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The Sun
05-08-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Trump proposes 250% tariff on imported pharmaceuticals
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump revealed plans to impose tariffs on imported pharmaceuticals that could escalate to 250%, alongside new duties on foreign semiconductors. The move aims to push for domestic manufacturing of critical goods. 'We'll be putting (an) initially small tariff on pharmaceuticals, but in one year, one-and-a-half years, maximum, it's going to go to 150 percent,' Trump said in an interview on CNBC. 'And then it's going to go to 250 percent because we want pharmaceuticals made in our country.' The announcement follows earlier tariffs on steel, aluminum, and auto parts, part of Trump's broader trade strategy targeting imports deemed a national security concern. The administration has conducted investigations into pharmaceuticals and semiconductors, signaling upcoming policy shifts. Trump also indicated an imminent increase in tariffs on Indian imports, citing the country's purchases of Russian oil. 'I expect to raise the US tariff on Indian imports very substantially over the next 24 hours,' he said. The proposed pharmaceutical tariffs mark a significant escalation in trade measures, potentially disrupting global supply chains. Industry analysts warn of higher drug prices, while supporters argue it will strengthen US self-sufficiency. - AFPpix
The Sun
16-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Iran Missile Hits Near US Embassy in Tel Aviv, No Injuries
An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish man inspects the damage inside a book store at the site of an Iranian missile strike in Bnei Brak, east of Tel Aviv, on June 16, 2025. Iran unleashed a barrage of missile strikes on Israeli cities early on June 16, after Israel struck military targets deep inside Iran, with both sides threatening further devastation. AFPpix
The Sun
29-05-2025
- The Sun
PORT SUDAN: A paramilitary drone strike hit a fuel depot and a military base in war-torn Sudan's south Tuesday, a military source said, as the capital Khartoum battles a deadly cholera outbreak.
A Sudanese army soldier walks near an armoured vehicle seized after their capture of a base used by the rival Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries after the latter group evacuated from the Salha area of Omdurman, the twin-city of Sudan's capital, on May 26, 2025. AFPpix
Daily Express
08-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Express
All eyes on Sistine Chapel chimney as conclave enters day two
Published on: Thursday, May 08, 2025 Published on: Thu, May 08, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: Cardinals pray in the Sistine Chapel, ahead of the conclave to elect the next pope at the Vatican, May 7, 2025. AFPpix VATICAN CITY: Anticipation gripped the Catholic world Thursday as the cardinals tasked with choosing a new pope prepared to retreat behind the heavy doors of the Vatican's Sistine Chapel for their second day of voting. A plume of black smoke rose over the crowds thronging St Peter's Square late Wednesday, confirming that the conclave's first ballot had not secured a two-thirds majority to name a successor to the late Pope Francis. The 133 'Princes of the Church' spent the night sequestered in the Santa Marta guesthouse, and were to seek divine inspiration at private mass early Thursday before embarking on a second day of voting. If the morning's first secret ballot fails again to identify a clear winner from the crowded pack, a second vote will be held. If there is no consensus again, two more votes will be held in the afternoon. The cardinals will remain behind closed doors until the newly elected 267th pontiff has a clear blessing to lead the world's 1.4 billion Catholics. They are sworn to secrecy about the centuries-old process under threat of excommunication. 'Black smoke' Locked away to avoid distraction and leaks, their only means of communicating the outcome of their votes is by burning their ballots with chemicals to produce smoke. It is black if there is no decision, or white if they have chosen a new pope. The previous two papal elections in 2005 and 2013 lasted two days apiece, but some in the previous century took as long as five. The longest ever lasted almost three years, between November 1268 and September 1271. Ahead of the smoke, tens of thousands of people -- pilgrims, tourists and curious Romans -- had gathered in St Peter's Square, as warm dusk light flooded over the city's monuments. Groans erupted when the smoke signal failed to turn white -- the hoped-for signal of a successful vote. But the mood was not sour. 'I don't mind that it's black smoke, it shows the Holy Spirit is at work. There will be other votes soon enough, we will get our pope,' said 37-year-old James Kleineck, from Texas. Barbara Mason, 50, travelled from Canada for the conclave, hoping to see a pope who would continue in Francis's progressive footsteps. 'I'm glad they've taken so much time because that means they're thinking carefully about who the pope will be,' she said, suggesting that Francis's popular, bicycle-riding special envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, would be a worthy choice. The 2025 conclave is the largest and the most international ever, assembling cardinals from around 70 countries -- many of whom did not previously know each other. Ahead of the vote there was no clear front-runner to succeed the charismatic Argentine Francis, with the cardinals representing a range of progressive and conservative traditions within the Church. But the challenges facing the two-millennia-old institution are clear, and the new pope after his election will need to harness keen diplomacy amid geopolitical uncertainty, while addressing deep fractions within the Church. There is also the continued fallout from the global clerical sex abuse scandal and, in the West, increasingly empty pews. What the Church needs The start of the conclave, with a solemn procession of cardinals and other clergy into the Sistine Chapel, was streamed live on large screens in front of St Peter's Basilica. After first gathering for silent prayer in the Vatican's Pauline Chapel, they proceeded in a colourful procession escorted by Swiss Guards to the famed 15th-century chapel decorated by Michelangelo's frescoes. During a mass in St Peter's Basilica on Wednesday morning, the dean of the College of Cardinals, Giovanni Battista Re, offered some final advice. 'We are here to invoke the help of the Holy Spirit, to implore his light and strength so that the pope elected may be he whom the Church and humanity need at this difficult and complex turning point in history,' he said. Battista Re himself is too old to vote, with cardinal electors required to be under the age of 80. Balcony address The mass marked the last rite to be celebrated publicly before the new pope is presented to the world from a balcony of St Peter's Basilica. Around 80 percent of the cardinals voting were appointed by Francis -- an impulsive yet charismatic champion of the downtrodden. But while some cardinals are looking to a new pope to protect and develop his legacy, others want a more conservative defender of doctrine. More than a dozen names are circulating, from Italian Pierbattista Pizzaballa to Hungary's Peter Erdo and Sri Lanka's Malcolm Ranjith. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
07-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Express
Asian airlines re-route, cancel flights due to India-Pakistan fighting
Published on: Wednesday, May 07, 2025 Published on: Wed, May 07, 2025 By: AFP Text Size: A truck transports an army tank on a road in Muridke, about 30 kilometres from Lahore, on May 7, 2025. AFPpix TAIPEI: Several Asian airlines said on Wednesday they were re-routing or cancelling flights to and from Europe because of fighting between India and Pakistan. India attacked Pakistan and Pakistani Kashmir and Pakistan said it had shot down five Indian fighter jets in the worst fighting in more than two decades between the nuclear-armed enemies. Taiwan's EVA Air said that it will adjust its flights to and from Europe to avoid airspace affected by the fighting between India and Pakistan for safety reasons. One flight from Vienna will be diverted back to that city, while a flight from Taipei to Milan will be diverted to Vienna for refuelling before continuing on to its destination, the airline said in a statement to Reuters. Korean Air said it had begun rerouting its Seoul Incheon–Dubai flights on Wednesday, opting for a southern route that passes over Myanmar, Bangladesh, and India, instead of the previous path through Pakistani airspace. Thai Airways said that flights to destinations in Europe and South Asia would be rerouted starting early on Wednesday morning, warning this could cause delays to some flights. * Follow us on Instagram and join our Telegram and/or WhatsApp channel(s) for the latest news you don't want to miss. * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
