Category: Latest News

SEOUL: South Korea, China and Japan held their first economic dialogue in five years on Sunday, seeking to facilitate regional trade as the three Asian export powers brace from US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The countries’ three trade ministers agreed to “closely cooperate for a comprehensive and high-level” talks on a South Korea-Japan-China free trade agreement deal to promote “regional and global trade”, according to a statement released after the meeting.

“It is necessary to strengthen the implementation of RCEP, in which all three countries have participated, and to create a framework for expanding trade cooperation among the three countries through Korea-China-Japan FTA negotiations,” said South Korean Trade Minister Ahn Duk-geun, referring to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

The ministers met ahead of Trump’s announcement on Wednesday of more tariffs in what he calls “liberation day”, as he upends Washington’s trading partnerships.

Seoul, Beijing and Tokyo are major US major trading partners, although they have been at loggerheads among themselves over issues including territorial disputes and Japan’s release of wastewater from the wrecked Fukushima nuclear power plant.

They have not made substantial progress on a trilateral free-trade deal since starting talks in 2012.

RCEP, which went into force in 2022, is a trade framework among 15 Asia-Pacific countries aimed at lowering trade barriers.

Trump announced 25% import tariffs on cars and auto parts last week, a move that may hurt companies, especially Asian automakers, which are among the largest vehicle exporters to the US

After Mexico, South Korea is the world’s largest exporter of vehicles to the United States, followed by Japan, according to data from S&P.

The ministers agreed to hold their next ministerial meeting in Japan.

Authorities in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh (UP) have reportedly enforced a ban on offering Eid ul Fitr prayer on public roads, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from opposition leaders and even some allies of the ruling party.

In the city of Meerut, police issued warnings that individuals offering Eid prayers on roads could face legal repercussions, including the potential cancellation of their passports and driving licences, Indian media reported.

Meerut’s superintendent of police (SP) Ayush Vikram Singh said that strict legal action would be taken against violators, saying: “Instructions have been given that under no circumstances shall namaz be offered on the road.”

He further warned that individuals booked under criminal charges may not be able to renew their passports without a court-issued no-objection certificate.

Opposition parties strongly criticised the move, accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of targeting the Muslim community ahead of Eid.

Samajwadi Party MP Iqra Hasan remarked, “Why is the government so troubled by a 10-minute Eid prayer? They go to the UAE and embrace everyone but impose restrictions at home. Since 2014, the government has only sown hatred.”

Broadcast media outlet ABP News also questioned the rationale behind the restriction, asking why long religious processions can block roads for weeks while a 15-minute Eid prayer is not tolerated twice a year.

Even members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s coalition have expressed disapproval.

Chirag Paswan, Minister for Food Processing Industries, said: “I do not agree with this politics. I believe there are bigger issues to address. We should be focusing on those, not constantly talking about Hindu and Muslim.”

Union Minister Chaudhary Jayant Singh, a BJP ally, called the police action a sign of authoritarianism, writing on X, “Policing towards Orwellian 1984!”

In Sambhal, where tensions have remained high since last November’s violence, officials initially sparked outrage by reportedly banning prayer even on rooftops. After facing backlash, district magistrate Rajendra Pensiya clarified that the restriction applied only to eight to ten dilapidated rooftops in an Archaeological Survey of India-protected zone near the Sambhal Shahi Jama Masjid.

Meanwhile, police deployed drone cameras and CCTVs to monitor compliance with the directive during Friday prayer. Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Shrish Chandra said that congregational prayer would be permitted only inside mosques and designated Eidgahs.

To prevent overflow onto roads, peace committee members were instructed to redirect worshippers to other locations once a mosque reached 70–80% capacity.

Samajwadi Party MP Ziaur Rehman Barq denounced the restrictions, saying that a person’s terrace was not the property of the government. He questioned: “If a person is not allowed to pray at his residence, where will he go?”

