The disaster agency in Indonesia’s West Java province claims search efforts are ongoing to find missing people buried beneath the rubble. At least 10 people have been killed since a stone quarry collapsed.
At the mining site at Cirebon, West Java, early on Friday, the collapse occurred. Excavators moving large rocks, and emergency workers transporting victims to ambulances with body bags are visible from the scene of the accident.
Rescuers reportedly struggled to remove a body from the devastated area in video that was available online. Another example showed people fleeing their homes as thick dust piled up from an overgrown rock and soil pile.
At least 10 people have been killed, according to Indonesia’s National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB), but no number have been released as of yet. According to the statement, rescue operations would continue throughout Saturday and include the burial of three heavy machinery, including three excavators.
According to Cirebon district police chief Sumarni, who uses a single name, a dozen injured people have already been extracted from the debris during a grueling search operation.
Sumarni claimed that the owner and quarry workers have been called in for questioning, adding that authorities are looking into the cause of the collapse. He claimed that five excavators, along with police, firefighters, soldiers, and volunteers are attempting to locate any additional workers who have been trapped. He continued, “Rescue efforts are being hampered by unstable soil, which could lead to further slides.”
West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi claimed the site “very dangerous” and did not “meet safety standards for workers” on his Instagram account. The governor continued, noting that he “had no capacity to stop it,” because the mine had been opened prior to his election.
Mulyadi announced that he would close the Gunung Kuda mine and four other locations in West Java that are deemed to be hazardous to people’s health and the environment.
Illegal mining operations are prevalent throughout Indonesia, giving low-wage workers a precarious livelihood while also exposing them to serious injuries and fatalities as a result of landslides, flooding, and tunnel collapses. Employers use highly toxic materials like mercury and cyanide without much or no protection for a large portion of the processing of sand, rock, or gold ore.
At least six people were killed in a landslide and floods near a small mine run by local residents in Indonesia’s West Papua province in May when a torrential rain in the Arfak Mountains triggered a landslide and floods.
At least 15 people were killed when a torrential rain-related landslide struck an unlicensed gold mining operation on Indonesia’s Sumatra island last year, causing at least 15 casualties.
Prior to his decision to cut a deal earlier this month, US President Donald Trump claimed China was in “grave economic danger” and that it was breaking with it. He also claimed China was in “grave economic danger.”
Trump claimed in a statement on his Truth Social platform on Friday evening that he had reached a “fast deal” with China to renounce triple-digit tariffs for 90 days in order to “save” Beijing from a “very bad situation.”
The US leader claimed that the country’s closed factories and “civil unrest” were the result of his tariffs of up to 145 percent on Chinese imports, making it “virtually impossible” for China to trade with the US market.
“China has completely violated its agreement with us, which may surprise some people.” Thank you for being “Mr. NICE GUY”! Trump even flinched.
Trump did not specify in his post how China had violated the deal, which was reached following trade talks in Geneva, Switzerland, in mid-May, or what steps he would take to address their alleged failure to do so.
Trump responded to reporters’ questions about the China deal later on Friday in the Oval Office by saying, “I’m sure I’ll speak to [China’s] President Xi]Jinping], and hopefully we’ll work that out.”
Stephen Miller, Trump’s deputy chief of staff, stated to reporters that China’s failure to “accomplish its obligations opens up all avenues for the United States to ensure future compliance.”
Miller continued, adding that Trump hoped that China would “open up to American business” in a manner similar to how the US has done it for “a very long time now.”
Beijing and its US counterparts have communicated since the Geneva talks, according to China’s embassy in Washington, but they expressed concern about recently implemented US export controls.
According to Liu Pengyu, embassy spokesperson, “China has repeatedly expressed concerns with the US regarding its abuse of export control measures in the semiconductor sector and other related practices.”
China reiterated its support for the US to immediately correct its error, end discriminatory measures against China, and support the global consensus reached at the Geneva summit, Liu added.
broken promises
The Trump administration, according to earlier reports, had earlier ordered US companies that sell their services to Chinese companies.
The US Department of Commerce confirmed on Wednesday that it was reviewing exports of strategic significance to China and that it had “in some cases… suspended existing export licences or imposed additional licence requirements while the review is pending.”
