web analytics

ARY NEWS

AFP

  • Hamas rejects Trump remarks on Gaza talks breakdown

    Hamas rejects Trump remarks on Gaza talks breakdown

    Gaza: Hamas officials expressed surprise on Saturday at US President Donald Trump’s accusation that the group “didn’t really want” a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza.

    Trump made the allegation of Friday a day after Israel and the United States quit indirect negotiations with Hamas in Qatar that had lasted nearly three weeks.

    “Trump’s remarks are particularly surprising, especially as they come at a time when progress had been made on some of the negotiation files,” Hamas official Taher al-Nunu told AFP.

    “So far, we have not been informed of any issues regarding the files under discussion in the indirect ceasefire negotiations”, he added

    Nunu, who is close to Hamas’s most senior political officials, said he was “surprised” that Israel and the United States had left the talks.

    Announcing the recall of US mediators on Thursday, Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff accused Hamas of not “acting in good faith”.

    Though not part of the Hamas negotiating team, Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Rishq insisted the group had shown “flexibility” in the talks.

    “The American statements deliberately ignore the real obstructionist to all agreements, Netanyahu’s government, which continues to put obstacles, deceive and evade commitments,” he said.

    Both Hamas officials called on the United States to be more even-handed in its role as mediator in the quest for a ceasefire after more than 21 months of fighting.

    “We call for an end to the US bias in favour of Netanyahu, who is obstructing any agreement”, Nunu said.

  • Moody’s upgrades Turkey’s long-term debt rating

    Moody’s upgrades Turkey’s long-term debt rating

    NEW YORK: Moody’s has raised Turkey’s long-term debt rating one notch, from B1 to Ba3, with a stable outlook, though it remains in speculative territory, the rating agency said.

    Moody’s justified its decision Friday by citing effective economic policies that have helped restore investor confidence in the Turkish lira.

    It also highlighted the central bank’s commitment to tight monetary policy that “durably eases inflationary pressures” and “reduces economic imbalances.”

    Inflation continued to slow slightly last month in Turkey, reaching 35 percent year-on-year, according to official figures released in early July.

    It had exceeded 75 percent in May 2024 year-on-year, before slowing month after month.

    Moody’s said the government’s structural reforms — aimed at reducing energy dependence and boosting export competitiveness — could make the economy more resilient to external shocks.

    But the agency warned that limited foreign exchange reserves still leave Turkey vulnerable to balance of payments shocks.

    The Turkish central bank cut its key interest rate from 46 percent to 43 percent on Thursday, a slightly larger-than-expected reduction.

    The institution began a series of rate cuts in December as inflation slowed, but on Thursday it predicted a temporary rebound in monthly inflation in July.

    In the longer term, it expects inflation to ease to 24 percent by the end of this year and 12 percent by the end of 2026.

  • Over 600 malnourished children die in six months in Nigeria: MSF

    Over 600 malnourished children die in six months in Nigeria: MSF

    LAGOS, Nigeria: More than 600 malnourished children have died in northern Nigeria in six months after failing to receive proper care as foreign aid dries up, a medical charity has said.

    Doctors Without Borders (MSF) said northern Nigeria, which already is struggling with an insurgency, is “currently facing an alarming malnutrition crisis”.

    Cases of the most severe and deadly form of malnutrition among children jumped by 208 percent between January and June compared with the same period last year.

    “Unfortunately, 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025 due to a lack of timely access to care,” the charity, which is known by its French initials, said in a statement released Friday.

    Huge cuts in foreign aid sparked by US President Donald Trump’s decision to slash spending overseas have combined with spiking living costs and a surge in jihadist attacks to create a dire situation in northern Nigeria.

    Ahmed Aldikhari, country representative of MSF in Nigeria, said the cuts from the United States — but also from the United Kingdom and European Union — were hampering treatment and care for malnourished children.

    He said, “the true scale of the crisis exceeds all predictions”.

    Pregnant and breastfeeding women have not been spared, as an MSF survey on 750 mothers showed that more than half of them were “acutely malnourished, including 13 percent with severe acute malnutrition”.

