'A 12 Day War': Iran denies ceasefire claims made by US President Donald Trump
US President Donald Trump announced that there was a total ceasefire between Israel and Iran, something that Iran has denied.
In a statement, Trump said: "Congratulations to everyone! It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a complete and total ceasefire.
Trump described the attacks as 'The 12 Day War.'
During the ceasefire, the other side will remain peaceful and respectful.
"On the assumption that everything works as it should, which it will, I would like to congratulate both countries, Israel and Iran, on having the stamina and courage to end what should be called the 12-day war.
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IOL News
41 minutes ago
- IOL News
Why South Africa's unemployment rate is so high. . .
How can anyone trust Trump's USA He's done it for America. He's put America first and bombed Iran. US bombers struck three enrichment plants. He gloated it was a spectacular success. Just yesterday he was talking peace. He said let's use diplomacy instead of bombs to resolve the Middle East crisis. But then Israel launched a surprise atack on Iran. Then Trump said he'll wait for two weeks and then decide whether the US should enter the fray. But suddenly he sends his war planes into Iran to bomb its nuclear sites. How can anyone trust this double-talking maniac? Iraq, Libya, Syria, Afghanistan and now Iran. The US cannot stay away from the Middle East. And Trump cannot stay away from controversy and trouble. The attack on Iran was unprovoked attack on another sovereign state. The US has breached an international law. But who will stop US aggression? The UN? It's a toothless organisation. As global tensions mount, we wait to see if this US attack on Iran sucks in other powers and escalates into a broader conflict. Already the US has the backing of its long-time ally, Britain. Israel Premier Benjamin Netanyahu is happy that the US has joined him. British Premier Keir Starmer said Iran cannot be allowed to develop nuclear weapons. Several countries have nuclear arsenals: Russia, the US, China, France, Britain, Pakistan, India. Israel and North Korea. Are nuclear weapons safe with Trump, Putin and Kim Jong Un? | T Markandan Kloof Race quotas, 'decent work' barriers to jobs In a weekly newspaper on May 5, Dr Khwezi Mabasa argues that race quotas and the enforcement of 'decent work' standards stimulate economic growth. He invokes the International Labour Organisation (ILO) as if both policies naturally stem from a shared commitment to worker dignity. This is misleading. The ILO's decent work framework supports affirmative action measures aimed at addressing inequality, but only as temporary solutions. Crucially, it does not endorse permanent racial quotas or systematic racial workforce engineering. Mabasa's citation of the ILO is thus not accurate. He misappropriates that institution's credibility to defend a policy position that it explicitly rejects. Mabasa's conflation of racial quotas with the Decent Work doctrine attempts to lend legitimacy to race-based policies by associating them with the superficially appealing rhetoric of worker protection. Far from enhancing dignity or employment, the Decent Work doctrine imposes rigid labour standards that systematically exclude millions of South Africans from the labour market. The 'decent work' doctrine and its consequences: These enforced standards criminalise jobs that do not comply with arbitrary government check lists, regardless of whether job seekers would willingly accept them. Under this doctrine, work is lawful only if it satisfies a prescribed check list: mandated wages, benefits, fixed hours, and legal protections, regardless of productivity or consent. Jobs that do not comply are prohibited, even if the worker is willing to take them. At the heart of this system is the Single Breadwinner Fallacy – the idea that every job must support an entire household. This outdated model, born in post-war Europe, assumes that one employed man can provide for a whole family on a single income. This is a foreign doctrine, suited to affluent European economies. Yet, South African policymakers, under union pressure, have forced it into law, with no regard for our unemployment. By enforcing this standard, the law disqualifies the jobs that allow multiple breadwinners to support a household, yet this is how most poor South Africans survive. There is neither economic nor moral justification for outlawing lawful effort. There is nothing decent about sustained unemployment, and no virtue in criminalising work that consenting adults have the right to choose. The race quota contradiction: Mabasa appeals to the ILO as though its authority lends weight to race quotas. He