WASHINGTON: Russia would only use nuclear weapons in the context of the Ukraine conflict if it were facing an “existential threat,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told CNN International Tuesday.
“We have a concept of domestic security, and it’s public. You can read all the reasons for nuclear arms to be used,” Peskov said. “So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept.”
Peskov’s comment came as interviewer Christiane Amanpour pushed him on whether he was “convinced or confident” that President Vladimir Putin would not use the nuclear option in the Ukrainian context.
Days after Russian troops invaded Ukraine, Putin announced on February 28 that he had put the country’s strategic nuclear forces on high alert in a move that sparked global alarm.
Asked about Peskov’s statement, and Russia’s nuclear stance more broadly, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called Moscow’s rhetoric on potential use of nuclear weapons “dangerous.”
“It’s not the way a responsible nuclear power should act,” he told reporters.
That said, Kirby stressed that Pentagon officials “haven’t seen anything that would lead us to conclude that we need to change our strategic deterrent posture.”
“We monitor this as best we can every day,” he added.
Russia maintains the world’s largest stockpile of nuclear warheads, and has earned minimal support around the world for its attack on its ex-Soviet neighbor.
Western defense officials said following Putin’s February announcement that they had not seen any significant sign of mobilization of Russia’s nuclear forces — its strategic bombers, missiles and submarines.
But Moscow has also warned that if the United States and NATO allies supplied Ukraine with fighter jets, it could escalate and expand the war, potentially putting Russia in direct confrontation with nuclear-armed rivals in the West.
Earlier this month Beatrice Fihn, who leads the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons, warned Putin is using nuclear “blackmail” to keep the international community from interfering in his Ukraine invasion.
“This is one of the scariest moments really when it comes to nuclear weapons,” she said.
Questioned further about Russia’s offensive in Ukraine, Peskov said it had no intention of occupying its neighbor and asserted his country was not attacking civilians.
The main goals of the “operation,” he said, are “to get rid of the military potential of Ukraine.”
“This is why our military are targeting only military goals and military objects on the territory of Ukraine. Not civil ones,” he said.
Widespread photographic and video evidence supports human rights groups’ allegations that Russian forces have attacked numerous civilian targets in the ex-Soviet state.
Russia would only use nuclear weapons faced with ‘existential threat’: Kremlin
https://arab.news/rpuya
Russia would only use nuclear weapons faced with ‘existential threat’: Kremlin
- "So if it is an existential threat for our country, then it can be used in accordance with our concept" Peskov said
- Pentagon spokesman John Kirby called Moscow's rhetoric on potential use of nuclear weapons "dangerous"
Trump suggests Tesla vandals be jailed in El Salvador
- ‘I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla’
- ‘Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!’
“I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20 year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
“Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions!” he added, referencing the Central American nation known for its harsh treatment of criminals.
Trump’s remarks mark a further consolidation of his administration’s support for key adviser Musk, who has divided Americans as an unelected tycoon who has led a ruthless cost-cutting drive at the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Several Tesla dealerships around the country have been vandalized in recent weeks and the company’s stock price has plummeted over the past month.
Attorney General Pam Bondi this week branded vandalism against property owned by Tesla as “domestic terrorism” in a public show of support for Musk.
On Thursday she announced that unspecified charges were being brought against three people accused of targeting Tesla cars, carrying between five and 20 years in prison.
The three defendants, who were not identified, “will face the full force of the law” for using Molotov cocktails to set fire to Tesla vehicles and charging stations in Oregon, Colorado and South Carolina, the Justice Department said.
Trump, in an unprecedented product endorsement by a sitting president, sought to boost Tesla sales earlier this month, briefly turning the White House into a showroom and announcing he was buying one of the electric cars.
His suggestion of jailing Tesla vandals in El Salvador is particularly pointed after US officials last weekend flew more than 200 alleged gang members to be jailed in the country.
The move caused uproar as it apparently defied a US court order halting the flights – though the Trump administration insists it was legal.
