Russian President Vladimir Putin told United States President Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war, but will not step back from its original goals, a Kremlin aide said.
In a wide-ranging conversation that also covered Iran and the Middle East, Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, the aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters.
“Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict,” Ushakov said.
Putin briefed Trump on the implementation of agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine last month to exchange prisoners-of-war and dead soldiers, Ushakov said, and told him that Moscow was ready to continue negotiations with Kyiv.
“Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from these goals,” he added.
There was nothing in the Kremlin readout to suggest that Putin had made any shift in Moscow’s position during the conversation with Trump, who took office with a promise to end the war swiftly but has voiced frequent frustration with the lack of progress between the two sides.
The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for the Kremlin’s argument that it was compelled to go to war in Ukraine to prevent the country from joining Nato and being used by the Western alliance as a launch pad to attack Russia.
Ukraine and its European allies say that is a specious pretext for what they call an imperial-style war, but Trump in previous public comments has shown sympathy with Moscow’s refusal to accept Nato membership for Ukraine.
Putin and Trump did not talk about the US decision to halt some shipments of critical weapons to Ukraine, Ushakov said.
On Iran, he said, “The Russian side emphasised the importance of resolving all disputes, disagreements and conflict situations exclusively by political and diplomatic means.”
Trump last month sent US stealth bombers to strike three Iranian nuclear sites, in a move condemned by Moscow as unprovoked and illegal.
Austria has returned a Syrian with a criminal conviction to his birth country in what it described as the first such deportation since the fall of the Assad regime.
“The deportation carried out today is part of a strict and thus fair asylum policy,” Austria’s interior minister, Gerhard Karner, said in a statement.
The ministry told AFP it was the first deportation of a Syrian directly to Syria in about 15 years.
The 32-year-old man, who was granted asylum in Austria in 2014, lost his refugee status in February 2019 because of his criminal record, his legal adviser Ruxandra Staicu said. She declined to specify the nature of his conviction.
The man received a negative decision on an asylum claim in April and had been awaiting a response on another decision.
Since the fall of the Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad, several European governments have called for the return of Syrian refugees who fled to Europe after the crushing of rebellion and outbreak of civil war that drove 12 million people from their homes, including 6 million abroad.
Austria, which hosts 100,000 Syrians, called for the “orderly repatriation and deportation to Syria” of refugees the day after the dictator was ousted.
Separately, Germany’s interior minister, Alexander Dobrindt, revealed his government was seeking an agreement with Syria’s new Islamist government to deport criminals of Syrian nationality. Germany has given refuge to nearly one million Syrians since 2015.
Germany resumed flying convicted criminals of Afghan nationality to their home country in August, after pausing deportations following the Taliban’s takeover three years earlier.
Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said on Thursday that migrants who commit serious crimes should be expelled from Europe, without making reference to any specific country. In a press conference to mark the start of Denmark’s six-month EU presidency, she described the current asylum system as “broken” with the consequences of “uncontrolled migration” visible in European societies.
Migrants “who commit serious crimes and do not respect our values and way of life – I don’t think they have a place in Europe. And they should be expelled.” She added: “We need new solutions that will lower the influx of migrants to Europe”.
Denmark revoked the residency status of some Syrians as early as 2021, when it deemed parts of the war-torn country safe to return to.
Nearly 10 years after the peak of the 2015-16 migration crisis, when 1.3 million people sought refuge in Europe, the EU has moved to tighten up its asylum and migration rules.
The European Commission also proposed faster procedures for returning people with no right to stay in the EU to their countries of origin, including the possibility of creating offshore “return hubs” outside Europe.
Speaking alongside the Danish prime minister, Ursula von der Leyen, the commission president, said she hoped to see progress on the returns proposals and another to create a common list of safe countries , which would allow fast-tracked asylum procedures – and potentially faster refusals, during Denmark’s six months of chairing EU council meetings.
In a joint statement this week, 52 rights groups, including Amnesty International and the Danish Refugee Council, said the proposals risked “seriously undermining people’s access to fair and full asylum procedures in Europe”. The groups also raised concerns about potential human rights violations in offshore return hubs.
The International Security Assistance Force’s campaign in Afghanistan is on track to achieve the objectives and timeline NATO set forth at its November 2010 summit, and American surge forces are on schedule to return home by Oct. 1, a senior ISAF official said today.
