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Mourners queued in their thousands for hours on Thursday to catch a last glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes as Italian authorities stepped up security arrangements ahead of his weekend funeral.Some 61,000 people had filed past the late Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin in the first 26 hours since Francis was laid in state at St Peter’s Basilica on Wednesday morning, the Vatican said.Such was the demand to see him that authorities extended visiting hours on Wednesday from midnight local time until 5:30 am.After a break of just one and a half hours, the doors opened again, with authorities saying the window might again be extended on Thursday night if necessary.Italian authorities have begun increasing security for the funeral, even blocking drones.On Thursday morning, the queue quickly stretched far past the two entry points at St Peter’s Square, where spirits were high despite the long wait.”It’s true that it feels oppressive but at the same time you all feel united, everyone happy,” Frenchwoman Laure Du Moulin who visited with her family, told AFP.”Everyone seems enthusiastic, fraternal, like a big community.”Friends Florencia Soria and Ana Sofia Alicata, both 26 and — like Francis — from Argentina, came prepared for the long wait with coffees and wondered whether the light rain might work in their favour.”We’re here and we hope it will go as well as possible, with people leaving because of the rain,” joked Soria, although the sun soon re-emerged.- World leaders expected -Francis died on Monday aged 88, after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics.Condolences have flooded in from around the world for the Jesuit, an energetic reformer who championed the most vulnerable and marginalised in society.His funeral on Saturday is expected to draw huge crowds as well as world leaders including US President Donald Trump.The ceremony will be held in front of St Peter’s Basilica.Lined in red silk, the pope’s wooden coffin has been set before St Peter’s altar, with Francis dressed in his papal vestments — a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes — with a rosary in his hands.Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, while authorities on Thursday banned the use of smartphones inside the Basilica.A day earlier the flow of mourners was slower with many people trying to capture photos or videos.”It was a brief but intense moment next to his body,” Italian Massimo Palo, 63, told AFP after his visit.”He was a pope amongst his flock, amongst his people, and I hope the next papacies will be a bit like his,” he added.The coffin is due to be sealed on Friday night at 8:00 pm in a ceremony presided over by Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the camerlengo who is running the Vatican’s day-to-day affairs until a new pope is elected.- Massive security operation -Francis, who suffered a stroke, died at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.The Vatican said on Thursday that 50 heads of state and 10 reigning monarchs will attend the funeral. Those coming include US President Donald Trump, Argentina’s Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William.At least 130 foreign delegations have confirmed their attendance, the Vatican said, as security is ramped up for the funeral.A defence source told AFP the air force had already deployed electromagnetic devices to prevent drones from flying over the city.Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.- No conclave date yet -After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.A group of “poor and needy” will be present at the basilica to welcome the coffin, the Vatican said.He will be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus. People will be able to visit it from Sunday morning, the Vatican announced.Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis’s successor.Italian Cardinal Pietro Parolin, who was Francois’s number two, is the favourite with British bookmakers William Hill, ahead of Filipino Luis Antonio Tagle, the Metropolitan Archbishop emeritus of Manila.Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.Only those under the age of 80 — currently some 135 cardinals — are eligible to vote. They have held a series of meetings to discuss preparations for the funeral and looming conclave.Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales”, will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months but had continued to make public appearances right up until Easter Sunday.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Thursday he had spoken to President Donald Trump about the conflict in Ukraine and they planned to meet “soon”.Ramaphosa made the statement as he hosted Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on a working visit to South Africa which was cut short after deadly Russian attacks on Kyiv overnight.Zelensky said on social media he would “return to Ukraine immediately” after meeting Ramaphosa, following overnight attacks that killed at least nine people in the Ukrainian capital.”I spoke to President Donald Trump to discuss the peace process in Ukraine,” the South African leader said.The leaders had “agreed that the war should be brought to an end as soon as possible to stop further unnecessary deaths,” he said on social media.”We both agreed to meet soon to address various matters regarding US-South Africa relations.”Ties between Pretoria and Washington took a nosedive after Trump came to power this year. He has criticised various South African domestic and international policies, including Pretoria’s case at the International Court of Justice on Israel’s war in Gaza.The tensions culminated in the expulsion of Pretoria’s ambassador last month. Trump has also cut financial aid over what he alleged was an anti-white land policy and offered refugee settlement to the white Afrikaner minority that he has claimed is being persecuted.In his social media post, Ramaphosa said he and Trump had agreed on “the need to foster good relations between our two countries.”