As fears grew that the trade war initiated by the US and China would severely weaken the global economy, the two countries have announced an agreement to temporarily cut a large portion of the extremely high tariffs they had imposed. The US had decided to impose a 145% tariff on goods imported from China, while China had decided to impose a 125% duty on goods imported from the US.
For the first time since introducing the tariffs, China’s Vice Premier Liu He met with US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer during ongoing negotiations in Geneva. From these discussions, they have now agreed to reduce the 145% tariff on Chinese goods imported to the US to 30%. In exchange, China has agreed to reduce its 125% duty on US imports to 10%.
Both countries stated that this change will remain in effect for the next 90 days until a permanent agreement can be reached. After the negotiations, the US Treasury Secretary said that both countries had effectively protected their national interests in these talks. He also said that both countries want to find a way to conduct trade between the two nations on equal terms, and that this outcome had been achieved. With the announcement of this agreement, the value of the US dollar has already begun to rise in global financial markets.
Financial experts had estimated that this dispute between the world’s two largest economies was disrupting global trade and trapping approximately $600 billion worth of goods in limbo.
It has been revealed that the government of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which rules Syria, has offered to give President Donald Trump’s business company, The Trump Organization, the opportunity to build a high-end building in the Syrian capital Damascus to please Trump. HTS’s government is reported to have made this offer at a time when Trump is scheduled to depart on a trip to some Middle Eastern countries.
Trump’s company has built high-end buildings called ‘Trump Tower’ for residential and commercial purposes in various parts of the world. Trump Tower buildings are located in New York and Chicago in the United States, as well as in various parts of the world. These include India, Indonesia, South Korea, Turkey, Philippines, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Sources familiar with the matter said that the opportunity to build a ‘Trump Tower’ in Damascus was offered to Trump’s company in an attempt to secure a meeting with HTS leaders during Trump’s trip to the Middle East. In addition, sources said that the HTS government has proposed other measures to please Trump.
These include beginning to normalize relations with Zionist Israel by ending hostilities, as well as giving the United States a share in Syria’s oil and gas industry, according to sources. Those familiar with the matter said these were proposals made to please Trump and seek relief from the harsh sanctions imposed by the United States against Syria.
US considers HTS a terrorist organization
The government of HTS President Ahmad al-Shara’a made these proposals to a senior Trump activist. Sources said Jonathan Bass, a senior activist and close associate of Trump, met with Shara’a in Damascus on April 30. Reports also state that the meeting lasted for four hours.
The main purpose of the meeting was to secure an opportunity for Shara’a to meet with Trump during his trip to the Middle East. Reports say that Syrian activists, as well as some Arab and Gulf countries, have also requested such a meeting. Trump is scheduled to visit Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE during his trip to the Middle East.
HTS is a terrorist organization. The group overthrew the elected Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government in a coup on December 8, 2024. As HTS forces stormed Damascus, Assad fled to Russia and sought protection in Moscow. Since then, Syria has been ruled by a government formed by HTS.
Syrian economy in deep crisis
After 14 years of civil war, Syria’s economy has been shattered. The biggest obstacle to efforts to recover from the financial and economic disaster facing the country are the harsh sanctions imposed by the United States and Western powers. Shara’a’s government is working to seek relief from these measures. And pleading with the US government.
It should be noted that Trump has previously met with people the US government considers enemies. This includes North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Trump activist Bass said that if Shara’a gets the opportunity to meet with Trump, it would be a decision that would change the Trump administration’s view of the Syrian government. And such a meeting would provide an opportunity to resolve the tensions between Syria and Zionist Israel.
“Shara’a wants to develop a business agreement for Syria’s future. He told me he would offer the opportunity to build a Trump Tower in Damascus. He wants to make peace with neighbors. What he said is good for the region, especially for Israel,” Bass said. Although Bass said this, the HTS government has not confirmed any information regarding this matter. Syrian media have also not reported news related to this.
Ali Suzain, who has been guiding the national football team, has said that the League Cup 2025 organized by the Football Association of Maldives (FAM) will benefit the upcoming matches of the national football team. It has been decided to entrust Suzain, an experienced coach who previously held the position, to guide the national team in the match against Timor-Leste in June for the AFC Asian Cup qualifiers and in the friendly match against Singapore in preparation for that match.
