US President Trump said Sunday that Russia and Ukraine could gain access to substantial economic partnerships with the US if they reach a peace agreement this week. “Hopefully Russia and Ukraine will make a deal this week,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “Both will then start to do big business with the United States of America, which is thriving, and make a fortune.” Trump’s statement followed his threat to withdraw US involvement in the peace process if talks fail to move forward. “You’re foolish, you’re fools, you’re horrible people,” he…
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Mutual accusations undermine Russia-Ukraine Easter ceasefire
Russia and Ukraine exchanged accusations on Sunday over violations of a 30-hour Easter truce initiated by Russian President Vladimir Putin, AFP reported. Intended to begin Saturday evening, the ceasefire was meant as a gesture of peace for the religious holiday, but fighting reportedly continued across several regions. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of breaking the truce by launching “hundreds of shelling and drone assaults” along the front line. “The Ukrainian army is acting and will continue to act in an absolutely mirror image of Russia,” he stated. Zelensky also reiterated his…
Read MoreMusk to visit India following conversation with Modi
Elon Musk has confirmed he plans to travel to India later this year, following a conversation with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reuters reported. The Tesla and SpaceX CEO shared the news on Saturday, April 19, on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “It was an honour to speak with PM Modi. I am looking forward to visiting India later this year!” His post responded to an earlier message from Modi, who revealed he had spoken to Musk on April 18. The Prime Minister mentioned that their call revisited topics previously discussed during their meeting…
Read MoreHarvard accuses Trump admin of ‘doubling down’ on ‘intrusive’ demands
WASHINGTON: Harvard on Saturday stated that US President Donald Trump’s administration was “doubling down” on the extensive demands made on the university, despite a report that government officials had written a letter outlining the demands without approval. The New York Times on Friday quoted sources privy with the subject as saying that the government lawyers’ letter, which Harvard received on April 11, was delivered before top authorities in Trump’s administration could review it or give the go-ahead for its release. Three days after that letter arrived, Harvard rejected numerous demands that…
Read MoreSupreme Court steps in to stop Trump’s use of Alien Enemies Act
WASHINGTON: In a dramatic development overnight, the US Supreme Court has stepped in to stop President Donald Trump from using a centuries-old wartime law to swiftly deport Venezuelan migrants without allowing them a chance to challenge their removal in court. The emergency ruling noted that two of the most conservative justices on the nine-member panel had dissented. The order temporarily prevents the government from continuing to expel migrants under the 1798 Alien Enemies Act — last used to round up Japanese-American citizens during World War II. Trump invoked the law…
Read MoreTrump in the crosshairs as fresh wave of protests grips US cities
NEW YORK: President Donald Trump is facing mounting pressure as fresh protests break out across cities in the United States, with demonstrators voicing anger over his hard-line policies and leadership. In New York, people gathered outside the city’s main library carrying signs targeting the US president with slogans like “No Kings in America” and “Resist Tyranny.” Many took aim at Trump’s deportations of undocumented migrants, chanting “No ICE, no fear, immigrants are welcome here,” a reference to the role of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency in rounding up migrants.…
Read MoreIran, US task experts to design framework for nuclear deal, says Tehran
DUBAI: In a major development, Iran and the United States agreed on Saturday to task experts to start drawing up a framework for a potential nuclear deal, Iran’s foreign minister said, after a second round of talks following President Donald Trump’s threat of military action. At their second indirect meeting in a week, Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi negotiated for almost four hours in Rome with Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, through an Omani official who shuttled messages between them. Trump, who abandoned a 2015 nuclear pact between Tehran and…
Read MoreUS, Iran to hold nuclear talks in Rome through Omani mediators
The United States and Iran will begin the second round of nuclear dialogue in Rome on Saturday in an attempt to end their decades-long impasse over Tehran’s atomic ambitions, under the threat from the US administration of military action if diplomacy fails. A week after a first round of negotiations in Muscat that both parties characterised as fruitful, Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi and Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff will engage in indirect talks through mediators from Oman. Tehran has sought to tamp down expectations of a quick deal,…
Read MoreRussia sees hope in Ukraine talks, calls US contacts ‘complicated’
MOSCOW: Russia has said there are early signs of progress in efforts to end the war in Ukraine, but described its contacts with the United States on the issue as rather ‘complicated’. “Contacts are quite complicated, because, naturally, the topic is not an easy one,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters. “Russia is committed to resolving this conflict, ensuring its own interests, and is open to dialogue. We continue to do this.” US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he wanted to achieve a peace deal quickly, but could not…
Read MoreTrump threatens to abandon Ukraine talks ‘very shortly’
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has warned that Washington may pull out of negotiations to end the Ukraine conflict within days if both Moscow and Kyiv fail to make rapid progress to defuse the situation. The warning confirmed a sudden change in US messaging, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio earlier saying in Paris that the United States would “move on” if peace was not “doable.” Trump has been pressing both sides for a truce but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin despite an ice-breaking call with…
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