Latest news with #Whitaker
Observer
4 days ago
- Business
- Observer
US 'moving at haste' to get Ukraine weapons: Envoy
BRUSSELS: The United States was moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy arms, and was weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington's envoy to Nato said on Thursday. Trump on Monday announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European Nato states to buy US weaponry -- particularly advanced Patriot systems -- and give it to Kyiv. The move marked a pivot for the US leader as his patience has worn thin with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for frustrating efforts to halt the war in Ukraine. "We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly," US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker told journalists. "But I can't verify a date that this will all be completed." European countries -- including Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden -- have expressed willingness to buy the weaponry for Kyiv. But questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine as the war-torn country faces unprecedented Russian bombardments. Nato's supreme commander in Europe, US General Alexus Grynkewich, said separately that preparations were under way to ship the first Patriot systems to Ukraine under the scheme. "We're already in the preparation phase for the first tranche of capability to start moving with respect to Patriots," Grynkewich told a conference in Germany. Whitaker said that there was an "ongoing conversation" about whether the United States would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. "We're never going to put the United States at a strategic disadvantage, and we're going to make sure that we have everything we need," he said. "At the same time, I think we all acknowledge the desperate requirements that Ukraine currently, immediately needs on the battlefield and to protect their cities." Other proposed options include European countries sending their systems to Kyiv now, and being able to purchase replacements as a priority from the United States. The deal comes as US allies nervously monitor a US review of its force deployments around the world. Washington has warned it could look to shift forces and weaponry away from Europe to focus more on China. Whitaker said the United States was in "daily conversations" with allies about the process ahead of possible announcements in coming months. "We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe," he said. "I don't think there's a lot of anxiety. I think there's just a lot of desire to know what our plan is so that there can be other planning." - AFP
Washington Post
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
13 new paperbacks for your reading list
In Whitaker's best-selling fourth novel, set in Missouri in 1975, a one-eyed boy named Patch saves the daughter of a wealthy family from the grasp of a serial killer. The bleak repercussions of that incident reverberate for decades, threatening to upend the lives of everyone involved. In Whitaker's best-selling fourth novel, set in Missouri in 1975, a one-eyed boy named Patch saves the daughter of a wealthy family from the grasp of a serial killer. The bleak repercussions of that incident reverberate for decades, threatening to upend the lives of everyone involved. The latest by Moriarty (author of 'Big Little Lies,' 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and other bestsellers) opens onboard a delayed flight from Tasmania to Sydney. Suddenly, an unremarkable woman stands up and begins methodically telling each passenger and crew member when and how they will die. 'In the end, the puzzle — will the predictions come true or won't they? — becomes less interesting than the myriad ways people react when confronted with their ephemerality,' Stephanie Merry wrote in Book World. The latest by Moriarty (author of 'Big Little Lies,' 'Nine Perfect Strangers' and other bestsellers) opens onboard a delayed flight from Tasmania to Sydney. Suddenly, an unremarkable woman stands up and begins methodically telling each passenger and crew member when and how they will die. 'In the end, the puzzle — will the predictions come true or won't they? — becomes less interesting than the myriad ways people react when confronted with their ephemerality,' Stephanie Merry wrote in Book World. Senna's shrewd comic novel, named one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2024, is about a biracial woman named Jane Gibson who is working on a second novel that has grown a bit too epic for its own good. So she swallows her pride and approaches Hollywood, pitching a sitcom about a mixed-race family. 'What's most rewarding' about the novel, Ron Charles wrote in Book World, 'is how effortlessly Senna keeps the wings of this plot from getting clotted with bits of didactic wisdom or social reproof. … The way Senna keeps this wry story aloft may be the closest paper can come to levitation.' Senna's shrewd comic novel, named one of The Washington Post's 10 Best Books of 2024, is about a biracial woman named Jane Gibson who is working on a second novel that has grown a bit too epic for its own good. So she swallows her pride and approaches Hollywood, pitching a sitcom about a mixed-race family. 