Two of Wall Street’s major indexes closed at record highs Thursday, lifted by an upward revision to second-quarter US GDP data and strong earnings from AI chip giant Nvidia.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 0.16 percent to a record 45,636.90, while the broad-based S&P 500 Index gained 0.32 percent to 6,501.86, also a record. The Nasdaq …
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France, Britain and Germany on Thursday triggered a mechanism to reimpose United Nations sanctions on Iran for failing to comply with commitments over its nuclear programme it agreed to a decade ago.Iran warned that it would “respond appropriately” to the move, which risks ending the most sustained diplomatic push for a peaceful solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis.The United States welcomed the step, while emphasising it was ready for “direct engagement” with the Islamic republic with which Washington has had no diplomatic relations since shortly after the 1979 Islamic revolution.The foreign ministers of France, Britain and Germany said they “hereby invoke the process known as the ‘snapback’ mechanism,” which initiates a 30-day process for reimposing sanctions suspended a decade ago.The three countries notified the UN Security Council that they “believe Iran to be in significant non-performance of its commitments” under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to a letter seen by AFP.The move comes just over two months after the end of a 12-day war between Israel and Iran which Israel said was aimed at degrading Tehran’s nuclear as well as ballistic capabilities and also saw the US launch its first strikes on the Islamic republic.It also comes as the window for triggering the so-called snapback mechanism closes on October 18.The UN Security Council, where France and Britain as well as the United States have permanent seats alongside China and Russia, is to meet on Friday to discuss Iran, diplomatic sources said.Russia’s deputy ambassador to the UN, Dmitry Polyanskiy, told journalists Thursday that the Europeans’ move “has absolutely no legal bearing.” Western powers have for two decades feared that Iran is seeking a nuclear weapon under the guise of an atomic energy programme, a charge vehemently denied by Tehran.UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’s office urged Iran and major powers Thursday to seize the moment and strike a deal.”In the next 30 days, there is a window of opportunity to avoid any further escalation and find a way forward that serves peace,” Guterres spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.- ‘Direct engagement’ -Iran has previously warned that cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog would be affected if the mechanism was triggered.”The Islamic Republic of Iran will respond appropriately to this illegal and unjustified action by the three European countries, in order to protect and guarantee its national rights and interests,” Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told his French, British and German counterparts in a phone call, his ministry said.The Iranian foreign ministry said the “provocative and unnecessary escalation” will “seriously undermine the ongoing process of interaction and cooperation” between Iran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.Iran has already suspended its cooperation with the IAEA, accusing the UN agency of failing to condemn the Israeli and US attacks.IAEA inspectors have begun work at the key nuclear site of Bushehr in southwestern Iran, the first team to enter the country since Tehran formally suspended its cooperation last month.Tehran stressed this did not represent a full resumption of cooperation.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington “remains available for direct engagement with Iran” in a bid to reach a lasting resolution. “Snapback does not contradict our earnest readiness for diplomacy, it only enhances it,” Rubio said in a statement. Israel welcomed the move, with its UN ambassador Danny Danon calling it “an important step on the way to stopping the Iranian nuclear program.”Analysts say Israel’s strikes on Iran appear to have caused some damage to infrastructure but did not obliterate the atomic programme with much of the enriched uranium still unaccounted for.- ‘Unprecedented’ -In a joint statement, British Foreign Minister David Lammy, Germany’s top diplomat Johann Wadephul and French counterpart Jean-Noel Barrot said Iran’s non-compliance with the 2015 nuclear deal was “clear and deliberate”.They said Iran has “no civilian justification” for its high enriched uranium stockpile.Such a stockpile remains “a clear threat” to peace and security and “is unprecedented for a state without a nuclear weapons programme”, they said.Barrot wrote on X that “Iran’s nuclear escalation must not go any further” but emphasised the move “does not signal the end of diplomacy”.The 2015 treaty was aimed at resolving the standoff over Iran’s nuclear activities which had escalated ever since secret nuclear facilities were uncovered at the start of the 2000s.But it was badly weakened when US President Donald Trump left the accord during his first mandate, and as subsequent accusations of Iranian non-compliance multiplied.