Latest news with #AFPNewsAgency
The Journal
11-06-2025
- Politics
- The Journal
US moves staff from embassy in Iraq as tensions with Iran over nuclear deal increase
THE US IS reducing the number of its staff at its embassy in Iraq and other bases in its control in the Middle East over security concerns as tensions with Iran have escalated. Iran and the US have concluded their fifth round of nuclear talks, seeking to reach a replacement of the 2015 accord, seeking that Tehran dismantle its nuclear weapons capabilities, that President Donald Trump scrapped in 2018. Iran this evening threatened to target US military bases in the region if conflict breaks out. Trump has said he is 'less confident' that a nuclear deal can be reached. Since returning to the White House in January, the Trump administration has sought to impose pressure on Iran to reach a deal. It has warned of a military response, if it fails. Speaking this evening, Iran's defence minister Aziz Nasirzadeh said all of US-controlled bases in the region are 'within out reach' and that they will be targeted 'without hesitation' if conflict breaks out. 'God willing, things won't reach that point, and the talks will succeed,' the minister said, adding that the US side 'will suffer more losses' if it came to conflict. In January 2020, Iran fired missiles at bases in Iraq housing American troops in retaliation for the US strike that killed top Iranian general Qassem Soleimani days before at Baghdad airport. Dozens of US soldiers suffered traumatic brain injuries. Cargo ships travelling through the Persian Gulf have also been advised to proceed with caution by the British-navy-run UK Maritime Trade Operations agency. Advertisement The US has multiple bases in the Middle East, with the largest located in Qatar. Sources have told the AFP News Agency that staff at an embassy in Iran have been reduced today. Trump, tonight, has confirmed reports that staff have been removed from 'dangerous' locations in the Middle East. It comes as talks between Iran and the US have reached an impasse in recent weeks over Tehran's uranium enrichment operations – which it has said is a 'non-negotiable'. The country currently enriches uranium – meaning, to increase its concentration – to 60%. It is far above the 3.67% limit set in the 2015 deal. Enriching uranium can assist in the production of nuclear warheads – though Iran's operations are still short of the 90% concentration needed to create the weapons. Trump had expressed optimism about the talks securing an end to Iran's programme during a trip to the region last month, but he told US media today that he feels 'less confident' that a deal can be reached. He has discussed the possibility of his country and Israel working together to get Iran to reach a deal, or cooperating militarily if not. The intenrational nuclear watchdog met this week and concluded yesterday that there has been 'less than satisfactory' cooperation from Tehran , particularly in explaining past cases of nuclear material found at undeclared sites. Iran has criticised the report as unbalanced, saying it relied on 'forged documents' provided by Israel. - © AFP 2025 , with reporting by Muiris Ó Cearbhaill
The Journal
04-06-2025
- General
- The Journal
Trump-Putin phone call will not lead to 'immediate peace in Ukraine', US President says
A CALL BETWEEN the US and Russian Presidents will not lead to 'an immediate peace' in Ukraine, Donald Trump has said. In a post to Truth Social , following the first call between the two presidents since the illegal invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin in 2022, Trump said the leaders discussed the war. A recent and sophisticated attack by Ukraine's Secret Service on more than 40 Russia's bombing planes , which have targeted civilian locations and infrastructure in the past, was discussed during the call, Trump said. The attack saw many Ukrainian drones make their way into Russia's borders using a shipping container before taking off, destroying the planes and the containers used to transport the weapons. It is the largest attack on Russian military infrastructure that has taken place inside the country's borders since the beginning of Putin's illegal invasion of Ukraine over three years ago. Advertisement Trump wrote that, during the hour and 15-minute phone call, Putin said 'very strongly' that he will have to respond to the recent attack on the airfields. He did not say whether he had warned Putin off any such retaliation against Ukraine, which Washington has supported through financial and military support in its fight against Russia. 'It was a good conversation, but not a conversation that will lead to immediate peace,' he added. The Republican has repeatedly alarmed Ukraine and Western allies by appearing to side with Putin over the war. This included a blazing Oval Office row with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. But Trump has also showed growing frustration with Putin as Russia has so far derailed the US president's efforts to honour a campaign pledge to end the war within 24 hours – even if he never explained how this could be achieved. Includes reporting by AFP News Agency Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone... A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation. Learn More Support The Journal
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Remember That Wild Photoshoot of Young Barron Trump and His Many Toys?