In streets of Old Dhaka, life bustles all night during Ramadan
- Old Dhaka is the historic core and original settlement of Bangladesh’s capital
- Its unique food scene draws crowds from all over the city during iftar and sahoor
DHAKA: The streets of Old Dhaka stay alive all night during Ramadan, with grocery shops, tailor stalls, hair salons, and eateries keeping their doors open as people from across the Bangladeshi capital flock to the neighborhood for its local delicacies that cannot be found anywhere else.
Old Dhaka is the historic core and original settlement of the city of Dhaka.
Vibrant and densely populated, it is known for its rich cultural heritage and traditional architecture. It is the heart of the Bangladeshi capital’s old markets and residential buildings, many of which date back to the 17th century, when Dhaka was an important part of the Mughal Empire.
Forgotten throughout the year by the rest of the city, where life revolves around modern settlements and business districts, residents of Old Dhaka are reminded of their significance during the fasting month, when their neighborhood becomes a main attraction.
“Only in the month of Ramadan we work at full capacity. Every day, we receive new orders, and sometimes, we even have to refuse them,” said Mohammed Nasir Uddin Sagar Khan,
a tailor shop owner in Old Dhaka’s Nazirabazar.
“We earn much more during Ramadan. The money I earn is quite good.”
His shop remains open throughout the night until a bit after sahoor, or around daybreak, after which it closes for a few hours of rest.
“It feels good working during those nights as the area remains crowded, with people coming from different places,” Khan said. “Media and TV channels of Dhaka come here during night to have biryani, ice cream, and chit-chat. We enjoy this ambiance very much.”
At a nearby salon in Agasadek lane, Somrat Hossain Sumon is dealing with a line of queuing customers.
“We experience a surge in clients,” he said. “During Ramadan, our customers start coming immediately after iftar … Usually, we continue till sahoor hours or as long as our customers need our services.”
While some people come to Old Dhaka for festive clothes and some for haircuts, what draws most is the neighborhood’s unique food scene.
Nazirabazar is widely considered the food capital of Old Dhaka, and guests not only from other parts of the city but also from areas 50-60km away regularly visit during Ramadan to taste various kinds of biriyani, kebab, and desserts.
“Our restaurants are crowded at all times. For sahoor, people even need to queue to secure a seat,” said Mohammed Abdullah Al Mamun, manager of Mamun Biriyani, one of the famous biryani spots in the neighborhood.
“People mostly come to our restaurant to have our signature dish beef tehari … We are famous for this dish.”
Tehari is a variety of biryani — a rice dish that to many in South Asia is a favorite Ramadan comfort food.
In Nazirabazar, it is the most sought-after item.
“Biryani from this place is famous around the world … Today, I came here particularly for this biryani,” said Shahjalal Scissor, a student who arrived in Old Dhaka from Bashundhora, an upscale area of new Dhaka.
“I came here to feel the heritage, the ambiance of this place, the tradition and nightlife of Old Dhaka. I am here to experience all these things.”
Maruf Ahmed, a businessman from Dhaka’s Uttara area, brought his family along to treat them to something unique for sahoor.
“The flavors I enjoy here are something one doesn’t get anywhere in Uttara,” he said.
“Most of the time, I have kebab from Bismillah Kebab. I think in the marination or spices they use, they have some secret which makes the taste different. Also, they roast the meat over coal, while in most places we’re used to oil-fried kebabs.”
To cap off iftar or sahoor, many opt for the iconic flavored yogurt drinks.
Beauty Lassi, one of the places that serve the drink in Old Dhaka, has been around for over 100 years.
The shop’s recipes have been passed down from its founder to the next generations, and the drinks it offers are nowhere else to be found.
“We have lassi in our locality too, but lassi at Beauty Lassi of Old Dhaka is unmatched. We don’t even compare it,” said Abdur Rahman Shihab, who arrived in Nazirabazar from Shonir Akhra with a group of friends.
They stayed in Old Dhaka for iftar.
