BERLIN: Chancellor Olaf Scholz condemned sweeping new US steel and aluminum tariffs on Wednesday and said Germany was “studying the suggestions of the European Commission” for retaliatory measures.
“I think the decisions on tariffs by the USA are wrong and we will react to them appropriately and quickly,” Scholz told a press conference in Berlin alongside European Council chief Antonio Costa.
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Germany’s Scholz criticizes US tariffs as ‘wrong’
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Germany’s Scholz criticizes US tariffs as ‘wrong’
- “We will react to them appropriately and quickly,” Scholz said
North MMacedonia’s path toward full EU membership stalled by impasse with Bulgaria
- Change constitution to include protections for Bulgarian minority to be able to get full EU membership, North Macedonia told
SKOPJE, North Macedonia: European Council President António Costa on Thursday called on North Macedonia to change its constitution to include protections for its Bulgarian minority as a way for the country to continue its path toward full European Union membership.
The EU started membership talks with Albania and North Macedonia in 2022, as the war in Ukraine forced a rethink of the bloc’s enlargement process.
North Macedonia’s bid was delayed by a dispute with Bulgaria over Balkan history, language and culture. To break the impasse, North Macedonia’s previous center-left government accepted a Bulgarian demand to insert a reference to the Bulgarian ethnic minority in North Macedonia’s constitution. However, that administration lacked the parliamentary majority to implement the change.
Costa said that the small Balkan country should now deliver what was previously agreed upon.
“I know how difficult it is to achieve. Now is the time to conclude the whole thing and open a new page,” Costa told reporters at a news conference in the North Macedonian capital, Skopje, alongside the country’s Prime Minister Hristijan Mickoski.
Mickoski, for his part, said the bloc’s enlargement must be based on merits, not bilateral issues. His conservative government, which came to power last year, has said it will only amend the constitution if Bulgaria first approves North Macedonia’s EU membership.
“We have a problem, and it should be a two-way street. If only one side delivers, it is not realistic,” he said.
Costa is visiting six Western Balkan countries, which are at different stages on their path to full EU membership. Montenegro and Albania have been at the forefront while Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Kosovo and North Macedonia are lagging behind.
In Tirana, his last stop of the regional tour, Costa hailed Albania for being “on track to join the European Union.”
“Keeping up the pace and intensifying work on European Union reforms is now key, particularly rule of law and fight against corruption,” said Costa at a news conference with Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama.
Rama’s Socialist Party says it can deliver EU membership in five years, an ambitious pledge as he confronts an opposition that argues Albania isn’t ready for EU membership.
In Tirana, Costa will co-host the European Political Community, a forum that gathers 47 European leaders with the aim of boosting security and prosperity across the continent.
Trump says urged Apple to manufacture in US not India
- Apple CEO said in May majority of iPhones in sold in US would have India as country of origin
- India, hit by US tariffs, has threatened to retaliate response to increased duties on steel, aluminum
DOHA: US President Donald Trump said Thursday he urged Apple to manufacture its products in the United States instead of India, where the US tech giant has said it would be shifting production after US tariffs on China.
“I had a little problem with Tim Cook,” Trump said, referring to Apple’s CEO, during a multi-day tour of the Gulf. “I said, Tim, we treated you really good. We put up with all the plants that you built in China for years now.”
The president said he told Cook: “We’re not interested in you building in India... we want you to build here and they’re going to be upping their production in the United States.”
On Monday, the US and China announced an agreement to suspend tit-for-tat tariffs for 90 days, de-escalating a trade war that has spooked financial markets and raised fears of a global economic downturn.
Prior to the agreement between Beijing and Washington, Cook said Apple was “not able to precisely estimate the impact of tariffs.”
When presenting the tech company’s first-quarter profits in early May, Cook said he expected “a majority of iPhones sold in the US will have India as their country of origin.”
He warned of the uncertain impact of the 145 percent US tariffs on products from China — the company’s long-time manufacturing hub — despite a temporary reprieve for high-end tech goods such as smartphones and computers.
