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Time of India
08-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Trump's tariff pause offers little relief, UN says, warning of global trade instability
US President Donald Trump's decision to delay implementing major tariff hikes on most trading partners may have offered some relief, but the extension is also prolonging global trade uncertainty , the UN warned Tuesday. Days before the three-month pause on his "Liberation Day" tariffs was set to expire, the US president said Monday he would give trading partners an extra three weeks to hammer out deals to avoid paying sky-high levies for their exports to the world's biggest economy. Trump had unveiled sweeping tariffs on imports on April 2, including a baseline 10 percent tariff on all countries, but following market turmoil he quickly suspended tariffs above 10 percent until July 9. But prior to that deadline, he sent out letters to more than a dozen countries -- including top trading partners Japan and South Korea -- setting out what he had decided to charge if they did not reach agreements by a new August 1 target date. Pamela Coke-Hamilton , director of the United Nations-backed International Trade Centre , told reporters in Geneva that the extension was not necessarily good news. Live Events "While the reciprocal tariffs will no longer go into effect tomorrow as originally announced, but be (postponed) for another few weeks until first of August, this move actually extends the period of uncertainty," she said. That in turn risks "undermining long-term investment and business contracts and creating further uncertainty and instability". Predictability, she said, is the "one thing businesses need more than anything else". "If the sand keeps shifting, there's no way that you can make firm decisions for your business." 'Perfect storm' Coke-Hamilton stressed that the United States was not the only country piling on new trade restrictions. "These changes in the trade landscape are part of a bigger trend," she said, pointing out that since the start of the year, her agency has "tracked more than 150 restricted trade measures that have been introduced globally". "These measures layered on top of a general decline in world trade since the onset of the war in the Ukraine, with its related supply-chain disruptions, insecurity and rising commodity prices have put strains on all economies." At the same time, spending on development assistance and aid has fallen off a cliff. "In today's context, a perfect storm is brewing," Coke-Hamilton said. While the global trade uncertainty and the US tariffs were clearly taking their toll on developing countries, she said there were actions they could take "to restore a sense of stability and predictability, and even find new opportunities to grow". Those included focusing more on strengthening regional value chains and striving to process goods in-country before export to retain more value, as well as boosting their small businesses. She also highlighted that markets besides the United States could become more attractive, pointing to China's recent announcement that it would give African countries tariff-free access to its market. "That is a major, major, major development, and it can swing things in a way that was not anticipated three months ago," she said. Coke-Hamilton cautioned though that the United States itself might suffer from the tariff turmoil. "I think in the long run, it will have a negative impact on the US economy," she said. "I'm not clear on what the plan is... I presume there is one. But from my perspective, at this point, I don't see a win here in the long term."
GMA Network
07-07-2025
- Politics
- GMA Network
Philippines welcomes 8 Rohingya refugees
Since the Philippines adopted the United Nations-backed Complementary Pathways (CPath) Program in 2019, the country has hosted around 30 Rohingya refu The Philippines has welcomed eight Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh and Myanmar, the fourth batch to be provided sanctuary in the country, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Monday. Since the Philippines adopted the United Nations-backed Complementary Pathways (CPath) Program in 2019, the country has hosted around 30 Rohingya refugees. The fresh batch arrived in Manila on July 3, the DFA said in a statement, saying that providing them homes in the Philippines reaffirms Manila's long-standing humanitarian tradition of welcoming refugees. "The program offers selected Rohingya refugees displaced in Southeast Asia a safe, regulated avenue for admission and stay in the Philippines through education," the DFA said. "The initiative not only meets their immediate protection needs and upholds their basic rights, but also empowers them with the necessary tools for long-term self-reliance." Myanmar troops in 2017 led a brutal crackdown in Rakhine state in what the government said was a response to terrorist attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army, or ARSA, on 30 Myanmarese police outposts and a military base. Thousands of Rohingyas fled from the violence, with most escaping to neighboring Bangladesh by land and sea. Myanmarese authorities regard Rohingyas as Bangladeshi natives, or Bengalis. Impoverished Bangladesh says it can't afford to host them for long and that Myanmar should take them back and stop the "genocide" that drives the Muslim villagers out of Myanmar, a largely Buddhist nation. 