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday condemned the “endless catalogue of horrors” in Gaza after nearly two years of war, while the territory’s civil defence reported dozens killed by Israel.Israel, whose military is preparing to conquer Gaza City, is under mounting pressure at home and abroad to end its offensive in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations has declared a famine.The vast majority of Gaza’s population of more than two million people has been displaced at least once during the war, with aid groups on the ground warning against expanding the military campaign.”Gaza is piled with rubble, piled with bodies and piled with examples of what may be serious violations of international law,” Guterres told journalists on Thursday, calling for accountability.On the ground on Thursday, AFP footage showed massive clouds of smoke rising into the sky above Gaza City after Israeli bombardments of the outskirts of the territory’s largest city.Aya Daher, who was displaced from Gaza City’s Zeitoun district, told AFP she had no shelter and was sitting outside a local hospital “just waiting for God’s mercy”.”There were explosions all night. I was injured, my husband was injured by shrapnel, and my son was also wounded in the head. Thank God we survived, but there were martyrs,” she said.- Heading south -Gaza’s civil defence agency said that Israeli strikes and gunfire killed at least 40 people across the territory on Thursday, including six shot while waiting for aid in the south.When asked for comment by AFP, the Israeli military said it needed precise times and coordinates to look into the reports.Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.In a statement on Thursday, the military said it was preparing to “expand operations against Hamas in Gaza City”, while COGAT, the defence ministry body that oversees civil affairs in the Palestinian territories, said it was undertaking preparations “for moving the population southward for their protection”.AFP photos from the centre of Gaza showed lines of Palestinians fleeing south in vans and cars piled high with mattresses, chairs and bags.The UN estimates that nearly a million people currently live in Gaza governorate, which includes Gaza City and its surroundings in the north of the territory.Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich meanwhile said that so long as Hamas refuses to disarm, the Israeli government should annex parts of the Gaza Strip after Palestinian civilians leave them.Hamas in response condemned “an open endorsement of… ethnic cleansing.”- ‘Breaking point’ -The head of the UN’s World Food Programme, Cindy McCain, warned that Gaza was “at breaking point” and appealed for the urgent revival of its network of 200 food distribution points.After a visit to the territory, McCain said she saw first-hand that “desperation is soaring”.The UN declared a famine in Gaza governorate last week, blaming “systematic obstruction” by Israel of humanitarian aid deliveries.Israel has severely restricted the aid allowed into Gaza and at times completely cut it off during its offensive against Hamas, whose October 2023 attack against southern Israel triggered the war.Once Israel began to ease restrictions in late May, after a more than two-month blockade, the private US- and Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) was established to distribute food aid, effectively sidelining UN agencies.Distribution has been marred by chaotic scenes, with frequent reports of starving Palestinians being shot while waiting to collect aid at one of its four distribution sites.UN rights experts voiced alarm Thursday at reports of “enforced disappearances” at GHF sites, but the organisation said there was “no evidence” of such disappearances at its aid points.The Hamas attack that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 62,966 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the UN considers reliable.
In a wooded valley close to the Israeli border, United Nations peacekeepers showed AFP journalists a Hezbollah bunker they had uncovered in southern Lebanon, a former bastion of the militant group.The UN Security Council voted on Thursday to end the mission of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in 2027, with the peacekeeping force facing US and Israeli opposition.The peacekeepers, first deployed in 1978, have recently been working with the Lebanese army to enforce a November ceasefire that followed more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.The Lebanese group was badly weakened and, as part of the ceasefire deal, is required to withdraw from south Lebanon.”This morning we conducted a recce in this valley that we identified as… of valuable interest” because it was hit by the Israeli military during the conflict, said Captain Tanguy, commander of the French reconnaissance and intervention troops, on Wednesday.The site, on the outskirts of the village of Meri, was hidden among trees and accessible only on foot via a rough mountain path.Green boxes filled with shells were scattered on the ground, while others were inside a storeroom that appeared to have been bombed.”Inside the bunker we found an artillery cannon of 152 mm calibre. It’s Russian-made. It was facing eastward and southward,” Tanguy said.- ‘Provide security’ -“This type of cannon has a range of about 15 kilometres (around 10 miles) effectiveness,” he added.Next to it were several dozen boxes each containing a 152 mm shell “ready to be used”. “And as you can see the cannon is still intact”, Tanguy said.”The next step would be for us to provide security in the area so the Lebanese Armed Forces can intervene and retrieve the valuable assets,” he said.Under the US-brokered ceasefire, Hezbollah and Israel were both required to withdraw from south Lebanon, while UNIFIL has deployed alongside the Lebanese military to dismantle Hezbollah’s infrastructure there, including a substantial network of tunnels.Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said in June that the Lebanese army had dismantled more than 500 Hezbollah military positions and weapons depots in the south.UNIFIL spokesman Andrea Tenenti told AFP that since the ceasefire, peacekeepers had found 318 weapons caches in southern Lebanon.Earlier this month, six Lebanese soldiers were killed in a blast at a weapons depot near the border that a military source said belonged to Hezbollah.Under heavy US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli military action, Lebanon’s government this month tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year.For its part, Israel has retained troops at five points within Lebanon that it deems strategic. This month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested they would be withdrawn if Hezbollah were successfully disarmed.