- South African shift -Zelensky’s visit to South Africa — his first to the continent — underscores a shift in Pretoria’s stance on Russia’s invasion, which it had initially refused to condemn.It takes place just weeks after South Africa joined for the first time a UN General Assembly resolution criticising Russia for “the full-scale invasion of Ukraine”.Pretoria’s close ties with the Kremlin — forged by its support in the struggle against the previous apartheid regime — has raised eyebrows at home and abroad, with attempts to pressure it to drop a non-aligned stance. Ramaphosa invited the Ukrainian leader in February as South Africa was coming under attack from Trump, who had also taken aim at Zelensky and moved to negotiate an end to the war without involving Ukraine or its European allies.Analysts said that Zelensky would be hoping for an invitation to the G20 summit of leading economies taking place in November in South Africa, which holds this year’s presidency of the group.In one of his latest salvos against South Africa, Trump suggested earlier this month he would skip the summit and repeated unfounded claims of alleged anti-white crimes in South Africa.”Is this where we want to be for the G20? I don’t think so!” he said in a social media post.Ramaphosa’s spokesman said at the time: “We were no longer expecting him to attend in any case.”US Secretary of State Marco Rubio refused to attend a G20 foreign ministers meeting in South Africa in February, saying it had an “anti-American” agenda.- Mediation -South Africa appears to believe it can work with both sides in the Ukraine conflict and facilitate an inclusive peace process, perhaps drawing on its own relatively smooth transition out of white-minority rule in 1994 after decades of armed struggle.Even while welcoming Zelensky to South Africa, Ramaphosa has maintained warm ties with Russia, which he said in October was an “ally and precious friend”.He and President Vladimir Putin spoke Monday to “affirm the strong bilateral relations”, according to a South African government statement. “South Africa will continue engaging all interested and affected parties, including the government of Ukraine on finding a path to peace,” it said.

Thousands of people gathered Thursday for a glimpse of Pope Francis’s body on the second day of public tributes, after St Peter’s Basilica stayed open almost all night to accomodate the crowds.With waiting times reaching four hours to enter the basilica, some 48,600 people had already filtered past the Catholic leader’s red-lined wooden coffin by Thursday morning, the Vatican announced.The lying in state began on Wednesday and instead of a planned closing at midnight, the basilica remained open until 5:30am (0330 GMT) on Thursday morning, before reopening at 7:00am.The queue to get in on Thursday morning stretched long past the two entry points at St Peter’s Square, where 82-year-old Amerigo Iacovacci was waiting patiently. “I’m here because of the great faith that unites me with Pope Francis,” said the Roman. “He was a great man, he was the father of the least fortunate, of the invisible.”Francis died on Monday after 12 years as head of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics, during which time he made a name for himself as a pope of the marginalised.Italy is preparing a massive security operation for his funeral on Saturday in front of St Peter’s.World leaders including US President Donald Trump and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky due to join hundreds of thousands of mourners.- ‘Sense of peace’ -Lined in red silk, the pope’s wooden coffin has been set before St Peter’s altar, with Francis dressed in his papal vestments — a red chasuble, white mitre and black shoes — with a rosary in his hands.Each mourner was ushered past the casket within seconds, many hurriedly catching the moment on their smartphones.Argentine Federico Rueda, 46, said that despite the rush, he would not have missed the opportunity.”It is worth missing out on other places to say goodbye to an Argentine: a very worthy pope,” he said as he stood proudly wearing the jersey of Argentina’s national football team, the current world champions.Mexican Leobardo Guevara, 24, draped in his country’s flag, said he felt “a sense of peace” as he filed past the body of the first pope from the Americas.Francis, an energetic reformer who became pope in 2013, died on Monday aged 88 after suffering a stroke.His death at his residence in the Casa Santa Marta in the Vatican came less than a month after he was released from five weeks in hospital with double pneumonia.Francis’s casket was initially put on display for Vatican staff and clergy in the Santa Marta chapel, before being transferred to St Peter’s Wednesday in a procession including cardinals, clergy and Swiss Guards.Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was among those who paid respects on Wednesday, and scores of world leaders and dignitaries plan to attend the funeral.They include Argentine President Javier Milei and Britain’s Prince William, although Russia — which has for centuries had icy ties with the Vatican — said it would send its culture minister.Authorities, who expect up to 170 foreign delegations, have ramped up security for the funeral.Italy’s civil protection agency estimates that “several hundred thousand” people will descend on Rome on what was already set to be a busy weekend due to a public holiday.- No conclave date yet -After the funeral, Francis’s coffin will be taken to his favourite church, Rome’s papal basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore.His will requested that he be interred in the ground, his simple tomb marked with just one word: Franciscus.Following that, all eyes will turn to the process to choose Francis’s successor.Cardinals from around the world are returning to Rome for the conclave, which will begin no fewer than 15 days and no more than 20 days after a pope’s death.Only those under the age of 80 — currently some 135 cardinals — are eligible to vote. Cardinals have agreed that the traditional nine days of mourning for the pope, the so-called “novemdiales”, will begin on Saturday and conclude on May 4.Another meeting of cardinals of all ages was set for Thursday at 9:00am (0700 GMT). However, the Vatican brushed aside hopes of an announcement of the conclave date, insisting the focus is on the funeral.At the time of his death, Francis was under doctors’ orders to rest for two months.But the headstrong pope continued to make public appearances despite appearing tired and short of breath. On Easter Sunday, one day before he died, he circled St Peter’s Square in his popemobile to greet the crowds, stopping to kiss babies along the way.

It is lunchtime at a Texas eatery called Trump Burger and diners are enjoying fast food and the frenetic first 100 days of their president’s second term.Donald Trump imagery is everywhere in this joint with a dozen tables — in cardboard cutouts of the man eking out his trademark forced smile, on banners from the 2024 campaign, and on hats and T-shirts displayed for sale.It is a franchise of a company with four such Trump-themed outlets in Texas and no equal anywhere else in America.This particular one opened in 2020 and is in Bellville, about a 90-minute drive northwest of Houston in a county where 80 percent of voters cast their ballots for Trump over Kamala Harris back in November.The chain is not linked to the Trump Organization.On weekends the Bellville eatery is particularly busy as bikers on roaring Harley-Davidsons roll up, as do families in pickup trucks with big tires.The menu features the Trump Burger or the supersized Trump Tower with two hamburger patties, the latter costing $16.99.Those and other sandwiches all come with the word Trump emblazoned on the bun.Also on offer, in writing at least, is something called the Biden Burger, described as being made from old tomatoes, stale buns and costing a whopping $50.99 — though presently unavailable due to “cheating and inflation.” -‘On the right path’-On a recent day, many customers told AFP they were delighted so far with Trump 2.0.Jason Sullivan, 47, who works in oil and gas, said Trump’s “drill, baby, drill” attitude toward fossil fuels and dismissal of climate change concerns as he rolls back Biden-era environmental restrictions have been a godsend.”We’ve seen a boom and actually sometimes new projects and developments that happened not just in Texas, but across the country so far,” said Sullivan.”A lot of projects that were put on the back burners from the previous administration are now coming to fruition,” he added.Kim Vanek, a 59-year-old retiree, said the first 100 days of Trump’s second stint in the White House have gone swimmingly.Working at a dizzying pace, the Trump administration has moved to slash the government by firing tens of thousands of civil servants, launched a global trade war with tariffs against most countries, and begun a mass deportation of undocumented people.It has also all but ended US overseas humanitarian aid, locked horns with the media and universities, and launched a campaign of revenge against people Trump sees as enemies.”He’s been planning now for four years to get back in here and people think it’s going to happen overnight, things are going to change overnight,” said Vanek.”It’s not, but he’s on the right path. You’re going to see a lot of good things come out of the next three years.”- ‘Could have been done better’ – But not everyone at Trump Burger is impressed with Trump’s performance so far.August Money, a 34-year-old Republican who works in health care technology, said the on-again, off-again tariff rollout — aimed at forcing companies to relocate their factories to the United States — was chaotic.”I understand the larger goal of really wanting to bring back domestic manufacturing,” said Money.”Hopefully most of it is really just his, you know, famed negotiating techniques. But yeah, it could have been done better. The calculations they used didn’t really make a lot of sense,” said Money.He also criticized the administration for deporting alleged gang members to a grim El Salvador prison without even a court hearing.Money said, “That’s dangerous and a slippery slope right there.” 

