This photograph taken on March 18, 2025 exhibits an exterior view of the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. (DHA File Photo)
The Kremlin on Thursday, requested to touch upon statements by U.S. President Donald Trump relating to attainable secondary tariffs towards consumers of Russian exports, stated Russia was persevering with to analyse the U.S. chief’s remarks.
The Kremlin has to date reacted icily to Trump’s warnings to President Vladimir Putin over Ukraine, saying that selections taken by the U.S. president and the NATO army alliance could be interpreted by Kyiv as a sign to proceed the battle.
Trump introduced new weapons for Ukraine on Monday and threatened “biting” secondary tariffs of 100% on the consumers of Russian exports except there’s a peace deal in 50 days.
Putin has not but commented publicly on Trump’s threats. On Thursday, his spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that the Kremlin chief would remark if he judges it match to take action.
Germany, the most important member of the European Union and its main economic system, was fast to reject an formidable 2 trillion euro ($2.3 trillion) funds proposal touted by EU Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen on Wednesday.
Germany stated it was “unable to accept” the $2.3 trillion funds for 2028-2034, which von der Leyen referred to as “the most ambitious ever proposed.” Farm unions additionally shortly got here out in opposition to proposed reforms to the bloc’s enormous agriculture subsidies.
The plan seeks to bolster Europe’s safety and ramp up competitiveness, in opposition to a backdrop of hovering commerce tensions with the U.S., whereas paying off money owed from a large COVID-19 period mortgage.
The European Commission put 451 billion euros on the desk below a broad “competitiveness” tag that encompasses protection and area – collectively allotted 131 billion euros, a fivefold enhance.
The funds earmarks as much as 100 billion euros for the reconstruction of war-torn Ukraine – in addition to substantial new “flexibility” funds saved out there within the occasion of crises.
But German authorities spokesperson Stefan Kornelius stated in an announcement that “a comprehensive increase in the EU budget is not acceptable at a time when all member states are making considerable efforts to consolidate their national budgets.”
Germany additionally opposed the fee’s name to make corporations with a turnover of greater than 100 million euros pay extra tax.
While Germany argues that the funds is just too giant, many EU lawmakers accuse it of not leaving adequate funds for priorities similar to local weather adaptation and the agricultural subsidies that make up the most important share of the funds.
Budget Commissioner Piotr Serafin stated that below the fee’s plans, 300 billion euros would stay to assist farmers – in comparison with round 387 billion euros, of which 270 billion euros are in direct payouts, below the present seven-year funds.
‘Black Wednesday for farmers’
Brussels says there can be an overhaul of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) subsidies – with some funding moved to different funds columns.
But the way forward for the CAP is headed for a combat, with farmers warning in opposition to cuts to their slice of the EU pie – and marching on Wednesday in Brussels to point out their resolve.
Hundreds of European farmers joined a protest outdoors the fee constructing in Brussels, organized by the pan-European agriculture foyer group Copa-Cogeca.
The group described it as a “Black Wednesday” for farmers, accusing Brussels of searching for to “dismantle the ‘common’ nature of the CAP through concealed budget cuts.”
The warning raised the specter of one other confrontation after final 12 months’s protests throughout Europe by farmers, who had been upset at low cost imports, low margins, and the burden of environmental guidelines.
Hungary, a staunch critic of Brussels and Russia’s closest ally in Europe, in the meantime tapped into rural anger forward of the plan’s launch, whereas criticizing the cash allotted to Kyiv.
“Ukraine would get a massive funding boost, while European farmers lose out,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban stated.
Battle traces drawn
The announcement units the stage for 2 years of fraught negotiations between the European Parliament and 27 member states.
Already stretched skinny, some states, similar to Germany, are unwilling to contribute extra to the widespread pot.
Unlike within the earlier funds, the EU has money owed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, when states teamed as much as borrow 800 billion euros to assist the bloc’s economic system. These are estimated to price 25-30 billion euros a 12 months from 2028.
The earlier 2021-2027 funds was price round 1.2 trillion euros and was made up of nationwide contributions and cash collected by the EU, similar to customs duties.
National contributions will develop barely, from 1.13% of member states’ gross nationwide revenue to 1.15% plus 0.11% dedicated to repaying the COVID-19 mortgage.
The fee may even search to boost about 58 billion euros a 12 months by accumulating cash straight by means of 5 devices, together with its carbon border tax and a levy on digital waste.
Member states gave a sneak peek on the fights to return.
France’s European Minister, Benjamin Haddad, hailed the fee’s “ambition,” however Dutch Finance Minister Eelco Heinen, representing one of many frugal states, stated the proposed funds was “too high.”
