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EU Open to Discussing Closer Trade Ties with UK Amidst Global Concerns
Brussels is open to discussing closer trade ties with the United Kingdom, including the possibility of a customs union, according to European Commissioner for Finance Valdis Dombrovskis. Dombrovskis made the statement after high-level talks with UK ministers, including Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the BBC reported. This comes amid growing global concerns regarding international law and humanitarian crises, as well as geopolitical tensions involving Mexico, Cuba, and the Arctic region.
Dombrovskis stated that the EU was "ready to engage" if the UK wanted to explore closer trade relations. The potential move follows increasing pressure on the Labour party to consider such an arrangement. Reeves told Dombrovskis that "we are sliding towards a world where the rules are less clear," according to the BBC. Dombrovskis also suggested that Britain and the EU could remove "most" friction in trade.
The discussion of closer trade ties occurs against a backdrop of escalating global challenges. A recent study by the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, covering 23 armed conflicts over the last 18 months, concluded that international law intended to limit the effects of war is at a breaking point, The Guardian reported. The study found that more than 100,000 civilians have been killed, and acts of torture and rape are being committed with near impunity.
In other international developments, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum pledged to send humanitarian aid to Cuba, despite efforts by the United States to cut off oil access to the island, according to The Guardian. Sheinbaum stated that Mexico was exploring all diplomatic avenues to send fuel to Cuba. This move comes after former U.S. President Donald Trump signed an order threatening tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba.
Meanwhile, in the United States, a right-wing Brazilian influencer, Júnior Pena, who supported Trump's immigration crackdown, was arrested by ICE agents in New Jersey, The Guardian reported. Pena, whose full name is Eustáquio da Silva Pena Júnior, had falsely claimed that migrants being rounded up, including Brazilians, were all criminals. He had reportedly lived in the U.S. since 2009.
Tensions in the Arctic region have also resurfaced. Trump's past interest in acquiring Greenland has reopened old wounds for Inuit across the Arctic, The Guardian reported. A demand by the U.S. to take control of the Arctic island is seen by many as a reminder of a troubling imperial past. In Nunavut, Canada, residents held a solidarity march with Greenland, holding signs that read, "We stand with Greenland" and "Greenland is a partner, not a purchase."
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