ROME (AFP) – Billionaire United States (US) presidential adviser Elon Musk said he hoped Europe and the US would agree to join in a free-trade zone, after US leader Donald Trump unleashed heavy global trade tariffs.
Trump’s sweeping tariffs announced earlier this week sent global stocks tumbling, worried allies and raised the prospect of others – including potentially the European Union (EU) – raising tariffs themselves.
The EU, which faces a 20-per-cent tariff, has already vowed to retaliate in “a calm, carefully phased, unified way”, EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic said.
“I hope that the United States and Europe can establish a very close partnership,” Musk said in a video address to a gathering of the Italian hard-right party La Liga.
“I hope it is agreed that both Europe and the United States should move ideally, in my view, to a zero-tariff situation, effectively creating a free-trade zone between Europe and North America,” he added in the video, posted on Musk’s social media platform X by La Liga’s leader, Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini.
The billionaire said he was in favour of “more freedom of people to move between Europe and North America” for work.
“That has certainly been my advice to the president,” he added.
But he reiterated his condemnation of what he saw as mass immigration.
Elon Musk wears a Cheesehead hat as he speaks during a town hall in Green Bay, Wisconsin. PHOTO: AFP
PARIS (AFP) – French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said United States (US) President Donald Trump’s global trade tariffs could cost France more than 0.5 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), in an interview.
Trump’s tariffs against numerous countries raised fears of a general trade war and recession, sending stock markets plunging after they were unleashed on Wednesday.
In the case of France, the duties could shave off a whole half-point of output, the centrist premier was quoted as saying in yesterday’s edition of the newspaper Le Parisien. “The risk of job losses is absolutely major, as is that of an economic slowdown, or a halt in investment,” he said.
A 10-per-cent “baseline” tariff came into force on Saturday and on April 9 around 60 trading partners, including the European Union, are set to face even higher rates.
“The destabilisation he has caused will weaken the global economy for a long time to come,” Bayrou said, adding that such economic uncertainty could threaten France’s efforts to lower its deficit.
Bayrou said he will share on April 15 the “general framework” of the choices to be made for the 2026 budget.
“The French must be involved in two necessities: finding the means for our independence, our security, our defence, and first of all our production capacity,” he said.
Earlier on Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer agreed that “a trade war was in nobody’s interests” but that “nothing was off the table” regarding their response to the tariffs.
French President Emmanuel Macron, Prime Minister Francois Bayrou and Presidency General Secretary Alexis Kohler attend a meeting with representatives of the sectors affected by new tariffs. PHOTO: AP
LONDON (AFP) – The “world as we knew it” is over, United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Keir Starmer said yesterday, as the world braced for further fallout from the introduction of United States (US) tariffs.
US President Donald Trump’s announcement of sweeping tariffs on Wednesday shows that “old assumptions can no longer be taken for granted,” Starmer said in an op-ed for the Sunday Telegraph newspaper.
“The world as we knew it has gone,” he wrote.
The new world will be governed less by established rules and “more by deals and alliances,” added the prime minister.
The tariffs have already sent markets into a tailspin, and all eyes will be on today’s opening with Trump warning Americans of pain ahead.
“This is an economic revolution, and we will win,” the Republican president wrote on Truth Social on Saturday. “Hang tough, it won’t be easy, but the end result will be historic.”
Trump’s 34 per cent tariff on Chinese goods is set to kick in next week, triggering Beijing’s announcement of a 34 per cent levy on US products from April 10.
The European Union and Japan are also among around 60 trading partners set to face even higher rates on April 9, raising fears of recessions in some of the world’s leading economies.
Wednesday’s announcement has sent countries scrambling for a response, and Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Saturday that he would suspend all tariffs on goods imported from the US after being hit with an 18 per cent levy.
The UK has so far got off relatively lightly with a 10 per cent tariff, and Starmer wrote yesterday that the country’s response “demands the best of British virtues – cool heads, pragmatism and a clear understanding of our national interest.”
The UK leader reiterated his government’s belief that “nobody wins from a trade war” and that the immediate strategy was “to keep calm and fight for the best deal.”
However, he insisted a US trade deal will only be struck “if it is right for British business” and that “all options remain on the table” in responding to the tariffs.
The new levies mark “the most sweeping tariff hike since the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, the 1930 law best remembered for triggering a global trade war and deepening the Great Depression,” said the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
In an immediate sign of the fallout, UK luxury car manufacturer Jaguar Land Rover said on Saturday that it will “pause” shipments to the US in April as it addressed “the new trading terms”.
