China To Slam Tariffs On U.S. Goods, DR Congo Ceasefire, Potomac Search

👋 Chào!*

Welcome to Tuesday, where China announces retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods, Rwanda-back rebels announce a unilateral ceasefire in the DRC and a Chinese robot is on a mission to the Moon. Meanwhile, Agência Pública’s Marina Amaral unpacks Brazil’s Oscar-nominated movie I’m Still Here.

[*Vietnamese]

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🗞️  FRONT PAGE

“Tariffs paused, Sheinbaum announces,” headlines Mexican daily Síntesis after President Claudia Sheinbaum negotiated a 30-day pause on the 25% tariffs put forward by U.S. President Donald Trump on Mexico. The agreement came with a commitment by Mexico to send 10,000 troops to the shared border to stop the flow of drugs and unlawful migration. Canada, the other country targeted by 25% tariffs, also managed to get a 30-day pause after a phone call between Trump and outgoing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

🌎  7 THINGS TO KNOW RIGHT NOW

• China hits back with tariffs on U.S. goods after Trump imposes new levies. China on Tuesday imposed tariffs on some U.S. imports in a quick response to new 10% U.S. duties on Chinese goods that are going into effect today. This came as President Donald Trump agreed with Mexico and Canada to put new tariffs on hold for at least 30 days. Read more on Trump’s tariffs on Chinese products in this piece from French economic daily Les Echos.

• Rebels declare ceasefire in DR Congo. Rwanda-backed forces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have announced that they will pause their advance across the east of the country. The AFC/M23 rebel coalition announced that it would implement a unilateral ceasefire over “humanitarian reasons”, starting on Tuesday. The group, backed by thousands of troops from neighboring Rwanda, seized Goma, the main city in eastern DRC, last week, with the United Nations estimating 900 people were killed, while hundreds of thousands have been displaced.

• Syria's Sharaa to discuss defense pact with Turkey's Erdogan. Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan are expected to discuss a joint defense pact in Ankara on Tuesday, including establishing Turkish airbases in central Syria and training for Syria's new army. NATO member Turkey has long backed Syria's armed and political opposition to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad, whose regime was toppled by Sharaa's forces. Read more about Turkey’s role in the Middle East: How Turkey Is Seizing More Middle East Power — At Iran's Expense.

• At least 6 injured in attack West Bank shooting. At least six Israeli soldiers were injured in a shooting attack at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank early Tuesday morning. The Israeli military said an attacker fired at soldiers at a checkpoint in the village of Tayasir. Hamas and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but neither claimed responsibility for it.

• Trump and Musk move to dismantle USAID. The U.S. government agency’s headquarters were shut down following Trump's order to freeze most U.S. foreign aid. The agency distributes billions of dollars of humanitarian aid around the world.

• Hundreds flee Santorini as quakes disrupt life. Hundreds of quakes have been registered every few minutes in the sea between the volcanic islands of Santorini and Amorgos in the Aegean Sea since Friday, prompting authorities to shut schools in Santorini and the small nearby islands of Ios, Amorgos and Anafi until Friday. Many people were seen in a port in Santorini in the early morning hours of Tuesday to board a ferry and reach safety in Athens.

• News Quiz! Why is China planning on sending a flying robot on the Moon’s far side?
A. To search for water
B. To take HD aerial photos
C. To begin construction on the “Great Lunar Wall”
D. To dig for titanium
[Answer below]

💬 LEXICON

Интервидения

After being barred from Eurovision in 2022 following the invasion of Ukraine, Russia is set to revive a Soviet-era lookalike called “Intervision.” (Интервидения, pronounced Intervidenié) The decree establishing the contest in Moscow was signed by Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, and Russian officials have said roughly 20 countries have confirmed their participation in the show. Intervision has had runs before, the first time from 1965 to 1968, and the second time from 1977 to 1980.

📹 ON THIS DAY VIDEO — 4 HISTORY-MAKING EVENTS, IN 57 SECONDS

➡️ Watch the video: ON THIS DAY IN HISTORY

📰 IN OTHER NEWS

🇸🇾 The collapse of the Assad regime in Syria freed thousands detained in the country's prisons. But it has also revealed potential rights violations by international children's NGOs, which received children whose parents were detained in Assad's prisons.
— DARAJ

🎥 “This is the magic of cinema: it transports us.” A reflection on Ainda Estou Aqui (I'm Still Here), a rare Oscars Best Picture nominee from Brazil, about a personal journey through memory, loss, and resilience.
— AGÊNCIA PÚBLICA

🦠 At universities and startups around the globe, researchers are searching for microbes, bacteria, fungi and algae that could serve as a substitute for ingredients like eggs, milk, meat, and flour.
— UNDARK

📣 VERBATIM

“No country’s ever made an offer of friendship such as this.”

— U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio praised El Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele for offering to house convicted criminals in U.S. custody. A priority under the Trump administration has been deporting unlawful migrants, but this seems to take it a step further, with El Salvador taking convicted U.S. citizens as well. Bukele is known for leading the charge to combat gang violence in El Salvador, but human rights groups say that has come at the cost of an increase in state violence and unlawful arrests.

✍️ Newsletter by Emma Albright & Jake Shropshire