Global Pulse

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大洋洲

  • Acting US attorney general defends fund for prosecuted Trump allies

    Acting US attorney general defends fund for prosecuted Trump allies

    A fierce partisan debate erupted on Capitol Hill this week as Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche defended the newly established $1.8 billion “Anti-Weaponization Fund”, a initiative designed to compensate individuals who claim they were wrongfully prosecuted during the Biden administration. The fund, created as part of a settlement ending former President Donald Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over a 2023 tax return leak, has drawn sharp condemnation from congressional Democrats who frame it as an unprecedented misuse of taxpayer dollars to benefit the sitting president’s political allies.

    During hours of testimony before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Blanche, Trump’s former personal defense attorney who took over the top Justice Department role, faced repeated questioning from Democratic lawmakers over the fund’s structure and purpose. Washington Senator Patty Murray called the initiative outright corruption, arguing it amounted to the sitting president draining public treasury for personal political gain, labeling it a corrupt “slush fund” reserved for Trump’s loyalists.

    Blanche pushed back aggressively against these claims, stressing that Trump himself would be ineligible to receive compensation from the fund and rejecting assertions that only Republican allies of the president would qualify. He noted that even individuals like Hunter Biden, the former president’s son convicted of gun and tax crimes during his father’s tenure, would be eligible to apply for compensation if they believe they were targeted by politically motivated prosecutions. When pressed repeatedly about whether rioters convicted for their roles in the January 6, 2021, Capitol attack could receive payouts, Blanche refused to rule out eligibility, stating that any U.S. citizen who believes they were a victim of politically weaponized law enforcement would be allowed to apply.

    Blanche will personally appoint the five commissioners tasked with overseeing the fund, a detail that drew further criticism from lawmakers who highlighted his long-standing professional ties to Trump. Rhode Island Senator Jack Reed drew a comparison between Blanche and a mafia political adviser, calling him the “president’s consigliere,” while Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen argued Blanche was continuing to act as Trump’s personal attorney rather than an independent government official. Blanche defended the fund’s necessity, framing it as a corrective measure for what he described as four years of abusive law enforcement practices under former Biden Attorney General Merrick Garland.

    The fund was established Monday as part of a legal settlement with Trump, who dropped his $10 billion damages lawsuit against the IRS over the leak of his tax returns. A former IRS contractor pleaded guilty in 2023 to leaking Trump’s returns and those of other wealthy individuals to media outlets, and was sentenced to five years in prison for the crime. As part of the new settlement addendum released by Blanche Tuesday, the IRS is formally barred from pursuing back tax claims against Trump, his immediate family members, or any of his corporate entities.

    This move aligns with a broader pattern of action Trump has taken since starting his second term in office: he has moved swiftly to punish perceived political opponents, purge disloyal government officials, issue mass pardons to political allies—including hundreds of January 6 defendants on his first day back in office—target law firms that worked on cases against him, and pull federal funding from universities he accuses of political bias. The two criminal cases against Trump handled by special counsel Jack Smith, one over efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and a second over improper handling of classified documents, were both dropped after Trump won the 2024 election, with Blanche having served as his lead defense attorney in both matters.

  • Shock and bafflement at San Diego mosque where three were killed

    Shock and bafflement at San Diego mosque where three were killed

    The tight-knit Muslim community of San Diego is reeling from an unthinkable act of violence Monday, when two radicalized teenage gunmen stormed the Islamic Center of San Diego, killing three people before turning their weapons on themselves. The attack, which law enforcement has officially classified as an Islamophobic hate crime, has left neighbors and community members grappling with shock, grief, and a sudden loss of the sense of safety they long felt in their suburban neighborhood.

    Ramzy Awad, son of victim Nader Awad, sat blankly outside the mosque complex Tuesday, still unable to process the events that claimed his father’s life. “Everyone’s really shocked. It’s hard to believe this is real. We’re just all still figuring it out,” he told reporters from Agence France-Presse. Today, Awad and the two other slain men — security guard Amin Abdullah and community member Mansour Kaziha — are being widely celebrated as heroes whose quick, brave actions prevented a far deadlier massacre.