President Donald Trump’s various U-turns are leaving Americans disillusioned — especially after he was elected on vows of guaranteeing economic prosperity.He has floated wanting to fire the Fed chair before backing off for now, and he slapped tariffs on China only to then promise compromise and mollification.”There is no chance the US flip-flops on trade the past month were remotely planned,” Joseph Grieco, professor of political science at Duke University, told AFP.”It’s been one improvisation after another.”In a Pew Research Center survey conducted in early April, when President Trump was already downgrading his trade war with many countries to focus his ire on China, just 40 percent of respondents approved of his job performance — a seven-point slide from February.With the exception of Bill Clinton and now Trump, US presidents dating back to Ronald Reagan have had an approval rating topping 50 percent after their first 100 days in office, Pew noted.However, the pollsters pointed out that the ratings for Trump, ever the divider who plays to his strengths, are essentially on par with those in 2017, at the same time in his first term.- Majority dissatisfied -Specifically, nearly six in 10 Pew respondents were critical of the Republican billionaire’s trade policies.Another opinion poll, by Reuters/Ipsos, notes that just 37 percent of Americans now say they are satisfied with the president’s economic approach.This is substantially below the upbeat numbers early in the first term for Trump, whose strong point, politically speaking, has always been the economy.Results of a YouGov poll from early April reinforced the bad news for the real estate tycoon. A majority of Americans, 51 percent, were now dissatisfied with Trump’s economic policies.That was a four-point slide from late March, before his earth-shaking tariff announcements — which were themselves followed a week later by a sweeping U-turn by Trump. Absent a clear White House strategy, the world’s markets are on edge, alternately soaring or plunging on the slightest remarks by Trump or his top officials on trade or monetary policy.Such whipsaws have brought anxiety to millions of American investors, especially those whose retirement savings are in stock-related plans.Concern only grew with the president’s amped-up criticism of US Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell, calling him a “loser” for refusing to cut interest rates.The attack on the central bank’s independence sent markets tumbling — before Trump backed off, assuring on Tuesday he had no intention of firing Powell.- Adulation, too -It is virtually impossible to know how the trade confrontation with China will play out, even as Trump says the 145 percent tariffs he has slapped on the world’s second-largest economy will be reduced sharply.According to a recent Gallup poll, 53 percent of Americans believe their personal financial situation will worsen. Since 2001, the renowned polling organization has noted how most people it surveyed have expressed optimism about their wallets.Increasing worry would translate to a reluctance to consume, which could slow economic growth.While the major opinion polls reflect a growing mistrust of White House economic policy, most also agree that such pessimism has yet to reach Trump’s core base of supporters, whose adulation of the president largely has remained strong through thick and thin.In today’s hyper-divided political America, 70 percent of Republican voters and Republican-leaning independents still support Trump’s tariff hikes, while 90 percent of Democrats oppose them, according to Pew.

Tesla electric car sales in Europe plunged in the first three months of the year, industry data showed Thursday, in a fresh blow to its boss Elon Musk who has been criticised for his work in US President Donald Trump’s administration.Sales of the sleek machines fell 45 percent to just over 36,000 units in the first quarter of 2025 in the 27-nation bloc, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association said in a report.They dropped by 36 percent just in March, suffering in both periods the biggest fall in sales of any of the major car groups tallied in the association’s report, despite a growth in electric vehicle sales overall.Tesla showrooms have been hit by vandalism, demonstrations and boycott calls in Europe and the United States in a backlash against public service cuts introduced by Musk in his role as a close adviser to Trump.On Tuesday the company reported a 71-percent drop in first-quarter profits, signalling a hit to demand due to what it called “changing political sentiment.”It reported profits of $409 million following a drop in sales, while revenues fell nine percent to $19.3 billion.Musk promptly announced he would scale back his work for the Trump administration in May to focus on Tesla.