Politics
Putin Sends Ultimatum to Ukraine, End War Through Talks or Confront Force
Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that the war in Ukraine could be ended through negotiations “if common sense prevails,” a solution he said he preferred. However, he added that he was prepared to achieve an end by force if no other option remained.
Speaking in Beijing at the end of a visit that resulted in an agreement on a new gas pipeline to China, Putin said he perceived “a certain light at the end of the tunnel”, given what he said were sincere efforts by the United States to find a settlement to Europe’s biggest land war since World War Two.
“It seems to me that if common sense prevails, it will be possible to agree on an acceptable solution to end this conflict. That is my assumption,” Putin told reporters.
“Especially since we can see the mood of the current US administration under President (Donald) Trump, and we see not just their statements, but their sincere desire to find this solution… And I think there is a certain light at the end of the tunnel.
Let’s see how the situation develops,” he said.“If not, then we will have to resolve all the tasks before us by force of arms.”
However, Putin indicated no willingness to soften his long-standing demands, including that Kyiv abandon any idea of joining NATO and that it end what Moscow says is discrimination against Russian speakers.
An engineer walks next to a Ukrainian train, which was hit by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine. – Reuters
He said he was ready to hold talks with Volodymyr Zelensky if the Ukrainian president came to Moscow, but that any such meeting had to be well prepared and lead to tangible results.
Ukraine’s foreign minister dismissed as “unacceptable” the suggestion of Moscow as a venue for such a meeting.
FAR APART
Zelensky has been pressing to meet Putin to discuss the terms of a possible deal even though the two sides remain far apart.
He has urged Washington to impose further sanctions on Russia if Putin does not agree.
Trump – who has been trying to broker a peace settlement – has also said he wants the two leaders to meet and has threatened, but not yet imposed, secondary sanctions on Russia.
Putin said he would prefer to end the war diplomatically, “by peaceful means”, if possible.
Russia claims to have annexed four Ukrainian regions, a claim Kyiv and most Western countries reject as an illegal land grab backed by a colonial-style war of conquest.
WASHINGTON: Pro-Khalistan Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has denounced what it described as an “unacceptable escalation” after a call for violence against US President Donald Trump was made by a speaker at an event hosted by ITServe Alliance, drawing applause from some attendees.
A video from an H1B conference in Seattle hosted by ITServe Alliance, the largest H1B advocacy group in the US, has sparked outrage after members mocked Americans, threatened physical violence against the US president and boasted of having more political power than average Americans.
SFJ General Counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said the remarks, which SFJ claims were later amplified online by accounts aligned with Hindutva ideology, constituted a direct challenge to US democratic norms and presidential security.
“A violent threat against the President of the United States is a line that must never be crossed,” Pannun said in a statement. “We are urging accountability for any attempt to normalise political violence on American soil.”
“This crossed a line — a violent threat against the President of the United States from supporters of Modi’s Hindutva extremist ideology is a direct challenge to American sovereignty,” said Pannun. “Modi’s Indo-American H-1B network must be held accountable for normalising political violence inside the US,” the statement emphasised.
SFJ said it has filed a formal complaint with the US Department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, requesting a federal investigation into the incitement and its dissemination online. As of publication, federal authorities had not publicly confirmed an investigation.
SFJ urged President Trump to publicly pose what it termed a “loyalty question” concerning Indo-American political allegiances in a conflict involving India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
He said: “Will Indo-Americans of Hindu faith bear arms for the United States in a war against Modi’s India?’ The American public has a right to know where the loyalties of Indo-Americans lie — with the US Constitution or with Modi’s extremist ideology.”
“There is no place on American soil for Modi’s violent Hindutva ideology. And if required, Hindutva extremism will be crushed under the full force of the US Constitution,” the SFJ leader said.
SFJ reiterated that the Khalistan Referendum is, in its words, a peaceful and democratic campaign advocating Sikh self-determination in India’s Punjab region. Pannun added that, in a US–India conflict initiated by Washington, pro-Khalistan Sikhs would support the United States.
A helicopter crashed on Tanzania’s Mount Kilimanjaro, killing five people, the civil aviation authority said on Thursday, while local media reported that the aircraft was on a medical rescue mission.
Those killed were identified as a guide and a doctor — both Tanzanians — the Zimbabwean pilot and two tourists from the Czech Republic, the Tanzania National Parks said in a statement.
The helicopter crashed near the mountain’s Barafu Camp on Wednesday, Tanzania’s Civil Aviation Authority said in a statement.
The Mwananchi newspaper and East Africa TV, citing Kilimanjaro region’s head of police, reported that the helicopter was on a medical rescue mission.
Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, is nearly 6,000 metres (20,000 ft) above sea level.
The crash happened between 4,670 and 4,700 metres, Mwananchi reported.
Around 50,000 tourists climb Kilimanjaro annually.
DUBAI: Preparations for the highly anticipated New Year’s Eve celebration in Dubai are in full swing, with plans for an extraordinary display to mark the arrival of 2026.
The spotlight will once again fall on the iconic Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, where preparations for an awe-inspiring fireworks show are already underway.
In a sign of the scale of the event, Dubai Mall is also getting ready to dazzle with a spectacular light display, set to complement the grand fireworks at the Burj Khalifa.
Mohammed Al Abbar, the Emirati businessman whose construction company built the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa, and the iconic Dubai Mall, is personally supervising the preparations for this year’s New Year’s Eve celebration.
Al Abbar shared a behind-the-scenes video on the social media platform X, offering a glimpse into the monumental efforts underway ahead of the grand event.
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