Category: Europe

CloseTrump says US will attend Ukraine peace talks with Europe but doesn’t want to ‘waste time’The European Union on Friday decided to indefinitely freeze €210bn worth of Russia’s assets, so that Hungary and Slovakia, two countries with friendly relations with Moscow, cannot prevent billions of euros from being used to support Ukraine.
Hungary and Slovakia have opposed providing more support to Ukraine in the past, but today’s decision prevents them from blocking the sanctions rollover and makes it easier to use the assets.
The move also stops the assets, estimated to total around 210 billion euros ($247 billion), from being used in any negotiations to end the war without European approval.
EU Council President António Costa said European leaders had committed in October “to keep Russian assets immobilised until Russia ends its war of aggression against Ukraine and compensates for the damage caused. Today we delivered on that commitment.”
A 28-point plan drafted by US and Russian envoy..

President Donald Trump scolded a female journalist taking part in a press scrum at the White House on Friday for being “very aggressive,” the latest in a string of negative comments the president has made about female reporters in recent weeks.
“You have to be nice and easy, nice and easy,” Trump told the reporter, who appeared to be NBC News’ Yamiche Alcindor. “She’s very aggressive.”
The president later called on the reporter, who asked Trump about his reaction to the latest batch of Epstein photos released Friday, which included images of Trump with a large group of women with their faces blurred out.
The Independent has contacted Alcindor for comment.
Trump has gone head-to-head with Alcindor before.
open image in galleryPresident Trump called a female reporter ‘very aggressive’ for asking questions in the Oval Office, the latest in a string of recent dismissive remarks toward female reporters the president has made (AP)In September, he accused the White House correspondent of be..

CloseTrump says US will attend Ukraine peace talks with Europe but doesn’t want to ‘waste time’The US will send a representative to participate in talks with Europe on Ukraine this weekend, Donald Trump has said, but warned he doesn't want to waste “a lot of time”.
Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said: “We'll be attending the meeting on Saturday in Europe if we think there's a good chance. And we don't want to waste a lot of time if we think it's negative.”
Earlier on Thursday, the US president said he is “sick of meetings just for the sake of meeting” as he grows “frustrated” with both Ukraine and Russia.
Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky said ceding territory remained a major sticking point in negotiations and the US had offered to create a “free economic zone” in the Ukraine-controlled parts of the eastern Donbas which Russia has demanded that Ukraine cede.
“They see it as Ukrainian troops withdrawing from the Donetsk region, an..

President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday to block states from creating their own artificial intelligence regulations, arguing that a patchwork of rules risks stifling the burgeoning industry in its global competition with China.
This move, however, contrasts with calls from both Republican and Democratic members of Congress, as well as civil liberties and consumer rights groups, who have advocated for greater oversight of the powerful technology, contending current regulations are insufficient.
Speaking in the Oval Office, Trump asserted that “there's only going to be one winner” in the international race to dominate artificial intelligence, highlighting China's centralized government approval process as a significant advantage for its companies.
“We have the big investment coming, but if they had to get 50 different approvals from 50 different states, you can forget it because it’s impossible to do,” Trump stated.
The executive order directs the Attorney ..

Head football coach for the University of Michigan, Sherrone Moore, has been detained just hours after being fired for having an “inappropriate relationship.”
Moore, 39, was detained by police in Saline, Michigan, on Wednesday. He was later turned over to the Pittsfield Township Police Department for an “investigation into potential charges,” the Saline Police Department said in a statement to ESPN.
It’s unclear what the investigation is in relation to.
Earlier Wednesday, Moore was fired after a University of Michigan probe found “credible evidence” that the coach “engaged in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member,” the school said in a statement shared by multiple outlets.
open image in galleryHead football coach for the University of Michigan, Sherrone Moore, has been detained just hours after being fired for having an 'inappropriate relationship’ (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)“This conduct constitutes a clear violation of University policy, and U-M maintains zero tol..