'Abundance for me but not for thee' seems to be Donald Trump's new motto. The president's argument that children should just have fewer dolls rattled the nation last week. Trump's tariffs proposals—which were discovered and confirmed by the White House to be based on bad math—have sent markets tumbling and pushed the U.S. economy closer toward a recession. The boss of the biggest shipping port in the country told AFP News Agency that American consumers can expect 'less choice and higher prices' once current inventory runs out, which he predicted would occur within the next five to seven weeks. In the face of rising costs and a slowing job market, Trump's solution is just as simple as it is un-American: Buy less. 'I don't think a young lady, a 10-year-old girl, 9-year-old girl, 15-year-old girl, doesn't need 37 dolls. She can be very happy with two or three or four or five,' Trump reiterated to reporters aboard Air Force One Sunday. But Trump—whose net worth is estimated by Forbes to be $5.1 billion—wouldn't know the first thing about living a modest lifestyle. His own children have been photographed in the lap of luxury, playing with lavish toys backdropped by the ornate interiors of his New York City penthouse, as the internet was quick to point out. Some of Barron Trump's childhood toys included a customized mini Mercedes convertible featuring a 'BARRON' license plate, several life-size stuffed animals, and famously, a Louis Vuitton 'soot-case' that reportedly now retails for nearly $10,000. They resided in an entire floor of Trump's apartment, which Barron apparently had all to himself, Melania told Entertainment Tonight in 2010. Other images of Trump's brood include photos of Melania holding a baby Barron in front of golden doors, marble floors, and an elaborate pram.
News24
02-05-2025
- Politics
- News24
Israel attacks Syria in 'clear message' to protect Druze community
Israel attacked Syria, near the capital. The attack was to protect the Druze community, the Israeli Prime Minister said. The Druze and Sunni engaged in violence recently. Israel attacked a target near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said early on Friday, reiterating his vow to protect members of the Druze community. It marks the second time Israel has struck Syria in as many days, following through on a promise to defend the minority group, which was involved in sectarian violence against Sunni gunmen earlier this week. The Druze adhere to a faith that is an offshoot of Islam and have followers in Syria, Lebanon and Israel. The strikes reflect Israel's deep mistrust of the Sunni Islamists who toppled Bashar al-Assad in December, posing a further challenge to interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa's efforts to establish control over the fractured nation. "Israel struck last night near the presidential palace in Damascus," Netanyahu said in a joint statement with Defence Minister Israel Katz. "This is a clear message to the Syrian regime: We will not allow (Syrian) forces to deploy south of Damascus or any threat to the Druze community." The Israeli military said in a statement it struck "adjacent to the area of the Palace of Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in Damascus", without specifying the target. There was no immediate comment from Syria's authorities. Since Assad was ousted in December, Israel has seized ground in the southwest, vowed to protect the Druze, lobbied Washington to keep the neighbouring state weak, and has blown up much of the Syrian army's heavy weapons in the days after he was toppled. #BREAKING The Israeli military said Friday it had launched air strikes near the presidential palace in the Syrian capital Damascus, after warning it would intervene if Syrian authorities failed to protect the Druze minority. — AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 2, 2025 Sharaa, who was an al-Qaeda commander before renouncing ties to the group in 2016, has repeatedly vowed to govern Syria in an inclusive way. But incidents of sectarian violence, including the killing of hundreds of Alawites in March, have hardened fears among minority groups about the now dominant Islamists. Syrian Druze spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri on Thursday condemned what he called a "genocidal campaign" against his community after two days of deadly sectarian clashes left 101 people dead. — AFP News Agency (@AFP) May 1, 2025 This week's sectarian violence began on Tuesday with clashes between Druze and Sunni gunmen in the predominantly Druze area of Jaramana, sparked by a voice recording cursing the Prophet Muhammad and which the Sunni militants suspected was made by a Druze. More than a dozen people were reported killed on Tuesday, before the violence spread to the mainly Druze town of Sahnaya on Damascus' outskirts on Wednesday.