    Across the country a record nearly 31 million people face acute hunger, according to David Stevenson, chief of the UN’s food agency (WFP) in Nigeria.

    WFP warned earlier this week it would be forced to suspend all emergency food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in northeast Nigeria at the end of July because of critical funding shortfalls.

  • Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’

    Indian police arrest man running ‘fake embassy’

    NEW DELHI: Police in India have arrested a man accused of running a fake embassy from a rented house near New Delhi and duping job seekers out of money with promises of overseas employment.

    Harsh Vardhan Jain, 47, was operating an “illegal West Arctic embassy by renting a house” in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, which neigbhours the capital, local police said.

    Jain, according to police, claimed to be the ambassador of fictional nations “like West Arctica, Saborga, Poulvia, Lodonia”.

    He allegedly used vehicles with fake diplomatic plates and shared doctored photos of himself with Indian leaders to bolster his claims.

    “His main activities involved acting as a broker to secure work in foreign countries for companies and private individuals, as well as operating a hawala (money transfer) racket through shell companies,” the police said in a statement following his arrest earlier this week.

    He is also accused of money laundering.

    During a raid on Jain’s property, police said they recovered $53,500 in cash in addition to doctored passports and forged documents bearing stamps of India’s foreign ministry.

    AFP was unable to reach Jain or his representatives for comment.

    Westarctica, cited by the police as one of the countries Jain claimed to be representing, is a US-registered nonprofit “dedicated to studying and preserving this vast, magnificent, desolate region” of Western Antarctica.

    In a statement, it said it had appointed Jain as its “Honorary Consul to India” after he had made a “generous donation”.

    “He was never granted the position or authority of ambassador,” it added.

  • China urges global consensus on AI development, security

    China urges global consensus on AI development, security

    SHANGHAI, China: China’s Premier Li Qiang warned Saturday that artificial intelligence development must be weighed against the security risks, saying global consensus was urgently needed even as the tech race between Beijing and Washington shows no sign of abating.

    His remarks came just days after US President Donald Trump unveiled an aggressive low-regulation strategy aimed at cementing US dominance in the fast-moving field, promising to “remove red tape and onerous regulation” that could hinder private sector AI development.

    Opening the World AI Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai on Saturday, Li emphasised the need for governance and open-source development, announcing the establishment of a Chinese-led body for international AI cooperation.

    “The risks and challenges brought by artificial intelligence have drawn widespread attention… How to find a balance between development and security urgently requires further consensus from the entire society,” the premier said.

    Li said China would “actively promote” the development of open-source AI, adding Beijing was willing to share advances with other countries, particularly developing ones.

    “If we engage in technological monopolies, controls and blockage, artificial intelligence will become the preserve of a few countries and a few enterprises,” he said.

    “Only by adhering to openness, sharing and fairness in access to intelligence can more countries and groups benefit from (AI).”

    The premier highlighted “insufficient supply of computing power and chips” as a bottleneck.

    Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to erode US tech dominance.

    For its part, China has made AI a pillar of its plans for technological self-reliance, with the government pledging a raft of measures to boost the sector.

    In January, Chinese startup DeepSeek unveiled an AI model that performed as well as top US systems despite using less powerful chips.

    ‘Pet tiger cub’

    At a time when AI is being integrated across virtually all industries, its uses have raised ethical questions, from the spread of misinformation to its impact on employment, or the potential loss of technological control.

    In a speech at WAIC on Saturday, Nobel Prize-winning physicist Geoffrey Hinton compared the situation to keeping “a very cute tiger cub as a pet”.

    “To survive”, he said, you need to ensure you can train it not to kill you when it grows up.

    In a video message played at the WAIC opening ceremony, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said AI governance would be “a defining test of international cooperation”.

    The ceremony also saw the French president’s AI envoy, Anne Bouverot, underscore the “an urgent need” for global action.

    At an AI summit in Paris in February, 58 countries including China, France and India — as well as the European Union and African Union Commission — called for enhanced coordination on AI governance.

    But the United States warned against “excessive regulation”, and alongside the United Kingdom, refused to sign the summit’s appeal for an “open”, “inclusive” and “ethical” AI.

  • UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question

    UN gathering eyes solution to deadlocked Palestinian question

    UNITED NATIONS: Fired by France’s imminent recognition of Palestinian statehood, UN members meet next week to breathe life into the push for a two-state solution as Israel, expected to be absent, presses its war in Gaza.

    Days before the July 28-30 conference on fostering Israeli and Palestinian states living peacefully side-by-side to be co-chaired by Riyadh and Paris, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that France would formally recognize the State of Palestine in September.

    His declaration “will breathe new life into a conference that seemed destined to irrelevance,” said Richard Gowan, an analyst at International Crisis Group.

    “Macron’s announcement changes the game. Other participants will be scrabbling to decide if they should also declare an intent to recognize Palestine.”

    According to an AFP database, at least 142 of the 193 UN member states — including France — now recognize the Palestinian state proclaimed by the Palestinian leadership in exile in 1988.

    In 1947, a resolution of the UN General Assembly decided on the partition of Palestine, then under a British mandate, into two independent states — one Jewish and the other Arab.

    The following year, the State of Israel was proclaimed, and for several decades, the vast majority of UN member states have supported the idea of a two-state solution: Israeli and Palestinian, living side-by-side peacefully and securely.

    But after more than 21 months of war in Gaza, the ongoing expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, and senior Israeli officials declaring designs to annex occupied territory, it is feared a Palestinian state could be geographically impossible.

    The war in Gaza started following a deadly attack by Hamas on Israel, which responded with a large-scale military response that has claimed tens of thousands of Palestinian lives.

    The New York conference is a response to the crisis, with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa and several dozen ministers from around the world expected to attend.

    ‘No alternative’

    The meeting comes as a two-state solution is “more threatened than it has ever been (but) even more necessary than before, because we see very clearly that there is no alternative,” said a French diplomatic source.

    Beyond facilitating conditions for recognition of a Palestinian state, the meeting will have three other focuses — reform of the Palestinian Authority, disarmament of Hamas and its exclusion from Palestinian public life, and normalization of relations with Israel by Arab states that have not yet done so.

    The diplomatic source warned that no announcement of new normalization deals was expected next week.

    Ahead of the conference, which was delayed from June, Britain said it would not recognize a Palestinian state unilaterally and would wait for “a wider plan” for peace in the region.

    The conference “offers a unique opportunity to transform international law and the international consensus into an achievable plan and to demonstrate resolve to end the occupation and conflict once and for all, for the benefit of all peoples,” said the Palestinian ambassador to the UN Riyad Mansour, calling for “courage” from participants.

    Israel and the United States will not take part in the meeting.

    Israel’s ambassador to the UN Danny Danon “has announced that Israel will not be taking part in this conference, which doesn’t first urgently address the issue of condemning Hamas and returning all of the remaining hostages,” according to embassy spokesman Jonathan Harounoff.

    As international pressure continues to mount on Israel to end nearly two years of war in Gaza, the humanitarian catastrophe in the ravaged coastal territory is expected to dominate speeches by representatives of more than 100 countries as they take to the podium from Monday to Wednesday.

  • More than 220 UK MPs urge PM Starmer to recognise Palestinian state

    More than 220 UK MPs urge PM Starmer to recognise Palestinian state

    London: More than 220 British MPs, including dozens from the ruling Labour party, demanded Friday that the UK government formally recognise a Palestinian state, further increasing pressure on Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

    The call, in a letter signed by lawmakers from nine UK political parties, came less than 24 hours after French President Emmanuel Macron said that his country would formally recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in September.

    France would be the first G7 country — and the most powerful European nation to date — to make the move, already drawing condemnation from Israel and the United States.

    Starmer has come under rising domestic and international pressure over recognising Palestinian statehood, as opposition intensifies to the ongoing war in Gaza amid fears of mass starvation there.

    “We urge you to officially recognise the state of Palestine at the Conference next week,” the 221 UK lawmakers wrote in the joint letter, referring to a July 28-29 UN Conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia in New York.

    “Whilst we appreciate the UK does not have it in its power to bring about a free and independent Palestine, UK recognition would have a significant impact,” it said.

