MOSCOW: Russia, the world’s biggest nuclear power, has started updating its nuclear doctrine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Monday, citing an earlier statement by President Vladimir Putin.
“President Putin has said that work is under way to bring the doctrine into line with current realities,” Peskov told a briefing, without elaborating.
A senior member of the Russian parliament said on Sunday that Moscow could reduce the decision-making time stipulated in official policy for the use of nuclear weapons if it believes that threats are increasing.
Putin said last month that Russia might change its official nuclear doctrine setting out the conditions under which such weapons could be used.
The war in Ukraine has triggered the biggest confrontation between Russia and the West since the 1962 Cuban missile crisis.
Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine, Kremlin says
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Russia is revising its nuclear doctrine, Kremlin says
- Vladimir Putin said last month that Russia might change its official nuclear doctrine setting out the conditions under which such weapons could be used
Trump promises West African leaders a pivot to trade as the region reels from sweeping aid cuts
- Trump described the nations represented at the meeting as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people”
- West African countries are among the hardest hit by the dissolution of USAID
WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump promised West African leaders a pivot from aid to trade during a White House meeting Wednesday as the region reels from the impact of sweeping US aid cuts.
Trump said he sees “great economic potential in Africa” as the leaders of Liberia, Senegal, Gabon, Mauritania and Guinea-Bissau boasted of their countries’ natural resources and heaped praise on the US president, including their thanks for his help in settling a long-running conflict between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Trump described the nations represented at the meeting as “all very vibrant places with very valuable land, great minerals, and great oil deposits, and wonderful people” — a definite shift from his first term, when he used a vulgar term to describe African nations.
The meeting comes amid a shift in US global and domestic priorities under Trump’s leadership. Earlier this month, US authorities dissolved theUS Agency for International Development and said it was no longer following what they called “a charity-based foreign aid model” and instead would focus on partnerships with nations that show “both the ability and willingness to help themselves.”
The five nations whose leaders were meeting Trump represent a small fraction of US-Africa trade, but they possess untapped natural resources. Senegal and Mauritania are important transit and origin countries when it comes to migration and along with Guinea-Bissau are struggling to contain drug trafficking, both issues of concern for the Trump administration.
In their speeches, each African leader adopted a flattering tone to commend Trump for what they described as his peace efforts across the world and tried to outshine one another by listing the untapped natural resources their nations possess.
“We have a great deal of resources,” said Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, president of Mauritania, listing rare earths, as well as manganese, uranium and possibly lithium. “We have a lot of opportunities to offer in terms of investment.”
Last month, the US administration facilitated a peace deal between Rwanda and Congo to help end the decadeslong deadly fighting in eastern Congo, while enabling the US to gain access to critical minerals in the region. But analysts said it won’t end the fighting because the most prominent armed group said it does not apply to it.
During the meeting, Trump described trade as a diplomatic tool. Trade “seems to be a foundation” for him to settle disputes between countries, he said.
“You guys are going to fight, we’re not going to trade,” Trump said. “And we seem to be quite successful in doing that.”
He added, addressing the African leaders: “There is a lot of anger on your continent.”
As he spoke, the US administration continued sending out notifications to developing countries about higher tariff rates effective from August 1. The five Western African nations were not among them.
The portion of the lunch meeting that was open to the press didn’t touch much on the loss of aid, which critics say will result in millions of deaths.
“We have closed the USAID group to eliminate waste, fraud and abuse,” Trump said Wednesday. “And we’re working tirelessly to forge new economic opportunities involving both the United States and many African nations.”
West African countries are among the hardest hit by the dissolution of USAID. The US support in Liberia amounted to 2.6 percent of the country’s gross national income, the highest percentage anywhere in the world, according to the Center for Global Development.
Liberian President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in a statement “expressed optimism about the outcomes of the summit, reaffirming Liberia’s commitment to regional stability, democratic governance and inclusive economic growth.”
During the meeting, Trump reacted with visible surprise to Boakai’s English-speaking skills, which he praised. English is the official language of Liberia, which was established in the early 1800s with the aim of relocating freed African slaves and free-born Black citizens from the United States.
Gabon, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal are among 36 countries that might be included in the possible expansion of Trump’s travel ban.
Experts said that the meeting highlighted the new transactional nature of the relationship between the US and Africa.
