BEIJING: China on Tuesday blamed US tariffs for Beijing’s decision to stop accepting new aircraft from aviation giant Boeing, saying the levies had “disrupted the international air transport market.”
“The United States’ wielding of tariffs has severely impacted the stability of the global industrial chain and supply chain,” China’s commerce ministry said in a statement.
“Relevant Chinese airlines and Boeing in the United States have suffered greatly,” a spokesperson said.
New US tariffs have reached 145 percent on many Chinese products, while Beijing has responded with fresh 125 percent duties on imports from the United States.
And Boeing’s CEO confirmed last week that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the trade war.
In a televised interview with CNBC, Boeing chief executive Kelly Ortberg said Chinese customers had “stopped taking delivery of aircraft due to the tariff environment,” adding that if the halt continued, the aviation giant would soon market the jets to other carriers.
Boeing had planned to deliver around 50 aircraft to China in 2025, said Ortberg, adding that the company wouldn’t “wait too long” to send the jets to other customers.
US President Donald Trump also criticized Beijing for backing out of the deal, saying Boeing should “default China for not taking the beautifully finished planes.”
Beijing’s commerce ministry on Tuesday hit back, saying “many companies have been unable to carry out normal trade and investment activities” due to Trump’s tariffs.
“China is willing to continue to support the normal business cooperation between the two countries’ enterprises,” its spokesperson said.
Beijing “hopes that the United States can listen to the voices of enterprises and create a stable and predictable environment for their normal trade and investment activities,” they added.
China blames US tariffs for halting Boeing plane deliveries
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China blames US tariffs for halting Boeing plane deliveries
- Beijing spokesperson: The levies had ‘disrupted the international air transport market’
- Boeing’s CEO confirmed last week that China had stopped accepting new aircraft due to the trade war
French farmer bets on camel milk in camembert country
- Camel milk is highly perishable and pasteurization is essential to bringing it to wider markets
FEIGNIES, France: In a small village in northern France, where cows have grazed green pastures for as long as anyone can remember, one farmer has defied national traditions by producing camel milk and cheese.
The tall, gangly silhouettes of Julien Job’s herd of 80 camels and dromedaries — one of the largest in Europe — make for an unusual sight in a country globally renowned for its cow and goat milk cheeses.
“You have to like the unknown,” said Job, 43, who used to transport animals for zoos and circuses before opening his “Camelerie” farm in the village of Feignies in 2015.
Job was the first farmer in France to obtain approval from EU health agencies to commercialize camel milk and dairy products.
But demand for camel milk is growing as its ecological and health benefits become better known.
Containing up to five times more iron than cow’s milk, it is non-allergenic and some studies have suggested that it has immune-boosting and anti-inflammatory properties.
On its website, the Camelerie farm offers pasteurised camel milk, kefir (fermented milk) and sometimes “Bosse des Fagnes” and “Camelhoumi” — two cheeses developed with the support of researchers that earned Job a medal at the 2024 World Cheese Awards in Kazakhstan.
Camel milk is highly perishable and pasteurization is essential to bringing it to wider markets.
The milk is richer in vitamin C than cow’s milk, easier to digest for lactose-intolerant people and high in unsaturated fatty acids.
Some studies are also exploring its potential effects on cancer cells, blood sugar regulation in diabetics and autism.
“There is a mix of myths, empirical observations and scientific truths around this milk,” said Bernard Faye, a researcher at the French Agricultural Research Center for International Development.
Camel milk has traditionally been produced by nomads in arid or semi-desert regions and reserved for their own consumption.
But in recent decades, farms have appeared in Gulf countries and global demand has surged, up more than 8 percent year on year in Europe.
With climate change, new countries are also turning to camel farming, from sub-Saharan Africa to the United States.
Camels can live off poor vegetation and consume much less than a cow of the same weight. And because they have no hooves, they cause less damage to the soil.
They can also be used in ecological grazing to clear pastures.
“It is one of the only animal species that survives between minus 40 degrees Celsius (minus 40 Fahrenheit) and plus 40C,” says Christian Schoettl, president of the French Federation for the Development of Camelids.