does not say that the ILO permits racial preference only as a temporary measure. Nor does he explain why South Africa imposes permanent racial targets in law, with no reference to merit or individual need. The Employment Equity Amendment Act, 2023, authorises the state to dictate the racial composition of workplaces, with penalties for those who do not comply. It follows the same logic as job reservation under apartheid: individuals are classified by race, and legal preference is given to one group over others. This undermines the dignity of work and erodes the trust on which a functioning economy depends. Race quotas limit opportunity, drive out skills and investment, and make firms more cautious. Compliance replaces output. Smaller businesses, unable to absorb the risk, avoid hiring or exit the formal economy. Jobs are lost long before penalties are enforced. Mabasa suggests that small businesses are exempt. While technically true in limited contexts, this is misleading in practice. Any enterprise that hopes to grow, tender for contracts, or operate within formal supply chains must obtain compliance certification. The legal requirement may come later, but the economic pressure begins the moment a business starts to succeed. Conclusion: Free people to work. These policies do not expand employment; they prevent it. By criminalising voluntary agreements and enforcing racial targets by law, the state has made it harder to hire, harder to grow, and harder to work. The result is plain to see: Massive unemployment, deepening poverty, and no way out. There are fewer jobs, fewer opportunities, and no entry point for willing unemployed people. Everyone understands that half a loaf is better than no bread. In South Africa, several half loaves are what keep households alive. Yet the law denies them even that – by outlawing the very work that makes it possible for multiple breadwinners to contribute what they can .No society can prosper by suppressing enterprise and distrusting consent. A job freely offered and freely accepted is not exploitation. It is the first step out of the people work. Let them choose. That is the only decent way to build a free and prosperous society. | Eustace Davie Free Market Foundation president Playground for political parties South Africa has become a playground for people who want to open political parties. It's no longer about serving the interests of the people or about ideology, but about a source of income. After being given a tough time in the EFF, its former deputy president, Floyd Shivhambu, went to the Umkhonto weSizwe Party; where he is now the former secretary-general just 10 months after joining them. His press conference last week was nothing but a way of trying to bring dignity to the quest to establish a new party… and this party will be useless, just like other small parties that only exist to contest elections and serve the interests of those leading them. Perhaps he should leave active politics and focus on academia. | Tom Mhlanga Braamfontein Confronting racism in our schools The latest incident of alleged racism at Bryandale Primary School in Bryanston is yet another painful reminder that schools have a long way to go before genuine transformation and inclusion are achieved. It is alleged that an Indian learner told two Black students: 'You stupid Black people are so predictable.' Such language is deeply offensive, dehumanising, and has no place in any learning environment. This incident must be treated with the seriousness it demands, not as a 'playground misunderstanding' but as a reflection of wider issues of racism and marginalisation that persist in our schools. While many public and private schools proudly promote values of diversity and transformation in their mission statements, these values must go beyond lip service. Transformation is not a passive hope; it requires active, ongoing engagement and institutional introspection. Schools play a critical role in redressing the deep inequalities and marginalisation embedded in our must be proactive in creating safe and affirming environments for all children, not only through symbolic gestures but through deliberate action, anti-racism training, and clear accountability mechanisms. The incident at Bryandale is not an isolated one. Just a few days ago, a Grade 8 learner at De La Salle Holy Cross College (in Johannesburg) was reportedly told, 'You don't belong… go home, you (K-word).' In 2024, Pretoria High School for Girls made headlines after WhatsApp messages targeted Black pupils. That year, Jeppe High School for Girls in Johannesburg came under fire when Black pupils were removed from class for wearing coloured braids, but not white pupils with dyed hair. These are not isolated 'bad apples'. They reflect systemic