Recognising the shifting global economic sands, Starmer said that he was now prepared to use direct state intervention to protect certain sectors.
“This week we will turbocharge plans that will improve our domestic competitiveness,” he wrote, ahead of an expected major announcement on industrial strategy.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer chairs a roundtable with UK business leaders in Downing Street in London. PHOTO: AFP
AFP – Barcelona failed to break down a frantic Real Betis defence as they were held to a 1-1 draw in La Liga yesterday but still gained ground on Real Madrid who earlier conceded deep into added time to lose 2-1 at home to Valencia.
Barcelona moved four points ahead of Real Madrid atop La Liga.
Barcelona cut open Betis in the seventh minute and Gavi slid the ball past goalkeeper Adrian from inside the six-yard box.
But the hosts were unable to turn a series of lively attacks into goals. Instead the visitors hit back after 16 minutes when centreback Natan Souza escaped the clutches of his defender to head home a Giovani Lo Celso corner.
Barcelona besieged the Betis goal in the second half but were denied by a combination of dogged defending, strong goalkeeping from Adrian and some agonising near misses.
Wojciech Szczesny did not have to make a save until the 88th minute when he turned away a long-range drive by Natan. With Betis playing for time, Barcelona did not leave themselves exposed to a late counter-attack as they played out a draw that bolstered their lead at the top.
“If we had won we would be further clear, but in the end it’s football,” Gavi told Movistar.
“The draw leaves a bitter taste, because we were unable to take advantage of the chances we had.”
The draw lifted Betis to fifth.
Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski challenged by Real Betis players during a Spanish La Liga match. PHOTO: AP
WETZLAR (AFP) – Photographer Franziska Stuenkel likes to take spontaneous urban shots, so she needs a nimble camera that is ready to go when inspiration strikes: her German-made Leica M11.
“I have to be very quick and discreet,” said the Berlin-based artist who captures reflections of people walking past windows, their contours merging with the shapes behind the glass.
Stuenkel’s compact Leica is the perfect camera for the job, the 51-year-old told AFP.
Famous for its pocket-sized and retro-style devices, the Leica brand is celebrating a milestone as it marks 100 years since its first commercial camera was presented to the public.
The Leica company was founded in 1869 by the entrepreneur Ernst Leitz in the city of Wetzlar in western Germany, originally manufacturing optical lenses and microscopes.
But it was not until 1925 that the Leica 1 camera was introduced at the Leipzig Spring Fair.
Leica cameras went on to become the tool of choice for prominent photographers for years to come, including legendary photojournalists Robert Capa and Henri Cartier-Bresson.
Even today, the nifty camera with a red dot still holds its own in a market dominated by Japanese giants such as Sony, Canon and Nikon.
ABOVE & BELOW: The Leica IA camera is shown at the Leica archive in Wetzlar, western Germany; and an employee assembles a Leica camera at the Leica factory. PHOTO: AFPPHOTO: AFP
Working with a Leica “makes you a better photographer”, said British artist Alan Schaller, who uses a monochrome version of the M11 – a digital camera with manual controls.
Schaller has got so used to adjusting the aperture, shutter speed and light sensitivity manually that he said he can now do it “faster than any automatic device”.
One hundred years on, Leica cameras are still assembled by hand in a factory in Wetzlar, north of Frankfurt.
In the dust-free assembly room, 70 workers equipped with precision screwdrivers and anti-static tweezers build the devices by hand from more than 600 parts.
It’s a painstaking job “that requires a lot of experience”, said head of camera assembly Peter Schreiner.
In another room nearby, lenses are polished to within 0.1 millionth of a metre before they are glued and lacquered.
After a difficult decade in the 2000s, Leica has turned its fortunes around by fully embracing digital cameras, which now account for the vast majority of sales.
The company still makes a handful of analogue devices – including the M6, a cousin of the M11.
Leica’s chief executive Matthias Harsch said sales are projected to have reached a record EUR600 million (USD660 million) in 2024/25, with annual growth close to 10 per cent.
Total global sales of digital cameras grew by only four per cent last year, to EUR6.8 billion, according to Germany’s GfK consumer institute.
Innovation remains at the heart of the brand, with a research budget of “more than 10 per cent of sales”, according to Harsch.
Beyond cameras, Leica has diversified into watches and laser projectors for home cinema, as well as cameras for smartphones.
Leica lenses can now be found in smartphones made by the Chinese company Xiaomi as well as in the Leitz Phone, designed by Leica with Sharp for the Japanese market. But new technology can never replace the romance of the Leica camera, according to Harsch.
