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Rubio: US could enter into new trade agreements after tariffs are imposed
Marco Rubio, the Secretary of State for Florida, said that once the United States imposes tariffs on major trading partners they could begin bilateral discussions with other countries about new trade agreements. Donald Trump, the U.S. president, threatened to slap 200% tariffs on wine, cognac, and other alcohol imported from Europe on Thursday, opening a second front in a trade war that's roiled financial market and caused recession fears. Rubio said that the United States will retaliate if other nations impose tariffs against it. This is global. "It's not against Canada It's not against the law Mexico He told the CBS program "Face the Nation" that it wasn't against the EU. He continued, "And from this new baseline of fairness, reciprocity and mutuality, we'll engage in - potentially – bilateral negotiations with other countries around the globe on new trade agreements that make sense to both sides." Rubio did not provide any details on the possible new deals, but said that the United States will "reset the baseline", to ensure that it is treated fairly. "We don’t like the current status quo. "We are going to establish a new status-quo and then, if other nations want it, we can negotiate," he said. "What we are doing now is not sustainable." Reporting by David Ljunggren, Editing by Mark Porter
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Palestinian medics report that Israeli strikes killed 14 people in Gaza the previous day.
Israeli military strikes killed at least fourteen Palestinians in Gaza Strip during the past 24 hour, said the Gaza Strip's Health Ministry on Sunday. Arab and U.S. mediators are working to maintain a fragile truce between Israel and Hamas. Palestinian officials claim that Israeli fire has killed dozens of Palestinians despite the truce on January 19, which halted major fighting in Gaza. Israel's army has stated that its forces have intervened in order to stop "terrorists", who were threatening its troops, or those who had planted bombs. Gaza's Health Ministry reported that the majority of recent deaths occurred on Saturday, when an Israeli airstrike in Beit Lahiya killed nine Palestinians, including four journalists. Six men, whom Israel's military identified as being members of Hamas' armed wing and Islamic Jihad, a militant group that is allied with Hamas, were killed in this strike. The Israeli military said that some militants were operating "under the cover" of journalists. Salama Marouf is the head of Hamas' Gaza government media. She said that the statement made by the military about the incident contained names of people not present. Marouf claimed that the report was based "without bothering to check the facts" and was inaccurate. Gaza's health officials confirmed that at least four Palestinians died in separate Israeli attacks on Saturday. The medics reported that an Israeli drone fired a missile on a group in Juhr Eldeek, central Gaza, Sunday, killing one 62-year old man and injuring others. A missile fired by an Israeli drone at a crowd of people in Rafah injured several others, the medics added. The Israeli military claimed it did not know about the reported drone attacks. CEASEFIRE TALKS The bloodshed in Gaza continues to highlight the fragility in the three-stage truce agreement, which was mediated by Qatar Egypt and the United States. They have intervened to help Israel and Hamas reach an agreement on how to proceed. Israel is proposing to extend the first phase of the ceasefire, which has been backed by U.S. ambassador Steve Witkoff. Hamas has said it will only resume releasing hostages under the second phase, which was supposed to start on March 2. The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that on Saturday, negotiators were instructed to continue the talks in response to the mediators' responses to the U.S. proposal to release 11 hostages alive and half the dead. Hamas said on Friday that it would release the American-Israeli soldier Edan Alexander and four hostage bodies if Israel agreed immediately to start talks on the implementation of the second phase of agreement. Israel accused Hamas in response of "psychological war" against the families of hostages. According to Israeli statistics, the war began on October 7, 2023 when Hamas launched a raid across the border into southern Israel, killing 1200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel has denied accusations of war crimes and genocide. The Israeli assault on Gaza, which followed, killed over 48,000 Palestinians. Nidal al Mughrabi, Nidal Popper and Helen Popper contributed to the reporting and writing.
