Category: World

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..