Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
Once the United States has imposed tariffs on its major trading partners it could engage in bilateral talks with countries on new trade arrangements, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Sunday. U.S. President Donald Trump threatened on Thursday to slap a 200% tariff on wine, cognac and other alcohol imports from Europe, opening a new front in a global trade war that has roiled financial markets and raised recession fears. Rubio said the United States would retaliate against nations that had imposed tariffs on it. “This is global. It’s not against Canada, it’s not against Mexico, it’s not against…
Israel is prepared to continue Gaza ceasefire talks based on the mediators’ response to a U.S. proposal for the release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday.
The Vatican on Sunday released the first image of Pope Francis in hospital since the 88-year-old pontiff began treatment for double pneumonia. “This morning Pope Francis concelebrated the Holy Mass in the chapel of the apartment on the tenth floor of the Gemelli Polyclinic,” the Vatican press office wrote in the photograph’s caption. Concelebration is the joint celebration by senior clerics of the service. The photo shows the bare-headed pope seated in a wheelchair, wearing a white robe and purple shawl, in front of a simple altar and crucifix on the wall.
Ukrainian air defences destroyed 130 out of 178 drones launched by Russia during its latest overnight strike, Kyiv’s air force said on Saturday. It added that another 38 drones had been “locationally lost”, typically a reference to electronic jamming, and that Russian forces had also fired two ballistic missiles.
Pope Francis remains stable in hospital, “confirming the progress” the 88-year-old pontiff has made in the past week while battling double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Saturday. Francis, who was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14, is also reducing his use of mechanical ventilation at night to help with his breathing, a statement said.
G7 nations emphasised on Friday the need for robust “security arrangements” to ensure a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, warning Moscow to follow Kyiv in agreeing a ceasefire or face further sanctions, according to a final draft statement. “G7 members called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully,” the G7 nations, comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, said in a final draft statement seen by Reuters. The draft, approved by senior diplomats, still needs a green light from ministers, G7 officials said. “They emphasised that any…
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner has sought to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning “No Other Land,” a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He also wants to halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South Beach. City commissioners are expected to vote on legislation introduced by Meiner next week, according to a resolution document made public on Thursday. Meiner has described the movie as one-sided propaganda and an attack on Jewish people, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and other civil…
Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for talks on Tehran’s nuclear issues, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, days after Iran rejected U.S. “orders” to resume dialogue over the Iranian nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran reached a deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But in 2018, Donald Trump, a year into his first term at the White House, pulled out of the pact. Last week, Trump said he had sent a letter to the Iranian…
Hamas said on Friday it agreed to release an American-Israeli dual national, believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, after receiving a proposal from mediators to continue negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal. Hamas said in a statement that it responded “positively” to the proposal that was presented on Thursday to resume negotiations. It will also release the bodies of four other dual nationality hostages, it said without giving further details. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days sought the…
Russia’s air base in Syria is sheltering about 9,000 people seeking refuge from a wave of sectarian violence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Zakharova said Moscow was shocked by events in Syria and hoped those responsible for the violence would be punished.