“We don’t get this kind of food every day … All these dishes are a testament to heritage, each with its unique signature taste. It’s the specialty of Old Dhaka,” Shihab told Arab News.
“Every food served here has some special taste. That’s why we came here. We visit this place only on special occasions.”
‘I need to be home’: Pakistanis among stranded Heathrow passengers separated from loved ones
- Europe’s busiest airport has been shut down due to a blaze at a nearby electric substation causing power outage
- Travel experts say the disruption will extend far beyond Heathrow, and global flight schedules will be affected
LONDON: Thousands of travelers stranded by a huge fire near London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, scrambled to find ways to get home and reunite with their families on Friday as they faced what could be days of disruptions.
Heathrow was shut as around 70 firefighters sought to put down the blaze at a nearby electrical substation in the west of London that knocked out power at the airport as well as the area’s back-up power system.
Airlines advised passengers not to travel to the airport, and Britain’s energy minister Ed Miliband warned it would take time to recover from the “catastrophic” fire.
Waiting at central London’s Paddington station, which normally offers express train service to Heathrow, US traveler Tyler Prieb contacted airlines Friday morning, hoping to find a new flight back to his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m sure everybody is going to need a new flight somewhere, somehow. So I’m just trying to get ahead of that the best I can,” said Prieb, 36, who was in London for work and to see friends.
“Hopefully, it will just take me an extra day to get back to my wife and my daughter. And they are probably wishing I would be home already,” he said.
In the meantime, Prieb said he had asked OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT for ways to pass the time.
“I thought maybe I’d go explore another city somewhere,” he said.
Heathrow was due to handle 1,351 flights during the day, flying up to 291,000 passengers.
A Heathrow spokesperson told Reuters in an email that there was no clarity on when power would be restored, and they expected significant disruption over the coming days.
John Moriarty, another US traveler, listened attentively to his phone’s speaker, hoping to get through to his airline’s customer service helpline.
The 75-year-old said he was anxious to return to Boston to see his daughter, who had traveled from New York to visit him.
“All the lines are busy, so I might be here another day. Not the worst thing in the world. (London) is my favorite city, but I need to be home,” 75-year-old John Moriarty said.
Travel experts said the disruption would extend far beyond Heathrow, and global flight schedules will be affected more broadly, as many aircraft will now be out of position.
Mahmoud Ali, 40, an employee of Domino’s Pizza in London, had been due to fly to his native Pakistan to be with his wife and children, who he has not seen since last summer.
“They are waiting for me. I’m trying to call the airline and Heathrow (to find out) what time the situation will be resolved,” he said.
The fire has also forced the rerouting of incoming flights, leaving passengers unsure of where they will land.
Some flights from the United States were turning around mid-air and returning to their point of departure.
Adrian Spender, who works at British retailer Tesco, said in a post on X that he was on an Airbus A380 that had been headed for Heathrow.
“#Heathrow no idea where we are going yet. Currently over Austria,” he wrote.
Flights canceled, thousands evacuated after Indonesia volcano eruption
- Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted for 11 minutes and nine seconds late Thursday
- Several other flights – both domestic and international, including to Thailand, Singapore and Australia – have been delayed
JAKARTA: At least seven international flights from Indonesia’s resort island Bali have been canceled, an airport official said Friday, after a volcano in the archipelago nation’s east erupted, shooting dark ash eight kilometers into the sky and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki, a 1,703-meter (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano on the tourist island of Flores, erupted for 11 minutes and nine seconds late Thursday, authorities said, raising the volcano’s alert status to the highest level.
As of 9:45 a.m. (0145 GMT) Friday, “seven international flights had been canceled, six of them are Jetstar flights bound to Australia and one Air Asia flight to Kuala Lumpur,” Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport spokesman, Andadina Dyah, said in a statement.
Several other flights — both domestic and international, including to Thailand, Singapore and Australia — have been delayed, it said.
The local government has declared a 14-day emergency and established a command post to coordinate response efforts, the country’s disaster agency spokesman (BNPB), Abdul Muhari, said in a statement on Friday.