The camels of Feignies display beautiful humps that tend to be fatter than those of desert camels.
The only potential issue is humidity — a problem that Job addressed by administering dewormers more often than he would for cattle.
At 17 euros ($19.7) per liter, camel milk remains a luxury product unlikely to replace cow milk anytime soon.
Making cheese from camel milk also requires large quantities of liquid, and its consumption is expected to remain even more marginal for the time being.
“A female camel produces two to three liters per day, every other year,” Job said, or about 10 times less than a Norman cow.
Job has found a workaround, earning his income from selling milk but also tourism — offering camel rides — and from selling the young male camels.
Gunmen kill 17 soldiers in northern Nigeria attacks
- Two security sources said gunmen launched surprise attacks on the army’s forward operating bases in the Kwanar Dutse Mariga and Boka areas in Niger State
LAGOS: At least 17 soldiers were killed in northern Nigeria when gunmen stormed three army bases, security sources and a local official said on Wednesday, the latest assault in a region plagued by violence.
Armed gangs operating in the northwest, known locally as bandits, typically engage in kidnapping for ransom and target security forces.
The Nigerian Army confirmed the attacks on Tuesday but did not provide details.
“Sadly, some gallant warriors paid the supreme price in the day-long battles while four troops wounded in action are currently receiving treatment for their gunshot wounds,” the army said in a statement.
Two security sources said gunmen launched surprise attacks on the army’s forward operating bases in the Kwanar Dutse Mariga and Boka areas in Niger State and another base in neighboring Kaduna State, battling troops for several hours.
The sources and Abbas Kasuwar Garba, chairman for Mariga district, said all 17 fatalities were at the Kwanar Dutse Mariga base.
“It was an ambush. They (gunmen) came from nowhere and used heavy ammunition to attack,” said a Niger-based army officer. The Nigerian Army said it launched counterattacks, killing several gunmen.
Insecurity has stretched Nigeria’s military, as it confronts armed gangs alongside militant groups Boko Haram and a Daesh affiliate in the northeast.
Niger State has witnessed ambushes against military personnel, with Boko Haram fighters known to operate there.
Czech authorities detain 5 teens over online radicalization by Daesh and charge 2 with terror plot
- The five were promoting hate content on social media against minorities, certain communities and Jews
- The suspects were also involved in online groups recruiting fighters for Daesh militants in Syria
PRAGUE: Czech authorities have detained five teenagers for being radicalized online by the militant Daesh group and charged two of them with terror-related crimes over an attempt to set fire to a synagogue, officials said Wednesday.
Břetislav Brejcha, the director of the Czech counterterrorism, extremism and cybercrime department, said most of the suspects are under 18 years old.
They were detained between February and June as a result of an international investigation that started last year.
The five were promoting hate content on social media against minorities, certain communities and Jews, Brejcha said. During seven raids in the Czech Republic and Austria, police seized some weapons, such as knives, machetes, axes and gas pistols.
On Jan. 29, 2024, two of the five tried to set a synagogue in the second largest Czech city of Brno on fire, Brejcha said without offering details.
The following month, Czech media reported an arson attempt and said police were looking for witnesses. The reports said two suspects placed a firebomb in front of the synagogue but it did not explode and no damage was reported.
The charges against them include hate-related crimes, promotion and support of terrorism and a terror attack attempt.
The suspects were also involved in online groups recruiting fighters for Daesh militants in Syria, Brejcha said. The Czech authorities cooperated with their counterparts in Austria, Britain, Slovakia and with the European Union’s law enforcement agency Europol in this case, he added.
Michal Koudelka, the head of the Czech counterintelligence agency known as BIS, said the five shared a fascination with violence and hatred against Jews, and others.
They were approached online by Daesh members and became radicalized, Koudelka said.
“We consider online radicalization of the youth a very dangerous trend,” Koudelka said, adding that the suspects had not been in touch with the local Muslim community.
