Iran to Shut Banks, Public Offices for Long Weekend Due to Heat
Banks and other government offices in Tehran and at least 19 other provinces will be closed on Saturday — the start of the week in Iran — and through a public holiday on Sunday, the reports said.
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Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Syrian, Israeli diplomats met in Paris to discuss 'de-escalation': report
Syria's foreign minister met with an Israeli diplomatic delegation in Paris on Tuesday to discuss "de-escalation and non-interference in Syria's internal affairs", state news agency SANA reported. The latest in a series of US-mediated talks resulted in "understandings that support stability in the region", the agency said. Washington has been at work in recent weeks to try to resolve security issues in Syria and Lebanon, which its ally Israel says have prompted it to take military action. Despite a truce reached last November, Israel has continued to hit targets of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah group in Lebanon, and it has occupied territory and hit targets across Syria since last year's fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad. Tuesday's meeting in Paris follows one between Syrian Foreign Minister Assad al-Shaibani and Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Baku in late July, and another meeting in Paris before that. Israel and Syria have technically been at war since 1948, and the talks also discussed reviving a disengagement accord from 1974 that created a buffer zone between the two countries. "These talks are taking place under US mediation, as part of diplomatic efforts aimed at enhancing security and stability in Syria and preserving the unity and integrity of its territory," the agency said. The recent meetings between the two countries come after deadly sectarian clashes in July in southern Syria's Druze-majority Sweida province which left over 1,400 people dead. The clashes initially pitted local Druze fighters against Sunni Bedouin tribes but soon saw the involvement of Syrian government forces and Israel, with the latter saying it wanted to protect the Druze. Last month, Israel struck the Syrian presidential palace and the army headquarters in Damascus. The United States, an ally of Israel but who has expressed support for Syria's new leaders, announced a ceasefire between the two sides overnight on July 18. bur-lk/emp/rmb/gv/sla
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Centrelink blow for 460,000 pensioners as major change announced: 'Gradually return'
The government has revealed it will begin changing deeming rates for pensioners and other Centrelink recipients. Deeming rates are the rates of return the government assumes people earn on financial assets, including shares, superannuation and bank accounts. They have been frozen at 0.25 per cent and 2.25 per cent, respectively, since 2020. But Social Services Minister Tanya Plibersek has revealed this is about to change. 'As Australians begin to feel the positive impacts of inflation easing, the government will now gradually return deeming rates to pre-pandemic settings,' she said. 'That is, to reflect rates of return that pensioners and other payment recipients can reasonably access on their investments.' RELATED Centrelink alert for retiring Baby Boomers wanting to caravan around Australia Controversial $10 billion push to tax inheritance in Australia Little-known superannuation rule sparks warning for millions of Aussies How do deeming rates work? Deeming rates kick in at 0.25 per cent and peak at 2.25 per cent They impact means testing for Centrelink payments, including the Age Pension, JobSeeker and parenting payments. For singles, the first $62,600 of your financial assets has a deemed rate of 0.25 per cent. Anything over $62,600 is deemed to earn 2.25 per couples where at least one person gets a pension, the first $103,800 of your combined assets has a deemed rate of 0.25 per cent. Anything over $103,800 is deemed to earn 2.25 per cent. Centrelink uses this method to work out your eligibility for certain payments that takes into account your future income as well as other streams of money like superannuation. There are a little more than 900,000 people who receive government welfare and who have income from other sources that are affected by deeming rates. That includes about 460,000 aged pensioners, 143,000 on JobSeeker payments and 120,000 on parenting payments. Why are the deeming rates changing? The government froze deeming rates at the start of the decade while the country was in the grips of the pandemic. The rate is typically tied to the Reserve Bank of Australia's (RBA) official cash rate. In mid-2022, the central bank began an interest rate-hiking cycle, which saw the cash rate jump from the record low of 0.10 per cent to a 13-year high of 4.35 per cent. As a result, the government kept deeming rates frozen to prevent people from suffering a double hit to their finances. But headline inflation has gradually been coming down from its