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Donald Trump’s scowling mugshot will rank among the most famous of all time.

The former president joins celebrities like OJ Simpson, Khloe Kardashian, Hugh Grant and other famous faces who have had their picture taken by the authorities after run-ins with the law.

While in the UK mugshots are only released when a defendant is convicted, in the US they are published as soon as someone is “booked” – or formally indicted.

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump is shown in a police booking mugshot released by the Fulton County Sheriff's Office, after a Grand Jury brought back indictments against him and 18 of his allies in their attempt to overturn the state's 2020 election results in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S., August 24, 2023. Fulton County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS  THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.      TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
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Former President Donald Trump’s mugshot

If a fugitive is on the run, however, police make an exception to the rule in a bid to bring them to justice.

Here Sky News looks at some of the most memorable police portraits, from celebrities and crime bosses to dictators.

Justin Bieber

Canadian teen pop singer Justin Bieber is shown in this combo of booking photos provided by the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department in Miami, Florida January 23, 2014. Bieber was arrested in south Florida early Thursday on a drunk driving charge after he was caught drag racing on a main thoroughfare in a rented yellow Lamborghini sports car, according to police. REUTERS/Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department/Handout via Reuters (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT

Bieber was stopped by police in Miami, Florida in 2014 for drag racing in a yellow Lamborghini with his friend, the singer Khalil, who was driving a red Ferrari.

He was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol, marijuana and prescription drugs, as well as resisting arrest.

The then 19-year-old was driving “anywhere up to 55 to 60mph” in a 30mph zone, according to Miami Beach police chief Raymond Martinez. Mr Martinez said that he was a “little belligerent, using some choice words”.

Reports claimed he asked: “Why the f*** are you doing this?” and “What the f*** did I do? Why did you stop me? I ain’t got no f****** weapons.”

He was detained at 4.09am and his bail was set at $2,500 (£1,987). Eventually, he pleaded guilty to the lesser charges of driving without due care and attention and resisting arrest without violence.

OJ Simpson

This is the booking mug for O.J. Simpson, taken Friday, June 17, 1994, after he surrendered to authorities at his Brentwood estate in Los Angeles.  Simpson was charged with two counts of murder in connection with the June 12, 1994 slayings of his ex-wife, Nicole, and acquaintance Ronald Goldman. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Police Department)
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Pic: AP

The former NFL star’s dramatic arrest and trial for the alleged murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman are among the most memorable moments in US TV history.

When the pair were found stabbed to death outside Ms Brown’s home in the Brentwood area of Los Angeles, Simpson was an immediate person of interest, having been accused of domestic violence a few years before.

He agreed, with his lawyers, to turn himself in five days after the deaths – by 11am on 17 June 1994 – but failed to do so.

Instead, he was chased by police in a white Ford Bronco, which was driven by his former teammate and friend Al Cowlings. Cowlings claimed he was threatening to shoot himself in the head with a pistol unless he was taken home.

Helicopter footage of the chase was broadcast live on TV to around 95 million people – many of whom had been watching the NBA basketball finals until scheduling was interrupted.

In 1995, he was found not guilty of both murders following the ‘trial of the century’, which was broadcast for TV.

This is one of several mugshots of Simpson.

He was convicted again in 2008, this time for robbery and kidnap, as part of a dispute over some of his sporting memorabilia at a Las Vegas casino hotel.

He served nine years in a Nevada prison and was released on parole in 2017.

Hugh Grant

Hugh Grant

Grant described his 1995 arrest for “lewd conduct in a public place” in Los Angeles as an “abominable thing” and a “moment of insanity”.

It came while he was in the US promoting the film Nine Months. On 27 June he was driving down Hollywood’s Sunset Strip when he decided to pick up a sex worker.

Divine Brown, real name Estella Marie Thompson, then performed oral sex on him inside the car in a nearby street, where the pair were picked up by police.

Grant, who had shot to fame for his lead role in Four Weddings and a Funeral, looked sheepish and embarrassed in his mugshot.

He was in a long-term relationship with fellow actor and model Liz Hurley, who said she “felt like she’d been shot” when she heard the news.

In a statement, Grant said: “Last night I did something completely insane. I have hurt people I love and embarrassed people I work with. For both things I am more sorry than I can ever possibly say.”

He did not attend his sentencing but was ordered to pay a fine of $1,000 (£795) and go on an AIDS education programme in his absence.

Brown, who had violated her probation for previous prostitution charges, was given a suspended 180-day prison sentence.

