BRUSSELS: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen described US Donald Trump’s universal tariffs as a major blow to the world economy and said the European Union was prepared to respond with countermeasures if talks with Washington failed.
“We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel,” she said in a statement read out in Uzbek city Samarkand on Thursday, ahead of an EU-Central Asia partnership summit.
“And we’re now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail.”
She did not provide any details of future EU measures. The EU plans to impose counter tariffs on up to €26 billion ($28.4 billion) of US goods this month in response to US steel and aluminum tariffs that took effect on March 12.
Trump on Wednesday unveiled a 10 percent minimum tariff on most goods imported to the United States — with a higher 20 percent rate for the European Union — kicking into high gear a global trade war that threatens to drive up inflation and stall US and worldwide economic growth.
Von der Leyen said she deeply regretted the US move and warned of “immense consequences” for the global economy, including vulnerable countries facing some of the highest US tariffs.
“Uncertainty will spiral and trigger the rise of further protectionism,” she said, pointing to higher consumer costs for groceries, medication and transport and disruption for businesses.
“What is more, there seems to be no order in the disorder, no clear path to the complexity and chaos that is being created as all US trading partners are hit,” she continued.
Von der Leyen said she agreed with Trump that others had taken unfair advantage of global trade rules and was ready to support efforts to reform them.
“It is not too late to address concerns through negotiations,” she said.
EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief
https://arab.news/m2qy6
EU plans countermeasures to new US tariffs, says bloc’s chief
- Ursula von der Leyen: ‘We are already finalizing the first package of countermeasures in response to tariffs on steel’
- ‘And we’re now preparing for further countermeasures to protect our interests and our businesses if negotiations fail’
Philippines enacts law requiring immediate, proper burial for Muslims
- Law outlines steps to be followed when a Muslim person dies
- Penalty for anyone refusing to release the body due to unpaid hospital or funeral fees
MANILA: The Philippine president has signed into law the Philippine Islamic Burial Act, recognizing the right of Filipino Muslims to bury their dead in accordance with their faith.
The new law, signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. this week, ensures that deceased Muslims are buried with respect and dignity, regardless of the availability of their death certificate. It requires that deaths be reported within 14 days after burial by the person who performed the rites or the deceased’s next of kin.
“For burial purposes, in accordance with Islamic rites, Muslim cadavers shall be released within 24 hours by the hospital, medical clinic, funeral parlor, morgue, custodial and prison facilities, or other similar facilities, or persons who are in actual care or custody of the cadaver,” the law says.
It also penalizes any person or organization that refuses to release the body of a deceased Muslim because of unpaid hospital or funeral fees or other reasons, with one to six months in prison, a fine of $880 to $1,800, or both.
In the predominantly Catholic Philippines, Muslims make up about 10 percent of the population of more than 120 million. Most of them live on the island of Mindanao and the Sulu archipelago in the country’s south.
Ebra Moxsir, president of the Imam Council of the Philippines and one of the experts consulted in drafting the law, told Arab News that its signing was a “very welcome development” because it addresses issues that Muslims have faced in the Philippines, where the majority is unaware of Islamic burial requirements.
“One challenge is the delay in the release of the body from the hospital due to financial reasons or lack of payment,” he said.
“Another challenge is the need for a death certificate, which often delays the burial because we have to wait for it to be processed. Under the new law, this is no longer required, and the process can proceed without delay. The death certificate can follow.”
The law specifies the steps to be followed when a Muslim person dies — that they should be washed, shrouded, have funeral prayers performed, and be buried within 24 hours.
If a forensic test is required, the family must be informed before any examination is conducted.
It also makes it clear that the body should not be embalmed and obliges local authorities to help with transportation if the family is not able to take the deceased home.
“The law outlines these requirements,” Moxsir said. “It helps raise awareness about what should and shouldn’t be done when handling the deceased, in accordance with Islamic law.”
House of Representatives Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez, who announced the signing of the law on Tuesday, welcomed the move as addressing a “longstanding issue” faced by Filipino Muslims, where institutional support for Islamic burial rites was lacking.
“This measure uplifts our Muslim brothers and sisters who, for years, have struggled to uphold a basic tenet of their faith in the face of red tape and costly logistics,” he said.
“Now, we correct that with compassion and resolve.”
Huge crowds pack Vatican ahead of Pope’s funeral
- After three days of public viewing, a funeral Mass including heads of state will be held Saturday in St. Peter’s Square
- The pope will then be buried in a niche within the St. Mary Major Basilica, near his favorite Madonna icon
VATICAN CITY: The Vatican was making final preparations Friday for Pope Francis’s funeral as the last of the huge crowds of mourners filed through St. Peter’s Basilica to view his open coffin.
Over 128,000 people have already paid their last respects to Francis, whose coffin will be closed at 8:00 p.m. (1800 GMT) in a ceremony attended by senior cardinals.
Many of the 50 heads of state and 10 monarchs attending Saturday’s ceremony in St. Peter’s Square, including US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky, are expected to arrive later Friday in Rome.
