose sister was at the concert, told SIN. “They are not giving us news, they are not telling us anything.”

Helicopter images revealed a large hole where the club’s roof once was. A crane was helping to lift some of the heavier rubble as men in hard hats dug through the debris. Authorities issued a call for Dominicans to donate blood.

Artists paid tribute to Pérez on social media. “The friend and idol of our genre has left us,” Wilfrido Vargas wrote. The Puerto Rican singer Olga Tañón wrote: “Maestro, what a great pain he leaves us.”

The Instagram page of the Jet Set club says it has been in operation for more than 50 years, with shows every Monday until the early hours. Its last post before Monday’s event invited fans to come and “enjoy his [Pérez’s] greatest hits and dance in the country’s best nightclub”.

On Tuesday, the club issued a statement saying it was working “fully and transparently” with authorities.

The Jet Set roof collapse is one of the biggest tragedies the Caribbean nation has faced in recent years. In 2023, about 40 people were killed and dozens injured in an explosion linked to a plastics company in San Cristóbal, near Santo Domingo. In 2005, more than 130 prisoners in the east of the country died in a fire caused by a fight between inmates.

Tourism generates about 15% of GDP in the country, with millions of annual visitors attracted by its music, nightlife, beaches and the colonial architecture of the capital.

Sexual violence and sexual harassment are “endemic” in France’s entertainment industry, a damning report by French politicians has found, concluding that women and children are still being routinely preyed on, despite the country’s #MeToo movement.

The Green MP Sandrine Rousseau and the centrist Erwan Balanant found that sexual violence, harassment and bullying were “systemic, endemic and persistent” in all sectors of the French culture and entertainment industry, from TV and cinema to theatre, radio, comedy, advertising, rock and classical music.

After a five-month inquiry, in which they described receiving “overwhelming” testimony from almost 400 people, including actors and industry workers, the politicians said attitudes in France were “barely evolving” many years after the #MeToo movement began.

The parliamentary inquiry had heard accounts of rape, sexual assault and sexual harassment, with “numerous” alleged assaults happening recently. They said a decades-long culture of silencing victims was getting worse in France, amid a sense of “collective denial”. They described an “ambient sexism” as well as racism in the sector.

The lawmakers made almost 90 recommendations, including better protections for actors and models aged under 18, and improved regulation of actors’ agents and casting procedures.

They also proposed banning the sexualisation of minors on screen and in fashion photos. They said compulsory intimacy coordinators should be present for any scene of intimacy involving minors, and that intimacy coordinators should be suggested as compulsory for cinema, TV and theatre.

Women working on film sets told how, in the course of their daily work, senior male crew members would make sexual comments such as demands for oral sex. Young women described being pushed up against a wall and sexually assaulted while at work. One assistant director described being summoned to see an actor and finding him waiting with his trousers down.

The report found that sexual assault was common during the casting process. Scenes of sex or nudity were also found to have been a place for sexual assaults and rape to occur. One film worker said she realised that a female actor had been raped during a bedroom scene, but the director took no action when it was reported to him.

The report found children were particularly vulnerable and subject to abuse in cinema and the performing arts.

One actor described how, aged 10, she had to appear in a rape scene, but was prevented from meeting the actor first and was taken by surprise when she was grabbed by him. “I was petrified,” she said. Another teenager was pushed and verbally abused during a romantic scene with an actor decades older. One young child had his trousers pulled down on set when he did not want to perform in only his underpants. One director reminded another child of his father’s death just before a scene, to get the right look of emotion for a shot.

The politicians called for better regulation of music schools, acting schools and choirs after hearing allegations of a music teacher telling a young girl “to look more like a whore” while playing the flute. They also heard allegations of a choir master kissing girls on the neck.

Rousseau said what struck her in testimony from the film industry was how young some actors were when sexual harassment began. She said: “For some, it started in childhood, in school, at castings and went on all the way through their careers.”

The actor Sara Forestier, who started working in film aged 13, told the inquiry that at her first casting she was asked to take off her underwear and throw it on to someone’s plate. Throughout her career she repeatedly had to say “no” to directors who wanted to have sex with her and who threatened to take roles away if she refused.

“In our country, there’s a cult of talent and creative genius,” Balanant said, adding that some star directors and actors felt they could act how they pleased.

The report comes weeks after the Paris trial for sexual assault of the French film star, Gérard Depardieu. He denies the charges against him, and the verdict will be announced next month.

The actor and director Judith Godrèche, who became a leading voice in France’s #MeToo movement and called for the inquiry, said Wednesday’s report was “terrifying”. She has filed complaints against the directors Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon for sexually assaulting her while she was a teenager. Both have denied the allegations.

Cinemas have warned audience members they will be ejected if they join in with a TikTok trend encouraging filmgoers to disrupt screenings of the hit Minecraft film.

Footage has emerged on social media of audiences cheering, throwing popcorn and shouting out during the film, particularly during a scene where one of the film’s stars, Jack Black, calls out “Chicken jockey!” at the appearance of a baby zombie riding a chicken.

The “chicken jockey” trend has gone viral on TikTok and has resulted in a number of cinemas across the globe taking measures to deal with disruptive behaviour at showings of the video game adaptation.

A number of cinemas in the UK, including Cineworld in Witney, the Radway in Sidmouth and the Reel in Fareham, have posted notices warning audience members against disrupting screenings, while the Regent Cinema in Newtown, Wales, said it would adopt a “zero-tolerance approach” of stopping screenings if audiences go too far.

Witney Cineworld said that offenders would be ejected: “Any form of antisocial behaviour, especially anything that may disturb other guests such as loud screaming, clapping and shouting will not be tolerated. Anyone who is found to be acting in this manner will be removed from the screening and not entitled to a refund.” The Radway posted a similar warning on its social media page, saying: “Anyone found taking part in the current social media trend involving A Minecraft Movie will be removed from the cinema. We wish for our customers to enjoy the experience they have paid for.”

In the US, the Township theatre in Washington, New Jersey, has banned unaccompanied minors from attending screenings of the film after what it called an “unfortunate situation” on 4 April. In a social media post it said: “Large groups of unsupervised boys engaged in completely unacceptable behaviour, including vandalism … Moving forward: Any minors wishing to see The Minecraft Movie MUST be accompanied by a parent or responsible adult. Unaccompanied groups of boys will not be admitted.”

It added: “If your son was at Township theatre last night, we strongly encourage you to have a conversation with him about his behaviour.”

A Minecraft Movie has proved unexpectedly successful at the box office, scoring the highest ever opening weekend for a video game adaptation in North America, and amassing around $314m across the world. Despite initial reservations among hardcore Minecraft enthusiasts after a poorly received initial trailer, the film has benefited from huge enthusiasm from younger audiences.

TikTok has been contacted for comment.