GRANADA, Spain: Europe’s quest to build a common geopolitical purpose suffered a new blow on Thursday when Turkiye and Azerbaijan skipped a major summit, as tensions mounted over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Four dozen European leaders — from European Union and NATO member states, as well as their neighbors — have gathered in Granada for the third summit of the European Political Community (EPC).
But two invitees, Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ally, Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev, failed to turn up, torpedoing efforts to address Europe’s latest security crisis.
Leaders had hoped to host Aliyev’s first meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan since Azerbaijan seized the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh and triggered an exodus of ethnic Armenian civilians.
The two leaders were to have been joined by EU council president Charles Michel, France’s Emmanuel Macron and Germany’s Olaf Scholz — but Azerbaijan rejected the format, accusing Europe of bias.
The EU recognizes Azerbaijan’s sovereign claim on Nagorno-Karabakh but has criticized Baku’s use of force to resolve the dispute, which has led to a wave of refugees into Armenia.
France, in particular, has been outspoken, with Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna traveling to the Armenian capital, Yerevan, and promising to deliver weapons to Pashinyan’s government.
Azerbaijan is furious and wants Turkiye’s Erdogan to serve as a mediator.
But Erdogan was not invited to join Macron and Scholz in mediating the talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and decided to skip the entire EPC summit.
“It’s a shame that Azerbaijan isn’t here and it’s a shame that Turkiye — which is the main country supporting Azerbaijan — is not here either,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said.
“We are not going to be able to talk here about something as serious as the fact that more than 100,000 people have had to leave their homes in a hurry, running away from an act of military force.”
Arriving at the summit, Michel, who would have hosted the meeting, insisted: “The EU is a neutral mediator, with no agenda.”
But even as he spoke, the European Parliament adopted a resolution dubbing the exodus of ethnic Armenians “ethnic cleansing” and condemning “threats and violence committed by Azerbaijani troops.”
The resolution, paired with a call for sanctions, will have no practical effect but is bound to further alienate Baku at a time when Europe is seeking unity to confront other crises.
Armenia’s Pashinyan, who turned up to the summit and plans to hold bilateral talks with Macron and other EU leaders, expressed regret that he would not meet Aliyev and sign a “turning point document.”
In a social media post, Sinan Ulgen — a former Turkish diplomat turned think tank expert — said western Europeans should really not be surprised by Ankara and Baku’s response.
“It is really a bit odd for France to expect to play a mediating role in the Karabakh dispute after such a show of unmitigated support and solidarity with Armenia,” he said.
But the eastern boycott is also a blow to the EPC, a fledgling forum designed to form the basis of a common European geopolitical identity beyond the borders of the European Union.
“Without Turkiye and Azerbaijan, the political community becomes more narrowly European and seems more anti-Putin, give or take a few leaders,” said Sebastien Maillard of the Institut Jacques Delors think tank.
“Without a Karabakh meeting, the agenda could flip to the migration crisis,” he said.
Indeed, with the Caucasus conflict falling down the EPC agenda, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his Italian counterpart Giorgia Meloni will push a plan for tough action on “organized immigration crime.”
Turkiye and Azerbaijan snub Europe summit over Karabakh tensions
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Turkiye and Azerbaijan snub Europe summit over Karabakh tensions
- Turkiye’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his ally, Azerbaijan’s leader Ilham Aliyev, failed to turn up, torpedoing efforts to address Europe’s latest security crisis
- Leaders had hoped to host Aliyev’s first meeting with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan since Azerbaijan seized the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh
Thousands evacuate as fire spreads in US state of New Jersey
- Jones Road Wildfire was raging across Ocean County and was 10 percent contained
- Local media said the blaze had begun in a massive, rural coastal ecosystem known as the Pine Barrens
As of 10:30 p.m. (0230 GMT) the Jones Road Wildfire was raging across Ocean County and was 10 percent contained, the New Jersey Forest Fire Service said in a post on social media platform X.
It put the size of the blaze at 8,500 acres (3,440 hectares), just two hours after reporting the fire had hit 3,200 acres.
The fire service said “numerous” fire and rescue personnel had been deployed along with fire engines, bulldozers and ground crews.
It said the cause of the fire was “under investigation.”
Local media said the blaze had begun in a massive, rural coastal ecosystem known as the Pine Barrens, one of the largest protected land areas on the US East Coast.