“The surge has effectively covered and enabled the training and fielding of the Afghan national security force, and is an amazing outcome in and of itself,” Brig. Gen. Roger Noble of the Australian army, deputy to ISAF’s operations chief, told Pentagon reporters via satellite from Kabul, Afghanistan.
“The blood, sweat and tears of many coalition soldiers, especially many brave Americans, has directly delivered the time and space for the [Afghan forces] to stand up and assume the lead for the security of Afghanistan,” he added.
Citing “relentless pressure on the enemy” by Afghan and coalition forces, Noble said insurgents have been pushed out of major population centers, allowing 76 percent of the Afghan population to live in areas of relative calm.
“In these areas, Afghans have the lead for their own security and their own lives,” he said. “And the future of Afghanistan is, day by day, increasingly in Afghan hands, as it must be and should be.”
While insider attacks are an ongoing problem, he said, ISAF is conducting a detailed analysis of every shooter involved to identify characteristics or traits that can be used to warn coalition forces of potential risks. A major challenge is that most of the shooters are either killed in the attacks or escape, the general acknowledged.
“But that doesn’t stop you from still digging into their background using multiple means and actually interviewing the ones that we detain,” he said.
Insider attacks are a long-term tactic used to erode trust, Noble said, and they increase during periods of heightened tension, as they did in February following an incident in which coalition forces inadvertently mishandled Korans.
Marine Corps Gen. John R. Allen, the ISAF commander, raised the force protection level in light of the insider attacks, Noble said, noting that the force protection level changes quite often as specific threats rise and fall.
The attacks are a sign that the insurgency is struggling, Noble said.
“I’ve got a funny feeling that if they could get into pickup trucks and drive into Kandahar, they would,” he said. “But they can’t do that. And the surge helped do that. There’s now not just the coalition standing in the way of them, but [the Afghan security force] has about 350,000 who say, ‘You can’t do that. You can’t come back.’ And most of the people of Afghanistan don’t want them back, either.”
Insurgents cause 81 percent of the civilian casualties in Afghanistan, the general said, through improvised explosive devices, assassinations and suicide bombings. “If your only option is to erode confidence and will through extremism and violence,” he said, “the insider threat methodology fits right into that box of things to do. … They don’t have a lot of options other than to do that.”
Much work remains to be done, Noble said, and the Afghans understand that and are working to improve their vetting process and develop the infrastructure to support a professional army.
“It’s a problem that plagues them [as well],” he said. “Most years, they’ve had far more attacks than we do.”
Noble also clarified recent changes to ISAF’s model for assisting Afghan forces. ISAF officials said in a written statement yesterday that media reports on the subject were inaccurate.
“General Allen has not said that we’re never going to speak to an Afghan below kandak level again,” Noble said. “And that is not what’s happening.” A kandak is the Afghan army’s equivalent of a battalion. Rather, he explained, Allen made adjustments due to the heightened threat around the “Innocence of Muslims” YouTube video, which has sparked protest and violence in the Muslim world.
“You would have to admit [it] has had an impact globally, … and you’d be crazy not to heighten force protection,” he said.
Allen is not preventing partnership patrols below kandak level, Noble said, but simply is reinforcing a requirement to take a considered decision about when, where and how that happens.
“We’re going to take all the lessons out of [the insider attacks] and check around the whole country to make sure that there can’t be a repeat, or [to] minimize the chance of repeat,” he said.
ISAF officials try to look “forward and backwards in context,” he added, trying to keep day-to-day activity in perspective and to remain on track for Afghanistan’s security forces to be responsible for security throughout their country by the end 2014, the goal set at NATO’s 2011 summit.
“Being in Afghanistan, every day throws up a different challenge, and the enemy is nothing if not innovative and committed,” Noble said. “So when we get hit with the insider threat problem or any new tactics, we’ll leave no stone unturned to try and keep our people safe. We’re not going to shy away from our commitment to be successful in the campaign.”
Story by Claudette Roulo and Army Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone C. Marshall Jr., American Forces Press Service
Date Taken:
09.18.2012
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07.03.2025 12:49
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How AI is transforming Saudi businesses, from homegrown startups to global creative agencies
RIYADH: Artificial intelligence is revolutionizing the landscape for small businesses, offering innovative solutions that enhance efficiency, creativity, and competitiveness. As technology evolves, many entrepreneurs are leveraging AI tools to streamline operations and drive growth.