Armenia PM says foiled ‘sinister’ coup plot by senior cleric
- Pashinyan has been at loggerheads with the Church since its head, Catholicos Garegin II, began calling for his resignation
- “Law enforcement officers have foiled a large-scale and sinister plan by the ‘criminal-oligarchic clergy’ to destabilize the situation,” Pashinyan wrote
YEREVAN: Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said Wednesday that the security forces had foiled a coup plot involving a senior cleric, the latest twist in his escalating conflict with the powerful Apostolic Church.
Pashinyan has been at loggerheads with the Church since its head, Catholicos Garegin II, began calling for his resignation following Armenia’s disastrous 2020 military defeat to arch-foe Azerbaijan over the then-disputed Karabakh region.
The dispute escalated after Baku seized full control of the region in 2023. Pashinyan started pushing an unpopular peace deal with Azerbaijan that would essentially renounce Yerevan’s claims to a region many Armenians see as their ancestral homeland.
“Law enforcement officers have foiled a large-scale and sinister plan by the ‘criminal-oligarchic clergy’ to destabilize the situation in the Republic of Armenia and seize power,” Pashinyan wrote on his Telegram channel early Wednesday.
The authorities arrested Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan, a charismatic senior church figure trying to rally opposition to Pashinyan, accusing him of trying to mastermind the attempted coup.
“Since November 2024 (he) set himself the goal of changing power by means not permitted by the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia,” said the Investigative Committee, which probes major crimes.
The Apostolic Church wields considerable influence in Armenia, which in the fourth century became the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion.
Galstanyan, who leads the opposition movement Sacred Struggle, last year accused Pashinyan of ceding territory to Azerbaijan and led mass protests that ultimately failed to topple the prime minister.
His lawyer, Ruben Melikyan, condemned the case as politically motivated.
He told reporters the archbishop “acts independently” and said case materials showed no connection to the Church.
The Investigative Committee said it had arrested 14 people and launched criminal proceedings against 16 suspects after raids of more than 90 premises in a case related to Galstanyan’s Sacred Struggle movement.
Publishing photos of guns and ammunition found during a series of raids, it alleged that Galstanyan had “acquired the necessary means and tools to carry out terrorist acts and seize power.”
It also released covert recordings suggesting Galstanyan and his allies had called to execute officials, imprison opponents, and suppress any resistance by force.
“We either kill, or we die,” said a man, whose voice was said to resemble that of Galstanyan, in one of the clips.
Galstanyan’s legal team said it expected he would be “charged with terrorism and attempted seizure of power.”
The News.am website published footage showing Galstanyan leaving his house accompanied by masked police officers, who escorted him into a car and drove him away.
“Evil, listen carefully — whatever you do, you have very little time left. Hold on, we are coming,” he said, apparently addressing Pashinyan,
A crowd of supporters outside shouted, “Nikol is a traitor!“
The loss of Karabakh has divided Armenia, as Azerbaijan has demanded sweeping concessions in exchange for lasting peace.
Pashinyan earlier this month alleged Garegin II had an illegitimate child and, in an unprecedented challenge to the church, called on believers to remove him from office.
That triggered fierce opposition and calls for Pashinyan himself to be excommunicated.
Archbishop Galstanyan, a follower of Garegin II, catapulted to the forefront of Armenian politics in 2024 as he galvanized mass protests and sought to impeach Pashinyan.
The charismatic cleric temporarily stepped down from his religious post to challenge Pashinyan for prime minister — though as a dual Armenian-Canadian citizen, he is not eligible to hold the office.
Pashinyan’s grip on power, boosted by unpopular opposition parties and strong support in parliament, has so far remained unshaken.
A former journalist and opposition lawmaker, he came to power after leading street protests that escalated into a peaceful revolution in 2018.
French authorities raid SocGen offices for second day, source says
- The raids are part of a preliminary investigation opened in 2024
PARIS: French authorities searched Societe Generale’s offices in Paris and Luxembourg for a second day, as part of a tax fraud investigation, a judicial source said on Wednesday.
SocGen declined to comment.
The raids are part of a preliminary investigation opened in 2024 into the French bank, led by the prosecution office, for “tax fraud laundering,” “organized or aggravated tax fraud laundering” and “criminal conspiracy,” the same source said on Tuesday.
