US contractors say their colleagues are firing live ammo as Palestinians seek food in Gaza
American contractors guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza are using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press.
Two U.S. contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity because they were revealing their employers’ internal operations, said they were coming forward because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous and irresponsible practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open license to do whatever they wished.
They said their colleagues regularly lobbed stun grenades and pepper spray in the direction of the Palestinians. One contractor said bullets were fired in all directions — in the air, into the ground and at times toward the Palestinians, recalling at least one instance where he thought someone had been hit, Associated Press reported.
USAID officially closes, attracting condemnation from Obama and Bush
The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has officially closed its doors after President Donald Trump gradually dismantled the agency over its allegedly wasteful spending, BBC reported.
More than 80% of all the agency's programmes were cancelled as of March, and on Tuesday the remainder were formally absorbed by the state department.
The shuttering of USAID - which administered aid for the US government, the world's largest such provider - has been newly criticised by former Presidents Barack Obama and George W Bush.
These aid cuts could cause more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030, according to a warning published by researchers in the Lancet medical journal, according to BBC.
Trump announces trade deal with Vietnam
President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the US will charge 20% tariffs on imports from Vietnam under a new trade deal reached during last-minute negotiations, BBC reported.
Products sent from Vietnam to the US had faced a 46% levy, which was set to go into effect next week as part of Trump's "reciprocal" tariffs announced in April.
Dozens of other economies, including the European Union and Japan, are still scrambling to make their own deals with the US before the planned increases.
Under the agreement, Vietnam will charge no tariffs on US products, Trump said in a social media post, according to BBC.
Ukraine fears increased Russian aggression after US halt of weapons supply
Kyiv has warned that an interruption of US weapons shipments will encourage Russia to prolong the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year, BBC reported.
On Tuesday the White House said it had cut off some weapons deliveries to Ukraine.
The decision was taken "to put America's interests first" following a defence department review of US "military support and assistance to other countries", White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said, according to BBC.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the two countries were now "clarifying all the details on supplies", while the foreign ministry warned any delays "would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace".