She was reportedly paid $100,000 (£79,500) by the now-defunct News of the World for her story, which saw her claim that Grant had told her: “I always wanted to sleep with a black woman. That’s my fantasy.”

Paris Hilton

Socialite Paris Hilton is pictured in this police booking photograph released on August 28, 2010 by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department. Hilton has been released by Las Vegas police after her arrest for possessing cocaine Friday night, her lawyer said Saturday. REUTERS/Las Vegas Metropolitian Police/Handout (UNITED STATES - Tags: ENTERTAINMENT CRIME LAW HEADSHOT) FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY. I

Seven years after she first shot to notoriety for her leaked sex tape ‘A Night in Paris’, Hilton was arrested for suspected cocaine possession.

The then 29-year-old socialite was detained after a small amount of the drug fell out of her handbag at the Wynn Las Vegas Hotel in Nevada.

She told arresting officers the rolling papers, cash, credit cards and prescription asthma medication that also fell out were hers – but the cocaine belonged to an unidentified friend.

According to Las Vegas police lieutenant Dennis Flynn’s report, she claimed she thought the drug was gum.

She pleaded guilty to two misdemeanour charges of drug possession and obstructing a police officer and was sentenced to a year’s probation, 200 hours of community service and an intensive substance abuse programme.

Hilton, who had already been jailed for 45 days for driving under the influence and alcohol, and tried for marijuana possession, said she was embarrassed to have been photographed by so many people from inside the police car.

Khloe Kardashian

Khloe Kardashian
Pic:Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
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Pic: Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department

Kardashian was first arrested in Los Angeles in 2007 after she was pulled over by police, breathalysed and found to be over the legal alcohol limit.

She was ordered to carry out community service and attend an alcohol education course.

While she managed to attend some sessions, she skipped a few due to her busy work schedule.

The parole violation saw her hand herself in to the Los Angeles County jail the following year.

Before she surrendered, her mother Kris Jenner was famously captured scolding her sister Kim on their reality TV show Keeping Up With The Kardashians, saying: “Kim, would you stop taking pictures of yourself, your sister is going to jail.”

She was sentenced to 30 days in jail but only served 30 hours due to overcrowding at the facility.

The reality TV star was also ordered to complete another alcohol treatment plan.

Lindsay Lohan

Actress Lindsay Lohan is pictured in this booking photograph released November 15, 2007 by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Lohan checked in and out of jail on Thursday, spending just 84 minutes behind bars for a drunken driving and cocaine-possession conviction, Los Angeles police said. REUTERS/Los Angeles County Sheriff Dept./Handout (UNITED STATES). EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS.

In the years after she shot to fame for her leading roles in Mean Girls and Freaky Friday, Lohan was arrested and jailed several times.

In 2007 she pleaded guilty to a misdemeanour of cocaine use and driving under the influence and was sentenced to a day in prison – but only served just over an hour.

A warrant was put out for her arrest in 2010 after she failed to appear in court for a driving under the influence (DUI) progress hearing.

Just a few months later she was sentenced to 90 days in jail for missing court-ordered counselling sessions – but only served two weeks due to prison overcrowding.

She spent another day behind bars after failing a drugs test in September 2010.

Another jail spell came in 2011 after she pleaded no contest to stealing a necklace.

Although she was arrested for an alleged assault in New York in 2012 she was never prosecuted.

Her final run-in with the law enforcement came in March 2013, which ended in her spending time in rehab having pleaded no contest to reckless driving and lying to police after she crashed her car.

In 2015 her probation ended and she was finally free of court orders for the first time in eight years. Since then she has stayed out of trouble and restarted her acting career.

‘Hot Felon’ Jeremy Meeks

Stockton Police Department photo shows Jeremy Meeks, 30, arrested on June 18, 2014 in a gang crackdown in a crime-ridden area of Stockton, California. The mugshot of Meeks, a convicted felon, went viral on a police Facebook page this week, making him an instant celebrity with Web users who have called him "handsome" and clicked "like" on his picture more than 64,000 times.  REUTERS/Stockton Police/Handout via Reuters  (UNITED STATES - Tags: CRIME LAW TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY)..ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY REUTERS, AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS

Meeks shot to internet fame in 2014 after police released his mugshot online.

Convictions for robbery and assaulting a 16-year-old boy meant he had already spent time in prison, where he was recruited by the North Side Gangster Crips.

But when he was arrested in 2014 in a California gang sweep known as Operation Ceasefire, Stockton Police published his mugshot on their Facebook page, which quickly racked up thousands of likes and earned him the nickname ‘Hot Felon’.