President Trump also announced plans to raise steel import tariffs from 25% to 50% on June 4 after lamenting China’s inability to follow the Geneva agreement.
The timing of the deal, which effectively reduced US tariffs to the mid-teens from about 25% in early April, sparked a significant increase in global stocks two weeks prior.
China also agreed to end trade restrictions that prevent US semiconductor, electronics, and defense industries from producing critical metals as part of the deal.
However, Trump administration officials have publicly stated that China has yet to fulfill its obligations under the Geneva treaty.
Global auto executives are raising the alarm over a looming shortage of rare-earth magnets from China, which could cause car factories to shut down in the coming weeks, according to a report from the Reuters news agency on Friday.
The United States Mission’ head, Michael Hammer, is the subject of a statement of protest from Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Hammer, a career diplomat, was accused of “unfriendly and meddling behavior” since arriving in Cuba in late 2024 by the Foreign Ministry in a press release released on Friday.
The Foreign Ministry wrote that the diplomat is engaging in provocative and irresponsible behavior by inciting Cuban citizens to commit egregious criminal offenses, attacking the constitutional order, or encouraging them to defy the authorities or demonstrate their support for a hostile foreign power’s interests and objectives.
The immunity he enjoys as a representative of his nation cannot be used as a shield against acts that defy the country’s sovereignty and internal order, as in this case, Cuba.
Alejandro Garcia del Toro, the Foreign Ministry’s director of bilateral affairs with the US, delivered the message, according to the ministry.
The statement released on Friday is just the latest sign of Cuba’s and US relations getting more tense, especially since President Donald Trump resigned from office in January.
tensions-related history
However, diplomatic ties between the two nations have been shaky for decades, dating back to the 1960s Cold War. The US government supported efforts to overthrow the newly established Communist government following the Cuban Revolution of 1959 and imposed stringent trade restrictions on the island.
However, efforts have been made to lessen the tensions, most notably during Obama and Joe Biden’s US administrations.
For instance, Obama attempted to normalize relations with Cuba in 2016, but those efforts were resisted during the first Trump administration, which started in 2017.
In the waning months of his term in January, President Biden removed Cuba from the list of “state sponsors of terrorism.”
Trump, however, reversed course on January 20 and placed Cuba back on the list that same day when he took office for a second time on January 20.
Trump’s presidential team also included former US Secretary of State Marco Rubio among other figures who have taken a harsh stance against Cuba. Rubio, who was born in Cuba, has a strong stance in favor of the island’s continued trade embargo.
Meanwhile, the Cuban government has continued to accuse the US of trying to destabilize its leadership.
Hammer’s recent visit to Jose Marti’s tomb was accused of “public and insulting manipulation,” according to the Cuban Foreign Ministry’s statement on Friday.
In a voiceover of Marti’s words, “Respect for the freedom and thoughts of others, even of the most unhappy kind, is my passion: If I die or am killed, it will be for that. That citation, according to critics, is meant as an implied support of island dissention.
Increasing pressure
In a return to the “maximum pressure” campaigns that characterized foreign policy during his first term, there have also been indications that Trump intends to tighten the screws on the Cuban government once more in recent months.
For instance, the Trump administration announced in February that it would yank visas from anyone who works for Cuba’s medical system, which sends thousands of healthcare workers abroad annually, especially in the Caribbean.
The healthcare program has received criticism for its high salaries and stringent employee restrictions. Meanwhile, Trump and Rubio have asserted that the Cuban government is benefiting from the medical system as a form of “forced labor.” However, Havana’s leaders refute that claim.
The US government then criticized Cuba for bringing back a group of dissidents, including famous people like Felix Navarro and Jose Daniel Ferrer, in April.
In a deal brokered by the Vatican earlier this year, Cuba had initially agreed to let Ferrer and Navarro go.
Cuba was supposed to release 553 of its prisoners, many of whom had been ensnared in anti-government demonstrations, and the US was supposed to ease its sanctions against the island in exchange. However, the relief from the sanctions was never implemented.
This month only, a further measure was implemented against Cuba. Under Rubio’s direction, the US Department of State determined that “Cuba did not fully cooperate with US counterterrorism efforts in 2024.” It claimed that Cuba was home to 11 fugitives, some of whom were facing US terrorism-related charges.