Although completed smartphones are exempted from Trump’s tariffs for now, not all components that go into Apple devices are spared.
Apple expects US tariffs to cost $900 million in the current quarter, even though their impact was “limited” at the start of this year, according to Cook.
India, also hit by US tariffs, threatened on Tuesday to take retaliatory measures in response to the increased duties on steel and aluminum.
India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said on Thursday trade negotiations between India and the United States are ongoing, and any agreement should be mutually beneficial.
Apple announced in February it would invest more than $500 billion in the United States over the next four years and promised to hire 20,000 people in the country.
“Apple’s already in for 500 billion but they’re going to be upping their production, so it’ll be great,” Trump said in Qatar.
That ‘tourist’ in the forest might be a Russian spy, Latvia warns
- MIDD offered advice on how to identify possible reconnaissance and sabotage operatives
- It also warned that Russian saboteurs might also attempt to incite unrest or assassinate “socially significant individuals”
WARSAW: They might look like lost tourists — unkempt and overloaded with gear — or hikers with military haircuts, survival gear and no clue how to behave in the woods.
But Latvia’s intelligence agency said Thursday that they might actually be Russian saboteurs and spies.
In its annual report, Latvia’s Defense Intelligence and Security Service, known by Latvian acronym MIDD, offered advice on how to identify possible reconnaissance and sabotage operatives.
It’s an increasingly relevant concern given regional tensions and a string of arson and other acts of sabotage, which Western governments blame on Russia — allegations that Moscow has repeatedly denied.
The list of telltale signs is striking: slovenly appearance, mismatched military or sportswear, and a knack for asking locals suspicious questions. According to the security service, such groups may linger near military or critical infrastructure sites, pose as humanitarian workers or stay in remote areas without showing any interest in nature.
Some may carry specialized medical kits, maps or radios — items better suited for clandestine operations than camping trips.
The Latvian guidance comes as countries across the region, including new NATO members Sweden and Finland, have been issuing booklets with advice on how to survive war or a natural disaster.
Nearby Poland is now preparing its guidelines, while Norway recently published a book with advice on how to survive for one week.
“We live in an increasingly turbulent world,” it says. “Even though in Norway most things generally function as they normally would, we must remain aware that extreme weather, pandemics, accidents, sabotage — and in the worst case acts of war — can impact us.”
MIDD, one of Latvia’s three security services, alongside the State Security Service and the Constitution Protection Bureau, warned that Russian saboteurs might also attempt to incite unrest or assassinate “socially significant individuals.”
Their activities might also be focused on “studying the position of the target country’s society and inciting unrest directed against the existing government.”
The agency cautioned that appearances can deceive.
“The Ukrainian experience shows that Russian special services are able to adapt,” the report says. Not all spies will fit the mold, and suspicions must be judged in context.
It also warns that if a sabotage group is spotted, leave the James Bond heroics to the professionals.
“If you do think you might have spotted a sabotage group on Latvian soil, MIDD does not recommend tackling them yourself,” it said. “Instead report your suspicions to the State Police, special services, or the nearest armed forces unit.”
Uganda army chief threatens voters who don't choose his father
- The east African country is due to hold a general election in January
- The commander of the army also said that all serving women would from now on march in skirts
NAIROBI, Kenya: The Ugandan president’s son said Thursday that any citizen who voted against his father in upcoming polls would be deported, while also banning women in the army from wearing trousers.
The east African country is due to hold a general election in January, and there has been a mounting crackdown on the opposition in recent months.
General Muhoozi Kainerugaba, the son and heir-apparent of long-ruling President Yoweri Museveni, is infamous for his colorful tweets that touch on everything from military matters to his social life.
On Thursday, he posted on X that individuals who “who do not support Mzee wholeheartedly better be very careful!,” using an honorific for his father.
“We will deport all the traitors in public view!!,” he added.
Earlier this month Kainerugaba claimed to have captured and tortured opposition leader Bobi Wine’s bodyguard Eddie Mutwe, who later appeared in court showing signs of torture, according to Justice Minister Norbert Mao.
