burger menu icon
Programs
Newscasts
Politics
International Local

Trump Signs Order to Spare Russia From New Sanctions

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has called the decision to put the sanctions on hold a "significant and truly historic moment."US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to waive a new package of sanctions and tariffs on Russia shortly before it was due to take effect, telling Congress it was in the US' national interest.Trump had signed the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" into law in September in a push to increase pressure on the Kremlin and the Russian economy.The legislation - named in honour of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the measures - had sought to impose sanctions on Russian government and military officials, major banks, and vessels in Russia's shadow fleet. It also provided for duties on Russian goods and goods from certain countries continuing to buy Russian oil and gas.Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has called the decision to put the sanctions on hold a "significant and truly historic moment," adding that the package could have "brought economic cooperation between Russia and the US to a complete standstill."Trump's move comes amid his increasing criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.It also follows a controversial announcement from Trump, who is gearing up for the US' midterm elections, earlier this month on a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to release large flows of diesel into global markets in an effort to bring down fuel prices."It was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account. "Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel."Zelenskyy in BrusselsThe Ukrainian leader has been in Brussels this week, where he has been meeting with European leaders to discuss the ongoing war.Taking questions from the media on Friday, Zelenskyy was asked whether he felt he had been made a "scapegoat" for Trump's "own problems" ahead of November's midterms.He gave a wry smile and said: "This is my answer."Addressing the US-Russia diesel deal, Zelenskyy added that Ukraine "can’t accept diesel deals, because gas deals will come next.""I’m absolutely sure of that," he said. "After gas, sanctions will be lifted on other things. It will eventually extend to the banking system, specific individuals, and the chemical industry. And there are risks around the frozen assets. If I don’t defend that through diplomacy – who will do it for us?"

17-10-2026 14:03

Trump Signs Order to Spare Russia From New Sanctions

Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has called the decision to put the sanctions on hold a "significant and truly historic moment."US President Donald Trump on Friday signed an executive order to waive a new package of sanctions and tariffs on Russia shortly before it was due to take effect, telling Congress it was in the US' national interest.Trump had signed the "Lindsey O. Graham Sanctioning Russia and Iran Act of 2026" into law in September in a push to increase pressure on the Kremlin and the Russian economy.The legislation - named in honour of the late US Senator Lindsey Graham, who championed the measures - had sought to impose sanctions on Russian government and military officials, major banks, and vessels in Russia's shadow fleet. It also provided for duties on Russian goods and goods from certain countries continuing to buy Russian oil and gas.Russian presidential envoy Kirill Dmitriev has called the decision to put the sanctions on hold a "significant and truly historic moment," adding that the package could have "brought economic cooperation between Russia and the US to a complete standstill."Trump's move comes amid his increasing criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.It also follows a controversial announcement from Trump, who is gearing up for the US' midterm elections, earlier this month on a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin for Russia to release large flows of diesel into global markets in an effort to bring down fuel prices."It was agreed that Russia will immediately supply over 300,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel to the American and Global Marketplace, another 500,000 Tons during the month of November, and 1,000,000 Tons immediately thereafter," Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social account. "Additionally, based on the condition of their Diesel Refineries, Russia will then deliver, within a short period of time, 3,000,000 Tons of Diesel Fuel."Zelenskyy in BrusselsThe Ukrainian leader has been in Brussels this week, where he has been meeting with European leaders to discuss the ongoing war.Taking questions from the media on Friday, Zelenskyy was asked whether he felt he had been made a "scapegoat" for Trump's "own problems" ahead of November's midterms.He gave a wry smile and said: "This is my answer."Addressing the US-Russia diesel deal, Zelenskyy added that Ukraine "can’t accept diesel deals, because gas deals will come next.""I’m absolutely sure of that," he said. "After gas, sanctions will be lifted on other things. It will eventually extend to the banking system, specific individuals, and the chemical industry. And there are risks around the frozen assets. If I don’t defend that through diplomacy – who will do it for us?"