'We are just grateful for the chance to begin again,' one of the beneficiaries told Philippine officials. The Philippines' open-door policy for individuals seeking protection is rooted in history, having welcomed 'Nine Waves of Refugees' since 1917, including Russian emigrés in the 1920s, Jewish refugees in the 1930s, and the Vietnamese 'boat people' in the 1970s. "The CPath Programme continues this legacy by offering not just shelter, but the opportunity for dignity, education, and a brighter future," the DFA said. CPath is a joint initiative by the Department of Justice's Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit and the Department of Foreign Affairs, together with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and selected academic institutions. –NB, GMA Integrated News
Yahoo
01-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
World Asteroid Day 2025: Watch live views of near-Earth asteroids for free online on June 30
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. World Asteroid Day 2025 is upon us! Here's how you can celebrate the event by livestreaming real-time views of near-Earth asteroids from the comfort of your home. June 30 is the 10th anniversary of World Asteroid Day, an annual United Nations-backed event wherein partners raise awareness of asteroids, their scientific value and how humanity is working to mitigate the risks posed by these wandering solar system bodies. The date coincides with the anniversary of the 1908 Tunguska event, which saw a large meteor detonate over Siberia, flattening millions of trees and triggering widespread forest fires. The Virtual Telescope Program has announced a livestream to mark World Asteroid Day on June 30, which will feature real-time views of near-Earth asteroids while discussing the characteristics and impact risks posed by the enigmatic chunks of ancient debris. The stream will be hosted on the Virtual Telescope Project's YouTube channel starting at 5 p.m. EDT (2100 GMT) on June 30 and will be free to watch. Our planet bears the scars of countless ancient asteroid strikes, the largest of which — such as the Chicxulub impactor — triggered the extinction of countless species, irrevocably altering the evolutionary trajectory of life on Earth. Thankfully, such events are exceedingly rare. Of the well over 30,000 near-Earth objects that have been discovered and tracked to date, no large asteroid capable of causing wide-spread destruction is expected to strike our planet in the next 100 years, according to NASA's Center for Near Earth Object Studies. Protecting the planet from an impending asteroid strike may once once have been the stuff of Hollywood sci-fi movies, but recent decades have seen the international community take tangible steps towards preparing for a potential asteroid collision. A Planetary Defense Conference is held each year in which NASA, ESA and its partners work to prevent and react to a hypothetical asteroid impact. Each successive exercise has highlighted fresh challenges surrounding response strategies, ranging from the speed at which missions could be designed and launched to how to best gather intelligence and communicate with the general public. Of course preparations have also extended far beyond tabletop simulations. September 2022 saw NASA's Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART) made history when it slammed into the surface of the 160-meter-wide (252 feet) moonlet Dimorphos, which forms a binary pair with the larger asteroid Didymos. The mission proved that a kinetic impact could significantly deflect the trajectory of a small solar system body and so may be a viable strategy for defending Earth. The Didymos system is set to be visited by the European Space Agency's Hera mission in December 2026, which will observe the aftermath of the impact. On top of that, telescopic eyes are constantly scanning the night sky for evidence of potentially hazardous near Earth objects moving against the starfield beyond. The coming years will see these efforts significantly bolstered by the powerful telescopic eye of the Vera Rubin observatory. The Rubin Observatory's primary mission is to scan the entirety of the southern hemisphere night sky from its vantage point atop mount Cerro Pachon in Chile in a bid to shed light on the mysterious force known as 'dark energy' and an invisible component of the universe called 'dark matter'. However, its initial observations have also highlighted its credentials as an asteroid hunter. TOP TELESCOPE PICK Want to see asteroids in the night sky? The Celestron NexStar 4SE is ideal for beginners wanting quality, reliable and quick views of celestial objects. For a more in-depth look at our Celestron NexStar 4SE review. Over the course of just a few nights, astronomers were able to identify 2,104 new near-Earth objects as they passed over the Rubin observatory's field of view, with some astronomers estimating that the observatory could find up to five million more over the coming years. "This is five times more than all the astronomers in the world discovered during the last 200 years since the discovery of the first asteroid," Željko Ivezić, Deputy Director of Rubin's Legacy Survey of Space and Time, said during a press conference unveiling the observatory's first images on June 23. "We can outdo two centuries of effort in just a couple of years."
