Putin-Trump summit: What each side wants

The US and Russian presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin are to meet at a US air base in Alaska on Friday for talks on the Ukraine war.Expectations are high for the first summit between sitting US and Russian presidents in more than four years, but Moscow and Kyiv remain far apart in their visions on how to end the conflict.It will be Putin’s first trip to a Western country since launching his invasion in February 2022, as well as his first US visit in 10 years.Here is a look at what each side hopes to achieve from the talks:- Russia -For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia’s hardline demands for ending the conflict.In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions that Moscow claimed to annex in 2022. Ukraine has rejected the idea.Russia has also called on Ukraine to halt its military mobilisation, abandon its NATO ambitions, and for Western countries to immediately stop weapon supplies — something critics say amounts to capitulation.In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the “rights and freedoms” of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the “glorification of Nazism”.It also wants Western sanctions lifted.Ukraine says Russia’s allegations of Nazism are absurd and that it already guarantees rights to Russian speakers.- Ukraine -Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is not scheduled to take part in the summit, but has said there can be no peace deal without its involvement. He has called the meeting a “personal victory” for Putin.Ukraine has called for an unconditional ceasefire on land, sea and sky as a prerequisite to peace talks.It wants both sides to release all prisoners of war and demanded the return of Ukrainian children it says Russia illegally kidnapped.Ukraine says Russia has forcibly transferred thousands of Ukrainian children into areas under its control since the war began, often adopting them into Russian families and assigning them Russian citizenship.Russia rejects the kidnapping allegations but acknowledges that thousands of children are on its territory.Ukraine says any deal must include security guarantees to prevent Russia from attacking again, and that there should be no restrictions on the number of troops it can deploy on its territory.It says sanctions on Russia can only be lifted gradually and that there should be a way of reimposing them if needed.- United States -Trump promised he would end the war within “24 hours” after taking office in January. But eight months on, and even after repeated calls with Putin and several visits to Russia by US envoy Steve Witkoff, he has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin.The summit is his first opportunity to broker a deal in person.The US president, author of the book “Trump: The Art of the Deal” said on Wednesday that Russia would face “very severe consequences” if it did not halt its offensive.The US leader initially said there would be some “land swapping going on” at the talks, but appeared to walk back after speaking with European leaders on Wednesday.Trump has said he would “like to see a ceasefire very, very quickly”. But the White House has played down expectations of a breakthrough, describing it as a “listening exercise” for the former reality TV star.”If the first one goes okay, we’ll have a quick second one,” Trump said, hinting Zelensky could take part in a subsequent summit.- Europe -Despite providing military support for Ukraine and hosting millions of Ukrainian refugees, European leaders have been sidelined from the peace talks that may affect the region’s security architecture in the future.European representatives were neither invited to the past three meetings between Russian and Ukrainian officials in Istanbul, nor to the Russia-US talks in Riyadh in February.In a statement last week, the leaders of Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Poland, Finland and the EU Commission warned there could be no meaningful peace without Ukraine’s participation.”Territorial questions concerning Ukraine can be, and will be, negotiated only by the Ukrainian president,” French President Emmanuel Macron said after speaking with Trump on Wednesday.Macron and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer have signalled they are willing to deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine once the fighting ends, an idea Russia has vehemently rejected.

Asia stocks mixed before US-Russia summit

Asian stocks were mixed Friday after better-than-expected Japanese growth and weak Chinese data, while oil slipped back ahead of a US-Russia summit on Ukraine.On Thursday Wall Street finished little changed as strong wholesale inflation data tempered optimism about the US Federal Reserve cutting interest rates.A quarter-point cut is still expected but a larger half-point rate cut is likely “off the table”, said Jack Ablin of Cresset Capital Management.Intel surged 7.4 percent following a Bloomberg News report that US President Donald Trump is considering an investment in the beleaguered chip company in exchange for a government stake.Japan’s economy grew 0.3 percent in the three months to June, while output for the previous period was revised upwards, averting a possible technical recession for the world’s number four economy.The expansion came despite tariffs imposed by Trump on Japanese imports, including on cars — an industry accounting for eight percent of Japanese jobs.In morning trade in Asia, the Nikkei was up almost one percent while Shanghai, Seoul and Sydney also moved higher.But Hong Kong’s Hang Seng fell for the second straight day after Chinese retail sales and industrial production grew at a slower rate than expected last month.A long-term crisis in the real estate sector and high youth unemployment have been weighing on Chinese consumer sentiment for several years.The situation has worsened with the heightened turmoil sparked by Trump’s trade war.Oil prices dipped, reversing gains on Thursday ahead of Trump’s Alaska summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on ending the Ukraine war.Oil traders are worried “that if the meeting doesn’t go well, we’ll see stronger sanctions on Russian oil thereby depriving the world of or making it much difficult for this oil to get to the market”, said Stephen Schork of the Schork Group.- Key figures at around 0230 GMT -Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 0.9 percent at 43,036.46Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.1 percent at 25,236.62Shanghai – Composite: UP 0.3 percent at 3,675.05Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1658 from $1.1657 on ThursdayPound/dollar: UP at $1.3543 from $1.3535 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 147.28 yen from 147.76Euro/pound: UP at 86.06 pence from 86.05 penceWest Texas Intermediate: DOWN 0.2 percent at $63.84 per barrelBrent North Sea Crude: DOWN 0.1 percent at $66.76 per barrelNew York – Dow: DOWN less than 0.1 percent at 44,911.26 (close)London – FTSE 100: UP 0.1 percent at 9,177.24 (close)burs-stu/dhc