“With a phone, you take snapshots. Everything else is photography,” he said, insisting that the two strands of the company’s work enjoy a “peaceful coexistence”.
Leica’s phone cameras and its traditional models are also worlds apart when it comes to price – the M11 costs upwards of EUR9,000, plus a few thousand euros extra for a lens.
North America represents around 20 per cent of Leica’s total sales and the company is “assessing the impact” of tariffs announced by United States (US) President Donald Trump, Harsch said.
Leica operates more than 120 of its own stores worldwide, including in the US, with more openings planned this year.
AFP – The Milwaukee Bucks clinched the last remaining automatic playoff place from the NBA’s Eastern Conference yesterday, before warming up for the postseason with a 121-115 overtime victory over the Miami Heat.
The Bucks had been assured of their ninth consecutive playoff appearance following the Atlanta Hawks’ 121-105 defeat to the New York Knicks earlier in the day.
The loss meant the Hawks could no longer mathematically force their way into the playoff spots and will now have to enter the four-team play-in tournament which will determine the final two postseason berths from the East.
That took the pressure off the Bucks in their road game against Miami, but they nevertheless produced a gritty performance to take down the Heat in overtime.
Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 36 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists for a triple-double, while Kevin Porter Jr added 24 from the bench.
Bam Adebayo led Miami’s scoring with 31 points, 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Heat will enter the play-in tournament alongside Chicago, Atlanta and Orlando.
While the race for top six positions in the Eastern Conference is now complete, the battle in the Western Conference remains on a knife-edge with six teams locked in a neck-and-neck battle to secure the four remaining slots behind already-qualified Oklahoma City and second-placed Houston.
With the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors both winning on Friday, the race tightened further on Saturday with the sixth-placed Memphis Grizzlies (46-32) and seventh-placed Minnesota Timberwolves (46-32) grabbing vital wins.
The Grizzlies dug deep to defeat the Detroit Pistons 109-103 on the road, with Desmond Bane pouring in 38 points with seven rebounds and three assists.
Jaren Jackson Jr added 27 points while centre Zach Edey had a huge defensive performance with 21 rebounds.
Detroit star Cade Cunningham led the Pistons scoring with 25 points.
Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo attempts a basket as Miami Heat’s Haywood Highsmith defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Florida, United States. PHOTO: AP
ANN/THE STAR – A normal-sized plush toy retails for around CNY50 (USD6.9) on average in China. However, a 31-centimetre version plush toy from London-based toymaker Jellycat is priced at CNY399 or more, and flies off the shelves the moment it becomes available.
These soft and cuddly toys have managed to transcend the traditional toy market, appealing to the emotional and psychological needs of young adults who are increasingly seeking comfort, companionship and a sense of self-expression through their purchases, analysts said.
Jellycat’s products are defined by two key characteristics: instantly recognisable features like button eyes, tiny feet and endearing smiles, as well as whimsical, anthropomorphic designs that bring the plush toys to life.
Its social media accounts have a unique way of addressing their plush toys, referring to them as “furry friends” and “retired employees” when products are discontinued. The brand regularly shares the “daily lives” of their characters, even running “employee of the month” contests.
By cultivating an immersive brand world, the company has managed to forge strong emotional bonds with its consumers, who believe that their Jellycat friends possess genuine personalities and souls, said founding director of the China Institute of New Economy Zhu Keli.
Shoppers at a soft toy shop. PHOTO: THE STAR
For sophomore student at Beijing Language and Culture University Weng Huayu, the connection to her Jellycat plush orange she bought in 2023 goes far beyond a simple purchase. Weng, who goes by the online nickname “Big Orange”, felt an instant kinship with the toy.
“I felt like there was a special bond between us,” Weng said. “I started bringing it to class with me, and now I take it everywhere. I’ve really grown to love it.”
In Weng’s eyes, her Jellycat plush orange has a warm, easygoing personality. “It’s a bit naughty as well – it often runs away when I try to take photos of it. It loves to play hide-and-seek and will hide in real orange piles. It also enjoys traveling, and we’ve been to many places together.”
During her travels, Weng always makes sure to take plenty of photos of the plush toy with the scenic backdrops and posts those in her WeChat moments.
On social media platform Xiaohongshu – also known as RedNote – users like Weng who treat Jellycat plush toys as children are far from uncommon. Many consumers have embraced Jellycat products as lifestyle companions, taking them along to class, meals, work and while traveling.
