Latest news with #Elbphilharmonie
Economic Times
2 days ago
- Politics
- Economic Times
Trump and Putin in Alaska: How a strange relationship took shape
The curiously personal relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has taken many bizarre turns from the last time they were alone in a room together without witnesses. ADVERTISEMENT Their first summit meeting in seven years kicks off with the surprising and symbolically significant choice of Alaska as the venue for talks between the US and Russian presidents. As they meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin's suggestion to hold it in a US state that once belonged to Russia hints at Putin's sly strategy to appeal directly to Trump's real-estate instincts and seal a grand bargain cutting others out. Over the years, Putin has been the object of fascination for Trump, who praised his 'genius' when Russia invaded its neighbor in 2022. The two appear to enjoy an easy, even playful rapport (Putin often refers to his American counterpart simply as 'Donald'). In his first term, Trump made no secret of his admiration for the strongman leader and has spoken to him at least six times since returning to the White House. "Putin went through a hell of a lot with me," he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in their infamous Oval Office his part, Putin is known for switching from mischief to menace in a flash. After his 'little green men' annexed Crimea in 2014, his answer to a pensioner asking him to take Alaska back was typical of his trolling style: 'Why would you need Alaska?' he said. 'It's cold out there as well. Let's not get worked up about it.'The world has changed dramatically since the calamitous 2018 summit in Helsinki, when Trump sided with Putin against his own officials on Russian election meddling in the 2016 presidential vote. Second-term Trump is a visibly more confident president and he's grown frustrated with Putin's delay tactics. Putin has been in power for more than a quarter of a century but the protracted conflict in Ukraine has dented his air of invincibility. ADVERTISEMENT If the memorable moments from their past encounters are any measure, Friday's summit promises compelling political drama whatever the outcome. Here are some of the highlights. Hamburg, Germany: Group of 20, July 2017 ADVERTISEMENT The biggest issue hanging over Trump and Putin's first major meeting was the role Russia played in interfering with the 2016 election that polls showed Hillary Clinton was favored to win. US intelligence agencies saw evidence of a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at boosting Trump, who was irritated that the legitimacy of his victory was being questioned. Moscow officials said Trump accepted Putin's denial of any Russian incursions into Ukraine, which at the time were confined to Crimea and the eastern part of the country, were a minor topic in a bilateral that lasted more than than two hours. ADVERTISEMENT Things took an unusual turn at the dinner for leaders and their spouses at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall on the banks of the Elbe River. At the end of the meal, Trump walked over to Putin and the two spoke informally for an hour. No notes. No only record of this conversation came from the Kremlin's Russian interpreter. Trump later criticized reports that characterized this second encounter as secretive, although it was only disclosed after other dinner participants recounted what they observed. Da Nang, Vietnam: APEC, November 2017 ADVERTISEMENT Putin's main motivation for traveling to Vietnam — rather than sending a lower ranking official — was to sit down with Trump. The Kremlin only found out on arrival that Trump had decided to cancel the meeting. The US president later agreed to meet 'on the fly.' Putin bristled at the blamed the failure of a more robust chat on a scheduling conflict and sent a warning. 'This had to do with Mr. Trump's schedule, my schedule and certain protocol formalities which our teams, unfortunately, failed to coordinate,' Putin said. 'They will be punished for that.'In Moscow, some pointed the finger at Trump's team for trying to make up for the political fallout from the controversial dinner in Hamburg. Others recognized that Trump was under pressure not to appear too accommodating to Putin as US lawmakers and intelligence agencies continued to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 election. Helsinki, Finland: Summit, July 2018 After speaking with Putin for roughly two hours, Trump shocked even members of his own party by saying he believed Putin over his own intelligence agencies in their assessment of Russian election influence. He returned home to nearly universal rebukes of his performance. Republican Senator John McCain said 'no prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.' There was bipartisan pressure to tighten US sanctions on on the other hand, cheered both the tone and the outcome of the talks. Putin said the two leaders had 'begun the path toward positive changes.' During the