One of the most significant advantages of AI is its ability to automate repetitive tasks. Tools like chatbots can handle customer inquiries around the clock, freeing up valuable time for business owners to focus on strategic initiatives.
This not only improves customer service but also enhances overall efficiency.
AI-powered analytics platforms can process vast amounts of data, providing actionable insights that help businesses make informed decisions based on market trends and consumer behavior.
In this dynamic environment, AI is transforming small business operations.
A notable example is Hams Nabeel, a working mother who founded her business, Thikra, to preserve cherished memories for families.
“There was a clear need for my business idea,” she told Arab News. “Since I had my daughter, I wanted to preserve her hospital items — like her hat, blanket, and hand bracelet — all in one place.”
AI has become crucial in Nabeel’s entrepreneurial journey, streamlining various aspects of her operations. “ChatGPT helped me expand my business by crafting a clear structural plan,” she said.
What typically took weeks can now be accomplished in minutes, providing clarity when she faced uncertainties.
AI also assisted Nabeel in comparing 3D printers and defining her business’s vision. “AI guided me in crafting my mission and vision and even generated social media posts,” she said.
For financial management, she relies on QuickBooks, which automates tasks and offers valuable insights. Furthermore, Nabeel uses Salla, a website creation tool that simplifies online store management.
“Creating a business is so easy with Salla,” she said, allowing her to focus on creativity rather than technical details.
Screenshot of a page in the AI-enabled powered Salla platform.
In creative sectors, AI tools are essential for content creation and design. From generating social media posts to developing marketing materials, AI helps small business owners maintain a robust online presence without extensive resources.
“We have traditionally always been creatives before tech developers, but with AI it is now enabling us to combine both,” Denis Bodart, who operates a creative animation agency called Feed Me Light in London and Riyadh, told Arab News.
“We are now building more creative tools and AI products, including a new SaaS (Software as a Service) platform focused on the out-of-home advertising sector, which allows us to dynamically display content on various screens at once.
“Imagine walking through a city filled with screens that communicate and showcase engaging, interactive content. For example, the displays can respond to the latest football or esports results, presenting teams in an exciting manner.
“They can also adapt to weather conditions and customize their content based on audience presence in events, venues, and shops.”
This section contains relevant reference points, placed in (Opinion field)
Bodart highlighted how AI agents support his team. “By training AI agents to understand our business more, we can use these agents to help support our teams, providing a helping hand with more repetitive tasks such as receipts, bookings, data fetching, or even helping enhance our marketing and sales teams, amplifying our business’s online presence.”
He added: “For Saudi Arabia, the strategic integration of AI holds immense potential to create a truly transformative and positive impact on how they approach upcoming global events such as the Winter Olympics, Asian Cup, and World Cup events.
“This technology can significantly elevate fan engagement, optimize operations, and craft unparalleled experiences, setting new benchmarks for global sporting events hosted in the Kingdom.”
Denis Bodart, who runs a creative animation agency called Feed Me Light in London and Riyadh, says AI helps small business owners maintain a robust online presence without extensive resources. (Supplied)
Integrating AI allows small businesses to provide seamless customer experiences. Automating processes like order management and payment processing enhances customer satisfaction and loyalty.
“AI has completely changed the game for small creators like me,” Salwa Beauty, a prominent social media influencer in Saudi Arabia, told Arab News. “It’s like having a full creative team in your pocket.”
Salwa utilizes AI to generate content ideas, animate scenes, write captions, and redesign photos — tasks that once required extensive time and resources.
For her fitness content, Salwa has eliminated the need for models or physical products. “I can animate people, create scenes, and even showcase products being used — all without hiring anyone or incurring upfront costs,” she said.
This capability allows her to build a complete brand presence independently, showcasing the democratizing power of AI.
The freedom AI provides is substantial for small businesses. By enabling entrepreneurs to launch ideas, test visuals, and create professional content quickly and affordably, AI empowers them to stand out in a crowded market.
“AI is literally my assistant now,” said Salwa.
AI also reduces costs associated with traditional modeling. Additionally, AI facilitates content creation and scheduling, allowing businesses to maintain a consistent online presence effortlessly.
Platforms like Salla and Zid are enhancing the landscape for small businesses in Saudi Arabia. These platforms leverage AI to optimize customer interactions, enabling efficient order scheduling, carrier connections, and targeted marketing messages based on customer data.
Screenshot of a page in the AI-enabled Zid platform.
