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Dec. 21 (Asia Today) — South Korea’s industry ministry said Sunday it has raised concerns with Canada over strengthened tariff-rate quota measures on steel set to take effect Dec. 26 and asked Ottawa to consider steps including an exemption or expanded quota for South Korea.

A tariff-rate quota (TRQ) is a trade system under which a limited volume of steel imports can enter Canada at a lower or zero tariff, while shipments exceeding that quota face much higher duties. Under Canada’s revised measures, the amount of South Korean steel that can enter Canada at the lower tariff rate will be reduced, and shipments above that limit would face much higher tariffs.

The Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said Trade Negotiations Director General Yeo Han-gu met Canadian Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu and Canadian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Ali Essassi in Toronto on Dec. 18 local time and conveyed the position of South Korean industry on the measures.

Canada plans to lower the TRQ utilization rate for free trade agreement partners including South Korea from 100% to 75% and for non-FTA countries from 50% to 20%, the ministry said. Imports exceeding the quota would face a 50% tariff and a new 25% tariff would be applied to certain steel derivative products, according to the ministry.

The ministry said Yeo traveled to Canada one week after a phone call with Sidhu on Dec. 11 to hold detailed discussions. It said he asked Canada to take favorable measures for South Korea, citing large-scale investments by South Korean companies in Canada including battery makers and cooperation potential in sectors such as steel, electric vehicles, batteries, energy and critical minerals.

Yeo also said some steel items, including pipelines used in Canada’s oilsands crude production, are difficult to produce domestically and are largely supplied through imports, including from South Korea. Tightening TRQ measures on South Korean steel could affect both South Korean exporters and Canadian industry, he said, according to the ministry.

The ministry said Yeo and Sidhu agreed to establish a new strategic sector dialogue channel between trade ministers under the Korea-Canada free trade agreement, which marks its 10th anniversary this year. They also agreed to set up a hotline for discussions on issues including steel, electric vehicles, batteries, energy and critical minerals, the ministry said.

Sidhu proposed using Canada’s duty drawback system, which the ministry said remains in operation through the end of January 2026 for certain steel items not produced domestically. The ministry said South Korea plans to continue consultations on steel TRQs through high-level and working-level channels.

The ministry said Yeo also met South Korean companies operating in the Toronto area in sectors including steel, autos, home appliances and minerals to hear concerns about trade uncertainty. It said he visited a battery plant backed by LG Energy Solution in Windsor on Dec. 19 and toured the facilities.

The ministry said Yeo later held a meeting in Detroit with South Korean auto parts companies and reviewed issues including Section 232 tariffs on automobiles, Mexico’s announced tariff increases on non-FTA countries and trends related to USMCA revisions. It said he also met potential foreign investors in the auto parts sector to discuss investment opportunities tied to South Korea’s smart factory and manufacturing AI capabilities.

Yeo said shifting trade conditions across the United States, Canada and Mexico pose challenges for South Korean firms operating locally, but also create opportunities tied to changes in North American supply chains, the ministry said.

– Reported by Asia Today; translated by UPI

© Asia Today. Unauthorized reproduction or redistribution prohibited.

US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff has hailed talks on ending Moscow’s war in Ukraine as “productive and constructive”, after holding separate meetings with Ukrainian, European and Russian negotiators in the state of Florida.

The talks in Miami on Sunday were the latest in a series of meetings between the US, Russia and Ukraine on a 20-point plan touted by US President Donald Trump to end the nearly four-year-old war.

Despite the optimism from the US, there have been no clear signals of imminent resolutions to key hurdles, including on the issue of the territory Russia has seized during the conflict.

Witkoff, who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy Kirill Dmitriev on Saturday, held talks on Sunday with officials from Ukraine and Europe. He then held separate talks with the Ukrainian delegation, led by senior official Rustem Umerov.

Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined the meetings.

Witkoff, in a joint statement with Umerov, called Sunday’s talks “productive and constructive”, saying they focused on a “shared strategic approach between Ukraine, the United States and Europe”.

“Particular attention was given to discussing timelines and the sequencing of next steps,” they said.

Witkoff and Umerov said that bilateral discussions between Ukrainian and US officials on Sunday focused on developing and aligning positions on four key documents: the 20-point plan, a “multilateral security guarantee framework,” a “US Security guarantee framework for Ukraine”, and an “economic & prosperity plan”.