A three-month contract was announced to find a coach for the national team due to the SAFF Championship football tournament and Asian Cup qualifiers next month. However, with the postponement of the SAFF Championship to next year, FAM has decided to abandon the idea of finding a new coach on a short contract and proceed with the upcoming two matches without hiring a new coach. In a special interview given to the state media “PSM News” regarding the start of the League Cup, experienced football coach Suzain said that this is an opportunity for players while the Maldivian football season has not yet started amidst concerns.
“Playing football will not cause any harm. However, clubs that do not participate have no opportunity. There are national team matches in June. Playing in a tournament will bring advantages,” said Suzain. Noting that the League Cup ends on the 28th of this month, Suzain said that with the national team scheduled to play a friendly match in Singapore next month, and then travel to Thailand, the period between the end date of the League Cup and the dates the national team needs to depart for these matches is very close. “The period is very close. There will be difficulties in preparation. That’s because we will have to gather all the players and leave after only about four or five practices. So it is believed that the coach will face that difficulty,” Suzain said.
He also noted that if there are changes to the national team squad after the League Cup, changes will need to be made to how the national team has been playing before, and this would greatly reduce the opportunity for the coach. While five clubs compete in the League Cup football tournament, many national team players also play in this tournament. The clubs competing in this tournament include the most recent Maldivian champion Maziya Sports & Recreation, TC Sports Club, Odi Sports Club, and second division teams New Radiant Sports Club and Mahibadhoo Sports Club.
The final match of the League Cup will be on the 28th of this month. FAM has arranged for spectators to enter free of charge for each match in this tournament, which is being held at the National Football Stadium. This tournament is being conducted with great support from the Ministry of Sports to FAM. The football tournament was introduced under the name of League Cup and started because the Maldivian football season had not begun and was prolonged, causing losses to clubs and players, with the purpose of providing a competitive tournament for the clubs. FAM now plans to start the Maldivian football season in August under the guidance of FIFA and AFC.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has stated that this government will value the great responsibility carried out by nurses tirelessly and without boredom, more than any other time in the past. He said this in his congratulatory address on the occasion of Nurses Day. Continuing his speech along these lines, he said that this government will listen to and respond to nurses’ voices. The President also said that the government will prioritize and facilitate many beneficial things for nurses.
In his congratulatory address on the occasion of Nurses Day, the President extended his congratulations and best wishes, with praise and commendation, to the hardworking nurses who carry out one of the most burdensome and honorable responsibilities of serving humanity day and night. In his address, he noted that a nurse’s work is a comprehensive, multifaceted, and great responsibility. He also stated that nursing service is a noble work where the reward and merit received for the service, and the kindness and good prayers received from others, are many times greater than the salary given.
The President has also shared a post on social media congratulating nurses on Nurses Day. In his post, he highlighted that it is the friendly nurses who welcome patients for treatment at hospitals and remain in service until they recover and return home. He noted that they perform work that makes the entire nation proud by showing compassion to so many people every day with a smile. He also wished for further progress and success for Maldivian nurses.”
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has revealed that the Singapore government has not advised its citizens against traveling to the Maldives. The Ministry made this statement in a press release issued in response to news published in some Maldivian media outlets claiming that the Singapore government had advised its citizens not to travel to the Maldives unless for essential purposes.
The Ministry stated that the Singapore government has confirmed that they have not issued such an advisory regarding the Maldives in recent times. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also clarified that the statement circulating on social media is not a recent advisory issued by the Singapore government.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that spreading false information about countries that maintain friendly and close relations with the Maldives could potentially have negative impacts on Maldivian citizens and the country’s economy. Therefore, the Ministry has appealed for responsible reporting of news and especially urged against spreading false information related to friendly countries.
President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has said that nurses do work that makes the whole nation proud every day with a smile and kindness. He said this in a post shared on social media on the occasion of International Nurses Day, which is celebrated today. International Nurses Day is celebrated on May 12th every year. In connection with the day, President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said that it is the nurses who welcome patients to hospitals for treatment and remain in service with kindness until they recover and return home.
The President said that nurses do work that makes the whole nation proud with a smile, showing compassion to many people every day, and extended his best wishes for the day, wishing Maldivian nurses further progress and success.
