WORLD NEWS FLASH
UNITED STATES
On Feb. 9, President Donald J. Trump signed proclamations to place a 25% tariff on steel and elevate the tariff to 25% on aluminum.
In a statement from the White House press office, “President Trump is taking action to protect America’s critical steel and aluminum industries, which have been harmed by unfair trade practices and global excess capacity.
- President Trump is reinstating the full 25% tariff on steel imports and increasing tariffs on aluminum imports to 25%.
- Key reforms include eliminating all alternative agreements, applying strict “melted and poured” standards, expanding tariffs to include key downstream products, terminating all general approved exclusions, and cracking down on tariff misclassification and duty evasion schemes.
- The countries of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, the European Union, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom had received exemptions, which prevented the tariffs from being effective.
- By granting exemptions to certain countries, the United States inadvertently created loopholes that were exploited by China and others with excess steel and aluminum capacity, undermining the purpose of these exemptions.
- The President is exercising his authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 to adjust imports of steel and aluminum to protect our national security.
- This statute provides the President with authority to adjust imports being brought into the United States in quantities or under circumstances that threaten to impair national security.
- In March 2018, President Trump invoked authority under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 (19 U.S.C. § 1862) to impose 25% tariffs on steel imports and 10% tariffs on aluminum. These measures were remarkably effective in supporting recovery and reinvestment in the American steel industry and saved the domestic primary aluminum industry from total collapse. But exemptions and loopholes have permitted evasion of the tariffs and weakened the effectiveness of the program.
- The reinvigorated Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum will support the program’s original objective of revitalizing the domestic steel and aluminum industries and achieving sustainable capacity utilization of at least 80%.
Restoring Fairness To Steel And Aluminum Markets:
President Trump is taking action to end unfair trade practices and the global dumping of steel and aluminum.
- Foreign nations have been flooding the United States market with cheap steel and aluminum, often subsidized by their governments.
- A report from the first Trump Administration found that steel import levels and global excess were weakening our domestic economy and threatening to impair national security.
- The report found that excess production and capacity, particularly in China, has been a major factor in the decline of domestic aluminum production.
- While the domestic steel industry briefly achieved 80% utilization in 2021, subsequent trade pressure following the COVID-19 pandemic has depressed domestic production. In 2022 and 2023, capacity utilization fell to 77.3% and 75.3%, respectively. High import volumes from sources exempt from Section 232 tariffs are a major factor in depressing domestic production volumes.
- For aluminum, there was an increase in the capacity utilization rate between 2017 and 2019, from 40% to 61% during that period. But since 2019, the aluminum capacity utilization has once again seen a steady decline, falling from 61% to 55% between 2019 and 2023.
- The United States does not want to be in a position where it would be unable to meet demand for national defense and critical infrastructure in a national emergency.
Additionally, Trump announced that he would end the use of paper straws, going back to plastic.
MASS SHOOTING UPDATE
Information recent as of 2-11-2025
2025 Mass Shooting Stats: (Source: Mass Shooting Tracker – https://www.massshootingtracker.site/data/?year=2025)
- Total Mass Shootings: 41
- Total Dead: 59
- Total Wounded: 150
- Shootings Per Day: 0.98
- Days Reached in Year 2024 as of February 11: 42
WORLD
ICC vs. USA
The International Criminal Court (ICC) on Feb. 7 condemned an executive order signed by United States President Donald Trump imposing punitive sanctions, countering that the order sought to “harm its independent and impartial judicial work.”
The court was established by the Rome Statute, negotiated within the UN – but it is a fully independent court set up to try the gravest crimes, including crimes against humanity.
Trump’s Feb. 6 executive order said the US government would “impose tangible and significant consequences” on ICC officials who work on investigations that threaten national security of the US and allies – including Israel.
The directive follows the decision by ICC judges to issue arrest warrants in November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, which accuses them of alleged war crimes in relation to the conduct of the war with Hamas on Gaza.
Neither the US nor Israel recognize the ICC’s jurisdiction; there are 125 states parties to the Rome Statute, which came into effect in 2002.
The US executive order says that the ICC actions against Israel and preliminary investigations against the US “set a dangerous precedent, directly endangering current and former” personnel.
The order details possible sanctions including the blocking of property and assets of ICC officials and barring them and their families from entering the US.
A bid to impose sanctions on the ICC by the US Congress in January prior to the change in administration, failed to garner enough support in the Senate.
“The ICC condemns the issuance by the US of an Executive Order seeking to impose sanctions on its officials and harm its independent and impartial judicial work,” said the court in a press release.
“The Court stands firmly by its personnel and pledges to continue providing justice and hope to millions of innocent victims of atrocities across the world, in all Situations before it.”
MIDDLE EAST
RESPONSE TO PALESTINE RELOCATION THREAT
The head of UN Palestine refugee agency UNRWA underscored its commitment to assist a population whose rights “continue to be violated.”
In a social media post on Friday, Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said that “people in Gaza have undergone systematic dehumanization” since the war there began.
He emphasized that “Palestinians do matter, including those in Gaza. Their rights, lives and futures matter,” noting that “human rights cannot be applied selectively.”
His comments come in the wake of United States President Donald Trump’s proposal made earlier this week that the US should seize control of Gaza and permanently displace the entire Palestinian population – a move which the UN Secretary-General said would be an act of “ethnic cleansing.”