Chandra Shekhar Aazad, opposition MP from Bijnor, criticised what he described as a competition among UP police officers “to see who gives more disgusting statements” against Muslims. “The police are not the court. They do not have any right to cancel passports. I think Muslims will have to get permission even to breathe in the coming times,” said Aazad.

In the neighbouring state of Haryana, Eid ul Fitr holidays were also cancelled. Assembly member Chaudhary Aftab condemned the decision, noting that the holiday was downgraded from a gazetted to a restricted status due to the end of the financial year.

The restrictions have fuelled growing concerns over religious freedom and government overreach, as well as accusations that Muslims are being unfairly targeted under the guise of law and order.

Web Desk

March 30, 2025

Muslims around the world are celebrating Eid ul Fitr today (Sunday) to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan and indulge in yearly festivities which commence with congregational Eid prayer.

Eid is being celebrated in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkiye, Russia, Albania, Iran, Sudan, Lebanon, Yemen and Palestine following the Shawwal moon’ sighting.

Let’s have a look at how people marked Eid ul Fitr across the globe.

WASHINGTON: Washington has confirmed plans to shut down USAID by July 2025 as part of sweeping foreign aid cuts, marking the end of the agency that has overseen billions in global assistance since 1961.

The latest move by US President Donald Trump’s administration announced on Friday formalises widely criticised plans to dramatically cut foreign aid spending.

“Today, the Department of State and the US Agency for International Development (USAID) have notified Congress of their intent to undertake a reorganisation that would involve realigning certain USAID functions to the Department by 1 July 2025,” US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement.

The State Department, he said, also plans on “discontinuing the remaining USAID functions that do not align with Administration priorities.”

“Unfortunately, USAID strayed from its original mission long ago,” he said. “As a result, the gains were too few, and the costs were too high.”

After taking office in January, Republican President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing US foreign aid for 90 days.

Dramatic cuts to various USAID programmes followed, with some exemptions granted for vital humanitarian aid.

The aid freeze has caused shock and dismay at the independent agency, created by an act of the US Congress in 1961.

Prior to its closure, the agency managed an annual budget of close to $43 billion, accounting for more than 40 per cent of the world’s humanitarian aid. Most of its staff were placed on administrative leave shortly after Trump took office.

USAID staff were informed in a memo on Friday of plans to eliminate all jobs not required by law, according to multiple US media organisations.

In the memo, Jeremy Lewin, the acting head of the independent agency, reportedly said the State Department also planned to retire most of USAID’s independent operations in the coming months.

The Meteorological Department said that the first solar eclipse of this year is set to take place today (Saturday) as many people across the world gather to witness the celestial event.

The celestial event will be visible in parts of Europe, Asia, North America, South America and the Atlantic Ocean.

However, it will not be possible to see the eclipse in Pakistan and India.

According to the Met Office, the solar eclipse will begin at 1:51pm.

Moreover, the partial solar eclipse will peak at 3:47pm, as per the Met Office.

The solar eclipse will end at 5:44pm (PST), the weather department said.

Additionally, the second solar eclipse of the current year will occur on the night between September 21 and 22.

The second eclipse will also be partial.

When the Moon moves between the Sun and Earth, blocking some or all the Sun’s light, a solar eclipse occurs, reported BBC.

Depending on how much of the Sun is obscured, there are different types of solar eclipses.

Moreover, it’s important to ensure you’re taking the proper precautions to view this celestial event safely.

It is never safe to look directly at the Sun with the naked eye as it can cause eye damage, including blindness even during a partial eclipse.

To filter out harmful UV rays and reduce the intense brightness of the Sun, solar eclipse glasses are specifically designed, making it safe to look directly at the eclipse.

MYANMAR: The death toll from a huge earthquake that hit Myanmar and Thailand passed 1,600 on Saturday, as rescuers dug through the rubble of collapsed buildings in a desperate search for survivors.

The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of the city of Sagaing in central Myanmar early Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

The quake destroyed buildings, downed bridges, and buckled roads across swathes of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country’s second biggest city and home to more than 1.7 million people.

“We need aid,” said Thar Aye, 68, a Mandalay resident. “We don’t have enough of anything.”