December 2022 peak of 7.8 per cent to 2.1 per cent at the June 2025 quarter. Interest rates have also fallen three times this year and could drop again in November, which would see the cash rate fall 1 per cent in 2025. What will the new deeming rates be? Plibersek said the lower deeming rate will rise to 0.75 per cent from September 20. This will apply to financial assets under $64,200 for singles, and $106,200 for a couple's combined assets. The upper rate will rise in a similar 0.5 per cent increment to 2.75 per cent for assets above both thresholds. The Social Services Minister indicated this will be the first of a series of phased increases in the deeming rate. September 20 will also be the date that certain Centrelink payments go up due to indexation. After that, the decision to raise, lower, or hold deeming rates will be governed by the Australian Government Actuary. Plibersek said the body will be able to advise the government on the "most appropriate rate" that reflects current economic conditions, but there will still be some oversight. 'The government will retain the power to make adjustments, including during exceptional circumstances or events," she in to access your portfolio
San Francisco Chronicle
an hour ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
FACT FOCUS: Trump says he has ended seven wars. The reality isn't so clear cut
President Donald Trump has projected himself as a peacemaker since returning to the White House in January, touting his efforts to end global conflicts. In meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and other European leaders Monday, Trump repeated that he has been instrumental in stopping multiple wars but didn't specify which. 'I've done six wars, I've ended six wars, Trump said in the Oval Office with Zelenskyy. He later added: 'If you look at the six deals I settled this year, they were all at war. I didn't do any ceasefires.' He raised that figure Tuesday, telling 'Fox & Friends" that 'we ended seven wars.' But although Trump helped mediate relations among many of these nations, experts say his impact isn't as clear cut as he claims. Here's a closer look at the conflicts. Israel and Iran Trump is credited with ending the 12-day war. Israel launched attacks on the heart of Iran's nuclear program and military leadership in June, saying it wanted to stop Iran from building a nuclear weapon — which Tehran has denied it was trying to do. Trump negotiated a ceasefire between Israel and Iran just after directing American warplanes to strike Iran's Fordo, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites. He publicly harangued both countries into maintaining the ceasefire. Evelyn Farkas, executive director of Arizona State University's McCain Institute, said Trump should get credit for ending the war. 'There's always a chance it could flare up again if Iran restarts its nuclear weapons program, but nonetheless, they were engaged in a hot war with one another,' she said. 'And it didn't have any real end in sight before President Trump got involved and gave them an ultimatum.' Lawrence Haas, a senior fellow for U.S. foreign policy at the American Foreign Policy Council who is an expert on Israel-Iran tensions, agreed the U.S. was instrumental in securing the ceasefire. But he characterized it as a 'temporary respite' from the ongoing 'day-to-day cold war' between the two foes that often involves flare-ups. Egypt and Ethiopia This could be described as tensions at best, and peace efforts — which don't directly involve the U.S. — have stalled. The Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Blue Nile River has caused friction between Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan since the power-generating project was announced more than a decade ago. In July, Ethiopia declared the project complete, with an inauguration set for September. Egypt and Sudan oppose the dam. Although the vast majority of the water that flows down the Nile originates in Ethiopia, Egyptian agriculture relies on the river almost entirely. Sudan, meanwhile, fears flooding and wants to protect its own power-generating dams. During his first term, Trump tried to broker a deal between Ethiopia and Egypt but couldn't get them to agree. He suspended aid to Ethiopia over the dispute. In July, he posted on Truth Social that he helped the 'fight over the massive dam (and) there is peace at least for now.' However, the disagreement persists, and negotiations between Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan have stalled. 'It would be a gross overstatement to say that these countries are at war,' said Haas. 'I mean, they're just not.' India and Pakistan The April killing of tourists in Indian-controlled Kashmir pushed India and Pakistan closer to war than they had been in years, but a ceasefire was reached. Trump has claimed that the U.S. brokered the ceasefire, which he said came about in part because he offered trade concessions. Pakistan thanked Trump, recommending him for the Nobel Peace Prize. But India has denied Trump's claims, saying there was no conversation between the U.S. and India on trade in regards to the ceasefire. Although India has downplayed the Trump administration's role in the ceasefire, Haas and Farkas believe the U.S. deserves some credit for helping stop the fighting. 