AFP USA

The retrial of Harvey Weinstein, whose prosecution and conviction for rape and sex assault ignited the “MeToo” movement, kicks off in New York on Tuesday.The disgraced movie mogul’s 2017 conviction by a jury was overturned seven years later by an appeals court that ruled the way witnesses were handled in the original trial was unlawful.The voiding of the jury’s verdict by the New York Court of Appeals was a setback to the movement against sexual violence and the promotion of justice for survivors.Former Miramax studio boss Weinstein will be in the dock for the sexual assault of former production assistant Mimi Haleyi in 2006, the rape of aspiring actress Jessica Mann in 2013, and a new count for an alleged sexual assault in 2006 at a hotel in Manhattan.The trial, expected to last up to six weeks in a Manhattan criminal court, begins Tuesday with jury selection, which could take five days, according to Judge Curtis Farber.Weinstein, 73, hopes the case will be judged with “fresh eyes,” more than seven years after investigations by the New York Times and the New Yorker led to his spectacular downfall and a global backlash against predatory abusers.Weinstein is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being convicted on separate rape charges in California in 2023 for raping and assaulting a European actor a decade prior.- ‘Seeking justice’ -The producer of a string of box office hits like “Sex, Lies and Videotape,” “Pulp Fiction” and “Shakespeare in Love,” Weinstein has appeared frail and gaunt at recent courtroom hearings ahead of the trial.”It’ll be very, very different because of the attitude of New York City, New York State and, I think, the overall country,” said his lawyer Arthur Aidala.”Five years ago, when you guys were here, there were protests. There were people chanting: ‘Fry Harvey, he’s a rapist’… I think that, overall, has died down,” he said, adding that he hoped jurors would try the case on its merits.Weinstein has never acknowledged any wrongdoing and has always maintained that the encounters were consensual.Accusers describe the movie mogul as a predator who used his perch atop the cinema industry to pressure actresses and assistants for sexual favors, often in hotel rooms.Since his downfall, Weinstein has been accused of harassment, sexual assault or rape by more than 80 women, including actors Angelina Jolie, Gwyneth Paltrow and Ashley Judd.In 2020, a jury of New Yorkers found Weinstein guilty of two out of five charges — the sexual assault of Mimi Haleyi and the rape of Jessica Mann.But the conviction and the 23-year prison sentence were overturned in April 2024.In a hotly debated four-to-three decision, New York’s appeals court ruled that jurors should not have heard testimonies of victims about sexual assaults for which Harvey Weinstein was not indicted.”It really reflects the challenges that survivors face in seeking justice for sexual assault,” said Laura Palumbo of the National Sexual Violence Resource Center. The three survivors of Weinstein’s alleged crimes are expected to testify once again.

Kneecap, the hip hop trio whose irreverent Irish-language raps are a beating anti-colonialist cry with a growing worldwide fanbase, had heard Coachella crowds were full of dilettantes who didn’t dance.But the group debuted at the top music festival over the weekend to a packed, exuberant audience, some of whom sported Irish tricolor balaclavas as they headbanged, screamed and moshed along — whether they understood the Irish lyrics or not.Kneecap has enjoyed a blockbuster year following the release of their album “Fine Art” and their acclaimed semi-fictional eponymous biopic.Playing Coachella was yet another “milestone,” said DJ Provai, whose signature look includes the aforementioned balaclavas — even if it was ill-suited for California’s searing desert sun.”Our poor little pasty Irish skin, we’re not built for this,” Mo Chara said.While sipping aperol spritzes backstage the members of Kneecap joked to AFP they’re mere “small city boys.”But their electrifying set a couple hours later was living proof of the global chord they have struck.”We didn’t think that the movie would resonate with anybody outside of Ireland,” said Moglai Bap. “But actually, in reality, it was about an international story.””It’s an international story of languages being oppressed, because obviously the first protocol for colonialism is to eradicate the language and the culture,” echoed Chara.- ‘Voice to voiceless people’ -For Kneecap, rapping in Irish is an act of resistance: the language was long suppressed, and only became officially recognized in Northern Ireland in 2022.”The best thing you can do for your child in Ireland is to send them to an Irish school,” said Chara. “When you lose our language, you lose understanding of where you’re from.””We had 32 words for fields. It depends on where the sun rises, or if it was a deep field… you lose all that whenever we have these new monolingual societies.”The bandmates have said fans tell them their music — hip hop in the vein of Rage Against The Machine, infused with rock and electronic influences — has inspired newfound interest in learning or improving their Irish.That’s “a process of decolonization,” Bap said, replacing “shame” in language and identity with “confidence.””Everybody longs I think, deep down, for that sense of being grounded — of having an identity and being connected to something,” he added.For Kneecap, hip hop — the Black American art form that grew out of experiences of injustice and inequality — is a natural vehicle.”Storytelling is such a massive part of Irish culture,” Chara said. “It’s always passed down orally, same as any Indigenous language.”History, he continued, “is always written by the winner. That’s where hip hop stems from — it’s the story of the people who never got to tell their story.””It gives a voice to voiceless people,” added DJ Provai.