Category: World

Cristiano Ronaldo to visit White House on same day as Saudi crown prince3 hours agoShareSaveDearbail JordanShareSaveReutersSuperstar footballer Cristiano Ronaldo is to visit the White House on Tuesday, a US official has confirmed – the same day as the leader of Saudi Arabia where the Portuguese currently plays the game.
The White House official did not say Ronaldo was part of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's official delegation.
However his starring role in the Saudi football league has seen him become a face of the country's modernisation drive under the crown prince, the country's de-facto ruler, who wants to reduce the country's dependence on oil revenues by diversifying into other areas including sports and tourism.
The footballer is not believed to have been to the US since 2016.
In the interim he has faced an allegation of sexual assault. Kathryn Mayorga alleged that Ronaldo raped her in a Las Vegas hotel room in 2009, which he denied.
“I firmly deny t..

Trump's plan for Gaza backed by UN Security Council1 hour agoShareSaveDearbail JordanShareSaveWatch: UN Security Council votes to adopt Trump's Gaza peace planThe UN Security Council has voted in favour of a US-drafted resolution, which endorses Donald Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza.
Included in the plan is the establishment of an International Stabilisation Force (ISF), which the US says multiple unnamed countries have offered to contribute to.
The resolution was backed by 13 countries – including the UK, France and Somalia – with none voting against the proposal. Russia and China abstained.
Hamas has rejected the resolution, saying it fails to meet Palestinians' rights and demands.
The plan “imposes an international guardianship mechanism on the Gaza Strip, which our people and their factions reject,” the group said on Telegram.
“Assigning the international force with tasks and roles inside the Gaza Strip, including disarming the resistance, strips it of its neu..

Ukraine to get up to 100 French-made Rafale fighter jets5 hours agoShareSaveJaroslav Lukiv and James Watershouse,Ukraine correspondent in BrusselsShareSaveReutersUkraine will get up to 100 of France's Rafale F4 fighter jets as well as advanced air defence systems in a major deal to boost Kyiv's ability to protect itself against deadly Russian attacks.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the move as “historic”, after signing the letter of intent with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron at an air base near Paris.
Deliveries of the Rafale F4's are planned to be completed by 2035, while the joint production of interceptor drones is starting this year.
Financial details are yet to be worked out, but reports say France plans to attract EU financing and also access frozen Russian assets – a controversial move that has split the 27-member bloc.
“This is a strategic agreement which will last for 10 years starting from the next year,” Zelensky said at a joint briefing..

Man arrested over deadly Delhi car bomb attack8 hours agoShareSaveRuth ComerfordShareSaveReutersA man has been arrested in connection with a deadly car bomb attack that killed eight people and wounded 20 others in Delhi last week, authorities have said.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the car used in the attack, which the government has called a “terrorist incident”, was registered in the arrested suspect's name.
They have accused him of conspiring with the alleged suicide bomber. The suspect was a resident of Indian-administered Kashmir, authorities say.
The explosion happened near a metro station close to the Red Fort, one of Delhi's most high-profile landmarks.
The agency said it had seized another vehicle allegedly belonging to the suicide bomber for examination. So far, it has interrogated 73 witnesses, including people injured in the blast.
The blast outside the historic fort was the first such explosion in the heavily guarded city since 2011.
Monday eveni..

Feud erupts between Trump and ally Marjorie Taylor Greene ahead of Epstein files vote16 hours agoShareSaveMax MatzaShareSaveGetty ImagesDisagreements between Donald Trump and Republican congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene have ballooned into a public feud, signalling a breakdown in relations between the US president and one of his fiercest defenders.
On Friday, Trump called Greene “wacky” in social media posts and said she should be unseated in next year's elections. On Saturday, he called her a “traitor”.
Greene has in recent days questioned whether Trump was still putting “America First” and criticised his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files.
The feud comes as the House is set to consider whether to release the files to the public, with speaker Mike Johnson saying he would put the bill to a vote this coming week.
Known as the Epstein Files Transparency Act, the aim of the bill is to make the justice department release all unclassified records, documents, communications, and ..