World

Scholz defends Germany’s caution on sending heavy weapons to Ukraine

Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Sunday rejected criticism that Germany was not showing leadership in western efforts to supply Ukraine with heavy weapons to repel Russia’s invasion, saying that he’d rather be cautious than make hasty decisions.
Scholz is under pressure at home and abroad to supply Ukraine with heavy arms such as tanks and howitzers and support an immediate EU embargo on Russian energy imports to strip President Vladimir Putin of hard currency that helps him finance the war.

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“I take my decisions fast and in concert with our partners,” Scholz told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper in an interview. “I find hasty actions and maverick German efforts questionable.”
In a U-turn, Germany approved on April 26 the delivery of “Gepard” anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine, a step backed by 55 percent of Germans who in an opinion poll said Europe’s biggest economy should supply Ukraine with such arms.
However, the decision did not help reverse public perception of Scholz as being indecisive and lacking leadership. An opinion poll published in Bild am Sonntag showed that 54 percent were unsatisfied with Scholz's handling of the crisis. His approval rating fell to 32 percent, the poll showed.
Fearing Russia could broaden the war to countries other than Ukraine, some of Germany’s partners in the NATO military alliance had expressed discontent with Scholz's initial hesitancy on arming Ukraine.
Others like Poland are unhappy with Germany’s opposition to an EU embargo on Russian gas imports.
The Greens and Free Democrats, junior coalition partners to Scholz’s Social Democrats, are more keen on providing more military assistance to Ukraine.
Scholz has had to balance their demands with those of left-leaning members of his party who say delivering heavy weapons to Ukraine risks provoking a Russian military response in a third country and sparking a broader conflict.
Moscow calls its actions a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and rid it of anti-Russian nationalism fomented by the West. Ukraine and the West say Russia launched an unprovoked war of aggression.

Russia claims Ukraine shelling its own civilians in Kherson

Zelenskyy says held meeting with US House Speaker Pelosi

World

Elon Musk to visit China this week: Sources

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk is expected to visit China this week, three people with knowledge of the matter said, in what would be his first trip to the country in three years.
Musk is expected to meet senior Chinese officials and to visit Tesla’s Shanghai plant, two of the sources said.
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It was not immediately clear who Musk would meet and what they would discuss. The people with knowledge of the trip declined to be named as the matter is private.
Tesla and China’s State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Reuters reported in March that Musk was planning a trip to China and seeking a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang as early as April, with the exact timing subject to Li’s availability.
China is Tesla’s second-largest market after the United States, and its Shanghai plant is the electric carmaker’s largest production hub.
Musk also owns social media platform Twitter, which is banned in China, although some people access it via virtual private networks (VPNs).
The trip would mark Musk’s first in China since he set the internet abuzz by dancing on stage during an event at Tesla’s Shanghai factory in early 2020.
It would also come at a time when Tesla is grappling with multiple issues, including intensifying competition with Chinese automakers that are exporting their China-made electric vehicles as demand in the world’s largest auto market weakens.
Tesla has not yet given any update on its plans to increase output by 450,000 vehicles a year at its Shanghai plant, although it said in April it would build a factory in Shanghai to produce Megapack energy storage products.
The company has submitted plans to local authorities to expand capacity for producing powertrains at the Shanghai plant to 1.75 million units annually.
China’s state planner has been struggling with a capacity glut in its auto industry with more than 100 players and has been cautious about approving new production capacity.
Musk told CNBC earlier this month that “there are some constraints on our ability to expand in China.” He added: “It’s not a demand issue.”
In the same interview, Musk said tensions between the United States and China “should be a concern for everyone.”
Tesla is building a plant in Mexico expected to produce a lower-cost electric car built on its next-generation platform.
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World

Iran set to unveil hypersonic missile ‘soon’: IRGC commander

Iran is preparing to unveil a hypersonic missile in the near future, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander said on Monday.

This comes after Iran last week unveiled a new ballistic missile capable of reaching a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,242 miles) and carrying warheads weighing over a ton.

“The hypersonic missile has passed its tests and will be unveiled soon,” the semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted Amirali Hajizadeh, head of the IRGC’s aerospace unit, as saying.

“This new missile is capable of passing through all missile defense systems. It targets the enemy’s anti-missile systems and is a big leap in the field of missiles,” he added.

“The hypersonic missile has a high speed and can maneuver in and out of the atmosphere.”

In November, Hajizadeh made the initial claim that Iran had developed a hypersonic missile. The claim was met with doubts from Washington, with a Pentagon spokesperson saying that the US was “skeptical” of the assertion.

Hypersonic missiles can fly at speeds at least five times faster than the speed of sound, following intricate trajectories that make interception challenging. Unlike ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles travel at low altitudes in the atmosphere, potentially enabling them to reach targets more swiftly.

On Thursday, Iran unveiled the Kheibar missile, which is an updated version of the Khorramshahr, the country’s longest-range missile to date.

State news agency IRNA described the Kheibar as “a liquid fuel missile with a range of 2,000 kilometers and a 1,500 kilogram warhead.”

The US described Iran’s missile program as a “serious threat” following the unveiling.

“Iran’s development, and proliferation of, ballistic missiles poses a serious threat to regional and international security and remains a significant non-proliferation challenge,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller told reporters.

World

New reservoir commissioned in Lusaily to increase water storage capacity

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) has authorized the construction of a water reservoir in the Lusaily area to meet growing demand, the official Emirates News Agency (WAM) reported on Monday.

DEWA officials say the project will have a storage capacity of 60 million imperial gallons (MIG) and investments totaling $42.86 million (AED 157.4 million).

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The purpose of the reservoir is to strengthen water security and keep up with the increase in demand, according to WAM.

“The water reservoirs we are building help increase the water flow and raise the volume of the Emirate’s water reserve to meet the growing demand and increase the efficiency and reliability of water networks to support the sustainable development of Dubai,” DEWA CEO Saeed Mohammed al-Tayer said.