Category: World

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said he is open to a US-brokered partial ceasefire on energy infrastructure but stressed that it would only work if Russia fully commits to the agreement. The Ukrainian president also said his country would respond in kind if Moscow violated the terms of the ceasefire. After speaking to US President Donald Trump on Wednesday for the first time since their disastrous Oval Office talks, Zelenskiy said Kyiv would draw up a list of facilities that could be subject to a partial ceasefire brokered by Washington.…

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President Donald Trump has reportedly sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, setting a two-month deadline for a new nuclear deal, Axios reported. According to the report, the timeline’s start date is unclear, but if Iran refuses to negotiate, military action from the US or Israel could become more likely. The letter outlines Trump’s intention to negotiate but also warns of consequences if Iran continues advancing its nuclear program. Trump is said to have insisted on a fixed two-month timeline for an agreement. Delivered last week by UAE diplomat Anwar…

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NEW YORK/BERLIN: As the Trump Administration pushes Russia to end its war in Ukraine, several US national security agencies have halted work on a coordinated effort to counter Russian sabotage, disinformation and cyber attacks, easing pressure on Moscow. Amid warnings from US intelligence that Russia was escalating a shadow war against Western nations, former president Joe Biden last year ordered his national security team to establish working groups to monitor the issue. The plan was led by the president’s National Security Council (NSC) and involved at least seven national security…

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WASHINGTON: Setting aside the rumours relating to a possible travel restrictions by President Donald Trump’s administration, the US State Department has ruled out the existence of any travel ban list. The spokesperson’s rebuttal comes days after a draft list emerged provisioning the names of 41 countries — including Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iranm and others — divided into three separate groups which would be subjected to varying degrees of travel restrictions. In the list, as per the memo seen by Reuters, Pakistan was included in a group that would be considered for a…

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WASHINGTON: The US President Donald Trump released material related to the 1963 assassination of former president John F Kennedy on Tuesday, seeking to honour his campaign promise to provide more transparency about the unfortunate event in Texas. An initial tranche of electronic copies of papers flooded into the National Archives website in the evening with a total of more than 80,000 expected to be published after Justice Department lawyers spent hours scouring them. The digital documents, including PDFs of previously classified memos, offer a window into the climate of fear at the…

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WASHINGTON: A US court has ordered the Trump administration to reinstate nearly 25,000 recently dismissed federal workers, ruling that their mass sacking was likely unlawful. The filings state that federal agencies are working to bring all of them back after a judge ruled that their dismissals were likely unlawful. The filings, submitted late on Monday in a federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, included statements from officials at 18 agencies, all of whom confirmed that the reinstated probationary workers were being placed on administrative leave, at least temporarily. The mass sackings,…

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BUDAPEST: Hungary has passed a law banning the annual Pride march in Budapest, drawing criticism from rights groups and opposition figures who accuse Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government of curbing LGBTQ freedoms under the pretext of protecting children. Orban’s government has repeatedly criticised LGBTQ people and has gradually been rolling back their rights in the name of “child protection” in recent years. “We won’t let woke ideology endanger our kids,” the nationalist leader wrote on X. Thousands of people chanting “We are not afraid!” rallied in central Budapest on Tuesday…

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US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to speak by phone on Tuesday in a potentially crucial step toward halting the war in Ukraine, over three years into Moscow’s invasion. Both sides have expressed optimism about recent talks between Washington and Moscow but have agreed that only a top-level call could resolve the toughest sticking points on a 30-day truce. Ukraine has agreed to the ceasefire — yet both Kyiv and European capitals are skeptical that Putin may be stalling, and wonder whether Trump is willing…

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A jury has ordered Starbucks to pay $50 million to a customer who suffered severe burns after a hot tea spill at a California drive-through. Michael Garcia’s lawyers argued that in February 2020, a Starbucks employee failed to secure one of three large drinks in a cardboard cupholder. When Garcia took the tray, the cup tipped over, causing third-degree burns to his groin, inner thighs, and penis. He required hospitalisation and multiple skin grafts and has since endured ongoing pain, disfigurement, and psychological trauma. Despite denying responsibility, Starbucks initially offered…

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President Donald Trump announced on Monday that Chinese President Xi Jinping would visit the United States in the near future, as trade disputes between the two economic giants intensify, AFP reported. Speaking at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Trump stated, “He’ll be coming in the not-too-distant future,” without providing further details. Reports from The Wall Street Journal suggest that Washington and Beijing have started discussions about a potential summit in June, coinciding with both leaders’ birthdays. Since his return to office in January, Trump has imposed tariffs on…

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