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Reuters

  • World Leaders React to Alaska Summit

    World Leaders React to Alaska Summit

    Following are reactions from world leaders on Saturday to the summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, which did not resolve Moscow’s war in Ukraine.

    UKRAINIAN PRESIDENT VOLODYMYR ZELENSKIY ON X

    “We support President Trump’s proposal for a trilateral meeting between Ukraine, the USA, and Russia. Ukraine emphasises that key issues can be discussed at the level of leaders, and a trilateral format is suitable for this.

    “On Monday, I will meet with President Trump in Washington, D.C., to discuss all of the details regarding ending the killing and the war.

    “It is important that Europeans are involved at every stage to ensure reliable security guarantees together with America. We also discussed positive signals from the American side regarding participation in guaranteeing Ukraine’s security.”

    JOINT STATEMENT BY EUROPEAN LEADERS on Alaska Summit

    “We are clear that Ukraine must have ironclad security guarantees to effectively defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity. We welcome President Trump’s statement that the U.S. is prepared to give security guarantees.

    The Coalition of the Willing is ready to play an active role. No limitations should be placed on Ukraine’s armed forces or on its cooperation with third countries. Russia cannot have a veto against Ukraine‘s pathway to EU and NATO.

    “It will be up to Ukraine to make decisions on its territory. International borders must not be changed by force…

    “We are determined to do more to keep Ukraine strong in order to achieve an end to the fighting and a just and lasting peace…We will continue to strengthen sanctions and wider economic measures to put pressure on Russia’s war economy.

    “Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

    UK PRIME MINISTER KEIR STARMER

    “President Trump’s efforts have brought us closer than ever before to ending Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine. His leadership in pursuit of an end to the killing should be commended.

    “I welcome the openness of the United States, alongside Europe, to provide robust security guarantees to Ukraine as part of any deal. This is important progress and will be crucial in deterring Putin from coming back for more.

    “In the meantime, until he stops his barbaric assault, we will keep tightening the screws on his war machine with even more sanctions…

    “Our unwavering support for Ukraine will continue as long as it takes.”

    FRENCH PRESIDENT EMMANUEL MACRON ON X

    “It will also be essential to learn all the lessons of the past 30 years, and in particular Russia’s well-established propensity to fail to keep its own commitments.

    “We will continue to work closely with President Trump and President Zelenskiy to ensure that our interests are preserved in a spirit of unity and responsibility.
    “France continues to stand resolutely by Ukraine’s side.”

    ITALIAN PRIME MINISTER GIORGIA MELONI:

    “A glimmer of hope has finally opened to discuss peace in Ukraine..Italy is doing its part, along with its Western allies.”

    GERMAN CHANCELLOR FRIEDRICH MERZ ON X

    “Ukraine can count on our unwavering solidarity as we work towards a peace that safeguards Ukraine’s and Europe’s vital security interests.”

    EUROPEAN COMMISSION PRESIDENT URSULA VON DER LEYEN ON X

    “The EU is working closely with President Zelenskiy and the United States to reach a just and lasting peace. Strong security guarantees that protect Ukrainian and European vital security interests are essential.”

    EU CHIEF DIPLOMAT KAJA KALLA

    “The U.S. holds the power to force Russia to negotiate seriously. The EU will work with Ukraine and the U.S. so that Russia’s aggression does not succeed and that any peace is sustainable. Moscow won’t end the war until it realises it can’t continue. So Europe will continue to back Ukraine, including by working on a 19th Russia sanctions package.

    INDIA FOREIGN MINISTRY SPOKESPERSON RANDHIR JAISWAL

    “India welcomes the Summit meeting in Alaska between U.S. President Donald Trump and President Vladimir Putin of Russia. Their leadership in the pursuit of peace is highly commendable.

    “India appreciates the progress made in the Summit. The way forward can only be through dialogue and diplomacy. The world wants to see an early end to the conflict in Ukraine.

    NORWEGIAN FOREIGN MINISTER ESPEN BARTH EIDE, speaking to reporters in Oslo

    “Our view is clear: it is important we must continue to put pressure on Russia, and even increase it, to give the clear signal to Russia that it must pay the price.
    “We must listen to Ukraine’s wishes and needs. We know that President Putin wants to split Europe and the United States. With all our allies, we must do everything we can to avoid that.”

    CZECH PRIME MINISTER PETR FIALA

    “The results of the Alaska summit confirm that while the U.S. and its allies are seeking paths to peace, (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is still only interested in the greatest possible territorial gains and the restoration of the Soviet empire.”

    HUNGARIAN PRIME MINISTER VIKTOR ORBAN ON FACEBOOK

    “For years we have watched the two biggest nuclear powers dismantle the framework of their cooperation and shoot unfriendly messages back and forth. That has now come to an end. Today the world is a safer place than it was yesterday.”

    POLISH PRIME MINISTER DONALD TUSK ON X

    “The West must remain united as it enters a decisive moment for Ukraine’s future and European security.”

    “The game for Ukraine’s future, the security of Poland and all of Europe has entered a decisive phase.”

    “Today, it is even clearer that Russia respects only the strong, and Putin has once again proven to be a cunning and ruthless player. Therefore, maintaining the unity of the entire West is so important.”

    POLISH PRESIDENT’S FOREIGN POLICY AIDE MARCIN PRZYDACZ, speaking to reporters

    “The fact that these talks have begun, that there is a discussion, is something we in Poland consider to be of some value.

    “The war can really only end in two ways: either by capitulation of one side, in this situation, the most important thing for us would be the defeat of the Russian Federation. But the other solution is also negotiations, and such negotiations were underway yesterday and will likely continue in the near future.”

    SLOVAK PRIME MINISTER ROBERT FICO, in recorded statement on Facebook:
    “The presidents launched a vital process in Alaska.

    “The coming days will show whether the big players in the Union will support this process… or whether the unsuccessful European strategy of trying to weaken Russia through this conflict with all kinds of literally incredible financial, political or military assistance to Kyiv will continue.”

    SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER ULF KRISTERSSON

    “I know that many Swedes are concerned about what last night’s talks between Putin and Trump could mean,” he said in a written comment.

    “A bad peace, on Russia’s terms, would mean that Russia could threaten more European countries. Therefore, it is extremely important that a united Europe continues to give Ukraine all the support it needs to avoid losing the war.”

    “The government will now continue to engage in close dialogue with Ukraine, with other European countries and with the United States. The pressure on Russia must continue to achieve a ceasefire and end the war with strong security guarantees for the future.”

    ROMANIAN FOREIGN MINISTER TOIU OANA ON X

    “We remain convinced that, through transatlantic unity and European solidarity, we can rebuild a future in which lasting peace and security form the foundation of prosperity in the region.

    Romania will continue to be an active part of this common effort. For peace and economic growth, stability and security in the Black Sea region are essential.

    The European Union has a strong role to play, and the involvement of European leaders has already shaped the format of negotiations. However, the various formats of discussion need to be strengthened, as do the frameworks of dialogue on the eastern flank.

  • Shein’s UK sales surged to $2.8 billion

    Shein’s UK sales surged to $2.8 billion

    LONDON: Shein’s UK business made 2.05 billion pounds ($2.77 billion) in sales in 2024, a 32.3% increase from the previous year, a filing by the online fast-fashion retailer showed early on Friday.

    Shein does not report global results publicly, but the filing sheds light on its growth in Britain, its third-biggest market after the United States and Germany, as the company works toward an initial public offering in Hong Kong.

    Founded in China and headquartered in Singapore, Shein has spent years attempting to list, first in New York and then in London, but faced criticism from U.S. and UK politicians and failed to get approval from China’s securities regulator for the offshore IPO at a time of increasing tensions between China and the U.S.

    The global retailer’s UK business, Shein Distribution UK Ltd, reported a pretax profit of 38.25 million pounds in 2024, up 56.6% from 24.4 million pounds in 2023.

    In the filing, Shein highlighted 2024 milestones, such as a pop-up shop in Liverpool, a Christmas bus tour across 12 UK cities and the opening of two new offices in Kings Cross and Manchester.

    Known for deeply discounted prices, Shein runs constant promotions and offers coupons or rewards that encourage shoppers to keep buying. Shein has taken market share from retailers like ASOS and H&M as surging inflation dented consumers’ spending power, driving them to hunt for bargains.

    Shein has also broadened its offering beyond fashion — the UK site sells 7.99-pound ($10.84) dresses and 15-pound ($20.36) jeans, as well as everything from toys and craft supplies to storage units.

    Shein’s business has benefited from customs duty exemptions on low-value e-commerce packages that allow it to send goods directly from factories in China to shoppers’ doorsteps largely tariff-free.

    But that perk is on its way out, driving Shein’s costs — and prices — up, particularly in the U.S., where imports from China are now subject to steep tariffs.

    U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has scrapped its “de minimis” exemption for parcels under $800, and the European Union plans to remove its equivalent duty waiver on e-commerce parcels worth less than 150 euros.

    Britain is also reviewing its policy on low-value imports after retailers said it was giving online players like Shein and Temu an unfair advantage.

  • Hezbollah warns Lebanon ‘will have no life’ if state moves against it

    Hezbollah warns Lebanon ‘will have no life’ if state moves against it

    BEIRUT: Hezbollah raised the spectre of civil war with a warning on Friday there would be “no life” in Lebanon if the government sought to confront or eliminate the Iran-backed group.

    The government wants to control arms in line with a U.S.-backed plan following Israel’s military campaign against Hezbollah, which was founded four decades ago with the backing of Tehran’s Revolutionary Guards.

    But the group is resisting pressure to disarm, saying that cannot happen until Israel ends its strikes and occupation of a southern strip of Lebanon that had been a Hezbollah stronghold.

    “This is our nation together. We live in dignity together, and we build its sovereignty together – or Lebanon will have no life if you stand on the other side and try to confront us and eliminate us,” its leader Naim Qassem said in a televised speech.

    Israel has dealt Hezbollah heavy blows in the last two years, killing many of its top brass, including former leader Hassan Nasrallah, and 5,000 of its fighters and destroying much of its arsenal.

    Lebanon’s Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said that Qassem’s statements carried an implicit threat of civil war, calling them “unacceptable”.

    “No party in Lebanon is authorised to bear arms outside the framework of the Lebanese state,” Salam said in a post on X carrying his statements from an interview with the pan-Arab Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper.

    The Lebanese cabinet last week tasked the army with confining weapons only to state security forces, a move that has outraged Hezbollah.

    DIALOGUE POSSIBLE

    Qassem accused the government of implementing an “American-Israeli order to eliminate the resistance, even if that leads to civil war and internal strife”.

    However, he said Hezbollah and the Amal movement, its Shi’ite Muslim ally, had decided to delay any street protests while there was still scope for talks.

    “There is still room for discussion, for adjustments, and for a political resolution before the situation escalates to a confrontation no one wants,” Qassem said.

    “But if it is imposed on us, we are ready, and we have no other choice … At that point, there will be a protest in the street, all across Lebanon, that will reach the American embassy.”

    The conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, which left parts of Lebanon in ruins, erupted in October 2023 when the group opened fire at Israeli positions along the southern border in solidarity with its Palestinian ally Hamas at the start of the Gaza war.

    Hezbollah and Amal still retain influence politically, appointing Shi’ite ministers to cabinet and holding the Shi’ite seats in parliament. But for the first time in years, they do not hold a “blocking third” of cabinet posts that in the past enabled them to veto government decisions.

    Hezbollah retains strong support among the Shi’ite community in Lebanon, but calls for its disarmament across the rest of society have grown.

  • Putin, Trump share greeting as critical summit on war in Ukraine starts

    Putin, Trump share greeting as critical summit on war in Ukraine starts

    U.S. President Donald Trump greeted Russian President Vladimir Putin with a handshake ahead of a high-stakes summit in Alaska on Friday that could determine whether a ceasefire can be reached in the deadliest war in Europe since World War Two.
    Trump disembarked his plane, Air Force One, and awaited Putin on the tarmac. The two exchanged greetings while smiling.

    Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, who was not invited to the talks, and his European allies fear Trump might sell out Ukraine by essentially freezing the conflict with Russia and recognising – if only informally – Russian control over one-fifth of Ukraine.

    Trump sought to assuage such concerns as he boarded Air Force One, saying he would let Ukraine decide on any possible territorial swaps. “I’m not here to negotiate for Ukraine, I’m here to get them at a table,” he said.

    Asked what would make the meeting a success, he told reporters: “I want to see a ceasefire rapidly … I’m not going to be happy if it’s not today … I want the killing to stop.”
    Trump is expected to formally greet Putin before the two presidents are due to meet at an Air Force base in Alaska’s largest city at around 11 a.m. (1900 GMT) for their first face-to-face talks since Trump returned to the White House.

    Trump will be joined in his meeting with Putin by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Trump’s special envoy to Russia, Steve Witkoff, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said. Putin is also expected to have senior aides at his side.

    At the subsequent larger, bilateral meeting, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and chief of staff Susie Wiles will also join Trump, Leavitt said.

    Trump hopes a truce in the 3-1/2-year-old war will bring peace to the region as well as bolster his credentials as a global peacemaker worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.

    For Putin, the summit is already a big win that he can portray as evidence that years of Western attempts to isolate Russia have unravelled and that Moscow is retaking its rightful place at the top table of international diplomacy.

    Russian special envoy Kirill Dmitriev described the pre-summit mood as “combative” and said the two leaders would discuss not only Ukraine but the full spectrum of bilateral relations, Russia’s RIA news agency reported.

    Trump, who once said he would end Russia’s war in Ukraine within 24 hours, conceded on Thursday it had proven a tougher task than he had expected. He said if Friday’s talks went well, quickly arranging a second, three-way summit with Zelenskiy would be even more important than his encounter with Putin.

    Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said a three-way summit would be possible if the Alaska talks bore fruit, Interfax news agency reported. Peskov also said Friday’s talks could last six to seven hours.

    Zelenskiy said the summit should open the way for a “just peace” and three-way talks that included him, but added that Russia was continuing to wage war. A Russian ballistic missile earlier struck Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region, killing one person and wounding another.

    “It’s time to end the war, and the necessary steps must be taken by Russia. We are counting on America,” Zelenskiy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.

    ‘SMART GUY’

    Trump said there is mutual respect between him and Putin.
    “He is a smart guy, been doing it for a long time, but so have I … We get along, there’s a good respect level on both sides,” Trump said of Putin. He also welcomed Putin’s decision to bring businesspeople to Alaska.

    “But they’re not doing business until we get the war settled,” he said, repeating a threat of “economically severe” consequences for Russia if the summit goes badly.

    The U.S. has discussed internally using Russian nuclear-powered icebreaker vessels to support the development of gas and LNG projects in Alaska as one of the possible deals to aim for, Reuters reported.

    One source acquainted with Kremlin thinking said there were signs Moscow could be ready to strike a compromise on Ukraine, given that Putin understood Russia’s economic vulnerability and costs of continuing the war.

    Reuters has previously reported that Putin might be willing to freeze the conflict along the front lines, provided there was a legally binding pledge not to enlarge NATO eastwards and to lift some Western sanctions. NATO has said Ukraine’s future is in the alliance.

    Russia, whose war economy is showing strain, is vulnerable to further U.S. sanctions – and Trump has threatened tariffs on buyers of Russian crude, primarily China and India.
    “For Putin, economic problems are secondary to goals, but he understands our vulnerability and costs,” the Russian source said.

    Putin this week held out the prospect of something else he knows Trump wants – a new nuclear arms control accord to replace the last surviving one, which is due to expire in February.

    COMMON GROUND?

    The source familiar with Kremlin thinking said it looked as if the two sides had been able to find some common ground.

    “Apparently, some terms will be agreed upon … because Trump cannot be refused, and we are not in a position to refuse (due to sanctions pressure),” said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the matter’s sensitivity.

    Putin has said he is open to a full ceasefire but that issues of verification must first be sorted out. One compromise could be a truce in the air war.

    Zelenskiy has ruled out formally handing Moscow any territory and is also seeking a security guarantee backed by the United States.

    Ukrainians who spoke to Reuters in central Kyiv on Friday were not optimistic about the summit.

    “Nothing good will happen there, because war is war, it will not end. The territories – we’re not going to give anything to anyone,” said Tetiana Harkavenko, a 65-year-old cleaner.

  • Massachusetts man sentenced for threats to synagogues, Israel consulate

    Massachusetts man sentenced for threats to synagogues, Israel consulate

    BOSTON: A Massachusetts man was sentenced on Friday to more than two years in prison after he threatened to bomb synagogues and kill Jewish children in a series of calls he placed to two local houses of worship and the Israeli consulate in Boston after Israel and Hamas went to war in 2023.

    John Reardon, 60, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Julia Kobick in Boston to 26 months in custody after pleading guilty in November to charges related to what prosecutors said were dozens of violent and antisemitic calls and voicemails he placed to Jewish institutions beginning on October 7, 2023.

    Reardon’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment. But in court papers, she argued for a nine-month sentence, saying mental health issues led Reardon to commit a crime that was “terrifying, deeply hurtful, and will cause lasting fear in the victims.”

    He was charged, opens new tab in January 2024, as the U.S. Department of Justice began to warn of a growing number of antisemitic threats nationally following the onset of the war.

    The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. Israel has killed more than 61,000 Palestinians in its assault on Gaza since then, according to health officials in the Palestinian enclave.

    Prosecutors in court papers, said Reardon in a voicemail left with a synagogue in Attleboro, Massachusetts, on January 25, 2024, said that “you do realize that by supporting genocide that means it’s OK for people to commit genocide against you.”

    Prosecutors said Reardon also threatened to bomb Jewish places of worship and said that by “supporting the killing of innocent little children, that means it’s OK to kill your children.”

    Prosecutors said he then called another synagogue in Sharon, Massachusetts, and left a threatening voicemail. He also called the Israeli consulate in Boston 98 times over several months, saying in one call it was “time to prepare the furnaces again,” according to prosecutors, a reference to the Nazis’ systematic extermination of Jews in the World War Two Holocaust.

  • Air Canada, union at impasse with strike deadline looming

    Air Canada, union at impasse with strike deadline looming

    The prospect of a systemwide work stoppage by Air Canada’s unionized flight attendants loomed large on Friday with a strike deadline just hours away, despite a government plea for the two sides to return to the bargaining table.

    Canada’s largest carrier has said it expects to cancel 500 flights by the end of the day, ahead of a threatened strike just before 1:00 a.m. ET on Saturday, leaving some 100,000 passengers to find travel alternatives.

    FlightAware data showed Air Canada had cancelled 164 flights as of 11:20 a.m. ET on Friday (1520 GMT).

    The carrier’s 10,000 flight attendants are gearing up to walk off the job over stalled contract talks. The union is demanding higher wages and compensation for unpaid work.

    A strike would hit Canada’s tourism sector during the height of the summer travel season and test the minority Liberal government of Prime Minister Mark Carney, which has been asked by the carrier to intervene.

    Recording studio owner Robyn Flynn, 38, told Reuters that her Friday afternoon flight from St. John’s in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador to Montreal had been delayed twice. Despite the inconvenience, she said she backed the attendants.

    “They deserve a salary increase …and if our flight gets cancelled, I 100% blame Air Canada, not the flight attendants,” said Flynn, travelling with her three-year-old daughter.

    The Canada Labour Code gives Jobs Minister Patty Hajdu the right to ask the country’s Industrial Relations Board to impose binding arbitration in the interests of protecting the economy.

    Although the board is independent, it routinely agrees to request for arbitration once it has studied the matter, a process that can take a few days.

    The Toronto region Board of Trade called on Ottawa to step in, saying a strike would hurt Canada’s global reputation.

    Under Justin Trudeau, Carney’s predecessor, the government intervened quickly last year to head off rail and dock strikes that threatened to cripple the economy.

    “(Ottawa) might decide to use that, but it’s not as pressing an economic issue for the country as when the railway or the ports were on strike,” said Rafael Gomez, director of the University of Toronto’s Centre for Industrial Relations and Human Resources. “The stakes are not as fraught.”

    The union said it would respond on Friday to Air Canada’s demand for binding arbitration but seems unlikely to accept.

    In a note, TD Cowen analyst Tom Fitzgerald estimated a three-day strike could cost the airline C$300 million in EBITDA, referring to earnings before interest, depreciation, taxes and amortization.

    Shares in the airline were trading up by just over 1% at 12:00 p.m. ET on Friday on the stock exchange.

    The dispute hinges on the way airlines compensate flight attendants. Most have traditionally paid them only when planes are in motion.

    But in their latest contract negotiations, flight attendants in North America have sought compensation for hours worked, including for tasks such as boarding passengers and waiting around the airport before and between flights.

    Air Canada and its low-cost affiliate Air Canada Rouge normally carry about 130,000 customers a day. Air Canada is also the non-U.S. carrier with the largest number of flights to the U.S., despite recent cutbacks in travel there from Canada due to trade tensions.

  • Itamar Ben-Gvir pays surprise visit to jailed Marwan Barghouti

    Itamar Ben-Gvir pays surprise visit to jailed Marwan Barghouti

    TEL AVIV: Israel’s far-right national security minister visited prominent Palestinian Marwan Barghouti in jail and told him “you will not win”, a video showed on Friday, a day after another hardline cabinet member vowed to “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

    Security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir shared the video on his X account, also telling Barghouti – a potential unifying figure among Palestinians who has been jailed for more than two decades – that anyone who threatens Israel would be eliminated.

    The prison visit took place earlier this week but became public after ultra-nationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday work would start on a settlement that would cut off East Jerusalem, which Palestinians want as a capital for a future state, from the rest of the West Bank. Smotrich’s office said the move would “bury” the idea of a Palestinian state.

    In the video clip on X which showed Barghouti looking thin and weak, Ben Gvir said: “You will not win. Anyone who messes with the people of Israel, anyone who murders our children, anyone who murders our women – we will wipe him out.” “You have to know this, throughout history,” he said.

    The Palestinian Authority described the comments as a “direct threat” to the 66-year-old. Barghouti is a senior member of the Fatah movement that runs the authority, which exercises limited civic rule in parts of the Israeli-occupied West Bank.

    “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemns in the strongest terms the storming of the solitary confinement sections of Rimon Prison by extremist Minister Ben-Gvir and his direct threat to brother and leader Marwan Barghouti,” it said in a statement.

    Barghouti was sentenced in 2004 to five life sentences and 40 years in jail after a court convicted him of orchestrating ambushes and suicide attacks on Israelis during the second Palestinian Intifada, or uprising. Barghouti, a leading Palestinian activist, has always denied the charges against him.

    His wife addressed him in a post on Facebook. “They are still, Marwan, chasing you and pursuing you, even in the solitary cell you’ve been living in for two years,” she said of the visit, which Israeli media said took place this week.

    Supporters of Barghouti say he is a top contender to succeed 89-year-old Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian president one day, portraying him as a Nelson Mandela-like figure who could galvanise and reunite their divided political landscape.

    A poll by the Palestinian Centre for Policy and Survey Research published on May 6 showed he would secure 50% of the vote on a likely turnout of 64% in a three-way presidential race against Abbas and prominent Hamas official Khaled Meshaal.

    Elections for the Palestinian Authority presidency have not been held since 2005.

    Most world powers support the idea of a two-state solution to the decades-old Israel-Palestinian conflict, with an independent Palestinian state encompassing the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem existing alongside Israel.

    That prospect is receding under the most far-right government in Israel’s history and a West Bank leadership discredited among Palestinians for failing to halt the spread of Jewish settlements that are ruled illegal by the United Nations.

  • Bethell to become youngest England captain in Ireland T20 series

    Bethell to become youngest England captain in Ireland T20 series

    Jacob Bethell is set to become the youngest player to captain an England men’s team in an international match after the country’s cricket board (ECB) named him as the skipper for next month’s Twenty20 series against Ireland.

    The 21-year-old all-rounder has represented England in 29 matches across all formats and will lead the team in the absence of the regular test players, who have been rested for the three-match series in Dublin, the ECB said on Friday.

    “Jacob Bethell has impressed with his leadership qualities ever since he has been with the England squads and the series against Ireland will provide him with the opportunity to further develop those skills on the international stage,” England selector Luke Wright said in a statement.

    The series in Ireland will kick off after England’s tour of South Africa for three One-Day Internationals (ODI) and three T20 matches, starting September 2.

    Right-arm fast bowler Sonny Baker has earned his first national team call-up for the ODIs against South Africa after the 22-year-old impressed selectors with his performance for England Lions and in domestic cricket.

    Read more: South Africa’s Maphaka scripts history with four-fer in first Australia T20I

    England will travel to New Zealand in October for a white-ball tour, followed by five tests in Australia from November.

    ODI Squad v South Africa: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jamie Smith.

    T20 Squad v South Africa: Harry Brook (c), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Tom Banton, Jacob Bethell, Jos Buttler, Brydon Carse, Liam Dawson, Ben Duckett, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Jamie Smith, Luke Wood.

    T20 Squad v Ireland: Jacob Bethell (c), Rehan Ahmed, Sonny Baker, Tom Banton, Jos Buttler, Liam Dawson, Tom Hartley, Will Jacks, Saqib Mahmood, Jamie Overton, Matthew Potts, Adil Rashid, Phil Salt, Luke Wood.

  • Robots race, play football at China’s ‘robot Olympics’

    Robots race, play football at China’s ‘robot Olympics’

    China kicked off the three-day long World Humanoid Robot Games on Friday, looking to showcase its advances in artificial intelligence and robotics with 280 teams from 16 countries.

    Robots competed in sports such as track and field, and table tennis, as well as tackled robot-specific challenges from sorting medicines and handling materials to cleaning services.

    First day of World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

    Teams came from countries including the United States, Germany and Brazil, with 192 representing universities and 88 from private enterprises such as China’s Unitree and Fourier Intelligence. Competing teams used robots from Chinese manufacturers such as Booster Robotics.

    “We come here to play and to win. But we are also interested in research,” said Max Polter, a member of HTWK Robots football team from Germany, affiliated with Leipzig University of Applied Sciences.

    “You can test a lot of interesting new and exciting approaches in this contest. If we try something and it doesn’t work, we lose the game. That’s sad but it is better than investing a lot of money into a product which failed.”

    At the robot games in Beijing, which charged 128 to 580 yuan ($17.83-$80.77) for tickets, humanoids crashed into each other and toppled over repeatedly during football matches, while others collapsed mid-sprint during running events.

    During one football match, four robots crashed into each other and fell in a tangled heap. In the 1500-metre running event, one robot suddenly collapsed while running at full speed, drawing gasps and cheers from spectators.

    First day of World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

    Read more: WATCH: Sneaker-wearing robot breaks speed record

    Despite frequent tumbles requiring human assistance to help robots stand, many managed to right themselves independently, earning applause from audiences.

    Organisers said the games provide valuable data collection opportunities for developing robots for practical applications such as factory work.

    Football matches help train robots’ coordination abilities, which could prove useful for assembly line operations requiring collaboration between multiple units, commentators said.

    China is investing billions of dollars in humanoids and robotics as the country grapples with an ageing population and growing competition with the U.S. over advanced technologies.

    First day of World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing

    It has staged a series of high-profile robotics events in recent months, including what it called the world’s first humanoid robot marathon in Beijing, a robot conference and the opening of retail stores dedicated to humanoid robots.

    Morgan Stanley analysts in a report last week noted a surge in attendance to a recent robot conference from the general public compared to previous years, saying this showed “how China, not just top government officials, has embraced the concept of embodied intelligence.”

  • Modi vows to protect farmers, cuts tax, pushes self-reliance amid Trump tariff tensions

    Modi vows to protect farmers, cuts tax, pushes self-reliance amid Trump tariff tensions

    NEW DELHI, Aug 15: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged the country on Friday to move towards more self-reliance, manufacture everything from fertilisers to jet engines and EV batteries, and vowed to protect farmers in the face of a trade conflict with Washington.

    With the punishing tariffs imposed on Indian exports by U.S. President Donald Trump expected to hurt growth in the world’s fastest growing major economy, Modi announced lower goods and services taxes (GST) from October – a move that could help boost consumption.

    Trump tariffs and the world-FULL COVERAGE

    He also announced India would set up a new defence system called ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ in the aftermath of India’s four-day military conflict with Pakistan in May.

    He did not elaborate but a government statement said the system is aimed at neutralising enemy infiltrations and enhancing India’s offensive capabilities.

    Indian defence and policy circles have informally referred to the Russian S-400 air defence system – which played a key role during the fighting with Pakistan – as Sudarshan Chakra, after a Hindu mythological weapon.

    Modi was addressing the nation on the occasion of its Independence Day at a time New Delhi has been struggling with Trump’s tariffs and the collapse of trade talks, largely due to differences over imports of American farm and dairy products.

    “Farmers, fishermen, cattle rearers are our top priorities,” Modi said in his customary annual address from the ramparts of the Red Fort in New Delhi.

    “Modi will stand like a wall against any policy that threatens their interests. India will never compromise when it comes to protecting the interests of our farmers,” he said.

    Modi did not mention the tariffs or the U.S. in his speech that lasted nearly two hours.

    Last week, Trump imposed an additional 25% tariff on Indian goods, citing New Delhi’s continued imports of Russian oil in a move that sharply escalated tensions between the two nations.

    The new import tax will raise duties on some Indian exports to as high as 50% – among the highest levied on any U.S. trading partner.

    Modi has never spoken about the tariffs directly, only alluding to them in a speech last week, where he swore to protect the interests of farmers, even if it came at a personal price.

    Farmers are a key political constituency in India and they violently protested against Modi’s last big push to reform the sector, forcing him to repeal three farm laws in 2021 in what was a rare defeat for him.

    TAX CUTS TO BOOST CONSUMPTION

    Although local manufacturing and self-reliance have been Modi’s key focus areas for years now, the push is seen to have gained urgency amid ongoing global trade tensions and supply chain disruptions.

    “The need of the hour is to take a resolve for building a strong India … I want our traders, shopkeepers to display boards for ‘Swadeshi’ products,” Modi said, using the Hindi word for made in India goods.

    He said made in India semiconductor chips would hit the market by the end of this year and that India was pushing for self-reliance in producing critical minerals with exploration underway at more than 1,200 locations.

    Trump’s tariffs threaten to disrupt India’s access to its largest export market, where shipments totalled nearly $87 billion in 2024, hitting sectors like textiles, footwear, shrimp, gems and jewellery.

    In retaliation, some supporters of Modi have sought to stoke anti-American sentiment and called for a boycott of U.S. companies such as McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Amazon and Apple.

    Trade talks between New Delhi and Washington collapsed after five rounds of negotiations over disagreement on opening India’s vast farm and dairy sectors and stopping Russian oil purchases.

    Modi’s promise to cut GST by October’s Diwali festival, which encompasses one of India’s biggest shopping seasons, follows previous commitments to overhaul it by reducing the number of rate brackets under the 2017 tax regime.

    A group of ministers have been preparing a report that will consider merging tax slabs and lowering rates on some products.

    In February, India cut personal income tax for some individuals to boost spending. Earlier this month, the central bank kept interest rates steady, following a 100 basis point cut this year so far.

    The government has proposed to the ministers’ panel that it recommend reducing taxes on mass use items as well as on goods used by women, students and farmers to boost consumption and enhance affordability, the finance ministry said in an X post.

    The government will move towards making GST a simple tax with two rate slabs, one standard and another merit, it said. Special rates will be applicable only for a few select items.