Some have even gone so far as to create dedicated social media accounts for their Jellycat plush toys, chronicling the “daily lives” of these furry companions.
Zhu said that Jellycat’s ability to imbue its products with distinct personalities and backstories has been instrumental in fostering these deep, almost anthropomorphic bonds between consumers and the plush toys.
“By creating a sense of individuality and lifelike features around their products, Jellycat has enabled consumers to see these plush toys as more than just inanimate objects, but also as friends, companions, and even extensions of their own identity,” Zhu added.
This user-generated content has become a powerful marketing tool.
Each post, photo or video is not just an advertisement – it’s a personal story that resonates with others. These stories, amplified by social media algorithms, create a ripple effect, inspiring others to buy into the same emotional experience, Zhu said.
As of February 21, a search for “Jellycat” on Xiaohongshu yielded over 1.69 million posts.
Moreover, during last year’s “Double 11” online shopping spree, which took place from October 31 to November 11, 2024, Jellycat’s store on Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall saw sales exceed CNY100 million.
In addition to e-commerce platforms like JD.com, Tmall, and Xiaohongshu, Jellycat – unlike many global brands – has no self-operated brick-and-mortar stores in China. Instead, it relies on third-party retailers, including maternal stores, bookstores and coffee shops, often operated by well-known chain brands.
“Authorised dealers are finding it quite challenging to maintain adequate inventory, often having to scramble to secure the latest Jellycat releases and popular items,” said Chen Yingjie, owner of a bookstore in Shanghai. “My store needs to restock Jellycat merchandise every one to two weeks.”
The Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism (MPRT) through the Agriculture and Agrifood Department and Department of Fisheries will continue to bolster the development of the agri-food and seafood processing industry sector in line with Brunei Vision 2035 to support national food security and drive sustainable economic growth.
The agri-food and seafood processing industry is identified as one of the five main sectors with potential in diversifying the country’s economy and position Brunei as a regional halal food production hub.
The Agriculture and Agrifood Department highlighted the importance of strengthening the industry in a statement on Saturday, stressing the efforts to enhance the agri-food sector in diversifying the national economy.
The MPRT is collaborating with agencies to focus on strengthening the seafood processing industry.
It will involve the adoption of modern technologies and the enhancement of processing efficiency to produce high-quality local products capable of competing effectively in both domestic and international markets.
A key strategy is attracting foreign direct investment by providing a stable investment environment, good infrastructure and access to international markets.
An internationally recognised halal certification system will enhance the competitiveness of Brunei’s products in local and global markets.
The ministry is also committed to promoting the growth of local companies by supporting them in increasing their manufacturing capacity.
Minister of Primary Resources and Tourism Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Abdul Manaf bin Haji Metussin during a tour at a local products exhibition. PHOTO: MPRTAttendees during a halal awareness programme. PHOTO: MPRT
It includes facilitating the expansion of their operations from home-based setups to industrial-standard premises.
Through holistic strategy and cooperation between the public and private sectors, the Sultanate is making significant progress towards becoming a globally competitive and sustainable agri-food industry hub.
It is evidenced by the efforts of the government, local companies and foreign investors, which have attracted high-quality investments, increased food processing capabilities, and strengthened Brunei’s position in the regional market.
One of the important achievements in the agri-food industry is the recent success of a local company in obtaining accreditation from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
The accreditation will enable the company to penetrate the export market to Singapore.
The success is the result of collaborative efforts between the MPRT, the Brunei Darussalam Food Authority, the Brunei Economic Development Board and PDS Abattoir Sdn Bhd.
Their joint efforts ensured that food processing in Brunei meets international standards and fulfils the overseas market requirements.
The accreditation process involved a comprehensive assessment, monitoring of quality control systems and coordination to ensure that high food safety standards are continuously improved.
The achievement demonstrates that local products are capable of entering regional markets and competing on a global scale. – James Kon
Brunei Darussalam’s maternal mortality ratio for 2018 to 2023 is equivalent to between zero to 32.4 for each 100,000 births, which is zero to two of deaths per year.
The latest maternal mortality ratio for the year 2023 is 15.9 per 100,000 births, equivalent to one death per year.
This is in line with the target of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1 to ensure that the maternal mortality rate is below 70 per 100,000 births.
Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar shared the maternal mortality ratio for the Sultanate in his World Health Day celebration message.
The minister said on April 7 every year, the world including Brunei, celebrates World Health Day to strengthen the country’s awareness and commitment on health and wellbeing of community.