meeting, Putin secretly offered Trump a proposal to hold a referendum in the parts of eastern Ukraine held by Russian separatists. Trump later rejected the idea publicly, although Putin went ahead anyway after his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 when Trump was no longer in Helsinki, Trump also invited Putin to Washington later that fall. That meeting, however, never happened. Paris, France: WWI Armistice Ceremony, November 2018 There was rampant speculation about whether Trump and Putin would have a substantive meeting on the sidelines of an international commemoration of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I. John Bolton, then Trump's national security adviser, said the two did plan to meet. The Kremlin publicly played down the possibility of talks with Trump, even though Putin had met with Bolton several weeks earlier. It was a rainy weekend. Trump and Putin took their own motorcades, skipping the soggy and somber walk to the Arc de Triomphe with other world leaders. When Putin arrived for the group photo, he first shook the hand of French President Emmanuel Macron, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel — then he shook Trump's hand, with a brief thumbs-up. Trump declining to meet separately with Putin was seen in Russia as a slight, but forgivable snub. Buenos Aires, Argentina: G-20, November 2018 With no trip to Washington and no bilateral in Paris, Putin was confident that he would see Trump in Buenos Aires. Trump confirmed that plan, but then he canceled the meeting via a social media post from the plane, citing Russia's capture of Ukrainian ships and sailors near officials were taken aback by Trump's affront – his second nixed meeting with Putin in less than a month – with one describing it as 'really bad.' Publicly, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov insisted there was 'no offense taken,' even after the Kremlin had previously talked up the Argentina meeting. Osaka, Japan: G-20, June 2019 Putin would have to wait until the following year's G-20 summit in Japan for his next sit-down with Trump on a day the US leader also met with four other heads of state. Speaking with reporters before the meeting, Putin noted that they hadn't met since Helsinki. Trump lauded past meetings and said 'we've had a very, very good relationship.'This meeting came just two months after US Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his 448-page report on Russian election interference. He indicted two dozen Russians for social media activity and hacking Democrats. Mueller said hecouldn't charge a sitting president with a crime, according to Justice Department policy. When asked in Osaka if he would tell Putin not to meddle in the 2020 US election, Trump said, 'Yes, of course I will.' He grinned and pointed at the Russian leader and gave a light-hearted warning: 'Don't meddle in the election.' Putin played along. They also joked about fake news, with Putin smilingly telling Trump in English: 'Yes, we have it too.'Putin invited Trump to Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II in 2020. That meeting never happened. By the time 2020 came, the world was locking down as the Coronavirus pandemic took hold. Trump was voted out of office and Putin went into deep isolation, emerging with a much more hostile view of the West.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Trump and Putin in Alaska: How a strange relationship took shape
The curiously personal relationship between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin has taken many bizarre turns from the last time they were alone in a room together without witnesses. Their first summit meeting in seven years kicks off with the surprising and symbolically significant choice of Alaska as the venue for talks between the US and Russian presidents. As they meet to discuss ending the war in Ukraine, the Kremlin's suggestion to hold it in a US state that once belonged to Russia hints at Putin's sly strategy to appeal directly to Trump's real-estate instincts and seal a grand bargain cutting others out. Over the years, Putin has been the object of fascination for Trump, who praised his 'genius' when Russia invaded its neighbor in 2022. The two appear to enjoy an easy, even playful rapport (Putin often refers to his American counterpart simply as 'Donald'). by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Undo In his first term, Trump made no secret of his admiration for the strongman leader and has spoken to him at least six times since returning to the White House. "Putin went through a hell of a lot with me," he told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in their infamous Oval Office clash. For his part, Putin is known for switching from mischief to menace in a flash. After his 'little green men' annexed Crimea in 2014, his answer to a pensioner asking him to take Alaska back was typical of his trolling style: 'Why would you need Alaska?' he said. 