At least 1,644 people were killed and more than 3,400 injured in Myanmar, with at least 139 more missing, the junta said in a statement. Around 10 more deaths have been confirmed in Bangkok.

But with communications badly disrupted, the true scale of the disaster is only starting to emerge from the isolated military-ruled state, and the toll is expected to rise significantly.

In Mandalay, AFP journalists saw rescuers pull a woman alive from the remains of one apartment block where a Red Cross official said more than 90 people could be trapped.

After hours of painstaking work at the Sky Villa Condominium, half of whose 12 storeys were flattened by the quake, Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out and carried by stretcher to be embraced by her husband and taken to hospital.

Another woman at the apartment block was less fortunate. Her 20-year-old son, an employee at the bulding, is still missing.

“We cannot find him yet. I only have this child — I feel so heartbroken,” said Min Min Khine, 56, a staff cook at the building.

“He ate at my dining room and said goodbye. Then he left and the earthquake happened. If he was with me, he might have escaped like me,” she told AFP.

Elsewhere in Mandalay, AFP journalists saw dozens of people preparing to bed down for the night in the streets, preferring to sleep in the open rather than take the risk in quake-damaged buildings.

‘Started shaking’

This was the biggest quake to hit Myanmar in decades, according to geologists, and the tremors were powerful enough to severely damage buildings across Bangkok, hundreds of kilometres (miles) away from the epicentre.

AFP journalists saw a centuries-old Buddhist pagoda in Mandalay that had been reduced to rubble.

“The monastery also collapsed. One monk died, some people were injured, we pulled out some people and took them to the hospital,” said a soldier at a nearby checkpoint.

There are reports of damage to Mandalay Airport, which would complicate relief efforts in a country whose rescue services and healthcare system have already been ravaged by four years of civil war sparked by a military coup in 2021.

Rare junta plea for help

Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing issued an exceptionally rare appeal for international aid on Friday, indicating the severity of the calamity. Previous military governments have shunned foreign assistance, even after major natural disasters.

The country declared a state of emergency across the six worst-affected regions after the quake, and at one major hospital in the capital, Naypyidaw, medics were forced to treat the wounded in the open air.

Offers of foreign assistance began coming in, with President Donald Trump pledging US help.

An initial aid delivery arrived from India, while China said it sent more than 80 rescuers to Myanmar and pledged $13.8 million in emergency assistance.

Aid agencies have warned that Myanmar is unprepared to deal with a disaster of this magnitude. Some 3.5 million people were displaced by the raging civil war, many at risk of hunger, even before the quake struck.

Bangkok building collapse

Across the border in Bangkok, rescuers were continuing to work Saturday as a second night drew in, searching for survivors trapped when a 30-storey skyscraper under construction collapsed.

Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt told reporters that eight people had been confirmed dead in the building collapse so far, while at least eight others were rescued.

But he said 79 were still unaccounted for at the building, close to the Chatuchak weekend market that is a magnet for tourists.

“I can’t describe how I feel — it happened in the blink of an eye,” said construction worker Khin Aung who escaped the collapse.

“All my friends and my brother were in the building when it collapsed. I don’t have any words to say.”

Sniffer dogs and thermal imaging drones were deployed to seek signs of life in the rubble — Chadchart said that the locations of about 30 people could be ascertained by radar.

Bangkok city authorities said they will deploy more than 100 engineers to inspect buildings for safety after receiving over 2,000 reports of damage.

MANDALAY: A woman has been pulled alive from the debris of a collapsed apartment block in Mandalay, 30 hours after a powerful earthquake struck Myanmar, causing widespread destruction and leaving many feared trapped.

Applause rang out as Phyu Lay Khaing, 30, was brought out of the Sky Villa Condominium by rescuers and carefully removed from the rubble on a stretcher.

Her husband, Ye Aung, who had been waiting anxiously for news, embraced her as the stretcher was lifted down.

“In the beginning, I didn’t think she would be alive,” Ye Aung told AFP as he waited for his wife to emerge from the debris.