- ‘Investing in a community’ -Kneecap has made a point of drawing parallels between their own experiences under a colonizing force to those elsewhere in the world, notably the plight of Palestinians.They have become one of music’s most strident voices on the war in Gaza.”We are from Belfast and Derry, Ireland which are still under British rule,” they told their Coachella audience, “but there’s a worse occupation happening now.””Free Palestine!” they said to roaring cheers.Speaking to AFP, the artists said they’ve watched the recent suppression of pro-Palestinian activism under Donald Trump’s White House with concern: “It’s obviously a pretty scary time for people here,” Chara said.And “it’s quite ironic for America, a place that preaches free speech,” Bap added.The members of Kneecap have been at the center of controversies including over their provocative, satirical lyrics as well as an arts grant that evolved into court proceedings revolving around allegations of anti-British sentiment.Kneecap won the case late last year — and of course, such high-profile wrangling has the ultimate effect of drawing attention to their cause. Part of their mission includes showing how language can have intrinsic worth beyond economic value, Bap said, adding that no one was learning Irish to widen their job prospects.Rapping in Irish “is not a good business, not on paper,” Chara laughed — although the raucous, raging crowds at Coachella might indicate otherwise.

US President Donald Trump will host his El Salvador counterpart Nayib Bukele at the White House on Monday, highlighting the central American leader’s role as a top ally in Washington’s crackdown on undocumented immigration.Bukele has agreed to accept migrants deported from the United States, locking up more than 250 in a notorious Salvadoran prison.The vast majority are Venezuelans, accused by Trump’s administration of being members of the Tren de Aragua gang, though rights organizations have decried what they called “forced disappearances and arbitrary detention.”Relatives of some deportees deny their loved ones are gang members.Political scientist Napoleon Campos said the meeting between Bukele and Trump had become oversimplified to “the issue of a heavy-handed security approach.””There are other topics that could be discussed, such as investments and trade, but it all comes down to talking about a prison,” he said.Trump posted on his Truth Social platform Saturday that the US and El Salvador are “working closely together to eradicate terrorist organizations, and build a future of Prosperity.”He added that future of the deported migrants in Salvadoran custody “is up to President B and his Government. They will never threaten or menace our Citizens again!”White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said Trump and Bukele “will discuss El Salvador’s partnership on using their supermax prison for Tren de Aragua and MS-13 gang members and how El Salvador’s cooperation with the United States has become a model for others to work with this administration.”Trump’s Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem even visited the 40,000-inmate CECOT prison last month, posing in front of a cell overflowing with seemingly dead-eyed and heavily tattooed men.Aside from political benefits for both Bukele and Trump in sending deportees to El Salvador, there is a potential security and economic boon for Bukele.His government received $6 million for taking deportees, which Bukele described as “a very low fee for them, but a high one for us.” Despite the partnership, El Salvador was among the dozens of US trade partners that the Trump administration slapped with 10 percent tariffs.The United States is the main destination for Salvadoran exports. Of the nearly $6.5 billion in goods exported from El Salvador in 2024, $2.1 billion went to the United States, including clothing, sugar and coffee, according to the central bank.”Trade needs to take off, to be fluid,” economist Cesar Villalona told AFP, predicting a fall in exports under the new tariff.For this reason, the president of the Salvadoran Industrial Association, Jorge Arriaza, hopes Bukele’s visit to the White House will provide “a little more clarity” about the tariff’s implementation.The United States is home to 2.5 million Salvadorans who are a mainstay of their native country’s economy.El Salvador received $8.5 billion in family remittances in 2024, 23 percent of the country’s GDP. In January and February, remittances grew 14 percent compared to the same period in 2024, due to fears over deportation, according to economists.Some analysts say Bukele should urge Trump to soften policies toward Salvadoran migrants.”His priority should be the immigration situation of Salvadorans in the United States,” academic Carlos Carcach told AFP.

