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Trump softens on Zelensky, says mineral deal coming ‘soon’

Trump softens on Zelensky, says mineral deal coming ‘soon’
US President Donald Trump and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky meet in the White House in Washington, DC, on Feb. 28, 2025. (AFP)
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Updated 18 April 2025

Trump softens on Zelensky, says mineral deal coming ‘soon’

Trump softens on Zelensky, says mineral deal coming ‘soon’
  • “I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job, OK? I am not a big fan,” Trump said
  • He made the statement alongside visiting Italian PM Meloni, who has thrown Italy’s weight behind European efforts to help Ukraine

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he does not hold Volodymyr Zelensky “responsible” for Russia’s invasion of his country but continued to criticize the pro-Western Ukrainian leader.
Trump has repeatedly made the false claim that Ukraine started the war and this week accused Zelensky of responsibility for “millions” of deaths.
“I don’t hold Zelensky responsible but I’m not exactly thrilled with the fact that that war started,” Trump said at the White House alongside visiting Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
“I’m not blaming him, but what I am saying is that I wouldn’t say he’s done the greatest job, OK? I am not a big fan.”
Zelensky earlier this week invited Trump to visit Ukraine to see the devastation wrought by the war for himself, in a Sunday interview with CBS that Trump responded to with threats against the TV network.
His invitation followed a heated row at the White House in late February between the Ukrainian president, Trump and US Vice President JD Vance, which played out in front of the media.
Meloni told reporters that “we’ve been defending freedom of Ukraine together, together we can build a just and lasting peace. We support your efforts.”
The far-right leader has thrown Italy’s weight behind European efforts to shore up Ukraine’s defenses since the full-scale Russian invasion began in February 2022.
Trump added Thursday that a deal with Ukraine on extracting the war-wracked country’s strategic minerals could be reached next week.
Kyiv and Washington had been close to signing a deal until the February clash between Trump and Zelensky temporarily derailed work on the agreement.
“We have a minerals deal which I guess is going to be signed on Thursday... next Thursday. Soon. And I assume they’re going to live up to the deal. So we’ll see. But we have a deal on that,” Trump said.
Ukraine’s Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in an X post Thursday that Kyiv had signed a “Memorandum of Intent” with Washington on a planned “Investment Fund for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.”
Svyrydenko did not provide any details on the memorandum.
“There is a lot to do, but the current pace and significant progress give reason to expect that the document will be very beneficial for both countries,” she added.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told AFP that a deal is targeted for April 26.


KSrelief provides critical relief to displaced, flood-stricken communities

KSrelief provides critical relief to displaced, flood-stricken communities
Updated 4 min 35 sec ago

KSrelief provides critical relief to displaced, flood-stricken communities

KSrelief provides critical relief to displaced, flood-stricken communities

DUBAI: ֱ’s aid agency, KSrelief, has continued its humanitarian projects in Syria, Yemen, Sudan and Pakistan, the Saudi Press Agency reported on Wednesday.

In Syria, the agency distributed 349 food parcels to displaced people in Daraa, while in Sudan it delivered 830 parcels to residents of Karari.

In Pakistan, KSrelief distributed 2,680 food parcels to communities affected by flooding, benefiting more than 16,000 people.

Meanwhile in Yemen, the agency continued its water supply and sanitation project in Hodeidah, pumping 1.5 million liters of water into the community. It also carried out 49 waste removal operations in camps for displaced people, benefiting 16,170 individuals.


Pakistan approves industrial estate on steel mills land, $10 million upgrade for state TV English channel

Pakistan approves industrial estate on steel mills land, $10 million upgrade for state TV English channel
Updated 7 min 41 sec ago

Pakistan approves industrial estate on steel mills land, $10 million upgrade for state TV English channel

Pakistan approves industrial estate on steel mills land, $10 million upgrade for state TV English channel
  • Pakistan Steel Mills, once country’s biggest industrial complex, is dormant since 2015, governments have long debated how to repurpose its land
  • ECC also approved funds for climate diplomacy at COP-30 in Brazil, grant to upgrade PTV’s English news channel to enhance global outreach

KARACHI: Pakistan’s top economic decision-making body has approved plans to build an industrial estate on the land of the country’s largest state-owned steel producer, part of a package of measures aimed at boosting exports, investment and climate diplomacy, the finance division said this week. 

Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), located in Karachi, was once the country’s biggest industrial complex but has been largely dormant since 2015 due to financial losses and mismanagement. Successive governments have sought to privatize or repurpose its land and assets.

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), which oversees key economic policy, said turning the site into an industrial estate would generate jobs and attract investment.

“The ECC approved the development of an Industrial Estate on the land of Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) in Karachi, aimed at boosting industrial activity, generating employment opportunities, and attracting investment,” the Finance Division said in a statement after a meeting chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday evening. 

The ECC also approved measures to support Pakistan’s leather industry, including scrapping the requirement for health quarantine certificates on imports and exports to “enhance its competitiveness in international markets.”

Another major decision was the allocation of a technical supplementary grant of 2.8 billion rupees ($10 million) for the state-run Pakistan Television Corporation to upgrade its English-language news channel. The committee said the goal was to “improve broadcast quality and expand outreach to global audiences,” while urging the channel to develop a business plan to reduce reliance on federal subsidies.

In addition, a separate grant was approved for the Ministry of Climate Change to strengthen its participation at the upcoming COP-30 climate summit in Brazil, reflecting Pakistan’s push to maintain visibility in global climate talks after championing the “Loss and Damage” agenda in 2022.

The Finance Division said the ECC chair concluded the meeting by stressing “the importance of timely and effective implementation of these decisions to ensure their intended economic and social benefits.”


At least 40 dead in Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years: MSF

At least 40 dead in Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years: MSF
Updated 6 min 12 sec ago

At least 40 dead in Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years: MSF

At least 40 dead in Sudan’s worst cholera outbreak in years: MSF

TAWILA: At least 40 people have died in Sudan’s Darfur region in the war-torn country’s worst outbreak in years, Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said on Thursday.
“On top of an all-out war, people in Sudan are now experiencing the worst cholera outbreak the country has seen in years,” the medical charity said in a statement. “In the Darfur region alone, MSF teams treated over 2,300 patients and recorded 40 deaths in the past week.”


PM announces creation of missile command in Pakistan army aimed at boosting combat power

PM announces creation of missile command in Pakistan army aimed at boosting combat power
Updated 11 min ago

PM announces creation of missile command in Pakistan army aimed at boosting combat power

PM announces creation of missile command in Pakistan army aimed at boosting combat power
  • Sharif announced establishment of Army Rocket Force at pre-Independence Day ceremony on Wednesday
  • Security official said force will operate under its own command, dedicated to handling, deploying missiles in conventional war

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will create a new force in the military to supervise missile combat capabilities in a conventional conflict, apparently a move to match the neighboring arch-rival India.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the creation of the Army Rocket Force late Wednesday at a ceremony held in Islamabad to commemorate the worst conflict in decades with India in May.

The ceremony was held a day ahead of Pakistan’s 78th Independence Day.

“It will be equipped with modern technology,” Sharif said in a statement from his office, adding that the force will prove to be a milestone in strengthening the combat capability of Pakistan’s army.

He did not give any further details.

A senior security official, however, said that the force will have its own command in the military which will be dedicated to handling and deployment of missiles in any event of a conventional war.

“It is obvious that it is meant for India,” he said.

The two nuclear-armed nations keep upgrading their military capabilities in the wake of a longstanding rivalry since their independence from British rule in 1947.

The latest tension between the two countries soared in April over the killing of 26 civilians in Indian-administered Kashmir, an attack New Delhi blamed on Islamabad. Pakistan denied involvement.

A conflict then erupted in May, the most serious fighting between the two countries in decades, which saw both sides using missiles, drones and fighter jets before it ended with a ceasefire announcement by US President Donald Trump.

Islamabad acknowledges the US role, but India denies it, saying it was agreed directly between the two militaries.


Incoming: Fantastic fall features

Incoming: Fantastic fall features
Updated 11 min 27 sec ago

Incoming: Fantastic fall features

Incoming: Fantastic fall features
  • Some of the biggest movies coming your way over the next few months

‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’ 

Starring: Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer 

Director: Rob Reiner 

In cinemas: Sept. 12 

The long-awaited sequel to one of the greatest comedy films of all time, and the original — if you will — mockumentary, sees Guest, McKean and Shearer reunited as the hapless heavy rockers who have decided to reunite after 15 years for one final show. There’s a hitch, naturally: they need a drummer — a tricky sell when so many who previously sat the stool for Tap have met untimely ends. Along for the ride, of course, is documentary maker Martin Di Bergi (Reiner) to ensure that the historic occasion is recorded for posterity.  