- ‘Monitor and report’ violations -Around 10,800 peacekeepers are stationed in southern Lebanon, where UNIFIL has been deployed since shortly after the Israeli invasion of 1978.Their deployment has spanned the Israeli invasion of 1982, its subsequent occupation of southern Lebanon until 2000, the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah as well as the recent hostilities which began in October 2023 and culminated in open war last year during which Israel sent in ground troops.The Security Council voted on Thursday to extend UNIFIL’s mandate one last time to the end of next year, with the force withdrawing by the end of 2027.The definitive end to the mission was pushed for by the United States and welcomed by Israel.Colonel Arnaud de Coincy, the commanding officer of UNIFIL’s quick-reaction Force Commander Reserve, said the peacekeepers would continue to support the Lebanese army “to provide all the expertise, all the assets we have, in order to help them” restore state authority to Lebanon’s south.UNIFIL’s main role is to “monitor and to report any violation” of the ceasefire, he noted.Clearly visible behind him was one of the five sites still held by Israeli troops, between the border towns of Kfar Kila and Burj al-Muluk.Israel has also kept up regular strikes on what it says are Hezbollah sites and operatives in Lebanon despite the truce.Tenenti said UNIFIL had recorded 5,095 Israeli air violations since the ceasefire began.
The Security Council voted Thursday for UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing only one final extension after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.Israel hailed the upcoming termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.With the United States dangling a veto threat, the Security Council voted unanimously for a resolution that will extend UNIFIL’s mandate “a final time.”France, which has a long legacy in Lebanon, had initially sought the routine one-year extension to the force without a firm commitment to ending it.But faced with US pressure, France put forward the compromise that authorizes UNIFIL through December 31, 2026 and then an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within a year.Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978, remaining after Israel ended an occupation of southern Lebanon in 2000. UNIFIL’s mandate had been due to end on Sunday.Israel, which has been sharply critical of the United Nations over its condemnation of its relentless offensive in Gaza, hailed the UN vote.”For a change, we have some good news coming from the UN,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the world body.”I want to remind you, 47 years ago, the Security Council decided to send the UNIFIL force to South Lebanon in order to stabilize the region. We all know they failed. Hezbollah took over the region,” he said.”Today, the Lebanese government has the responsibility to take control of the area and to understand that they have to be there — not Hezbollah, not anyone else.”Dorothy Shea, the US envoy at the United Nations, noted that UNIFIL was explicitly meant to be “interim” and said the security situation in Lebanon was “radically different from just one year ago.” She reiterated that the United States, whose historic support for Israel has only increased under President Donald Trump, would reject any further extensions.”We urge the international community to use the coming year to bolster the Lebanese armed forces,” she said.- Weakening fortunes for Hezbollah -Israel has gone on the offensive against Hezbollah and other enemies since the devastating October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas. Israel killed the leader of Hezbollah, a Shiite movement forged during the 22-year Israeli occupation that frequently fired missiles over the Blue Line that separates the countries.Under a truce between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in southern Lebanon and dismantling Hezbollah’s infrastructure.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun had last week called for the UN peacekeepers to remain, arguing that curtailing UNIFIL’s mandate “will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation.”But Lebanon’s government quickly welcomed the new resolution after it passed, emphasizing the securing of one last renewal.Aoun in a statement expressed hope “that the additional year for withdrawal will be a fixed deadline for confirming and strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty over its borders.”French UN envoy Jay Dharmadhikari praised the “ambitious” work being taken by the Lebanese Armed Forces and said the extra year for UNIFIL would give it time to establish authority.- Hezbollah can exploit gap? -Britain, normally in lockstep with the United States, voiced appreciation for the French diplomacy but regretted that the decision was not made “on the basis of an evidence-based assessment.” “The United Kingdom believes that a premature withdrawal of UNIFIL would risk fostering a security environment that Hezbollah can exploit,” British envoy James Kariuki said. “That would harm communities both on sides of the Blue Line and set back efforts for a long-term political agreement,” he said. China, in a thinly veiled swipe at the United States, denounced the “stubborn insistence of a permanent member” that has shown “total disregard” for the situation on the ground.”Indeed no UN mission should exist permanently. But no mission should withdraw in haste while the situation remains tense,” Chinese envoy Geng Shuang said.
