Merz-Trump meeting. The EU wants to finalize its U.S. trade deal soon and will not accept worse tariff terms than those currently under consideration, Merz told Trump in their Oval Office meeting yesterday. Brussels paused ratification of the deal after the Supreme Court struck down Trump’s emergency tariffs. Merz also said Ukraine must “preserve its territory” and voiced hope for a swift end to the Iran war.
U.S.-Ecuador operation. Military forces from the two countries launched joint operations yesterday against U.S.-designated terrorist groups in Ecuador, U.S. Southern Command said. The announcement did not provide further details about the groups targeted or the operation. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa has made cracking down on crime a key facet of his agenda.
Canada’s stance on mineral cooperation. Canada believes its support of a critical minerals buyers’ alliance is the best way to reduce global overconcentration of supplies, the country’s energy and natural resources minister told Reuters yesterday. Canada launched the alliance during its G7 presidency last year, and current G7 president France supports it, the minister added. The concept differs from the critical minerals price floor pitched by U.S. officials at a Washington meeting last month. Earlier this week, Canada signed deals with twelve countries totalling $9.2 billion in potential mining investments.
South Korea stock selloff. One of the country’s main stock indexes fell 12 percent today, its largest one-day drop on record, amid concerns about the impact of the war in Iran on energy supplies. South Korea is the world’s eighth-largest energy importer. Its stock market had been one of the best performing in the world this year.
Forum on autonomous weapons rules. From this week through September, 128 countries will debate a non-binding document that could pave the way for future negotiations on autonomous weapons regulations. The talks fall under the umbrella of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons, which bans arms like certain land mines and blinding laser weapons. A Dutch diplomat helping direct the process told Reuters yesterday that failing to act could lead to countries being “overtaken by technological developments.”
U.S.-China trade meeting. Top trade officials from both countries will meet later this month ahead of Trump’s trip to China, Bloomberg reported citing unnamed sources. The officials will reportedly discuss potential U.S. sales of Boeing planes and soybeans to China, as well as tariffs and Taiwan. The U.S. Treasury and the Chinese Commerce Ministry did not comment.
British student visa restrictions. The UK will no longer issue student visas to nationals of Afghanistan, Cameroon, Myanmar, and Sudan, the government announced today. It will also restrict skilled work visas for Afghans. The government said the move was intended to curtail “visa abuse” and ensure the asylum system aids people “genuinely in need.”
Afghanistan-Pakistan death toll. Clashes between the two countries have killed at least forty-two civilians in Afghanistan between February 26 and March 2, the UN mission in Afghanistan said yesterday. It urged a halt to the ongoing violence, which it said is exacerbating Afghanistan’s “already grave humanitarian situation.” Authorities in Pakistan reported at least one civilian was killed there, too; at least a dozen security forces have been reported killed on each side.
