Trump to meet Qatar's prime minister to discuss Gaza ceasefire deal: Reports
al-Thani on Wednesday to discuss negotiations over the Gaza ceasefire deal, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on X.
Qatar is a key mediator between Israel and Hamas.
The two are also expected to discuss efforts to resume talks between the US and Iran to reach a new nuclear agreement.
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Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
Trump threatens to sue WSJ over story on alleged 2003 letter to Epstein
US President Donald Trump on Thursday threatened to sue The Wall Street Journal after it published a story about an alleged off-color letter written by him to the late disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein that featured a drawing of a naked woman. The Journal story, which quickly reverberated around the US capital, says the note to Epstein bearing Trump's signature was part of a collection of notes for Epstein's 50th birthday in 2003. The newspaper says it reviewed the letter but did not print an image. 'The editor of The Wall Street Journal... was told directly by (White House Press Secretary) Karoline Leavitt, and by President Trump, that the letter was a FAKE,' Trump wrote in a post on his Truth Social network. 'Instead, they are going with a false, malicious, and defamatory story anyway,' he said. 'President Trump will be suing The Wall Street Journal, NewsCorp, and Mr. (Rupert) Murdoch, shortly. The press has to learn to be truthful, and not rely on sources that probably don't even exist.' The alleged letter — which Trump denies writing — is raunchy, as were others in the collection, the Journal reported. It contains several lines of typewritten text, contained in an outline of a naked woman drawn with a marker. 'The future president's signature is a squiggly 'Donald' below her waist, mimicking pubic hair,' the Journal reported. The letter concludes: 'Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret.' Trump denied writing the letter or drawing the figure, telling the Journal: 'This is not me. This is a fake thing.' 'I don't draw pictures of women,' he said. 'It's not my language. It's not my words.' Murdoch, who controls the NewsCorp media empire, was in Trump's suite Sunday at MetLife Stadium outside New York City for the FIFA Club World Cup final. The Republican president was already facing a firestorm over his past relationship with Epstein, and claims that his administration is covering up lurid details of Epstein's crimes to protect rich and powerful figures. Epstein died by suicide in a New York prison in 2019 — during Trump's first term — after being charged with sex trafficking in a scheme where he allegedly groomed young and underage women for sexual abuse by the rich and powerful. The Trump-supporting far-right has long latched on to the scandal, claiming the existence of a still-secret list of Epstein's powerful clients and that the late financier was in fact murdered in his cell as part of a cover-up. Trump supporters expected the Republican to answer their questions on his return to office this January but now find themselves being told the conspiracy theories are false. The Justice Department and FBI said in a memo made public earlier this month there is no evidence that the disgraced financier kept a 'client list' or was blackmailing powerful figures. They also dismissed the claim that Epstein was murdered in jail, confirming his suicide, and said they would not be releasing any more information on the probe. Then, on Thursday, several US media outlets reported that a federal prosecutor who handled Epstein's case, who is the daughter of a prominent Trump critic, was abruptly fired. Maurene Comey, whose father is former FBI Director James Comey, was dismissed Wednesday from her position as an assistant US attorney in Manhattan, several major US outlets reported. Comey also prosecuted Ghislaine Maxwell, the only former Epstein associate who has been criminally charged in connection with his activities. Maxwell is the person who compiled the leather-bound book of letters for Epstein in 2003, the Journal reported. 'The WSJ should be ashamed for publishing it. Where is this letter? Would you be shocked to learn they never showed it to us before publishing it?' Vice President JD Vance wrote on X. Meanwhile, Democratic lawmaker Pat Ryan wrote: 'I think we now know EXACTLY why Donald Trump refuses to release the Epstein files.'