“I am very happy that I heard good news,” said the trader, who has two sons with his wife – eight-year-old William and five-year-old Ethan.

As the ambulance drove away to hospital, Ye Aung was seen through the window clutching his wife’s hand.

A Red Cross official told AFP earlier that more than 90 people could be trapped under the remains of the apartment block.

The shallow 7.7-magnitude quake struck northwest of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a 6.7-magnitude aftershock.

The tremors destroyed buildings, brought down bridges, and buckled roads across vast areas of Myanmar, with massive destruction seen in Mandalay, the country’s second-largest city and home to more than 1.7 million people.

A new report by US intelligence said that India has emerged as a growing player in the illegal fentanyl trade, a designation which is likely to raise alarm in New Delhi as President Donald Trump wields tariffs on countries he accuses of not doing enough to stop the deadly drug from flowing into the United States.

Fentanyl is the most common drug involved in overdose deaths in the US, reported CNN.

Drug has fuelled an opioid crisis that has become a high-priority issue for the Trump administration.

China has been the largest source of both legal supplies of the drug for many years. The drug is prescribed for severe pain relief and illegal supplies of precursor chemicals that are typically processed in labs in Mexico before the final product is smuggled across the US border.

However, according to the 2025 Annual Threat Assessment (ATA) report published by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence this month, India’s role in the illegal trade is becoming more prominent.

“Nonstate groups are often enabled, both directly and indirectly, by state actors, such as China and India as sources of precursors and equipment for drug traffickers,” the report said.

“China remains the primary source country for illicit fentanyl precursor chemicals and pill pressing equipment, followed by India,” it added.

India was named by last year’s ATA report as among countries other than China where Mexican cartels were sourcing precursor chemicals to a “lesser extent.”

Supplying a significant portion of the world’s vaccines and medicines, India is a global leader in generic drug manufacturing.

Saudi Arabia has announced that Sunday, March 30, 2025, will be the first day of Eid ul Fitr, after the Shawwal moon was sighted on Saturday evening.

According to media reports, the moon-sighting committee convened after Maghrib prayers and verified the sighting of the new moon, marking the end of Ramadan after 29 days of fasting.

An official statement from the Royal Court confirmed that today, Saturday is the last day of Ramadan, and tomorrow, Sunday, will be celebrated as Eid ul Ftir across the Kingdom. 

Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has also announced that Sunday, March 30, 2025, will be the first day of Eid ul Fitr.

Muslims celebrate Eid ul Fitr as the completion of the fasting month of Ramadan, the ninth month in the Islamic calendar.

Similarly, other Middle Eastern countries, including Kuwait, Qatar, and Iran, have also announced sighting of the Shawwal moon and would celebrate Eid tomorrow.

Countries where moon not sighted

Meanwhile, a number of countries officially announced that Eid ul Fitr will fall on Monday, March 31, 2025, as the Shawwal crescent moon was not sighted on Saturday evening.

Oman has officially announced that the Shawwal moon was not sighted, and Eid ul Fitr will be celebrated on Monday, March 31.

Authorities in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, and Australia confirmed the date based on astronomical data and local moon sighting efforts.

In Bangladesh, the National Moon Sighting Committee stated that the crescent moon was not sighted, making Sunday the 30th day of Ramadan.

Indonesia also declared Monday as the first day of Eid after failing to observe the Shawwal crescent.

India, where today marks the 28th of Ramadan, expects the moon to be visible on Sunday, thereby celebrating Eid on Monday.

Malaysia’s International Astronomy Centre (IAC) confirmed that the crescent will be visible to the naked eye on Sunday, placing Eid on March 31.

Brunei followed suit, with the IAC also confirming that the moon will be visible there on Sunday.

The Australian Fatwa Council declared Eid Al-Fitr on March 31 as well, noting that the Shawwal moon will be born after sunset on Saturday in both eastern and western parts of the country.

Survivors desperately searched through the rubble for those trapped beneath in the aftermath of a powerful earthquake that devastated buildings in Mandalay, Myanmar on Friday.