Members of the EU Parliament, nonetheless, made it clear that the funds was not sufficient of their view.
“However, you try to package this, what we have is a real-terms investment and spending freeze,” stated a joint assertion from the EU lawmakers tasked with steering the funds by means of parliament.
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NBA Finals MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Olympic gymnastics legend Simone Biles have been named finest female and male athletes on the ESPYS on Wednesday evening.
Gilgeous-Alexander capped a dominant season by main the Oklahoma City Thunder to an NBA championship final month, additionally incomes league MVP and scoring champion honors.
“It’s a dream come true – and for dreams to come true, it takes a village,” he stated throughout his acceptance speech, thanking his spouse, dad and mom, brother and shut supporters. “Those names might not mean much to you, but to me they mean everything.”
Biles, an 11-time Olympic medalist, earned the night’s first award – finest championship efficiency – for her exhibiting on the Paris Games, the place she received three gold medals and one silver whereas serving to the U.S. win its first staff title since 2016.
“That was very unexpected, especially in a category of all men,” Biles stated after kissing her husband, Chicago Bears security Jonathan Owens.
Simone Biles (R) hugs Jonathan Owens whereas accepting an award on the ESPY Awards on the Dolby Theatre, Los Angeles, U.Ok., July 16, 2025. (AP Photo)
She beat out Stephen Curry, Freddie Freeman and Rory McIlroy.
Biles’ Olympic teammate, Suni Lee, obtained one of the best comeback award for overcoming two uncommon kidney ailments. She introduced one among her medical doctors to the present.
Basketball Hall of Famer Oscar Robertson accepted the Arthur Ashe Courage Award from level guard Russell Westbrook.
Robertson was president of the NBA Players Association throughout a landmark antitrust lawsuit towards the league in 1970. The case led to sweeping reforms in free company and draft guidelines and in the end helped enhance participant salaries throughout the NBA.
The 86-year-old Robertson, a 12-time All-Star often called “The Big O” throughout his enjoying days, was the primary Black president of any skilled sports activities labor union.
“I knew there was work to do. There was a desperate need for players to have more career security, improved working conditions and other accommodations,” he stated. “In life, it’s important to be persistent – or, as I have been called, stubborn. Stubborn about what you believe in.”
Comedian Shane Gillis hosted the present, which honors the previous yr’s high athletes and sports activities moments, however his opening monologue was met with blended reactions.
Early on, he known as out acquainted faces within the Dolby Theatre crowd, together with retired WNBA star Diana Taurasi. Gillis mistakenly referred to her as “Deanna,” prompting the digital camera to catch Taurasi shaking her head with out smiling. Gillis shortly corrected himself, saying, “My bad on that.”
He then turned to WNBA celebrity Caitlin Clark, who was not in attendance.
“When Caitlin Clark retires from the WNBA, she’s going to work at a Waffle House so she can continue doing what she loves most: fistfighting Black women,” he joked.
While some within the viewers laughed, others appeared visibly uncomfortable.
Gillis continued for 10 minutes, delivering jokes about President Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein, whose intercourse trafficking investigation has embroiled the Justice Department and FBI.
His set drew blended reactions on social media, with some calling him “hilarious” and others labeling the efficiency “cringey.”
Gillis’ early joke about former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and his 24-year-old girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, drew large laughs.
“A bookie is what Bill Belichick reads to his girlfriend before bedtime,” Gillis stated. “They read The Very Horny Caterpillar, The Little Engine That Could But Needed a Pill First, and of course the classic Goodnight Boobs.”
The laughter thinned because the set progressed.
“He won six Super Bowls. He’s dating a hot 24-year-old. Maybe if you guys won six Super Bowls you wouldn’t be sitting next to a fat, ugly dog wife.”
Before exiting, Gillis acknowledged the awkwardness: “I see a lot of you don’t like me, and that’s OK. That’s it for me. That went about exactly how we all thought it was going to go. I don’t know why this happened.”
Taurasi and retired U.S. ladies’s soccer star Alex Morgan shared the Icon Award in recognition of their careers and lasting affect on sports activities.
The two touched their trophies in a celebratory toast.
“Our mission has always been very similar,” Morgan stated. “We fought to leave our game in a better place than where we found it, just as the generation before us did. We’re standing on the shoulders of giants.”
Taurasi, who retired in February after a 20-year basketball profession, spoke about her dad and mom, who immigrated from Argentina, and inspired the following era.
“Keep going. Don’t wait for someone to hand you anything. Outwork them. Be loyal. Bring that damn fire every day,” she stated. “We’re proof you can do it. We did it our way. No shortcuts, no apologies, and no regrets.”