17-10-2026 14:03

White House Press Secretary Ousted After Just Five Days Into the Job

President Trump’s new press secretary, Katie Zacharia, was forced out of her role Friday after five days on the job, a rare reversal by the White House that capped a week of upheaval.Ms. Zacharia, who had gained Mr. Trump’s attention as a conservative commentator, had gotten off to a shaky start with her first and only press briefing on Tuesday. She largely read off a script and ended questioning after just five and a half minutes. That was followed by an onslaught of headlines about whether she had misrepresented herself as a lawyer — the president called her “an attorney” — despite failing her bar exam.Subsequent interviews she gave in the media, in which she tried to defend herself by pointing out how unprepared she had been to go before the Washington press corps, also went poorly.Finally, after days of unrelenting press coverage, the Trump administration decided on Friday afternoon to do something it almost never does: It folded.Mr. Trump was walking across the South Lawn to depart for a midterm rally in Georgia when he stopped to talk to reporters, telling them how he’d just encouraged his press secretary to “reconsider” her new job.“Honestly, if I were you, I’d reconsider,” he told the reporters, recounting his conversation with her. “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”Three people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe internal discussions, said Ms. Zacharia was ousted from her role as press secretary.The president told reporters that Ms. Zacharia might continue to work for him “in some form, but maybe a more pleasant form.”Later Friday, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said that Ms. Zacharia would be “transitioning into a new role that will be announced at a later date.”Ms. Zacharia, in her own social media post late on Friday, wrote that it “was an honor to work for” Mr. Trump.The president, she added, “is a kind, wonderful, gracious, thoughtful, enthusiastic, and hardworking man. I wish more Americans appreciated him. No one will ever make America great the way he has and continues to.”President Trump leaving the White House on Friday. He said he had told Ms. Zacharia: “Katie, do you need this? I don’t think you need this.”Credit...Alex Kent/The New York TimesMs. Zacharia had just started on Monday, and hadn’t even moved to Washington yet.It was last Friday that the president offered her the job. A little-known, unpaid Fox News commentator with whom many in the White House were unfamiliar, she was a surprise pick. While Ms. Zacharia did have the support of Natalie Harp, the powerful West Wing aide who rarely leaves the president’s side, others in the building believed her debut had been a disaster.She was not a deft communicator.She had represented herself as a lawyer in the news media, but when asked repeatedly by a New York Times reporter on the South Lawn of the White House to say in which state she had passed a bar exam, she twice replied, “When I moved to China.” She later told The Times that she had simply misheard the question — even though the president had repeated the reporter’s question to her while standing feet away.The end was nigh after she appeared on Fox News on Thursday night to be interviewed by the president’s friend Sean Hannity, who asked her a few tough questions and treated her with rare skepticism.Ms. Zacharia had the support of Natalie Harp, a Trump aide who rarely leaves his side. Credit...Doug Mills/The New York TimesThe reception she got on Friday morning on “Fox and Friends” wasn’t exactly friendly, either.“Do you wish you would have disclosed to the president about the bar and not passing the bar?” one of the hosts, Lawrence Jones, asked her.“Well, Lawrence,” Ms. Zacharia responded, “those questions weren’t asked.” On Wednesday, Mr. Cheung had posted that “up and down the White House, everyone has been thoroughly impressed with Katie in just a few short days on the job.”“At the end of this second term, she’ll be remembered as one of the all-time greats,” he wrote.She may be remembered as having had what seems to be the shortest tenure in the history of the White House press secretary job: five days and one briefing.In Mr. Trump’s first term, Anthony Scaramucci was fired as the White House communications director (a different role from press secretary) just 10 days after he was hired.After news of Ms. Zacharia’s ouster broke, Mr. Scaramucci posted on X: “Records are made to be broken. But I take no pleasure in other people’s pain.”The ousting of the administration’s top spokeswoman was the culmination of a week of remarkable turmoil inside Trumpworld.Kimberly Guilfoyle, the ambassador to Greece, was fired on television on Tuesday (during Ms. Zacharia’s only briefing). The president spent time in the Oval Office trying to get to the bottom of a vicious fight between two of his loyalists, Richard Grenell and Alina Habba Mildon.Paolo Zampolli, a longtime Trump confidant who claimed to have introduced the president to his wife, was pushed out at the State Department after one of his internecine feuds spilled into the press. And the daughter of Susie Wiles, the White House chief of staff, and others in her circle, came under scrutiny for their moneymaking overseas.