'It's cold out there as well. Let's not get worked up about it.' Live Events The world has changed dramatically since the calamitous 2018 summit in Helsinki, when Trump sided with Putin against his own officials on Russian election meddling in the 2016 presidential vote. Second-term Trump is a visibly more confident president and he's grown frustrated with Putin's delay tactics. Putin has been in power for more than a quarter of a century but the protracted conflict in Ukraine has dented his air of invincibility. If the memorable moments from their past encounters are any measure, Friday's summit promises compelling political drama whatever the outcome. Here are some of the highlights. Hamburg, Germany: Group of 20, July 2017 The biggest issue hanging over Trump and Putin's first major meeting was the role Russia played in interfering with the 2016 election that polls showed Hillary Clinton was favored to win. US intelligence agencies saw evidence of a Russian disinformation campaign aimed at boosting Trump, who was irritated that the legitimacy of his victory was being questioned. Moscow officials said Trump accepted Putin's denial of any Russian role. Russia's incursions into Ukraine, which at the time were confined to Crimea and the eastern part of the country, were a minor topic in a bilateral that lasted more than than two hours. Things took an unusual turn at the dinner for leaders and their spouses at the Elbphilharmonie concert hall on the banks of the Elbe River. At the end of the meal, Trump walked over to Putin and the two spoke informally for an hour. No notes. No aides. The only record of this conversation came from the Kremlin's Russian interpreter. Trump later criticized reports that characterized this second encounter as secretive, although it was only disclosed after other dinner participants recounted what they observed. Da Nang, Vietnam: APEC, November 2017 Putin's main motivation for traveling to Vietnam — rather than sending a lower ranking official — was to sit down with Trump. The Kremlin only found out on arrival that Trump had decided to cancel the meeting. The US president later agreed to meet 'on the fly.' Putin bristled at the slight. He blamed the failure of a more robust chat on a scheduling conflict and sent a warning. 'This had to do with Mr. Trump's schedule, my schedule and certain protocol formalities which our teams, unfortunately, failed to coordinate,' Putin said. 'They will be punished for that.' In Moscow, some pointed the finger at Trump's team for trying to make up for the political fallout from the controversial dinner in Hamburg. Others recognized that Trump was under pressure not to appear too accommodating to Putin as US lawmakers and intelligence agencies continued to investigate Russian influence in the 2016 election. Helsinki, Finland: Summit, July 2018 After speaking with Putin for roughly two hours, Trump shocked even members of his own party by saying he believed Putin over his own intelligence agencies in their assessment of Russian election influence. He returned home to nearly universal rebukes of his performance. Republican Senator John McCain said 'no prior president has ever abased himself more abjectly before a tyrant.' There was bipartisan pressure to tighten US sanctions on Russia. Moscow, on the other hand, cheered both the tone and the outcome of the talks. Putin said the two leaders had 'begun the path toward positive changes.' During the meeting, Putin secretly offered Trump a proposal to hold a referendum in the parts of eastern Ukraine held by Russian separatists. Trump later rejected the idea publicly, although Putin went ahead anyway after his full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 when Trump was no longer in office. In Helsinki, Trump also invited Putin to Washington later that fall. That meeting, however, never happened. Paris, France: WWI Armistice Ceremony, November 2018 There was rampant speculation about whether Trump and Putin would have a substantive meeting on the sidelines of an international commemoration of the 1918 armistice that ended World War I. John Bolton, then Trump's national security adviser, said the two did plan to meet. The Kremlin publicly played down the possibility of talks with Trump, even though Putin had met with Bolton several weeks earlier. It was a rainy weekend. Trump and Putin took their own motorcades, skipping the soggy and somber walk to the Arc de Triomphe with other world leaders. When Putin arrived for the group photo, he first shook the hand of French President Emmanuel Macron, then German Chancellor Angela Merkel — then he shook Trump's hand, with a brief thumbs-up. Trump declining to meet separately with Putin was seen in Russia as a slight, but forgivable snub. Buenos Aires, Argentina: G-20, November 2018 With no trip to Washington and no bilateral in Paris, Putin was confident that he would see Trump in Buenos Aires. Trump confirmed that plan, but then he canceled the meeting via a social media post from the plane, citing Russia's capture of Ukrainian ships and sailors near Crimea. Russian officials were taken aback by Trump's affront – his second