In his statement, Mr. Lazzarini quoted UN chief António Guterres who has stressed that “peace requires ending the occupation, and the establishment of an independent Palestinian State, with Gaza as an integral part; a viable and sovereign Palestinian State side-by-side with Israel.”
The UNRWA chief said his agency’s teams “are committed to continue providing critical assistance to Palestine refugees who need us most until empowered Palestinian institutions become a lasting and viable alternative.”
UNRWA continues to face huge challenges in carrying out its work. Last month, two Israeli laws came into effect which ban UNRWA operations within its borders and forbid Israeli authorities from having any contact with the agency.
UNRWA was ordered to vacate its premises in East Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank, and visas for international staff were not renewed.
Teams are still providing aid to communities in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, as well as in Gaza, where a ceasefire continues to hold following 15 months of war.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said on social media that its team has supported the medical evacuation of 178 patients this month, including 115 children, to Egypt. However, between 12,000 and 14,000 more still need to be evacuated.
For its part, the World Food Program (WFP) has sent more than 15,000 tons of food into Gaza since the start of the ceasefire, reaching more than 525,000 people with food parcels, hot meals and cash.
UN child rights agency UNICEF added that since the ceasefire took effect, it has reached more than 10,000 infants across Gaza with ready to use complementary foods.
Meanwhile, nearly half of all Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank over the past two decades occurred within the last two years, UN aid coordination office OCHA said in a humanitarian update published on Feb. 7.
Since January 2023, 224 children (218 boys and six girls) have been killed by Israeli forces or settlers, representing nearly half of the 468 child fatalities the agency has documented since the beginning of 2005.
They include 11 children killed since January of this year, all by Israeli forces, including six killed in airstrikes, and 10 killed in the northern governorates of the West Bank.
“This is generally consistent with trends observed over the past two years,” OCHA said.
The agency noted that in 2023 and 2024, 64 per cent of Palestinian child fatalities in the West Bank were in the northern governorates. Most, 82 percent, were shot by live ammunition, and 18 percent were killed by airstrikes.
Furthermore, more than 2,500 Palestinian children were injured during the same period, 28 percent of them by live ammunition.
So far this year, 89 Palestinian children were reported injured by Israeli forces or settlers, 48 percent by live ammunition.
“The significant number of children killed and injured with live ammunition fired by Israeli forces or in airstrikes raises concerns over unnecessary and excessive uses of force against children by Israeli forces during operations in the West Bank,” said OCHA.
UNITED KINGDOM
CYBERCRIME NETWORK HIT WITH SANCTIONS
At the start of January, heavy rainfall and snowmelt saw significant river and surface water across large parts of England. The highest river levels on record were reached on the Mersey in Stockport and South Manchester.
Fresh sanctions are targeting ZSERVERS, a key component of the Russian cybercrime supply chain, and 6 of its members, as well as its UK front company, XHOST Internet Solutions LP. ZSERVERS provide vital infrastructure for cybercriminals as they plan and execute attacks against the UK.
The illicit supply chain protects, supports and conceals the operations of some of the world’s most ruthless ransomware gangs. Ransomware actors rely on these services to launch attacks, extort victims and store stolen data.
In the modern digital-first economy, cyber security is a non-negotiable cornerstone of business success. A secure digital economy is a less attractive target for cybercriminals and a more attractive home for investment, generating jobs and putting more money into hardworking people’s pockets, delivering on this government’s Plan for Change.
Foreign Secretary, David Lammy, said: “Putin has built a corrupt mafia state driven by greed and ruthlessness. It is no surprise that the most unscrupulous extortionists and cyber-criminals run rampant from within his borders.
“This government will continue to work with partners to constrain the Kremlin and the impact of Russia’s lawless cyber underworld. We must counter their actions at every opportunity to safeguard the UK’s national security and deliver on our Plan for Change.
Predatory ransomware groups pose a clear and persistent threat to national security, public services and privacy. These attacks threaten critical national infrastructure, disrupt essential services, compromise sensitive data and generated $1 billion from their victims globally in 2023 alone.
Minister of State for Security, Dan Jarvis, said: “Ransomware attacks by Russian affiliated cybercrime gangs are some of the most harmful cyber threats we face today and the government is tackling them head on. Denying cybercriminals the tools of their trade weakens their capacity to do serious harm to the UK.
“We have already announced new world-first proposals to deter ransomware attacks and destroy their business model. With these targeted sanctions and the full weight of our law enforcement, we are countering the threats we face to protect our national security, a foundation of our Plan for Change, and our economy.
ZSERVERS explicitly advertise themselves to illicit actors as a Bulletproof Hosting (BPH) Provider. Some BPH are known to host hackers, misinformation, child exploitation material, spam and hate speech. BPH providers like ZSERVERS, protect and enable cybercriminals, offering a range of purchasable tools which mask their locations, identities, and activities. Targeting these providers can disrupt hundreds or thousands of criminals simultaneously.
The Feb. 11 action is the latest in a series of coordinated steps alongside US and Australian partners, and comes off the back of recent sanctions against notorious ransomware groups LockBit and Evil Corp.
LockBit affiliates are known to have used ZSERVERS as a launch pad for targeting the UK, enabling ransomware attacks against various targets, including the non-profit sector.
Protecting the nation from threats both physical and digital sits at the foundation of the government’s Plan for Change. That is why we are moving through the entire ransomware pipeline step by step, cracking down on Russian cybercriminals that threaten the UK’s security, integrity, and prosperity.