In another post, Kainerugaba wrote that he took “FULL responsibility” for the actions of his soldiers, “including the long overdue beating of Eddie Mutwe.”
He added: “That was an appetizer!“
Rounding out his string of posts, the commander of the army also said that all serving women would from now on march in skirts.
“Trousers are for men not for women. Anyone who forces our sisters to put on trousers on parade again will have a very bad day,” he explained.
Only a fraction of the Ugandan People’s Defense Force (UPDF) is made up of women, and they are issued the same daily uniform as their male counterparts. They are permitted to wear skirts on formal occasions, according to local media.
UK PM says in talks over third country ‘return hubs’ for migrants
- “We are in talks with a number of countries about return hubs,” Starmer told a joint news conference with his newly reelected Albanian counterpart Edi Rama
- Starmer declined to explain how the hubs would work in practice or say with which countries he was in talks
TIRANA: The UK is in talks with different countries about setting up “return hubs” for failed asylum seekers, Prime Minister Keir Starmer said Thursday on a visit to Albania seeking to bring down immigration.
The UK leader is under pressure to reduce immigration and cut the number of irregular migrants arriving on UK shores, many in small boats, amid the rising popularity of the hard-right, anti-immigrant Reform Party.
“We are in talks with a number of countries about return hubs,” Starmer told a joint news conference with his newly reelected Albanian counterpart Edi Rama.
Starmer declined to explain how the hubs would work in practice or say with which countries he was in talks.
But he said his new Labour government had been left a “mess” by the previous Conservative leadership, which he said had failed to process asylum claims.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “This will basically apply to people who have exhausted all legal routes to remain in the UK but are attempting to stall, using various tactics — whether it’s losing their paperwork or using other tactics to frustrate their removal.”
Last July, Starmer’s Labour government abandoned a scheme put in place by the Conservatives to deport undocumented migrants to Rwanda.
Rama said hosting a new UK return hub in Albania was not on the table, adding that an earlier deal with Italy had been a “one-off.”
The scheme by Italy for Italian-run facilities to process migrants to be based in Albania is currently bogged down in the courts.
“The model that we’ve brought to Albania in cooperation with Italy ... is a model that takes its time to be tested,” said Rama.
“If it works, it can be replicated, but not in Albania, in other countries of the region.”
In March, the European Commission unveiled a planned reform of the 27-nation bloc’s return system, opening the way for member states to set up migrant return centers outside the EU.
Earlier this week Starmer unveiled tough new immigration policies that included cutting the number of overseas care workers, doubling the length of time before migrants can qualify for settlement in the country and new powers to deport foreign criminals.
The announcement was widely seen as an attempt to fend off rising support for anti-immigrant firebrand Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party.
Labour vowed in its general election manifesto last year to significantly reduce net migration, which stood at 728,000 in the 12 months to last June.
It peaked at 906,000 in 2023 after averaging 200,000 for most of the 2010s.
In addition to high levels of legal migration, the UK has also seen unprecedented numbers of irregular migrants. And the numbers of asylum seekers has tripled to 84,200 in 2024, compared to 27,500 between 2010 and 2011.
More than 12,500 migrants have made the perilous Channel crossing so far this year, according to an AFP tally based on figures from the UK’s interior ministry.
Under a deal between the previous Conservative government and Tirana in 2022, Albanians arriving in the UK on small boats across the Channel can be sent back immediately.
Starmer’s Downing Street office said in a statement there had been a 95 percent reduction in Albanian small boat arrivals in the last three years, while the number of Albanians returned to the country had doubled in the past two years.
Some 5,294 Albanians were sent back in 2024, more than double the 2,035 Albanian nationals returned two years earlier.
Starmer also announced an expansion of the Joint Migration Taskforce in the Western Balkans, set up with Albania and Kosovo, to include North Macedonia and Montenegro.
The expansion would allow greater intelligence sharing to intercept smuggling gangs and deploy UK funded drones to snare gangsters funnelling migrants through the Western Balkans corridor to the UK.
Rama has vowed to integrate the Balkan nation into the European Union, and was also set to meet EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa on Thursday in Tirana.
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