Qatar Tribune
30-06-2025
- Health
- Qatar Tribune
85 Palestinians killed across Gaza amid new ceasefire push
Agencies Gaza Israeli forces have bombarded multiple areas across the besieged Gaza Strip, killing at least 85 Palestinians, including aid seekers and families sheltering in schools, and wounding many more in attacks that have also targeted a crowded hospital. In the relentless attacks on Monday, 62 of the victims were in Gaza City and the north of the territory. The Israeli navy struck a port in Gaza City, where the military has stepped up its heavy strikes, killing at least 21 and wounding 30, many of them women and children. Al Jazeera's Hani Mahmoud, reporting from Gaza City, said the attack was in the heart of a displacement centre near the Gaza seaport. 'This area serves as a refuge for many traumatised and displaced people, offering some relief from the oppressive heat of the tents,' he said. Also on Monday, Israeli forces targeted the courtyard of Al-Aqsa Hospital in central Gaza's Deir el-Balah, where thousands of families had sought shelter. Videos circulating online and verified by Al Jazeera showed chaos at the hospital, with people fleeing for safety as tents sheltering displaced families appeared damaged by the attack. Al Jazeera's Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from the scene of the hospital attack, said the army did not issue 'any warnings' before the 'huge explosion'. 'The site of the attack is about 10 metres [33ft] from our broadcast point. This is not the first time the hospital's courtyard has been attacked. At least 10 times, this facility has been squarely targeted by Israeli forces,' Abu Azzoum said. 'It's a staggering concentration of attacks on medical facilities, adding further burden on barely functioning hospitals.' In a statement, Gaza's Government Media Office decried the attack by Israel, calling it a 'systematic crime' against the Palestinian enclave's health system. 'Its warplanes bombed a tent for the displaced inside the walls of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital, resulting in injuries at the site of the bombing, material damage, and directly threatening the lives of dozens of patients,' it said. Israel has repeatedly targeted dozens of hospitals during its 22-month war on Gaza. Human rights groups and United Nations-backed experts have accused Israel of systematically destroying the enclave's healthcare system. Also in the south, at least 15 aid seekers looking for food at aid distribution hubs run by the controversial United States- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) were killed by an Israeli air strike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis, according to sources at Nasser Medical Complex. Fifty people were also wounded in the attack. They are the latest victims in a wave of daily carnage at these sites that have killed nearly 600 Palestinians since GHF took over limited aid deliveries in Gaza in late May amid a crippling Israeli blockade. Israeli forces are also carrying out home demolitions in Khan Younis, raising fears of a new ground invasion. The Israeli military, meanwhile, has issued more forced evacuation threats to Palestinians in large districts in the northern Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces had operated before and left behind wide-scale destruction, forcing a new wave of displacement. 'Explosions never stopped; they bombed schools and homes. It felt like earthquakes,' said Salah, 60, a father of five children, from Gaza City. 'In the news, we hear a ceasefire is near. On the ground, we see death and we hear explosions.' Israeli tanks pushed into the eastern areas of Zeitoun suburb in Gaza City and shelled several areas in the north, while aircraft bombed at least four schools after ordering hundreds of families sheltering inside to leave, residents said. Gaza's health authorities said at least 10 people were killed in attacks on Zeitoun and at least 13 were killed southwest of Gaza City. More than 80 percent of Gaza is now an Israeli-militarised zone or under forced displacement orders, according to the United Nations. The attacks come as Israeli officials, including Israel's Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, were due in Washington, DC for a new ceasefire push by the administration of US President Donald Trump. Key mediator Qatar has confirmed that there are serious US intentions to push for a return to negotiations, but there are complications, according to a Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman. The spokesman said that it has become difficult to accept the continued human losses in the Gaza Strip, warning that the continued link between the humanitarian and military aspects in Gaza cannot be accepted. The talks in the White House are also expected to cover Iran, and possibly wider regional diplomatic deals. In Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's security cabinet was expected to convene to discuss the next steps in Gaza.
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First Post
27-06-2025
- Politics
- First Post
Bangladesh's sovereignty at stake: Humanitarian corridors or geopolitical Trojan Horses?