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Cuba restores power to Havana, the capital and its outlying provinces
Cuba's Havana capital saw some lights come back on on Sunday morning after a national grid collapse knocked out electricity for 10 million people. Havana's Electric Company said on social media about 19% of their clients in the city have seen power restored but did not give an estimate for full recovery. Cuba's Energy and Mines Ministry announced early Sunday that it had started up the Felton power station, one of Cuba's largest power plants and a benchmark for the restoration of power in eastern provinces. The ministry stated that the country's biggest plant, Antonio Guinteras in Matanzas was not yet operational. Many residents in Havana, and elsewhere, were worried that their frozen food would spoil after 36 hours of no electricity. Since Friday evening, around 8:15 pm (0015 GMT), a large part of the two-million-person city - a densely-populated tourist center - was without electricity. The only places that had lights were popular tourist hotels, restaurants, homes, and businesses equipped with generators. Cuba's grid collapsed Friday evening, after a transmission cable at a Havana substation shorted. This caused a chain reaction which completely shut down electricity generation on the entire island. The blackout on Friday was the fourth to occur in the country since October. Cuba's oil fired power plants, which were already outdated and struggled to keep the lights lit, reached a crisis last year when oil imports from Venezuela and Russia, as well as Mexico, decreased. Before Friday's grid failure, many on the island were already experiencing daily blackouts of 20 hours or longer. Cuba has blamed the growing crisis on an embargo imposed by the United States during the Cold War and on new restrictions imposed by President Donald Trump. Trump recently tightened the sanctions against the communist government and promised to restore "tough" policies toward the longtime U.S. enemy. In an effort to reduce reliance on oil-fired power generation, the government wants to help China develop large solar farms. (Reporting and editing by David Holmes; Dave Sherwood)
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The North Macedonian nightclub fire leaves 51 dead and over 100 injured
Pance Toskovski, the Interior Minister of North Macedonia, said that 51 people died and over 100 were injured in an early morning fire in a nightclub in Kocani. Toskovski claimed that the fire was caused "pyrotechnics" used at a concert. He said that "sparks caused the fire... and the fire spread throughout the discotheque." Video from the event was verified by and shows two flares shooting white sparks in the air flanking a band on stage. The sparks ignite the ceiling above the band as the video cuts. A local TV station showed footage of firefighters dousing the smoke and charred entrance to the Pulse club. The public broadcaster MRT in North Macedonia reported that 27 people with severe burns were admitted to the Skopje City Hospital, while another 23 patients were treated at the Clinical Center. It said that minors were among the injured. The fire broke out in Kocani at 3:00 am. Hristijan Micoski, the Prime Minister of Macedonia, said on Facebook that "this is a very difficult and sad day for Macedonia!" The loss of many young lives was irreparable. The pain felt by the families and loved ones is incomparable. "I urge all institutions, including the health services and relevant authorities, to take immediate action to help the injured as well as the families of those families." (Reporting and writing by Aleksandar Vasovic, Editing by Bernadettebaum)
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CNN reports that 33 people were killed by tornadoes in the US South amid an increase in risk.
CNN reported that on Saturday night at least 33 tornadoes struck several states across the Midwest and Southeast of the United States. The Missouri highway patrol reported that 12 deaths occurred in five counties. Robbie Myers is the director of emergency response in Missouri's Butler County. He told reporters that over 500 homes, as well as a grocery store and a church, were destroyed in the county. He said that a mobile home park was "totally wiped out". Tate Reeves, the Mississippi governor, posted on X about six deaths in the state – one in Covington County; two in Jeff Davis County; and three in Walthall County. Reeves reported that preliminary assessments showed 29 injuries statewide, and damage to 21 counties. The Department of Emergency Management in Arkansas reported that three people died and 32 were injured. David Roth, a National Weather Service meteorologist, told reporters that 26 tornadoes had been reported, but were not confirmed, to have touched ground late Friday night and early Saturday morning as a low pressure system pushed powerful thunderstorms through parts of Arkansas and Illinois. Rich McKay reported from Atlanta, and Shivani Tana in Bengaluru. Editing was done by Aidan Lewis and Rod Nickel.