    The signatories, from parties including the centre-right Conservatives and centrist Liberal Democrats, as well as regional parties in Scotland and Wales, cited Britain’s “historic connections and our membership on the UN Security Council”.

    They also noted the country’s role in helping to create the state of Israel through the 1917 Balfour Declaration.

    – ‘Responsibility’ –

    “Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people,” they added.

    In the face of growing pressure on the issue, the UK government has maintained its longstanding stance that it supports a two-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East.

    But it has insisted that the conditions are currently not right for formal recognition of a Palestinian state.

    In a statement Friday following a call about Gaza with his counterparts in France and Germany, Starmer said he was “working on a pathway to peace in the region”.

    “Recognition of a Palestinian state has to be one of those steps. I am unequivocal about that. But it must be part of a wider plan,” he added.

    A number of factors could deter Starmer from making the move, including wanting to avoid angering US President Donald Trump.

    The American leader, who lands later Friday in Scotland for a five-day visit, dismissed Macron’s announcement before departing Washington, saying it “doesn’t carry weight”.

    The pressure around recognising Palestinian statehood has been building on Starmer’s government, with nearly 60 Labour MPs reportedly urging Foreign Secretary David Lammy to make the move in a private letter earlier in July.

    Meanwhile Macron raised the issue during his UK state visit this month, publicly urging London to work with Paris on a formal recognition announcement.

  • Gaza Crisis: UN chief blasts international community for ‘lack of humanity’

    Gaza Crisis: UN chief blasts international community for ‘lack of humanity’

    United Nations: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday slammed the international community for turning a blind eye to the suffering of Palestinians starving in the Gaza Strip, calling it a “moral crisis that challenges the global conscience.”

    “I cannot explain the level of indifference and inaction we see by too many in the international community — the lack of compassion, the lack of truth, the lack of humanity,” Guterres told Amnesty International’s global assembly via videolink.

    “This is not just a humanitarian crisis. It is a moral crisis that challenges the global conscience. We will continue to speak out at every opportunity.”

    Aid groups have warned of surging numbers of malnourished children in war-ravaged Gaza, which Israel placed under an aid blockade in March amid its ongoing war with Hamas. That blockade was partially eased two months later.

    The trickle of aid since then has been controlled by the Israeli- and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, replacing the longstanding UN-led distribution system.

    Aid groups and the United Nations have refused to work with the GHF, accusing it of aiding Israeli military goals.

    Guterres said while he had repeatedly condemned the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on southern Israel, “nothing can justify the explosion of death and destruction since.”

    “The scale and scope is beyond anything we have seen in recent times,” he said.

    “Children speak of wanting to go to heaven, because at least, they say, there is food there. We hold video calls with our own humanitarians who are starving before our eyes. (…) But words don’t feed hungry children.”

    Guterres also condemned the killing of more than 1,000 Palestinians trying to access food aid supplies since May 27, when the GHF began operations.

    “We need action: an immediate and permanent ceasefire, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access,” Guterres said.

    He added that the United Nations was ready to “dramatically scale up humanitarian operations” in Gaza should Israel and Hamas reach a ceasefire deal.

  • Root climbs to second on all-time Test list as England dominate India

    Root climbs to second on all-time Test list as England dominate India

    Joe Root climbed to second on the all-time list of Test run-scorers after hitting a sparkling 38th century on Friday as England hunted a series-clinching win against India.

    Ben Stokes’ men, 2-1 up in the five-match series, were 544-7 at stumps on the third day of the fourth Test at Old Trafford, 186 runs ahead of the toiling tourists on first innings.

    Root made an imperious score of exactly 150, with only retired India great Sachin Tendulkar (15,921 Test runs) now having made more than the 34-year-old Englishman’s tally of 13,409.

    Earlier, Ollie Pope (71) put on 144 for the third wicket with Root before he was dismissed by Washington Sundar, who also removed Harry Brook cheaply to give India renewed hope.

    But skipper Stokes, who ended the day 77 not out after briefly retiring hurt, ensured England regained the initiative.

