Trump orders US to pull out from UNESCO
A US spokesperson has cited the UN's anti-America and anti-Israel leanings as the reason for departing.
UNESCO confirmed the departure will take effect from December 2026.
This will be President Trump's second time withdrawing from UNESCO.
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West Australian
21 minutes ago
- West Australian
Donald Trump might meet with Vladimir Putin as soon as next week after ‘productive meeting', amid ceasefire deadline
US President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to media reports. Mr Trump plans to meet with Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the New York Times reported, citing two sources. The newspaper added that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Mr Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after US envoy Steve Witkoff's 'highly productive' meeting with Mr Putin in Russia. The meeting came two days before a deadline set by Mr Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Mr Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Mr Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports. A White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Mr Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. 'My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!' Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 'Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.' A Kremlin aide earlier on Wednesday said Witkoff held 'useful and constructive' talks with Mr Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3.5-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged 'signals' on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Mr Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire. 'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US,' Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address. Writing separately on the X social media platform, Mr Zelensky said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Mr Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself. 'Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started,' Mr Zelensky said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Mr Trump. Mr Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50 per cent — among the steepest faced by any US trading partner.
Perth Now
21 minutes ago
- Perth Now
Trump might meet with Putin next week after ‘great progress'
US President Donald Trump plans to meet in person with Russian President Vladimir Putin as early as next week, according to media reports. Mr Trump plans to meet with Mr Putin and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, the New York Times reported, citing two sources. The newspaper added that the plans were disclosed in a call with European leaders on Wednesday. The White House did not immediately respond to the report but earlier on Wednesday Mr Trump acknowledged that he spoke with European leaders after US envoy Steve Witkoff's 'highly productive' meeting with Mr Putin in Russia. The meeting came two days before a deadline set by Mr Trump for Russia to agree to peace in Ukraine or face new sanctions. Mr Trump has been increasingly frustrated with Mr Putin over the lack of progress towards peace and has threatened to impose heavy tariffs on countries that buy Russian exports. A White House official said that while the meeting had gone well and Moscow was eager to continue engaging with the United States, secondary sanctions that Mr Trump has threatened against countries doing business with Russia were still expected to be implemented on Friday. No details were provided. 'My Special Envoy, Steve Witkoff, just had a highly productive meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Great progress was made!' Mr Trump said in a post on Truth Social. 'Everyone agrees this War must come to a close, and we will work towards that in the days and weeks to come.' A Kremlin aide earlier on Wednesday said Witkoff held 'useful and constructive' talks with Mr Putin on Wednesday. The two met for around three hours on a last-minute mission to seek a breakthrough in the 3.5-year war that began with Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov said the two sides had exchanged 'signals' on the Ukraine issue and discussed the possibility of developing strategic cooperation between Moscow and Washington, but declined to give more details until Witkoff had reported back to Mr Trump. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he believed pressure had worked on Russia and Moscow was now more amenable to a ceasefire. 'It seems that Russia is now more inclined to a ceasefire. The pressure on them works. But the main thing is that they do not deceive us in the details – neither us nor the US,' Mr Zelensky said in his nightly address. Writing separately on the X social media platform, Mr Zelensky said he had discussed Witkoff's visit to Russia with Mr Trump, adding that he had reiterated Ukraine's support for a just peace and its continued determination to defend itself. 'Ukraine will definitely defend its independence. We all need a lasting and reliable peace. Russia must end the war that it itself started,' Mr Zelensky said, adding that European leaders had joined the call with Mr Trump. Mr Trump took a key step toward punitive measures on Wednesday when he imposed an additional 25 per cent tariff on imports from India, citing New Delhi's continued imports of Russian oil. No similar order was signed for China, which also imports Russian oil. The new measure raises tariffs on some Indian goods to as high as 50 per cent — among the steepest faced by any US trading partner.
News.com.au
21 minutes ago
- News.com.au
Lebanon's Hezbollah rejects cabinet decision to disarm it
Hezbollah said Wednesday that it would treat a Lebanese government decision to disarm the militant group "as if it did not exist", accusing the cabinet of committing a "grave sin". Amid heavy US pressure and fears Israel could expand its strikes on Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said Tuesday that the government had tasked the army with developing a plan to restrict weapons to government forces by year end. The plan is to be presented to the government by the end of August for discussion and approval, and another cabinet meeting has been scheduled for Thursday to continue the talks, including on a US-proposed timetable for disarmament. Hezbollah said the government had "committed a grave sin by taking the decision to disarm Lebanon of its weapons to resist the Israeli enemy". The decision is unprecedented since Lebanon's civil war factions gave up their weapons three and a half decades ago. "This decision undermines Lebanon's sovereignty and gives Israel a free hand to tamper with its security, geography, politics and future existence... Therefore, we will treat this decision as if it does not exist," the Iran-backed group said in a statement. - 'Serves Israel's interests' - The government said its decision came as part of implementing a November ceasefire that sought to end more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah, which culminated in two months of full-blown war. Hezbollah said it viewed the government's move as "the result of dictates from US envoy" Tom Barrack. It "fully serves Israel's interests and leaves Lebanon exposed to the Israeli enemy without any deterrence", the group said. Hezbollah was the only faction that kept its weapons after Lebanon's 1975-1990 civil war. It emerged weakened politically and militarily from its latest conflict with Israel, its arsenal pummelled and its senior leadership decimated. Israel has kept up its strikes on Hezbollah and other targets despite the November truce, and has threatened to keep doing so until the group has been disarmed. An Israeli strike on the southern town of Tulin on Wednesday killed one person and wounded another, the health ministry said. Israel also launched a series of air strikes on southern Lebanon, wounding several people according to Lebanon's state-run National News Agency. Hezbollah said Israel must halt those attacks before any domestic debate about its weapons and a new defence strategy could begin. - 'Pivotal moment' - "We are open to dialogue, ending the Israeli aggression against Lebanon, liberating its land, releasing prisoners, working to build the state, and rebuilding what was destroyed by the brutal aggression," the group said. Hezbollah is "prepared to discuss a national security strategy", but not under Israeli fire, it added. Two ministers affiliated with Hezbollah and its ally the Amal movement walked out of Tuesday's meeting. Hezbollah described the walkout as "an expression of rejection" of the government's "decision to subject Lebanon to American tutelage and Israeli occupation". The Amal movement, headed by parliament speaker Nabih Berri, accused the government of "rushing to offer more gratuitous concessions" to Israel when it should have sought to end the ongoing attacks. It called Thursday's cabinet meeting "an opportunity for correction". Hezbollah opponent the Lebanese Forces, one of the country's two main Christian parties, said the cabinet's decision to disarm the militant group was "a pivotal moment in Lebanon's modern history -- a long-overdue step toward restoring full state authority and sovereignty". The Free Patriotic Movement, the other major Christian party and a former ally of Hezbollah, said it was in favour of the army receiving the group's weapons "to strengthen Lebanon's defensive power". Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a televised interview that any decision on disarmament "will ultimately rest with Hezbollah itself". "We support it from afar, but we do not intervene in its decisions," he added, noting that the group had "rebuilt itself" following setbacks during its war with Israel.