Lacking heavy machinery and facing delays in official assistance, locals and rescue workers struggled to rescue individuals calling for help.

Htet Min Oo, 25, narrowly escaped when a brick wall crushed him, leaving half his body trapped. He spoke of his anguish as he attempted to clear debris with his bare hands, searching for his grandmother and two uncles who remained unaccounted for under the wreckage of a building.

“There’s too much rubble, and no rescue teams have come for us,” he said, breaking into tears.

Myanmar has been in crisis since 2021, when the military seized power from an elected government, brutally crushing protests and sparking an unprecedented armed uprising.

Humanitarian agencies say Friday’s quake, which measured 7.7 magnitude and has killed more than 1,000 people, has come at a vulnerable moment for the country, after four years of military rule and civil war that has crippled infrastructure and displaced millions.

“The powerful earthquake hit the country at the worst possible time,” Sheela Matthew, deputy country director for the World Food Program, said in a statement. “Myanmar just can’t afford another disaster.”

People across the country are affected by “widespread violence”, and the health system has “been decimated by conflict, overwhelmed by outbreaks of cholera and other diseases”, said Mohammed Riyas, Myanmar director for the International Rescue Committee.

“The added stress of meeting the needs of those who have been injured in the earthquake is going to cause unparalleled strain on already stretched resources,” Riyas added.

A spokesperson for Myanmar’s junta did not respond to requests for comment.

The foreign minister of the National Unity Government, the parallel civilian government that oversees some pro-democracy forces, told Reuters by phone it would deploy anti-junta troops to help with disaster efforts.

Polycrisis

In January, the United Nations said the country was facing a “polycrisis” marked by economic collapse, intensifying conflict, climate hazards and deepening poverty. More than half of the country lacks access to electricity, and hospitals in conflict zones are out of service.

More than 3.5 million people have been internally displaced, and many more driven across the borders amid fighting between the military and a mosaic of armed groups that have seized control of vast swathes of territory.

Fighting continued on Friday, with military jets launching airstrikes and drone attacks shortly after the quake in Karen state, near the headquarters of one of the largest ethnic armed groups, according to the Free Burma Rangers, a relief organisation.

Nyi Nyi Kyaw, a Myanmar academic at Bristol University, wrote in a social media post that the loss of a “significant portion of (the country’s) youth, particularly young men, due to forced conscription” into the military would hinder the disaster response.

“Cities and towns stand deserted by young men who would have once taken to the streets and mobilised for rescue and relief efforts,” he said.

There is “no properly functioning – let alone legitimate – government in the regions most severely affected by the earthquake”, he said.

A rescue worker trying to free 140 monks from the ruins of a collapsed building in Amarapura, Mandalay, said, “we cannot help because we do not have enough manpower and machines to remove the debris”.

Nonetheless, he said, “we will not stop working”.

No help

Myanmar’s junta has issued a rare appeal for international aid, and disaster response teams from Russia, China, Singapore and India are flying in on Saturday.

But rights activists raised fears that aid would not reach people on the ground, as the regime has a history of blocking relief to parts of the country controlled by opposition groups.

Thomas Andrews, the United Nations special rapporteur on human rights in Myanmar, said in a post on X that the military’s response to a recent cyclone and typhoon showed its “willingness to weaponise aid in the midst of natural disasters”.

Reuters reported in December that the junta intimidated aid agencies and suppressed information about a severe food crisis gripping the country by pressuring researchers not to collect data about hunger.

In Mandalay, residents interviewed by Reuters said they had not yet received any assistance from military authorities.

One rescue worker said on Saturday they had borrowed machinery from businesses to help sift through the rubble. He said they had received nothing from the military government but declined to elaborate for fear of retribution.

Some residents were appealing for machinery on Facebook.

One wrote that members of their family had been crushed under the rubble of a mosque and “we desperately want to recover their bodies”.

“We need to rent a crane to remove the heavy concrete blocks. If anyone has information on where we can rent one, please contact us,” they wrote.