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Volker Türk highlighted growing threats to the media in a message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on 3 May. “When attacks on the media are normalised, freedom itself begins to decay, and with it, the foundations of peace, security,…
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Volker Türk highlighted growing threats to the media in a message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, observed annually on…
The Sudanese Journalists Syndicate is the latest recipient of the UNESCO/Guillermo Cano World Press Freedom Prize in recognition of…
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US President Donald Trump said on Friday he would increase tariffs on cars and trucks from the European Union to 25%, saying the bloc had not complied with its trade deal with Washington.”Based on the fact the European Union is not complying with our fully agreed to Trade Deal, next week I will be increasing Tariffs charged to the European Union for Cars and Trucks coming into the US,” he wrote in a social media post.”It is fully understood and agreed that, if they produce Cars and Trucks in USA. Plants, there will be NO TARIFF.”Trump told reporters at the White House the higher tariff would force European car makers to move their factory production to the US more quickly.”We have a trade deal with the European Union. They were not adhering to it. So I raised the tariffs on cars and trucks to 25%, that’s billions of dollars coming into the US, and it forces them to move their factory production much faster.”SLOW IMPLEMENTATIONThe Trump administration last year imposed a 25% tariff on global automotive imports under a national security trade law, but reached a deal with the EU in August to lower those duties to a net 15%, inclusive of prior duties.In exchange, the EU agreed to eliminate duties on US industrial goods, including autos, and accept US safety and emissions standards on vehicles.Although EU lawmakers advanced legislation in March to implement the tariff reductions, the process is not expected to be completed before June, as EU governments and the European Parliament negotiate final texts.”President Trump’s behavior is unacceptable,” Bernd Lange, the chair of the European Parliament’s international trade committee, told Reuters.”This latest move demonstrates just how unreliable the US side is. We have already witnessed these arbitrary attacks from the US in the case of Greenland; this is no way to treat close partners. Now we can only respond with the utmost clarity and firmness, drawing on the strength of our position,” Lange said.But a Trump administration official, asked to explain Trump’s move, said: “The EU has not complied with the autos deal after eight months.”Shares of Ford Motor fell 2% after Trump’s announcement, while those of Stellantis were down 1.7%. General Motors shares dropped 1.1%.Ryan Majerus, a former senior US Commerce Department official who is now a partner with King & Spalding, said the president’s move also may be related to Trump’s frustration that some European countries had balked at supporting the US-Israeli war against Iran.”This is not going to sit well in the EU, and I’m not sure the administration cares, because they’re so incredibly antagonistic toward the EU,” Majerus said. Related Story Source link
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The Statistical Centre for the Cooperation Council for the Arab Countries of the Gulf (GCC-Stat) on Monday released data which explicitly unveiled that the GCC countries’ experience in social protection marks an advanced regional and global model, combining social justice with economic efficiency.In its report entitled “The Reality and Policies of Social Protection in the GCC Countries”, GCC-Stat affirmed that investing in human capital remains the foremost and most reliable pathway to achieving stability, prosperity, and sustainable development, while entrenching a more inclusive and tight-knit Gulf society, both in the present and the future. The report explained that GCC countries outperform across wide-ranging international indicators related to social protection, as all member states are classified within the very high human development category, according to the Human Development Index 2025. This classification reflects their progress across core indicators, including health, education, and quality of life.GCC countries also exceed the global average in the Social Progress Index 2025, underscoring their leadership in enhancing human well-being and advancing comprehensive and inclusive development. The report further noted that average per capita GDP in GCC countries in 2024 reached a level approximately three times higher than the global average, while all GCC states ranked among the top six positions in the Global Competitiveness Index at the regional level of West Asia and Africa. This performance reflects the resilience of their economies and their capacity to finance extensive social protection networks with relatively high levels of public spending.It highlighted that 100 percent of GCC populations have access to education, healthcare, clean water, and electricity, and that GCC countries are free of slums or inadequate housing, compared to 24.7 percent globally. This milestone confirms the comprehensiveness of social policies and the effectiveness of service infrastructure, reinforcing the region’s standing as an advanced model in urban planning and equitable access to adequate housing. According to the report, government expenditure on social protection in GCC countries ranged between 19.2 percent and 22.9 percent of total government spending in 2022, indicating the prioritization of investment in people as a fundamental driver of economic growth and social stability. GCC-Stat stated that social protection systems in GCC countries cover all stages of the life cycle, beginning with childhood- where the civil registration rate of children under the age of five reached 100 percent, compared to 77.2 percent globally- progressing through working age via unemployment insurance programs, work injury coverage, and maternity and paternity benefits, and extending into old age through mandatory and generous pension systems, with retirement replacement rates reaching 100 percent of the contributory wage in some countries. The report indicated that the total number of insured persons under pension systems in GCC countries exceeded 15 million, while the total number of retirees surpassed 985,000, alongside more than 497,000 beneficiary heirs, with total annual insurance benefits exceeding USD 31 billion. This reflects the scale and socio-economic impact of these systems.The report also shed light on the Insurance Protection Extension Initiative as one of the most prominent outcomes of Gulf social and economic integration.The number of GCC citizens covered by pension and social insurance systems in GCC countries other than their home states reached approximately 34,000 citizens in 2023, representing growth of more than 330 percent compared to 2007- an unmistakable indicator of the success of the GCC Common Market in strengthening the social rights of Gulf citizens. Source link
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