Page 47 - Donald Trump

European pressure forced Trump to drop threats over Greenland: Macron

French President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday said that European pressure forced US President Donald Trump to back down from his threats to take control of Greenland, as EU leaders gathered to chart a new course in transatlantic relations. "Europe can make itself be respected, and that's a very good thing," Macron told reporters, as he arrived in Brussels for an emergency summit. "When we use the tools that we have at our disposal we get respect and that's what happened this week." On the eve of the EU meeting, Trump dramatically backed away from his insistence on "acquiring" Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of Denmark. For the first time, he said that he would not use force to seize the island. Trump also dropped his threat of slapping tariffs on European nations that support Denmark. The EU's tools included a nonaggressive deployment of a few dozen troops to Greenland on a reconnaissance mission to prepare for future exercises and to send Trump a message that Europe is taking

Trump admin to expand ban on foreign aid for groups supporting abortion

The Trump administration is expanding its ban on US foreign aid for groups supporting abortion services to include assistance going to international and domestic organisations and agencies that promote gender identity as well as diversity, equity and inclusion programmes. An administration official said Thursday that the State Department would release final rules that expand the scope of the "Mexico City" policy that has already severely reduced assistance to international organizations that provide abortion-related care. The policy was first established under President Ronald Reagan but rescinded by subsequent Democratic administrations. The new rules, first reported by Fox News, would halt foreign assistance from going toward not only groups that provide abortion as a method of family planning but also those that advocate "gender ideology" and DEI, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity ahead of the rules' publication in the Federal Register on Friday. The

Zelensky criticises Europe's inaction against Putin during Davos address

Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos on Thursday, Zelensky accused European rivals of failing to halt Russia's shadow fleet tankers

A sigh of relief for markets after Donald Trump U-turn on Greenland

Indian equities rose as global markets rebounded and Trump softened his tariff stance, with hopes of a US-India trade deal lifting the Sensex and Nifty by 0.5%

Silicon Valley pours out lobbying, cash & flattery to win over Trump

Altogether, the biggest tech and AI companies spent $109 million on lobbying last year, topping $100 million for the first time, according to Bloomberg News

A deal on ice: US President Trump dials back Greenland rhetoric in Davos

Trump's Greenland gambit may have paused in Davos, but it signals a deeper erosion of the rules-based order as great powers test how far coercion can go

US scraps multimillion-dollar solar projects in Puerto Rico amid grid woes

The administration of US President Donald Trump has cancelled solar projects in Puerto Rico worth millions of dollars, as the island struggles with chronic power outages and a crumbling electric grid. The projects were aimed at helping 30,000 low-income families in rural areas across the US territory as part of a now-fading transition toward renewable energy. In an email obtained by The Associated Press, the US Energy Department said that a push under Puerto Rico's former governor for a 100 per cent renewable future threated the reliability of its energy system. "The Puerto Rico grid cannot afford to run on more distributed solar power," the message states. "The rapid, widespread deployment of rooftop solar has created fluctuations in Puerto Rico's grid, leading to unacceptable instability and fragility." Javier Rua Jovet, public policy director for Puerto Rico's Solar and Energy Storage Association, disputed that statement in a phone interview Thursday. He said that some 200,000

Trump claims 'total access' to Greenland; NATO urges allies to step up

Trump's U-turn had triggered a rebound in European markets but also raised questions about how much damage had already been done to transatlantic ties and business confidence

Russia, US, Ukraine to meet in UAE: Zelenskyy after meeting Trump in Davos

US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he had a good meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and his message to Russian President Vladimir Putin is that "war has to end". Replying to media queries before leaving Davos, Trump said a US delegation will be meeting Putin today or tomorrow. "I met President Zelenskyy here; the meeting was good. We (US delegation) are meeting President Putin today or tomorrow," he said. Asked what would be his message to Putin, Trump said, "The war has to end. A lot of people have been killed".