Former athletes David Walters and Erin Regan obtained the Pat Tillman Award for Service, given to people who honor the legacy of the previous NFL participant and U.S. Army Ranger by means of service.
Walters, 37, received gold on the 2008 Beijing Olympics and earned seven world championship medals. He now serves as a firefighter in Los Angeles.
Regan, 45, was a Wake Forest soccer participant who performed one skilled season earlier than becoming a member of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
Both helped battle lethal wildfires in Pacific Palisades and Altadena in January.
An emotional Katie Schumacher-Cawley accepted the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance, joined on stage by her husband and kids because the viewers stood in ovation. The Penn State ladies’s volleyball coach was identified with Stage 2 breast most cancers in September however by no means missed a apply and have become the primary lady to steer a staff to an NCAA nationwide championship.
“Cancer changed my life, but it didn’t take it. It didn’t take my belief, it didn’t take my spirit, and it didn’t take my team,” she stated.
Basketball standout Cameron Boozer and monitor and subject star Jane Hedengren have been named Gatorade’s finest female and male highschool athletes of the yr.
Boozer will play for Duke this fall, following within the footsteps of his father, former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer.
Hedengren will compete for BYU in her hometown of Provo, Utah.
Türkiye’s main e-commerce platform, Trendyol Group, drone large Baykar, Abu Dhabi’s sovereign fund ADQ and Ant International have agreed to discover a possible joint fintech enterprise providing digital monetary providers in Türkiye, the businesses stated on Wednesday.
The 4 events signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to kind a platform that would offer providers together with digital funds, loans, deposits, investments and insurance coverage. The launch can be topic to regulatory approvals.
“Following approval from the relevant regulatory authorities, this strategic partnership will enable the development of a platform that provides a comprehensive range of integrated financial services, including digital payments, retail and SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) loans, deposits, investment products, and insurance,” an announcement from Trendyol stated.
The signing ceremony was attended by Çağlayan Çetin, President of the Trendyol Group; Erdem Inan, CEO of Trendyol Group; Haluk Bayraktar, CEO of Baykar; Michael Evans, President of Alibaba Group; Mansour AlMulla, Deputy Group CEO of ADQ; and Yi Zhou, CFO of Ant International.
Powered by the world-class AI, e-commerce and fintech experience of the companions, the brand new enterprise goals to boost the effectivity of monetary transactions for people and small companies throughout Türkiye, each inside and past the Trendyol ecosystem, in response to the assertion.
The firms stated the platform would goal people and small companies, with a selected deal with Trendyol’s community of sellers.
“The project aims to combine Trendyol’s e-commerce infrastructure, Baykar’s AI and cybersecurity tools, and Ant’s experience in financial technology,” an announcement stated.
Bayraktar, finest recognized for its top-class drones, stated the initiative would depend on home infrastructure and purpose for top safety requirements.
The platform is deliberate to be launched within the coming months following the approval of official establishments.
Digital transformation, availability
“We believe this unique alliance will accelerate Türkiye’s digital transformation and set an exemplary model for technology-driven financial solutions,” Çetin stated.
“Our ambitions are simple: We want to make financial services more accessible initially to our 250,000 SMEs to support their e-commerce and e-export potential with our strong data-analysis capabilities and to continue contributing sustainably and significantly to our country’s economic growth,” he added.
Bayraktar acknowledged that Baykar grew to become a stakeholder on this cooperation to supply added worth to the sector of monetary applied sciences by combining their world-class synthetic intelligence and cybersecurity experience with Trendyol’s e-commerce expertise and Ant’s world data in fintech.
“Through this partnership, we are combining Baykar’s AI solutions and robust infrastructure with Trendyol’s extensive user base and fintech experience. With a focus on high standards in risk management and security, we will build a fully domestic fintech infrastructure,” Bayraktar stated.
Evans stated that this strategic cooperation, which is a testomony to their confidence in Türkiye, will deliver a precious funding and an modern monetary know-how platform to Türkiye.
“We believe that smart, accessible digital financial services offered to individual and corporate customers in Türkiye will not only improve daily life, but also contribute significantly to the sustainable growth of Türkiye’s economy and the development of its financial ecosystem,” he added.
AlMulla emphasised that Türkiye’s dynamic financial system and rising digital surroundings proceed to supply important alternatives for all sectors.
“This proposed collaboration brings together strong partners with complementary capabilities, reflecting shared interest in advancing innovative financial solutions that support the country’s broader digital transformation,” he stated.
Yi talked about that Türkiye holds a precious place in world digital ecosystems with its younger and digitally oriented inhabitants, in addition to its well-developed e-commerce sector.