The Security Council voted Thursday for UN peacekeepers to leave Lebanon in 2027, allowing one final extension after pressure from Israel and its US ally to end the nearly 50-year-old force.Israel hailed the termination of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and urged the Beirut government to exert its authority after an Israeli military campaign devastated Iranian-backed militia Hezbollah.With the United States dangling a veto threat, the Security Council voted unanimously for a resolution that will extend UNIFIL’s mandate “a final time.”France, which has a long legacy in Lebanon, had initially sought a one-year extension to the force without a firm commitment to end UNIFIL.But faced with the US opposition, France put forward the compromise resolution that authorizes UNIFIL through December 31, 2026 and then an “orderly and safe drawdown and withdrawal” within a year.Some 10,800 peacekeepers have been acting as a buffer between Israel and Lebanon since 1978. The mandate had been due to end on Sunday.Israel, which has been sharply critical of the United Nations over its condemnation of its relentless offensive in Gaza, hailed the UN vote.”For a change, we have some good news coming from the UN,” said Danny Danon, Israel’s envoy to the United Nations.”I want to remind you, 47 years ago, the Security Council decided to send the UNIFIL force to South Lebanon in order to stabilize the region. We all know they failed. Hezbollah took over the region,” he said.”Today, the Lebanese government has the responsibility to take control of the area and to understand that they have to be there — not Hezbollah, not anyone else.”Dorothy Shea, the US envoy at the United Nations, noted that UNIFIL was explicitly meant to be “interim” and said that the security situation in Lebanon was “radically different from just one year ago.” She reiterated that the United States, whose historic support for Israel has only increased under President Donald Trump, would reject any further extensions.Under a truce that ended the recent conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, the long-fledgling Lebanese national army has been deploying in south Lebanon and dismantling the militant group’s infrastructure.As part of the ceasefire, and under pressure from Washington, the plan is for Hezbollah’s withdrawal to be complete by the end of the year.Lebanese President Joseph Aoun last week called for the UN peacekeepers to remain, arguing that any curtailment of UNIFIL’s mandate “will negatively impact the situation in the south, which still suffers from Israeli occupation.”But Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam on Thursday welcomed the decision of the Security Council, pointing to its extension of the force.
Chinese-owned luxury carmaker Lotus said Thursday that it planned to cut up to 550 UK jobs, in part over uncertainty caused by US President Donald Trump’s tariffs.The layoffs represent over forty percent of its 1,300 employees in Britain. Lotus said the restructuring was necessary to “secure a sustainable future,” citing the “rapidly evolving automotive environment, which …
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A British couple held in Iran on espionage charges have appeared in a Tehran court represented by a state-appointed lawyer, their family said on Thursday.Little has been known about the plight of Lindsay and Craig Foreman, both 52, since Iranian authorities seized the pair in Kerman, in central Iran, in early January.They were passing through the country while on a round-the-world motorbike trip, but Tehran has claimed they are spies. Their family has rejected the claim.In Thursday’s update, relatives said in a statement sent to AFP that the couple was “unexpectedly brought before a court in Tehran yesterday (Wednesday) with a state-appointed lawyer”, prompting fresh fears over their treatment.”We cannot see how being suddenly whisked into a court room with no warning, with a state-appointed lawyer they only just met, could be considered to be a fair trial,” Lindsay’s son Joe Bennett said.The family added they understood Lindsay also met the UK’s ambassador to Iran, Hugo Shorter, on Wednesday and received a “comfort pack of essential supplies”.But an expected consular visit for Craig failed to materialise, they added.Relatives welcomed Lindsay’s meeting with Shorter, but said they remained “alarmed” by the conditions both detainees were facing.Earlier this month, they spoke by phone with them for the first time since the couple were detained in January. Days before the call, they learned the pair had been moved to separate prisons in and near Tehran. Lindsay was transferred to Qarchak women’s prison, which human rights groups have repeatedly criticised for its reported dire conditions.”Lindsay is likely sharing a cell of just 13 square metres (140 square feet) with nine other women,” Bennett said Thursday, noting it was so overcrowded amid three-tier bunk beds “only two prisoners can stand at one time”.He added his mother made a request to Shorter that she be transferred to Evin Prison, where Craig is being held and where “conditions are understood to be less severe”.Meanwhile, Bennett said the lack of a meeting between the ambassador and his stepfather was “deeply worrying”, in particular because Britain’s Foreign Office has been unable to transfer money to him to buy essentials.”It has been well over three and a half months since Craig was last seen. At that time, he had already lost weight. Now, with no funds and no access to food beyond the bare minimum, I can only guess at how he must be,” he added.Bennett urged the UK government to “act swiftly” and said the family had requested an urgent meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy.Rights groups and families of other Westerners who have been detained by Iran accuse Tehran of grabbing foreigners in a bid to get leverage over their respective governments.