In a press release, the State Department stated that “the Cuban regime made clear that it was not willing to discuss their return to face justice in our country.” The United States will continue to support international cooperation on counterterrorism issues. We also continue to advocate for international organizations that “do not stand up for terrorism.”
Under the Arms Export Control Act, which restates Cuba’s ability to purchase weapons and other defense equipment from the US, Cuba was punished by being labeled as a “not fully cooperating country.”
Additionally, Hammer had just announced that the island would face additional sanctions.
On Saturday, May 31, 2018, this is how things are going.
Fighting
In a Russian attack on the village of Vasyliv Khutir in northeastern Kharkiv, eight people were hurt, according to regional governor Oleh Syniehubov, including two teenagers.
Ceasefire
Ukraine has resisted US and Russian pressure to agree to a second round of peace talks in Istanbul on Monday, contending that it first needs to hear Russian demands for a ceasefire. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the president of Ukraine, stated that Russia “is doing everything possible to make sure the next potential meeting does not produce any results.”
Andrii Sybiha, the foreign minister of Ukraine, added that Kyiv needed to be aware of the Russian ceasefire proposals in advance to ensure that the talks would be “substantial and meaningful,” without stating in detail what Kyiv would do if it failed to receive the document or set a delivery date.
As long as Western nations stopped arming Ukraine and preventing Kyiv from mobilizing troops, Russia’s UN ambassador, Vassily Nebenzia, stated to the UN Security Council that Moscow was ready to consider a ceasefire.
Lindsey Graham, a well-known US Republican senator, stated during a visit to Kyiv that a bill to impose sanctions on Russia is expected to be introduced by the Republican-led US Senate next week. Graham, who met Zelenskyy on Friday in Kyiv, claimed to have spoken with Donald Trump prior to his trip, and that Moscow is now anticipating taking concrete steps.
Trump claimed to have been surprised and depressed by the Russian bombing of Ukraine while attempting to arrange a ceasefire, and that both Putin and Zelenskyy were stubborn.
Trump’s special representative for Ukraine, Keith Kellogg, argued that Washington did not want to see Ukraine join the US-led military alliance, and that Russia’s concern about the NATO expansion was fair.
Moscow was pleased, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who noted that a Russian delegation would be traveling to Istanbul and prepared for discussions with Ukraine on Monday morning.
The next step, according to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, would be to try to host a meeting between Trump, Putin, and Zelenskyy.
Donald Trump, president of the United States, has announced that his administration will increase steel import tariffs from 25% to 50%.
Trump defended his most recent tariff increase as a benefit to the nation’s manufacturing sector when speaking to steelworkers and supporters at a rally outside Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Trump told the audience that “we’re going to increase the steel tariffs in the United States of America from 25% to 50%, which will even more secure the steel industry there.” Nobody will maneuver around that, they say.
It is still unclear how the tariff increase will impact the United Kingdom’s earlier trade agreement with Canada and Mexico or the free-trade agreement there.
The nature of the agreement between US Steel, Japan’s largest steel producer, and Nippon Steel, left ambiguous. Trump continued to promote the two companies’ partnership as a “blockbuster agreement.”
Trump cited the agreement as saying, “There has never been a $14 billion investment in the history of the steel industry in the United States of America.”
Steel tariff increases
Trump and his team’s campaign events on Friday marked their return to the same location where they had previously held numerous election-season campaign events.
Trump’s campaign for reelection in 2024 based on a rally to working-class voters, including those in the Rust Belt, a manufacturing hub that has declined in response to changing industry trends and increased overseas competition.
The region’s key swing states, including Pennsylvania and Michigan, were there on election day, helping to win Trump’s second term.
Trump’s “America First” campaign is seen as a policy platform intended to support the nation’s manufacturing sector. Tariffs and other protectionist measures have been a key component of that agenda.
For instance, Trump announced a preliminary slate of 25-percent tariffs on steel and aluminum in March, prompting significant trading partners like Canada to take retaliatory measures.
