News from February 11, 2025 at 2 PM

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on October 10th a 25% tariff on all U.S. imports of steel and aluminum,取消ing duty-free quotas and exemptions for some trading partners. Trump stated that the move aims to help the steel and aluminum industries and lost jobs return to the U.S. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded on October 11th while attending an AI summit in Paris, stating that Canada will highlight the negative impact of the U.S. tariffs and deems them unacceptable. Canadian Minister of Innovation, Science, and Industry Navdeep Bains called Trump's decision entirely unreasonable, adding that Canada is consulting with international partners and preparing a clear and targeted response.

President Donald Trump has ordered a 25% import tax on all steel and aluminum entering the US, significantly expanding existing trade barriers. Despite warnings of retaliation from political leaders in Canada and other countries, Trump insists the move will boost domestic production. The tariffs, set to take effect on March 12, are expected to impact Canada the most. Canadian Innovation Minister Francois-Phillippe Champagne called the tariffs 'totally unjustified,' while the Canadian steel industry lobby urged immediate retaliation. Market reactions were mixed, with US steel stocks rising but overall market skepticism about Trump's commitment to the plan. In 2018, Trump announced similar tariffs but eventually negotiated exemptions for many countries.

On February 9, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump expressed dissatisfaction with the ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas while en route to the Super Bowl in New Orleans. He compared the condition of Israeli hostages released by Hamas to Holocaust survivors. Trump, who previously called for the removal of Palestinians from the Gaza Strip and for the U.S. to take control of it, reiterated his commitment to U.S. ownership of Gaza. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was shocked by the hostages' condition and released 183 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for three Israelis.

On February 5, 2025, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres spoke at UN headquarters in New York City, urging Hamas to continue with the planned release of hostages. Hamas had announced a halt to the releases due to alleged Israeli violations of the Gaza ceasefire agreement. An Israeli delegation returned from Doha for talks on the next phase of the Gaza ceasefire. Guterres emphasized that both sides must adhere to the ceasefire agreement. U.S. President Donald Trump demanded that Hamas release all hostages by midday Saturday or he would propose cancelling the Israel-Hamas ceasefire. A senior Hamas official responded that respecting the ceasefire is the only way to bring Israeli prisoners home.

On October 1, 2024, US Vice President J.D. Vance, speaking to Fox News after participating in the Vice Presidential debate at the CBS Broadcast Center in New York, stated that the US will protect its artificial intelligence and chip technologies to prevent their 'weaponization.' At the AI Action Summit in Paris, Vance highlighted that some authoritarian regimes have stolen and used AI to enhance military and surveillance capabilities, and vowed that the US will block such efforts. He also criticized Europe for focusing too much on regulating AI, urging a more proactive embrace of the technology. The EU has recently implemented stringent AI regulations and plans to invest 200 billion euros in AI technologies.

World leaders and tech executives are gathering in Paris to discuss the safe adoption of artificial intelligence. Following the viral launch of ChatGPT in 2022, enthusiasm for AI regulation has waned since summits in Britain and South Korea. U.S. President Donald Trump's scrapping of previous AI guardrails has pressured EU policymakers to adopt a lighter-touch approach. French President Emmanuel Macron warns against excessive regulation. Divergent strategies for AI regulation are evident in the U.S., China, and the EU, with the EU's AI Act facing calls for lenient enforcement. Trump's approach has emboldened U.S. tech giants, while China's DeepSeek challenges U.S. and British AI leadership. The summit will see attendees like U.S. Vice President JD Vance and China's Vice Premier Zhang Guoqing, discussing AI's energy needs and applications in developing countries. France is promoting open-source systems and clean energy, securing a $50 billion AI data center deal with the UAE.

On the afternoon of the 10th local time, a collision occurred between two business jets at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, United States, resulting in at least one death and four injuries. A business jet from Austin, Texas, deviated from the runway during landing and collided with another parked business jet. The incident temporarily closed the airport runway, and the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause. Recently, a series of aviation accidents in the U.S. have raised public concerns about flight safety. On January 29, January 31, and February 6, three severe accidents occurred, claiming a total of 84 lives. The shortage of air traffic controllers is also considered a contributing factor to the frequent accidents.

