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NICOSIA: The European Commission will propose setting up a regional firefighting hub based in Cyprus that could also assist Middle East countries in battling major wildfires, the head of the bloc’s executive arm said Wednesday.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in her annual address to the European Parliament that it was necessary to “give ourselves the tools” to combat wildfires made worse by climate change as summers become “hotter, harsher and more dangerous.”
“This summer, we all saw the pictures of Europe’s forests and villages on fire,” Von der Leyen said. “More than a million hectares were burned. ... The scale of the damage is enormous. And we know it is not a one-off.”
The announcement comes as reports have suggested that climate change worsened wildfires in southern Europe this summer, with the likelihood of similar wildfire outbreaks rising sharply.
Von der Leyen did not provide specifics on how the Cyprus-based hub will operate or what resources it will have.
Cypriot officials proposed setting up such a hub on the Mediterranean island nation as early as 2022, with additional firefighting aircraft that could quickly respond to wildfires, particularly in Mideast countries such as Lebanon, Jordan and Israel.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides hailed the announcement on social media as “hugely important” for the region. His government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis said the creation of such a hub would bolster the EU’s operational capabilities along its southern axis and also benefit the bloc’s Mideast neighbors.
In July, Cyprus suffered one of its worst wildfires in recent memory that killed two elderly people trying to flee the fast-moving flames in their car. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and more than 40 square miles of land in the southern foothills of the Troodos mountain range were scorched.
A few weeks before the wildfire’s outbreak, Cyprus’ Environment Minister Maria Panayiotou said the country was in the process of bolstering its fleet of firefighting aircraft. She said tenders were out for three fixed-wing aircraft with a water-carrying capacity of 3,000 liters (800 gallons), each in line with EU guidelines, as part of a five-year plan for the island nation to build a state-owned fleet with 10 such planes.
As in previous years, Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Lebanon dispatched helicopters and other fixed-wing aircraft to help Cypriot authorities put out July’s wildfire. Cyprus — the closest EU member country to the Middle East — often reciprocates when it receives calls for help.

NEW DELHI: The US and India have resumed trade talks, the two countries’ leaders announced on social media on Wednesday, an unexpected move after Donald Trump’s administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on Indian goods.

Since the beginning of his global trade war earlier this year, the US president has been promising a trade deal with India. Last month, however, he doubled the total duty on Indian exports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil.

The tariffs — the highest in Asia and among the greatest ever imposed on a major trading partner by any American administration — have caused a rift in India-US ties. New Delhi’s Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran estimated they could reduce India’s gross domestic product by half a percent this year alone.

After weeks of tensions, in which India was seen recalibrating its relations with China after a years-long standoff, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to X on Wednesday morning to say that US and Indian teams were again engaged in talks.

“India and the US are close friends and natural partners,” he said.

“I am confident that our trade negotiations will pave the way for unlocking the limitless potential of the India-US partnership.”

Modi’s post was in response to Trump’s announcement on Truth Social that he was looking forward to speaking to his “good friend, Prime Minister Modi” in the coming weeks.

“I am pleased to announce that India, and the United States of America, are continuing negotiations to address the Trade Barriers between our two Nations,” he said. “I feel certain that there will be no difficulty in coming to a successful conclusion.”

In April, the Trump administration said it was imposing a 25 percent reciprocal tariff on Indian goods to rectify trade imbalances. Though a new deal was expected in July it was not approved by Trump, leading to a breakdown in talks.

In early August, the White House said India’s oil imports were helping fund Russia’s war in Ukraine and doubled the tariffs to 50 percent.

The new turn in negotiations comes after Modi’s recent visit to China, where he met with President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization’s leaders’ summit on Aug. 31.

The trip marked a thaw in relations between the Asian giants, which had been locked in a years-long standoff over their disputed Himalayan border.

The meeting with Xi has been seen as part of efforts to recalibrate India’s foreign policy, which over the past few years was strongly US-oriented.

Manoj Kewalramani, chairperson of the Indo-Pacific Research Program and a China studies fellow at the Takshashila Institution, said he expected engagements with Beijing to continue as part of a “process of defining a new equilibrium,” along with India’s participation in the SCO and BRICS — a grouping that includes Brazil, Russia, and China, and which is the most powerful geopolitical forum outside of the Western world.

“Delhi’s approach to Beijing is predominantly a function of India’s development, security and broader global interests,” he told Arab News.

“Expect this process to continue regardless of a deal with the US. Likewise, expect India to remain engaged with the SCO and BRICS. These are important platforms that further India’s multi-alignment policy.”