U.S. forces have seized an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela, marking the latest escalation in President Donald Trump’s targeting of the South American nation.
“We've just seized a tanker on the coast of Venezuela,” Trump told reporters on Wednesday. “Largest one ever seized actually. And other things are happening.”
The president didn’t supply additional information, but said that the vessel was interdicted for “a very good reason.” When asked what would happen to the ship, he said, “We keep it, I guess.”
Caracas responded to the seizure on Wednesday evening, calling it an “international act of piracy.”
“Under these circumstances, the true reasons for the prolonged aggression against Venezuela have finally been revealed… It has always been about our natural resources, our oil, our energy, the resources that belong exclusively to the Venezuelan people,” the Venezuelan government said in a statement.
open image in galleryCaracas responded to the seizure on Wednesday evening, c..

Democrat Eileen Higgins has secured a significant victory in the Miami mayoral race, ending her party’s nearly three-decade losing streak and providing a crucial boost for Democrats ahead of the 2026 midterms. She triumphed over a Republican candidate who had received the endorsement of President Donald Trump.
Higgins, 61, is set to become the first woman to lead the city of Miami. Throughout her campaign in the Hispanic-majority city, she frequently addressed Trump’s immigration crackdown, highlighting concerns from many Miami residents about family members facing detention. Despite the race officially being nonpartisan, she campaigned openly as a proud Democrat, ultimately defeating Trump-backed candidate Emilio Gonzalez, a former city manager, who has since called Higgins to offer his congratulations.
Following her victory speech, Higgins told The Associated Press: “We are facing rhetoric from elected officials that is so dehumanizing and cruel, especially against immigrant populati..

With polls showing Americans holding increasingly dismal views of his job performance and his administration’s economic record, President Donald Trump went to Pennsylvania to convince voters that the pain they are feeling at the grocery store and when they look at their health insurance bills is not his fault.
He was not more than a few minutes into his remarks at a casino in Mount Pocono, Pennsylvania when he blatantly lied to those who’d come to see him.
After offering up a set of unverifiable statistics about how many new jobs he’d brought to the Keystone State since returning to office, Trump turned his attention to the $12 billion bailout his administration is offering farmers who’ve been hurt by the double-whammy of low crop prices and high tariffs on farming equipment.
“You know, tariffs are bringing us hundreds of billions of dollars. I just helped our farmers out because they're starting to do really well. But in order to try and negotiate, some countries played a little ..

The gaming retailer GameStop is famous for letting you trade in old video games for store credit. But what would happen if they let you trade in almost anything?
The answer, apparently, involves a gas mask, a stuffed bobcat, a 20mph speed limit sign, and an educational model of the blood vessels surrounding the human lung (written in Japanese, naturally).
Those were among the strange and dubious treasures handed in at GameStop branches on Saturday, the company's first ever 'Trade Anything Day'.
“For one day only, GameStop will be accepting more than the standard video game and tech-related product assortment we are known for and accepting almost anything in trade*!” said the company, whose share prices enjoyed a major boost last year due to CEO Ryan Cohen's vocal supporter of Donald Trump.
As the asterisk suggests, there were some limits: customers were only allowed to trade in one 'anything' item, and it had to be able to fit inside a 20-inch cube-shaped..

Beverage and snack giant PepsiCo is set to overhaul its product portfolio, announcing plans to cut prices and streamline its offerings following pressure from activist investor Elliott Investment Management.
The New York-based conglomerate, known for brands such as Cheetos, Tostitos, and its extensive beverage range, intends to eliminate nearly 20 percent of its current product lines by early next year. This strategic move aims to free up capital for increased marketing investment and to deliver enhanced value to consumers, though specific products slated for removal and the extent of price reductions remain undisclosed.
Concurrently, PepsiCo is accelerating the launch of new items featuring simpler, more functional ingredients. Examples include Doritos Protein and the Simply NKD range of Cheetos and Doritos, which are free from artificial flavors or colors. The company also recently introduced a prebiotic version of its signature cola.
These significant changes come after Elliott Inve..