In a separate X post that ‍used some of ⁠the same language, Witkoff said his talks with Dmitriev were also “productive and constructive”.

“Russia remains fully committed to achieving peace in Ukraine,” Witkoff said in the post. “Russia highly values the efforts and support of the United States to resolve the Ukrainian conflict and re-establish global security.”

Earlier on Sunday, Putin’s top foreign policy aide, Yury Ushakov, said that the changes requested by Ukraine and its European allies to the framework put forth by the US were not improving prospects for peace.

Ushakov said that Dmitriev was due to return to Moscow on Monday and would report to Putin on the outcome of his talks.

“After that, we will formulate the position with which we will proceed, including in our contacts with the Americans,” he said.

Russia, which launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, sees Europe as “pro-war” and argues that its participation in the talks only hinders them.

Separately on Sunday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin was ready to talk with his French counterpart, Emmanuel Macron, after the latter said Europe should reach out to the Russian president to end the war.

Putin has “expressed readiness to engage in dialogue with Macron”, Peskov told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti. “Therefore, if there is mutual political will, then this can only be assessed positively.”

Macron’s office welcomed the Russian statement.

“It is welcome that the Kremlin has publicly agreed to this approach. We will decide in the coming days on the best way to proceed,” it said.

Trump first shared his plan consisting of 28 points to end the war in Ukraine last month, triggering immediate criticism from European leaders who said it echoed the Kremlin’s demands.

Zelenskyy has since said that Ukraine and its European allies have shared their own version of a 20-point plan, which was based on the initial plan put forward by the White House.

One of the key sticking points between Russia and Ukraine remains Russia’s demand to retain some of the land it has captured in Ukraine since launching its full-scale invasion after years of fighting in Ukraine’s east.

Zelenskyy has described the talks as “constructive” and said they were “moving at a fairly rapid pace”. He nevertheless cautioned that “much depends on whether Russia feels the need to end the war for real”.

He also hailed this week as “historic” for Ukraine, thanking Europe for pledging $100bn of funding over the next two years.

Dec. 21 (UPI) — The U.S. Coast Guard is chasing down a third foreign oil tanker in the Caribbean, which refused to be boarded amid President Donald Trump‘s pressure campaign against Venezuela, reports said Sunday.

“The U.S. Coast Guard is in active pursuit of a sanctioned dark fleet vessel that is part of Venezuela’s illegal sanctions evasion,” an unnamed official told NBC News. “It is flying a false flag and under a judicial seizure order.”

The tanker Bella 1 was placed under U.S. sanctions in June 2024 under counterterrorism authorities, according to the Treasury Department, which said the vessel was part of a shipping network linked to Sa’id al-Jamal, a U.S.-designated Houthi financial facilitator.

Vessels in that network have been used to transport sanctioned oil, including Iranian crude, and the proceeds are directed to militant groups, U.S. officials have said in describing the basis for the sanctions.

Separately, U.S. officials said federal authorities obtained a seizure warrant from a magistrate judge authorizing them to take possession of the Bella 1, The New York Times reported. Officials cited Bella 1’s alleged prior involvement in the Iranian oil trade rather than any alleged links to Venezuela.

The ship was allegedly not flying a valid national flag when U.S. forces approached it, which would allow for it to be boarded at sea under international law. But the ship refused to be boarded and continued sailing, one official told The New York Times as another called it “an active pursuit.”

If seized, the Bella 1 would become the third tanker apprehended by U.S. authorities. On Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard seized another tanker in international waters near Venezuela after Trump declared a blockade of Venezuela.

That tanker was flying a Panamanian flag and was carrying Venezuelan oil that it expected to sell in Asia, officials alleged.

Last Wednesday, a sanctioned oil tanker called The Skipper was also seized after it left a Venezuelan port. The ship was diverted to Texas and was allegedly flying the flag of Venezuela’s neighbor, Guyana, which said the ship is not among those registered there.

Dec. 21 (UPI) — House Minority Leader Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, R-N.Y., said Sunday that he expects lawmakers to pass a bipartisan compromise on extending Affordable Care Act tax credits.

Jeffries said on ABC News’ “This Week” that lawmakers will pass a bi-partisan compromise to extend ACA tax credits extension in the House, potentially forcing Senate Republicans hand on health insurance subsidies for at least 22 million Americans who will face higher premiums in the new year.