Présidentielle en Bolivie: les communautés autochtones face au changement

Un vent nouveau souffle sur El  Alto, la ville qui domine La Paz, à la veille du premier tour de la présidentielle de dimanche, où la droite pourrait mettre fin à deux décennies de socialisme.Perchée à plus de 4.100 mètres d’altitude, la cité semble dominée par un paquebot échoué au sommet d’un immeuble de neuf étages.Surnommé “Titanic”, l’édifice s’inscrit dans une constellation de demeures extravagantes de style andin, érigées au cours des 20 dernières années par la bourgeoisie aymara émergente.Victor Choque Flores, un homme d’affaires autodidacte, a investi des millions de dollars pour rejoindre le cercle très fermé des propriétaires de “cholets”, ces édifices de style néo-andin dont le nom mêle “chalet” et “chola”, en référence aux femmes autochtones. Sorti de la misère grâce au commerce et à l’immobilier, l’homme de 46 ans a doté le sien d’une salle de bal, d’un hôtel et d’un bateau de croisière de trois étages au sommet. Il symbolise pour lui l’identité aymara. “C’est un peu comme nous, les Aymaras, enracinés dans le passé mais tournés vers l’avenir”, souffle-t-il. Reconnaissant le rôle historique de l’ancien président Evo Morales, premier dirigeant indigène de Bolivie (2006-2019), qui a permis une plus grande inclusion politique de la majorité autochtone, il se dit néanmoins prêt à adopter “une autre ligne politique” pour sortir le pays de la grave crise économique qu’il traverse.Pour la première fois depuis 2005, la droite pourrait l’emporter dimanche, les candidats de gauche étant à la peine dans les sondages.Ecarté par la limite des mandats et visé par un mandat d’arrêt, Evo Morales, figure historique de la gauche bolivienne, n’a pas pu se présenter, tandis que le président sortant, Luis Arce, profondément impopulaire, a renoncé à briguer un second mandat.- “Plus jamais” -Au coeur de ce tournant électoral, El  Alto, incarne un destin étroitement lié à celui de la gauche bolivienne.C’est dans cette ville qu’une répression sanglante d’une révolte liée aux exportations de gaz provoqua en 2003 la chute du président de droite de l’époque, ouvrant la voie à l’accession d’Evo Morales au pouvoir trois ans plus tard.Désormais, partout sur les murs, des graffitis relaient la promesse du candidat de centre droit Samuel Doria Medina, au coude-à-coude avec l’ancien président de droite Jorge Quiroga, de juguler la crise en “100 dias, carajo!” (100 jours, bon sang!).Signe de l’importance du vote dans ce bastion traditionnel de la gauche, le magnat de l’hôtellerie et de la restauration rapide y a organisé son dernier rassemblement de campagne.Dans le studio de la radio San Gabriel, diffusée en langue aymara, Arcenio Julio Tancara, un leader communautaire de 72 ans, exprime à l’antenne sa colère face à l’appel d’Evo Morales à voter nul pour protester contre sa mise à l’écart, selon lui orchestrée par le gouvernement, alors qu’il espérait briguer un quatrième mandat.”Il a toujours appelé à des grèves et à des barrages”, peste l’homme coiffé d’un chapeau de feutre à large bord. “Au début, nous pensions que cela pouvait être nécessaire, mais depuis nous avons compris que ce n’était pas pour une cause, mais simplement pour qu’il reprenne le pouvoir”, affirme-t-il.Santos Colque Quelca, l’animateur de 38 ans de la station, assure que si certains auditeurs soutiennent la gauche, d’autres disent désormais aussi : “plus jamais Evo, ni Arce”.”Si la droite gagne… le peuple se soulèvera”, prévient cependant Matilde Choque Apaza, 49 ans, dirigeante d’une association de femmes autochtones et rurales. Déclarant ne pas vouloir “revenir au 20e siècle”, elle assure que les candidats de l’opposition “serrent les mains avec ferveur”, mais lorsqu’ils montent dans leur voiture se les désinfectent.Dans les rues de la ville de près d’un million d’habitants, des femmes coiffées de chapeaux melon et vêtues de jupes colorées vendent leurs marchandises, tandis que glissent au-dessus d’elles les cabines du téléphérique urbain le plus haut au monde, reliant El Alto à La Paz et inauguré sous Evo Morales. 

