Americas

Washington: US President Donald Trump announced a new package of tariffs, including a 10% levy on brand-name medicines and a 25% tariff on heavy trucks, to take effect next week. He also unveiled new tariffs of 50% on kitchen and bathroom cabinets and 30% on upholstered furniture, effective October 1. Trump explained in a series of posts on the Truth Social platform that the measures are part of a broader plan to curb the influx of foreign products into the US market. It remains unclear whether the new tariffs will be imposed in addition to existing duties on certain countries. The president has not clarified whether key trade partners, such as the European Union andJapan, will be exempt from the new measures.

Asia

Beijing: China urges Japan to act on its commitment to fully understand and respect the fact that "Taiwan is an inalienable part of the territory of the People's Republic of China," and urges it to cease official interactions with Taiwan under any pretext, Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said at a regular press briefing on Friday. Guo's remarks came after Taro Aso, former Japanese Prime Minister and supreme adviser of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, said that "Taiwan is a country that shares fundamental values with Japan" in a meeting with the president of the so-called Legislative Yuan of the Taiwan region on Sept. 25. "This is not the first time that certain Japanese politician has made provocations on the Taiwan question. This behavior constitutes a serious violation of the one-China principle and the guiding principles of the four political documents between China and Japan, and is a gross interference in China's internal affairs," Guo said. "China deplores and is strongly opposed to these actions, and has made representations to Japan through diplomatic channels," he said. Guo said that "there is only one China in the world and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory."

Middle East

Gaza: Israeli warplanes unleashed fresh rounds of destruction across the Gaza Strip Friday, killing multiple Palestinians and injuring others in a series of targeted strikes on homes and civilian gatherings. According to the Palestinian News Agency (WAFA), at least two civilians were confirmed dead and several others remain trapped beneath the rubble after Israeli jets bombed a residential home near the Palmira slaughterhouse in the Al-Rimal neighborhood, west of Gaza City. Additional injuries were reported following an airstrike on a civilian gathering in Deir Al Balah, central Gaza, while another group of residents was targeted near the Al Shuja’iya junction in the eastern part of the city.