'I think that President Trump played a constructive role from all accounts, but it may not have been decisive. And again, I'm not sure whether you would define that as a full-blown war," Farkas said. Serbia and Kosovo The White House lists the conflict between these countries as one Trump resolved, but there has been no threat of a war between the two neighbors during Trump's second term, nor any significant contribution from Trump this year to improve their relations. Kosovo is a former Serbian province that declared independence in 2008. Tensions have persisted ever since, but never to the point of war, mostly because NATO-led peacekeepers have been deployed in Kosovo, which has been recognized by more than 100 countries. During his first term, Trump negotiated a wide-ranging deal between Serbia and Kosovo, but much of what was agreed on was never carried out. Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Trump has played a key role in peace efforts between the African neighbors, but he's hardly alone and the conflict is far from over. Eastern Congo, rich in minerals, has been battered by fighting with more than 100 armed groups. The most potent is the M23 rebel group backed by neighboring Rwanda, which claims it is protecting its territorial interests and that some of those who participated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide fled to Congo and are working with the Congolese army. The Trump administration's efforts paid off in June, when the Congolese and Rwandan foreign ministers signed a peace deal at the White House. The M23, however, wasn't directly involved in the U.S.-facilitated negotiations and said it couldn't abide by the terms of an agreement that didn't involve it. The final step to peace was meant to be a separate Qatar-facilitated deal between Congo and M23 that would bring about a permanent ceasefire. But with the fighting still raging, Monday's deadline for the Qatar-led deal was missed and there have been no public signs of major talks between Congo and M23 on the final terms. Armenia and Azerbaijan Trump this month hosted the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan at the White House, where they signed a deal aimed at ending a decades-long conflict between the two nations. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan called the signed document a 'significant milestone,' and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev hailed Trump for performing 'a miracle.' The two countries signed agreements intended to reopen key transportation routes and reaffirm Armenia's and Azerbaijan's commitment to signing a peace treaty. The treaty's text was initialed by the countries' foreign ministers at that meeting, which indicates preliminary approval. But the two countries have yet to sign and ratify the deal. Armenia and Azerbaijan have been locked in a bitter conflict over territory since the early 1990s, when ethnic Armenian forces took control of the Karabakh province, known internationally as Nagorno-Karabakh, and nearby territories. In 2020, Azerbaijan's military recaptured broad swaths of territory. Russia brokered a truce and deployed about 2,000 peacekeepers to the region. In September 2023, Azerbaijani forces launched a lightning blitz to retake remaining portions. The two countries have worked toward normalizing ties and signing a peace treaty ever since. Cambodia and Thailand Officials from Thailand and Cambodia credit Trump with pushing the Asian neighbors to agree to a ceasefire in this summer's brief border conflict. Cambodia and Thailand have clashed in the past over their shared border. The latest fighting began in July after a land mine explosion along the border wounded five Thai soldiers. Tensions had been growing since May, when a Cambodian soldier was killed in a confrontation that created a diplomatic rift and roiled Thai politics. Both countries agreed in late July to an unconditional ceasefire during a meeting in Malaysia. Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim pressed for the pact, but there was little headway until Trump intervened. Trump said on social media that he warned the Thai and Cambodian leaders that the U.S. would not move forward with trade agreements if the hostilities continued. Both countries faced economic difficulties and neither had reached tariff deals with the U.S., though most of their Southeast Asian neighbors had. According to Ken Lohatepanont, a political analyst and University of Michigan doctoral candidate, 'President Trump's decision to condition a successful conclusion to these talks on a ceasefire likely played a significant role in ensuring that both sides came to the negotiating table when they did.' ___ Associated Press reporters Jon Gambrell, Grant Peck, Dasha Litvinova, Fay Abuelgasim, Rajesh Roy, and Dusan Stojanovic contributed.