    San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl explained at a Tuesday press briefing that the two attackers, identified as 17-year-old Cain Clark and 18-year-old Caleb Vazquez, arrived at the center heavily armed with the intent to kill as many people as possible. At the time of the breach, as many as 140 children were in classrooms just 15 feet from the entry point where the gunmen entered. Abdullah, the on-site security guard, immediately engaged the attackers, fired on them, and radioed for backup, delaying and disrupting their plan to push deeper into the building.

    After Abdullah initial confrontation, Awad and Kaziha drew the gunmen back out into the mosque’s parking lot, sacrificing their own lives to keep the attackers away from the crowded interior. All three men died at the scene. The teens’ bodies were later found in a vehicle a short distance from the mosque, and investigators have confirmed they died of self-inflicted gunshot wounds. Searches of the attackers’ homes turned up a cache of weapons, ammunition, tactical gear, and electronic devices, alongside extremist writings that laid out a radical worldview rooted in racial and religious hatred.

    On Tuesday, community members and mourners gathered outside the mosque to lay flowers, their faces marked by confusion and grief. Many could only manage a few words before breaking into tears or falling silent. The Islamic Center of San Diego, one of the largest Muslim worship sites in a city of 1.4 million, has long been a hub for a diverse community of worshippers hailing from the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and Europe. Its minaret rises above palm-lined streets dotted with quiet suburban homes, and the center has long functioned as a core part of the local multicultural fabric — it even serves as a polling station during elections, and its imam regularly holds interfaith prayer events alongside a nearby Protestant church’s leadership.

    Neighbors like Katelynn Fisk, who was out walking her dog near the center Tuesday, expressed their shock and support for the community. “This Muslim community, they’re really good people, you know. They never treat anybody like they’re different, even if they don’t follow their beliefs,” Fisk said. For decades, the center has felt like a refuge for local Muslims, but the attack has shattered that long-held sense of safety. “We used to feel safe here. I don’t understand why we were targeted,” said 31-year-old teaching assistant Imani Khatib, breaking down in tears outside the security booth where Abdullah gave his life.

    Mosque imam Taha Hassane confirmed that without the three men’s sacrifice, the attackers would have had unimpeded access to all of the center’s classrooms. “We’re so proud of him… I see messages about him, literally from all over the world, talking about his heroism,” Hassane said of Abdullah. The imam explained that like many Muslim places of worship across the United States, the center has faced sporadic incidents of Islamophobia for decades, with tensions spiking after the 9/11 attacks and rising again more recently amid ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Iran. “We received some mails and emails and phone messages, blaming us for everything going wrong in the world. But having shooters, I mean, it never came to our mind,” he said.

    Hassane attributed the deadly attack to a broader national rise in white supremacy, saying that rhetoric from elected officials and segments of the media has dehumanized Muslims, Black people, Latinos, and other marginalized groups, creating a culture that enables extremist violence. “When young people who are brainwashed, they hear this rhetoric from the media, from the elected officials. This gives them the excuse, the green light to go and commit a crime,” he added.

  • AFL 2026: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon on Jack Higgins and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera injury concerns

    AFL 2026: St Kilda coach Ross Lyon on Jack Higgins and Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera injury concerns

    The St Kilda Saints have suffered another major injury set to their attacking lineup just days before a high-stakes away clash against the red-hot Fremantle Dockers in Perth, with three-time club leading goalkicker Jack Higgins ruled out of the fixture due to a swollen knee injury.

    Higgins picked up the inflammatory knee issue during last weekend’s victory against Richmond, and the club confirmed he would not make the cross-country trip west to face a Fremantle side that has been climbing the AFL ladder in recent weeks. His absence adds to a growing injury crisis for the Saints, who already have key players including Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera, Max King, Mitch Owens and Liam Owen sidelined with different long and short-term injuries.