“We are likely to see a trend where African countries will seek to leverage resources such as critical minerals, or infrastructure such as ports, to attract US commercial entities in order to maintain favorable relations with the current US administration,” aid Beverly Ochieng, an analyst at Control Risks, a security consulting firm. “Each of the African leaders sought to leverage natural resources in exchange for US financial and security investments, and appeared to view the US intervention in the Democratic Republic of Congo as a model to further cooperation.”
US resumes sending some weapons to Ukraine after Pentagon pause
- Weapons now moving into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS
- Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wasn’t happy with him
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has resumed sending some weapons to Ukraine, a week after the Pentagon had directed that some deliveries be paused, US officials said Wednesday.
The weapons heading into Ukraine include 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two officials told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity to provide details that had not been announced publicly. It’s unclear exactly when the weapons started moving.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth directed the pause on some shipments last week to allow the Pentagon to assess its weapons stockpiles, in a move that caught the White House by surprise.
Affected was Patriot missiles, the precision-guided GMLRS, Hellfire missiles, Howitzer rounds and more, taking not only Ukrainian officials and other allies by surprise but also US lawmakers and other parts of the Trump administration, including the State Department.
It was not clear if a pause on Patriot missiles would hold. The $4 million munition is in high demand and was key to defending a major US air base in Qatar last month as Iran launched a ballistic missile attack in response to the US targeting its nuclear facilities.
President Donald Trump announced Monday that the US would continue to deliver defensive weapons to Ukraine. He has sidestepped questions about who ordered the pause in exchanges with reporters this week.
“I would know if a decision is made. I will know,” Trump said Wednesday. “I will be the first to know. In fact, most likely I’d give the order, but I haven’t done that yet.”
Asked a day earlier who ordered the pause, he said, “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”
Trump has privately expressed frustration with Pentagon officials for announcing the pause — a move that he felt wasn’t properly coordinated with the White House, according to three people familiar with the matter.
The Pentagon has denied that Hegseth acted without consulting the president, saying, “Secretary Hegseth provided a framework for the President to evaluate military aid shipments and assess existing stockpiles. This effort was coordinated across government.”
It comes as Russia has fired escalating air attacks on Ukraine, with a barrage that the largest number of drones fired in a single night in the three-year-old war, Ukrainian officials said Wednesday.
Trump has become increasingly frustrated with Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying he wasn’t happy with him.
“Putin is not, he’s not treating human beings right,” Trump said during a Cabinet meeting Tuesday, explaining the pause’s reversal. “It’s killing too many people. So we’re sending some defensive weapons to Ukraine, and I’ve approved that.”
The 155 mm artillery rounds have become some of the most used munitions of the war. Each round is about 2 feet (60 centimeters) long, weighs about 100 pounds (45 kilograms) and is 155 mm, or 6.1 inches, in diameter. They are used in Howitzer systems, which are towed large guns identified by the range of the angle of fire that their barrels can be set to.
Howitzer fires can strike targets up to 15 to 20 miles (24 to 32 kilometers) away, depending on what type of round and firing system is used, which makes them highly valued by ground forces to take out enemy targets from a protected distance.
The US has provided more than 3 million 155 mm rounds to Ukraine since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022. It has sent more than $67 billion in overall weapons and military assistance to Ukraine in that period.
Nobel: The prize for peace that leaders go to war for
- Israeli PM’s nomination of Trump has reopened debate over the Nobel Peace Prize’s meaning and credibility
- As Gaza burns and indictments loom, a wartime leader endorsing a recipient raises questions, says analyst
LONDON: In what supporters have called a symbol of solidarity and detractors a humiliating act of fealty, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week revealed he had nominated Donald Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize — an award long sought by the US president.
The decision by Netanyahu appears designed to help bolster ties between the two long-term allies and ease reported tensions over Israel’s 21-month-long war in Gaza and its bruising 12-day conflict with Iran last month.
Netanyahu presented the nomination letter to Trump at the White House on Monday, and was met with a look of surprise from the US president.
“It’s nominating you for the Peace Prize, which is well deserved, and you should get it,” Netanyahu said.
“Wow, coming from you, in particular, this is very meaningful. Thank you very much, Bibi,” Trump responded.
FASTFACTS:
• The Nobel Peace Prize was founded by Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite.
• Regret over his invention partly drove Nobel to create the prize to promote peace.
• Carl von Ossietzky, Aung San Suu Kyi, and Liu Xiaobo, were imprisoned when awarded.