Italian and Vatican authorities have placed the area around St. Peter’s under tight security with drones blocked, snipers on roofs and fighter jets on standby.
Further checkpoints will be activated on Friday night, police said.
Vast crowds of people on Friday morning packed Via della Conciliazione, the wide avenue leading to the Vatican, for the third and final day of the pope’s lying-in-state.
“Whatever happens, we have to get inside,” said Ian Delmonte, 35, from the Philippines.
“We love the pope, we feel blessed to see him a last (time),” added Michelle Alcaide, 35, also from the Philippines, as she queued.
For a second night in a row, the Vatican kept St. Peter’s open past the scheduled hours to accommodate the queues, only closing the doors between 2:30am (0030 GMT) and 5:40am Friday.
“Night is the most intimate moment, the Lord always manifests himself at night,” said Nicoletta Tomassetti, 60, who visited the Basilica in the very early hours of Friday morning.
“It was very emotional. In prayer, I asked the pope for some things and I know he will give them to me,” she said.
The Catholic Church’s first Latin American pope died on Monday aged 88, less than a month after spending weeks in hospital with severe pneumonia.
“It was like saying goodbye to a father” who “loved me and will continue to love me as and more than before,” Filipa Castronovo, 76, an Italian nun said after seeing the coffin on Friday.
The Argentine pontiff, who had long suffered failing health, defied doctors’ orders by appearing at Easter, the most important moment in the Catholic calendar.
It was his last public appearance.
Condolences have flooded in from around the world for the Jesuit, an energetic reformer who championed those on the fringes of society in his 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.
He used his last speech to rail against those who stir up “contempt... toward the vulnerable, the marginalized, and migrants.”
“It’s impressive to see all these people,” French cardinal Francois-Xavier Bustillo said of the queuing crowds, describing Francis as “a man of the people.”
“It’s a beautiful response, a beautiful embrace of his ministry, of his pontificate.”
At least 130 foreign delegations are expected at his funeral, including Argentina’s President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William.
A no-fly zone will be in force.
The pope’s body was dressed in his papal vestments – a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes – and laid inside a simple wooden coffin.
On Thursday the Vatican banned people from taking photos inside the basilica, a move that eased the queue. It came after some mourners took selfies – deemed by many disrespectful – with the coffin.
Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday on Friday.
After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be driven at a walking pace to be buried at his favorite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.
The hearse will pass down Rome’s Fori Imperiali – where the city’s ancient temples lie – and past the Colosseum, according to officials.
Big screens will be set up along the route on which to watch the ceremony, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said.
Francis was a champion of underdogs, and a group of “poor and needy” will be at Santa Maria Maggiore to welcome the coffin, the Vatican said.
Francis will be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus.
People will be able to visit the tomb from Sunday morning, as all eyes turn to the process of choosing Francis’s successor.
Cardinals from around the world have been returning to Rome for the funeral and the conclave, when a new pontiff will be elected.
In the absence of a pope, the cardinals have been meeting every day to agree the next steps, with another meeting held on Friday at 9:00 am (0700 GMT).
They have yet to announce a date for the conclave, but it must begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.
Only those under the age of 80 – currently some 135 cardinals – are eligible to vote.
Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was number two to Francis, is the favorite, according to British bookmakers William Hill.
They put him ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila, followed by Ghana’s Cardinal Peter Turkson, and Matteo Zuppi, the Archbishop of Bologna.
Trump signs order to ramp up US deep-sea mining
- US President Donald Trump has defied international norms and instructed a quick start to deep-sea mining in domestic waters and beyond
WASHINGTON:US President Donald Trump has defied international norms and instructed a quick start to deep-sea mining in domestic waters and beyond, sparking an angry warning from Beijing that the move “violates international law.”
Washington wants to lead efforts to scoop up mineral-rich deep-sea nodules and other material from the seabed, sidestepping an international regulatory effort and overriding the concerns of environmentalists.
White House aides say it could pump hundreds of billions of dollars into the American economy, and counter Beijing’s chokehold on key minerals.
But it would also undermine decades of efforts by global regulators at the International Seabed Authority to devise a level playing field and environmental protections for the industry.
The United States never ratified the agreements that empower the ISA’s jurisdiction over seabeds in international waters, and is not a member of the UN-affiliated body.
Instead, the Trump administration is “relying on an obscure 1980 law that empowers the federal government to issue seabed mining permits in international waters,” the New York Times reported.
The ISA did not immediately respond to AFP’s request for comment.
Trump’s order gives the secretary of commerce 60 days to “expedite the process for reviewing and issuing seabed mineral exploration licenses and commercial recovery permits in areas beyond national jurisdiction.”
The move sparked anger in Beijing, which holds more exploration licenses than any other country but has held off mining awaiting the ISA’s rules.
“No country should bypass the International Seabed Authority and international law and arbitrarily authorize exploration and development activities,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said in response to a question from AFP.
“The US authorization of exploration and exploitation of mineral resources on its so-called outer continental shelf violates international law and harms the overall interests of the international community.”