While behind bars for firearm possession and grand theft at the Mendota Federal Correctional Institution, he caught the attention of various modelling agencies.

On his release in 2016, he was signed and began a career in fashion modelling.

He entered a relationship with Topshop heiress Chloe Green, with whom he is now believed to have a child.

Meeks also has a child with his ex-wife Melissa Meeks, who he was married to between 2008 and 2018.

Frank Sinatra

Sinatra was arrested in his hometown of Hoboken, New Jersey on the charge of “seduction” in 1938.

According to the FBI report: “He did then and there have sexual intercourse with the complainant, who was then and there a single female of good repute.”

He was released on bail for $1,500 (£1,192) but re-arrested a month later when police discovered the woman was married.

Sinatra was also one year into his marriage to his first wife Nancy Barbato.

The second charge of adultery was eventually dropped, with the singer only spending a few hours in jail.

Al Capone

U.S. gangster Al Capone has his photo taken while in custody in Philadelphia, May 18, 1929. Capone and his bodyguard were arrested in Philadelphia for carrying concealed deadly weapons on May 17 and were sentenced to terms of one year each within 16 hours of arrest. (AP Photo)
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Pic: AP

One of the most notorious gangsters in US history, Al Capone began his criminal career as a teenager after becoming a member of the Five Points Gang.

He got the nickname Scarface following an altercation with his young rival Frank Gallucio over comments he made about his sister. While he was left with a cut on his left cheek, Gallucio’s actions ultimately saw Capone shoot him dead.

While still in New York, he became a bouncer for various organised crime premises but moved to Chicago to become joint boss of the Chicago Outfit, which illegally supplied alcohol during the Prohibition era.

He spent seven years as head of the syndicate before his intense conflict with the rival North Side Gang left police determined to put him in jail.

Eventually, he was charged with 22 counts of tax evasion and was convicted on five of them in 1931.

He was sentenced to 11 years in a federal prison but was released after eight having showed signs of neurosyphilis. He suffered a stroke and died of a heart attack at the age of 48 in 1947.

Joseph Stalin

Joseph Stalin

Like his predecessor Vladimir Lenin, Russian dictator Joseph Stalin was arrested several times in his younger days and forced into internal exile in Siberia.

Tsarist authorities would repeatedly throw him in prison and banish him from places like Moscow and St Petersburg in a bid to hold onto power – but he often escaped via Baku, Azerbaijan, to return to his ‘illegal work’.

Stalin was exiled to Siberia for the final time in 1913 and remained there until the Russian revolution and the end of the empire in 1917.

This mugshot comes from 1911 – when he was in his early 30s.

During his time as leader of the USSR – from 1924 until his death in 1953 – he oversaw the execution of more than a million of his own citizens.

War crime trials of various Baltic leaders in the 1990s and early 2000s led to the prosecution of some Russian leaders for the crimes they committed during and after the Second World War. Most cases were carried out in their absence.

Vladimir Putin recognises the “horrors of Stalinism” but claims he has been “excessively demonised” by Russia’s enemies.

Bill Gates

Bill Gates was photographed by the Albuquerque, New Mexico police in 1977 after he got a speeding ticket and forgot his license

Gates was arrested for the first time in 1975 for being caught speeding and driving without a licence in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

But his famous mugshot comes from his second arrest two years later.

On 13 December 1977 police pulled him over for failing to stop at a stop sign and driving without a licence again.

The following year he got three speeding fines for going too fast in his Porsche 911.

Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975, eventually becoming the richest person on Earth – according to Forbes – between 1995 and 2017 – when he was overtaken by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos.

Mick Jagger

Mick Jagger was arrested by Police for drug use during a party at guitarist Keith Richards' home

Jagger was arrested with his Rolling Stones bandmate Keith Richards at Richards’ Sussex countryside cottage in February 1967.

At the time, police were keen to crack down on celebrities taking drugs and began campaigns against various bands including the Stones, The Who and Cream.

Tabloid newspapers, such as the now-defunct News of the World, teamed up with Scotland Yard to help apprehend certain stars.

Jagger was in the process of suing the paper for libel over stories they published about him and his then girlfriend Marianne Faithful, when they swooped on Richards’ home.

After raiding the Redlands estate in Sussex, they arrested Richards for cannabis possession and Jagger for Amphetamines.

They were both convicted and spent a night in prison – but had the charges overturned on appeal.