nixed meeting with Putin in less than a month – with one describing it as 'really bad.' Publicly, Putin's foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov insisted there was 'no offense taken,' even after the Kremlin had previously talked up the Argentina meeting. Osaka, Japan: G-20, June 2019 Putin would have to wait until the following year's G-20 summit in Japan for his next sit-down with Trump on a day the US leader also met with four other heads of state. Speaking with reporters before the meeting, Putin noted that they hadn't met since Helsinki. Trump lauded past meetings and said 'we've had a very, very good relationship.' This meeting came just two months after US Special Counsel Robert Mueller released his 448-page report on Russian election interference. He indicted two dozen Russians for social media activity and hacking Democrats. Mueller said hecouldn't charge a sitting president with a crime, according to Justice Department policy. When asked in Osaka if he would tell Putin not to meddle in the 2020 US election, Trump said, 'Yes, of course I will.' He grinned and pointed at the Russian leader and gave a light-hearted warning: 'Don't meddle in the election.' Putin played along. They also joked about fake news, with Putin smilingly telling Trump in English: 'Yes, we have it too.' Putin invited Trump to Moscow to mark the 75th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II in 2020. That meeting never happened. By the time 2020 came, the world was locking down as the Coronavirus pandemic took hold. Trump was voted out of office and Putin went into deep isolation, emerging with a much more hostile view of the West.
The Irish Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Irish Sun
Fresh hope for Europe's tallest abandoned skyscraper as millionaire buyer on brink of snapping up 800ft half-built ruin
HOPES for Europe's tallest abandoned building have been revived - after a real estate tycoon has been given more time to seal the deal. Dieter Becken, 75, has been given a few more weeks to secure the funds to buy and complete the unfinished Elbtower skyscraper in Hamburg, Germany. Advertisement 4 The partially complete Elbtower currently stands 328ft tall in Hamburg, Germany Credit: Getty 4 Dieter Becken has tasked himself with finishing the skyscraper - envisioned to be 800ft tall Credit: Getty 4 Concept images show the plans for the skyscraper Originally slated to soar to 800 feet, the structure currently sits at a mere 328 feet. Becken now has until June 2025 to obtain the cash and finalise a deal to buy the tower, according to Hamburger Abendblatt. He The administrator said: "This agreement is thus extended by the period necessary for the continuation and possible conclusion of the negotiations between the parties." Advertisement Read more on skyscrapers The defiant millionaire said earlier this month: "I believe in this outstanding project." Construction on the ambitious project began in 2021. But the project was halted in 2023, after Austrian investor Rene Benko, 47, went bankrupt. The skyscraper is located in Hamburg's Hafen City district, near the city's famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Advertisement Most read in The Sun The building was set to host a Nobu hotel and restaurant, risk adviser Aon and a local bank. If completed, the tower would be, by far, the tallest building in Hamburg and the third tallest in Germany. It will be 210 feet taller than the Gherkin and around 217 feet shorter than the Shard in London. The construction costs amount to 700 million euros (£587 million), according to estimates by PropertyEU. Advertisement World's tallest skyscraper left half built & abandoned that stands 3x taller than Shard will be finally FINISHED by 2029 It comes as Work on Goldin Finance 117, nicknamed The Walking Stick due to its architectural shape, came to an abrupt halt in 2015 following the Chinese stock market crash. The "ghost-scraper" has loomed large over the northern city of Tianjin ever since. At a whopping 1,959 feet, it is nearly twice as tall as The Shard. Advertisement But it won't get to claim the title as China's tallest building. Two bigger skyscrapers, the Shanghai Tower and Shenzhen's Ping An Finance Centre, have both been completed since. 4 The Elbtower, at 328ft tall, is Europe's tallest abandoned building What is the world's tallest abandoned building? By Lydia Doye Goldin Finance 117 in Northern China is the tallest abandoned building in the world. At 1,957ft, the building is twice the height of the Shard. If finished, the building would have been the fifth-tallest in the world. It was planned to have a total of 128 floors with luxury housing, hotels, and commercial space. It also had plans to be topped with a three-storey diamond-shaped atrium The construction of Goldin Finance 117 began in 2008, as part of an ambitious £8billion project. Construction was suspended in 2010 because of the recession, and stopped indefinitely in 2015. The building was dubbed "The Walking Stick" because of its structural shape.
