Lesotho’s government warned that a new 15% U.S. tariff on its textile exports, though reduced from a proposed 50%, could still cripple its economy. Officials say the cut is not enough to protect jobs in the garment industry, which depends heavily on duty-free access to the U.S. market.
While the reduction was welcomed in some quarters, officials in Maseru said the impact could still be devastating.
The country’s Trade and Industry Minister, Mokhethi Shelile, said the lowered rate offered little relief, arguing that Lesotho could not compete with countries that remained tariff-free.
“For me it’s still like 50%,” Shelile said. “Our people in the garment industry will not compete. And they are, both are in the same market as us, and it would be quite easy for the buyers to switch their allegiance.”
The textile sector accounts for a large share of Lesotho’s formal employment and exports. But with some buyers already pulling out, workers and vendors said they were beginning to feel the pressure.
The government said it would continue lobbying Washington for a complete exemption. Without urgent intervention, business owners and unions warn the industry—one of Lesotho’s few economic lifelines—may not survive.
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Saudi civil defence sent an all-clear on Saturday after issuing alerts for a second time for potential danger in Riyadh and the city of Al-Kharj east of the capital, amid an uptick in attacks by Iran-aligned Houthis on the Gulf country.
The European Union will disburse €3.3 billion ($3.8 billion) to Ukraine for missiles and drones, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The U.S. State Department approved a $2.7 billion military sale to Ukraine for air-defence development upgrades, along with related equipment and services, the department said. Meanwhile, Ukrainian authorities reported at least 10 people had died in Russian attacks over the last 24 hours.
Houthi attacks target Riyadh amid concerns over Saudi oil supplies, as Iran says it will not reopen the Strait of Hormuz until its conditions are met and U.S. commitments are implemented, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Sunday.
German voters cast ballots on Sunday in two state elections that could add to the political pressure on Chancellor Friedrich Merz, as his government faces growing public frustration and a resurgent far right.
Iraq has returned restricted airspace across the western part of the country to civilian authorities, ending limits imposed for military operations against Islamic State since 2016, the Transport Ministry said.
Denmark and Greenland have moved to reassure the public that their sovereignty will remain intact under a new security agreement with the United States.
World leaders are set to gather at the United Nations General Assembly in New York for several days of high-level debate, with Iran, Ukraine, artificial intelligence (AI) and a range of global crises expected to dominate discussions this week.
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