“We are excited to work with like-minded partners and develop inclusive digital financial solutions for this vibrant digital economy with our cutting-edge technologies, including AI and blockchain,” he stated.
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At least 61 individuals, together with girls and kids, have been killed when a hearth ripped via a mall in japanese Iraq’s Wasit province, the provincial governor stated Thursday.
Gov. Mohammed al-Mayyeh in an announcement declared three day of mourning for the hearth that started Wednesday.
Few different particulars have been accessible in regards to the hearth within the city of Kut.
The governor stated the reason for the hearth is below investigation however that authorized circumstances have been filed towards the constructing proprietor and mall proprietor. He didn’t specify what the costs have been.
“We guarantee the households of the harmless victims that we’ll not be lenient with those that have been instantly or not directly liable for this incident,” al-Mayyeh stated.
Poor constructing requirements have usually contributed to tragic fires in Iraq. In July 2021, a blaze at a hospital within the Iraqi metropolis of Nasiriyah that killed between 60 to 92 individuals was decided to have been fueled by extremely flammable, low-cost sort of “sandwich panel” cladding that’s unlawful in Iraq.
In 2023, greater than 100 individuals died in a hearth at a marriage corridor within the predominantly Christian space of Hamdaniya in Nineveh province after the ceiling panels above a pyrotechnic machine burst into flames.
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Trade Minister Ömer Bolat stated Wednesday that Türkiye and Georgia need to obtain a $5 billion (TL 201.42 billion) bilateral commerce quantity, including that the present quantity exceeded $3.5 billion.
Bolat, together with Georgian Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Mariam Kvrivishvili, opened the Türkiye-Georgia Business Forum in Tbilisi in cooperation with the Foreign Economic Relations Board (DEIK) and the Georgian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Bolat said that Georgia has applied vital financial reforms lately. “These achievements of Georgia also make us, as Türkiye, happy and give hope for our common future,” he stated.
Stating that Türkiye helps the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Georgia, Bolat emphasised that prosperity in pleasant and brotherly nations is essential for his nation.
He stated financial relations between the 2 nations are progressing completely. “As a result of the free trade agreement put into effect by the two countries in 2008, our mutual trade has exceeded $3.5 billion annually,” he stated.
Stating that Turkish businesspeople are energetic in Georgia, Bolat stated, “Our contractors have undertaken 304 projects worth $5.6 billion in Georgia so far.”
Bolat stated Georgia is a strategic transit nation on the Trans-Caspian route, serving as a bridge between Europe and Central Asia, alongside Türkiye.
Stating that cooperation supplied within the fields of railway knowledge alternate and facilitation of border crossings with the Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) Railway Data Exchange Agreement signed in 2022 immediately impacts the efficiency of the Middle Corridor, Bolat stated, “Türkiye-Georgia coordination is of great importance for the sustainability of the Middle Corridor.”
Kvrivishvili stated Türkiye is Georgia’s strategic associate. “Georgia and Türkiye are not only neighbors, but also two partner countries that cooperate intensively,” she stated.
Kvirivishvili famous that there are robust commerce and financial relations between the 2 nations and stated, “This business discussion board is a transparent instance of the shut cooperation between the 2 nations.”
Stating that Tbilisi has taken steps to draw overseas investments to Georgia, Kvirivishvili stated the Georgian economic system grew by a mean of 9.7% yearly from 2021 to 2024.
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Despite a whirlwind of offseason rumors, LeBron James is anticipated to stay with the Los Angeles Lakers for the 2025-26 season, The Athletic reported Wednesday.
According to the report, the Lakers haven’t mentioned a commerce or buyout with James, and there’s no indication the NBA’s all-time main scorer is trying to go away. He is anticipated to report back to coaching camp this fall.
James, 40, exercised his $52.6 million participant choice final month, locking in his eighth season in purple and gold.
He will return to a crew the place, for the primary time in his profession, he’s anticipated to function the second choice. Luka Doncic, acquired in a blockbuster commerce from the Dallas Mavericks in February, is projected to be the centerpiece for Los Angeles this season.
Fueling the commerce or buyout hypothesis was a press release made final month by James’ longtime agent, Rich Paul, who mentioned, “We do want to evaluate what’s best for LeBron at this stage in his life and career.”
Trading James can be troublesome resulting from his wage, as NBA trades should embrace contracts of comparable worth below the league’s wage cap guidelines.
The Lakers, in keeping with The Athletic, are additionally hesitant to accumulate a participant incomes round $50 million yearly if he has further years remaining on his contract. James’ $52.6 million deal expires on the finish of the upcoming season.