    Speaking to reporters on Thursday, St Kilda head coach Ross Lyon confirmed the decision to hold Higgins out of the match, noting the knee had flared up unexpectedly after the Richmond win. “(Higgins) won’t play, it’s sort of just flared up a bit, it’s just a bit swollen in the knee… he won’t play,” Lyon said.

    For the club’s other high-profile injured star, Wanganeen-Milera, Lyon confirmed the club is taking a cautious approach to his calf injury, despite the player saying he feels fit enough to return. Wanganeen-Milera is currently listed as a two-week outs, and Lyon said the club would not risk rushing him back to avoid long-term chronic injury, pointing to a string of high-profile examples across the league where early returns from calf injuries derailed entire careers.

    “As far as I know, he’s on track, pretty bubbly, he’d like to be playing, he says, ‘I feel a million dollars’,” Lyon said. “But sports science takes over and calves, you know, there’s been players if you get a chronic calf you’re gone. Like Dan Hannebery, Harley Bennell and Eric Mackenzie here, there’s probably a few others around the league. You’ve got to be cautious with them, which we will be.”

    Heading into the Perth clash, St Kilda will look to replicate a dominant win they recorded against Fremantle last year at Marvel Stadium, when they ran out 10-goal winners thanks to a crushing midfield performance led by Jack Macrae. That day, the Saints won the clearance count 50-22 and dominated contested possessions 151-103 in one of their most complete performances of the 2023 season.

    Lyon said that midfield battle will once again be the defining factor of this weekend’s clash, particularly when it comes to containing Fremantle’s star dynamic ruckman Luke Jackson, who Lyon labeled a “unicorn” for his unique mix of size and skill. Fremantle’s midfield also features star talents including two-time MVP contenders Andy Brayshaw and Caleb Serong, plus dangerous forward-midfielder Shai Bolton, making the Dockers one of the most well-rounded lineups in the competition this season.

    “Our stoppage work is pretty good and clearly Rowan (Marshall) and TDK (Tom De Koning) as a combination are important to that,” Lyon said. “But we come up against the unicorn, right? You look at their midfield, they’re very good either end and well-led by their captain when he’s there. If you want to be the best, then you’ve got to beat the best… it’s an opportunity.”

  • Virgin Australia relaunches holiday packages as research shows strong demand for bundled travel

    Virgin Australia relaunches holiday packages as research shows strong demand for bundled travel

    Five years after pausing its packaged travel offering amid the global travel collapse triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, Australian carrier Virgin Australia has announced its return to the bundled holiday booking market, launching a revamped service to meet booming post-pandemic consumer demand for seamless travel planning.

    Dubbed Virgin Australia Holidays, the new offering is built in partnership with global travel marketplace Hopper, and lets customers book both flights and accommodation in a single transaction, with a curated selection of domestic and international travel options to choose from. This relaunch revives a brand that first launched back in 2003, before being pulled from the market in 2020 when border closures and public health restrictions sent global travel demand plummeting.

    The move comes as Australia’s travel sector experiences unprecedented post-pandemic growth, with Australians taking holidays at record rates and transforming expectations around how trips should be booked and organized. New joint research from Virgin Australia and research firm YouGov underscores this shifting consumer landscape: half of all surveyed Australians reported a clear preference for simpler, more time-efficient trip planning tools, while three-quarters of respondents said they would be more likely to book a travel package through their preferred airline if the offering included competitive pricing.

    Libby Minogue, chief marketing officer at Virgin Australia, framed the relaunch as a strategic expansion of the airline’s core offering beyond standalone air travel. “Virgin Australia Holidays marks an important step in expanding our offering beyond flights and into a more complete travel experience,” Minogue said. “With more Australians seeking value and convenience, we’re bringing together flights, accommodation and Velocity benefits in one seamless booking experience, delivering greater value at a time when cost of living remains front of mind.”

