The new trade deal will give the U.S. access to Chinese rare earths. On Wednesday, President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose a 55% tariff on Chinese products, while China will maintain a 10% tariff on U.S. goods. These measures are part of a new trade agreement, which is still pending final approval.

“Our deal with China is done, subject to final approval with President Xi and me. Full magnets, and any necessary rare earths, will be supplied, up front, by China,” he said.

“Likewise, we will provide to China what was agreed to, including Chinese students using our colleges and universities (which has always been good with me!). We are getting a total of 55% tariffs, China is getting 10%. Relationship is excellent! Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump added.

On Tuesday, China and the United States concluded two days of trade negotiations in London with a preliminary agreement to establish a framework beneficial to both parties. The talks followed a phone call between Trump and Xi last week, which Trump described as “very positive.”

“Both sides will present a report to their respective leaders on the conversations held during the meeting, as well as on the framework reached in Geneva. We hope the progress made in this London meeting will contribute to greater trust between China and the United States,” said Li Chenggang, China’s vice minister of commerce and international trade representative.

The negotiations focused on easing export controls on goods such as rare earth minerals and semiconductors and sought to reduce tensions between the two economic powers after mutual accusations of breaching a deal reached in Geneva last month.

At that time, Washington agreed to lower its tariffs from 145% to 30%, and Beijing from 125% to 10%, with a 90-day window to negotiate a new trade pact.

China and the U.S. have clashed over advanced semiconductors that power artificial intelligence, rare earths—vital for electric vehicle manufacturers—and visas for Chinese students at American universities.

‘What happened in a school in Graz strikes our country at the heart,’ said President Van der Bellen. From Wednesday to Friday, Austrians will observe a national mourning period to pay tribute to those killed in a mass shooting at a high school.

At least 11 people were killed, including the shooter, in the school shooting that happened in Austria’s second-largest city of Graz. Another 11 were hospitalized with serious injuries. This shooting is considered one of the most serious shootings in the history of Austria, the newspaper Kronen Zeitung said.

Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Tuesday announced a three-day national mourning and the lowering of the country’s flag to half-staff, saying that “what happened today in a school in Graz strikes our country at the heart.”

Government leaders, including Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker, Vice-Chancellor Andreas Babler and Foreign Minister Beate Meinl-Reisinger, gathered in Graz on Tuesday evening at an event in memory of the victims.

“Schools are symbols of youth, hope, and the future. It’s hard to bear when schools become places of death and violence,” said European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on the social platform X.

The shooting occurred at the school of BORG in Dreierschutzengasse in the Lend district shortly before 10 a.m. on Tuesday. Police confirmed the suspected perpetrator as a 21-year-old shooter, who used to be a student at BORG. He is reported to have shot himself dead. Police have been mobilized in the region, with a helicopter deployed. The school has been evacuated, and further danger is excluded.

On Wednesday morning, a nationwide minute of silence will be observed at 10 a.m. local time. Public celebrations have been canceled or postponed.

“You don’t have words for such things. Austria is such a lovely country. We stay together, we live together, and such tragedies like this today is unbelievable,” a resident of Graz said.

Her conviction threatens the balance of powers and democracy itself in Argentina. On Thursday, the Lula Institute issued a statement condemning the six-year prison sentence handed down to former Argentine President Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner, calling the court ruling a political maneuver aimed at harming progressive forces in Argentina and across Latin America.

Founded by Workers’ Party leader Lula da Silva, the Brazilian nongovernmental organization is dedicated to promoting social inclusion and political engagement, particularly among marginalized communities. Its full statement is as follows:

“The Lula Institute expresses its deep concern and strong condemnation of the imprisonment of Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner, in a context that reveals serious violations of fundamental rights and due process.

The so-called ‘Viality Case,’ a prosecution driven by the government of former President Mauricio Macri, raises alarming concerns about the impartiality of Argentina’s judicial system. The lack of evidence and the presence of signs of bias and arbitrariness in the trial undermine the legitimacy of the ruling.

It is unacceptable that an innocent person be convicted in a process that appears more like a political maneuver than a genuine pursuit of justice.

“The Mayo Square grandmothers repudiate the sentence to Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner as an attack on democracy and as a political persecution to deprive the citizens of the most important figure, after years of stigmatization and inhumanization.”

The construction of legal theories aimed at holding Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner responsible for the actions of her subordinates—under a questionable interpretation of administrative law—represents a dangerous setback for the separation of powers and the rule of law.

This practice not only affects the former president but also casts a shadow over the functioning of democracy in Argentina, threatening the balance of powers and democracy itself.

The Lula Institute joins the Puebla Group and the Latin American Council for Justice and Democracy (CLAJUD) in warning the international community about ongoing attempts to silence political voices and delegitimize leaders who seek to promote justice and social equality.

Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner’s conviction is not merely a domestic issue in Argentina—it serves as a warning to all countries in the region about the threats facing democracy and the rule of law.

We demand that the principles of due process be upheld and that justice prevail, ensuring that politics is not used as a weapon of persecution. We stand in solidarity with former President Cristina Fernandez-Kirchner and with all those who fight for justice and democracy in Latin America.”

Rome, Jun 12 (Prensa Latina) The 71st edition of the Taormina Film Festival, in the southern Italian region of Sicily, is dedicating today's event to American film director Martin Scorsese, who has family roots in this country, of which he is a citizen.

A press release from the organizers of the event states that Scorsese will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award for his successful film career, which includes feature films such as Taxi Driver, Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, Raging Bull, The Aviator, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street, The Irishman and The Killers of the Moon, among many others.

In addition to Scorsese, French Catherine Deneuve, British Rupert Everett and Italian Luca Zingaretti also came to this small Sicilian town of barely 10,000 inhabitants, located on a mountain near the Etna volcano, to receive this award.

The Awards for Excellence will also be presented to American actress Helen Hunt, Michael Douglas, Billy Zane and James Franco, as well as to Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, while Italian Monica Bellucci will receive the Special International Award.

Among the many celebrities present were Dennis Quaid, Olivia Wilde, Alison Brie, Henry Cavill, Jesse Williams, Tom Quinn, Edgar Ramírez, Ray Mendoza, Axel Monsú, Izabel Pakzad, Lola Ponce, Will Poulter, Norman Reedus, Charles Roven, Ivan Salatić, Taylor John Smith, Iris Knobloch and Len Wiserman.

The Festival opened with the film Ballerina, out of competition, one of the most successful premieres of the season, an action thriller set in the narrative universe of the famous John Wick saga, directed by Len Wiseman and starring Cuban actress Ana de Armas.

Competing for this year's awards are, among other films. The Canadian film Measures for a Funeral, the British film Brides, the American film Henry Johnson, the U.S.-Austrian co-production The Million Dollar Bet, the Argentinean film For Your Sake, as well as the Italian films Jastimari and Leopardi & Co.

The competition is held at the Teatro Antico, the Palazzo dei Congressi, the Casa del Cinema and the Palazzo Ciampoli, where other films will also be shown out of competition, such as the American films Together, Men of War and Hotel Costiera, as well as the Italian films Goodbye Sadness, Like Brothers and Popular Drama.

The former Argentine president was sentenced to six years in prison and a lifetime ban from holding public office. On Tuesday, the Argentine Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that sentenced former President Cristina Fernandez to six years in prison and imposed a lifetime ban from holding public office over alleged irregularities in awarding public works contracts in the province of Santa Cruz.

Across major cities in Argentina, thousands of citizens took to the streets to reject what they described as political persecution of the Justicialist Party leader. Abroad, progressive political leaders and intellectuals also voiced strong opposition to the court’s decision. Below are some of their reactions:

CUBA

President Miguel Diaz-Canel: “We reaffirm our unwavering support for Cristina Fernandez in the face of this episode of political judicialization. Once again, the justice system is used for political purposes as a tool of the right wing against progressive leaders in the region. Stay strong, dear Cristina.”

BOLIVIA

President Luis Arce: “We express our firm support and solidarity with our sister Cristina Fernandez, in light of the evident use of the justice system as a tool to undermine leftist and national popular forces. We reaffirm our backing of the sovereignty and dignity of the brotherly Argentine people.”

Former President Evo Morales: “With deep outrage, I express my solidarity with our sister Cristina Fernandez, her family, and the revolutionary people of Argentina. The unjust six-year prison sentence and lifetime disqualification is nothing more than political persecution aimed at disqualifying a leader of the people.

We are witnessing a modern-day version of Operation Condor: it is no longer military regimes at the service of empire, but rather servile judges to the oligarchy carrying out judicial coups against those who defend sovereignty and the rights of the majority.

We call for the unity and mobilization of the Argentine people in defense of democracy. Cristina is not alone. From the heart of the Great Homeland, we join the fight against lawfare and for a free, dignified, and sovereign Latin America.”

ECUADOR

Former President Rafael Correa: “Stay strong, Cristina! Stay strong, Argentina! Enough with lawfare! Defeat us — if you can — at the ballot box.”

SPAIN

Member of the European Parliament Irene Montero: “The sentence against Cristina Fernandez is a coup: a judicial and media dirty war designed to make an entire people give up their rights by targeting one woman. They want her imprisoned and removed from politics. Democratic forces around the world must stand by her side. We are with you, Cristina.”