Skip to main content

From critic to negotiator: JD Vance to spearhead US efforts in Iran ceasefire talks

It was a war JD Vance never wanted. Now the United States vice president has been tasked with ending it. Vance headed to Pakistan today with orders from President Donald Trump to turn the shaky Iran ceasefire into a lasting peace deal. For the 41-year-old Vance, who has kept a notably low profile during the Middle East conflict, it will be one of the biggest moments of his career. But the man widely regarded as a leading contender in the 2028 US presidential election will face huge challenges too when talks begin Saturday in Islamabad. “I cannot think of a case where the vice president ran formal negotiations like this,” Aaron Wolf Mannes, a lecturer at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy and an expert on the American vice presidency’s role in foreign policy, told AFP. “This is high risk, high reward.” Vance built his political brand as an avowed anti-interventionist who wanted to keep America out of any more foreign wars, such as in Iraq, where he ser...
Post a Comment

Halt to Iran attacks means Netanyahu's corruption trial will resume on Sunday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's long-running corruption trial ‌will resume on Sunday, the courts' spokesperson said on Thursday, hours after Israel lifted a state of emergency imposed over its war with Iran. Iran began targeting Israel with ballistic missiles and drones ​after Israel and United States President Donald Trump launched air strikes on Iran on ​February 28, citing the aims of preventing it from projecting force abroad, ⁠ending its nuclear programme and encouraging the overthrow of its rulers. The emergency, which had ​closed schools and workplaces, was lifted on Wednesday evening as no incoming Iranian missiles had ​been reported since 3am (midnight GMT) after a ceasefire was agreed. Extensive Israeli attacks on Lebanon over the presence there of Hezbollah have since jeopardised the truce. "With the lifting of the state of ​emergency and the return of the judicial system to work, hearings will resume as ​usual," a statement from the Israeli courts said, adding that they would take place between Sundays ‌and Wednesdays. Read More: Israeli opposition leader slams Netanyahu’s support for US-Iran ceasefire Netanyahu, ⁠the first sitting Israeli prime minister to be charged with a crime, denies charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust brought in 2019 after years of investigations. His trial, which began in 2020 and could lead to jail terms, has been repeatedly ​delayed due to his ​official commitments, with ⁠no end date in sight. Trump has echoed Netanyahu's calls on Israel's President Isaac Herzog for a pardon, citing the impact of regular court ​appearances on his ability to carry out his duties. Herzog's office has ​said the ⁠justice ministry's pardons department would gather opinions to submit to the president's legal adviser, who will formulate a recommendation, as per standard practice. Pardons are not usually given mid-trial. The charges ⁠against ​Netanyahu, along with the Hamas attacks on Israel in ​October 2023, have damaged his standing. Israel is due to hold elections in October that Netanyahu's coalition, the most ​right-wing in Israel's history, is likely to lose.

from Latest World News, International News | Breaking World News https://ift.tt/GBiwpX9
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

At least 32 miners dead after bridge fails at cobalt site in southeast DR Congo

A bridge collapsed at a cobalt mine in southeast Democratic Republic of Congo killing at least 32 wildcat miners, a regional government official said Sunday. The bridge came down Saturday onto a flooded zone at the mine in Lualaba province, Roy Kaumba Mayonde, the provincial interior minister, told reporters. He said 32 bodies had been recovered and more were being searched for. The DRC produces more than 70 percent of the world supply of cobalt, which is essential for batteries used in electric cars, many laptop computers and mobile phones. More than 200,000 people are estimated to be working in giant illegal cobalt mines in the giant central African country. Local authorities said the bridge collapsed at the Kalando mine, about 42 kilometres (26 miles) southeast of the Lualaba provincial capital, Kolwezi. "Despite a formal ban on access to the site because of the heavy rain and the risk of a landslide, wildcat miners forced their way into the quarry," said Mayonde. He said ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Indian devotees splurge on jets, gold idols as Hindu temple opens

The private jet parking lots at airports near the Indian city of Ayodhya are full and the shops have run out of gold-plated idols, as wealthy devotees prepare for the invite-only opening ceremony of one of Hinduism's holiest temples. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Asia's richest man Mukesh Ambani are among the 8,000 or so attendees at Monday's inauguration event for the Ram Temple, which devotees believe is built on the birthplace of Lord Ram, a sacred Hindu deity. The construction of the temple, which began after the Supreme Court awarded the site to Hindus in 2019 more than two decades after a Hindu mob razed a mosque there, triggering deadly riots, fulfils a key campaign promise of Modi and his Hindu nationalist party. Read BJP-promised temple transforms Ayodhya: Muslims, locals feel neglected The opening ceremony, organised by the trust that built the temple, comes months before a national election which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party is widely expected to w...
Post a Comment
Read more

US, Philippines kick off joint military drills in South China Sea with 16,000 troops

Some 16,000 US and Philippine troops kicked off the annual joint military drills on Monday in the West Philippine Sea (WPS), local media reported. WPS is the official designation by Philippines to the parts of the South China Sea that are included in the country's exclusive economic zone. The 19-day exercises, dubbed "Balikatan 2024," will involve around 5,000 Philippine and 11,000 US troops, making it the largest joint military drills between the two allies conducted in decades, local English daily Manila Times reported citing the military. A total of 14 nations, including Japan and India, will take part in the drills as observers amid mounting maritime tensions in the South China Sea. Contingents from the Australian Defence Force and the French Navy will also join the exercise as participants. Read also: China urges US to stop using Philippines as a pawn to destabilise South China Sea France will join the group sail but will only navigate on the edge of the Philippine E...
Post a Comment
Read more