At 2:39 PM on February 10, two planes collided on the runway at Scottsdale Airport in Arizona, USA, resulting in one death and four injuries. A Learjet medium-sized business jet flying from Austin, Texas, experienced a failure in its left main landing gear during landing and skidded off the runway, crashing into a parked Gulfstream 200 business jet. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the accident. Recently, the US has seen a series of aviation incidents: on January 29, a passenger jet collided with a military helicopter at Reagan National Airport in Washington, D.C., killing all on board; on January 31, a small medical plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Philadelphia, killing six on board and one on the ground; and on February 6, a small passenger plane operated by Bering Air crashed en route from Unalakleet to Nome in Alaska, killing all ten passengers.

On February 10, a consortium led by Musk proposed to acquire the non-profit entity controlling OpenAI for $97.4 billion, which was immediately rejected by OpenAI CEO Altman. Altman responded on social media platform X, offering to buy Twitter for $9.74 billion, to which Musk replied 'swindler.' The acquisition bid is supported by Musk's xAI, Baron Capital, and Emmanuel Capital, aiming to prevent OpenAI from transitioning into a for-profit company. If successful, xAI could merge with OpenAI. OpenAI was valued at $157 billion in its last funding round, with SoftBank negotiating to lead a new round of funding. Musk and Altman co-founded OpenAI but parted ways in 2018 due to differing visions.

On Tuesday, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told CNBC at the AI Action Summit in Paris that Elon Musk's $97.4 billion bid for OpenAI, led by his investor group, aims to 'slow down a competitor.' Altman stated he is not taking the bid particularly seriously. On Monday, Musk's attorney Marc Toberoff submitted the offer, arguing OpenAI should return to its open-source, safety-focused roots. Musk also questioned OpenAI's financial capability to contribute to President Donald Trump's 'Stargate' project, to which Altman retorted that he doesn't merely tweet about securing funding, referencing Musk's controversial 2018 claim about taking Tesla private.

Oil giant BP has announced a 'fundamental reset' of its strategy due to a sharp drop in profits last year. BP's net income fell to $8.9 billion in 2024, down from $13.8 billion the previous year. The company is expected to scale back renewable projects and increase oil and gas production later this month. BP's 2030 target of 50GW renewable generation capacity, set five years ago, is likely to be abandoned. In December, BP transferred the majority of its offshore wind assets to a joint venture with Japanese company Jera. Activist shareholder Elliot Management has acquired a stake in BP to push for more investment in oil and gas. Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has expressed support for fossil fuels and vowed to withdraw the US from the Paris climate agreement.

Many of the world's major polluting nations failed to meet a U.N. deadline to set new climate targets. Nearly 200 countries under the Paris Agreement were required to submit new national climate plans by Monday, detailing their emission reduction strategies by 2035. Major polluters like China, India, and the European Union had not done so. Bill Hare, CEO of Climate Analytics, noted that global warming has reached 1.5 degrees Celsius, yet governmental responses have been inadequate. The U.S., Britain, Brazil, Japan, and Canada have announced new plans, but Trump is expected to scrap the U.S.'s contribution. U.N. climate chief Simon Stiell said most countries will still produce their plans this year. The EU and India indicated they will finalize their plans soon, while China stated it will publish its plan in due course.

U.S. President Donald Trump has achieved one of his highest job approval ratings in his political career during the start of his second term. A new CBS News/YouGov poll reveals that 53% of U.S. adults approve of Trump's overall performance in office. Most respondents describe the 78-year-old Trump as 'effective,' 'focused,' 'tough,' 'competent,' and 'energetic,' though only 37% see him as 'compassionate.' A significant majority, 70%, believe Trump is fulfilling his 2024 campaign promises. The poll, conducted from last Wednesday to Friday with 2,175 respondents, has a margin of error of ±2.5 percentage points. Despite lower marks on key issues like trade and inflation, Trump's overall support is higher than in other recent surveys. Most respondents oppose Trump's tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and Europe, but 56% support new tariffs on China. A majority of 58% disapprove of Trump's decision to pardon most individuals charged in connection with the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot. On immigration, Trump's mass deportation efforts and plans to deploy troops to the southern border receive 59% and 64% approval, respectively.