Declining Eid travel and spending dampen holiday spirit as soaring prices hit Indonesia

Declining Eid travel and spending dampen holiday spirit as soaring prices hit Indonesia
Muslims gather for Eid Al-Fitr prayer marking the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan on a street in Jakarta, Indonesia, Monday, March 31, 2025. (AP)
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Declining Eid travel and spending dampen holiday spirit as soaring prices hit Indonesia

Declining Eid travel and spending dampen holiday spirit as soaring prices hit Indonesia
  • Each year in Indonesia, nearly three-quarters of the population of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country travel for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik” that is always welcomed with excitement

JAKARTA, Indonesia: The usual festive mood of Eid Al-Fitr holiday to mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan has been subdued in Indonesia this year as people grapple with soaring prices for food, clothing and essential goods.
Consumer spending ahead of the biggest religious holiday for Muslims, which was celebrated on Sunday in Indonesia, has declined compared to the previous year, with a predicted slowdown in cash circulation due to fewer travelers.
Each year in Indonesia, nearly three-quarters of the population of the world’s most populous Muslim-majority country travel for the annual homecoming known locally as “mudik” that is always welcomed with excitement.
People pour out of major cities to return to villages to celebrate the holiday with prayers, feasts and family gatherings. Flights are overbooked and anxious relatives weighed down with boxes of gifts form long lines at bus and train stations for the journey
But this year the Transportation Ministry said Eid travelers reached 146 million people, a 24 percent drop from last year’s 194 million travelers.
The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry projects that money circulation during Eid will reach 137.97 trillion rupiah ($8.33 billion), down from 157.3 trillion last year. The weakening purchasing power is also reflected in Bank Indonesia’s Consumer Confidence Index which dipped to 126.4 in February from 127.2 in January.
Bhima Yudistira, executive director of the Center for Economic and Law Studies, or Celios, said those trends indicate the economy is under strain, driven by economic hardship, coupled with currency depreciation and mass layoffs in manufacturing.
“These have weakened both corporate earnings and workers’ incomes that suppress consumer spending,” Yudistira said, adding he “expects a less vibrant festive season.”
He said the festive spirit has been stifled by harsh economic realities, as soaring prices and dwindling incomes force residents to prioritize survival over celebration.
Traditionally household consumption is a key driver of Indonesia’s GDP. It contributed over 50 percent to the economy last year, helping push annual growth to 5.11 percent. However, consumer spending in 2025 is expected to be more subdued, Yudistira said.
Despite the downturn, the government remains optimistic that the Ramadan and Eid momentum will support economic growth in the first quarter of 2025.
“Eid usually boosts the economy through increased spending,” Chief Economic Affairs Minister Airlangga Hartarto said ahead of the Islamic holiday.
The government recently introduced incentives to stimulate economic activity, including airfare and toll road fee discounts, nationwide online shopping events, direct cash assistance for 16 million households, electricity bill reductions for low-consumption customers, and tax exemptions for labor-intensive sectors.
“With these programs in place, the government hopes to sustain consumer spending and support economic stability,” Hartarto said.
The situation has also affected Endang Trisilowati, a mother of four, who said her family had to scale down their festivities budget.
“Honestly, the economic hardship is affecting us,” Trisilowati said. She described how she used to cook different dishes every Eid and invite neighbors, but now she can only afford a simple meal for her family.
“Many have resorted to just finding a way to eat on that festivity, but the spirit is low,” she said.


Trump warns Zelensky not to back off minerals deal

Trump warns Zelensky not to back off minerals deal
Updated 7 sec ago
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Trump warns Zelensky not to back off minerals deal

Trump warns Zelensky not to back off minerals deal

WASHINGTON : US President Donald Trump warned on Sunday that his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky would have “big problems” if he goes cold on a deal to sign over mineral rights.
Trump is trying to broker a ceasefire between Ukraine and its Russian invader, and has been pushing Zelensky to sign an agreement to give US firms access to Ukrainian rare earth mineral.
Briefing reporters on his Air Force Once jet, Trump said: “I see he’s trying to back out of the rare earth deal. And if he does that he’s got some problems. Big, big problems.”
 