Raising the bar: Nepal’s emerging cocktail culture

On a lively weekend, a bartender in Nepal’s capital Kathmandu balances carefully a slice of titaura, a local tangy and spicy hog plum treat, on top of a martini glass.The drink is an example of how a new wave of cocktail bars is combining age-old techniques with local traditions to craft uniquely Nepali drinks to make a global mark.Until recently, cocktails were an afterthought on most bar menus in the capital of the Himalayan nation, often overshadowed by beers or straight spirits.Concoctions available tended to be unbalanced, too strong or far too sweet.But over the past five years, the city’s cocktail scene has changed, led by a new generation of bartenders turning global experience into local innovation.”It’s definitely evolving at a very fast pace,” Abhishek Tuladhar, who started his own bar after returning home to Kathmandu from a finance job in Singapore, told AFP.”We’re really thrilled, because we have a lot of ingredients and a lot of talent that we can definitely showcase to the world.”Tuladhar’s Barc this year won the prestigious Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ Michter’s Art Of Hospitality Award, a first for Nepal, and has climbed up their rankings to number 35.The speakeasy Barc’s menu champions tea from Ilam in western Nepal, childhood tangy street favourites like titaura and khattu — dried fruit sweet snacks — and local rice spirit aila, flavouring it with local spices.”I think it is understanding that flavour and making it palatable to all markets,” Tuladhar said. “It’s not just a direct translation.”- ‘Forced creativity’ -When Rabin Gurung returned from Hong Kong and decided to open a cocktail bar, he spent months trying to finding a simple key ingredient — lemon.”Classic cocktail recipes demand lemon, but I could only find lime in the markets,” said Gurung, 37, co-founder of the bar Bitters & Co.”We sent out people to look at all citrus grown here in Nepal until we found something.”Many imported ingredients and liqueurs can be hard to find — or are very expensive.US-returnee Santosh Faiia, 29, who runs the popular BlackBird bar and newly opened Layaa in the heart of Kathmandu’s tourist hub Thamel, said that the struggle to find ingredients forced the industry to be “creative”.Bartenders now make several ingredients from scratch, including special bubble-less clear ice, house bitters, and syrups infused with local botanicals like rhododendron.That approach is paying off.With a growing curiosity among Nepali drinkers and tourists alike, bartenders now find themselves at the heart of a fast-evolving scene.”I think that is what creates a great amount of excitement amongst consumers. And that is why I think the recognition has happened,” said veteran Indian bartender Yangdup Lama, who has designed the cocktail menu of the newly opened Old House in Kathmandu. “There’s this ‘wow’ factor.”Both BlackBird and Bitters & Co have previously been listed in Asia’s 50 Best Bars’ extended list. – ‘Nepali hospitality’ -Growing interest in cocktails is driving new investments, creating more stable job opportunities for bartenders, particularly significant in a country where around 1,600 young people leave daily in search of work abroad.”Things are gradually shifting, and bartending is starting to be seen as a viable career path so people can work here in Nepal and stay close to their families,” said Faiia.The drinks themselves are out of the price range of many ordinary people in Nepal, one of the poorest countries in Asia.But several new bars have popped up in the last year that prominently feature cocktail recipes with home-grown names and ingredients.  Emma Sleight, head of content for Asia’s 50 Best Bars, sees strong potential in Nepal’s emerging bar scene.”Anyone who has experienced Nepali hospitality knows it is full of sincerity and heart,” she said.”Combine that with Nepal’s rich culture, its incredible ingredients, and the passion of its people, and you get something truly unique.”