The Trump administration has exempted a raft of consumer electronics from its punishing import tariffs — offering relief to US tech firms and partially dialling down a trade war with China.A notice late Friday by the US Customs and Border Protection office said smartphones, laptops, memory chips and other products would be excluded from the global levies President Donald Trump rolled out a week ago.The move came as retaliatory Chinese import tariffs of 125 percent on US goods took effect Saturday, with Beijing standing defiant against its biggest trade partner.The exemptions will benefit US tech companies like Nvidia and Dell, as well as Apple, which makes iPhones and other premium products in China.And they will generally narrow the impact of the staggering 145 percent tariffs Trump has imposed this year on Chinese goods entering the United States.US Customs data suggests the exempted items account for more than 20 percent of those Chinese imports, according to senior RAND researcher Gerard DiPippo.Washington and Beijing’s escalating tariff battle has raised fears of an enduring trade war between the world’s two largest economies and sent global markets into a tailspin.The fallout has sent particular shockwaves through the US economy, with investors dumping government bonds, the dollar tumbling and consumer confidence plunging.Adding to the pressure on Trump, Wall Street billionaires — including a number of his own supporters — have openly criticized the whole tariff strategy as damaging and counter-productive. – Tech relief -Daniel Ives, senior equity analyst at Wedbush Securities, called the US exemptions the “best news possible” for tech investors.The exclusions remove “a huge black cloud” that had threatened to take the US tech sector “back a decade” and significantly slow AI development, Ives said in a note.Many of the exempted products, including hard drives and computer processors, are not generally made in the United States, with Trump arguing tariffs are a way to bring domestic manufacturing back.Commenting on the exemptions announcement, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt insisted that the likes of Apple and Nvidia were still “hustling to onshore their manufacturing in the United States” as soon as possible.Many analysts, however, say it will likely take years to ramp up domestic production.With tariffs still in force on less complex products, Trump’s “exemptions will not reshore iPhones or tech goods and they will not reshore either cheap goods we can’t and won’t produce at home,” New York University economist Nouriel Roubini posted Saturday on X.The president’s policy was “contradictory, dissonant, inconsistent and incoherent… taken by the seat of the pants,” he added.- China ‘not afraid’ -Even with Washington and Beijing going toe to toe and financial markets in turmoil, Trump has remained adamant that his tariff policy is on the right track.Beijing has vowed not to give in to what it sees as bullying tactics, and — in his first comments on the tensions — President Xi Jinping stressed Friday that China was “not afraid.”Economists warn the disruption in trade between the tightly integrated US and Chinese economies will increase prices for consumers and could spark a global recession.The US alone buys up 16.4 percent of Chinese exports, according to Beijing’s trade data, making for total exchanges between the two countries worth $500 billion — with the US sending significantly less the other way.China’s Commerce Minister Wang Wentao told the head of the World Trade Organization (WTO) that US tariffs will “inflict serious harm” on poor nations.”The United States has continuously introduced tariff measures, bringing enormous uncertainty and instability to the world, causing chaos both internationally and domestically within the US,” Wang told WTO chief Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala in a call.The White House says Trump remains “optimistic” about securing a deal with China, although administration officials have made it clear they expect Beijing to reach out first.