    To kick off the new service, Virgin Australia is offering limited-time introductory promotional packages for travel between July 15, 2026, and March 16, 2027, with deals available across popular destinations including Bali and Cairns. The promotional window closes at 11:59 pm AEST on May 27. Introductory pricing starts at $745 per person for a Bali package, which includes return economy flights from Gold Coast to Denpasar and four nights of accommodation for two travelers. For Cairns, packages start at $820 per person, including return flights from Brisbane and four nights of accommodation.

    The service also includes additional perks for Virgin Australia’s Velocity Frequent Flyer members: customers with eligible package bookings can earn and redeem Velocity points, as well as accumulate Status Credits for their memberships.

    Industry data confirms that the relaunch aligns with broader travel trends across Australia. Outbound travel hit 11.6 million trips in 2024, with continued growth recorded through the first months of 2025. While forecasters expect this rapid post-pandemic growth to gradually stabilize through the second half of the 2020s as demand normalizes, projections show outbound travel will hit 14.9 million annual trips by 2030. Ongoing strong demand for short-haul leisure destinations including Japan, China, Vietnam and Thailand is expected to shape future travel patterns across the country. Major Australian airports are already reporting record-breaking activity, with Sydney Airport noting its strongest ever first quarter for international travel in 2026.

  • Melbourne’s Chapel St among those to go through new 30km/h speed limit trial

    Melbourne’s Chapel St among those to go through new 30km/h speed limit trial

    In a major push to cut road fatalities and improve shared street safety for all users, the Allan Government of Victoria, Australia, has allocated more than $860,000 in new grants to local councils to roll out 30-kilometer-per-hour speed limit trials across high-traffic and community-focused streets, including one of Melbourne’s most famous thoroughfares, Chapel Street.

    As the latest round of investments under the state’s $28.7 million Safe Local Roads and Streets Program, the funding supports 100 new safety projects, bringing the total number of active initiatives under the program to more than 430. The largest single grant in this round, totaling $344,000, has gone to Merri-Bek Council to support its local speed reduction plans. Stonnington Council has received $331,000 to implement the 30km/h limit on Chapel Street, as well as nearby Ewart Street and Osborne Avenue, with an additional $64,000 allocated to expand the 30km/h trial across Melbourne’s inner southeast.

    Further south, Bass Coast Council has secured $122,000 to establish new 30km/h zones across four popular coastal communities: Surf Beach, Smiths Beach, Sunset Strip and Silverleaves. The government has also approved a speed reduction proposal from Geelong Council for Portarlington Street in the regional city of Geelong.

    Beyond speed limit adjustments, the program funds a range of other evidence-based road safety upgrades, including the installation of new speed bumps and targeted improvements to bicycle infrastructure across the state. All projects are led by local councils, with state government grants covering implementation costs, aligned with Victoria’s broader long-term Road Safety Strategy.

    Road Safety Minister Ros Spence emphasized that the partnership between the state and local governments is focused on delivering tangible, on-the-ground improvements to roads that Victorians rely on daily. “These projects will make local streets safer for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists right across the state,” Spence said.

    The state’s Road Safety Strategy sets two ambitious public safety targets: cutting the number of annual road deaths in half by 2030, and eliminating all road fatalities entirely by 2050. Officials note that reduced speed limits in dense, high-foot-traffic areas have been shown to dramatically lower the risk of severe injury and death in the event of a collision, making the trials a core component of the strategy’s early implementation.

  • Viva Las Vegas: Teams locked in for showpiece event at Allegiant Stadium as fans look to snap up tickets for epic triple-header

    Viva Las Vegas: Teams locked in for showpiece event at Allegiant Stadium as fans look to snap up tickets for epic triple-header

    Rugby league fans around the world can now lock in their travel plans for Sin City, after the National Rugby League officially announced the four competing clubs for its 2027 blockbuster annual triple-header at Las Vegas’ iconic Allegiant Stadium.

    The 2027 installment of the NRL’s groundbreaking U.S. venture will feature the Melbourne Storm, Wests Tigers, Parramatta Eels and Gold Coast Titans, marking the fourth consecutive year the league has brought elite rugby league to Las Vegas since the event launched in 2024. The only current NRL club yet to secure a spot in the showcase is the Dolphins, though the expansion side will not be left waiting long: league officials have already virtually guaranteed the club a berth in the 2028 event, which falls on the final year of the NRL’s existing partnership agreement with Las Vegas Tourism.