‘The Roses’   

Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Olivia Coleman, Andy Samberg, Kate McKinnon 

Director: Jay Roach 

In cinemas: Aug. 29 

This star-studded remake of the 1989 black-comedy movie “The War of the Roses” (itself based on Warren Adler’s 1981 novel) sees Coleman and Cumberbatch play Ivy and Theo Rose, an apparently idyllically married couple — he an architect, she a chef. But when Theo’s career trajectory starts to plummet just as Ivy’s starts to soar, the underlying tensions and competitiveness in their relationships begin to surface, with devastating and hilarious results. With some A-list comedy talent on the cast list, and Roach (the “Austin Powers” movies, “Meet the Parents”) at the helm, this might be that rare thing — a comedy movie that actually gets audiences into the cinema.  

‘One Battle After Another’ 

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Sean Penn, Benicio del Toro, Regina Hall 

Director: Paul Thomas Anderson 

In cinemas: Sept. 25 

The latest feature from one of the most acclaimed writer-directors of his generation (although not hugely successful at the box office) is an action-thriller with a touch of satirical black humor thrown in. DiCaprio plays Bob Ferguson, who was once a member of a revolutionary group called the French 75. Well over a decade since the group disbanded, their nemesis — white supremacist Colonel Steven J. Lockjaw (Penn) — resurfaces, and Ferguson must call on his former fellow activists to help him rescue his daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti), herself a budding revolutionary. Radiohead’s Johnny Greenwood is the film’s composer — his sixth collaboration with Anderson. 

‘After The Hunt’ 

Starring: Julia Roberts, Andrew Garfield, Ayo Edebiri 

Director: Luca Guadagnino 

In cinemas: Oct. 10 

Italian director Guadagnino’s films — which included “Call Me By Your Name,” “Suspiria,” and “Challengers” — are rarely a disappointment, and this one brings some serious cross-generational star power to the big screen. Roberts plays Alma Olsson, an Ivy League professor whose close friend and colleague Hank Gibson (Garfield) is accused of assault by Olsson’s protégée Maggie Price (Edebiri — winner of an Emmy and a Golden Globe for her role as Syd in “The Bear”). In trying to deal with that situation, Olsson must face up to some long-buried secrets from her past. Even if none of the cast manage to bag an Oscar, then composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross probably have a good shout. 

‘Good Fortune’ 

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Seth Rogen, Aziz Ansari 

Director: Aziz Ansari 

In cinemas: Oct. 17 

Ansari’s feature debut as director is a comedy about a low-ranking angel called Gabriel (Reeves) who comes down to Earth to try and show Arj (Ansari) that money can’t solve your problems by allowing him to swap places with his rich tech-bro employer Jeff (Rogen). It doesn’t quite go the way Gabriel expected, and he ends up having his wings taken off him and being banished to live among humans. Gabriel and the now-homeless Jeff move in together as all the work Gabriel did as an angel is undone. Keke Palmer and Sandra Oh also star.  

‘A House of Dynamite’ 

Starring: Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso 

Director: Kathryn Bigelow 

On Netflix: Oct. 24 

Little has been revealed about Netflix’s upcoming thriller, but the stars and director alone are enough to build hype. Bigelow made history in 2009 when she became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar (for “The Hurt Locker”) and “A House of Dynamite” will be her first feature since 2017’s “Detroit.” And with Elba and Ferguson heading the cast list, it’s a safe bet there’ll be some seriously strong performances in this tale told in real time about a group of White House officials frantically dealing with a missile attack on America.  

‘Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere’ 

Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Stephen Graham, Jeremy Strong 

Director: Scott Cooper 

In cinemas: Oct. 24 

Timothée Chalamet has already wowed critics with his portrayal of Bob Dylan this year in “A Complete Unknown,” and now “The Bear” star Jeremy Allen White takes on Dylan’s closest contender for the title of greatest living US songwriter: Bruce Springsteen. Cooper’s biopic isn’t the tale of how Springsteen became a star — at the time the film begins he’s already a hit. Instead, it’s the story of the making of his stripped-back 1982 masterpiece “Nebraska,” recorded on a four-track in his bedroom at a time when he was struggling with his fame and the demons of his past. White has already received praise from The Boss himself, as has Graham as Springsteen’s domineering father.