Congress adjourned for Christmas without reaching a deal on extending on the tax credits, which Jeffries promised that House lawmakers will address in early January.

“That will put pressure on John Thune and Senate Republicans to actually do the right thing by the American people, pass a straightforward extension of the Affordable Care Act tax credits, so we can keep health care affordable for tens of millions of Americans who deserve to be able to go see a doctor when they need one,” Jeffries said.

Democrats have said if the two sides are unable to reach a deal on an extension, they will wield it against Republicans in next year’s midterm elections.

Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., has said access to affordable health care remains among the most pressing issues among voters.

“It’s just pathetic,” Ryan said. “The last time there was a major national Republican effort to repeal the ACA, we had an overwhelming wave where they got absolutely wiped out, and I think that’s likely what will happen here again.”

A handful of centrist Republicans in vulnerable congressional districts bypassed the authority of House Speaker Mike Johnson to team up with key Democrats to authorize a vote on a three-year tax credit extension when the House returns to Washington the week of Jan. 5.

Some Republican leaders have said they favor allowing Covid-era tax credits that made health care more affordable for millions of Americans to expire or be phased out over several years. Other members of the GOP, however, have said they favor extending the credits for longer.

By a vote of 51-48 Thursday, the Senate rejected a three year ACA extension with four Democrats joining the GOP to vote it down.

Host nation Morocco overcome a spirited challenge by Africa Cup of Nations minnows Comoros to kick off the tournament.

Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosts Morocco overcame a nervy start to beat the Comoros 2-0 in the tournament’s opening game on Sunday, after Brahim Diaz and substitute Ayoub El Kaabi scored second-half goals.

It was a far-from-convincing showing from the highly fancied Morocco, who are ⁠97 places above the small Indian Ocean island nation in the world rankings and had to toil hard for the ​points in the rain at Rabat’s Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium.

Morocco squandered an early penalty and ‍were goalless at halftime, despite dominating possession, eventually breaking the deadlock in the 55th minute, when Noussair Mazraoui did well to keep the ball from going out of play before passing it square for Diaz to side-foot home.

El Kaabi scored a trademark bicycle kick goal ‍in the 74th ⁠minute, 10 minutes after coming on as a substitute, to ease the tension.

Morocco looked initially to be labouring under a heavy burden of expectation, and tiny Comoros comfortably held them at bay before the superior firepower of the hosts ensured victory.

The hosts could have been ahead as early as the 11th minute after a soft penalty was awarded for a challenge by Iyad Mohamed on Diaz. But Soufiane Rahimi hit the spot kick straight down the middle, striking the knee of goalkeeper Yannick Pandor and watching the ball loop away ​to safety.

But they eventually broke down the resistance, as Diaz got deserved rewards for ‌his continual probing and El Kaabi’s goal ensured a respectable scoreline.

Pandor made several other good stops to keep down the score in the closing stages as his teammates began to tire, although Comoros had a chance for an equaliser four minutes after Diaz’s goal, but Rafiki Said ‌shot straight at Morocco goalkeeper Yassine Bounou in their first chance of the match.

‘Difficult’ opening game

“The opening game is always difficult, but ‌we came good in the second half,” said Morocco coach Walid Regragui. ⁠

Morocco extended their record-breaking run of successive victories by a national team to 19. In October, they went past the previous best of 15, set by Spain from 2008-09.

There will be concern in the home camp, however, after captain Romain Saiss limped off after 18 minutes, with the centre ‌back leaving the field in tears. He spent the first half of the year sidelined by ankle surgery and only last month returned to the national side after a year’s absence.

Mali and Zambia meet on Monday in the next ‍Group A clash in Casablanca on the second day of the monthlong tournament. There are also two Group B matches as Angola meet South Africa in Marrakesh, and Mohamed Salah leads Egypt against Zimbabwe in Agadir.

Dec. 21 (UPI) — The Powerball jackpot has climbed to $1.6 billion after no one claimed the winning ticket following Saturday’s drawing.

There have been 45 consecutive drawings with no grand-prize winner.

The new jackpot is the fourth largest in the game’s history, and the fifth biggest among all U.S. lottery jackpots, Powerball said.