17-10-2026 13:30

One Killed, Two Seriously Injured in Knife Attack on Nursing Home

An 86-year-old woman was killed and two others seriously injured in a knife attack at a care home in western Germany, police said.The two injured women were aged 81 and 83, one of whom was in a life-threatening condition, a police spokeswoman said. All three victims were residents of the home in the town of Olfen, near Dortmund.The attacker, a 72-year-old man who also lived at the home, was arrested without resistance, police said. A homicide investigation team has been set up.According to police, the man stabbed the women in the care home's cafeteria on Friday evening. The 86-year-old died at the scene. He also attacked other residents with the knife.The Bild newspaper reported that the attack took place at the St Vitus-Stift care home. Two rescue helicopters landed outside the building in the evening. Police also responded in large numbers.According to its operator, the St Vitus-Stift care centre is home to 77 elderly people who require nursing care and support due to health problems.The facility also includes 36 accessible assisted-living apartments and residential groups for elderly people with dementia. The centre is run by the town of Olfen.

17-10-2026 12:50

3 Children, Teacher Killed in Oregon Elementary School Shooting

At least four people have been killed in a shooting at an elementary school in Oregon, part of the northwestern United States, according to local law enforcement.The shooting on Thursday took place at Silver Rail Elementary School in the city of Bend, about 160 kilometres (100 miles) southeast of Portland.Three children were among the dead: they were aged five, eight and 11, according to Bend Police Chief Mike Krantz. A teacher was also killed.In addition, a seven-year-old child and a 54-year-old teacher were transported to St Charles Medical Center in Bend with critical injuries.In an afternoon news conference, Krantz identified the alleged shooter as a 16-year-old Bend resident, who was killed at the scene. The suspect has yet to be named.“What the initial investigation is showing is that the shooter had forced their way into the school by shooting at locked doors,” Krantz said. He added that investigators were still determining whether the suspect had attended the school at any point.Emergency services began receiving calls for help around 12:59pm local time (19:59 GMT), with “dozens” of additional calls in the ensuing minutes.The first call, Krantz explained, came from “a person in a vehicle who reported being shot at multiple times by a person with a long gun”. The elementary school went into lockdown at 1:01pm (20:01 GMT), and officers arrived on the scene shortly thereafter.“Moments later, an officer reported that a suspect had been shot by a community member who had seen the suspect enter the school and pursued him into the school and engaged him,” Krantz said.“Our officers entered the building and confirmed the suspect was dead. They cleared the school to ensure there were no additional threats and then rendered emergency aid to the victims.”He emphasised that the police investigation was ongoing and further information would be released to the public in the coming days.The families of the victims have been notified of the attack. Police evacuated each room in the school, and students and staff were transported by bus to a nearby church where they could be reunited with their loved ones.“This is the kind of thing we never want to see happen in Bend. It’s devastating,” said Sheila Miller, the communications manager for the Bend Police Department, on Thursday.Kash Patel, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), said in a post on social media that the agency was on the scene assisting local law enforcement in the investigation.“We will make every resource they need available,” he wrote.Oregon Governor Tina Kotek called on Oregonians to come together to support each other through their grief.“All Oregonians mourn this loss today. This is a horrible day. No parent should have to have this kind of day, and no community should have to live through this kind of day,” Kotek said.She also addressed the unnamed bystander who confronted the shooter. “To the community member who heroically intervened to stop further loss of life, your actions carry a heavy emotional burden, and I just want you to know that my thoughts are with you as well.”Jeff Merkley, who represents Oregon in the US Senate, was among the political leaders to offer condolences in the wake of the shooting.“My heart is with the Bend community and all of the students and families affected. No one should have to fear violence at school,” he wrote in a post on the social media platform X.The Gun Violence Archive, which tracks shootings across the US, has documented 369 mass shootings in 2026 so far, defined as incidents where there were four or more victims injured or killed, not including the suspect.The violence prevention group Everytown for Gun Safety has counted at least 100 incidents of gunfire on school grounds in the US this year. Thirty-four people have died as a result.