The United States and Iran opened high-stakes talks on Tehran’s nuclear programme on Saturday with President Donald Trump threatening military action if they fail to produce a deal.The two sides entered “indirect” talks — via an intermediary — in the Omani capital Muscat, Iran’s foreign ministry said. The Americans had called for the meetings to be face-to-face.Disagreement over the format indicated the task facing the long-term adversaries, who are seeking a new nuclear deal after Trump pulled out of an earlier agreement during his first term in 2018.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is leading the Iranian delegation while Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff heads the US team.”Our intention is to reach a fair and honourable agreement from an equal position,” Araghchi said in a video posted by Iranian state TV.Iran, weakened by Israel’s pummelling of its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, is seeking relief from wide-ranging sanctions hobbling its economy.Tehran has agreed to the meetings despite baulking at Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign of ramping up sanctions and repeated military threats.Meanwhile the US, hand-in-glove with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel, wants to stop Tehran from ever getting close to developing a nuclear bomb.- Witkoff open to ‘compromise’ -Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal earlier that “our position today” starts with demanding that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear programme — a view held by hardliners around Trump that few expect Iran would ever accept.”That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries,” Witkoff told the newspaper.”Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponisation of your nuclear capability,” he added.The talks were revealed in a surprise announcement by Trump as he met the press alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.Hours before they begin, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s adviser Ali Shamkhani said Tehran was “seeking a real and fair agreement”, adding that “important and implementable proposals are ready”.Saturday’s contact between the two sides, which have not had diplomatic relations for decades, follows repeated threats of military action by both the United States and Israel.”If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump said on Wednesday when asked what would happen if the talks fail to produce a deal.Responding to Trump’s threat, Tehran said it could expel United Nations nuclear inspectors, a move that Washington warned would be an “escalation”.- ‘Survival of the regime’ -The 2015 deal that Trump exited aimed to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear programme.Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany were the other parties to the agreement, of which Araghchi was a key architect.Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump abandoned the 2015 agreement.The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report noted with “serious concern” that Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, nearing the weapons grade of 90 percent.Karim Bitar, a Middle East Studies lecturer at Sciences Po university in Paris, said negotiations “will not focus exclusively on… the nuclear programme”.”The deal would have to include Iran stopping its support to its regional allies,” a long-standing demand by US allies in the Gulf, he said.For Iran, it could be a matter of the government’s very survival.”The one and only priority is the survival of the regime, and ideally, to get some oxygen, some sanctions relief, to get their economy going again, because the regime has become quite unpopular,” Bitar said.

Iran’s top diplomat arrived in Oman on Saturday and began laying the groundwork for high-stakes nuclear talks with the United States that are unfolding under the threat of military action.Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi flew in ahead of the foes’ highest-level discussions since an international agreement on Iran’s nuclear programme crumbled after US President Donald Trump pulled out during his first term in office.”Our intention is to reach a fair and honourable agreement from an equal position,” Araghchi said in a video posted by Iranian state TV.Iran, weakened by Israel’s pummelling of its allies Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Gaza, is seeking relief from wide-ranging sanctions hobbling its economy.Tehran has agreed to the meetings despite baulking at Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign of ramping up sanctions and repeated military threats.Meanwhile the US, hand-in-glove with Iran’s arch-enemy Israel, wants to stop Tehran from ever getting close to developing a nuclear bomb.The two sides are already at odds over the format of the talks, with the US calling them “direct” while the Iranians insist on using an intermediary.After arriving in Muscat, Araghchi set out Iran’s position on the “indirect” talks with Oman’s Foreign Minister Badr bin Hamad Al Busaidi, an Iranian statement said.”Araghchi provided the Omani foreign minister with Iran’s basis and positions on the talks for transmission to the other side,” Iran’s foreign ministry said.Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to lead the US team in Oman, which has long played a mediating role between Iran and Western countries.