    And it was Ben Stokes who celebrated at the non-striker’s end as Joe Root, his predecessor as England captain, reached 13,379 runs with a single behind point to move one ahead of Australian Ricky Ponting’s figure.

    “Magnificent from Root, this is a great moment in history,” former Australia captain Ponting said on Sky Sports as the Manchester crowd stood to applaud and chant the Yorkshireman’s name.

    “The way his career his gone, there is absolutely no reason why he will not go past Tendulkar.”

    Joe Root’s 38th Test century also drew him level with Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara in fourth place on the list of most hundreds in a Test career.

    “It has been a privilege to watch him knock off those milestones,” former England skipper Michael Atherton said on Sky. “It has also been a privilege to see his career unfold.”

    England earlier resumed on 225-2 following a blistering opening partnership of 166 in 32 overs between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett on day two, with Pope 20 not out and Root on 11.

    On 21, the former England skipper walked a long away across his stumps only to miss an intended glance off Mohammed Siraj.

    India reviewed for lbw after Ahsan Raza ruled in Root’s favour but replays upheld the Pakistani umpire’s decision, indicating the ball would have missed leg stump.

    There was another scare when Root, on 22, was nearly run out but Ravindra Jadeja’s shy at the stump missed.

    Read more: Root jumps three spots to become the second-highest run-getter in Tests

    Joe Root, who started the day fifth in Test cricket’s list of leading run-scorers, then leapfrogged India’s Rahul Dravid and South Africa’s Jacques Kallis into third place.

    Spin, however, eventually paid dividends for India where pace had failed, with both Jasprit Bumrah and Siraj appearing to tire in the absence of the injured Nitish Kumar Reddy.

    Pope had added just one run to his lunchtime score of 70 when, beaten by the drift from off-spinner Sundar, he edged a flicked front-foot drive to KL Rahul at slip.

    England were soon 349-4 when Brook, on three, was stumped off Sundar by Dhruv Jurel, deputising for injured India wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.

    Ben Stokes, however, prevented further collapse with his first fifty of the series and the left-handed batsman was in fine touch until succumbing to cramp in his left leg.

    Root reached his century in 178 balls with a glanced four off debutant paceman Anshul Kamboj.

    He serenely continued to 150 before he was beaten by a turning delivery from left-arm spinner Jadeja that bounced steeply, with Jurel completing a sharp stumping.

    And when Chris Woakes was bowled by a Siraj ball that kept low — a worrying sign for India’s batsmen — England were still well-placed at 528-7.

    That was the cue for all-rounder Ben Stokes, arguably England’s best bowler this series, to resume his innings and he carried on from where he left off with a well-timed cover-drive off Bumrah.

  • Trump mourns Hulk Hogan as ‘great friend’

    Trump mourns Hulk Hogan as ‘great friend’

    US President Donald Trump on Thursday paid tribute to late wrestling legend Hulk Hogan, who had supported his return to the White House, as a “great friend” and “MAGA all the way.”

    “He gave an absolutely electric speech at the Republican National Convention, that was one of the highlights of the entire week. He entertained fans from all over the World, and the cultural impact he had was massive,” Trump said on social media.

    In the speech, Hulk Hogan ripped his shirt off to reveal a Trump-Vance tank top.

    WWE legend Hulk Hogan, who transitioned from professional wrestling to acting, has died at the age of 71, US media outlets reported on Thursday.

    According to a report by TMZ, a medical team was dispatched to the residence of the WWE icon in Florida after he reportedly suffered a “cardiac arrest.”

    Read more: WWE legend Hulk Hogan dead at 71

    According to the publication, Hulk Hogan was carried on a stretcher and into an ambulance.

    Reports about him being on his deathbed made rounds last month when a US radio host claimed that the 71-year-old was critically ill and nearing death.

    However, a representative for Hulk Hogan refuted the rumours by stating that the WWE legend’s hospitalisation was not a cause for concern.

    In a statement to US media outlets at the time, the representative clarified that Hulk Hogan, whose real name is Terry Gene Bollea, visited the hospital due to his back and neck issues, which he has been facing for years.