After their names were cleared, there was widespread condemnation of the police for deciding to prosecute them in the first place.

David Bowie

David Bowie mugshot after he was arrested along with Iggy Pop and another person following a performance in Rochester, New York on 21 March 1976

Like Jagger, Bowie’s police mugshot was stylish. Also like him, he was arrested on drugs charges – but in the US and for marijuana possession.

The arrest happened in Rochester, New York State, in the early hours of 21 May 1976 after a performance at the city’s community war memorial.

Police officers raided his and Iggy Pop’s hotel room and found around 170g of marijuana.

They were taken in with two others, held for three hours and released on bail for $2,000 (£1,500).

Both Bowie and Iggy Pop pleaded not guilty but the charges were eventually dropped after a grand jury decided not to indict them.

Wayne Rooney

English soccer player Wayne Rooney is shown in this booking photo provided January 6, 2019.  Rooney was arrested at Dulles Airport outside Washington D.C., for public intoxication and booked into the Loudoun County Adult Detention Center on December 16, 2018.   Loudoun County Sheriff's Office/Handout via REUTERS. ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE HAS BEEN SUPPLIED BY A THIRD PARTY.

Rooney has been arrested on both sides of the Atlantic, first for public intoxication at the airport in Washington DC while he was playing in the States for DC United in 2018.

According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office: “He was booked into the Loudoun County Adult Detention Centre on December 16 2018, on a charge of public intoxication stemming from an arrest by the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority Police (MWAA).

“He was later released on a personal recognizance bond.”

He was due to appear in court on 24 January – but avoided it with a $25 (£20) fine and paying $91 (£72) in court costs.

He was arrested for being three times over the legal drink-drive limit in Wilmslow, Cheshire the year before.

The former Manchester United star admitted “letting his family down” after being caught at the wheel of another woman’s Volkswagen Beetle at 2am on 1 September 2017.

He appeared at Stockport Magistrates Court and was fined the equivalent of two weeks’ salary – then £320,000 at Everton – and banned from driving for two years.

50 Cent

Before his hip-hop career, Curtis Jackson, now known as 50 Cent, was a drug dealer in his native Queens, New York City.

Having started out aged just 12, he was arrested for direct sale of a controlled substance after he was caught trying to sell four vials of crack cocaine to an undercover police officer in June 1994.

Weeks later, in August, police raided his home to find heroin, crack cocaine and a starter pistol.

He was sentenced to between three and nine years in prison, but as his offences were non-violent, he had the option to undergo the SHOCK programme instead.

The military-style boot camp for first-time offenders saw him out in just six months.

Soon after he was introduced to hip-hop executives – and the rest became music history.

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Trump issues Gaza ceasefire ultimatum to Hamas as he warns ‘all hell is going to break out’ if hostages not returned

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Trump issues Gaza ceasefire ultimatum to Hamas as he warns 'all hell is going to break out' if hostages not returned

Donald Trump says the Gaza ceasefire should be cancelled if all remaining Israeli hostages are not returned by noon on Saturday – as he warned Hamas that “all hell is going to break out”.

The US president’s intervention came hours after Hamas has said it will delay the release of more hostages and accused Israel of violating their ceasefire deal.

While signing a series of new executive orders, Mr Trump said he feared many Israeli hostages scheduled for release are already dead.

Referring to his Saturday deadline for the release of hostages, Mr Trump said: “If they’re not here, all hell is going to break out.”

He acknowledged that a decision to end the ceasefire was up to Israel, adding: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”

Hours earlier, Mr Trump said Palestinians would not have the right to return under his plan for US “ownership” of Gaza – contradicting officials in his administration who said they would be relocated temporarily.

Trump latest: ‘Palestinians will have no right to Gaza return’

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Widespread destruction seen in Gaza City. Pic: AP
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Widespread destruction seen in Gaza City. Pic: AP

Hamas halts release of hostages

Earlier on Monday, Hamas claimed ceasefire violations had included “delaying the return of the displaced to the northern Gaza Strip, and targeting them with shelling and gunfire”.

Spokesman Abu Obeida said Hamas remained committed if Israel kept to the terms, but that the 15 February handover was postponed “until the occupation commits to and compensates for the past weeks”.

Egyptian security sources told Reuters that mediators now fear the deal will break down.

They said Hamas believes Israel isn’t serious about the ceasefire – which began on 19 January.

The last hostage release took place at the weekend and saw three Israeli men set free. Five Thai citizens released last month were also finally reunited with their families in Bangkok.