He also imposed a blanket 10-percent tariff on nearly all of his trade partners the following month, as well as higher country-specific import taxes. The 10-percent tariff remained in place while those were quickly halted in the midst of widespread criticism and economic shockwaves.
Trump has argued that the tariffs are a crucial negotiation tool to sway more foreign investment into the US economy.
However, economists have warned that price increases will likely increase as a result of US consumers’ pressure being “hard reset” of the global economy, as well as significant tax increases like tariffs.
Given the sudden shifts in his policies, Rachel Ziemba, a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security, said the most recent tariff increase on steel also indicates that negotiating trade deals with Trump may lead to “limited benefits.”
Additionally, she said, Friday’s announcement suggests that Trump is likely to continue to impose tariffs.
The issue is that, among other things, raising steel tariffs is bad for manufacturing and the energy sector. Overall, Ziemba explains that it is unfavorable to the US economy and adds uncertainty to the macro outlook.
Businesses, interest groups, and states have all filed lawsuits to stop the import tax increases, which Trump has also faced in the US.
For instance, on Thursday, a federal court briefly upheld Trump’s request to impose his extensive list of international tariffs before a short-lived appeals court abruptly paused that decision.
A partnership with Nippon Steel
The anticipated focus of Friday’s rally in Pittsburgh was on Nippon Steel’s proposed acquisition of US Steel, the second-largest steel producer in the nation, prior to the tariff increase’s announcement.
At the start of his speech, Trump stated, “We’re here today to celebrate a blockbuster agreement that will ensure this storied American company stays an American company.”
However, labor unions were largely against the merger between Nippon Steel and US Steel because it had been contentious.
Trump initially stated he would not support the acquisition when he returned to the White House in January, a similar position held by his predecessor, former US President Joe Biden.
He has since changed his mind and backed the agreement, though. He made an announcement last week that Nippon would only have “partial ownership” of US Steel.
Trump stated on Friday that the new agreement would give Nippon a “14 billion commitment to the future” of US Steel, but he would not provide specifics about how the ownership agreement would turn out.
Trump addressed the crowd of steelworkers, “Oh, you’re gonna be happy.” There is a lot of money in your path, the statement reads.
The Republican leader also poetically described the US’s history of steel, describing it as the engine that drives the nation’s economy.
He continued, “If you don’t have steel, you don’t have a country,” adding that the city of Pittsburgh used to produce more steel than most entire nations could.
For its part, US Steel hasn’t given investors any information about the revised deal. Meanwhile, Nippon hasn’t disclosed the terms of the agreement, despite a statement that supports the proposed “partnership.”
Despite being one of its principal opponents, the national United Steelworkers Union has been among the unionized workers affected by the acquisition.
The union questioned whether the new arrangement “makes any significant changes” from the initial proposal in a statement released prior to the rally.
In a statement citing firmer details that had not yet been made, the union said that “Nippon has consistently maintained that it would only invest in US Steel’s facilities if it owned the company outright.
“Over the past few days, there hasn’t been anything in the reporting that suggests Nippon has retreated from this position.”
Following a turbulent start to his second term, Trump has attempted to reassure his base of voters with the Friday rally.
Sejong, South Korea – By the standards of Seoul’s teeming metropolises, Sejong is not very much of a city.
Sejong, a planned city located about 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Seoul, does not even make the top 20 urban centers, with a population of 400 000 people.
Sejong could soon become the nation’s “de facto” capital, if South Korea’s most likely next leader has his way.
In response to a renewed push to find a new administrative capital, Lee Jae-myung, the clear favorite in Tuesday’s presidential election, has pledged to relocate Sejong’s presidential office, legislature, and numerous public institutions.
In the run-up to the election, Lee vowed to make Sejong the de facto administrative capital and Daejeon the world center of science.
Through social consensus, I’ll also advocate for the complete relocation of the presidential office and the National Assembly to Sejong.
Late President Roh Moo-hyun, who argued that moving the capital would help promote development in South Korea’s central region and ease congestion, came up with the idea for Sejong in 2003.
The following year, the Constitutional Court decided that Seoul should remain Sejong, which set back Roh’s plans for Sejong.
Seoul has remained Seoul’s official capital as well as the center of political, economic, and cultural life despite the relocation of the prime minister’s office and about a dozen ministries over the years as a result of decentralization efforts by successive governments.