Nurses’ Day is celebrated to recognize and appreciate the sacrifice nurses make for humanity and their service at a global level. The theme set by the International Council of Nurses for this year’s International Nurses Day is “Our Nurses, Our Future. Caring for Nurses Strengthen Economies.” The purpose of this theme is to recognize the hard work of nurses and emphasize the importance of finding favorable ways for nurses to build a strong economy for the future.
As nurses are the ones who work most closely with patients, they play a crucial role in providing the care, attention, and compassion needed by patients while they are in a state of illness. The government has been working to increase the proportion of Maldivian nurses in the country.
The “Maldives 2.0” Summit, held to implement the government’s digitalization policy, has concluded. The closing ceremony was presided over by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu. The “Maldives 2.0” Summit was held from the 10th to the 12th of this month at Bandos Nasandhura. Maldives 2.0 is a program inaugurated under the special initiative of the President, bringing together all state institutions to work collaboratively to lead the Maldives towards revolutionary and reformative changes in the digital sphere. Maldives 2.0 is a project launched to usher the Maldives into a new digital era, aiming to provide fast, secure, and transparent services. This project aims to bring revolutionary changes to how government services are provided to citizens and how institutions are administratively run through digital means, with the goal of producing results within the next 3 years.
The ‘Maldives 2.0 Digital Transformation Summit’ was a summit held among relevant government institutions to strengthen the service system in this field. At this summit, important decisions were made regarding policies included in Maldives 2.0, such as strengthening cybersecurity, facilitating trusted digital transactions through internationally standardized digital IDs, establishing a data exchange layer for secure and instant transfer of personal information and data between state institutions, establishing a sovereign cloud for secure storage and archiving of sensitive information from state institutions, facilitating citizen-centric digital delivery of government services as much as possible under one roof, building a digitally future-ready generation, and expanding opportunities for Maldivians and Maldivian businesses in the ICT sector.
After discussions by relevant agencies at the summit, the National Digital Declaration based on these matters was presented to President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu at the closing ceremony. Speaking at this ceremony, Saeedha Umar, Managing Director of Trade Net, highlighted that the Maldives 2.0 Summit was a very successful summit. She noted the participation of high-level state officials and ministries, and the technical and constructive discussions that took place. She also mentioned that the summit revealed a great deal of interest among relevant agencies in achieving the goals of Maldives 2.0.
“We believe that we all need to work very closely together in the digitalization effort. And since this field requires building skills and expertise relatively, it was a major suggestion from the participants of this summit to make such summits involve many advanced countries in this field and include their experiences,” said Saeedha.
The summit featured presentations by 3 keynote speakers and 10 papers were presented and discussed. A special panel discussion related to this topic was also held during the opening ceremony. The President has decided to make Maldives 2.0 an annual summit.
With the reforms implemented through this project, services will be designed to be accessible with a few clicks instead of physical and digital queues. The government reveals that instead of the perception of separated islands in governance and service provision, and the feeling of using separate systems for service delivery, the citizens’ perceptions and experiences will be transformed to that of a country receiving services through a connected network.
Statistics have shown that international flights to the Maldives have increased during the first 3 months of this year. The number of tourists arriving in the Maldives during the first 3 months has also increased. As the number of tourists coming to the Maldives is increasing, the number of international airlines traveling to the Maldives is also increasing. Airlines are also increasing the number of trips they make to the Maldives.
According to the Monthly to the Monthly Statistics Report of the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA), international airlines have made a total of 4,880 trips to the Maldives in the first 3 months of this year. During the same period last year, 4,628 trips were made. This represents a 5.4% increase.
Photo Credits: VIA
During this period, airlines made 4,444 scheduled trips to the Maldives. In the same period last year, 4,141 scheduled trips were made. This is a 7.3% increase. General flight movements have decreased in the first 3 months. Accordingly, general flight movements stand at 436. The MMA report shows that general flight movements for the same period last year were 487.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Tourism, 866,462 tourists have arrived in the Maldives as of May 6th. This is an 8% increase compared to last year. Statistics from the Ministry of Tourism show that an average of 6,877 tourists arrive in the Maldives per day.”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin in Turkey on May 15 for direct talks on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, as proposed by Putin.
Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014. After years of tensions, Putin sent Russian military forces into Ukraine in February 2022, calling it a special operation to defend Russian-speaking people there. Putin also said Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO posed a threat to Russia. The conflict has escalated into Europe’s largest war since World War II. Russia now controls 20% of Ukraine’s territory.
As Russia continues to launch many attacks on Ukraine, Putin’s proposal for direct talks comes after major world powers warned on May 10 that they would take new measures against Russia if it did not halt hostilities for 30 days. Putin announced in a televised statement on May 11 that he wanted direct talks between Russia and Ukraine. However, Putin also said the talks could only happen if Ukraine did not set any preconditions.
Putin noted that talks between Russia and Ukraine had taken place in 2022 but ended due to Ukraine. He said Russia still wants to establish lasting peace. Putin said he believes some kind of agreement on halting hostilities could be reached during the talks in Turkey, which would be a step towards establishing sustainable peace.
Previously, Zelenskyy had said Ukraine was ready for talks with Russia, but only if Russia agreed to halt hostilities for 30 days as proposed by Western countries. However, Zelenskyy later changed his tone. In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he would be waiting for Putin in Turkey on May 15. He said he hopes Russia will not make any excuses this time.
Zelenskyy’s change in tone appears to be in response to comments by former U.S. President Donald Trump about Putin’s proposal. The U.S. is Ukraine’s biggest military aid provider. Trump said Russia does not just want a temporary halt to hostilities, but wants to negotiate an end to the bloody war.
Trump said Ukraine should immediately accept Putin’s invitation to talks. He said that’s the only way to know if an agreement can be reached. Trump added that if an agreement cannot be reached, Western leaders and the U.S. will have clarity on the situation and can decide how to proceed. It remains unclear if Putin will personally participate in the proposed talks in Turkey on May 15.
President Vladimir Putin has proposed to start peace talks between Russia and Ukraine. Putin’s proposal to begin peace talks to end the war between Russia and Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022, was welcomed by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. However, he has made it conditional on ceasing hostilities before starting peace talks.
The Russia-Ukraine war is currently the most dangerous situation facing the West and Europe. It is also the biggest confrontation between the West and Russia since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962. This is also the largest war in the European continent since World War II. Putin invited Ukraine to participate in peace talks with Russia during a televised speech. Putin proposed to hold peace talks between the two countries in the two countries in Istanbul, Turkey. However, he said that he would not accept any preconditions set by Ukraine before starting the talks.
“Our invitation is for [the Ukrainian capital] Kyiv to meet with us directly for talks without any preconditions. We are extending this invitation to start talks in Istanbul on Thursday [May 15],” Putin said. Putin also said that the purpose of the talks is to establish sustainable peace.
Zelensky and Trump’s welcome
Zelensky has welcomed Putin’s invitation. He said that Putin’s proposal is “a constructive sign that Russia finally wants to end the war.” “We hope that Russia will confirm the cessation of hostilities—which must be complete and sustainable—starting tomorrow, from May 12, Ukraine is ready for the meeting,” he said.
US President Donald Trump has been making the strongest efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine war. Ending the war is one of his presidential promises. Trump welcomed Putin’s call for direct talks with Zelensky. And he described it as the dawn of a new day. “This will be a very important day for Russia and Ukraine! Think about the hundreds of thousands of lives that will be saved from bloodshed and that this will come to an end,” he said.
Western powers still warning
Putin’s proposal for talks between the two countries to end the war comes at a time when leaders of four European countries have visited the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. These are the United Kingdom, France, Germany and Poland. Those countries have called on Putin to cease hostilities for a period of 30 days. Western powers have also warned that if that call is ignored, sanctions against Russia will be multiplied many times over.
In addition to Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron has also welcomed Putin’s invitation. However, Macron suspected that this could be a ploy by Putin to gain more time to increase military capabilities. Putin said he would discuss holding Russia-Ukraine peace talks in Istanbul with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
During the Russia-Ukraine war, Russian forces have taken control of a large percentage of Ukrainian territory. This includes many towns in the two main regions of eastern Donbas in Ukraine, Luhansk and Donetsk. It also includes some areas of Zaporizhzhia in the south. Russia took control of Crimea, Ukraine’s southernmost region, in 2014.