Trump says reciprocal tariffs will target all countries

Trump says reciprocal tariffs will target all countries
Updated 44 min 50 sec ago
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Trump says reciprocal tariffs will target all countries

Trump says reciprocal tariffs will target all countries
  • Trump says he will impose a suite of reciprocal tariffs against nations that charge fees on US exports, promising to match those countries’ duties

ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that reciprocal tariffs he is set to announce this week will include all nations, not just a smaller group of 10 to 15 countries with the biggest trade imbalances.
Trump has promised to unveil a massive tariff plan on Wednesday, which he has dubbed “Liberation Day.” He has already imposed tariffs on aluminum, steel and autos, along with increased tariffs on all goods from China.
“You’d start with all countries,” he told reporters aboard Air Force One. “Essentially all of the countries that we’re talking about.” White House economics adviser Kevin Hassett recently told Fox Business that the administration’s tariffs focus would be on 10 to 15 countries with the worst trade imbalances, though he did not list them.
Trump sees tariffs as a way of protecting the domestic economy from unfair global competition and a bargaining chip for better terms for the US.
However, concerns about a trade war are unsettling markets and creating fears of a recession in the US.
Trump has said he will impose a suite of reciprocal tariffs against nations that charge fees on US exports, promising to match those countries’ duties.
In February, Trump signed a memorandum that directed US trade officials to go country by country and put together a list of tailored counter-measures.
Last week, he suggested he might scale back his reciprocal plans, perhaps imposing tariffs in some cases at lower rates than countries charge the United States.


‘Pissed off’ at Putin, Trump threatens tariffs on Russian oil if Moscow blocks Ukraine deal

‘Pissed off’ at Putin, Trump threatens tariffs on Russian oil if Moscow blocks Ukraine deal
Updated 31 March 2025
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‘Pissed off’ at Putin, Trump threatens tariffs on Russian oil if Moscow blocks Ukraine deal

‘Pissed off’ at Putin, Trump threatens tariffs on Russian oil if Moscow blocks Ukraine deal
  • “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault," he said on NBC News
  • Putin on Friday suggested Ukraine could be placed under a form of temporary administration to allow for new elections that could push out Zelensky

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida: US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he was “pissed off” at Russian President Vladimir Putin and will impose secondary tariffs of 25 percent to 50 percent on buyers of Russian oil if he feels Moscow is blocking his efforts to end the war in Ukraine.
Trump told NBC News he was very angry after Putin last week criticized the credibility of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s leadership, the television network reported, citing a telephone interview early on Sunday.
Since taking office in January, Trump has adopted a more conciliatory stance toward Russia that has left Western allies wary as he tries to broker an end to Moscow’s three-year-old war in Ukraine.
His sharp comments about Putin on Sunday reflect his growing frustration about the lack of movement on a ceasefire.
“If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault ... I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia,” Trump said.
“That would be, that if you buy oil from Russia, you can’t do business in the United States,” Trump said. “There will be a 25 percent tariff on all oil, a 25- to 50-point tariff on all oil.”
Trump said he could impose the new trade measures within a month.
There was no immediate reaction from Moscow. Russia has called numerous Western sanctions and restrictions “illegal” and designed for the West to take economic advantage in its rivalry with Russia.
Trump, who spent the weekend at his estate in Palm Beach, Florida, told NBC News he planned to speak with Putin this week. The two leaders have had two publicly announced telephone calls in recent months but may have had more contacts, the Kremlin said in video footage last week.
The White House had no immediate comment on when the call would take place, or if Trump would also speak with Zelensky.
Trump has focused heavily on ending what he calls a “ridiculous” war, which began when Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, but has made little progress.
Putin on Friday suggested Ukraine could be placed under a form of temporary administration to allow for new elections that could push out Zelensky.
Trump, who himself has called for new elections in Ukraine and denounced Zelensky as a dictator, said Putin knows he is angry with him. But Trump added he had “a very good relationship with him” and “the anger dissipates quickly ... if he does the right thing.”