• The youngest Nobel Peace laureate is Malala Yousafzai, who received it in 2014 at age 17.
Netanyahu is also seeking US guarantees relating to arms supplies, especially after Iran’s ballistic missile barrages last month placed substantial pressure on Israeli air defense systems, Khatib said.
“He wants to show Trump that he is the best ally he can have; he also knows that Trump is really looking after getting the Nobel Peace Prize,” she added.
For Dania Koleilat Khatib, a specialist in US-Arab relations, Netanyahu’s decision to nominate the president rests on his desire to “do anything to court Trump.”
She told Arab News that Netanyahu arrived in Washington with a set of demands covering almost every regional file of interest to Israel: Syria, Turkiye, Gaza, the West Bank and Iran.
Trump has made no secret of his yearning for the prestigious prize, yet the nomination itself is only the first part of an extensive, secret process that winds up in the stately committee room of Oslo’s Nobel Institute.
The distinction and tradition of the Nobel name, however, is arguably a far cry from the reputation of Trump’s nominator.
Netanyahu, alongside former defense minister Yoav Gallant, is the subject of an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity relating to the conduct of Israel’s military in Gaza.
That fact would no doubt weigh on the minds of the five Norwegian Nobel Committee members who deliberate over the prize.
For Khatib, the ICC arrest warrant alone means that Netanyahu’s gesture is “worthless.”
She told Arab News: “I am not sure whether the nomination will be discarded but it is ironic that someone wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes and potentially genocide nominates someone for the Nobel Peace Prize.”
GUIDELINES ON NOBEL NOMINATIONS
• Only nominees put forward by qualified nominators are considered.
• Self-nominations are not accepted.
• The prize may be awarded to individuals or organizations.
Upholding the reputation of the prize is a tall order, in part due to the strictness of its rules. The committee’s choice for the annual award effectively ties the Nobel name to the future reputation of any recipient. The Nobel Foundation’s Statutes also forbid the revocation of any award.
Aung San Suu Kyi, the Burmese icon of democracy, fell from grace over her treatment of the Rohingya Muslim minority in the decades since she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1991.
Former US President Barack Obama was controversially awarded the prize just nine months into his first term, to the dismay of figures including Trump, who called on the institution to retract the award.
The decision to award Obama for “extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples” soon appeared foolish after it emerged the president had told aides, referring to his use of drone strikes: “Turns out I’m really good at killing people.”
The Nobel Committee’s then secretary, Geir Lundestad, later expressed regret over the decision. “Even many of Obama’s supporters believed that the prize was a mistake,” he said. “In that sense the committee didn’t achieve what it had hoped for.”
Khatib told Arab News that the most basic requirement of the prize is that the recipient contributes to peace.
“I personally don’t know why Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize,” she told Arab News. “What was the achievement for which he was awarded the prize?”
The Obama controversy may well have sparked Trump’s desire to win the prize. He has referred to the 2009 award numerous times since, and has regularly expressed frustration over an accomplishment that he feels has eluded him.
Netanyahu’s nomination of Trump, however, is only the most recent that the US leader has received. He was nominated separately by a group of House Republicans in the US and two Norwegian lawmakers for his work to defuse nuclear tensions with North Korea in 2018..
WHO CAN NOMINATE?
• Members of national assemblies and governments.
• Members of international courts.
• University rectors, professors, and directors of peace research or foreign policy institutes.
• Past laureates and board members of laureate organizations.
• Current and former Norwegian Nobel Committee members and former advisers.
In 2021, Trump was also nominated by one of the two Norwegian lawmakers and a Swedish official for his peace efforts in the Middle East, including the Abraham Accords, which established formal relations between Israel and several Arab states.
Shinzo Abe, the late former prime minister of Japan, also nominated Trump in 2019
Earlier this year, Pakistan said that it had nominated Trump for the prize in recognition of his work to end the country’s brief conflict with India. New Delhi later denied that Washington played a role in mediation.
Trump is also working toward a diplomatic solution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, which has so far defied his negotiators.
A day after Monday’s White House meeting, Netanyahu’s office released a copy of the nomination letter — dated July 1 — seen by Trump.
“President Trump has demonstrated steadfast and exceptional dedication to promoting peace, security and stability around the world,” it said.
“In the Middle East, his efforts have brought about dramatic change and created new opportunities to expand the circle of peace and normalization.”
