Category: World

KYIV: Russian President Vladimir Putin has called on Ukrainian troops in Kursk to lay down their arms, as fierce fighting continues in the region despite ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire. US President Donald Trump urged Putin to spare the lives of the Ukrainian troops as he said his envoy had held “productive” talks with Russia’s leader on a proposed 30-day ceasefire. Russia has mounted a rapid counteroffensive in the western border region of Kursk over the past week, recapturing much of the territory Ukraine seized in a shock incursion…

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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump has said he wants the Education Department to be shut down immediately, insisting it is unnecessary despite concerns over the impact on school funding and student aid. Trump had said last week he would like to close the Department of Education using an executive order but acknowledged he would need buy-ins from Parliament and teachers’ unions to fulfil his campaign pledge to do so. An immediate closure of the Education Department could disrupt tens of billions of dollars in aid to K-12 schools and tuition…

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RIYADH: After dialogue between US and Ukraine in Jeddah suggested a 30-day truce, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman told Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday that the kingdom supports “all initiatives” to halt the war in Ukraine. According to a foreign ministry statement, the crown prince talked with Putin on telephone and reiterated Saudi Arabia’s “commitment to facilitating dialogue and supporting all initiatives aimed at achieving a political resolution”. On Thursday Putin said he had “serious questions” about the ceasefire plan, which was announced after talks in the…

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A new report has highlighted alarming declines in US bird populations, attributing the crisis to habitat loss and climate change. The study identifies 112 species that have reached a critical “tipping point,” with 42 facing dangerously low numbers and sharp downward trends. Even duck populations, once seen as a conservation success, have begun to decline, though they remain above 1970 levels. Released on Thursday by a coalition of science and conservation organisations, the report analysed 718 species using data from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird project, the US Geological…

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BEIJING: Beijing’s state media said that Chinese, Russian and Iranian diplomats met Friday for talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme. Chinese state broadcaster CCTV said: “The three parties exchanged views on the Iran nuclear issue and other issues of common concern.” State media did not share any further details of the talks, attended by China’s Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov and Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Kazem Gharibabadi. The United States withdrew from a landmark Iran deal, which had imposed curbs on Tehran’s nuclear programme in return for…

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MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has signalled willingness to discuss a US-backed ceasefire in Ukraine but has raised serious concerns about how it would be implemented and its potential impact on the conflict. Putin made his first comments on the plan, which Ukraine agreed to on Tuesday at talks with the United States, saying he was “for” the proposed ceasefire, but that “there are nuances” and he had “serious questions” about how it would work. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned Putin’s comments as “very manipulative”, suggesting in his nightly address…

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WASHINGTON: Former US President Donald Trump has reiterated his push for American control over Greenland, as he told NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte that the strategic Arctic territory is crucial for international security. “You know, Mark, we need that for international security, not just security – international – we have a lot of our favourite players cruising around the coast, and we have to be careful,” Trump told Rutte as they sat side by side in the White House Oval Office for talks. “We’ll be talking to you.” Asked directly about the…

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A US federal judge has ruled against the Trump administration’s mass job cuts, ordering six government agencies to reinstate thousands of workers who were dismissed as part of a drive to shrink the federal workforce. The ruling by US District Judge William Alsup during a hearing in San Francisco was the most significant blow yet to the effort by Trump and top adviser Elon Musk to drastically shrink the federal bureaucracy. Government agencies face a Thursday deadline to submit plans for a second wave of mass redundancies and to slash…

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WASHINGTON: A new poll shows that most Americans believe Donald Trump’s approach to the economy is too erratic, with concerns over his unpredictable policies, including tariffs on imports that have unsettled markets. Some 57% of Americans think President Donald Trump is being too erratic in his moves to shake up the US economy, including his aggressive strategy to tax imports that has spooked the stock market, a Reuters/Ipsos poll that closed on Wednesday found. A third of respondents said Trump’s actions were not too erratic and 11% were unsure or did…

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PARIS: France has said that European nations are increasingly united in their support for Ukraine’s defence, with a “broad consensus” emerging on strengthening its armed forces to ensure long-term security. The defence ministers of Europe’s five main military powers—France, Britain, Germany, Italy and Poland—addressed reporters after meeting earlier Wednesday for talks in Paris. They acknowledged the challenges posed by the new administration of Donald Trump in the US—which is seeking direct talks with Russia to end the war sparked by the Russian 2022 invasion of Ukraine—while insisting Europe was ready…

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