Such features not only save time but also enhance the overall customer experience.
AI has emerged as an invaluable asset for small businesses, offering innovative solutions that enhance productivity, creativity, and financial management. Integrating AI tools can significantly transform the entrepreneurial journey, enabling working mothers and small creators to thrive in today’s competitive market.
With AI as a partner, the possibilities for growth and success are limitless. As small businesses in Saudi Arabia continue to embrace these technologies, they open the door to a future where creativity and efficiency flourish, paving the way for new ideas and opportunities.
AI is a powerful ally for small businesses, empowering them to optimize operations, enhance marketing efforts, and improve customer experiences. As more entrepreneurs embrace these technologies, the potential for growth and innovation continues to expand.
Today, the United States is acting to stem the flow of revenue the Iranian regime uses to support terrorism abroad and oppress its own people.
The Department of State is sanctioning six entities and identifying four vessels for having knowingly engaged in a significant transaction for the purchase, acquisition, sale, transport, or marketing of petroleum, petroleum products or petrochemical products from Iran.
Concurrently, the Department of the Treasury is designating oil smuggling networks that have collectively transported and purchased billions of dollars’ worth of Iranian oil. Treasury is also sanctioning several shadow fleet vessels engaged in the covert delivery of Iranian oil. Among the entities sanctioned today are a network of companies run by Iraqi businessman Salim Ahmed Said that have profited from smuggling Iranian oil disguised as, or blended with, Iraqi oil.
The United States will continue to pursue measures in support of National Security Presidential Memorandum 2, which directs the imposition of maximum pressure on the Iranian regime to deny it access to revenues that fund its destabilizing activities. We will not hesitate to utilize all available tools at our disposal to counter those who enable Iran’s illicit oil trade.
Today’s action is being taken pursuant to Executive Order (E.O.) 13846 and E.O. 13902, which target Iran’s petroleum and petrochemical sectors, as well as the counterterrorism authority E.O. 13224, as amended. It marks the tenth round of sanctions targeting Iranian oil sales since the President issued National Security Presidential Memorandum 2 on February 4, 2025, ordering a campaign of maximum pressure on Iran.
A United Nations expert has called on dozens of multinational companies to stop doing business with Israel, warning them they risk being complicit in war crimes in Gaza and the occupied West Bank.
Francesca Albanese, presenting her report to the UN human rights council, described what she called “an economy of genocide” in which the conflict with Hamas provided a testing ground – with no accountability or oversight – for new weapons and technology.
Israel has rejected her report as “groundless”, saying it would “join the dustbin of history”.
UN experts, or special rapporteurs, are independent of the UN, but appointed by it to advise on human rights matters.
Ms Albanese is an international lawyer from Italy, and she is known for her bluntness; in previous reports she has suggested that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza.
On Thursday she repeated that claim, accusing Israel of “committing one of the cruellest genocides in modern history”.
In this report Ms Albanese names companies she says are profiting from, and therefore complicit in, war crimes in Gaza.
Her list includes arms manufacturer Lockheed Martin for selling weapons, and tech firms Alphabet, IBM, Microsoft and Amazon for providing technology which allows Israel to track and target Palestinians.
She also lists Caterpillar, Hyundai, and Volvo, which her report claims have supplied vehicles used for demolishing homes and flattening bombed communities.
Financial institutions are included too – Ms Albanese claims banks BNP Paribas and Barclays have been underwriting Israeli treasury bonds throughout the conflict.
The BBC has approached the companies named above for comment.
Lockheed Martin said foreign military sales were government-to-government transactions, and discussions were best addressed by the US government.
Volvo said it did not share Ms Albanese’s criticism which it believes was based on “insufficient and partly incorrect information”. It added that it is committed to respecting human rights and constantly works to strengthen its due diligence. But it said that since its products have a long life and change hands often “there is unfortunately a limit to how much control or influence we can have on how and where our products are used during their lifetime”.
For the companies named, the business is lucrative, the report says, and helps Israel to continue the war. Ms Albanese says all the companies should stop dealing with Israel immediately.
But how likely is that? UN reports like this one have no legal power, but they do attract attention.
Ms Albanese is, in targeting economic ties, trying to remind multinationals, and governments, of what happened with apartheid South Africa.
For a while many businesses made good money trading with South Africa, but the injustice of apartheid attracted global condemnation and UN sanctions which forced disinvestment and, eventually, helped to end the apartheid regime.