    On match day, which is scheduled for Sunday, February 28 AEDT, the Melbourne Storm will square off against Wests Tigers, while the Eels will go head-to-head with the Gold Coast Titans. To round out the triple-header, two English Super League sides – the Bradford Bulls and Leigh Leopards – will also take the field, bringing their own passionate fan bases to add to the electric atmosphere of the entertainment capital.

    The NRL’s high-stakes bet on Las Vegas has paid off dramatically in the years since its launch, quickly growing into one of the most anticipated marquee dates on the NRL calendar, and a bucket-list experience for die-hard fans across the globe. Official travel packages for the 2027 event are set to go on sale starting Wednesday morning, with additional details about full match scheduling to be released at a later date.

    Club executives have already expressed overwhelming excitement for the global showcase. Parramatta Eels chief executive Jim Sarantinos noted that thousands of the club’s 37,000-plus members have already signaled interest in attending the event. “We’re expecting a huge blue and gold contingent in Vegas,” Sarantinos said. To welcome traveling fans, the club will host an exclusive Eels fan hub on the Las Vegas Strip, designed as a gathering space where supporters can connect and build memories throughout the week of the event.

    The Storm-Tigers clash is already pegged as the weekend’s headline matchup, as all eyes will turn to Tigers star playmaker Jarome Luai, who will kick off his final NRL season before departing to join the Super Rugby Pacific side the Chiefs in 2028. The game will also put Melbourne Storm’s legendary undefeated round-one record under head coach Craig Bellamy to the test. For the Titans, the 2027 Vegas trip doubles as a celebration of the club’s 20th anniversary, with new head coach Josh Hannay looking to build on the team’s strong 2025 form on a global stage.

    Titans chief executive Steve Mitchell called the opportunity a landmark moment for the Gold Coast club. “This kickstarts our 20-year celebrations on one of the biggest stages in the world,” Mitchell said, noting the natural synergy between the Gold Coast – a leading international tourist destination led by Mayor Tom Tate – and Las Vegas, the U.S.’s own iconic entertainment capital. Mitchell also praised the NRL’s global expansion strategy, highlighting the Vegas event as a foundational tool for growing the league’s audience and footprint in international markets. “We know there will be tremendous interest from our entire community to travel across and be part of the occasion, and we can’t wait to see Gold Coast Titans colours in Vegas in 2027,” he added.

  • Arsenal win Premier League after Man City held by Bournemouth

    Arsenal win Premier League after Man City held by Bournemouth

    After more than two decades of near misses and unfulfilled promise, Arsenal have finally reclaimed the English Premier League crown, their first top-flight title since 2002. The historic milestone was sealed not on the Gunners’ own pitch, but on the south coast of England, where Bournemouth held treble-chasing Manchester City to a dramatic 1-1 draw that mathematically ended Pep Guardiola’s side’s bid to retain the league crown.

    The result means Mikel Arteta’s young Arsenal side cannot be caught at the top of the table with one match still remaining, bringing a close to a six-year trophy drought for the north London club. The Gunners had edged one step closer to the title 24 hours earlier, grinding out a narrow 1-0 victory over already-relegated Burnley that stretched their lead over City to five points. Having led the table for the vast majority of the 2024-25 campaign, Arteta’s men showed impressive mental resilience to bounce back from a costly defeat to City last month, reeling off four consecutive clean sheet victories to cruise over the finish line.

    For City and Guardiola, the draw marks an underwhelming end to what was already a historic season. Just 48 hours before Bournemouth hosted City, Guardiola’s side had secured a domestic FA Cup and League Cup double, beating Chelsea in the FA Cup final at Wembley to bring the Catalan manager’s trophy haul at the club to 20 major honors. But the final week of the season has been overshadowed by widespread reports that Guardiola will depart the Etihad Stadium at the end of his 10-year reign this weekend, ending the most successful managerial spell in the club’s modern history.