- Witkoff open to ‘compromise’ -Witkoff told The Wall Street Journal that “our position today” starts with demanding that Iran completely dismantle its nuclear programme — a view held by hardliners around Trump that few expect Iran would ever accept.”That doesn’t mean, by the way, that at the margin we’re not going to find other ways to find compromise between the two countries,” Witkoff told the newspaper.”Where our red line will be, there can’t be weaponisation of your nuclear capability,” he added.The talks were revealed in a surprise announcement by Trump as he met the press alongside Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday.Hours before they begin, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One: “I want Iran to be a wonderful, great, happy country. But they can’t have a nuclear weapon.”Iranian supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s adviser Ali Shamkhani said Tehran was “seeking a real and fair agreement”, adding that “important and implementable proposals are ready”.Saturday’s contact between the two sides, which have not had diplomatic relations for decades, follows repeated threats of military action by both the United States and Israel.”If it requires military, we’re going to have military,” Trump said on Wednesday when asked what would happen if the talks fail to produce a deal.Responding to Trump’s threat, Tehran said it could expel United Nations nuclear inspectors, a move that Washington warned would be an “escalation”.- ‘Survival of the regime’ -The 2015 deal that Trump exited three years later aimed to make it practically impossible for Iran to build an atomic bomb, while at the same time allowing it to pursue a civil nuclear programme.Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany were the other parties to the agreement, of which Araghchi was a key architect.Iran, which insists its nuclear programme is only for civilian purposes, stepped up its activities after Trump abandoned the 2015 agreement.The latest International Atomic Energy Agency report noted with “serious concern” that Iran had an estimated 274.8 kilograms of uranium enriched to 60 percent, nearing the weapons grade of 90 percent.Karim Bitar, a Middle East Studies lecturer at Sciences Po university in Paris, said negotiations “will not focus exclusively on… the nuclear programme”.”The deal would have to include Iran stopping its support to its regional allies,” a long-standing demand by US allies in the Gulf, he said.For Iran, it could be a matter of the government’s very survival.”The one and only priority is the survival of the regime, and ideally, to get some oxygen, some sanctions relief, to get their economy going again, because the regime has become quite unpopular,” Bitar said.

Lady Gaga performed a gothic fever dream of a set to headline day one of Coachella late Friday, delighting a massive crowd gathered to watch Mother Monster herself perform hits old and new.Fresh off the release of her latest album “Mayhem,” the marquee performer of Friday’s lineup entertained her legions of Little Monsters, as her fans are known, with a 90-minute set that included simulations of death and rebirth.She leaned heavily into her new work of dancepop tracks, but the crowd roared when she performed the major hits that made her name, including “Paparazzi” and “Bad Romance.”Her rendition of “Poker Face” saw Gaga playing against her dancers in a giant chess game — the type of performance art that made her one of the contemporary era’s seminal pop stars.Missy Elliott meanwhile delivered a headliner-worthy show of her own, a blistering, catalog-spanning set featuring trippy visuals, lasers and her smashes including “Lose Control,” “Get Ur Freak On” and “Work It.”Benson Boone performed his hit of the moment “Beautiful Things” — and did his signature showtime backflip, of course — as well as a rendition of “Bohemian Rhapsody” backed by none other than Queen guitarist Brian May.British punk ravers The Prodigy packed a tent for their late-night set, and Blackpink’s Lisa — fresh off a role in HBO’s hit show “The White Lotus” — electrified the stage solo, having twice performed at Coachella with her bandmates.South African star Tyla meanwhile brought out a massive crowd as she gyrated alongside her troupe of dancers and a giant tiger statue on Friday, a year after an injury forced her to pull out of the annual festival.Later in the weekend, Charli XCX is expected to turn the grounds her signature “brat” green, after a blockbuster year that saw her latest album propel her to new echelons of fame.Travis Scott will play a special guest slot following Green Day’s top-billed Saturday set, years after the hip-hop performer was slated to headline the 2020 festival, which was ultimately scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.And Post Malone will close out the weekend as Sunday’s headliner.- Heating up -The desert weekend marks the unofficial start of music festival season — and it was a scorcher, with temperatures cracking the 100-degree Fahrenheit mark (37.8 degrees Celsius).That made sunscreen dispensers and water refill stations some of the hottest destinations on the poorly shaded grounds as the afternoon sun blazed.Among the tens of thousands of music fans who traversed the sprawling grounds, many wielded paper fans and parasols, even as some sported leather get-ups at the festival that also doubles as a fashion runway.The heat was especially tough on the exuberant costumed dancers of the kids’ television musical show “Yo Gabba Gabba!” who made starring appearances on the grounds Friday afternoon, delighting revelers young and old who scrambled to take selfies with the characters.The show, first released in 2007, has a cult following and is slated to perform a full set on Saturday with a number of celebrity guest stars.”So many ‘kids’ attending the festival, grew up watching the show,” said show co-creator Christian Jacobs in a backstage interview with AFP. “That’s exciting.”Saturday is also expected to include a buzzy set helmed by conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in the first performance by a major professional orchestra at Coachella.