They were among about 250 people taken during the 7 October 2023 attack, when 1,200 people were murdered.

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Tears as Thai hostages return home

Five swaps have taken place so far, with 21 hostages and more than 730 Palestinian prisoners released.

Saturday’s exchange was due to involve three more Israelis and hundreds of Palestinians.

Defence minister Israel Katz said any delay in releasing hostages would be “a complete violation” and he had instructed troops to be on highest alert.

The Hostages and Missing Family Forum called on mediating countries to restore the deal, saying “time is of the essence” and citing “the shocking conditions of the hostages released last Saturday”.

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As part of the ceasefire deal, Israeli forces pulled back from a key passage through Gaza on Sunday.

The four-mile-long Netzarim corridor separates northern Gaza from the south, and hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians have now crossed back over.

However, Israel pushed back the withdrawal by a few days in protest at the chaotic release of hostages Arbel Yehud and Gadi Moses.

This may be what Hamas is referencing what it talks of “delaying the return of the displaced”.

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Palestinians return to destroyed Netzarim

There have also been examples of Israeli troops shooting at or near Palestinians approaching Israeli forces after being warned to stay back.

So far, little progress has been made on an extension to the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.

A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern the deal might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.

Israel has previously said it will not agree to a complete withdrawal from Gaza until Hamas’s military and political capabilities are eliminated.

Hamas has countered that it will not hand over the final hostages until Israel removes all its troops from Gaza.

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Trump imposes 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports

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Trump imposes 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports

Donald Trump has signed two proclamations imposing 25% tariffs on all steel and aluminium imports to the US.

A proclamation is a form of presidential directive to government officials, but they do not carry the force of law, as an executive order would.

However the White House has said the tariffs will take effect from 4 March.

“This is a big deal,” Mr Trump said in the Oval Office as he announced the tariffs. “The beginning of making America rich again.”

He added: “We were being pummelled by both friend and foe alike.”

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President Donald Trump speaks with reporters as he signs executive orders in the Oval Office at the White House. Pic: PA
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‘We were being pummelled by both friend and foe alike,’ said the US president

The proclamations mean the president has now removed the exceptions and exemptions from his 2018 tariffs on steel to allow for all imports of the metal to be taxed at 25%.

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The new tariff on aluminium is also much higher than the 10% duty he imposed on the material in his first term.

The tariffs are part of an aggressive push by Mr Trump to reset global trade, as he claims that price hikes on the people and companies buying foreign-made products will ultimately strengthen domestic manufacturing.

Outside economic analyses suggest the tariffs would increase costs for the factories that use steel and aluminium, possibly leaving US manufacturers worse off.

Canada, the largest source of steel imports to the US, criticised the move.

Candace Laing, CEO of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, said Mr Trump was destabilising the global economy.

“Today’s news makes it clear that perpetual uncertainty is here to stay,” she said.

Hard to see how tariffs won’t be inflationary



Ed Conway

Economics and data editor

@EdConwaySky

At least part of the idea behind tariffs is to bring some production back to the US, but imposing them will have consequences.

What kinds of consequences? Well, at its simplest, tariffs push up prices. This is, when you think about it, blindingly obvious.

A tariff is a tax on a good entering the country.

So if aluminium and steel are going up in price then that means, all else equal, that the cost of making everything from aircraft wings to steel rivets also goes up.

That in turn means consumers end up paying the price – and if a company can’t make ends meet in the face of these tariffs, it means job losses – possibly within the very industrial sectors the president wants to protect.

So says the economic theory. But in practice, economics isn’t everything.

There are countless examples throughout history of countries defying economic logic in search of other goals.

Perhaps they want to improve their national self-reliance in a given product; perhaps they want to ensure certain jobs in cherished areas or industries are protected.

But nothing comes for free, and even if Donald Trump’s tariffs succeed in persuading domestic producers to smelt more aluminium or steel, such things don’t happen overnight.

In the short run, it’s hard to see how these tariffs wouldn’t be significantly inflationary.

Trump’s war of tariffs

Mr Trump’s proclamations come days after the US imposed a 10% tariff on all goods imported from China.

In return, China imposed 10% tariffs on American crude oil, agricultural machinery, large-displacement cars and pickup trucks.

There will also be 15% tariffs on coal and liquefied natural gas from the US.

US plans to impose 25% tariffs on Mexico and Canada were paused after agreements were reached on border security.

Mexico’s president said she was sending 10,000 National Guard troops to the US border immediately in return for a tariff delay.