    Guardiola had pre-emptively warned that fatigue and Bournemouth’s own high motivation would make the clash a major challenge. The Cherries came into the match on a 16-game unbeaten run, and already guaranteed their first ever spot in European football, with a potential Champions League place still on the table if results go their way on the final matchday.

    The match played out exactly as the City boss feared: his side produced a flat, lifeless first half, with their only clear goal chalked off for offside. Bournemouth broke the deadlock in the 39th minute, when teenage forward Eli Junior Kroupi curled a sensational strike into the top corner, his 13th goal of the campaign – a new record for a teenager in their debut Premier League season.

    City came closest to an equalizer just moments into the second half, but Nico O’Reilly’s close-range effort was saved by Cherries goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic, leaving Guardiola watching pensively as his side’s title bid faded. Travelling City fans, desperate to convince Guardiola to reverse his decision to leave and extend his contract another year, chanted “One more year” early in the match, but their side could not find the spark needed to deliver the farewell win they craved.

    Bournemouth twice hit the woodwork in the second half, and could have sealed all three points long before the final whistle. Erling Haaland finally found the net for City deep into stoppage time, but the equalizer came far too late to save their title challenge. The draw means Guardiola will finish his final season without a league title, the first time he has gone two consecutive campaigns without winning the top flight in his entire managerial career.

    While the result ends City’s title hopes, it also has major ripple effects across the European qualification race. The point for Bournemouth cements their place in the Europa League next season at minimum, but moves Liverpool into a strong position to claim the final Champions League spot: the Merseyside club now hold a three-point lead and a six-goal advantage over the Cherries heading into the final matchday.

  • Under Trump pressure, EU seeks deal to end trade standoff

    Under Trump pressure, EU seeks deal to end trade standoff

    Facing mounting pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, European Union negotiators convened late-night closed-door talks on Tuesday in a high-stakes push to finalize a long-delayed transatlantic trade agreement, with a hard July 4 deadline hanging over the negotiations. If no deal is reached by the deadline, Trump has threatened to impose steep new tariffs that could reignite a full-blown transatlantic trade conflict.

    The framework for this trade pact was first struck nearly a year ago in Turnberry, Scotland, between Trump and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen. That initial agreement set a 15 percent tariff on most European goods exported to the U.S., but finalizing the binding legal text on the EU side has dragged on for months, drawing growing frustration from the White House.

    Negotiations between representatives of the European Parliament and EU member state capitals got underway just after 9 p.m. GMT, with discussions expected to extend through the night. The core goal of the talks is to hash out a compromise that will allow the bloc to meet Trump’s deadline and close out more than 12 months of disruptive trade tensions between the world’s two largest economic partners.

    Ahead of the negotiating session, the U.S. Mission to the EU issued a blunt reminder on social media platform X, writing that “A deal is a deal” and that the bloc must uphold the commitment struck between Trump and von der Leyen last year. If the EU fails to deliver, Trump has already warned that the bloc will face “much higher” tariffs, including a planned hike on duties for European passenger vehicles and heavy trucks from the current 15 percent to 25 percent.

    The initial wave of tariffs Trump imposed before the Turnberry framework agreement — including steep levies on European steel, aluminum and auto parts — pushed the EU to aggressively expand trade partnerships with other regions across the globe. But Brussels has long recognized that it cannot risk alienating its largest single trade partner: the EU-U.S. trade relationship is worth a staggering 1.6 trillion euros ($1.9 trillion), making it irreplaceable for European economies.

    Cyprus, which currently holds the rotating EU Council presidency, reaffirmed Tuesday that the bloc’s top priority remains the “swift implementation of the EU-U.S. joint statement” agreed last year. To get a deal across the finish line, the European Parliament is under heavy pressure from member states to roll back several controversial amendments it added to the text back in March, amendments that U.S. negotiators have already labeled unacceptable.