Japan posts modest growth despite US tariffs

Japan eked out modest growth in the second quarter despite painful US tariffs, official data showed Friday, in welcome news to embattled Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.A preliminary estimate showed gross domestic product (GDP) in the world’s number four economy growing 0.3 percent in the three months to June, above market forecasts of 0.1 percent.The cabinet office data also saw a revision upwards for its reading for the previous quarter to show an expansion of 0.1 percent.On an annualised basis, GDP grew 1.0 percent, beating market forecasts of 0.4 percent and following 0.6 percent in the last quarter.The previous estimate was for a contraction and, without the revision, a second negative reading would have put Japan in technical recession.The new figures are a fillip for Ishiba, whose future has been uncertain since the disastrous upper house elections in July.With voters angry about the cost of living, his coalition lost its majority months after it suffered a similar catastrophe in the lower chamber.An opinion poll this week by broadcaster NHK suggested, however, that more people want Ishiba to stay than to quit. There is also no obvious successor to the 68-year-old leader, who took office in October, while the opposition is likely too fragmented to form an alternative government.- Trade deal -The economic growth came despite tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump being applied to Japanese imports into the United States.Causing particular pain are levies of 27.5 percent on Japanese cars, a sector that accounts for eight percent of all jobs in Japan.Japan last month secured a trade deal that cut a threatened 25 percent “reciprocal” tariffs on other Japanese goods to 15 percent.The rate on Japanese cars was also cut to 15 percent, although to Tokyo’s consternation, this has yet to take effect.Toyota this month cut its annual net income forecast by 14 percent, projecting a $9.5 billion hit from the tariffs this year.First-quarter profits halved at Honda, but the firm lowered its forecast for the tariff impact, as did electronics giant Sony.Economist Yoshiki Shinke at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute said that Japan’s economy still faces “many downside risks”, with exports the major concern.Automakers “are expected to rethink their pricing strategies, and there is a possibility they may move to raise prices in the future,” Shinke said in a note.”In such a case, sales volumes in the US are likely to decrease, and export volumes could also be pressured downward,” Shinke said before the release of the data.- ‘Behind the curve’ -Trump’s administration, meanwhile, is seen as pressuring the Bank of Japan (BoJ) to hike interest rates, which could put a brake on growth.The BoJ has been reluctant to raise borrowing costs, seeing above-target inflation as caused by temporary factors.”The Japanese have an inflation problem,” US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent told Bloomberg TV after speaking to the BoJ governor.”They are behind the curve, so they are going to be hiking,” Bessent said.Experts said the comments were likely driven by the Trump administration’s desire to weaken the dollar and address rising yields on US long-term bonds.Marcel Thieliant at Capital Economics said that despite the better-than-expected GDP figures, growth will “slow a bit over the coming quarters.””Nonetheless, with inflation set to remain far above the BoJ’s 2-percent target, we’re increasingly confident in our forecast that the Bank will resume its tightening cycle in October,” Thieliant said.

Man dies fleeing ICE raid in California: officials

A man who was believed to have been running from a raid by US immigration agents died Thursday after being hit by a car on a freeway, police said.City managers in Monrovia, near Los Angeles, said police had been called after there were reports of activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents at a Home Depot.During the raid, one man ran from the parking lot of the hardware store — a place where day laborers commonly gather looking for casual work — and onto a busy freeway during rush hour, Monrovia City Manager Dylan Feik told media.A spokesman for the California Highway Patrol (CHP) said the 40-year-old man was taken to a hospital where he died from his injuries a few hours later.Neither CHP nor the city were immediately able to provide any details on the man’s identity.Feik said: “The city has not received any communication or information from ICE.”ICE did not immediately respond to an AFP request for information.Masked and armed agents from ICE and US Border Patrol began carrying out raids in and around Los Angeles earlier this year, as President Donald Trump looked to fulfill his election promise to carry out the most deportations in US history.The raids, which target hardware stores, carwashes and other businesses where undocumented people seek work, sparked fury in the mutlicultural city.Protests in Los Angeles, some of which saw isloated instances of violence, were met with the mass deployment of soliders by the federal government, even as local law enforcement said they could handle the unrest.A federal court in July ordered a halt to ICE’s roving patrols in several California counties, after rights groups argued that the raids appeared to be arresting people largely based on their race, the language they were speaking or the place they had gathered.