James is coming into his record-setting twenty third NBA season. He has performed in 1,562 regular-season video games and is 50 appearances shy of breaking Hall of Famer Robert Parish’s NBA report.
In 70 video games throughout the 2024-25 season, James averaged 24.4 factors, 7.8 rebounds and eight.2 assists – rating within the prime 22 in every class.
A 21-time All-Star, four-time MVP and four-time NBA champion, James has scored a report 42,184 regular-season factors and 50,473 mixed factors within the common season and playoffs.
He entered the NBA as an 18-year-old after being chosen No. 1 general by the Cleveland Cavaliers within the 2003 NBA Draft. He turns 41 in December.
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Ukrainian service members stroll subsequent to a launcher of a Patriot air defence system, amid Russia’s assault on Ukraine, in an undisclosed location, Ukraine August 4, 2024. (REUTERS File Photo)
Preparations are underway to rapidly switch extra Patriot air defence programs to Ukraine, NATO‘s prime navy commander Alexus Grynkewich stated on Thursday, because the nation suffers among the heaviest Russian assaults of the warfare up to now.
“Preparations are underway, we are working very closely with the Germans on the Patriot transfer”, he informed a convention within the German metropolis of Wiesbaden. “The guidance that I have been given has been to move out as quickly as possible.”
Syria stated Wednesday {that a} new cease-fire had been reached in Suwayda, a day after a earlier truce collapsed following days of violence that killed greater than 300 individuals, in keeping with a monitoring group.
“An agreement was reached for a cease-fire in Suwayda and the deployment of security checkpoints in the city,” an unidentified inside ministry supply stated in a press release carried by state news company SANA.
Syrian authorities troops had been dispatched to the Suwayda area Monday to quell combating between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes, however had been attacked by the Druze militias.
Local news outlet Suwayda24 stated town of Suwayda and close by villages had been coming beneath heavy artillery and mortar fireplace early on Wednesday.
Syria’s Defense Ministry, in a press release carried by state news company SANA, blamed outlawed teams in Suwayda for breaching the truce.
It was not instantly clear if the brand new settlement, which was introduced by Syrian state media and in a video message by a Druze spiritual chief, would maintain. A earlier cease-fire introduced the day earlier than shortly fell aside.
The escalating violence has gave the impression to be probably the most severe risk but to the power of Syria’s new rulers to consolidate management of the nation after an anti-regime-led offensive ousted longtime dictator Bashar Assad in December, bringing an finish to an almost 14-year civil struggle.
As clashes have raged for days within the southern Syrian metropolis of Suwayda between authorities forces and Druze armed teams, Israel has launched dozens of strikes focusing on authorities troops and convoys, and on Wednesday struck the Syrian Defense Ministry headquarters within the coronary heart of Damascus.
That strike killed one particular person and injured 18, Syrian officers stated. Another strike hit close to the presidential palace within the hills outdoors of Damascus.
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Argentina’s chief of workers confirmed Wednesday that the federal government is embroiled in a “political crisis,” citing escalating tensions and public accusations exchanged on social media between President Javier Milei and Vice President Victoria Villarruel.
Appearing on tv, Guillermo Francos mentioned that “without a doubt, it is a crisis — not an institutional one, but a political one — within the government. There is a misunderstanding between the president and the vice president.”
Francos acknowledged “deep-seated reasons” for the strained relationship between the main figures of the ruling La Libertad Avanza social gathering, although he declined to elaborate. He prompt the variations must be “resolved differently” slightly than via public publicity.
Tensions sharply escalated over the previous week after Villarruel, who additionally presides over the Senate, didn’t forestall a session final Thursday that permitted legal guidelines the federal government opposed. The measures included enhancing pensions, reactivating a pension moratorium and declaring a incapacity emergency.
The legislative setback marked a public rupture between the 2, a strained dynamic that had been brewing virtually for the reason that far-right administration took workplace 18 months in the past.
Subsequently, Milei reportedly “lashed out” at his working mate, labeling her a “traitor.”
Responding to accusations of treason from social media customers, Villarruel countered that the president “should not betray what he said, because if he does, the rest of us should point it out.”
Addressing public complaints concerning their troubled relationship, she referred to Milei in harsh phrases.
“A president who can’t even greet the person he came to power with? Take your complaint to him, because I never lose my manners.”
She went additional, accusing Milei of immaturity and of being subservient to his sister and presidential secretary, Karina Milei.
Responding to critics on social media about saving cash, she controversially prompt “let him do it at the SIDE,” referring to the state intelligence company, which stays the one authorities physique spared from funds cuts.
