New York, March 1: Democratic Party leaders have accused US President Donald Trump of batting for his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin during the public showdown with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky at the White House, on Friday.

Democratic Party’s Senate leader Chuck Schumer said in a scorching post on X, “Trump and [Vice President JD] Vance are doing Putin’s dirty work. Senate Democrats will never stop fighting for freedom and democracy”.

Former Speaker and Democratic Party’s senior leader Nancy Pelosi called the Oval Office confrontation a “shameful display”.

“Putin must be overjoyed with today’s theatrics”, she said on X.

Engaging in a “dignified manner” with Zelensky “would’ve been a show of strength for the President of the United States”, she added.

The Democratic Party leader in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Jean Shaheen said in a statement, “Russia has not been able to break Ukraine’s spirit nor its will to fight. We are certain President Trump’s childish tantrum will not reach that objective either”.

She added, “Today’s behaviour by President Trump and Vice President Vance would be more shocking if it wasn’t the new normal”.

Support for Zelensky flowed in from Democrat governors who declared, “We, along with millions of Americans, stand united with the Ukrainian people”.

“Americans must protect our strong democratic values on the world stage instead of undermining President Zelensky’s work to fight for his nation and the freedom of his people after being invaded by Russia”, the Democratic Governors Association said.

Democratic Party leader in the House of Representatives Hakeem Jeffries said, “Today’s White House meeting with the President of Ukraine was appalling and will only serve to further embolden Vladimir Putin, a brutal dictator”.

Zelensky “went into the Oval Office and stood up to Russia’s best negotiators”, Representative Eric Swalwell said sarcastically on X.

Senator Mark Warner called Trump’s conduct “beyond bizarre”

“Today is a great victory for authoritarians across the globe — Trump is abandoning our allies and embracing our adversaries”, he added in his post.

Sydney, Feb 26: The number of deaths from a disease linked to heavy rainfall and flooding in northeast of Australia’s state of Queensland has more than doubled to 12, local health authorities said.

Health authorities in the tropical north coast region of Queensland confirmed that the death toll from melioidosis in the current wet season has risen to 12, up from five deaths that had been reported as of February 21.

Of the 12 deaths, nine occurred in and around Cairns, the largest city in the region, and three in the city of Townsville, almost 300 km south.

Melioidosis is a rare tropical disease caused by bacteria commonly found in soil and water in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. After heavy rainfall it becomes airborne.

Queensland’s tropical northern coast was hit by widespread flooding earlier in February, with many towns getting record rainfall for the month in a matter of days.

There have been 53 confirmed cases of melioidosis in Carins and 34 cases in Townsville since the start of 2025, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported, citing Jacqueline Murdoch, director of the Tropical Public Health Services.

“It absolutely is a record-breaking year. Certainly we haven’t seen anything like this and the numbers are very alarming,” said Murdoch on Tuesday.

“It’s a very severe disease and it has a reasonably high fatality rate, so we do have a large number of deaths now, which is reflecting the large number of cases.”

She said that most of the patients were older people and that the majority had contracted the disease through the air.

Murdoch urged people to be careful about being outside in heavy rain, being in contact with soil and to wear a mask when using a high-pressure hose.

Anyone with a cough or difficulty breathing has been advised to visit their doctor or nearest emergency department.

Tehran, Feb 26: Iran will not negotiate over its nuclear program while facing external pressure or sanctions, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi declared during a joint press conference with his visiting Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, in Tehran.

Araghchi on Tuesday reiterated Iran’s refusal to hold direct talks with the US unless Washington ends its “maximum pressure” sanctions campaign.

The US reimposed sanctions after abandoning the 2015 nuclear deal, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), in 2018, prompting Tehran to scale back its nuclear commitments under the accord.

“Negotiations under pressure, threats, and sanctions are meaningless,” Araghchi said, emphasising that Iran had engaged in “close consultations” with Moscow on reviving the JCPOA. Efforts to restore the pact commenced in 2021 but resulted in no substantial progress.

For his part, Lavrov reaffirmed Russia’s backing for diplomatic measures to salvage the agreement, stating, “We believe the diplomatic capacity still exists to revive the deal without threats or coercion.”

He pledged Moscow’s support for solutions and asserted that “the crisis had not been created by Iran.”

The ministers also addressed regional conflicts, including in Gaza and Syria, with Iran voicing support for Syria’s territorial integrity.

Lavrov described talks with Araghchi as “comprehensive, fruitful, and constructive,” noting progress in cooperation between the two countries by highlighting a 13-per cent surge in bilateral trade in 2024.

He also criticised unilateral sanctions on Tehran as “unacceptable,” according to Russian state media. Both sides agreed to expand cooperation to counter the sanctions’ effects.

Lavrov visited Tehran earlier Tuesday for talks spanning energy, trade, and regional security. He then headed to Qatar to continue his working visit in the Middle East.