Kremlin says Trump criticism won’t hit US-Russia prisoner swap plans

Kremlin says Trump criticism won’t hit US-Russia prisoner swap plans
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting with members of Russia's business community at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia. (AP)
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Updated 27 May 2025
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Kremlin says Trump criticism won’t hit US-Russia prisoner swap plans

Kremlin says Trump criticism won’t hit US-Russia prisoner swap plans

MOSCOW: The Kremlin said Tuesday that Donald Trump’s criticism of Vladimir Putin will not affect plans for a US-Russia prisoner exchange that the two presidents discussed in a call last week.
Trump called Putin “crazy” over the weekend after Russia pummelled Ukraine with its largest drone attack since the start of its full-scale offensive, launched in February 2022.
The Kremlin downplayed the spat when asked whether the US leader’s comments could disrupt plans for a nine-for-nine prisoner swap between Moscow and Washington.
“It is clear that the Russian and American sides should not and can not agree on everything. There will always be certain disagreements,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“But there is political will to implement the agreements that have been reached, and the work continues. We highly value this mutual willingness,” he added.
Following a two-hour call between Putin and Trump last week, Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov said the pair had discussed “swapping nine people for nine people” — without giving any details on which prisoners.
There have been several rounds of prisoner exchanges between Washington and Moscow since Trump returned to the White House in January.
Washington has accused Moscow of “hostage taking” — arresting US citizens on baseless charges in a bid to use them as pawns to secure the release of Russians behind bars in the West.
In the latest swap last month, dual US-Russian citizen Ksenia Karelina was released from a Russian jail — where she was serving 12 years on treason charges after donating around $50 to a Ukrainian charity.
In exchange the United States freed Arthur Petrov, a dual German-Russian citizen accused of breaking sanctions by trying to export US-made electronics to Russian military companies.


NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks

Updated 25 sec ago
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NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks

NATO and EU condemn Russia’s cyber and hybrid attacks
The EU stands in full solidarity with the United Kingdom

BRUSSELS: The European Union and NATO on Friday condemned Russia for what they said was its “malicious cyber activities” and hybrid attacks aimed at undermining security and democracy in Europe and beyond.

The move followed Britain’s decision on Friday to sanction more than 20 Russian spies, hackers and agencies over what it called a “sustained campaign of malicious cyber activity” involving attacks on governments and institutions across Europe.

“The EU stands in full solidarity with the United Kingdom and continues to denounce the tangible threat Russia poses to the security of the UK and its partners, including the EU.”

France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop

France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop
Updated 10 min 27 sec ago
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France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop

France faces another tough wheat export year despite better crop
  • Sales to Algeria and China, among France’s biggest wheat buyers in recent years, stalled last season due to a diplomatic fallout between Paris and Algiers
  • A smaller than normal 2024 French crop meant steady demand from Morocco and West Africa, plus sporadic sales to Egypt and Thailand

PARIS/HAMBURG: France could struggle to sell a much bigger wheat crop expected this year as export options for the European Union’s top wheat producer have narrowed due to less demand from Algeria and China as well as strong competition from cheaper Black Sea grain.

Sparse overseas demand could lead France to stock hefty amounts of wheat or offload more crop in livestock feed markets. Either outcome could keep prices below production costs, a trend that has fueled farmer protests in the past year.

Farm office FranceAgriMer on Wednesday projected French soft wheat exports outside the EU in 2025/26 at a relatively modest 7.5 million metric tons, contributing to a forecast 21-year high for end-of-season stocks.

Sales to Algeria and China, among France’s biggest wheat buyers in recent years, stalled last season due to a diplomatic fallout between Paris and Algiers and a general drop in Chinese imports amid hefty domestic supply.

A smaller than normal 2024 French crop meant steady demand from Morocco and West Africa, plus sporadic sales to Egypt and Thailand, absorbed last season’s surplus. But that may no longer be enough.

“The harsh reality is that France has a huge challenge to reach a 7.5 million ton export program,” Rory Deverell, owner of Black Silo Commodity Consulting, said.

A price rise in Russia amid tight availability in the world’s biggest wheat supplier may offer only brief respite, with Russian and other Black Sea region producers expected to sweep up near-term demand, as shown by this week’s 1 million ton purchase by Algeria.

“Russia, Ukraine, Romania and Bulgaria are likely to dominate wheat exports in coming months,” a German trader said. “The west EU faces the threat of being only a niche wheat exporter.”

Like France, Germany and Poland may struggle too, with overall EU exports again set to be bolstered by Black Sea neighbors Romania and Bulgaria.

A rally in the euro against the dollar this year, a repercussion of US President Donald Trump’s policies, represents another export headwind.