'What's most rewarding' about the novel, Ron Charles wrote in Book World, 'is how effortlessly Senna keeps the wings of this plot from getting clotted with bits of didactic wisdom or social reproof. … The way Senna keeps this wry story aloft may be the closest paper can come to levitation.' The latest from one of America's most intellectually curious novelists was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Sadie, a former U.S. intelligence agent, is now a freelancer in southwest France, where powerful agricultural corporations are buying up land and marring the environment. She's tasked with infiltrating a group of radical activists suspected of planning an ecoterrorist attack. Ron Charles wrote: 'The real covert operative here is Kushner, who's never felt more cunning.' The latest from one of America's most intellectually curious novelists was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. Sadie, a former U.S. intelligence agent, is now a freelancer in southwest France, where powerful agricultural corporations are buying up land and marring the environment. She's tasked with infiltrating a group of radical activists suspected of planning an ecoterrorist attack. Ron Charles wrote: 'The real covert operative here is Kushner, who's never felt more cunning.' McBride's novel takes place before and during the Depression, in a ramshackle Pennsylvania neighborhood called Chicken Hill, where Jewish immigrants and African Americans cling to the deferred dream of equality in the United States. Moshe Ludlow, a wannabe impresario from Romania, is married to Chona, a polio survivor with a pronounced limp. Moshe has the radical idea to open his All-American Dance Hall and Theater to Black patrons. At the center of the novel is a sweet 12-year-old orphan nicknamed Dodo. For childless Chona, he is an answer to a prayer. In Book World, Ron Charles wrote: 'We all need — we all deserve — this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.' McBride's novel takes place before and during the Depression, in a ramshackle Pennsylvania neighborhood called Chicken Hill, where Jewish immigrants and African Americans cling to the deferred dream of equality in the United States. Moshe Ludlow, a wannabe impresario from Romania, is married to Chona, a polio survivor with a pronounced limp. Moshe has the radical idea to open his All-American Dance Hall and Theater to Black patrons. At the center of the novel is a sweet 12-year-old orphan nicknamed Dodo. For childless Chona, he is an answer to a prayer. In Book World, Ron Charles wrote: 'We all need — we all deserve — this vibrant, love-affirming novel that bounds over any difference that claims to separate us.' Reid follows up her hit debut, 'Such a Fun Age' (2019), with this novel set at the University of Arkansas, where a visiting professor named Agatha Paul enlists three female students to answer questions for her new work of cultural criticism about weddings. Some of the talk turns to sex, but the real complications and most intimate details involve money and the way unequal economic positions create clashing sets of values. Reid is a master plotter who has engineered a spectacular intersection of class, racism, academic politics and journalistic ethics. Reid follows up her hit debut, 'Such a Fun Age' (2019), with this novel set at the University of Arkansas, where a visiting professor named Agatha Paul enlists three female students to answer questions for her new work of cultural criticism about weddings. Some of the talk turns to sex, but the real complications and most intimate details involve money and the way unequal economic positions create clashing sets of values. Reid is a master plotter who has engineered a spectacular intersection of class, racism, academic politics and journalistic ethics. Vlautin's novel tells the tale of Al Ward, a grizzled guitarist and recovering alcoholic in his 60s looking back on his life, and of his encounter in the present day with a dying horse on an isolated mining claim in the Nevada desert. In Book World, Hamilton Cain wrote, ''The Horse' taps a wealth of influences — Hemingway, Johnny Cash, John Huston's film 'The Misfits' — but Vlautin's cadences and wit are his alone, sharp and bracing, like shots of whiskey.' Vlautin's novel tells the tale of Al Ward, a grizzled guitarist and recovering alcoholic in his 60s looking back on his life, and of his encounter in the present day with a dying horse on an isolated mining claim in the Nevada desert. In Book World, Hamilton Cain wrote, ''The Horse' taps a wealth of influences — Hemingway, Johnny Cash, John Huston's film 'The Misfits' — but Vlautin's cadences and wit are his alone, sharp and bracing, like shots of whiskey.' Over the course of Savas's novel, a married couple attempt to find an apartment in an unidentified foreign city, with the plot structured around their visits to different places that could be home. 'The Anthropologists' has received widespread praise since it was published, landing on Barack Obama's list of his favorite books of 2024 and the National Book Critics Circle's fiction longlist. Savas also has a new collection of short stories, 'Long Distance,' out in hardcover this month. Over the course of Savas's novel, a married couple attempt to find an apartment in an unidentified foreign city, with the plot structured around their visits to different places that could be home. 'The Anthropologists' has received widespread praise since it was published, landing on Barack Obama's list of his favorite books of 2024 and the National Book Critics Circle's fiction longlist. Savas also has a new collection of short stories, 'Long Distance,' out in hardcover this month. 'The summer Momma and I share pregnancies, the cottonmouths come crawling out of the marshes.' This opening sentence from one story captures much that is remarkable about Moore's book: intense focus on family ties, vivid Southern setting and confident narrative voice. A reviewer in Kirkus wrote, 'It's likely you'd have to go all the way back to 'Hue and Cry' by James Alan McPherson (1968) to find a debut collection of short stories by a young Black writer as prodigiously humane and finely wrought as this.' 'The summer Momma and I share pregnancies, the cottonmouths come crawling out of the marshes.' This opening sentence from one story captures much that is remarkable about Moore's book: intense focus on family ties, vivid Southern setting and confident narrative voice. A reviewer in Kirkus wrote, 'It's likely you'd have to go all the way back to 'Hue and Cry' by James Alan McPherson (1968) to find a debut collection of short stories by a young Black writer as prodigiously humane and finely wrought as this.' Grossman, best-selling author of the Magicians Trilogy, takes up the Arthurian legend in his marvelous new fantasy. 