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New South Wales, Australia, is sweltering in a heatwave and faces an 'extreme bushfire risk'
New South Wales, Australia, sweated through a heatwave on Sunday that increased the risk of bushfires. Authorities issued a fire ban in Sydney's capital. New South Wales is nearing the end a high-risk bushfire season, which runs until March. The "Black Summer" wildfires of 2019-2020 destroyed an area as large as Turkey and killed over 33 people. Sydney, Australia's largest city, is expected to reach 37C (98.6F) on Sunday. Forecasters report that the temperature at Sydney Airport was 29.3C (84.7 F), more than three degrees higher than the average maximum temperature for March. The forecaster's website warned that "strong winds, hot conditions, and low relative humidities will create extreme fire danger in the greater Sydney area." According to X, the Rural Fire Service of the State of New York announced that a total ban on fires was in effect for a large swath of the state, including Sydney. This is due to "hot and dry conditions" forecasted. Bernard Barbetti, an official with the Country Fire Authority, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Sunday that a house was destroyed by a bushfire in Victoria, which was fought by 200 firefighters. The Australian science agency stated last year that climate change was causing extreme heat to be more frequent in Australia. Australia is a country prone to bushfires with a population of 27 million. (Reporting from Sydney by Sam McKeith, editing by Deepa Babyington)
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The economy of Peru grew by 4.07% in January
Data from the nation's INEI statistical agency on Saturday showed that Peru's economy grew 4.07% during the first month in 2025. This was in line with forecasts by the central bank and analysts, with almost all sectors registering growth, with the exception being the financial sector. The January data was slightly above the 4% estimated by analysts, but lower than the 4.85% recorded last month last year. Mining and energy, the Andean nation’s most important sector, grew by 1.4%. Meanwhile, agriculture and fishing, a smaller sector but still very important to the country's economy grew by 3.2% and 23.5%. Transportation grew by 7.9% and manufacturing by 5.5%, while the public sector and construction and defense both saw growth above 4%. Commercial banks' lending decreased by 0.35%, causing the financial sector to contract. Calling on Friday The top economist of Peru's central banks said that the economic activity is developing better than expected as the economy recovered from the recession it entered in the year 2023. The bank said that the U.S. Tariffs would have a limited effect, stating that Peruvian agricultural products are a complement to North American supplies, when North America is not able produce locally due to seasonal factors, and that copper exports could be sold in many other markets. Late last month, Peru's Economy Minister Predicted The economy will grow by 4% in 2019, up from 3.3% in 2024, and 0.4% in 2017. This makes it one of the fastest growing economies in Latin America. (Reporting and editing by Diane Craft, Raul Cortes, and Sarah Morland)
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Three people are killed in a tornado that strikes the US south amid an increase in risk
Police said that three people died in Missouri after a series tornadoes struck the U.S. Midwest overnight. The path of destruction was still being assessed on Saturday morning. David Roth, a National Weather Service meteorologist from the Weather Prediction Center, stated that at least 26 tornadoes had been reported, but were not confirmed, to have toucheddown late Friday night or early Saturday morning as a powerful low-pressure system swept across Arkansas, Illinois and Mississippi. He said that today there was a 30% chance of more tornadoes in Alabama and Mississippi. "That is pretty significant." The Missouri State Highway Patrol, along with other officials, reported that two of the deaths were caused by tornadoes in southern Missouri, in the Bakersfield region of Ozark County. This is about four hours south-southwest of Kansas City. A third death occurred in Butler County. The highway patrol reported that some people were injured but there were no immediate numbers available. Forecasters say that as the storms gain strength, Saturday night is the time when the risk of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes will be highest.
Fuel, shelter costs boost US costs; inflation still slowing
U.S. consumer costs increased sturdily in February amid higher expenses for fuel and shelter, recommending some stickiness in inflation that further diminishes the chances of a Federal Reserve rate of interest cut before June.
Regardless of the second straight month of firmer inflation readings reported by the Labor Department on Tuesday, the composition of the report remained consistent with a. disinflationary pattern. Inflation-weary Americans got some relief. from their grocery store and medical expenses.
Shelter expenses assisted to raise rates last month,. real estate inflation slowed after surging in January. Some. financial experts stated problems adjusting the data for price. boosts at the start of the year had actually injected a bit of noise. into the CPI report.
U.S. reserve bank officials, consisting of Fed Chair Jerome. Powell, have actually suggested they are in no rush to start decreasing. borrowing costs. The stubbornly greater cost of living is one of. the key problems in the Nov. 5 U.S. governmental election.
We still think the disinflation case is intact and that. seasonal patterns at the start of the year have actually pressed inflation. higher, however the Fed was looking for higher self-confidence that. inflation was sustainably headed to 2%, and that confidence. can not be found in this report, said Conrad DeQuadros, senior. economic consultant at Brean Capital.
The consumer rate index increased 0.4% last month after climbing. 0.3% in January, the Labor Department's Bureau of Labor. Data (BLS) said. Fuel costs rebounded 3.8% after. decreasing 3.3% in January. Shelter, which includes leas, increased. 0.4% after advancing 0.6% in the prior month.