Lower-priced feed markets may provide opportunities for western European wheat, especially if the harvest struggles to meet milling specifications, with traders reporting talk of some low protein levels plus the risk that this week’s rain might damage the quality of unharvested wheat.

That could mean exports to distant destinations in southeast Asia, or shipments within the EU, with the return of EU quotas on Ukrainian wheat reducing competition for feed wheat inside the bloc.

But traders say a bumper harvest in Spain will also curb demand from the traditionally major EU buyer, while wheat will face feed competition from maize as well. FranceAgriMer anticipates stable French intra-EU exports versus last season.

“It is hard to see where west EU wheat could be sold,” another German trader said.


German leader Merz says his government has a ‘stable foundation’ despite a dispute

German leader Merz says his government has a ‘stable foundation’ despite a dispute
Updated 46 min 13 sec ago
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German leader Merz says his government has a ‘stable foundation’ despite a dispute

German leader Merz says his government has a ‘stable foundation’ despite a dispute
  • The government has launched a program to encourage investment, set in motion plans to raise defense spending
  • Merz said at the German leader’s annual summer news conference that he is “very satisfied with what we have achieved in the first 10 weeks”

BERLIN: German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Friday that his coalition has a “stable foundation” and has achieved a lot in its first 10 weeks, but acknowledged that “occasional setbacks” are a risk in government as his administration struggles with its first major dispute.

Merz took office on May 6, leading a coalition of his conservative Union bloc with the center-left Social Democrats that has a relatively thin parliamentary majority. He vowed to strengthen Europe’s biggest economy after years of stagnation, enable Germany to build Europe’s strongest conventional army and keep the US on board with aid to Ukraine.

The government has launched a program to encourage investment, set in motion plans to raise defense spending and implemented a tougher approach to migration. Merz has taken a prominent role in diplomacy on Ukraine and other issues.

Merz said at the German leader’s annual summer news conference that he is “very satisfied with what we have achieved in the first 10 weeks.”

Merz set out to avoid the infighting that plagued ex-Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party coalition, which collapsed in November. However, the new government’s record has been overshadowed over the past week by parliament’s failure to elect three new justices for Germany’s highest court.

Nominations have in the past mostly been approved uneventfully. But planned votes last Friday were scrapped at the last minute after some lawmakers in Merz’s bloc balked at a candidate put forward by the Social Democrats.

Opponents of the nominee, law professor Frauke Brosius-Gersdorf, have cited her perceived liberal views on issues such as abortion. Leading Social Democrats have been irked by the conservatives’ failure to follow through on an agreement on the new justices and have stood by their candidate.

Merz has downplayed the argument and insisted Friday that “there is no time pressure” to rush to a solution. And he rejected a suggestion that his coalition is on wobbly ground, with the court nominee flap following its bumpy start when lawmakers needed an unprecedented two rounds of voting to elect Merz as chancellor in May.

“This government stands on a stable foundation, on a stable majority in the German parliament,” Merz said. “But you see from these two votes that we are living in very uncertain times, also regarding supposed certainties in the German parliament.”

He said that “we know what job we have, and high points and successes are part of that as well as occasional setbacks.”

Recent polls have suggested that Merz’s coalition has work to do to convince voters. Ratings for the Union and Social Democrats haven’t picked up from their lackluster showing in Germany’s February election. Surveys show the far-right, anti-immigration Alternative for Germany solidifying its strong second place.


Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the edge of space, dies in Italy crash

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the edge of space, dies in Italy crash
Updated 18 July 2025
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Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the edge of space, dies in Italy crash

Skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who jumped from the edge of space, dies in Italy crash
  • Baumgartner became first skydiver to fall faster than speed of sound during 39-kilometer leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago

MILAN: Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner, the first skydiver to fall faster than the speed of sound during a 39 kilometer leap through the stratosphere more than a decade ago, died in a crash Thursday along the eastern coast of Italy. He was 56.
Italian firefighters who responded said a paraglider crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio.
The city’s mayor confirmed Baumgartner’s death in a social media post.
“Our community is deeply affected by the tragic disappearance of Felix Baumgartner, a figure of global prominence, a symbol of courage and passion for extreme flight,” Mayor Massimiliano Ciarpella said.
Baumgartner, known as “Fearless Felix,” stunned the world in 2012 when he became the first human to break the sound barrier with only his body. He wore a pressurized suit and jumped from a capsule hoisted more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above Earth by a giant helium balloon over New Mexico.
The Austrian, who was part of the Red Bull Stratos team, topped out at 843.6 mph — the equivalent of 1.25 times the speed of sound — during a nine-minute descent. At one point, he went into a potentially dangerous flat spin while still supersonic, spinning for 13 seconds, his crew later said.
“When I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble, you do not think about of breaking records anymore, you do not think of about gaining scientific data. The only thing you want is to come back alive,” he said after landing in the eastern New Mexico desert.
The altitude he jumped from also was the highest-ever for a skydiver, shattering the previous record set in 1960 by Joe Kittinger, who served as an adviser to Baumgartner during his feat.
Baumgartner’s altitude record stood for two years until Google executive Alan Eustace set new marks for the highest free-fall jump and greatest free-fall distance​.
In 2012, millions watched YouTube’s livestream as Baumgartner coolly flashed a thumbs-up when he came out of the capsule high above Earth and then activated his parachute as he neared the ground, lifting his arms in victory after he landed.
Baumgartner, a former Austrian military parachutist, made thousands of jumps from planes, bridges, skyscrapers and famed landmarks, including the Christ the Redeemer statue in Brazil.
In 2003, he flew across the English Channel in a carbon fiber wing after being dropped from a plane.
In recent years, he performed with The Flying Bulls as a helicopter stunt pilot in shows across Europe.
Baumgartner said after his record-breaking jump in 2012 that traveling faster than sound is “hard to describe because you don’t feel it.”
“Sometimes we have to get really high to see how small we are,” he said.


India eyes closer cooperation in pharmaceuticals, ceramics with Saudi Arabia

India eyes closer cooperation in pharmaceuticals, ceramics with Saudi Arabia
Updated 18 July 2025
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India eyes closer cooperation in pharmaceuticals, ceramics with Saudi Arabia

India eyes closer cooperation in pharmaceuticals, ceramics with Saudi Arabia
  • India is world’s third-largest drug maker and second-largest producer of ceramics
  • Saudi Arabia is India’s 5th largest trading partner, with trade worth nearly $43bn in 2023-24

NEW DELHI: India is eyeing closer collaboration with Saudi Arabia in the pharmaceuticals and ceramics industries, following talks between Indian trade minister Piyush Goyal and his Saudi counterparts earlier this week.

Goyal held separate virtual meetings with Saudi Arabia’s Economy and Planning Minister Faisal bin Fadel Al-Ibrahim and Investment Minister Khalid Al-Falih to discuss ways to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two countries.

His meeting with Al-Ibrahim was focused “on enhancing our trade & investment partnership and collaborating in key sectors” such as pharmaceuticals, petroleum and ceramics, while his discussion with Al-Falih was centered on mutual growth, innovation and long-term collaboration, Goyal wrote on X.

“We are confident of exciting growth prospects ahead for both nations,” he said.

In 2023-24, Saudi-India trade reached nearly $43 billion, making India Saudi Arabia’s second-largest trading partner, while the Kingdom stands as New Delhi’s fifth-largest.

Bilateral energy trade alone was worth $25.7 billion in 2023-24, with Saudi Arabia being the third-largest source of India’s LPG, crude and petroleum imports.

In 2023, India’s investment in the Kingdom reached $4 billion, showcasing an increase of 39 percent from 2022, when it stood at about $2.39 billion.

Saudi Arabia and India have been in talks to deepen their strategic partnership. When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Jeddah in April, “both sides reaffirmed the strong commitment to advance economic and investment partnership,” Indian ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Suhel Ajaz Khan, told Arab News on Friday.

India’s pharmaceuticals and ceramics sector, in particular, had potential to support Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 transformation project, he added.

With India being the world’s third-largest producer of drugs by volume after the US and China and supplying more than 20 percent of global demand on generic drugs, Delhi is keen to open up new collaborations in the pharmaceutical industry with Saudi Arabia.

“With annual pharmaceutical exports exceeding $30 billion, Indian pharmaceutical companies play a vital role in ensuring affordable and reliable health care across the globe. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia currently accounts for only about $200 million of India’s pharmaceutical exports — a relatively small share that underscores significant untapped potential,” Khan said.

“As KSA pursues the goals of Vision 2030, which include building domestic manufacturing capacity, fostering knowledge-based industries and ensuring health care security, the Indian pharmaceutical sector stands out as a natural strategic partner.”

The Indian government is also seeking to take advantage of its edge in the ceramics industry, as India is the second-largest producer of ceramics globally and the largest exporter of ceramic tiles.

“Indian ceramics are widely recognized for their quality, cost-efficiency and manufacturing scale, particularly in segments such as tiles, sanitaryware and refractories,” Khan said.

“Given the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s growing infrastructure, construction and industrial development needs under Vision 2030, deeper cooperation with India’s ceramic sector holds significant potential.”