Commercial deep-sea mining remains in its infancy, but with a global race underway for rare earth minerals — and the industry dominated by China — Washington appears set on expanding its collection capacity to benefit its defense, advanced manufacturing and energy industries.
Environmental groups warn the process can cause major ecological damage.
“Fast-tracking deep-sea mining is an environmental disaster in the making,” Emily Jeffers, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, said in a statement.
“Trump is trying to open one of Earth’s most fragile and least understood ecosystems to reckless industrial exploitation.”
The boosted deep-sea mining policy is aimed in part at “strengthening partnerships with allies and industry to counter China’s growing influence over seabed mineral resources,” the White House said.
The ISA is scrambling to devise a rulebook for deep-sea mining, balancing its economic potential against warnings of irreversible environmental damage.
Last week, the American firm Impossible Metals said it had asked US officials to “commence a leasing process” in a parcel of the Pacific Ocean surrounding far-flung US territory American Samoa.
That would be within US jurisdiction, rather than international waters.
However, Canada-based deep-sea mining frontrunner The Metals Company recently stunned industry observers by abruptly announcing it would seek US approval to mine in international waters.
Its CEO Gerard Barron lauded Trump’s order Thursday.
“By building on decades of domestic innovation and regulatory groundwork, this action reasserts America’s role in securing critical seabed resources and ensures the US is not left behind in a strategic arena increasingly influenced by China,” Barron said in a statement.
Key seabed resources include polymetallic nodules: potato-sized pebbles found at depths of 13,000 to 20,000 feet (4,000 to 6,000 meters) that contain manganese, iron, cobalt, copper and nickel.
A senior administration official told reporters shortly before the signing that the United States could retrieve more than a billion metric tons of material, and the process could create an estimated 100,000 jobs and generate $300 billion in domestic GDP over 10 years.
Russian foreign intelligence chief says he held talks with Syrian intelligence official, TASS reports
- TASS cited Naryshkin as saying that the meeting had been held last week in Baku in Azerbaijan, without providing further details
MOSCOW: Sergei Naryshkin, head of Russia’s SVR foreign intelligence service, said that he had “a constructive and friendly meeting” with an unnamed representative of the Syrian intelligence services, the state TASS news agency reported on Friday.
TASS cited Naryshkin as saying that the meeting had been held last week in Baku in Azerbaijan, without providing further details.
Russia is seeking to shore up its military presence in Syria where it operates an air base and a naval facility.
Indian troops exchange fire with Pakistani soldiers in Kashmir
- Report of a gunfight comes amid soaring tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad
- The United Nations urges India and Pakistan ‘to exercise maximum restraint’
SRINAGAR, India: Indian officials said the army had a brief exchange of fire with Pakistani soldiers along their highly militarized frontier in the Himalayan region of Kashmir, as the nuclear-armed rivals ramped up tit-for-tat diplomatic offensive following a deadly attack on tourists in the disputed area.
The report of a gunfight comes amid soaring tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after gunmen killed 26 people near the resort town of Pahalgam in Kashmir on Tuesday. India immediately described the massacre a “terror attack” and said it had “cross border” links, blaming Pakistan for backing it.
Pakistan denied any connection to the attack, which was claimed by a previously unknown militant group calling itself the Kashmir Resistance.
Three Indian army officials said that Pakistani soldiers used small arms to fire at an Indian position in Kashmir late Thursday. The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in keeping with departmental policy, said Indian soldiers retaliated and no casualties were reported.
In Pakistan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday decline to confirm or deny the report. Ministry spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan told a news conference that “I will wait for a formal confirmation from the military before I make any comment.”
He added there had been no effort yet from any other country to mediate.
In the past, each side has accused the other of starting border skirmishes in Kashmir, which both claim in its entirety.
The United Nations has urged India and Pakistan “to exercise maximum restraint and to ensure that the situation and the developments we’ve seen do not deteriorate any further.”
“Any issues between Pakistan and India, we believe can be and should be resolved peacefully, through meaningful, mutual engagement,” the statement said Friday.
Following the attack, India announced a series of diplomatic actions against Pakistan.
New Delhi on Wednesday suspended a crucial water-sharing treaty that has withstood two wars between the two countries and closed the only functional land border crossing between the countries while also cutting the number of diplomatic staff. A day later, India revoked all visas issued to Pakistani nationals with effect from Sunday.
In retaliation, Pakistan on Thursday responded angrily that it has nothing to do with the attack, and canceled visas issued to Indian nationals, closed its airspace for all Indian-owned or Indian-operated airlines and suspended all trade with India, including to and from any third country.
It also warned that any Indian attempt to stop or divert flow of water would be considered an “act of war” and met with “full force across the complete spectrum” of Pakistan’s national power.
Tuesday’s attack in Kashmir was the worst assault in years, targeting civilians in the restive region that has seen an anti-India rebellion for more than three decades.
India and Pakistan each administer a part of Kashmir. New Delhi describes all militancy in Kashmir as Pakistan-backed terrorism. Pakistan denies this, and many Muslim Kashmiris consider the militants to be part of a home-grown freedom struggle.