Abdul added that more than 4,700 residents have been evacuated as of Friday and called on those remaining to find a safe location.
“The people are asked to remain in safe locations and follow directives from the regional government,” Abdul said.
The local airport in Maumere, on Flores, the closest to the volcano, has not been affected by the ash, according to the transportation ministry.
“The ash column was observed grey to black with thick intensity,” Indonesia’s volcanology agency said in a statement about the eruption, which began at around 11:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Volcanic ash from the eruption blanketed several nearby villages on Friday.
At least two people were injured, including a man whose roof collapsed under volcanic debris, a local official said.
The agency warned residents of the risk of volcanic mudflows due to heavy rainfall.
The long eruption prompted the country’s geological agency to raise the volcano’s alert level to the highest of the four-tiered system.
Authorities imposed an exclusion zone between seven and eight kilometers (four to five miles) around the volcano, the agency added.
In November, Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki erupted multiple times, killing nine people, canceling scores of international flights to the tourist island of Bali and forcing thousands to evacuate.
Laki-Laki, which means “man” in Indonesian, is twinned with a calmer volcano named after the Indonesian word for “woman.”
Indonesia, a vast archipelago nation, experiences frequent seismic and volcanic activity due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire.”
‘I need to be home’: stranded Heathrow passengers separated from loved ones
- Fire at electrical substation causes Heathrow shutdown
- Global flight schedules affected, incoming flights rerouted
LONDON:Thousands of travelers stranded by a huge fire near London’s Heathrow, Europe’s busiest airport, scrambled to find ways to get home and reunite with their families on Friday as they faced what could be days of disruptions.
Heathrow was shut as around 70 firefighters sought to put down the blaze at a nearby electrical substation in the west of London that knocked out power at the airport as well as the area’s back-up power system.
Airlines advised passengers not to travel to the airport, and Britain’s energy minister Ed Miliband warned it would take time to recover from the “catastrophic” fire.
Waiting at central London’s Paddington station, which normally offers express train service to Heathrow, US traveler Tyler Prieb contacted airlines Friday morning, hoping to find a new flight back to his home in Nashville, Tennessee.
“I’m sure everybody is going to need a new flight somewhere, somehow. So I’m just trying to get ahead of that the best I can,” said Prieb, 36, who was in London for work and to see friends.
“Hopefully, it will just take me an extra day to get back to my wife and my daughter. And they are probably wishing I would be home already,” he said.
In the meantime, Prieb said he had asked OpenAI’s chatbot ChatGPT for ways to pass the time.
“I thought maybe I’d go explore another city somewhere,” he said.
Heathrow was due to handle 1,351 flights during the day, flying up to 291,000 passengers.
A Heathrow spokesperson told Reuters in an email that there was no clarity on when power would be restored, and they expected significant disruption over the coming days.
John Moriarty, another US traveler, listened attentively to his phone’s speaker, hoping to get through to his airline’s customer service helpline.
The 75-year-old said he was anxious to return to Boston to see his daughter, who had traveled from New York to visit him.
“All the lines are busy, so I might be here another day. Not the worst thing in the world. (London) is my favorite city, but I need to be home,” 75-year-old John Moriarty said.
Travel experts said the disruption would extend far beyond Heathrow, and global flight schedules will be affected more broadly, as many aircraft will now be out of position.
Mahmoud Ali, 40, an employee of Domino’s Pizza in London, had been due to fly to his native Pakistan to be with his wife and children, who he has not seen since last summer.
“They are waiting for me. I’m trying to call the airline and Heathrow (to find out) what time the situation will be resolved,” he said.
The fire has also forced the rerouting of incoming flights, leaving passengers unsure of where they will land.
Some flights from the United States were turning around mid-air and returning to their point of departure.
Adrian Spender, who works at British retailer Tesco, said in a post on X that he was on an Airbus A380 that had been headed for Heathrow.
“#Heathrow no idea where we are going yet. Currently over Austria,” he wrote.