These two categories contributed more than 60% to the. monthly boost in the CPI. Food prices were the same after. rising 0.4% in January in the middle of declines in the expenses of dairy. veggies, fruits and items in addition to nonalcoholic. beverages. Costs for cereals and bakery products rose while. meat, fish and eggs were slightly more expensive.
In the 12 months through February, the CPI increased 3.2%,. after advancing 3.1% in January.
Financial experts polled had forecast the CPI would get. 0.4% on the month and increase 3.1% on a year-on-year basis. The. yearly increase in consumer costs has actually slowed from a peak of. 9.1% in June 2022, however development has stalled in recent months.
President Joe Biden used the report to attract assistance for a. $ 7.3 trillion spending plan revealed on Monday. We have more to do to. lower costs and offer the middle class a fair shot, Biden said. in a declaration. The spending plan I advanced yesterday would take. on Big Pharma to lower prescription drug costs.
Monetary markets continue to anticipate the Fed will cut rates. in June. Since March 2022, the U.S reserve bank has actually raised its. policy rate by 525 basis indicate the present 5.25% -5.50%. range. Stocks on Wall Street were trading higher on Tuesday. The. dollar rose against a basket of currencies. U.S. Treasury rates. fell.
RESIDUAL SEASONALITY
Inflation got in January, and was mainly blamed on. the rate walkings by service providers at the beginning of the. year, which economists said were not totally dealt with by the. design used by the government to remove out seasonal changes. from the data.
There was likewise a jump in owners' equivalent rent (OER), a. measure of the quantity property owners would pay to lease or would earn. from renting their property, which diverged from rents. That was. partly the outcome of some approach modifications by the government.
The BLS recently held a webinar to discuss the underlying. method related to the January OER and lease information.
Omitting the unpredictable food and energy elements, the CPI. increased 0.4% in February after rising by the same margin in. January. Shelter was also the main chauffeur of the so-called core. CPI. Leas increased 0.5% after gaining 0.4% in January.
However OER climbed up 0.4% after rising 0.6% in the previous month. The current data suggested that the divergence in between the rents. and OER steps, which had actually raised issues about the outlook. for shelter inflation, was a one-off occasion.
The cost of health care was the same after rising 0.5% in. the previous month. Health center services costs reduced 0.6%. the cost of dental services increased 0.4%. Airline fares. accelerated 3.6% while motor vehicle insurance coverage cost 0.9% more.
Provider excluding energy increased 0.5% after soaring. 0.7% in January. The increase in the so-called incredibly core services. excluding shelter slowed to 0.5% from 0.8% in the previous month.
Product rates rebounded by 0.4% after falling 0.3% in. January. They were boosted by increases in the prices of. clothing. Used trucks and vehicles rates jumped 0.5%.
Core products costs rose 0.1%, the very first boost given that last. May, after falling 0.3% in January. Economic experts were divided on. whether the products disinflation trend that helped to lower. inflation last year had actually run its course.
The Fed has actually stated they need services inflation to moderate. even more in case goods deflation has actually ended. The February CPI. report has this taste, stated Stephen Juneau, a financial expert at. Bank of America Securities. We read developments on February. inflation as continuing to support our outlook for a rate cut. cycle that begins in June.
In the 12 months through February, the core CPI advanced. 3.8%. That was the tiniest year-on-year increase given that May 2021. and followed a 3.9% rise in January. A different report from the. Atlanta Fed revealed its sticky-price CPI, a weighted basket of. products that change price reasonably gradually, increased 4.0% on an. annualized basis in February after rising 6.7% in January.
The U.S. reserve bank tracks the individual intake. expenses price indexes for its 2% inflation target. These. measures are performing at tamer rates than the CPI.
Job growth accelerated in February, the unemployment. rate increased to a two-year high of 3.9% and yearly wage. inflation moderated a bit.
Fewer workers are job-hopping, which in time could help to. slow wage gains, the main motorist of services inflation.
Based upon the CPI information, economic experts approximated that the core. PCE cost index rose 0.2% in February after increasing 0.4% in. January. That would decrease the increase in core inflation to 2.7%. from 2.8% in January.
Great news is likely coming, stated Ryan Sugary food, primary U.S. economist at Oxford Economics.
(source: Reuters)