NewsNews overview: Trump unveils sweeping policies as EU vows trade retaliation
News overview: Trump unveils sweeping policies as EU vows trade retaliation
It happened while you were sleeping. Here's what global agencies reported overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
- President Donald Trump and his adviser Elon Musk announced on Wednesday further mass layoffs of federal officials and expressed confidence that they could save approximately £820 billion. Trump suggested that another £820 billion could be generated from selling the right to permanent residency in the USA, known as golden cards.
- The European Commission issued a statement on Wednesday evening in response to Donald Trump's announcement of imposing 25% tariffs on goods imported from the European Union, including cars. The statement stated that "the EU will respond firmly and immediately to any unjustified barriers to free and fair trade, including tariffs."
- Tunisian citizen Brahim Aouissaoui was sentenced on Wednesday by a Paris court to life imprisonment for killing three people during a terrorist attack at the basilica in Nice in October 2020. Aouissaoui will not be eligible for parole. This is the highest possible sentence in the French justice system. The prosecution had sought this sentence.
- The leader of the German Christian Democrats and most likely the future Chancellor of Germany, Friedrich Merz, met on Wednesday evening in Paris with the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. German media, announcing their talks, reported that it was a private dinner at the invitation of the French president.
- On Wednesday, the Parliament of the Republic of Srpska (RS) rejected Milorad Dodik's conviction as president of this autonomous part of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Parliament also called on the government to prepare regulations prohibiting the operation of selected central institutions of BiH in RS territory.
- The President of Montenegro, Jakov Milatović, submitted a bill to parliament on Wednesday for compensating former inmates of the notorious political prison Goli Otok from the communist Yugoslavia era, calling it a matter of "truth and justice" - reported RTCG television.
- About 40% of Albania's workforce has emigrated from the country so far, seeking a better future beyond its borders - reported Euronews on Wednesday, citing the latest data from the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
- The Portuguese police dismantled a Romanian criminal group operating in the country for several years, enslaving children. By Wednesday, a total of over 30 minors of Romanian origin, who were forced to beg, had been freed.
- The Nigerian Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) demanded the death penalty or life imprisonment for those caught trading counterfeit medicines and severe sentences for sellers of unhealthy processed food.
- New York State Governor Kathy Hochul criticised prison service officers across the state for striking on Wednesday and warned that they could be arrested. Public sector strikes are prohibited by law.