Growing pressure to end war
Trump’s comments followed a day of meetings and golf with Finnish President Alexander Stubb on Saturday, during Stubb’s surprise visit to Florida.
Stubb’s office on Sunday said he told Trump a deadline needs to be set for establishing a Russia-Ukraine ceasefire to make it happen and suggested April 20 since Trump would have been in office then for three months.
US officials have been separately pushing Kyiv to accept a critical minerals agreement, a summary of which suggested the US was demanding all Ukraine’s natural resources income for years. Zelensky has said Kyiv’s lawyers need to review the draft before he can say more about the US offer.
Trump’s latest tariff threats would add to the pain already facing China, India and other countries through trade measures imposed during his first two months in office, including duties on steel, aluminum and cars. More duties on imports from the countries with the largest trade surpluses are slated to be announced on Wednesday.
William Reinsch, a former senior Commerce Department official now at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said the haphazard way Trump was announcing and threatening tariffs leaves many questions unanswered, including how US officials could trace and prove which countries were buying Russian oil.
Trump set the stage for Sunday’s news with a 25 percent secondary tariff imposed last week on US imports from any country buying oil or gas from Venezuela.
His remarks to NBC suggest he could take similar action against US imports from countries that buy oil from Russia, a move that could hit China and India particularly hard.
The US has not imported any Russian barrels of crude oil since April 2022, according to US government data. Before that, US refiners bought inconsistent volumes of Russian oil, with a high of 98.1 million barrels in 2010 and low of 6.6 million in 2014, according to a review of EIA data since 2000.
India has surpassed China to become the biggest buyer of seaborne Russian crude, which comprised about 35 percent of India’s total crude imports in 2024.
Trump on Sunday also said he could hit buyers of Iranian oil with secondary sanctions if Tehran did not reach an agreement to end their nuclear weapons program.


Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports

Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports
Updated 31 March 2025
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Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports

Russia, US start talks on rare earth metals projects in Russia, RIA agency reports

Moscow and Washington have started talks on joint rare earth metals and other projects in Russia, Russia’s special envoy on international economic and investment cooperation told the Izvestia media outlet in remarks published on Monday.
“Rare earth metals are an important area for cooperation, and, of course, we have begun discussions on various rare earth metals and (other) projects in Russia,” Kirill Dmitriev, who is also the CEO of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, told Izvestia.
Putin, following negotiations between the US and Ukraine over a draft minerals deal, has offered the US, under a future economic deal, to jointly explore Russia’s rare earth metal deposits.
Dmitriev, who was part of Russia’s negotiating team at talks with US officials in Saudi Arabia in February, said some companies have already shown interest in the projects. He did not name any companies and did not reveal further details.
Izvestia reported the cooperation may be further discussed at the next round of Russia-US talks that may take place in mid-April in Saudi Arabia.
Rare earths and other critical metals, essential for high-tech industries, have gained global attention in recent months as US President Donald Trump spurred efforts to counter China’s dominance in the sector.


Tesla chargers torched in France arson attack

Tesla chargers torched in France arson attack
Updated 31 March 2025
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Tesla chargers torched in France arson attack

Tesla chargers torched in France arson attack
  • There have been a number of anti-Telsa actions in the US and Europe since Elon Musk became Trump’s adviser and backed European far-right parties

SAINT-ÉTIENNE, France: Twelve Tesla electric superchargers were targeted in an arson attack in the carpark of a supermarket in central France, a police source told AFP on Sunday.
The fire broke out overnight Wednesday to Thursday in the town of St-Chamond in the Loire department, the source said, confirming a report in the regional newspaper Le Progres.
Two of the chargers, each worth tens of thousands of euros, were completely destroyed, while the others were damaged.
“Anti-Tesla campaign born to burn” was found painted in white on the car park floor.
The police source said it was “the first act targeting the business of billionaire American Elon Musk” in the Loire.
An investigation for “damage and destruction by fire” has been opened but no arrests had been made, the source added.
There have been a number of anti-Telsa actions in Europe since Musk became US President Donald Trump’s adviser and backed European far-right parties.
Earlier this month, a dozen Teslas were torched in an attack on a dealership near the southern city of Toulouse, leaving eight vehicles burnt out.
Another four cars were badly damaged.
A recent spate of attacks on Tesla property in the United States have been described by Attorney General Pam Bondi as “nothing short of domestic terrorism.”