Al Arabiya
an hour ago
- Al Arabiya
UN talks with rival leaders of Cyprus fail to reach deal on new border crossings
The United Nations chief said Thursday that he would have liked more results from his meetings with the rival leaders of divided Cyprus, while the Turkish Cypriot leader said he was very, very upset that there was no agreement on opening four new border crossings. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the meetings constructive and pointed to progress on four of the six initiatives that the leaders agreed to in March. He cautioned, however, that there's a long road ahead. The Mediterranean island was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded following a coup by Athens junta-backed supporters of uniting the island with Greece. Only Turkey recognizes a Turkish Cypriot declaration of independence, and it maintains more than 35,000 troops in the island's northern third. Negotiations between the rivals have been stalled since 2017. When asked whether he would start a new round, Guterres responded that there is more to be done before any negotiations. The current talks are complex, he said, stressing the very different views of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots on a solution. 'I think we are building step by step confidence and creating the conditions to do concrete things to the benefit of the Cypriot people,' the secretary-general said. The agreed-upon UN-endorsed framework for a peace deal has been a reunified Cyprus as a federation composed of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot zones. Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar has been demanding a two-state deal ever since his 2020 election. He faces reelection in October and says he's running on the same two-state platform with Ankara's full backing. Tatar told reporters after the meeting that unless our sovereign equality and equal international status is reaffirmed, we will not resume formal negotiations for the resolution of the Cyprus problem.' Greek Cypriots reject any agreement that would formalize partition, fearing Turkey would seek to control the entire island in light of its demand to maintain a permanent troop presence and military intervention rights in Cyprus. Turkey also insists the minority Turkish Cypriots should have veto rights over all federal government decisions. Greek Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides did not speak to reporters after the meeting, which included the foreign ministers of guarantor countries Turkey and Greece, and a United Kingdom deputy minister. Despite differences on the future of Cyprus, the rivals have made some progress on trust-building measures. Guterres told reporters that four initiatives had been achieved: creating a technical committee on youth, initiatives on the environment and climate change including the impact on mining areas, the restoration of cemeteries, and an agreement on demining where technical details still need to be finalized. He said discussions will continue on opening four new crossings between the Greek and Turkish sides of the island and on solar energy in the buffer zone between them, which is patrolled by a UN peacekeeping force. Tatar accused Christodoulides of preventing the announcement of the four border crossings on Thursday by insisting that one of them go through the buffer zone, which he called unacceptable to Turkish Cypriots. He also sharply criticized Greek Cypriots for pursuing legal action over the sale of properties in the Turkish Cypriot north, saying the moves 'are certainly damaging to the relations of the two peoples and are aimed at damaging our economy and our tourism.' Property rights are a deeply contentious issue in Cyprus. A recent boom in construction of luxury villas and apartments in the north has prompted Cypriot legal authorities to take a more assertive stance toward realtors and developers to discourage what they say is the large-scale illegal usurpation of Greek Cypriot land. Guterres said the meeting also produced an understanding on a consultative body for civil society engagement, exchange of cultural artifacts, an initiative on air quality monitoring, and addressing microplastic pollution. The secretary-general said Tatar and Christodoulides agreed to meet with him in late September during the annual gathering of world leaders at the General Assembly and to hold another informal meeting later in the year.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Nationwide protests begin against Trump's immigration crackdown and health care cuts
CHICAGO: Protests and events against President Donald Trump's controversial policies that include mass deportations and cuts to Medicaid and other safety nets for poor people have started Thursday at more than 1,600 locations around the country. The 'Good Trouble Lives On' national day of action honors the late congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis. Protests were being held along streets, at court houses and other public spaces. Organizers have called for them to be peaceful. 'We are navigating one of the most terrifying moments in our nation's history,' Public Citizen co-president Lisa Gilbert said during an online news conference Tuesday. 'We are all grappling with a rise of authoritarianism and lawlessness within our administration ... as the rights, freedoms and expectations of our very democracy are being challenged.' Public Citizen is a nonprofit with a stated mission of taking on corporate power. It is a member of a coalition of groups behind Thursday's protests. Major protests were planned in Atlanta and St. Louis, as well as Oakland, California, and Annapolis, Maryland. Honoring Lewis' legacy Lewis first was elected to Congress in 1986. He died in 2020 at the age of 80 following an advanced pancreatic cancer diagnosis. He was the youngest and last survivor of the Big Six civil rights activists, a group led by the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1965, a 25-year-old Lewis led some 600 protesters in the Bloody Sunday march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. Lewis was beaten by police, suffering a skull fracture. Within days, King led more marches in the state, and President Lyndon Johnson pressed Congress to pass the Voting Rights Act that later became law. 'Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and redeem the soul of America,' Lewis said in 2020 while commemorating the 1965 voting rights marches from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. Chicago will be the flagship city for Thursday's protests as demonstrators are expected to rally downtown in the afternoon. Betty Magness, executive vice president of the League of Women Voters Chicago and one of the organizers of Chicago's event, said the rally will also include a candlelight vigil to honor Lewis. Much of the rest of the rally will have a livelier tone, Magness said, adding 'we have a DJ who's gonna rock us with boots on the ground.' Protesting Trump's policies Pushback against Trump so far in his second term has centered on deportations and immigration enforcement tactics Earlier this month, protesters engaged in a tense standoff as federal authorities conducted mass arrests at two Southern California marijuana farms. One farmworker died after falling from a greenhouse roof during a chaotic raid. Those raids followed Trump's extraordinary deployment of the National Guard outside federal buildings and to protect immigration agents carrying out arrests on Los Angeles. On June 8, thousands of protesters began taking to the streets in Los Angeles. And organizers of the June 14 'No Kings' demonstrations said millions of people marched in hundreds of events from New York to San Francisco. Demonstrators labeled Trump as a dictator and would-be king for marking his birthday with a military parade.