About 26 million people live in Greater Seoul, making up the majority of South Korea’s population, and the majority of the region’s top businesses, universities, hospitals, and cultural institutions are clustered there.
[David D. Lee/Al Jazeera] Sejong’s streets are uncrowded.
Sejong’s broad streets, which were mostly quiet on a recent Friday afternoon, were a world away from Seoul’s bustling alleyways.
A number of government employees were waiting for a bus to the capital at the city’s express bus station.
At least twice a month, Kevin Kim, a 30-year-old civil servant, spends the weekend in Seoul.
Kim, who has resided in Sejong for almost two years, told Al Jazeera, “My family, friends, and girlfriend are in Seoul.”
“I have to go to Seoul because there are so many big hospitals there.”
Lee Ho-baek, a start-up employee in Sejong, also makes monthly trips to Seoul.
He claimed that despite moving to Sejong a year ago, there simply isn’t enough amenities or activities for us in the city.
Candidate Lee’s pledge has sparked tentative signs of city growth after years of stumbling blocks to Sejong’s development, including concerns about costs and constitutional legitimacy.
Real estate transactions increased by threefold in April from the same time last year.
Sejong’s future is uncertain because of its ties to changing political whims, but its long-term viability is a concern.
Apartment prices increased by 45 percent during discussions about the Democratic Party’s potential 2020 re-election of the presidential office and legislature, but they also dropped by 45 percent in the following years.
As Friday afternoon turned into evening, the streets of Sejong’s Nasung-dong, a popular neighborhood dotted with parks, shopping centers, and flashy apartments, were quiet.
The highly anticipated multifunctional mall M-Bridge, which had been designed by the firm of global architect Thom Mayne, was largely deserted.
The highest rate in the country is 25 percent vacancy rate for medium- to large-sized shopping centers, according to the Korea Real Estate Board.
Young people are fewer attractive in comparison.
According to Jace Kim, a restaurant owner who visited Sejong in 2015, “weekdays are busier than weekends in our city.”
The majority of city employees “spend their time and money elsewhere.” Given that our city is relatively undeveloped and newly constructed, it makes for a great place for mothers and children. However, there are no major universities or businesses that will draw young people here.
Washington, DC, according to Moon Yoon-sang, a research fellow at the Korea Development Institute (KDI).
It’s hoped that Sejong will host conventions and significant meetings instead of Seoul, Moon said in an interview with Al Jazeera.
Although there are only two major hotels in the city right now, the National Assembly’s relocation is anticipated to have a significant impact.
Sejong’s mayor, Park Jin, a professor at KDI’s School of Public Policy and Management, said he supports the designation.
Relocating the capital would require a constitutional amendment that would need to be approved by the majority of the voters in a referendum and two-thirds of the National Assembly.
In a survey conducted by Hankook Research in 2022, 54.9 percent of respondents said they were against moving the capital to Sejong, but 51.7 percent opposed removing Seoul’s National Assembly and the president’s office.
[David D. Lee/Al Jazeera] The central park of Sejong, South Korea, is pictured on May 2, 2025.
Seoul’s talent pool and essential infrastructure are all retained by the country, according to Park, who told Al Jazeera. “The country needs to invest in developing our other major cities.”
“For Sejong, combining with Daejeon to become the nation’s center for administrative and research,” says Daejeon.
To maintain healthy urbanization, Park believes that the country’s five major cities outside of the greater Seoul area should have at least 4 million residents.
The second-largest city in South Korea, Busan, has 3.26 million residents. Due to record-low birth rates and a declining young workforce, the Korea Employment Information Service officially declared Busan a potential extinction site last year.
Internal migration to Seoul has exacerbated the country’s regional population declines even more. Last year, more than 418, 000 people re-located to the capital.
By 2040, Sejong hopes to have 800,000 residents, roughly twice as many as it currently does.
“Today, there are many people who won’t consider immigrating to Sejong. It’s very challenging for both members of married couples to find jobs outside of Seoul in a time when both are expected to be employed, Moon said.
“We might see differences in how people view Sejong in the next ten years.”
According to Park, building a city from scratch is not a quick project.