failures that schools must urgently address. We call on school governing bodies, education departments, and communities to treat these incidents with the seriousness they deserve. Silence or delay enables racism to fester. We must demand not only awareness but transformation that is measurable, monitored, and real because if our schools can't be safe and just spaces for our children, we cannot expect our society to be either. | Matthew Cook Johannesburg Malice or ignorance about the meanings Unless you are a graduate of Harvard or Columbia and have been indoctrinated by radical left-wing Islamists, you should be able to distinguish between a fact and a libel. You may even be capable of reading a dictionary and testing its definitions with what passes for journalism in some media or statements uttered by politicians and NGOs. Let's start with 'genocide', a term loosely used when libelling Israel. In 1948, there were 500 000 Muslims (they were not called Palestinians then) in the areas now controlled by Hamas and the PA. Today there are 2.7 million. By what definition, or historical example, do the victims of a genocide actually grow exponentially?' Apartheid' is a particularly ugly word. It reminds us of the institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa from 1948 to the early 1990s. A one-day visit to any Israeli city would dispel you of this notion. On the streets and on public transport you will see people of every colour and hear English, French, Arabic and Hebrew spoken everywhere. Arabs are proportionally over-represented in academia. In all hospitals you will see Jews and Arabs, male and female doctors, staffs and patients. This ethnic and gender mingling exists nowhere else in the Middle East and North Africa. Call Judea and Samaria the West Bank, if you wish, but don't say it is 'occupied'. Under international law, Israel includes Gaza, Judea and Samaria (see article 80 of the UN charter). Under the Oslo Accords, 100 000 PLO supporters came into Israel and occupied parts of Judea and Samaria, while 60% (area C) remained totally under Israeli control. Continued misuse of these terms is anti-semitism, whether by ignorance or malice. | Len Bennett Ottawa, Canada DAILY NEWS
The Citizen
2 hours ago
- The Citizen
Oil prices plunge as Trump announces shaky ceasefire between Iran and Israel
Prices were also brought down by Trump saying that China could continue to buy oil from Iran. Oil prices sank and stock markets rose Tuesday as US President Donald Trump said a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was taking hold after he berated both countries for violating the truce. In volatile trading, crude futures slumped more than five percent after Trump announced a ceasefire. 'This morning's ceasefire further reduced the perceived threat to Middle Eastern oil supply routes,' said David Morrison, analyst at Trade Nation. The main international and US contracts reduced their losses later as Israel and Iran accused each other of breaking the ceasefire. Trump's remarks rattle oil markets But prices fell again around five percent after Trump declared the ceasefire was in effect after berating the two countries in an expletive-laced outburst. Iran's President Masoud Pezeshkian said later his country will respect a ceasefire if Israel also upholds its terms, while Israel said it refrained from further strikes after a phone call between Trump and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. China exception adds downward pressure Prices were also brought down by Trump saying that China could continue to buy oil from Iran, in what appeared to be relief for Tehran from sanctions Washington has previously imposed. Prices had already fallen by more than seven percent on Monday after Iran's response to US strikes on its nuclear facilities was limited to missile launches on a US military base in Qatar. There was also relief that Iran has refrained from closing the strategic Strait of Hormuz, a chokepoint for about one-fifth of the world's oil supply. Wall Street extended gains at the open on Tuesday. Paris and Frankfurt were sharply higher in afternoon deals but London's gains were limited as shares in oil majors Shell and BP fell on the lower crude prices. Asian markets closed higher. ALSO READ: US joins Israel-Iran conflict with overnight bombing campaign The dollar retreated against other major currencies. Focus back on Trump tariffs Escalating tensions in the Middle East has removed some focus from Trump's tariffs war, which threatens to dampen global economic growth. 'With the immediate geopolitical tensions dialled down, investors are free to focus on President Trump's trade war and the first tariff deadline coming up in a couple of weeks,' Morrison said. 