New Jersey had been under an official drought warning, the state’s Department of Environmental Protection said in March.
Power was knocked out to roughly 25,000 customers, Jersey Central Power & Light said in a post on X.
The blaze also forced the closure of a section of the Garden State Parkway, a major highway through the state.
Ocean County, south of New York City, is a popular tourist destination that is part of the Jersey Shore and contains sights such as the Six Flags amusement park.
The fire service said it would hold a press conference on Wednesday.
Japan PM to visit Vietnam, the Philippines from Sunday
- The April 27-30 trip follows a Southeast Asia tour by Chinese President Xi Jinping
- Some Japanese companies are increasingly shifting production to Vietnam and its neighbor Cambodia
TOKYO: Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba will visit Vietnam and the Philippines next week, officials said Wednesday, as Tokyo seeks to ramp up regional ties after Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught.
The April 27-30 trip follows a Southeast Asia tour by Chinese President Xi Jinping, with Beijing trying to position itself as a stable alternative to the United States as leaders confront Trump’s levies.
“Strengthening relations with Southeast Asia, a global growth center and strategic location, is one of the top priorities of Japanese diplomacy,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters.
“Relations with Vietnam and the Philippines are of particular importance, with their populations exceeding 100 million and as they continue their strong economic growth.”
Xi last week urged Vietnam to join forces with China to “oppose unilateral bullying and uphold the stability of the global free trade system.”
Hours later, Trump said Xi’s visit to Hanoi had been aiming to “screw” the United States.
Despite being a key US ally and the biggest investor into the United States, Japan has been pinched by steep tariffs imposed by Trump on imports of cars, steel and aluminum.
Some Japanese companies, reportedly including gaming giant Nintendo, are increasingly shifting production to Vietnam and its neighbor Cambodia, partly because of the fallout from the last US-China trade war.
An official statement from Manila said that Ishiba would visit the Philippines on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
A meeting between Ishiba and Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos “will aim to deepen and improve economic and development cooperation, political and defense engagements, and people-to-people exchanges,” it said.
Japan is a key security partner of the Philippines, and an agreement that would allow them to deploy troops on each other’s territory is awaiting ratification by Tokyo.
The two countries in January vowed to strengthen cooperation to counter China’s actions in the disputed South China Sea – with Japan pledging to enhance the Philippines’ “maritime security” and “maritime safety capabilities.”
Trump: No plans to fire Fed Chair Powell, but wants lower rates
- “I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said on Tuesday he has no plans to fire Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, but said he wants interest rates to be lower, remarks that could defuse tensions over the central bank chief’s future that have rattled investors.
“I have no intention of firing him,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “I would like to see him be a little more active in terms of his idea to lower interest rates,” he added.
Trump’s statement was the first de-escalation after days of withering criticisms he has lobbed at Powell for not further cutting interest rates since Trump resumed office in January.
The broadsides were often accompanied by threatening remarks, such as last week’s social media posting that Powell’s termination as Fed chair “cannot come fast enough,” that spooked financial markets that view the Fed’s independence as underpinning its credibility on the global financial stage.
But while he seems to have set aside those threats for now, his criticisms of Fed rate policy remain just as pointed.
“We think that it’s a perfect time to lower the rate, and we’d like to see our chairman be early or on time, as opposed to late,” Trump said.
Musk says he’ll dedicate more time to Tesla starting in May as company sees big drop in Q1 profit
- Tesla’ stock has fallen more than 40 percent this year but rose more than 3 percent in after-hours trading
NEW YORK: Elon Musk says he’ll dedicate more time to Tesla starting in May after the company reported a big drop in first-quarter profit. The company has faced angry protests over Musk’s leadership of a federal government jobs-cutting group that has divided the country.
Tesla, based in Austin, Texas, said Tuesday that quarterly profits fell by 71 percent to to $409 million, or 12 cents a share. That’s far below analyst estimates. Tesla’s revenue fell 9 percent to $19.3 billion in the January through March period, below Wall Street’s forecast.
The disappointing results come as the company struggles to sell cars to consumers angry over Musk’s role in the Trump administration. Musk also has publicly supported far-right politicians in Europe and alienated potential buyers there, too.
Some Tesla investors have complained that Musk has been too distracted by his role at the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, to effectively run Tesla.