This year’s theme ‘Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures’ emphasised the importance of starting a healthy lifestyle as the foundation for a brighter future, the minister said. The theme focuses on the health of mothers and newborns in the first month of life and further calls on governments and the health community to intensify efforts to end preventable maternal and newborn death as well as to give priority to longer term health and well – being of women, he said.
The minister added; “Based on the updated figure published by the World Health Organization, nearly 300,000 women globally lost their lives due to pregnancy or childbirth each year, while over two million infants die in the first month of life, and around two million passed away are stillborn. This equates to one preventable death every seven seconds.
“What is even more worrying is that, on current trends, four out of five countries are reported to be unable to meet targets related to increasing maternal survival by 2030, while one out of three countries will fail to meet the target of reducing infant mortality in the first month of life.”
He said within the past 50 to 69 years, the Sultanate achieved a good reduction in the number of maternal and infant mortality. “However, statistics show that further reductions are not necessarily easy to achieve, especially with the increase in chronic diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes and obesity among young women of childbearing age,” the minister added.
Each pregnant woman diagnosed with diseases, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham warned “is at high risk of giving birth to a baby with a birth defect, stillbirth, or premature birth”.
He added, “There is also a theory with strong evidence that exposure to these health conditions in the womb can predispose the baby’s body to the same health problems as an adult.
“This means that even if the baby is born at full term and appears healthy on the outside, there may already be a ‘programme’ in the baby’s body that leads to a risk of developing cardiovascular, metabolic, or immunological diseases in the future – simply because of the environment in the womb while the baby was developing as a fetus. The situation is also made worse if after the baby is born, the family continues to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle as the baby grows up.” – James Kon
Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar. PHOTO: MOHPHOTO: FREEPIK
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has provided organised and quality maternal healthcare services through 13 health centres and three health clinics easily accessible throughout the country, Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said in his World Health Day celebration message.
Maternal health services are aimed to reduce health problems and maternal mortality rates by providing healthcare to mothers during pregnancy and after childbirth, the minister added.
Beside maternal clinic during pregnancy and after childbirth, postnatal nursing services or home nursing to examine new mothers, health education and women’s health clinics are also provided, he said.
Comprehensive services including providing medicine, important nutritional supplements, vaccination and tests during pregnancy like ultrasound examination is provided free for all mothers in the country, regardless of their nationality – in line with the concept of universal health care, Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham added.
The minister added that this is to help ensure that pregnant mothers receive optimal care and are in the best physical and mental health throughout their pregnancy.
He added; “Maternal health services in the country are also constantly updated to ensure that they are based on the latest scientific evidence or evidence-based.
“In November 2024, the MoH introduced the Pertussis vaccine during pregnancy as recommended by the World Health Organization and as an additional strategy to prevent whooping cough in infants who are too young to be vaccinated.
“The Paediatric Healthcare services for age zero to five are also provided through 13 health centres and three health clinics, similar to the Maternal Health Services Division.
“Paediatric Health Services cover various aspects of care, including home nursing visits for newborns, routine developmental and physical assessments for children aged zero to five years, as well as administering childhood vaccines and monitoring childhood immunisation according to the Brunei Darussalam National Immunisation Expansion Programme schedule.”
He added that the programme is very comprehensive and has successfully protected children from vaccine-preventable diseases.
Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham said, “The immunisation coverage rate for all childhood vaccines in the country has remained at a high of over 95 per cent in the past decade, which is in line with the global target of reaching 90 per cent or more.”
The programme in the country is also constantly updated to ensure that it is based on the latest scientific evidence or evidence-based. On February 1, the Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) was introduced into the National Immunisation Expansion Programme, demonstrating the government’s commitment to protecting the health and well-being of children in the country, and supporting the country’s vision for a healthier future.
‘Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures’ this is the essence of the ongoing efforts to ensure that every citizen and resident of the Sultanate enjoys a healthy and productive life. With cooperation of all parties, government, private sector, community, to health professionals, Insya Allah, we will be able to achieve this goal together, the minister said.
Each individual, he said, “must also be responsible for their own health and that of their family members for the long term. It includes taking care of the health of girls and young women who will become mothers and then taking care of the health of their children proactively. Social responsibility thinking is expected to produce children who are not only healthier individuals, but more productive for our society with a hopeful future”.
The minister said, “Let us continue this effort with enthusiasm and commitment, because health is the foundation of the well-being and prosperity of the country. With the permission of Allah the Almighty, together we will be able to build a healthier and brighter future for generations to come.” – James Kon
