عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Brazil 'Strongly Condemns' Killing of Hamas Leader

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Brazil 'Strongly Condemns' Killing of Hamas Leader

Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)
Hamas politburo chief Ismail Hanieh. (Reuters)

Brazil said Wednesday it "strongly condemns the murder" of Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and called for global efforts to prevent the Middle East from sinking into a wider conflict, AFP reported.

Brazil, which holds the rotating presidency of the G20, said it "rejects the flagrant violation of Iran's sovereignty and territorial integrity, in clear violation of the principles of the United Nations Charter."

These acts of violence "further hinder the possibilities of a political solution to the conflict in Gaza," the foreign ministry said in a statement, calling for an immediate ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamas has said Haniyeh was killed by an Israeli strike. Israel has declined to comment on the attack in Tehran.

In another statement published earlier Wednesday, the Brazilian government also condemned "the air strike carried out by Israel on July 30 on a residential neighborhood in Beirut."

The Israeli army said it had "eliminated" a senior Hezbollah official on Tuesday evening in the strike on the stronghold of the powerful pro-Iranian group, in the southern suburbs of the Lebanese capital.

Brazil's foreign ministry said it was following escalating tensions between Israel and Hezbollah "with extreme concern".

The statement urged the international community to mobilize to "make every possible effort to promote dialogue and contain the escalation of hostilities."

Relations between the Brazilian and Israeli governments are very tense.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has accused Israel of committing "genocide" in Gaza and Israel has declared him "persona non grata".

 

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Trump Heads to China, Stresses Need to Stop Iran's Nuclear Program

12 May 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before he departs the White House for China. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
12 May 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before he departs the White House for China. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
TT
TT

Trump Heads to China, Stresses Need to Stop Iran's Nuclear Program

12 May 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before he departs the White House for China. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa
12 May 2026, US, Washington: US President Donald Trump speaks to the media before he departs the White House for China. Photo: Matt Kaminsky/ZUMA Press Wire/dpa

US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Americans’ financial struggles are not a factor in his decision-making as he seeks to negotiate an end to the Iran war, saying that preventing Tehran from acquiring a nuclear weapon is his top priority.

Asked by a reporter to what extent Americans’ financial situations were motivating him to strike a deal, Trump said: “Not even a little bit.”

"The only thing that matters, when I’m talking about Iran, they can’t have a nuclear weapon," Trump said before departing the White House for a trip to China. "I don’t think about Americans’ financial situation. I don’t think about anybody. I think about one thing: We cannot let Iran have a nuclear weapon. That’s all. That's ⁠the only thing ⁠that motivates me."

Trump's remarks are likely to draw scrutiny from critics who argue the administration should balance geopolitical objectives with the economic impact on Americans, particularly as cost-of-living concerns remain a top issue for voters ahead of the November midterm elections.

Asked to elaborate on the president's comments, White House Communications Director Steven Cheung said that Trump's "ultimate responsibility is the safety and security ⁠of Americans. Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon, and if action wasn’t taken, they’d have one, which threatens all Americans."

Trump is under growing pressure from fellow Republicans who fear economic pain caused by the war could spark a backlash against the party and cost it control of the House of Representatives and possibly the Senate in November.

Rising energy costs linked to the Iran conflict have pushed up gasoline prices and contributed to inflation.

US consumer inflation in April posted its largest gain in three years, according to data released on Tuesday.

Trump framed his approach as a matter of national and ⁠global security, suggesting ⁠economic concerns were secondary to preventing nuclear proliferation.

In Beijing, Trump is set to hold a highly anticipated summit with Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

“We're the two superpowers,” Trump told reporters as he departed the White House. “We're the strongest nation on Earth in terms of military. China’s considered second.”

The Trump administration hopes to begin the process of establishing a “Board of Trade” with China to address differences between the countries. The board could help prevent the trade war ignited last year after Trump's tariff hikes, an action China countered through its control of rare earth minerals. That led to a one-year truce last October.

World

Iran Hangs Man Accused of Spying for Israel

Motorbikes cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Motorbikes cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
TT
TT

Iran Hangs Man Accused of Spying for Israel

Motorbikes cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)
Motorbikes cross an intersection in downtown Tehran, Iran, Tuesday, May 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi)

Iran on Wednesday hanged a man found guilty of selling information to Israeli intelligence, the judiciary said, the latest in a wave of executions during the war with the country.

Since the start of the conflict with Israel and the United States in February, Iran has ramped up executions, particularly in cases involving alleged espionage or security-related charges
"Ehsan Afreshteh, a spy trained by Mossad in Nepal who sold sensitive information to Israel, has been executed," said the Iranian judiciary's Mizan Online website.

"Arrested and tried for espionage and collaboration with the Zionist regime, he was hanged this morning after... the verdict was upheld by the Supreme Court," it added, according to AFP.

On Monday, the country hanged an aerospace engineering student who had also been convicted of spying for Israel and the United States.

World

Cypriot President: UN May Put Cyprus Peace Plan Forward this Year

Election campaign billboards of candidates for Cyprus parliamentary election, to be held on May 24, are placed on a street in Nicosia, Cyprus May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
Election campaign billboards of candidates for Cyprus parliamentary election, to be held on May 24, are placed on a street in Nicosia, Cyprus May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
TT
TT

Cypriot President: UN May Put Cyprus Peace Plan Forward this Year

Election campaign billboards of candidates for Cyprus parliamentary election, to be held on May 24, are placed on a street in Nicosia, Cyprus May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou
Election campaign billboards of candidates for Cyprus parliamentary election, to be held on May 24, are placed on a street in Nicosia, Cyprus May 6, 2026. REUTERS/Yiannis Kourtoglou

The United Nations is likely to launch a fresh push to resolve the decades-old split of Cyprus before the term of Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expires at the end of the year, Cyprus's President Nikos Christodoulides said.

Christodoulides, who represents the Greek Cypriots in talks with Turkish Cypriots, made the comments in an interview on Tuesday night with Cyprus's Alpha TV.

These are the details:

Christodoulides told the channel he had been informed that Guterres ⁠was encouraged by ⁠discussions he had had with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in March.

"We might be close to developments, which may lead to a peace plan," Christodoulides said.

Cyprus was divided in 1974 after Türkiye invaded parts of the island's ⁠north following a Greek-backed coup.

Seeds of division were sown shortly after independence from Britain in 1960, when a power-sharing administration of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots collapsed amid violence.

Greek Cypriots run Cyprus's internationally recognized government in the south with Turkish Cypriots administering the north and a UN-patrolled buffer zone between them.

The last meaningful negotiations on Cyprus collapsed in 2017 amid ⁠disagreements ⁠on whether Türkiye should have a role in a future federated Cyprus with two self-governing regions linked by a strong central government.

In 2004, Greek Cypriots rejected a United Nations peace plan, saying it did not address security concerns and the long-term viability of the proposed reunified state, or the property rights of tens of thousands of internally displaced people.

Turkish Cypriots, whose breakaway state is recognized only by Ankara, accepted the proposal.