“This is a big step in the right direction,” said Wedbush Securities’ Dan Ives, referring to Musk’s time commitment. “Investors wanted to see him recommit to Tesla.”
Tesla’ stock has fallen more than 40 percent this year but rose more than 3 percent in after-hours trading.
Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein said earlier reports of plunging sales that had tanked the stock made the results almost predictable.
“They’re not particularly surprising given that deliveries were down,” Goldstein said, adding that the company is still generating cash. “It was good to see positive cash flow.”
The company generated $2.2 billion in operating cash versus $242 million a year earlier.
Tesla investors will be listening closely for updates on several strategic initiatives. The company is expected to roll out a cheaper version of its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y SUV later in the year. Tesla has also said it plans to start a paid driverless robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, in June.
Its closely watched gross margins, a measure of earnings for each dollar of revenue, fell to 16.3 percent from 17.4 percent.
The company that once dominated EVs is also facing fierce competition for the first time.
Earlier this year, Chinese EV maker BYD announced it had developed an electric battery charging system that can fully power up a vehicle within minutes. And Tesla’s European rivals have begun offering new models with advanced technology that is making them real alternatives, just as popular opinion in Europe has turned against Musk.
Investors expect Tesla will be hurt less by the Trump administration’s tariffs than most US car companies because it makes most of its US cars domestically. But Tesla won’t be completely unscathed. It sources some materials for its vehicles from abroad that will now face import taxes.
Tesla warned that tariffs will hit its energy storage business, too.
“While the current tariff landscape will have a relatively larger impact on our Energy business compared to automotive,” the company said, “we are taking actions to stabilize the business in the medium to long-term and focus on maintaining its health.”
Retaliation from China will also hurt Tesla. The company was forced earlier this month to stop taking orders from mainland customers for two models, its Model S and Model X. It makes the Model Y and Model 3 for the Chinese market at its factory in Shanghai.
The company side business of selling “regulatory credits” to other automakers that fall short of emission standards boosted results for the quarter.
The company generated $595 million from credit sales, up from $442 million a year ago.
VOA wins round with court against Trump shutdown
- "Every day they're off the air is a gift to authoritarian regimes that forbid the free press, like China and Iran," he said
WASHINGTON: A judge on Tuesday ordered President Donald Trump's administration to restore funding to Voice of America and other US-funded media, saying its abrupt shutdown of the outlets broke the law.
The federal judge in Washington agreed to a request led by the outlets' employees for a preliminary injunction, a temporary order as a court examines the legal challenge in greater depth.
Trump, who has long jostled with the press and questioned the editorial rules that prohibit interference in government-funded media, on March 14 issued an executive order to eliminate the outlets.
The following day, Kari Lake, his firebrand supporter turned advisor, began issuing notices to terminate all funding, which was appropriated by Congress.
Lake and other Trump officials are "likely in direct violation of numerous federal laws," wrote Royce Lamberth, a judge for the US District Court for the District of Columbia.
The US Agency for Global Media, which supervises taxpayer-funded media, is allowed by law to redirect funds among its different programming by five percent or less, he wrote.
"Certainly, no law gives the agency the power to cut funding to the drastic degree that is alleged," he wrote.
Lamberth wrote that Voice of America's congressionally established charter states that the outlet will "'serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news (that is) accurate, objective, and comprehensive' but the defendants have silenced VOA for the first time."
Clayton Weimers, executive director of Reporters Without Borders USA, said the media rights group was "very pleased" with the decision on VOA and other outlets.
"Every day they're off the air is a gift to authoritarian regimes that forbid the free press, like China and Iran," he said.
The judge called on the Trump administration to return all employees and contractors to their jobs and to provide monthly status reports on compliance.
It remains to be seen if the order is enough to put the outlets back on air.
The Trump administration, in a break with precedent, has shown defiance toward court orders, notably a Supreme Court demand that it facilitate the return of a Maryland resident mistakenly deported to a crowded high-security prison in his native El Salvador.
The judge's order affects employees of Voice of America as well as Radio Free Asia -- created to report on China, North Korea and other countries without free media -- and Arabic-language network Alhurra.
The judge rejected a request for similar action on Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty as the Trump administration already rescinded its decision to withdraw funding following a separate court decision, although the network says it still has not received money for April.