'As far as investors are concerned, they've just stared down the prospect of World War Three, so they're not going to be fussed by a few percentage points on US imports,' he added. Several countries face steep tariffs if they fail to reach deals with the United States by July 9, with duties of 50 percent looming large over the European Union. Fawad Razaqzada, analyst at City Index and said investors were 'now shifting their attention' to Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell's testimony in Congress later Tuesday. Powell was due to tell Congress that the central bank can afford to wait for the impact of Trump's global tariffs before deciding on further interest rate cuts, according to his prepared remarks. 'For the time being, we are well positioned to wait to learn more about the likely course of the economy before considering any adjustments to our policy stance,' he said. ALSO READ: Trump says wants 'real end' to Israel-Iran conflict, not ceasefire Key figures at around 1335 GMT Brent North Sea Crude: DOWN 5.2 percent at $66.85 per barrel West Texas Intermediate: DOWN 5.2 percent at $64.93 per barrel New York – Dow: UP 0.8 percent at 42,904.31 points New York – S&P 500: UP 0.8 percent at 6,070.59 New York – Nasdaq Composite: UP 1.1 percent at 19,839.12 London – FTSE 100: UP 0.2 percent at 8,773.12 Paris – CAC 40: UP 1.2 percent at 7,631.36 Frankfurt – DAX: UP 1.6 percent at 23,637.76 Tokyo – Nikkei 225: UP 1.1 percent at 38,790.56 (close) Hong Kong – Hang Seng Index: UP 2.1 percent at 24,177.07 (close) Shanghai – Composite: UP 1.2 percent at 3,420.57 (close) Euro/dollar: UP at $1.1589 from $1.1581 on Monday Pound/dollar: UP at $1.3597 from $1.3526 Dollar/yen: DOWN at 145.04 yen from 146.12 yen Euro/pound: DOWN at 85.24 pence from 85.60 pence NOW READ: MTN Group downplays Iran strife
The South African
2 hours ago
- The South African
Is South Africa a 'safe haven' IF World War 3 breaks out?
South Africa has been named as one of the countries considered a 'safe haven' in the case of World War 3 breaking out. While US President Donald Trump announced a cease-fire in the Israel and Iran conflict, both have been accused of violating the conditions. Over the past 12 days, the countries have engaged in countless missile attacks on each other over a dispute on nuclear weapons. Hundreds of civilians are believed to have died, although an accurate death toll has yet to be confirmed. In the early hours of Tuesday morning, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been called between Israel and Iran. The countries have engaged in 12 days of warfare over Iran's development of nuclear weapons. Trump claimed on his Truth Social networ that both countries had to be 'peaceful and respectful' and that the prospect of World War 3 was now a thing of the past. However, a short time later, reports emerged that both Iran and Israel had violated the ceasfire aggreement. Acknowledging the reports, Trump ordered Israel to 'not drop those bombs' and 'turn around their planes and head home'. He added: 'Nobody will be hurt. The ceasefire is in effect'. Could this drastically change and the world find itself on the brink of another war? On social media, the concept of World War 3 has sent many into panic mode. Global citizens have concerned about if their country could be drafted into the conflict, and how it will affect their livelihoods. Others are even preparing to flee to out of fear of possible danger. Some have even compiled a list of 'safe haven' countries With it's mountains, caves and crevices, South Africa finds itself as a possible place to 'shield' from a global war. According to reports, an 'abundant food sources, fertile land, and access to freshwater' make it a 'strong prospect for self-sufficiency'.. Here is a list of other countries currently on the World War 3 'safe haven' list: Switzerland Argentina Iceland Chile Indonesia Greenland New Zealand Antartica While South Africa has resources in abundance to survive World War 3, it could become a potential target given its historical allegiance to Iran and the Middle East. In 2023, SA brought a case of genocide against Israel in the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over its conflict in Gaza. EFF leader Julius Malema has publicly backed Iran's strikes on Israel. Addressing party members at a funeral over the weekend, he said: 'We reject the bullying of this nation by the United States, Israel, and its allies, and we stand by their right to defend themselves by any means necessary. He added: 'Let Israel finally have a taste of the devastation and violence it has perpetrated in Gaza.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 . Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp , Facebook , X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
