Trump tariffs explained: what's changed and why have Asian countries been hit so hard?

US President Donald Trump has ramped up threats to impose punishing tariffs on more than a dozen nations unless they can broker a deal before 1 August, marking the latest phase in his trade war. The tax duties stem from Trump's so-called "reciprocal" tariff package that was first announced in April, but then delayed for 90 days to allow for negotiations. That deadline, initially scheduled to end this week, has now been pushed back to August. The shifting timeline of the most significant US tariff increases in nearly a century has roiled global markets and caused widespread confusion, with the…