- Rock’s got the beat -The ever-eclectic Coachella has leaned decidedly pop over the past decade, but the 2025 edition is getting back to the festival’s rock roots. Legendary all-women rock band The Go-Gos donned glittering, metallic outfits as they reunited at Coachella, performing their hits including “Vacation” and “We Got the Beat.”They also invited Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong onstage for a rendition of “Head Over Heels.”Along with The Go-Gos and Green Day, rock acts including the original Misfits, Jimmy Eat World and cult punk legends Circle Jerks are slated to play.”In this world gone sideways we know one thing for certain — rock ‘n’ roll is forever, and its spirit is needed now more than ever,” said Armstrong this year in Billboard.Coachella 2025 takes place on April 11-13 and 18-20.

US envoy Steve Witkoff wrapped up his latest talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Friday, after President Donald Trump urged his Russian counterpart to move quicker to end what he said was the country’s “senseless war” with Ukraine.Trump has been pressing Moscow and Kyiv to agree a ceasefire deal but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated negotiations between Russian and US officials.The US leader told NBC News last month he was “pissed off” with his Russian counterpart, while top US diplomat Marco Rubio warned last week that Washington would not tolerate “endless negotiations” with Russia over the conflict.”Russia has to get moving,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform, adding that the conflict, which began in February 2022 when Moscow sent troops into Ukraine, was “senseless” and “should have never happened”.Kyiv and several of its Western allies suspect Russia of stalling the talks on purpose. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of dragging Beijing into the conflict and on Friday claimed that hundreds of Chinese nationals were fighting at the Ukraine front line alongside Russian troops.Trump’s post came just before Witkoff’s meeting with Putin at the presidential library in Saint Petersburg, which state news agencies said lasted four and a half hours.The Kremlin said afterwards only that the meeting had taken place and “focused on various aspects of the Ukrainian settlement”, without elaborating.Spokesman Dmitry Peskov had said earlier that he expected no diplomatic “breakthroughs” from the talks — Witkoff’s third with Putin since February.He also said “maybe” to a question about whether a possible meeting between Putin and Trump would be discussed.- Kellogg’s ‘zones of responsibility’ -After their last meeting, Witkoff — a long-time Trump ally who worked with the US president in real estate — said Putin was a “great leader” and “not a bad guy”.The envoy’s praise of a president long seen by the United States as an autocratic adversary highlights the dramatic turn in Washington’s approach to dealings with the Kremlin since Trump took office for a second term.Despite a flurry of diplomacy, there has been little meaningful progress on Trump’s main aim of achieving a ceasefire.Keith Kellogg, Trump’s special envoy to Ukraine, suggested British and French troops could adopt zones of control in the country, in an interview with The Times published Saturday.Kellogg suggested they could have areas of responsibility west of the Dnipro river, as part of a “reassurance force”, with a demilitarised zone separating them from Russian-occupied areas in the east.”You could almost make it look like what happened with Berlin after World War II,” he told the British newspaper.”I was speaking of a post-ceasefire resiliency force in support of Ukraine’s sovereignty. In discussions of partitioning, I was referencing areas or zones of responsibility for an allied force (without US troops),” he said later on X.- ‘Using Chinese lives’ – Kyiv said this week that its forces had captured two Chinese nationals in the eastern Donetsk region fighting for Moscow.The Kremlin denied the claim, while Beijing warned parties to the conflict against making “irresponsible remarks”.”As of now, we have information that at least several hundred Chinese nationals are fighting as part of Russia’s occupation forces,” Zelensky told military chiefs from allied countries in Brussels.”This means Russia is clearly trying to prolong the war — even by using Chinese lives.”The Ukrainian leader also called out Russia for having refused a complete ceasefire proposed by the United States with Ukrainian approval a month ago.Putin last month rejected a full and unconditional pause in the conflict, while the Kremlin has made a truce in the Black Sea conditional on the West lifting certain sanctions.- Question of trust -Trump has pushed for a broad rapprochement with Moscow, which has yielded some results.On Thursday, Russia freed dual US-Russian ballet dancer Ksenia Karelina from prison in exchange for suspected tech smuggler Arthur Petrov, the second exchange between Moscow and Washington in less than two months.Karelina, arrested last January while visiting Russia to see family, was serving a 12-year sentence on “treason” charges after she donated the equivalent of around $50 to a pro-Ukraine charity.The head of Moscow’s foreign intelligence service, Sergei Naryshkin, said Friday that Russia would discuss more prisoner swaps in the future.Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the swaps helped build confidence between the two sides, which deteriorated under former US president Joe Biden’s administration. “It helps build trust, which is much needed, but it will take a long time to finally restore it,” he told reporters.