16-10-2026 10:28

{{ article.title }}

{{safeHTML(article.Text)}}

{{ formatCategoryDate(article.publishDate) }}

Article Image

More

A Strange Video Of Trump Goes Viral

A strange video of US President Donald Trump went viral on social media after he posted AI-generated footage showing himself wrestling a tiger. What message was Trump trying to convey with the video?Watch the attached video for details in the Connected segment.

15-10-2026 21:11

US Gives Israel the Green Light...Will It Act?

Israel Hayom reported that the United States has given Israel the green light to carry out air operations in Iraqi airspace, citing “informed sources” as saying that the authorization would enable Israel to attack Iranian-backed militias in Iraq.

05-10-2026 19:00

Aircraft Crashes On Its Way To Boston…Debris Found Off US Coast

US authorities have found debris from a medical transport aircraft that went missing with six people on board.The Federal Aviation Administration told the BBC it had lost contact with the Gulfstream G-100 plane just after 01:00 local time (05:00 GMT) on Saturday, while it was travelling from Bermuda to Boston, Massachusetts.The search for survivors continues off the coast of Nantucket, a Massachusetts island, the US Coast Guard said.Authorities have notified the next of kin of those on the flight, four Canadian nationals and two Bermudian nationals."Search crews located a debris field confirmed to be from the aircraft off the coast of Nantucket," the US Coast Guard said in an update on Saturday night. It added that ships, helicopters and planes were involved in searches that would through continue the night.The plane departed from Bermuda's L.F. Wade International Airport at 23:40 local time, according to flight data from FlightAware, and was due to land at Boston's Logan International at 01:30 EDT (05:30 GMT).According to the tail number released by the Coast Guard, the plane belonged to Latitude Air Ambulances, a company that provides international medical flights for patients returning home.Among those on board were two pilots and two medical staff, both Canadian, Clarence Togeretz, director of flight operations at Latitude, told CBC News.The crew flew to Bermuda to collect a patient and their relative, who are not Canadian, Togeretz said.FlightAware's tracker shows the aircraft significantly dropped in altitude before its communications went dark, plummeting from around 7,300m (24,000ft) to 3,300m (11,000ft).Radio transmissions shows trouble with communications between the air traffic controller and the pilot, the Boston Globe reported based on transmissions provided by LiveATC.net."You're coming in blind? Is that what you said?," the air traffic controller asked. "Are you declaring an emergency, or no?"The pilot's response was inaudible."You're coming in a little weak so I didn't hear what your response was, if you were declaring an emergency or not," the air traffic controller said, according to the Globe.The air traffic controller later confirmed the pilot had declared an emergency.An area fire dispatcher asked emergency crews just after 01:00 EDT to prepare to meet a plane with an "electrical issue".The dispatcher later said "the aircraft has lost radio and radar".The Coast Guard said it would provide an update on Sunday morning local time.

04-10-2026 11:22

Watch: Police Officer Dances in Front of Protesters

Student protests in France have filled social media with striking scenes, including a police officer dancing among the protesters as students cheered and laughed.Watch the attached video for more.

08-10-2026 21:16

{{ article.title }}

{{safeHTML(article.Text)}}

{{ formatCategoryDate(article.publishDate) }}

Article Image

More