Syrian government forces say they have regained control of many villages in the south of country that had been in rebel hands. Mana Rabiee reports.
The Kremlin said on Friday that staff in some government departments were banned from travelling abroad for security reasons, while some departments required people to provide advance notification of any foreign travel plans. Reuters reported on Thursday that Russia was making overseas travel harder for some officials due to fears that foreign powers may try to gain access to state secrets during the worst crisis in relations with the West for more than 60 years. "All organisations have nuances when it comes to the current regime of approving trips abroad," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said in a daily call with reporters.
The Pentagon could get weapons moving to Ukraine within days if Congress passes a long-delayed aid bill. Moving fast is critical, CIA Director Bill Burns said Thursday, warning that without additional aid from the U.S., Ukraine could lose the war to Russia by the end of this year. Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder said, “We would like very much to be able to rush the security assistance in the volumes we think they need to be able to be successful.”
Group of Seven foreign ministers warned of new sanctions against Iran on Friday for its drone and missile attack on Israel, and urged both sides to avoid an escalation of the conflict. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, who chaired the meeting of ministers of industrialized countries, said the agenda of the three-day meeting was changed on Friday to address the latest developments. Early Friday, Iran fired air defenses at a major air base and a nuclear site near the central city of Isfahan after spotting drones.
Israeli media cited foreign reports of an Israeli strike on Iran on Friday in the absence of official public comment, while Iranian television reports played down the attack - many not even mentioning the "Zionist entity", Iran's term for Israel. The Israeli military and foreign ministries declined comment and there were no immediate public statements from senior politicians apart from hardline security minister, Itamar Ben Gvir, who sent out the one word message "Feeble!" on social media platform X. Israeli media cited reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post, which quoted unnamed Israeli officials as confirming Israel was behind the attack, but did not report official confirmation of their own.
A senior figure in Japan's ruling party will travel to New York next week and is seeking a meeting with Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, according to public broadcaster NHK. Taro Aso, a former prime minister who currently serves as vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, will visit New York from April 22-25, sources with knowledge of his travel plans told Reuters, speaking on condition of anonymity. He is seeking a meeting with Trump, who is in New York standing trial in a hush money case, NHK reported citing sources.
He said on X that he also visited a paratroopers' medical platoon and examined the construction of fortifications: "Every effort must be made in this regard." Twenty-five months into Moscow's full-scale invasion, Ukraine is on the back foot, and Russian troops are inching forward. Kyiv scaled up its efforts to build effective defence lines as its officials warned about Russian troops preparing a possible offensive later this spring or in summer.
A measure of calm was returning after Israel's retaliatory strike on Iran spooked the market and spurred a rush to safe havens such as gold.
China's Ant Group is in talks with Indonesia to bring its popular cross-border payment service Alipay+ there, the chief of its international business was quoted by media as saying on Friday after meeting with the country's communications minister. Launched in 2020, Alipay+ provides services and technology tools to global merchants and e-wallets that enable them to offer their users the ability to make payments in overseas markets with their local e-wallets. Peng Yang, CEO of Ant Group's international business group, was quoted by newspaper Kompas as saying the company was seeking guidance from Indonesia's central bank to operate in Indonesia, adding he hoped Alipay+ could be launched this year.
Western states have sought to send Iran messages via Turkey in recent days to reiterate appeals for de-escalation, a Western diplomat said on Friday. The messages were conveyed before reported Israeli attacks on Iran early on Friday, after which Tehran indicated it had no plans for further retaliation. After Iran's retaliatory attack on Israel over the weekend, Turkey's foreign ministry confirmed contacts with Iran and the United States in a statement, saying Ankara had called for restraint and warned of a regional war if tensions escalated further.
The head of the European Union's executive branch said Friday that Finland's decision to close its border crossings with Russia over a surge in migrants was a security matter for the whole 27-member bloc to consider. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen made the remarks during a trip to the frontier, visiting a part of the border located in the Arctic. “We all know how (Russian President Vladimir) Putin and his allies instrumentalize migrants to test our defenses and to try to destabilize us,” von der Leyen said.
Lawyers in Donald Trump's criminal trial are expected on Friday to wrap up the painstaking process of selecting a jury that will for the first time in U.S. history determine whether a former president is guilty of breaking the law. With the 12-member jury already chosen, prosecutors and defense lawyers need to select six alternates for the trial, which is expected to run through May. Opening statements could start on Monday. On Thursday, Justice Juan Merchan dismissed one juror who said she felt intimidated after friends and relatives figured out she had been chosen for the trial.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is using his hush money trial to squeeze his loyal army of small donors and personally lobby major backers as he scrambles to reduce a major fundraising disadvantage with Democratic President Joe Biden. His campaign has been firing off daily, dramatically worded fundraising appeals to small donors - who rallied to support him when he was first charged in the case last year - since the trial in New York began with jury selection on Monday. There are early warning signs that Trump's small-donor base may be flagging, suggesting Trump may have to rely more heavily on major donors ahead of the Nov. 5 rematch against Biden.
Call to Earth Day is a worldwide celebration of our planet, and an opportunity to do something positive to protect it.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson looks set to push forward this weekend on a $95 billion aid bill for Kyiv, Israel and other allies, despite a firestorm of protest from hardline Republicans that could lead to an attempt to oust him. His performance, six months after the 52-year-old Louisiana Republican acquired the speaker's gavel, has won him accolades from centrist Republicans who worry that party infighting could erode U.S. status on the world stage. Johnson was elected speaker after a small band of hardline Republicans ousted his predecessor, Kevin McCarthy, a move that brought the House of Representatives to a halt for weeks.
Democrat Ro Khanna is touring swing states, talking to young voters about Gaza. Why he thinks President Joe Biden has a 2024 problem.
The GOP-led House Rules Committee late Thursday night used Democratic support to advance a series of foreign aid bills, a sign that Republican leaders will need votes from across the aisle to pass the legislation.
Tesla's growth story was about leading the paradigm shift to EVs, and an affordable car was a part of that story. Now without it, the narrative has changed.
Russian strikes on Ukraine in the early hours of Friday killed at least eight people, including two children, as Kyiv said it shot down a Russian strategic bomber for the first time.In a boost for their forces, Kyiv said it had downed a Russian long-range strategic bomber during a combat mission for the first time.
India began voting Friday in a six-week election with an all but assured victory for Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi."I urge all those voting... to exercise their franchise in record numbers," he wrote in a social media post on X as the election began.
Indonesian authorities were on alert Friday for more eruptions from a remote island volcano that forced thousands to evacuate this week, as nearby residents began clearing debris after molten rocks rained down on their villages. And then it rained and rocks fell.
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