News24
30-04-2025
- Politics
- News24
'Decisive response': Pakistan claims India attack over Kashmir killings is imminent
Pakistan believes India is likely to attack. India accuses Pakistan of supporting terrorists who killed 26 on 22 April. China has urged restraint amid heightened tensions. Pakistan's information minister said on Wednesday that Islamabad had "credible intelligence" that India was planning an imminent military strike and he vowed a "decisive response", as worries of spiralling conflict grew over a deadly attack in Kashmir. The statement by Attaullah Tarar came after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi held a closed-door meeting the previous day with army and security chiefs, at which he gave the military "complete operational freedom" to respond to the attack, a senior government source told AFP. "Pakistan has credible intelligence that India intends to launch a military strike within the next 24 to 36 hours using the Pahalgam incident as a false pretext," Tarar said in a statement. Pahalgam is a tourist hub in Indian-administered Kashmir where 26 men were killed on 22 April, the deadliest attack on civilians in the contested region in years. India has accused Pakistan of supporting the attack, a claim Islamabad has rejected. "Any act of aggression will be met with a decisive response," said Tarar. He added: The development comes as nations around the world, from neighbouring China to the US, express deep concerns and urge restraint by the nuclear-armed neighbours. India's army on Wednesday said it had repeatedly traded gunfire with Pakistani troops for a sixth night in a row across the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto Kashmir border, a heavily fortified zone of high-altitude Himalayan outposts. The army reported "small arms firing" in multiple sites, but with no reported casualties. Pakistan's military did not confirm the shooting, but state radio in Islamabad reported on Tuesday it had shot down an Indian drone, calling it a violation of its airspace. #UPDATE Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given India's military "operational freedom" to respond to a deadly attack in Kashmir last week, a senior government source told AFP on Tuesday, after New Delhi blamed it on arch-rival Pakistan ?? — AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 29, 2025 It did not say when the incident happened, and there was no comment from New Delhi. Tensions have been rapidly mounting in the week since the Pahalgam attack, with tit-for-tat diplomatic barbs, expulsion of citizens and land border crossings shut. Last week, Modi vowed to pursue those who carried out the attack, and those who had supported it. "I say to the whole world: India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backer," he said on Thursday. "We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth." The bellicose statements have prompted worries of a spiral into military action, with calls from several nations for restraint. AFP The US State Department said top diplomat Marco Rubio would call his Pakistani and Indian counterparts soon to urge them "to not escalate the situation". UN chief Antonio Guterres meanwhile held calls on Tuesday with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in which he "offered his Good Offices to support de-escalation", his spokesperson said. Sharif's office later said he had urged Guterres to "counsel India" to exercise restraint, while pledging to defend Pakistan's "sovereignty and territorial integrity with full force in case of any misadventure by India". Muslim-majority Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from British rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in full. AFP Rebels in the Indian-run area have waged an insurgency since 1989, seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan. Indian police have issued wanted posters for three men accused of carrying out the Kashmir attack - two Pakistanis and an Indian - who they say are members of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba group, a UN-designated terrorist organisation. They have announced a two million rupee ($23 500) bounty for information leading to each man's arrest and carried out sweeping detentions seeking anyone suspected of links to the alleged killers. The worst attack in recent years in Indian-run Kashmir was at Pulwama in 2019, when a suicide bomber rammed a car packed with explosives into a security forces convoy, killing 40 and wounding 35. VIDEO: Kashmiris prepare bunkers amid mounting India-Pakistan tensions. Pulling logs and dusty building materials from a storage bunker outside his home in Kashmir, Riaz Awan readies the underground space to house his family as they brace for clashes between Pakistan and India… — AFP News Agency (@AFP) April 30, 2025 Indian fighter jets carried out air strikes on Pakistani territory 12 days later. Iran has already offered to mediate and Saudi Arabia has said Riyadh was trying to "prevent an escalation". US President Donald Trump downplayed tensions, saying on Friday the dispute will get "figured out, one way or another".
