‘Such good English,’ Trump tells Liberian leader
Washington — US President Donald Trump was basking in the praise of a group of African leaders on Wednesday, many of them speaking a different language, when the Liberian president took to his microphone and spoke in English — his country’s official language.
“Liberia is a long-time friend of the United States and we believe in your policy of making America great again,” President Joseph Boakai said at a White House meeting before advocating for US investment in his country.
Trump was impressed and inquired where Boakai got his language skills. “Such good English,” Trump said. “Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?”
Liberia was founded in 1822 as a colony for free black Americans, the brainchild of white Americans trying to address what they saw as a problem — the future for Black people in the United States once slavery ended. Reuters
Trump says US better partner than China for Africa
Washington — US President Donald Trump on Wednesday said African nations are going to lower their tariffs and that the US treats Africa better than China does, adding that five African countries were unlikely to face US tariffs.
Trump, who met the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House, added that he did not think those countries at the gathering were likely to see any US tariffs. Reuters
Sales secured despite worries over risk of defaults
Abidjan — Ivory Coast’s Coffee and Cocoa Council regulator has sold 850,000 tonnes of cocoa export contracts for the 2025/26 season, a month ahead of its target, two sources at the council said on Thursday.
The sales, which cover export contracts for the October-to-March main harvest in the world’s leading producer, put the council on track to reach its eventual target of 1.3-million tonnes, despite concerns about crop development.
In recent years, the council has reduced its forward sales target from the usual 1.7-million tonnes to 1.3-million tonnes to mitigate the risk of defaults as adverse weather and diseases hit output. Reuters
UK regulator cracks down on water pollution
Bengaluru — British water regulator Ofwat said on Thursday it has proposed a £24m enforcement package on South West Water for “failures in managing its wastewater treatment works and network”.
Pennon, which owns the South West Water utility, said in a separate statement it would work on reducing spills and address environmental pollution by 2030 under the enforcement package, which was in lieu of penalty of £19m. Reuters
FDA increases transparency of its work
Bengaluru — The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Thursday published more than 200 of its so-called complete response letters to drugmakers, a significant move to increase transparency of the agency’s work.
The published letters were issued in response to marketing applications of certain drugs or therapies submitted to the FDA between 2020 and 2024.
The FDA typically sends complete response letters to drugmakers whose treatments are rejected for approval, detailing reasons for the rejection and whether additional data is required. Reuters
Rubio tells Asean US remains committed to bloc
Kuala Lumpur — US secretary of state Marco Rubio met counterparts in Southeast Asia on Thursday during his first visit to Asia since taking office, reassuring them it is a priority for Washington despite President Donald Trump’s tariff offensive.
Washington’s top diplomat joined foreign ministers of the 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) in Kuala Lumpur at a meeting that includes Australia, China, the EU, Japan, Russia, South Korea and others.
The visit is part of an effort to renew US focus on the Indo-Pacific and look beyond conflicts in the Middle East and Europe that have consumed much of the Trump administration’s attention. Reuters
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