- Auto tariff concerns -Trump’s combative trade policies have raised concerns in the auto sector after he enacted 25-percent tariffs on cars imported into the United States to try to boost US manufacturing.”Uncertainty in the automotive and energy markets continues to increase as rapidly evolving trade policy adversely impacts the global supply chain and cost structure of Tesla and our peers,” Tesla said on Tuesday.”This dynamic, along with changing political sentiment, could have a meaningful impact on demand for our products in the near-term.”Tesla pointed to tariffs as another headwind for the company and analysts have also cited a stale portfolio of vehicles as among the challenges facing the company.But Tesla said it was on track to launch new vehicles “including more affordable models” in the first half of 2025.Analysts warn of significant brand damage to Tesla from Musk’s leadership role in the “Department of Government Efficiency,” which has granted itself access to government databases with sensitive personal information and implemented thousands of job cuts.- EU electric car drive -Electric vehicle sales grew in several EU countries including Germany, as well as non-EU member Britain, the ACEA said — but they still only accounted for 15 percent of the auto market.Under ambitious efforts to combat climate change, the EU introduced a set of emission-reduction targets that should lead to the sale of fossil fuel-burning cars being phased out by 2035.But ACEA director-general Sigrid de Vries in a news release highlighted a “persistent gap between ambitious decarbonisation goals, and the ‘reality check’ of slower-than-expected consumer uptake” of electric cars.”It is vital that policymakers prioritise the measures that will incentivise a supportive ecosystem — from charging infrastructure to fiscal incentives — to ensure the uptake of zero-emission vehicles can accelerate meaningfully,” she said.Hybrid fuel-electric cars held the biggest share of the EU market: 36 percent compared to 29 percent for petrol-only vehicles.The bloc’s car industry has been plunged into crisis by high manufacturing costs, the slow switch to electric vehicles and increased competition from China.Some manufacturers complain the switch is harder than expected as consumers have yet to warm to electric vehicles, which have higher upfront costs and lack an established used-vehicle market.Musk in a conference call on Tuesday reiterated his bullish outlook on the long-term prospects for Tesla, highlighting its leadership in key growth areas: robotics, autonomous driving and artificial intelligence.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday that Washington has “no currency targets” in its talks with Japan on tariffs, after repeated calls from President Donald Trump for a stronger yen.Japanese media reported meanwhile that a second round of talks in Washington was set for May 1, which will be closely watched as a barometer for efforts by other countries seeking tariff relief.Bessent said Washington is looking at “tariffs, non-tariff trade barriers, currency manipulation and government subsidy of labor and fixed capital investment” in the negotiations with Japan.But he added that there were “absolutely no currency targets.”Japanese Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said he was ready for “close consultations about exchange rates” with Bessent when they meet Thursday on the sidelines of an IMF gathering in Washington, Japanese media reported.A weak yen makes Japanese exports relatively cheaper, while a strong dollar means that US exports are less competitive.The yen rose significantly since Trump’s tariffs were announced — it was trading at 158 for a dollar in mid-January.The close US ally and world’s number four economy is subject to the same 10 percent baseline tariffs that have been imposed on most countries, plus steeper levies on cars, steel and aluminum. Trump also imposed “reciprocal” tariffs on Japan of 24 percent, but those have been paused for 90 days along with those on other countries except China.Japan’s envoy Ryosei Akazawa met Trump and other senior US officials last week, and Japanese media reported Thursday that he will return for another round on May 1.Japanese broadcaster NHK on Thursday quoted unnamed sources as saying that US negotiators have said Washington cannot make exceptions for Japan.Other media reports have suggested that Tokyo is eyeing concessions such as increasing imports into Japan of US rice and soybeans as well as easing auto safety rules.