By listing companies which are household names, Ms Albanese is probably also hoping to provide millions of consumers worldwide with information they can use when choosing whether or not to buy something, as they did with South Africa.
But the suggestion they are complicit in possible genocide is the one the multinationals themselves may take most seriously. The law on genocide is strict, it needs to be determined by a court of law, and in fact the International Court of Justice is currently considering a case against Israel on this very question, brought by South Africa.
Complicity is defined as a person or entity having engaged in actions whose foreseeable results may have contributed to genocide, but without having personally intended to commit genocide.
This is an accusation that Ms Albanese suggests could be levelled against businesses selling anything that might contribute to Israel’s war effort. It is known that international lawyers have privately advised European governments that continued arms sales to Israel may lead to charges of complicity.
Israel, which has long accused Ms Albanese of being extremely hostile to it, and even antisemitic, has rejected her latest report as “groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of office”.
Israel denies genocide, claiming the right of self-defence against Hamas.
But when Ms Albanese presented her report to UN member states, she received primarily praise and support.
African, Asian, and Arab states backed her call for disinvestment, many agreed that genocide was taking place, and some also warned Israel against vilifying international lawyers like Ms Albanese for doing their job.
European states, traditionally more supportive of Israel, also condemned the denial of aid to Gaza, and said Israel had a legal responsibility, as the occupying power, to ensure Palestinians had the means to survive.
But Israel’s biggest ally, the United States, left the UN Human Rights Council when President Donald Trump took office in January. Washington’s response to the report has simply accused Ms Albanese, whose team contacted US companies for information about their dealings with Israel, of an “unacceptable campaign of political and economic warfare against the American and worldwide economy”.
It’s unlikely the US administration will pay much more attention to the words of one international lawyer. But the big US companies named in her report, listening to the condemnation from so many countries where they have financial interests, may start to question their ties with Israel.
Airstrikes and shootings killed 94 people in Gaza overnight, including 45 who were trying to access humanitarian aid, the Hamas-run health ministry and hospitals said on Thursday.
Reuters news agency said five people were killed outside sites associated with the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), an American organisation operating with support from the US and Israeli governments.
A further 40 were killed waiting for aid in other locations across the Gaza Strip, while 15 more people were killed in strikes that hit tents in the Muwasi zone in southern Gaza, where many displaced Palestinians are sheltering.
A separate strike on a school sheltering displaced people in Gaza City also killed 15 people.
Israel’s military has not commented on the strikes.
Image: Palestinians survey the destruction at a school used as a shelter. Pic: AP
The GHF has been primarily responsible for aid distribution in Gaza since Israel lifted its 11-week blockade on the region last month.
It has four distribution centres, which are guarded by private security contractors and located near Israeli military positions.
Palestinian officials and witnesses have accused Israeli forces of opening fire at crowds of people near the sites.
Sky News analysis this week showed deaths in Gaza rise significantly when the GHF distributes aid.
Speaking to Sky News, GHF chief Johnnie Moore disputed that these deaths were connected with his organisation’s operations.
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Gaza deaths increase when aid sites open
Situation in Gaza is ‘apocalyptic’, says UN expert
A United Nations expert on Thursday called for countries to cut off trade with Israel and impose an arms embargo.
In a speech to the UN Human Rights Council, the organisation’s special rapporteur on the occupied Palestinian territories said the situation there is “apocalyptic”.
Image: Francesca Albanese. File pic: Reuters
Francesca Albanese told the council in Geneva: “Israel is responsible for one of the cruellest genocides in modern history.”
Israel has rejected allegations of genocide in Gaza, citing its right to defend itself after Hamas’s attack on 7 October 2023.
Ms Albanese, one of dozens of independent UN-mandated experts, was presenting her latest report, which names over 60 companies that she says are involved in supporting Israeli settlements and military actions in Gaza.
“What I expose is not a list, it is a system, and that is to be addressed,” she said. “We must reverse the tide.”
Read more: Why Netanyahu wants 90-day ceasefire – analysis British-Israeli soldier killed while fighting in Gaza
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Ms Albanese called for states to suspend all trade agreements with Israel, impose full arms embargoes, and ensure companies face legal consequences for their involvement in violations of international law.
Israel’s diplomatic mission in Geneva has said Ms Albanese’s latest report is “legally groundless, defamatory and a flagrant abuse of her office”.
