Trump promises Kyiv involvement in peace talks with Russia

LONDON: UK Ambassador to the UN Barbara Woodward has called for urgent action to protect aid workers in conflict zones as she addressed a UN Security Council session on implementing Resolution 2730.

Speaking at the meeting on the protection of civilians in armed conflict, Woodward stressed the importance of maintaining momentum in ensuring the safety, security, and well-being of humanitarian workers.

“I pay tribute to those on the frontline and extend my condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives,” she said.

Woodward highlighted the escalating risks faced by aid workers, citing figures from the Aid Worker Security Database that recorded 64 deaths, 36 injuries, and eight kidnappings in just the first three months of 2025. She noted that the majority of those affected were local or national aid workers.

“The most dangerous place to deliver humanitarian assistance is Gaza, with over 400 aid workers reportedly killed since the beginning of the conflict,” she said, adding that Sudan and South Sudan are also high-risk locations.

She expressed concern over the detention of aid workers by the Houthis in Yemen, calling for their immediate release, and stressed the need to protect those responding to the aftermath of a devastating earthquake in Myanmar.

Marking the one-year anniversary of the attack on a World Central Kitchen convoy in Gaza, in which seven aid workers, including three British citizens, were killed, Woodward renewed calls for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s review into the incident.

“We continue to call for the conclusion of the Military Advocate General’s consideration of the incident, including determining whether criminal proceedings should be initiated,” she said.

She also condemned the recent killing of eight medics from the Palestine Red Crescent Society, along with first responders and a UN aid worker in Gaza. “We call for a thorough and swift investigation with meaningful accountability for those responsible,” she said, urging Israel to support efforts to locate PRCS medic Asaad Al-Nasasra, who remains missing.

Woodward emphasized the need for all parties in conflict to comply with international humanitarian law, ensuring that humanitarian supplies, personnel, and aid workers are respected and protected. “States must investigate attacks on aid workers and hold perpetrators to account. Effective, trusted deconfliction mechanisms must be set up and used,” she said.

She also urged the strengthening of international commitments to aid worker protection, highlighting the UK’s participation in an Australian-led ministerial group working to develop a political declaration aimed at driving global action on the issue.

“The UK is proud to be part of the Australian-led Ministers Group to develop a political declaration to galvanize collective action to protect aid workers, and we encourage others to join,” she said.

Additionally, she called for greater support for humanitarian organizations, including local groups, whose work is hindered by inadequate funding and operational risks.

“Actors who play a fundamental role in aid worker safety face operational risks due to inadequate funding,” she said, pointing to the UK’s support for key security-focused groups such as the Aid Worker Security Database and the International NGO Safety Organization.

Woodward reaffirmed the UK’s unwavering commitment to ensuring aid workers can operate safely, saying: “The UK remains steadfast in our commitment to allowing aid workers to do their job in safety and preventing violence against aid workers from becoming the new normal.”

WASHINGTON: Tesla’s quarterly sales plunged 13 percent to the weakest in nearly three years, hurt by a backlash against CEO Elon Musk’s politics, rising global competition, and people waiting for a refresh to its highest-selling electric vehicle Model Y.
The stumbling sales indicate that the one-time leading brand is reeling from the fallout of the company delaying launches for years, and Musk’s foray into politics in the United States and Europe.
Tesla shares fell 2 percent in early trading on Wednesday. But they reversed course to trade up more than 5 percent after Politico reported that Musk was planning to step down from his role as an adviser to US President Donald Trump soon, as administration insiders increasingly view the billionaire as a political liability.
“Exactly what the stock needed,” said Stock Trader Network Chief Strategist Dennis Dick, who has a position in the stock, referring to the report. “Shareholders are hoping Musk will now have the time to focus on rebuilding the Tesla brand.”
Musk’s role in spearheading federal cost-cutting in the United States and support of far-right parties in Germany and other nations, have produced a sharp response across the world.
Protests have spiked, and Tesla cars and dealerships globally have become targets for vandalism. Some Tesla owners have been looking to disassociate themselves from Musk and data has shown many are trading in their vehicles.
On Tuesday, a left-leaning judge won a seat on the state of Wisconsin’s highest court even after Musk spent more than $20 million backing her opponent in the race that led to protests from residents declaring that democracy was “not for sale.”
Tesla posted weak sales in numerous European markets and in China, even as consumers continued to opt for EVs.
In the January-March period, the company globally recorded a bigger-than-expected drop in sales to 336,681 vehicles, down from 386,810 units a year ago.
The expectation was for a 3.7 percent drop to 372,410 vehicles delivered, according to an average estimate of 15 analysts from Visible Alpha — but in recent days analysts had braced for even worse figures, following Tesla’s first-ever annual sales decline in 2024.
“The brand crisis issues are clearly having a negative impact on Tesla ... there is no debate,” Tesla bull Dan Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, said in a note, adding the delivery numbers “were a disaster.”
The company has lost about 45 percent of its value since mid-December. That follows a record high after Trump’s election win when investors expected Musk’s close ties to the White House to ease regulatory pressure over its self-driving taxi program.

Y REFRESH
Last year, Musk forecast 20 percent to 30 percent sales growth in 2025, promising to launch an affordable vehicle in the first half of the year and banking on demand for its newest vehicle, the Cybertruck.
While little is known about the progress on rolling out the cheaper vehicle, demand for the pricey Cybertruck — with its polarizing design and quality concerns — has been weak.
Musk did not reiterate the growth forecast on the January earnings call, saying Tesla would return to growth this year.
Tesla began offering the refreshed Model Y SUV with a new look and updated features in China late February, and in the US and Europe last month. Investors are waiting to see if demand for that can counter competition from Chinese rivals including BYD.
Tesla said on Wednesday that retooling production lines for the refresh across all four of its factories led to the loss of several weeks of production during the quarter.
After enjoying a leading position among EV makers for years, Tesla is set to be unseated by BYD for the first time this year with a 15.7 percent market share, ahead of Tesla’s 15.3 percent, according to Counterpoint Research.
“I’m skeptical about demand for the new Model Y from a couple of perspectives, even though there’s still a fair amount of growth for electric vehicles, the market is slowing down,” said Thomas Martin, senior portfolio manager at Tesla investor Globalt Investments.
Tesla’s sales in key European markets fell again in March, with numbers dropping for a third straight month in France and Sweden.