    Bernd Lange, chair of the European Parliament’s trade committee, struck an optimistic tone ahead of the talks, telling reporters he remained hopeful negotiators could reach a workable compromise. But even before the session began, Lange was still working to unify divergent positions across the parliament’s competing political factions, with internal haggling continuing right up to the start of negotiations.

    Delays in finalizing the accord have stemmed from multiple outside factors in recent months, including a diplomatic row sparked by Trump’s reported interest in purchasing Greenland, and a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down broad portions of the president’s tariff authority. The European Parliament gave conditional preliminary approval to the text after those delays were resolved, but major sticking points remain between the institution, member states, and U.S. negotiators.

    The European People’s Party (EPP), the parliament’s largest political grouping and the party von der Leyen belongs to, has emerged as the most forceful backer of rapid implementation of the deal. EPP leaders argue that resolving the trade uncertainty has become critical for European businesses that have faced unstable market conditions for more than a year. Zeljana Zovko, an EPP lawmaker, told the Agence France-Presse she was “confident that we will get it done” by the deadline. The EPP already secured firm backing for the deal from the hard-right European Conservatives and Reformists group, but several smaller factions have not yet publicly announced their positions, leaving the size of the pro-deal majority and its willingness to compromise unclear.

    The Socialists and Democrats, the parliament’s second-largest political bloc, said it would approach negotiations “constructively” but would fight to add robust safeguards to protect European businesses and workers, guaranteeing long-term stability and predictability in trade relations. Two major sticking points remain on the EU side, even as negotiators work to find common ground. The first is a strengthened suspension clause added by parliament, which would revoke favorable tariff terms for U.S. exporters if Washington violates the terms of the agreement in the future. The second centers on “sunrise” and “sunset” provisions: the clauses would keep the EU’s side of the deal from taking effect until the U.S. meets all its existing commitments, and would automatically terminate the entire agreement in 2028 unless it is explicitly renewed by both sides.

    Anna Cavazzini, a Green Party lawmaker involved in the negotiations, noted that “the odds are good” for a last-minute compromise, but warned that EU member states would need to compromise on the parliament’s core priorities to get a deal done. “These past weeks have shown time and again that Trump is not to be trusted, so the EU needs stronger tools at hand,” Cavazzini said, in defense of parliament’s proposed safeguards.

  • Iran talks making ‘good progress’: US VP Vance

    Iran talks making ‘good progress’: US VP Vance

    In a public press briefing held at the White House on Tuesday, United States Vice President JD Vance offered an updated assessment of ongoing diplomatic negotiations with Iran, confirming that discussions have yielded meaningful positive momentum while reaffirming Washington’s readiness to launch new military action if a final agreement cannot be reached.

    Vance’s remarks came just hours after President Donald Trump disclosed that he had been just one hour away from authorizing fresh military strikes against Iranian targets just days earlier, and had set a short deadline of two to three days for Tehran to reach a consensus on core terms of the negotiation. When addressing reporters at the briefing, Vance emphasized that while productive headway has been made in the talks, diplomatic efforts will continue regardless of current momentum, and the outcome will ultimately hinge on whether both sides can bridge remaining differences.

    A known skeptic of military conflict with Iran who previously led a U.S. diplomatic delegation to Pakistan for related talks back in April, Vance pointed out that a non-negotiable core condition of any final deal is that Iran must abandon all ambitions to develop and possess a nuclear weapon.

    “We’re in a pretty good spot here — but there’s an option B, and the option B is that we could restart the military campaign,” Vance told reporters. “We’re locked and loaded. We don’t want to go down that pathway, but the president is willing and able to go down that pathway if we have to.” The comments add clarity to the current high-stakes standoff between Washington and Tehran, as global stakeholders watch closely to see whether diplomatic channels can resolve the long-running nuclear dispute without escalating into open conflict.

