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Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Trump says Putin 'playing with fire' as Russia ramps up Ukraine strikes
Speaking on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, President Trump issued a stark warning, suggesting Putin is underestimating the severity of the current geopolitical situation. PHOTO: ANADOLU Listen to article US President Donald Trump has escalated his criticism of Russian President Vladimir Putin, warning that the Kremlin leader is "playing with fire" following a series of sustained Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. Speaking on his social media platform Truth Social on Tuesday, President Trump issued a stark warning, suggesting Putin is underestimating the severity of the current geopolitical situation. "He's playing with fire," Trump wrote, adding that 'if it weren't for me, lots of really bad things would have already happened to Russia — and I mean REALLY BAD.' The remarks follow a similar outburst on Sunday, in which Trump accused Putin of having "gone absolutely crazy" after Russia launched airstrikes on Ukrainian targets for three consecutive nights. The former president, who has previously touted a strong rapport with the Russian leader, expressed surprise at Putin's recent conduct. "I've always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia," Trump said. "But something has happened to him." The Kremlin swiftly dismissed the comments. Speaking to reporters, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov characterised Trump's statements as "emotional overload," seeking to downplay the former president's warnings. The renewed war of words comes as international concern grows over Russia's intensifying military campaign in Ukraine and amid heightened tensions between Washington and Moscow. Trump considering new sanctions on Russia Trump is also weighing new sanctions on Russia amid growing frustration over continued attacks in Ukraine and stalled peace talks with President Vladimir Putin, according to The Wall Street Journal. While no new financial sanctions are expected, the Trump administration is considering alternative pressures, including backing a 30-day Ukraine-supported ceasefire—an offer Moscow has repeatedly rejected. Trump, who once vowed to end the war on day one of his presidency, may abandon peace talks altogether if no progress is made, sources told the WSJ. Despite a recent phone call with Putin that led to an agreement for direct negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, Trump struck a hardline tone: 'He's sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don't like it at all.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, 'President Trump has been clear he wants a negotiated peace deal… [but] has also smartly kept all options on the table.'
Express Tribune
14-05-2025
- Business
- Express Tribune
EU preparing new sanctions against Russia: French president
The international community's challenge is to put AI in the service of humanity, said Macron. PHOTO: ANADOLU Listen to article French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that the European Union (EU) is preparing a new round of sanctions against Russia 'in the coming days,' aimed at increasing pressure on the Moscow to agree to an unconditional ceasefire in Ukraine. In a televised interview on Tuesday evening, Macron said that, in coordination with the United States, the sanctions o Russia would target financial services and secondary oil sellers. The announcement follows a high-profile visit by Macron and other European leaders to Kyiv, where they reinforced support for Ukraine and called for immediate peace talks. France is spearheading the 18th EU package of anti-Russian sanctions, building on discussions between EU foreign ministers and the European Commission. French officials, including European Affairs Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, confirmed that the sanctions would escalate penalties on Russia's energy and finance sectors if President Vladimir Putin refuses to engage in serious negotiations. Barrot stressed that 'powerful and massive' sanctions are ready if Moscow does not respond to peace overtures. EU leaders are demanding a 30-day ceasefire as a prerequisite for talks, with hopes pinned on a proposed summit in Istanbul involving Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and possibly US President Donald Trump. Despite internal debate, Macron reiterated his opposition to seizing €200 billion in frozen Russian assets, citing the absence of a legal framework. However, EU ministers continue to support keeping the assets frozen until Russia halts aggression and agrees to pay reparations. The next EU foreign ministers meeting, scheduled for May, 20 in Brussels, is expected to finalise the sanctions package. Macron also used the opportunity to hint at future nuclear deterrent discussions within Europe, as uncertainty grows over US commitment to NATO under President Trump.
Express Tribune
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Mexico sues Google over 'Gulf of America' label on US maps
Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico does not object to the "Gulf of America" being used for the portion of the Gulf adjacent to US shores. PHOTO. ANADOLU Listen to article Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Friday her government filed a lawsuit against Google for changing the "Gulf of Mexico" to the "Gulf of America" on its US-based maps. Sheinbaum said at her media briefing at the National Palace in Mexico City that the government previously warned Google about the issue, but those concerns were not addressed. "Google has already been sued. A preliminary ruling has been issued, and we are currently awaiting the outcome," she said. Sheinbaum emphasized that Mexico does not object to the "Gulf of America" being used for the portion of the Gulf adjacent to US shores. "However, Google cannot label the entire Gulf that way. This is an international issue. Our request is that Google apply the name 'Gulf of America' only to the areas corresponding to US territory, and use 'Gulf of Mexico' for the regions bordering Mexico and Cuba," she said. Sheinbaum added that the topic had not come up in phone conversations with US President Donald Trump. Trump previously signed an executive order Jan. 20 directing the renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the "Gulf of America." Google announced Feb. 11 that it had implemented the name change on its map platform.