Saturday’s was the second consecutive drawing with a jackpot in excess of $1 billion that produced no winner.

The last Powerball winner claimed $1.787 billion in September. There have been 45 consecutive winnerless drawings since.

Powerball winners have the choice between taking an annual payout, or a lump-sum prize. If someone wins Monday’s drawing, they will have the option of receiving a $1.6 billion annuitized payment, or a $735.5 million one-time prize.

There was no grand prize winner Saturday, but 112 ticket holders claimed a $50,000 payout, and 22 claimed $150,000 each.

Tickets sold in California, Florida, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Hampshire and Ohio each won $1 million.

A winner of the Double Play drawing in New Jersey claimed a $500,000 prize, Powerball said.

The odds of winning the grand prize jackpot are one in 292.2 million, according to Powerball, though they are better for smaller prizes, which can range to as low as $4. Tickets are $2 each.

Drawings are held at 10:59 p.m. EST every Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Gaza’s Ministry of Health has appealed for increased drug, medical consumables and laboratory supplies, warning of severe shortages after more than two years of Israel’s genocidal war against the Palestinian people in Gaza and a crippling blockade.

The ministry said on Sunday that the shortages were making it difficult to provide diagnostic and treatment services.

Doctors in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory have long warned that they are struggling to save lives because Israel is not allowing the most essential medical supplies in. During Israel’s genocidal war, which has spanned more than two years, nearly all of Gaza’s hospitals and healthcare facilities were attacked, with at least 125 health facilities damaged, including 34 hospitals.

“The number of items completely out of stock on the essential medicines list has reached 321, representing a 52 percent shortage,” the Health Ministry said in a statement.

“The number of items completely out of stock on the medical consumables list has reached 710, representing a 71 percent shortage. The shortage rate for laboratory tests and blood bank supplies has reached 59 percent,” it added.

The most critical drug shortages are in emergency services, particularly life-saving intravenous solutions, intravenous antibiotics, and pain killers, the ministry said.

The shortage in emergency and intensive care services is potentially depriving 200,000 patients of emergency care, 100,000 patients of surgical services, and 700 patients of intensive care, it added.

The ministry cited additional shortages in kidney, oncology, open-heart surgery, and orthopedic supplies, among others.

“Given these alarming figures, and with the continued reduction by the occupation of the number of medical trucks entering Gaza to less than 30 percent of the monthly need, and with the insufficient quantity of supplies available, the Ministry of Health urgently appeals to all relevant parties to fully assume their responsibilities in implementing emergency interventions,” it said.

Despite a United States-backed ceasefire that took effect on October 10, Israel continues to violate its agreement with Hamas by failing to allow in the agreed quantities of medical aid trucks, deepening what the Gaza Health Ministry has described as a critical and ongoing health emergency.

Amid the shortages of medical supplies, 1,500 children are awaiting the opening of border crossings to travel and receive treatment outside Gaza.

Zaher Al Waheidi, the head of the Information Unit at Gaza’s Health Ministry, said on Sunday that 1,200 patients, including 155 children, have died after being unable to be evacuated from Gaza for medical treatment.

Palestinian detainees released

Meanwhile, six Palestinian detainees released from Israeli detention arrived at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah on Sunday for medical treatment, according to medical sources. A correspondent for the Anadolu news agency said the men were transferred via the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Rights groups say Israel had detained the men without clear legal procedures. The ICRC says it has not been granted access to Palestinians held in Israeli detention since October 2023, warning that international humanitarian law requires humane treatment and family contact.

The releases are part of sporadic Israeli actions involving Gaza detainees held for months. Many former prisoners report malnutrition and injuries from abuse.

About 1,700 detainees were released in October under the ceasefire deal, but more than 10,000 Palestinians – including women and children – remain in Israeli prisons, where rights groups report widespread abuse, starvation and medical neglect.

Elsewhere in the enclave, Gaza’s Civil Defence said it rescued five people, including a child and two women, who were trapped under the collapsed roof of their house in Sheikh Radwan, northwest of Gaza City.

The roof collapse killed four people, according to Gaza’s Ministry of Interior and National Security.

At least 18 people have been killed due to the collapse of 46 buildings in Gaza since the ceasefire came into effect, according to the ministry.

More than 70,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed, and more than 171,000 others have been wounded in attacks in Israel’s war on Gaza since October 2023.