As Bangladesh grapples with Myanmar's enduring humanitarian crisis, the recent proposal for a United Nations-backed humanitarian corridor connecting Chittagong with Myanmar's Rakhine State, while outwardly noble, poses significant risks to national sovereignty and regional stability. These corridors, historically depicted as lifelines, often bear the subtle marks of strategic intervention, geopolitical exploitation, and foreign intelligence operations. In March 2025, UN Secretary-General António Guterres proposed establishing a humanitarian corridor from Bangladesh's critical port city of Chittagong into Myanmar's violence-ridden Rakhine State. This corridor aims to deliver aid to over two million displaced persons suffering under famine conditions. Bangladesh's interim government, currently led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, linked corridor approval directly to Rohingya refugee repatriation—a political quid pro quo potentially fraught with security risks. Yet, despite assurances, the corridor's broader implications remain troublingly unaddressed. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Geopolitical precedent consistently demonstrates the vulnerabilities inherent in such humanitarian corridors. Syria, Libya, and Afghanistan offer stark illustrations: humanitarian routes became pipelines for foreign military equipment, intelligence operations, and covert proxy support. The Chittagong corridor risks mirroring these patterns, transforming a vital economic hub and strategic port into an intelligence foothold or even a forward operating base for foreign powers. Already, credible intelligence indicates that external powers are manoeuvring along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border region. Reports allege U.S. intentions to leverage humanitarian channels in support of anti-junta groups such as the Arakan Army (AA), including drone operations based near Cox's Bazar. Such actions align closely with Washington's broader Indo-Pacific strategy, which aims to counter Chinese regional influence. Conversely, China's recent joint military exercises with Bangladesh, dubbed 'Golden Friendship-2024', similarly hint at strategic positioning disguised as regional cooperation. These manoeuvres risk drawing Bangladesh into unwanted great-power rivalries, further destabilising an already volatile region. Compounding these threats is the alarming influence of non-state actors. The AA now exerts significant control over a 271-kilometre stretch of Bangladesh's border with Rakhine. Local reports from Bandarban reveal frequent armed AA movements, sometimes seemingly with tacit official tolerance. Should a humanitarian corridor materialise without stringent oversight, there's a genuine risk it would be hijacked to facilitate arms trafficking and insurgent financing, intensifying cross-border conflict and inviting retaliatory actions from Myanmar's junta. Equally concerning is the role of international NGOs, some of which have previously come under suspicion. Dhaka has intensified scrutiny of NGOs after credible allegations emerged regarding espionage and anti-repatriation activism disguised as humanitarian activities. The potential exploitation of humanitarian access by NGOs for espionage purposes is a documented reality elsewhere and must not be underestimated here. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Meanwhile, domestically, Bangladesh's interim government faces growing criticism over its unilateral handling of border security policy. Decisions regarding the humanitarian corridor appear to be detached from military counsel, exacerbating civilian-military tensions and creating exploitable vulnerabilities. The disastrous 2025 BDR massacre exposed critical institutional weaknesses within Bangladesh's security apparatus, revealing precisely how foreign actors might exploit internal fractures. Regional reactions further complicate the scenario. India has strengthened its border surveillance with Bangladesh due to legitimate fears of insurgency spillover and refugee inflows. Yet, ASEAN's continued paralysis regarding Myanmar's crisis leaves Bangladesh increasingly isolated, forcing it into risky unilateral actions. The UN's humanitarian initiative, though well-intentioned, conspicuously lacks safeguards to prevent the corridor's misuse. Without these measures, Bangladesh risks being perceived—rightly or wrongly—as aligning with specific geopolitical agendas, further undermining its diplomatic independence and national sovereignty. Historical lessons offer grim caution. Humanitarian corridors have repeatedly been exploited as instruments of geopolitical manipulation. In Syria and Afghanistan, these corridors turned into conduits for arms trafficking, proxy warfare, and covert foreign bases. The Balkan refugee crisis vividly illustrated how corridors fractured sovereign control, fostering human trafficking and smuggling networks. Such outcomes must compel Bangladesh to reconsider the operational parameters of the corridors rigorously. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Bangladesh now stands at a crossroads. Genuine humanitarian needs in Myanmar must be addressed, but never at the cost of sovereignty or regional stability. Dhaka must demand ironclad international guarantees, including UN-monitored aid operations, binding agreements that prohibit foreign military assets or intelligence activities, and strict oversight of NGO involvement. Simultaneously, a transparent, inclusive national policy debate involving military, civilian leadership, and civil society stakeholders is essential to protect sovereignty, border integrity, and long-term stability. Humanitarian initiatives should alleviate suffering—not serve as backdoors for geopolitical interference. Bangladesh must act decisively to ensure the Chittagong-Rakhine corridor remains exactly what it claims to be: a channel for compassion and not a geopolitical Trojan horse. The writer is the Director General of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies Lt Gen Dushyant Singh (Retd) is Director General, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS). Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost's views. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD
