Trump Extends Extends Deadline For TikTok Sale By 75 Days

President Donald Trump on Friday extended the deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States, giving his administration 75 more days to find a solution.

"A transaction requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days," Trump wrote on Truth Social.

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US Wedges Its Way In, Says "Greenland Does Not Want To Be Part Of Denmark"

As Greenland and Denmark, of which it is a part, have vociferously rejected Donald Trump's "strategic buyout" proposal, Washington has struck back, trying to wedge its way in. In a retort to Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Denmark must accept the fact that Greenland no longer wants to be a part of it.

"Denmark should focus on the fact that Greenlanders do not want to be a part of the country anymore. Greenlanders are going to make a decision," Mr Rubio said at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.

Greenland's incoming prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen immediately rejected the statement saying Mr Rubio is wrong in saying so. "He is not right that Greenland wants to secede tomorrow," he said. However, he did acknowledge that Greenland wants to attain independence in the long run.

"Greenland does not want to be Danish, but Greenland certainly doesn't want to be American either," he said, defending his country.

Speaking to local TV network TV2, Mr Nielsen said, "We work every day to build a foundation so that we can stand on our own in the future, but we are not there yet. What he (Rubio) says doesn't hold water."

The United States has made Greenland's takeover a top priority and a strategic foreign policy goal - for which it has not ruled out a military offensive either. When Donald Trump first suggested that he wants the US to "buy" Greenland, it was taken as a joke, but over the weeks and months the world understood that there is no humour in it.

Denmark, whose semi-autonomous territory Greenland does not have the diplomatic or military might to stand up to the US, has come to its rescue. But they too are feeling the pressure. Danish PM Mette Frederiksen today accused the US of subjecting Denmark and Greenland to immense "pressure and threats".

She firmly rejected US' attempts to annex Greenland, citing international law.

"You cannot annex other countries - not even under the pretext of international security," Prime Minister Frederiksen said at a press conference with top Greenlandic officials in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland. "National borders, sovereignty, territorial integrity - these are rooted in international law. These principles were established after World War II so that small countries would not have to fear large ones."

"When you seek to take over part of the Kingdom (of Denmark)'s territory, when we are subjected to pressure and threats by our closest ally, what are we to think about the country we have admired for so many years?" Prime Minister Frederiksen questioned.

Both Denmark and Greenland have, for long, been close allies of the United States. The US also has a strategic military and nuclear missile base in Greenland. But President Trump's threats of annexing the arctic island rich in natural and mineral resources, has led to widespread anti-US sentiment and resentment against the Trump Administration.

Last month, Greenlanders held the largest-ever protests in the island's history against the US. Just hours ahead of a visit by US Vice President JD Vance last month, Greenland announced the formation of a new autonomous government. Four political parties, representing 23 of the 31 seats in Greenland's Parliament, signed a historic coalition agreement to establish the new government. Jens-Frederik Nielsen, chairman of the Demokraatit (Democratic Party), will serve as prime minister.
 

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Russian Missile Strike Kills 12 In Ukrainian President Zelensky's Home City

A Russian ballistic missile strike on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's home city of Kryvyi Rig killed 12 people on Friday, including three children, authorities said.

Oleksandr Vilkul, the head of the city's military administration, said more than 50 people were wounded in the evening attack.

"Twelve people were killed in Kryvyi Rig," regional governor Sergiy Lysak said on Telegram.

He added later that this included "three children".

"The number of wounded is constantly increasing. This information will come later. A car and garages are on fire," he said.

Unverified video on social media taken from a distance showed a plume of smoke rising into the evening sky.

Kryvyi Rig, in Ukraine's central Dnipropetrovsk region, is about 60 kilometres (37 miles) from the front line but has regularly been targeted by Russian drones and missiles.

A Russian ballistic attack on the city on Wednesday killed at least four people and wounded more than a dozen others.

The strikes come as US President Donald Trump's administration pushes for a speedy end to the more than three-year war, holding talks with both Russia and Ukraine.

Moscow has rejected a joint US-Ukrainian proposal for an unconditional and full ceasefire, while Ukraine has accused Russia of dragging out talks with no intention of halting its offensive.

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A 25-Hour Speech, Penguin Tariffs And Golden Visas: A Week In 'Trumpworld'

The first week of April was always going to be a big one for Donald Trump with his much-hyped announcement on global tariffs -- but that was just one part of another frenetic seven days at the White House.

Tariffs and penguin memes

Unveiling the new tariffs in the White House garden, Donald Trump held up a table of figures that the world strained to read.

Alongside China, India and EU were unexpected names such as the Heard and McDonald Islands, a barren sub-Antarctic Australian territory inhabited by penguins but no humans.

One widely shared meme image showed a penguin in place of Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky in the Oval Office during his recent spat with the US president and Vice President JD Vance.

Trump-branded golden visa

Donald Trump unveiled the first "gold card," a residency permit to be sold for $5 million each to attract investors and employers to the United States.

Flying on Air Force One, he showed off a prototype that bore his face and an inscription "The Trump Card" and said the special visa would be available with weeks. "Pretty exciting, huh?" he added.

The president has suggested revenue from the visa could be used to reduce the US national deficit, and that one million cards may be for sale.

A 25-hour anti-Trump speech 

A Democratic lawmaker shattered the record for the longest speech in Senate history, staying on his feet for 25 hours and 5 minutes to deliver a fiery, if long-winded, protest against Donald Trump.

Senator Cory Booker's endurance -- to hold the floor he had to remain standing and could not even go to the bathroom -- beat Strom Thurmond, who filibustered for 24 hours and 18 minutes against the Civil Rights Act of 1957.

"This is a moral moment. It's not left or right. It's right or wrong," Booker said as he wrapped up, adding "I'm going to deal with some of the biological urgencies I'm feeling."

Musk to return to the day job?

Elon Musk made a failed effort -- including cash giveaways and personal appearances -- to swing a vote to choose a Wisconsin Supreme Court judge.

Elon Musk has led Donald Trump's efforts to slash federal government, but his days of taking a starring role at cabinet meetings were reported to soon be over as he is set to return to Tesla, SpaceX and his many other interests.

Factors in play could be Tesla's slumping sales, friction with other Trump officials and his rather public setback in Wisconsin.

'Free Le Pen' says Trump

Donald Trump rallied to defend French far-right leader Marine Le Pen after she was found guilty of embezzlement and banned from running for public office for five years.

She had been seen as a leading candidate in the 2027 presidential election "and now, just before what would be a Big Victory, they get her on a minor charge," Donald Trump said.

"It is all so bad for France, and the Great French People, no matter what side they are on. FREE MARINE LE PEN!"

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India To Send Buddha Relics Discovered In Gujarat To Thailand For Exposition

India will soon send relics of the Buddha, discovered in Devni Mori in northern Gujarat, to Thailand for an exposition.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced this after bilateral talks with Thailand Prime Minister Paentongtran Shinawatra at the Government House here.

"I am extremely happy to announce that the Holy Relics found in Aravali, Gujarat in 1960 will also be sent to Thailand for an exposition," Modi said after he received a copy of the 108 volumes of Tipitaka, the revered collection of Buddhist scriptures, in Pali language, from Paetongtarn.

The Prime Minister noted that the Holy Relics of Lord Buddha were sent from India to Thailand last year.

"It is a matter of great pleasure that more than four million devotees got the opportunity to pay their tributes," he said.

The Devni Mori relics were found during excavations at the mound known as 'Bhoja Raja No Terkro' or the courtyard of King Bhoja in 1960.

The dig suggested this was the location of a Mahastupa - the big stupa surrounded by monasteries or viharas buried in the adjoining fields.

The stupa was 37 feet high with a base rammed with pebbles, brickbats, kankar and yellow silt.

The excavators found a casket made of green schist, with inscriptions on the body and lid, at the lowest level of the stupa.

Inside the stone casket was a copper box which contained the sacred relics of Buddha. The inscription on the casket mentions Buddha as 'Dashaballa'.

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Trump Tariffs Could Cause Global Trade Drop By 1% In 2025 Warns WTO

US President Donald Trump's worldwide tariff salvo could lead to an overall contraction of around 1 percent in global merchandise trade volumes this year, the WTO chief warned Thursday.

After Trump on Wednesday unveiled a blitz of harsher-than-expected levies aimed at countries around the globe, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala warned the measures would "have substantial implications for global trade and economic growth prospects".

Trump slapped 10 percent import duties on all nations and far higher levies on imports from dozens of specific countries -- including top trade partners China and the European Union -- adding to tariffs already imposed since his return to power in January.

"While the situation is rapidly evolving, our initial estimates suggest that these measures, coupled with those introduced since the beginning of the year, could lead to an overall contraction of around 1 percent in global merchandise trade volumes this year," the World Trade Organization director-general said in a statement.

This, she said, would represent a drop of nearly four percentage points from the WTO's previous projection.

Okonjo-Iweala urged WTO members to manage the tensions resulting the US measures responsibly.

"I'm deeply concerned about this decline and the potential for escalation into a tariff war with a cycle of retaliatory measures that lead to further declines in trade."

Okonjo-Iweala stressed that despite the US measures "the vast majority of global trade" still flows under WTO's so-called Most-favoured-nation (MFN) status, which bars countries from discriminating between their trading partners.

"Our estimates now indicate that this share currently stands at 74 percent, down from around 80 percent at the beginning of the year," she said.

"WTO members must stand together to safeguard these gains."

Okonjo-Iweala highlighted the fact that "the WTO was established to serve precisely in moments like this - as a platform for dialogue, to prevent trade conflicts from escalating, and to support an open and predictable trading environment".
 

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"It's Liberation Day In America," Posts Trump Ahead Of Tariffs Announcement

US President Donald Trump geared up to unveil sweeping new "Liberation Day" tariffs on Wednesday in a move that threatens to ignite a devastating global trade war.

Key US trading partners including the European Union and Britain said they were preparing their responses to Trump's escalation, as nervous markets fell in Europe and America.

Trump will unveil the levies in a grand ceremony with his cabinet members in the White House Rose Garden -- just as Wall Street stocks close at 4:00 pm (2000 GMT).

"IT'S LIBERATION DAY IN AMERICA!" Trump posted a one-liner on his Truth Social platform early Wednesday.

The 78-year-old has promised so-called reciprocal tariffs on friends and foes alike if they target the world's largest economy, saying the levies will stop the United States being "ripped off."

But Trump has kept the world guessing until the last minute about the scale and scope, with the White House saying he was still "perfecting" them with just hours to go.

Reports say he could either hit countries with tit-for-tat tariffs, impose blanket 20 percent tariffs -- or, more probably, give some countries preferential treatment depending on their deficits.

The Republican president said in his last public appearance Monday that he would be "very kind" but gave little away.

- 'Tug-of-war' -

Critics say US businesses and consumers could bear the burden if importers pass on the cost, adding that the policy could increase risks of a recession.

"If this trade war continues through Labor Day (on September 1), the US economy will likely suffer a recession this year," Mark Zandi, chief economist of Moody's Analytics, told AFP.

Trump's long-awaited announcement is also causing global turmoil, with stock markets jittery for days and countries in the crosshairs scrambling to decide how to react.

European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde warned Wednesday that whatever steps other countries take "it will be negative anyway the world over."

America's neighbors Mexico and Canada, whose economies are closely linked with the United States, are those that could suffer the most from a bruising trade war.

"I understand that it's a game of tug-of-war," truck driver Alejandro Espinoza told AFP as he waited in a queue to cross the Mexican-US border. "But unfortunately, we're the ones who pay in the end."

Major economies have however vowed retribution

The European Union will react to new Trump tariffs "before the end of April," said a French government spokeswoman.

The 27-nation bloc's initial salvo would counter US actions on steel and aluminum, followed by sector-by-sector measures.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who has made intense but so far fruitless efforts to win a carve-out from Trump, said a "trade war is in nobody's interests."

"We have prepared for all eventualities -- and we will rule nothing out," he told parliament.

- 'Rebirth' -

Germany warned Wednesday that trade wars hurt "both sides."

Canada's Prime Minister Mark Carney, who goes into elections later this month dominated by tensions with Trump, said his country would be "very deliberate" in its response.

The White House said Trump's tariffs would come into effect "immediately" after Wednesday's announcement, effectively ruling out delays for negotiations.

Sweeping auto tariffs of 25 percent are due to take effect April 3, after Trump earlier imposed duties on steel and aluminum imports and goods from China.

But Trump has wobbled on several other tariff announcements since returning to office in January, blinking at the last minute with allies such as Canada and Mexico.

The billionaire has had a long love affair with tariffs, insisting in the face of experts that they are a cure-all for America's trade imbalances and economic ills.

Trump insists the levies will bring a "rebirth" of America's hollowed-out manufacturing capacity, and says companies can avoid tariffs by moving to the United States.

The tariffs meanwhile underscore the growing and profound gulf between Trump's America and many of its closest allies, not only on trade but on security, defense and almost everything else.

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