Express Tribune
04-05-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Iran arrests two over deadly port blast that killed 57, injured 1,000
Smoke rises after a massive explosion that ripped through the Shahid Rajaee Port as officials conduct operations on April 26, 2025. More than 500 people have so far been injured in a massive explosion. PHOTO: ANADOLU Listen to article Iranian authorities arrested two people including a government official in connection with a deadly explosion last month at the country's main commercial port, state television reported on Sunday. The April 26 blast at a dock in the southern port of Shahid Rajaee killed at least 57 people and injured more than 1,000, officials said, revising down an earlier death toll. The judiciary on Sunday said the toll had been revised because 'it was determined that some of the bodies considered separate were in fact one body', adding that it could still change. At the time of the blast, Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni blamed 'shortcomings, including noncompliance with safety precautions and negligence'. Shahid Rajaee is near Iran's coastal city of Bandar Abbas on the Strait of Hormuz, a waterway through which one-fifth of global oil output passes. 'A government manager and another from the private sector have been arrested,' state television said on Sunday, citing a report from the investigating committee. The committee announced on Monday that 'false declarations (of goods) were made in some cases'. It said on Sunday that 'suspects have been identified and the summoning process is underway', without elaborating. The New York Times has quoted a person with ties to Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss security matters, as saying that what exploded was sodium perchlorate – a major ingredient in solid fuel for missiles. Iran's defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik later told state television that 'there has been no imported or exported cargo for military fuel or military use in the area'.
Times
28-04-2025
- Politics
- Times
Cardinals to convene for decision on start of conclave
Thousands of mourners queued to visit Pope Francis's tomb on Sunday as attention among cardinals shifted to preparations for the conclave, the secretive process that will choose the new head of the Catholic Church. Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, aged 88, after suffering a stroke and subsequent coma and cardiac arrest, less than a month after his discharge from a 38-day stay in hospital in which he battled double pneumonia. An estimated 250,000 people attended Francis's funeral in St Peter's Square on Saturday, among them a line-up of world leaders including President Trump, President Zelensky and Sir Keir Starmer, the prime minister. The coffin was driven through Rome's streets on a converted 'popemobile', flanked by crowds estimated at 150,000, to the Basilica of St Mary Major, where it was interred in a private ceremony on Saturday afternoon. Photographs released by the Vatican showed a simple marble slab engraved with the Latin name Franciscus. A reproduction of the plain cross he once wore hangs above the burial niche. A single white rose was placed on the tomb. Francis is the eighth pope to be buried at Saint Mary Major, one of Rome's four major papal basilicas. He would frequently go there, bearing roses, before and after trips he made abroad. He would pray before the Salus Populi Romani, a Byzantine icon of the Virgin Mary painted on cedarwood and believed to have been taken to the basilica by Pope Gregory I in AD590. Hundreds of mourners were queueing before dawn and there were several thousand people in the line shortly before noon, the Ansa news agency reported. RICCARDO DE LUCA/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES RICCARDO DE LUCA/ANADOLU/GETTY IMAGES Maria Brzezinska, a Polish pilgrim, said after paying her respects: 'I feel like it's exactly in the way of the Pope. He was simple, and so is his place now.' A police spokesperson said that 60,000 people had visited the tomb by Sunday afternoon. Many queued for two hours before entering, according to Italian media. Cardinals were expected to reconvene at 9am on Monday in their daily general congregations, meetings in the Synod Hall that manage urgent Vatican business during the vacancy of the papal seat. The gatherings ran from Tuesday to Friday last week before pausing for the funeral. They have so far focused on immediate governance, including setting the funeral date, scheduling nine days of mourning and suspending planned beatifications. Their focus will now shift towards selecting Francis's successor. • The road to the next Pope: a visual timeline High up on their agenda will be to decide whether Cardinal Angelo Becciu, who was stripped of his rights as a cardinal by Francis after a conviction in 2023 for financial crimes, should be permitted to vote. La Repubblica reported that cardinals could select the conclave date in Monday's general congregation. Asked if a date would be set on Monday, Matteo Bruni, the Vatican's spokesman, told The Times: 'We have given no information concerning that decision whatsoever.' Vatican rules stipulate that a conclave must begin between 15 and 20 days after a pope's death or resignation. Of the 252 serving cardinals, 135 are under the age of 80 and thus eligible to vote. Most of them were appointed by Francis. Opinions among senior figures vary over how the conclave will unfold. Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the Archbishop of Munich and Freising and a member of the 'C9' Council of Cardinals appointed by Francis, told reporters shortly after the funeral that he believed the process would be swift, lasting 'just a few days'. He added: 'Everything is open. It is not a question of language, country or culture. It's about the person. It's not even a question of whether he is conservative or progressive. It is a question of credibility and dialogue.' His comments contrasted with those of Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki, the Archbishop of Cologne, who told the German agency DPA last week that he expected a 'longer, more complex conclave' because of the 'heterogeneous' character of the electors. Francis was elected in 2013 in about 24 hours, but papal elections can be much slower. The longest conclave in history, that of Pope Gregory X in the 13th century, took two years and nine months to conclude after fierce divisions between French and Italian cardinals. On Sunday afternoon, more than 110 cardinals wearing black robes and red sashes filed into Saint Mary Major to pay their respects to Francis's tomb and pray before the Salus Populi Romani icon. A Vespers service was then held in the basilica.
