The Manned Space Program Agency (CMSA) announced that the spacecraft Shenzhou-12, carrying 3 astronauts into the first space station of China, was successfully launched from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the Gobi Desert at 09:22 local time with the Long March-2F rocket. It was the first manned space mission launched by China after 5 years. The 3 astronauts aboard the spacecraft will stay in the Tianhe module for 3 months and will perform two spacewalks to install equipment on the space station during their mission. The first goal of the astronauts will be to open the 22.5-ton Tianhe module.
EU Trade Commissioner Maros Sefcovic warned that a proposed 30% US tariff on European goods would effectively amount to a trade ban, severely disrupting transatlantic supply chains.
Speaking ahead of the EU Foreign Affairs Council in Brussels, Sefcovic expressed disappointment over a letter from US President Donald Trump that halted expected trade progress. “We were close to an agreement,” he said, but now “must prepare for all outcomes.”
The EU has delayed retaliatory measures on $72 billion worth of US goods until August 1, hoping for a negotiated resolution. Sefcovic emphasized that “no one wants a trade war,” while France urged faster preparation for countermeasures and Hungary blamed the EU Commission’s weak response to US pressure.
Danish and Lithuanian ministers echoed calls to avoid escalation but emphasized EU readiness to defend its interests.
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