The California desert was buzzing Friday as the premier music festival Coachella got underway, with Lady Gaga and Missy Elliott set to helm day one’s main stage.Thousands of music fans traversed the sprawling grounds whipping paper fans and wielding parasols, as temperatures cracked the 100-degree Fahrenheit mark (37.8 degrees Celsius).That made sunscreen dispensers and water refill stations some of the hottest destinations on the poorly shaded grounds as the afternoon sun blazed and camping attendees popped their tents.The desert weekend marks the unofficial start of music festival season, which Lady Gaga is priming to kick off with a bang. Fresh off the release of her latest album “Mayhem,” the pop superstar has vowed “a massive night of chaos.””Can’t wait to hear you all singalong and dance dance DANCE till we drop,” she posted when the lineup was announced.Other Friday features include Australian electropop band Parcels, and a rare stateside appearance from British punk ravers The Prodigy.South African star Tyla brought out a massive crowd as she gyrated alongside her troupe of dancers and a giant Tiger statue on Friday, one year after an injury forced her to pull out of the 2024 festival.And Blackpink’s Lisa — fresh off a role in HBO’s hit show “White Lotus” — took the stage solo Friday night, having twice performed at Coachella with her bandmates.Later in the weekend Charli XCX is expected to turn the grounds her signature “brat” green, after a blockbuster year that saw her latest album propel her to new echelons of fame.Travis Scott will play a special guest slot following Green Day’s Saturday set, years after the hip-hop performer was slated to headline the 2020 festival, which was ultimately scrapped due to the Covid-19 pandemic.- Rock revival -Legendary all-women rock band The Go-Gos donned glittering, metallic get-ups as they reunited at Coachella, bringing rock back to the desert as they performed their hits including “Vacation” and “We Got The Beat.”They also invited Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong onstage for a rendition of “Head Over Heels.”And pop star of the moment Benson Boone took the main stage ahead of the much-touted performances by Elliott and Gaga.The exuberant costumed dancers of the kids’ television musical show Yo Gabba Gabba! made starring appearances on the grounds Friday afternoon, delighting revelers young and old who scrambled to take selfies with the characters.The show first released in 2007 has a cult following and is slated to perform a full set on Saturday, a performance that promises to feature a number of celebrity guest stars.”So many ‘kids’ attending the festival, grew up watching the show,” said show co-creator Christian Jacobs in a backstage interview with AFP. “That’s exciting.”Fresh off a Grammy win, Venezuelan band Rawayana is also primed to play a top slot on Saturday.And celebrity conductor Gustavo Dudamel notably will lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in a sunset concert. There have been orchestral performances at Coachella before — film composers Danny Elfman and Hans Zimmer were showcased over the past decade — but Saturday’s performance will be the first time a major professional orchestra has played there.Hip-hop superstar Megan Thee Stallion will helm the main stage Sunday ahead of Post Malone’s headlining performance, with Ty Dolla $ign also set to perform.Also on Sunday, French duo Polo & Pan will bring their tropicalia-infused electro set back to the Coachella Valley.German electronic pioneers Kraftwerk are another top-billed draw.And while Coachella has leaned decidedly pop over the past decade, the 2025 edition is getting back to the festival’s rock roots. Along with The Go-Gos and Green Day, rock acts including the original Misfits, Jimmy Eat World, and cult punk legends the Circle Jerks are slated to play.”In this world gone sideways we know one thing for certain — rock ‘n’ roll is forever, and its spirit is needed now more than ever,” said Green Day frontman Billie Joe Armstrong earlier this year in Billboard.Coachella 2025 takes place on April 11-13 and 18-20.