Russia launched a missile attack Thursday on Kyiv, killing at least two and wounding dozens hours after US President Donald Trump lashed out at Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for refusing to accept Moscow’s occupation of Crimea as a peace deal.The Ukrainian capital was attacked “by enemy missiles” in the early hours, with flights of drones heard across the city by AFP journalists as residents hid in bomb shelters. City mayor Vitali Klitschko said two people were killed and 54 others wounded so far in the attack.Of these, “38 of them, including six children, were hospitalised,” he said, adding that the rest of the wounded were treated at the scene. In Ukraine’s east, the city of Kharkiv was hit by seven missiles, said city mayor Igor Terekhov, who later warned that “a massive drone attack on the city continues”. “Stay safe!” Terekhov said on Telegram.Hours earlier, Trump had said a peace deal was “very close” — and effectively closed with Moscow — but accused Zelensky of being “harder” to negotiate with.The Ukrainian president’s refusal to accept US terms for ending the conflict — which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 — “will do nothing but prolong the ‘killing field’,” he said.”I think we have a deal with Russia. We have to get a deal with Zelensky,” Trump told reporters. “I thought it might be easier to deal with Zelensky. So far it’s been harder.”Ahead of Trump’s broadside, Vice President JD Vance laid out the US vision for a peace deal where Russia would get to keep already occupied swaths of Ukraine, which include Crimea.Zelensky has rejected this as a violation of Ukraine’s constitution.That in turn prompted an outburst from Trump, in which he accused Zelensky of being “inflammatory” and taking a position “very harmful to the Peace Negotiations with Russia.”Zelensky “can have Peace or, he can fight for another three years before losing the whole Country,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.Trump said Crimea — a lush Black Sea peninsula with longtime major Soviet and Russian naval facilities — “was lost years ago” and “is not even a point of discussion.”Zelensky responded by posting on social media a 2018 “Crimea declaration” by Trump’s then-secretary of state Mike Pompeo, which said Washington “rejects Russia’s attempted annexation of Crimea.”As Kyiv was bombarded with a Russian missile attack, Zelensky’s top aide took to Telegram, saying “Russia is attacking Kyiv, Kharkiv and other cities with missiles and drones right now”. “Putin shows only a desire to kill,” said Andriy Yermak. “The fire must stop. The attacks on civilians must stop.”- ‘Freeze’ Russia’s gains -Weeks into a US-initiated process, Trump’s patience was “running very thin,” White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said.Intense US pressure on Ukraine to accept a deal comes after Trump regularly boasted on the campaign trail that he would resolve the conflict in 24 hours.He has put no equivalent visible pressure on Russia, while dangling a lifting of massive US economic sanctions against Moscow if the fighting stops.Meanwhile, on a trip to India, his deputy Vance gave the fullest public explanation of the US plan so far, saying the deal would “freeze the territorial lines at some level close to where they are today.””The Ukrainians and the Russians are both going to have to give up some of the territory they currently own,” Vance said.Freezing the frontlines would mean Ukraine losing large areas to Russia.The vice president did not explain what territory Russia — which seized Crimea in 2014 — would have to give up.It was time for Moscow and Kyiv “to either say ‘yes,’ or for the United States to walk away from this process,” Vance said.Growing speculation over Washington being ready to recognise Russian rule over Crimea has alarmed European capitals.French President Emmanuel Macron’s office said “Ukraine’s territorial integrity and European aspirations are very strong requirements for Europeans.”A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer told reporters “it has to be up to Ukraine to decide its future.”Top Ukrainian officials wrapped up a round of talks in London on Wednesday with representatives from Britain, France, Germany and the United States.US presidential envoy Steve Witkoff is to visit Moscow this week and Trump said he would likely meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after his trip to the Middle East in mid-May.The diplomatic wrangling and strikes on Kyiv came after a fresh wave of Russian air attacks that shattered a brief Easter truce, killing nine and wounding at least 30 more in the southeastern city of Marganets.In light of the attacks, Zelensky has called for an “immediate, full and unconditional ceasefire.”burs-sms/dhc/hmn

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday played up prospects of a “fair deal” on trade with China, but his top officials offered few details of how Washington might de-escalate its damaging tariff war with Beijing.Trump told reporters his country would have a “fair deal with China,” adding that “everything’s active” when asked if Washington was talking to Beijing.But how soon the tariffs can be lowered “depends on them,” Trump said, referring to Beijing, even as he maintained that he gets along “very well” with Chinese President Xi Jinping and hopes they can reach an agreement.Trade tensions between the world’s two biggest economies have soared as Trump ramped up levies on imports from China this year, imposing an additional 145 percent tariff on many products over practices Washington has deemed unfair, and other issues.Beijing in turn has countered with new 125 percent tariffs on US goods.Despite signals that Washington is looking towards a fair agreement, the state of discussions remains murky.Asked if there is direct US contact with China on trade, Trump said: “Every day.”But earlier Wednesday, US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told reporters that the two countries are “not yet” talking when it comes to lowering tariffs.”I think both sides are waiting to speak to the other,” he said at an event on the sidelines of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank’s spring meetings in Washington.He added that there is no unilateral offer from Trump to slash duties on Chinese goods.- ‘An embargo’ -Bessent said the staggeringly high tariffs both countries have imposed on each other’s goods have to come down before negotiations can occur.”I don’t think either side believes that the current tariff levels are sustainable, so I would not be surprised if they went down in a mutual way,” he added on the sidelines of an Institute of International Finance forum.”This is the equivalent of an embargo, and a break between the two countries in trade does not suit anyone’s interest,” Bessent said, stressing that “de-escalation by both sides is possible.”But he had no timeframe on how soon bilateral talks could take place.”It’s both a blessing and a curse that the strongest relationship is at the very top,” Bessent said, referring to Trump’s ties with Chinese counterpart Xi. But with “any de-escalation, the talks would not begin at the very top.”Joseph Grieco, professor of political science at Duke University, told AFP that Trump may continue to chase China for a deal “to keep the financial markets off his back.””I worry Trump will eventually offer President Xi a favorable deal, one that doesn’t address the serious economic problems the US actually has with China,” he said.While Trump has swiftly rolled out sharp tariffs on different countries and sectors, he has also been quick to introduce certain exemptions — most recently some temporary reprieve for tech products like smartphones and chipmaking tools.And he could widen the carveouts, the Financial Times reported Wednesday, saying Trump could exempt car parts from some tariffs on Chinese imports — alongside those on steel and aluminum.On Wednesday afternoon, Trump said he was not considering changes to US auto tariffs but noted that levies on Canada could rise in terms of cars.Separately, Bessent said he did not have a stance on whether the president had the authority to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell if he wanted to.He suggested Trump’s previous comment that the “termination” of Powell could not come fast enough might also refer to the end of the Fed chief’s term.Earlier Wednesday, Bessent said in a speech that Beijing’s export-reliant economic model is “unsustainable” and “not only harming China but the entire world.”He stressed US concerns around trade imbalances that the Trump administration says it hopes to address through sweeping tariffs.But Bessent maintained that “America first does not mean America alone.”He insisted the administration’s moves are broadly a call for deeper collaboration and mutual respect among trading partners, while taking aim at policy choices by other countries that he said have hollowed out US manufacturing and put its security at risk.

YouTube on Wednesday celebrated more than 20 billion videos being uploaded to the platform since the first clip debuted two decades ago.The online video-sharing platform has evolved from a dinner party lark into a modern lifestyle staple poised to overtake US cable television in paid viewership.PayPal colleagues Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim conceived YouTube in 2005, reportedly during a dinner party. The domain YouTube.com launched on Valentine’s Day that year.Video uploading capabilities were added on April 23, when Karim posted the first video, titled “Me at the Zoo.” The 19-second clip showing Karim at the San Diego Zoo’s elephant exhibit has garnered 348 million views.Over the next 20 years, the site expanded beyond what was imagined possible back in 2005.YouTube says that it now sees an average of some 20 million videos uploaded daily.The platform hosts everything from concert clips and podcasts to political ads, tutorials and much more.YouTube has become the world’s largest digital video service in terms of time spent by viewers and ad revenue, according to eMarketer analyst Ross Benes.The platform reached more than 2.5 billion viewers globally last year, and hit 100 million subscribers to its music and premium tier, according to market tracker Statista. YouTube is projected to surpass all US cable television services in paid subscribers within two years, according to Benes. Users worldwide watch more than a billion hours of YouTube content daily on television sets alone, Google reported.YouTube said it will upgrade its TV viewing experience this summer with improved features and “quality tweaks,” though it did not provide further details.”If you go back 20 years, it would have seemed laughable that this website with kids making parody videos would become a threat to Disney, ABC, and CBS,” Benes said. “That’s what they were able to accomplish.”Analysts consider Google’s 2006 purchase of YouTube for $1.65 billion in stock a pivotal moment, combining Google’s search and advertising expertise with a video-sharing platform that had passionate users.Google used its advertising know-how to build a successful model, sharing revenue with creators who attracted significant audiences. The company enhanced technology and negotiated with studios to address copyright violations on what was once considered the Wild West of video content.YouTube also worked its way past concerns that disturbing content, like parody videos of popular cartoon characters in violent or risque situations, were being served up to children by its recommendation software.The platform now competes with streaming services like Netflix, Disney, and Amazon Prime, as well as short-form video platforms like TikTok and Instagram’s Reels.