'Grossman affects a breezy 21st-century style that still allows plenty of room for magic,' Elizabeth Hand wrote in Book World. 'He excels at colorful characterizations and vibrant action scenes, which are legion.' Grossman, best-selling author of the Magicians Trilogy, takes up the Arthurian legend in his marvelous new fantasy. 'Grossman affects a breezy 21st-century style that still allows plenty of room for magic,' Elizabeth Hand wrote in Book World. 'He excels at colorful characterizations and vibrant action scenes, which are legion.' In this history of reality television, Nussbaum shines a light on the people who have made some of the most beloved and most controversial shows, from the executives who green-lit (and turned down) 'Survivor' to the field producers and editors who questioned and defended the ethics of their jobs. Along the way, Maura Judkis wrote in Book World, the book captures some of the interplay of naiveté and sadism that has long characterized reality programming. In this history of reality television, Nussbaum shines a light on the people who have made some of the most beloved and most controversial shows, from the executives who green-lit (and turned down) 'Survivor' to the field producers and editors who questioned and defended the ethics of their jobs. Along the way, Maura Judkis wrote in Book World, the book captures some of the interplay of naiveté and sadism that has long characterized reality programming. In her assiduously researched and impeccably constructed book, Cook grapples with the personal ramifications of the QAnon conspiracy theory for many of its devotees and the people who care about them. 'Cook contributes a vital piece to the vexing QAnon puzzle, chronicling the profound effects on those otherwise average people who have fallen into its grasp and the collateral damage done to those around them,' Jonathan Russell Clark wrote in Book World. In her assiduously researched and impeccably constructed book, Cook grapples with the personal ramifications of the QAnon conspiracy theory for many of its devotees and the people who care about them. 'Cook contributes a vital piece to the vexing QAnon puzzle, chronicling the profound effects on those otherwise average people who have fallen into its grasp and the collateral damage done to those around them,' Jonathan Russell Clark wrote in Book World. In 1985, two White police officers in San Diego pulled over a pickup truck carrying Black men whom the officers wrongly suspected of gang affiliation. The driver of the truck, Sagon Penn, was an expert martial artist who, after a confrontation that quickly escalated, ended up shooting the officers, killing one of them. The ensuing trial and Penn's acquittal exposed — and changed — the police department's relationship with communities of color. In 1985, two White police officers in San Diego pulled over a pickup truck carrying Black men whom the officers wrongly suspected of gang affiliation. The driver of the truck, Sagon Penn, was an expert martial artist who, after a confrontation that quickly escalated, ended up shooting the officers, killing one of them. The ensuing trial and Penn's acquittal exposed — and changed — the police department's relationship with communities of color.
Business Recorder
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
US ‘moving at haste' to get Ukraine weapons under Trump plan: envoy
BRUSSELS: The United States is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy arms, and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington's envoy to NATO said Thursday. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,' US ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker told journalists. 'But I can't verify a date that this will all be completed.' Trump on Monday announced a deal with NATO chief Mark Rutte for European NATO states to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv. The move marked a pivot for the US leader as his patience has worn thin with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for frustrating efforts to halt the war in Ukraine. Ukraine's drones target Moscow, other regions, Russia's defence ministry says European countries – including Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden – have expressed willingness to buy the weaponry for Kyiv. But questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine as the war-torn country faces unprecedented Russian bombardments. Whitaker said that there was an 'ongoing conversation' about whether the United States would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. 'We're never going to put the United States at a strategic disadvantage, and we're going to make sure that we have everything we need,' he said. 'At the same time, I think we all acknowledge the desperate requirements that Ukraine currently, immediately needs on the battlefield and to protect their cities.' Other options mooted include European countries sending their systems to Kyiv now, and being able to purchase replacements as a priority from the United States. The deal comes as US allies nervously monitor a US review of its force deployments around the world. Washington has warned it could look to shift forces and weaponry away from Europe to focus more on China. Whitaker said the United States was in 'daily conversations' with allies about the process ahead of possible announcements in coming months. 'We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe,' he said. 'I don't think there's a lot of anxiety. I think there's just a lot of desire to know our plan is so that there can be other planning.'