President Donald Trump insisted Friday that his tariff policy was “doing really well” despite China hiking levies on US goods to 125 percent in the spiraling trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.Investors dumped US government bonds, the dollar tumbled and stocks seesawed after Beijing’s retaliation against Trump deepened concerns on already traumatized global markets.Trump sent financial markets into a tailspin by announcing sweeping import taxes on dozens of trade partners last week, only to abruptly roll them back to 10 percent on Wednesday for 90 days — while raising levies on goods from China.”We are doing really well on our tariff policy,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network after China announced its latest hike.”Very exciting for America, and the World!!! It is moving along quickly,” he wrote.The White House said later that Trump remained “optimistic” about a deal with China, and added that 15 other countries have offers “on the table” during his 90-day pause in their tariffs.But Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that “the president made it very clear, when the United States is punched he will punch back harder.”The US and Beijing have been trading salvos of increasingly harsh tariffs since last week.Chinese President Xi Jinping gave his first major comments on the tensions on Friday, with state media quoting him as saying his country was “not afraid.”Xi also said the European Union and China should “jointly resist unilateral bullying practices” during talks with Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.- ‘Numbers game’ -Beijing announced after Xi’s comments that new tariffs of 125 percent on US goods would take effect Saturday — almost matching the staggering 145 percent level imposed on Chinese goods coming into America.A Chinese Commerce Ministry spokesperson said the United States bore full responsibility, deriding Trump’s tariffs as a “numbers game” that “will become a joke.”But China’s finance ministry said tariffs would not go any higher in an acknowledgement that almost no imports are possible at the new level.Trump had reiterated on Thursday that he was looking to do a deal with Xi despite the mounting tensions.”He’s been a friend of mine for a long period of time. I think that we’ll end up working out something that’s very good for both countries,” he told reporters.But American officials have made it clear they expect Xi to reach out first.Pressure was growing on Trump, however, as markets continued to fret.As investors fled the dollar, which is typically considered a key haven currency, Trump attempted to squelch fears on Friday.”We’re the currency of choice. We’re always going to be… I think the dollar is tremendous,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, after the dollar plunged to its lowest level against the euro in more than three years.Meanwhile yields on crucial US government bonds, which are normally seen as a financial refuge, were up again Friday, indicating weaker demand as investors take fright.The White House said however that it had no evidence to support speculation by traders that China was offloading some of its vast holdings — which would increase the cost of borrowing for the US government — in retaliation.Wall Street stocks finished higher Friday, concluding a rollercoaster week on a positive note amid hopes that the market has absorbed the worst headlines about trade conflicts.Policymakers at the US Federal Reserve meanwhile warned of higher inflation and slower growth ahead due to Trump’s tariff policy.- ‘Countermeasures’ -Economists warn that the disruption in trade between the tightly integrated US and Chinese economies will increase prices for consumers and could spark a global recession.Ipek Ozkardeskaya, an analyst at Swissquote bank, told AFP the tariff figures were “so high that they don’t make sense anymore,” but said China was “now ready to go as far as needed.”The rest of the world is still calibrating its response.Trump on Thursday described the European Union — which was originally hit with 20 percent tariffs by Trump — as “very smart” for refraining from retaliatory levies.EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic will hold talks in Washington on Monday.But the 27-nation bloc’s chief Ursula von der Leyen told the Financial Times it remained armed with a “wide range of countermeasures” including a possible hit on digital services that would strike US tech firms.