Mr Trump said the Mexican soldiers would be “specifically designated” to stop the flow of fentanyl into the US, as well as illegal migrants.

Meanwhile, Canada’s prime minister Justin Trudeau said almost 10,000 frontline personnel “are and will be working on protecting the border”.

He added that his country was appointing a “fentanyl czar”, drug cartels would be listed as terrorists, and there would be “24/7 eyes on the border”.

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Trump says Palestinians couldn’t return to Gaza under his redevelopment plan

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Trump says Palestinians couldn't return to Gaza under his redevelopment plan

Donald Trump has said Palestinians would have no right to return to Gaza under his proposal to relocate its population and rebuild the Strip.

The president last week debuted his suggestion to “own” Gaza and shut out Hamas while it’s redeveloped, but has now contradicted officials who had said any relocation would be temporary.

Asked by Fox News if Palestinians could return, he replied: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing. In other words, I’m talking about building a permanent place for them.”

Trump latest: President signs more executive orders

Speaking on Monday at the White House, Mr Trump also suggested the current ceasefire in Gaza should end on Saturday if Hamas does not release hostages as planned.

He then went further, saying all the remaining hostages should be released by midday on Saturday, or the ceasefire should be cancelled – and that “all hell is going to break out” if the hostages are not freed then.

But the US president added: “I’m speaking for myself. Israel can override it.”

Hamas said earlier it would delay the release of hostages – accusing Israel of violating the ceasefire.

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‘I would own this’ – Trump on Gaza

Mr Trump told Fox News his future vision for Gaza was to build multiple “safe communities, a little bit away from where they are, where all of this danger is”, adding the area is currently “not habitable”.

He said he believed he could cut a deal with Jordan or Egypt to take people in.

However, Arab allies – including Egypt and Saudi Arabia – have dismissed the idea of relocating Gaza’s two-million-plus population.

Western countries have also rejected the proposal; an independent state for Palestinians remains the favoured way forward but is a no-go for the Israeli government.

When asked in the media, Palestinians have also rubbished the idea.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has supported Mr Trump’s controversial proposal.

Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. 
Pic: Reuters
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Donald Trump meets with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the Oval Office. Pic: Reuters

Much of Gaza lies in ruins due to Israel‘s attempt to wipe out Hamas after its 2023 terror attack that killed around 1,200 people in Israel.

About 250 were also kidnapped, but those still alive have started to be released in recent weeks after a hard-won truce took effect last month.

Since the ceasefire began on 19 January, five swaps have taken place – with 16 Israeli and five Thai hostages released.

In total, Israel has said it will release up to 1,904 Palestinian prisoners in return for 33 Israeli hostages during the deal’s first phase.

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Israeli police confiscate books in raid on Palestinian bookshops

Prospect of no return most offensive part of radical plan

From Donald Trump, it’s a hardened “No”. Asked directly if Palestinians would have the right to return to a redeveloped Gaza, he told Fox News Channel’s Brett Baier: “No, they wouldn’t, because they’re going to have much better housing.”

If the notion of Trump building on Gaza has offended its people, most offensive is the prospect for them of no return. Since Donald Trump first suggested taking and building on Palestinian land, observers in America, the Middle East and all countries in between have been assessing its seriousness.

Everything he’s said since indicates he’s committed both to the project and to ignoring entrenched objections from allies and adversaries alike.

In spite of flat refusals by Jordan and Egypt to resettle Palestinians in those countries, Trump said: “I think I could make a deal with Jordan. I think I could make a deal with Egypt. You know, we give them billions and billions of dollars a year.”

If peace in the Middle East was a matter of money, it would have been solved long ago. Tuesday’s meeting in Washington between Trump and Jordan’s King Abdullah won’t be easy.

In the White House, the Jordanian leader will talk numbers of his own – the hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees already living in the Hashemite kingdom and the instability threatened by moving more.

Trump is also due to meet the Egyptian president and the Saudi crown prince in the coming days – it is a chorus of Arab voices to caution an expansionist president at a delicate time, as parties involved in the current conflict work through the phases of a ceasefire deal.

Trump’s plan is radical and it invites fresh-eyed debate over a way forward for the region.

However, it is the property deal that separates a people from their home – again. At the heart of a radical plan, it’s the inherent recklessness.

So far, little progress has been made on an extension to the first six-week phase of the ceasefire.

A delegation from Israel has arrived in Qatar for further talks amid concern the deal might collapse before all remaining hostages are freed.

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