Straits Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Straits Times
US ‘moving at haste' to get Ukraine weapons under Trump plan, says envoy
Find out what's new on ST website and app. The site of a Russian drone strike in Dnipro, Ukraine, on July 17. BRUSSELS - The United States is moving to get weapons to Ukraine quickly under President Donald Trump's plan for Europe to buy arms, and is weighing selling Patriot air defence systems from its own stocks, Washington's envoy to Nato said on July 17. 'We are all moving with haste to facilitate this and get this done, and, you know, I think things are actually moving very quickly,' US ambassador to Nato Matthew Whitaker told journalists. 'But I can't verify a date that this will all be completed.' Mr Trump on July 14 announced a deal with Nato chief Mark Rutte for European Nato states to buy US weaponry – particularly advanced Patriot systems – and give it to Kyiv. The move marked a pivot for the US leader as his patience has worn thin with Russia's President Vladimir Putin for frustrating efforts to halt the war in Ukraine. European countries – including Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden – have expressed willingness to buy the weaponry for Kyiv. But questions have been raised over where the systems will come from and how soon they can get to Ukraine as the war-torn country faces unprecedented Russian bombardments. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Driverless bus in Sentosa gets green light to run without safety officer in first for S'pore World US strikes destroyed only one of three Iranian nuclear sites, says new report Business 5 things to know about Kuok Hui Kwong, tycoon Robert Kuok's daughter and Shangri-La Asia head honcho Asia Air India probe of Boeing 787 fuel control switches finds no issues Singapore Man charged over manufacturing DIY Kpods at Yishun home; first such case in Singapore Singapore Sex first, then you can sell my flat: Women property agents fend off indecent proposals and harassment Singapore Two women jailed for submitting fake university certificates to MOM for employment passes Singapore Fatal abuse of Myanmar maid in Bishan: Traffic Police officer sentenced to 10 years' jail Mr Whitaker said that there was an 'ongoing conversation' about whether the United States would sell Patriots already available in its own military stockpiles. 'We're never going to put the United States at a strategic disadvantage, and we're going to make sure that we have everything we need,' he said. 'At the same time, I think we all acknowledge the desperate requirements that Ukraine currently, immediately needs on the battlefield and to protect their cities.' Other options mooted include European countries sending their systems to Kyiv now, and being able to purchase replacements as a priority from the United States. The deal comes as US allies nervously monitor a US review of its force deployments around the world. Washington has warned it could look to shift forces and weaponry away from Europe to focus more on China. Mr Whitaker said the United States was in 'daily conversations' with allies about the process ahead of possible announcements in coming months. 'We've agreed to no surprises and no gaps in the strategic framework of Europe,' he said. 'I don't think there's a lot of anxiety. I think there's just a lot of desire to know our plan is so that there can be other planning.' AFP
Euractiv
5 days ago
- Business
- Euractiv
US in talks with Europe on tapping defence stockpiles for Ukraine
Washington's push to get weapons to Ukraine quickly is raising questions about where the necessary hardware can be sourced on short notice. President Donald Trump on Monday backed a plan for European allies to buy US weapons for Ukraine to ease pressure on American funding. Trump's decision comes as Russia ramps up not only assaults along the frontlines but also attacks on Ukrainian cities with drones and missiles. 'There is an ongoing conversation' about the US giving up weapons from its own arsenal – such as Patriot air defence systems – the US Ambassador to NATO, Matthew Whitaker, said on Thursday. However, the US administration 'won't ever put the US at strategic disadvantage', he told a group of reporters, including Euractiv. Whitaker said the US is currently working at a fast pace with its NATO military allies to enable them to purchase US-made defence gear for Ukraine directly, and to replace their own donations of urgently needed equipment – a process known as "backfilling". Germany, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Canada have signalled interest in doing so, NATO's chief Mark Rutte said on Monday. Kyiv eager for Patriots Ukraine is eyeing the US-made Patriot system in particular – a highly sophisticated surface-to-air defence platform designed to intercept missiles and aircraft – to defend itself against Russian attacks. Kyiv has already received six operational Patriot batteries from the US, Germany, Romania, and the Netherlands, according to UK-based arms monitor Action on Armed Violence. However, lead times for Patriot missiles are estimated in years – clashing with Trump's timeline for pressuring Vladimir Putin into a deal within the next 50 days. This suggests that the US would have to rely on its own stockpiles and systems already in production, both for Ukraine and for backfilling. Already, the US is 'looking at what we have available both in our possession and across our defence sector, and prioritising and making it available for the defence of Ukraine,' Trump's envoy said – suggesting the US defence sector may have to prioritise Kyiv over other customers. No timelines Whitaker declined to give any indication of the type of weapon to be sent and the timeline. 'We are moving with haste to facilitate this and get it done. Things are moving very quickly', he said. When it comes to the US providing weapons that can strike deep into Russia, Whitaker also said that there are 'discussions'. The weapons included in the packages will be agreed upon based on what Ukraine needs, what the US has available, and how quickly they can get to Kyiv, the ambassador said. NATO will work as the coordination platform, though details remain elusive. Whitaker said putting NATO at the centre of the process made sense because the top commander has visibility into what is available in each member state's stockpiles. Having Europeans pay for US weapons deliveries to Ukraine is an important win for Trump, who campaigned on ending the flow of American taxpayers' money to military aid for Kyiv. (aw)
