While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, April 14, 2025
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US President Donald Trump has promised to launch a national security trade investigation into the semiconductor sector.
PHOTO: TOM BRENNER/NYTIMES
DeeperDive is a beta AI feature. Refer to full articles for the facts.
Trump says chips from China will face national security probe; further tariffs expected
US President Donald Trump on April 13 bore down on his administration’s latest message that the exclusion of smartphones and computers from his reciprocal tariffs on China would be short-lived, pledging a national security trade investigation into the semiconductor sector.
Those electronics “are just moving to a different Tariff ‘bucket,’“ he said in a social media post. “We are taking a look at Semiconductors and the WHOLE ELECTRONICS SUPPLY CHAIN in the upcoming National Security Tariff Investigations.”
The White House had announced the exclusions from steep reciprocal tariffs on April 11.
But US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on April 13 that critical technology products from China would face separate new duties along with semiconductors within the next two months.
Saudi Arabia, US on ‘pathway’ to civil nuclear agreement, US energy secretary says
REUTERS
The United States and Saudi Arabia will sign a preliminary agreement to cooperate over the kingdom’s ambitions to develop a civil nuclear industry, US Energy Secretary Chris Wright told reporters in the Saudi capital Riyadh on April 13.
Mr Wright, who had met with Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman earlier on April 13, said Riyadh and Washington were on a “pathway” to reaching an agreement to work together to develop a Saudi civil nuclear programme.
Mr Wright, on his first visit to the kingdom as secretary as part of tour of energy-producing Gulf states, said further details over a memorandum detailing the energy cooperation between Riyadh and Washington would come later this year.
WHO says child killed after Israel strike hits Gaza hospital
An Israeli air strike on April 13 hit one of Gaza’s few functioning hospitals, killing a child according to the World Health Organisation, as Israel warned it would expand its offensive if Hamas does not release hostages.
Since the outbreak of war, tens of thousands of Gazans have sought refuge in hospitals, many of which have suffered severe damage in the ongoing hostilities.
“A child died due to disruption of care” at the Al-Ahli Hospital in northern Gaza after a strike, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X.
Elon Musk’s Doge falls short of its goal, and still overstates its progress
PHOTO: REUTERS
Last week, Mr Elon Musk indicated for the first time that his Department of Government Efficiency was falling short of its goal.
He previously said his powerful budget-cutting team could reduce the next fiscal year’s US federal budget by US$1 trillion (S$1.3 trillion), and do it by Sept 30, the end of the current fiscal year. Instead, in a Cabinet meeting on April 10, Mr Musk said that he anticipated the group would save about US$150 billion, 85 per cent less than its objective.
Even that figure may be too high, according to an analysis of Doge’s claims.
McLaren’s Piastri celebrates 50th race with win from pole in Bahrain
Oscar Piastri powered to victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix on April 13, coasting clear from George Russell’s Mercedes to maintain McLaren’s strong start to the season.
Pole-sitter Piastri kept his composure in an incident-packed race to give the Bahraini-backed McLaren team a first ever win at the 21st attempt in a race at their “second home”.
Piastri, who also won in China last month, crossed the line 15.499sec clear of Mercedes’ George Russell, who was under investigation for an issue with the DRS (drag reduction system), meaning he could take a five-second penalty.
