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Ayatollah Khamenei hides in his bunker as paranoia stalks Iran

Ayatollah Khamenei hides in his bunker as paranoia stalks Iran

Times4 hours ago

W hen Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's supreme leader, addressed the nation in a video recording this week, he sat before a brown curtain of a sort that could be found in any number of homes in Iran. That was the point — which home it was is meant to be a closely guarded secret.
But both President Trump and Israel say they know where Khamenei is hiding. 'He is an easy target, but is safe there. We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Trump said.
It would normally be a boast that would leave his intelligence agencies looking askance. Intelligence officers, by force of habit, do not like to disclose what they know.
Some years ago a confidant of Ayman al-Zawahiri, then the leader of al-Qaeda, spread a rumour that he had died.

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EU review ‘paints grim picture' of Israel's actions in Gaza, Irish premier says
EU review ‘paints grim picture' of Israel's actions in Gaza, Irish premier says

The Independent

time44 minutes ago

  • The Independent

EU review ‘paints grim picture' of Israel's actions in Gaza, Irish premier says

An EU review 'paints a grim picture' of Israel's failure to adhere to international obligations, Ireland's premier Micheal Martin has said. The Taoiseach said the report highlights the restriction of food and medicines into Gaza, which he said 'amounts to the use of starvation as a method of war'. The EU- Israel Association Agreement is being reviewed after a dozen EU member states backed it last month. The unpublished report has found that there are 'indications' Israel could be in breach of its human rights obligations under the agreement, according to several media outlets. Reacting on Saturday, Mr Martin welcomed the 'substantive and important' report on Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel deal. He said Ireland had 'long argued' that clauses on human rights in the EU's international agreement 'have to be respected' and should prompt 'serious consequences' when they are not. Back in February 2024, Ireland and Spain jointly called for an urgent review of whether Israel had breached its human rights obligations in the trade agreement. A majority of EU countries did not back the review until last month, prompted by a proposal from The Netherlands. The shift came amid Israel's months-long blockade of Gaza, which has accelerated fears of a famine. A new Israeli and US-backed aid system has been marred by violence. Israel's 20-month military campaign in the the Palestinian enclave has killed an estimated 55,000 people and injured thousands more, according to Gaza's health ministry. Mr Martin said: 'I very much welcome the substantive and important report of the EU's High Representative for Human Rights on Israel's compliance with its human rights obligations under the EU-Israel Association Agreement. 'Bringing together the reports and analysis of serious, credible and reliable sources – including the International Court of Justice, the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the UN Secretary General's Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict and others – it paints a clear and grim picture of a sustained and deliberate failure by Israel to adhere to its international obligations, especially in Gaza but also in the West Bank. 'It highlights a continued restriction of food, medicines, medical equipment, and other vital supplies into Gaza that amount to collective punishment of the civilian population, that amounts to the use of starvation as a method of war. 'It describes an unprecedented level of killing and injury of civilians in Gaza resulting from indiscriminate attacks without proportion or precaution, as well as attacks on hospitals, forced mass displacements and the killing of journalists. All of this with a persistent lack of accountability. 'In the West Bank, it reports sustained oppression of the Palestinian population, including through state and settler violence, the appropriation of land, and the use of detention as a form of collective punishment.' He added: 'We will now work with partners to follow up on this important report with concrete steps, and I will be discussing it with my colleagues in the European Council when we meet next week.'

Greenland celebrates its National Day to mark the summer solstice
Greenland celebrates its National Day to mark the summer solstice

The Independent

timean hour ago

  • The Independent

Greenland celebrates its National Day to mark the summer solstice

Greenlanders celebrated National Day, the Arctic island's biggest summer festival, on Saturday to mark the solstice with songs, cannon salutes and dances under 24 hours of sunlight. Revelers across the semi-autonomous Danish territory, which is also coveted by U.S. President Donald Trump, honored the longest day of the year north of the equator, where the solstice marks the start of astronomical summer, with a march through their hometowns waving flags and participating in a seal hunting competition. The national holiday was declared in 1985, following a referendum on home rule six years earlier, with the inaugural raising of the red-and-white Greenlandic flag. As the sun came out, locals gathered for the day of festivities, visiting friends and families, eating and dancing together. Greenland's roughly 56,000 inhabitants look forward to the midnight sun each year from May 25 to July 25, before the long, dark winter reappears. The strategic, mineral-rich island has made headlines after Trump declared it his mission to make it part of the U.S., saying it's crucial for American security in the high north. Trump has not ruled out military force to seize Greenland despite strong rebukes from Denmark, a NATO ally, and Greenland itself. Danish and Greenlandic leaders say the island is not for sale and have condemned reports of the U.S. stepping up intelligence gathering there. On Saturday, Greenlanders tried to leave politics behind to enjoy the seemingly endless summer sunshine. Locals in traditional clothing made of pearl collars and seal hides started the day by marching toward the Colonial Harbour with Greenland's national flags. Johannes Ostermann, 20, said he loved the holiday because 'you get to go out in the city and you get to meet the people you haven't met in a while, and you know they're going to be there because it's a big day for Greenland and we enjoy each other's company.' 'Everyone says congratulations to each other, everyone's saying hi, everyone's being very very nice because it is a very nice day for us all,' he added. At 9 a.m., a cannon salute marked the beginning of the annual seal hunting competition, with participants in boats rushing into the sea. It took about an hour for the first hunter to come back with the seal. The animal was cut open for an inspection. The organizer said the meat will be distributed to nursing homes, and all other parts will be used to make clothing. Pilo Samuelsen, one of the winners of the competition, enjoyed his victory and the fact that the holiday brings together the community and keeps their culture alive. 'The seal hunt competition is a nice tradition,' Samuelsen said. 'It's a day of unity and the celebration." Sofie Abelsen, 33, said she hoped her people would continue their celebrations because 'modernization and globalization is a danger to all Indigenous people and Indigenous countries.' 'So I hope they will continue the traditions ... so they don't disappear,' she added.

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