The prime minister’s letter singled out the Abraham Accords as Trump’s “foremost achievement” in the region.
“These breakthroughs reshaped the Middle East and marked a historic advance toward peace, security and regional stability,” it said.
The description of the region as having experienced a historic advance toward peace will raise eyebrows in many parts of the Middle East.
Yet the strange circumstances of an alleged war criminal acting as a peace prize nominator has parallels with the Nobel name’s own peculiar past.
The prizes were established through the will of Alfred Nobel, a Swedish chemist, inventor and industrialist who amassed a fortune after inventing and patenting dynamite. The explosive was rapidly adopted for industrial use but was also soon prized for its utility as a tool of warfare.
The first awards bearing the Nobel name were handed out just after the turn of the century in 1901, five years after the Swedish visionary had died.
They cover medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace. An economics prize was later established by the Swedish Central Bank in 1968, but it is not considered a Nobel prize in the same manner.
Nobel’s wishes were for the peace prize to go to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”
IN NUMBERS:
• 142 Individuals and organizations have received the prize since 1901.
• 19 Women have been awarded.
• 28 Organizations received the award.
• 19 Years the prize was not awarded.
(Source: NobelPrize.org)
The strict codification of Nobel’s will resulted in the Nobel Statutes, a set of rules followed by the Nobel Foundation, which oversees the secretive process behind the five prizes. Judges are forbidden from discussing their deliberations for half a century after they take place.
The peace committee is the sole Nobel prize body in Norway, and its five members are appointed by the country’s parliament.
Nominations for the revered prize can only be submitted by specific people and organizations, including heads of state, national politicians, academic professors and company directors, among others. It is forbidden for people to nominate themselves.
Prominent Arab politicians have been awarded the peace prize.
Yasser Arafat was given the award in 1994 for his efforts toward reaching a peaceful settlement to the Israel-Palestine conflict. In 1978, Egypt’s Anwar Sadat was recognized for signing the Camp David Accords, which were witnessed by Jimmy Carter, the US president at the time, who was later awarded the prize in 2002 for his work to promote human rights after leaving office.
For Trump, however, hopes for his long-desired prize will have to wait until next year; nominations must be submitted before February for the prize to be awarded in the same year.
At the time of publishing, the Nobel Committee had not commented on Netanyahu’s nomination, whether they had any reservations, or whether they would accept it.
Starmer, Macron agree on need for new deterrent against boat crossings, UK says
LONDON: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron agreed on Wednesday on the need to go further and develop a new deterrent to tackle irregular migration and small boat crossings across the Channel.
“The leaders agreed tackling the threat of irregular migration and small boat crossings is a shared priority that requires shared solutions,” a British readout of a meeting between the two in London said.
“The two leaders agreed on the need to go further and make progress on new and innovative solutions, including a new deterrent to break the business model of these gangs.”
Dozens of sites vie for UNESCO world heritage list spot
PARIS: The United Nation’s cultural organization announces its choice of sites for inclusion in its world heritage list this week, with pre-historic caves, former centers of repression, forests, marine bio-systems and others vying for the coveted spots.
Making the UNESCO’s heritage list often sparks a lucrative tourism drive, and can unlock funding for the preservation of sites that can face threats including pollution, war and negligence.
Climate change is another growing problem for world heritage sites, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay told Monday’s opening session of the body’s World Heritage Committee.
“Close to three quarters of world heritage sites are already faced with serious water-related risks, lack of water or floods,” she said.
Governments failing to ensure adequate protection of their sites risk them being added to UNESCO’s endangered sites list — which currently contains over 50 names — or dropped from the list altogether.
Armed conflict is the reason for about half of the downgrades to the endangered sites list, Azoulay said. Many of such problem areas are located in the Middle East.
The current world heritage list contains 1,223 cultural, natural or mixed sites. Of the organization’s 196 member states, 27 are absent from the list, including several African nations.
Two of them — Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone — hope this will change this year, as they pitch the Bijagos islands and Gola-Tiwai wildlife reserves, respectively, to UNESCO. UNESCO has been seeking to boost Africa’s presence on the heritage list, officials say.
“Since her arrival in 2018, Audrey Azoulay has made Africa not just her own priority, but one of UNESCO’s overall priorities,” said Lazare Eloundou Assomo, who heads up the organization’s world heritage center.