Trump launches Board of Peace, says it'll work with UN on global conflicts

Trump, who will chair the Board of Peace, invited dozens of world leaders to join the initiative, arguing that it should address conflicts beyond Gaza while working alongside the United Nations

Putin says Russia ready to send $1 billion to Trump's Board of Peace

Russia, which has not formally joined Trump's Board of Peace for Gaza, said it is prepared to contribute $1 billion to support the Palestinian people through the US president's initiative

Sovereignty non-negotiable, says Denmark after Trump claims Greenland deal

Denmark's prime minister insisted that her country can't negotiate on its sovereignty on Thursday after US President Donald Trump said he agreed on a "framework of a future deal" on Arctic security with the head of NATO, and she has been "informed that this has not been the case." Trump on Wednesday abruptly scrapped the tariffs he had threatened to impose on eight European nations to press for US control over Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark. It was a dramatic reversal shortly after he insisted he wanted to get the island "including right, title and ownership." He said "additional discussions" on Greenland were being held concerning the Golden Dome missile defence programme, a multilayered, USD 175 billion system that for the first time will put US weapons in space. Trump offered few details, saying they were still being worked out. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said in a statement that security in the Arctic is a matter for all of NATO, and it i

What happens to Greenland 'not our concern': Russian President Putin

Commenting on Denmark's treatment of Greenland, Putin said Denmark has treated Greenland like a colony for many years and has often been harsh towards it

Trump's European threats could complicate future US efforts to rebuild ties

Barely a month into his presidency, Joe Biden had a message for Europe. "America is back," Biden told the Munich Security Conference in 2021. "The transatlantic alliance is back." It was a promise Biden delivered often as he sought to cast the disruptions of his predecessor, Donald Trump, as an anomaly. But nearly five years later, Biden's assurances have proven short-lived. In his second term, Trump has cast aside alliances forged over seven decades with Europe that helped lead to the reunification of Germany and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He has hectored leaders, making demands and levelling accusations more commonly associated with enemies. In the process, he has rocked the stability that has sustained the relationships and left countries to chart a course without US leadership. The most stark example of this shift has been Trump's threat to take over Greenland, dismissing the nation as a large "piece of ice" as he demanded that Denmark cede control to the US, a move that

'Left with no alternative': EU freezes US trade deal over Greenland threat

The European Parliament's trade committee was set to decide its stand on the deal on January 26-27, but the vote has now been postponed

Trump's 'Board of Peace' adds to US challenges against UN authority

US President Donald Trump's ambition for the 'Board of Peace' to play a role in global conflicts beyond Gaza appears to be the latest US attempt to sidestep the UN Security Council, raising new questions about the relevance of the 80-year-old world body and uncertainty about its future as a primary force in brokering peace worldwide. Trump is establishing the board, to be composed largely of invited heads of state, as the UN has embarked on major reforms intended to modernise an organisation founded on the ashes of World War II and make it a more viable global player in the 21st century. A decades-long reform effort gained new impetus after the Trump administration last year set out to eliminate billions of dollars in funding to international organisations and humanitarian assistance at large. Cutting life-saving humanitarian efforts, consolidating major agencies and moving personnel out of New York headquarters are just a few of the changes the UN has made as it courts continued ..

As Trump talks tariffs, Argentina welcomes 1st huge shipment of Chinese EVs

The vast field of over 5,800 electric and hybrid vehicles gleamed on the cargo deck of the BYD Changzhou, an Chinese container vessel unloading Wednesday at a river port in eastern Argentina. In other places, such a scene would not be noteworthy. Chinese automaker BYD has sped up its exports and undercut rivals the world over, alarming Washington, upsetting Western and Japanese auto giants, and unnerving local industries across Southeast Asia, Africa and Latin America. But the sight of so many new Chinese EVs gliding onto a muddy river bank in Buenos Aires province was unprecedented for Argentina. "This milestone reflects a long-term vision in Argentina - to invest, to steadily expand our dealer network across the entire national territory," Stephen Deng, the country manager for BYD in Argentina, said. The giant BYD logo gracing the ship's hull and each car window sent shockwaves through this crisis-stricken economy run for decades by the left-wing populist movement of Peronism tha

Trump says Canada 'lives because of US' after Carney rebukes Washington

Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Wednesday, Trump pointed out his proposed Golden Dome missile shield would also defend Canadian airspace

Elizabeth Holmes asks Trump to shorten prison sentence for Theranos fraud

White House is sifting through thousands of clemency requests, including a pardon bid by Archegos Capital Management founder Bill Hwang, who was convicted over the collapse of his $36 bn family office

Trump warns Powell won't be 'very happy' if he stays on at Federal Reserve

The Trump administration has intensified its fight against the current Fed chair, issuing subpoenas hinting at a possible criminal probe into the central bank's renovation of Washington headquarters