U.S. aluminum and steel tariffs. Overnight, the Trump administration enacted 25 percent levies on all aluminum and steel products entering the United States. The total 2024 import value of products hit by the tariffs was more than $147 billion, according to the census and the U.S. International Trade Commission. Yesterday, Trump backed off a threat to make the new tariffs 50 percent on Canadian aluminum and steel after Ontario’s premier agreed to walk back a tax on U.S.-bound electricity. The European Union (EU) announced retaliatory tariffs today on some $28.3 billion worth of U.S. goods, while some countries such as the UK refrained from enacting countermeasures.
Duterte in The Hague. Former Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte was flown to the Netherlands-based headquarters of the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued a warrant for his arrest for “murder as a crime against humanity.” An investigation into Duterte at the ICC is focused on his war on drugs and accuses him of being responsible for extrajudicial killings. Duterte’s lawyer said the ICC lacked jurisdiction for the arrest, which ICC judges and current Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. dispute.
Migrants reverse course in Panama. Amid asylum restrictions in the United States, the number of migrants heading north across the Colombia-Panama border dwindled last month to 408. That’s down from more than 20,000 per month for much of 2024. In the meantime, 2,200 migrants entered Panama moving south this year, Panama’s president said late last month.
EU seeks antibiotic self-reliance. EU leadership unveiled proposed guidelines yesterday to lead member countries to buy more pharmaceuticals domestically. Currently, countries in the bloc rely heavily on drugs from China and India. The proposal offers subsidies for local production and encourages member states to use local procurement requirements and make purchases based on factors other than price.
Opposition victory in Greenland. The island’s center-right Demokraatik Party, which advocates for a gradual move toward independence from Denmark, won yesterday’s election. They earned around 30 percent of votes, according to near-complete results. Another opposition party favoring more immediate independence was on course to earn almost 25 percent of the vote. Demokraatik leader Jens Frederik Nielsen said the party would “enter into negotiations with everyone” as “Greenland needs us to stand together in a time of great interest from outside.”
New talks between Israel, Lebanon. Delegations from Israel and Lebanon met with U.S. and French mediators Monday for preliminary talks over points of conflict including their land border, the Israeli prime minister’s office said. U.S. envoy Morgan Ortagus said the ongoing negotiations will also weigh the future of Israeli military outposts in Lebanon. In the short term, the talks are a positive sign for the continuation of the cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, Bloomberg reported.
Train hijacked in Pakistan. Separatist militants in Balochistan province claimed responsibility for hijacking a train yesterday with more than four hundred people on board. The separatists said they sought a prisoner exchange with Pakistani authorities. Pakistani security forces began a rescue operation, and state media reported today that nearly two hundred people had been freed. The government said its forces had killed at least thirty militants, while the militant group said it killed more than thirty off-duty security personnel on the train.
Seven countries meet WHO air standards. Almost every country in the world had an average air quality last year that was worse than recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO), according to Swiss monitoring company IQAir. It flagged disparities within countries and some progress: overall air pollution in China and India improved last year. But data gaps in global air quality statistics appear poised to grow. Some developing countries have for years relied on air quality monitoring at U.S. diplomatic outposts, but the U.S. State Department recently closed its monitoring program, citing budget cuts.