The Sun
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Fresh hope for Europe's tallest abandoned skyscraper as millionaire buyer on brink of snapping up 800ft half-built ruin
HOPES for Europe's tallest abandoned building have been revived - after a real estate tycoon has been given more time to seal the deal. Dieter Becken, 75, has been given a few more weeks to secure the funds to buy and complete the unfinished Elbtower skyscraper in Hamburg, Germany. 4 4 Originally slated to soar to 800 feet, the structure currently sits at a mere 328 feet. Becken now has until June 2025 to obtain the cash and finalise a deal to buy the tower, according to Hamburger Abendblatt. He previously had until the end of April but the insolvency administrator has now announced an extension. The administrator said: "This agreement is thus extended by the period necessary for the continuation and possible conclusion of the negotiations between the parties." The defiant millionaire said earlier this month: "I believe in this outstanding project." Construction on the ambitious project began in 2021. But the project was halted in 2023, after Austrian investor Rene Benko, 47, went bankrupt. The skyscraper is located in Hamburg's Hafen City district, near the city's famous Elbphilharmonie concert hall. The building was set to host a Nobu hotel and restaurant, risk adviser Aon and a local bank. If completed, the tower would be, by far, the tallest building in Hamburg and the third tallest in Germany. It will be 210 feet taller than the Gherkin and around 217 feet shorter than the Shard in London. The construction costs amount to 700 million euros (£587 million), according to estimates by PropertyEU. It comes as construction will be resumed on a giant skyscraper in China that has stood unfinished for nearly a decade. Work on Goldin Finance 117, nicknamed The Walking Stick due to its architectural shape, came to an abrupt halt in 2015 following the Chinese stock market crash. The "ghost-scraper" has loomed large over the northern city of Tianjin ever since. At a whopping 1,959 feet, it is nearly twice as tall as The Shard. But it won't get to claim the title as China's tallest building. Two bigger skyscrapers, the Shanghai Tower and Shenzhen's Ping An Finance Centre, have both been completed since. 4 What is the world's tallest abandoned building? By Lydia Doye Goldin Finance 117 in Northern China is the tallest abandoned building in the world. At 1,957ft, the building is twice the height of the Shard. If finished, the building would have been the fifth-tallest in the world. It was planned to have a total of 128 floors with luxury housing, hotels, and commercial space. It also had plans to be topped with a three-storey diamond-shaped atrium The construction of Goldin Finance 117 began in 2008, as part of an ambitious £8billion project. Construction was suspended in 2010 because of the recession, and stopped indefinitely in 2015. The building was dubbed "The Walking Stick" because of its structural shape.
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hamburg reaches deal with logistics magnate to build new opera house
The northern German city of Hamburg plans to build a new opera house in the Hafencity district near the port with backing from the private Kühne Foundation, city officials announced on Friday. Billionaire shipping and logistics magnate Klaus-Michael Kühne, 87, had previously announced in 2022 that he would provide up to €330 million ($343 million) for the new opera house in his home city. The city is providing the land and will also take care of the infrastructure. The location will place the new opera house not far from Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall, a landmark new concert hall completed in 2016 after massive cost overruns. In an interview with dpa, Hamburg's culture minister, Carsten Brosda described Kühne's offer as a "great gesture of patronage" that "we would also be happy to accept." A press event featuring Hamburg city officials and leaders of Kühne's foundation is planned for midday on Friday, at which the contract for planning and building the new opera house will be presented. Hamburg city leaders were initially sceptical about Kühne's proposal, but following closed-door talks local politicians have become more and more comfortable with the proposal and negotiations about the construction continued to progress behind closed doors. A new use must now be found for the existing Hamburg State Opera House. The building, which dates back to 1955, is listed as historically significant but urgently needs to be renovated. Brosda has previously that there are ideas for different possible uses for the building.
