World
Trump speaks to Putin, warns against escalating war in Ukraine
US President-elect Donald Trump spoke to Russian leader Vladimir Putin and urged him not to escalate the war in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported Sunday.
Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris, the report said.
Steven Cheung, Trump’s communications director, did not confirm the exchange, telling AFP in a written statement that “we do not comment on private calls between President Trump and other world leaders.”
The Post, citing several people familiar with the call who spoke on the basis of anonymity, reported that Trump had reminded Putin of America’s sizable military presence in Europe.
They said he also expressed an interest in further conversations to discuss “the resolution of Ukraine’s war soon.”
Trump also spoke by phone with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday and the pair “agreed to work together towards a return to peace in Europe,” according to Scholz’s spokesman.
Trump’s election is set to have a major bearing on the almost three-year Ukraine conflict, as he insists on a quick end to the fighting and casts doubt on Washington’s multi-billion dollar support for Kyiv.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke with Trump on Wednesday, with the Republican’s billionaire backer Elon Musk also notably joining them on the call.
The outgoing Democratic administration of President Joe Biden has confirmed that it will send as much aid as possible to Ukraine before Trump’s inauguration on January 20.
On Sunday, Biden’s National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the White House aims “to put Ukraine in the strongest possible position on the battlefield so that it is ultimately in the strongest possible position at the negotiating table.”
This would include using the remaining $6 billion of funding for Ukraine available, Sullivan said.
The Russian government has given a cautious but mostly positive response to Trump’s return, with Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying Sunday: “The signals are positive… At least he’s talking about peace, and not about confrontation.”
During his campaign, Trump repeatedly vowed to quickly end the Ukraine war — even before he is sworn into office — but without detailing his thinking.
Trump and his allies have railed against US funding for Ukraine, while insinuating that it helps fund a corrupt pro-war nexus of defense companies and foreign policy hawks.
Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., shared a clip Saturday on Instagram which showed Zelensky standing next to the president-elect with a caption reading: “POV (point of view): You’re 38 days from losing your allowance.”
Any quick deal in Ukraine is expected to require Kyiv to cede some of the territory it has lost to Russian invaders in Ukraine’s south and east.
A former adviser to Trump, Bryan Lanza, told the BBC on Saturday that Ukraine had to give up any ambition of regaining Crimea, for instance, which was occupied by Russia in 2014.
Kyiv, though facing a manpower shortage and uncertainty over US support, has steadfastly opposed giving up territory and its European allies and weapons suppliers such as Britain and France are known to be nervous about unilateral moves by Trump.
Zelensky has said that giving up land or meeting other demands from the Kremlin would only embolden Putin and provoke more aggression, a view shared by many European allies.
Trump “briefly raised the issue of land” in his call with Putin, the Post reported, without further details.
In recent months, both sides in the war have made moves seen as possible efforts to gain leverage ahead of eventual negotiations, with Ukraine seizing a chunk of Russian territory and Moscow’s troops making advances in Ukraine.
This weekend brought the biggest drone attacks yet from both sides.
Russia launched 145 drones at Ukraine overnight, Zelensky said, while Russia said it had downed 34 Ukrainian drones targeting Moscow on Sunday.
World
Trump appoints Elon Musk to lead department of government efficiency
US President-Elect Donald Trump has appointed Elon Musk, chief executive officer (CEO) of Tesla and SpaceX, to lead a soon-to-be-established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Musk, owner of X, the microblogging platform previously known as Twitter, was an avid supporter of Trump during the electioneering leading up to the November 5 presidential election.
The former president defeated Vice-President Kamala Harris after securing more than 270 of the electoral college votes required to win the poll.
A statement on Tuesday said Musk would run DOGE alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, a politician and entrepreneur.
It said the duo “will pave the way for my Administration to dismantle Government Bureaucracy, slash excess regulations, cut wasteful expenditures, and restructure Federal Agencies Essential to the ‘Save America’ Movement’.
“I look forward to Elon and Vivek making changes to the Federal Bureaucracy with an eye on efficiency and, at the same time, making life better for all Americans,” the statement quoted the president-elect as saying.
“Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending.”
Trump will take office for a second and final term on January 25, 2025.
World
French newspapers sue X for using content without paying
Major French news organisations say they are suing X, a micro-blogging platform, for allegedly using their content without paying.
According to Reuters, the newspapers, which are Le Monde, Le Figaro and Le Parisien, announced in a statement on Tuesday.
The media platforms said they were due payment under their ancillary rights, which allow payment to news outlets by digital platforms, for the distribution of their content.
They said X, formerly known as Twitter, and owned by billionaire Elon Musk, has never agreed to open negotiations with French news publishers, unlike Alphabet Inc, Google and Meta Platforms Inc.
The publication also said the media organisations claimed that X has not complied with an order issued by the Paris Court of Justice in May to release information required to calculate the amount owed.
“The revenue from these rights, with the investment that it would enable its beneficiaries to make, is a boost to the plurality, independence and quality of the media, which are essential for freedom of expression and the right to information in our democratic society,” the newspapers said.
A spokesperson for the Paris tribunal also confirmed the case to Reuters and said a hearing has been scheduled for May 15, 2025.
World
Trump sentencing in hush-money case delayed again until November 19
A New York judge, Juan Merchan, has postponed the decision on Donald Trump’s sentencing in his high-profile hush-money case, delaying it until November 19.
This delay could extend the impact of the conviction into his upcoming administration.
This update, confirmed by a court statement on Tuesday, adds another layer of delay to Trump’s legal battle over alleged hush-money payments.
“The joint application for a stay of the current deadlines… until November 19, is granted,” the court said in an email seen by AFP.
The decision comes amid multiple delays in a case that could see Trump sentenced on 34 felony counts.
According to The Guardian, the delay reflects the Trump defence team’s numerous motions over the past year, each requesting more time or challenging aspects of the proceedings.
Protracted Legal Battle
The case originates from Trump’s April 2024 court appearance—the first time a former president has faced criminal charges.
As reported by PUNCH Online, Trump, 77, was accused of falsifying business records to conceal a $130,000 payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels during his 2016 campaign.
This hush-money case is just one of four criminal cases Trump is grappling with as he campaigns for the White House.
In May, a New York jury found him guilty on all counts in an unprecedented verdict that jolted U.S. political circles.
The case was adjourned to September and then delayed again.
This was the first conviction of a former president for business fraud, setting off waves across media outlets from PUNCH to CBS.
Trump’s team had anticipated that a Supreme Court ruling on presidential immunity might offer him a shield, leading Judge Juan Merchan to delay sentencing until September and, subsequently, November.
According to a statement released at the time by Biden’s campaign, the conviction underscored that “no one is above the law.”
Biden’s communications director, Michael Tyler, said, “Donald Trump has always mistakenly believed he would never face consequences for breaking the law for his own personal gain.”
Trump’s Legal Strategy
Trump’s defence argues that the payments to Daniels were legal expenses and that the claims of falsified business records violate neither state nor federal laws.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office disputes this, arguing that the payments were structured to bypass New York’s election laws, amounting to an illegal campaign contribution.
These funds, prosecutors allege, were intended to influence the election in Trump’s favour — a point highlighted by The New York Times.
The Supreme Court’s July 1 ruling, granting sitting presidents immunity for actions taken in office, added complexity to Trump’s case, as his defence team invoked this ruling to argue for dismissal.
As Merchan reviews these arguments, he has warned of the “fraught complexities” involved and emphasised a desire to prevent the legal proceedings from impacting the election.
Despite his legal battles, Trump won the November 5 election against Kamala Harris, buoyed by steady support among his base.
Yet, his win has stirred fresh complications for his other cases.
Special prosecutor Jack Smith is reportedly scaling down federal probes into Trump’s role in election interference and the classified documents case, which could be deferred.
Meanwhile, the Fulton County election interference case in Georgia has been put on hold following a new appeal, with prospects for prosecution uncertain due to recent revelations regarding District Attorney Fani Willis’s office.
As January 25, 2025, approaches—the date Trump is set to assume office as the 47th president—the implications of these pending cases remain unresolved.
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