  • US, Iran trade threats but Trump says Tehran wants peace deal

    US, Iran trade threats but Trump says Tehran wants peace deal

    The escalating standoff between the United States and Iran has entered a tense new chapter, with the two nations trading sharp military threats even as fragile, Pakistan-mediated diplomatic efforts continue to search for a path to peace. In a dramatic announcement from the White House on Tuesday, former President Donald Trump revealed he had halted a planned major US military strike against Iran just one hour before it was set to launch, and warned that new attacks could resume within days if no deal is reached.

    The conflict between the two nations, which first erupted on February 28, has been in a fragile ceasefire since April 8. Trump told reporters that he agreed to delay the assault at the request of Gulf regional leaders, who told him serious negotiations were already underway. “You know how it is to negotiate with a country where you’re beating them badly. They come to the table, they’re begging to make a deal,” Trump said. He added that he remains hopeful a new conflict can be avoided, but did not rule out a major new strike: “I hope we don’t have to do the war, but we may have to give them another big hit. I’m not sure yet.”

    Trump set a loose deadline of two to three days, potentially stretching into early next week, for parties to reach an agreement, and said he has ordered the US military to remain on standby for a full-scale large-scale assault if talks collapse. The US leader has repeatedly signaled he wants to exit the conflict, which has become a significant political liability. Iran’s continued control of the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical global energy chokepoints, has sent oil prices soaring, raising costs for American consumers and roiling global energy markets.

    Iran quickly hit back at Trump’s threats. Army spokesperson Mohammad Akraminia warned that if the US resumes offensive military action, Iran will open “new fronts” against American interests across the region. Akraminia added that Iran’s military has used the weeks-long ceasefire period to significantly strengthen its combat capabilities. Senior Iranian diplomat Kazem Gharibabadi dismissed Trump’s framing on social media platform X, writing that the US leader was absurdly “calling a ‘threat’ a ‘chance for peace’.”

    Thus far, only one round of negotiations has been held between Tehran and Washington since the ceasefire went into effect, and it ended without any breakthrough agreement. Iran has repeatedly rejected US terms, while maintaining its core demands: the full release of billions of dollars in Iranian assets frozen overseas, the permanent lifting of decades-long US economic sanctions, and payment of war reparations for damage inflicted during the conflict.

    Details of the latest US proposal, released by Iranian state media, show deep divides remain between the two sides. Iran’s Fars news agency described the US offer as having “excessive” terms and containing no meaningful US concessions. The five-point US draft includes demands that Iran shutter all but one of its nuclear facilities and transfer its entire stockpile of highly enriched uranium to US control, while refusing to release even 25 percent of frozen Iranian assets or commit to any war reparations, the report said. However, Iranian news outlet Tasnim later reported that the US did make one small concession: agreeing to waive oil sanctions on Iran while formal negotiations are ongoing.

    The rising tensions have spilled over to other nations in the Persian Gulf. The United Arab Emirates’ defense ministry confirmed Tuesday that a recent drone attack on the country’s Barakah nuclear power plant, carried out on May 17, 2026, was launched from Iraqi territory. Senior Emirati officials have previously pointed to Iran or its regional proxy groups, which Tehran supports and have launched repeated attacks on Gulf states throughout the conflict, as the culprits. Iran has also ramped up other regional military pressure: the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), Iran’s ideological military arm, announced Monday it would require permits for all international fiber-optic internet cables that pass through the Strait of Hormuz, a move that could disrupt global digital communications. The IRGC also said it struck US- and Israel-linked militant groups in Iran’s Kurdistan province near the Iraqi border, claiming the groups were attempting to smuggle American weapons into Iranian territory.

    Qatar, another major target of Iranian military action during the conflict, has called for more time for diplomatic efforts. Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari said Doha believes that the Pakistani-mediated negotiation process needs additional time to make progress. Iranian foreign ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baqaei has confirmed that indirect talks between Tehran and Washington are continuing through Pakistan as a mediator, and said Iran has clearly communicated its core concerns to the US side.

    Despite the mutual threats, both sides have left the door open to continued talks, leaving the region in a tense waiting game as the Trump deadline approaches.