US to mediate Israel-Syria meeting on Thursday, Axios reports
It is unclear where the meeting will take place, but it is expected to focus on security arrangements in southern Syria and increasing coordination and communication, according to Axios.
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The Guardian
5 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Trump tells Europe to ‘get your act together' on immigration before US-EU trade talks
Intensive negotiations are continuing on Saturday between the EU and the US before a crunch meeting in Scotland between Donald Trump and the European Commission president, Ursula von der Leyen, to avert a costly trade war. Trump spent the night at his family-owned Turnberry golf resort on a private visit, but took time to criticise European leaders over wind turbines and immigration claiming there won't be a Europe unless they 'get their act together'. 'I say two things to Europe. Stop the windmills. You're ruining your countries. I really mean it, it's so sad. You fly over and you see these windmills all over the place, ruining your beautiful fields and valleys and killing your birds,' he said. 'On immigration, you better get your act together,' he said. 'You're not going to have Europe anymore.' On Saturday morning, he abandoned a scheduled meeting with the press, who travelled with him on Air Force One, for a round of golf at his seaside course with music blaring from the buggy he drove. Sky News, stationed next to the course, reported the songs included Billy Joel's Uptown Girl, Elaine Paige's Memory and Simon and Garfunkel's Bridge over Troubled Water. Billed as a four-day family visit to Scotland, Trump is meeting European leaders and the British prime minister, Keir Starmer, raising hopes of new and refined trade deals with the EU and the UK. On the prospects of an EU trade deal, the US president has said there were '20 sticking points'. When asked what they were, he said: 'Well, I don't want to tell you what the sticking points are.' He described von der Leyen as a 'highly respected woman' and said the meeting on Sunday with the EU chief would be 'good', rating the chances of a deal as 'a good 50-50'. It is understood von der Leyen and her aides will fly in on Saturday, with the European trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, arriving on Sunday morning. It is expected the deal will centre on an outline agreement in principle over 15% tariff rates for exports including cars, but with a 50% tariff continuing on steel. There may also be a breakthrough deal on pharmaceuticals, setting a rate of 15% for exports. Although this would breach a longstanding World Trade Organization agreement that medicines are rated at a zero tariff, it would be a far cry from the 200% tariff Trump threatened to impose on pharmaceuticals earlier this month. This would have triggered a highly damaging trade war not just with Ireland, where many US multinationals are based, but Germany, Denmark, Belgium, France and Spain. Von der Leyen's spokesperson, Paula Pinho, said: 'Intensive negotiations at technical and political [level] have been ongoing between the EU and US. Leaders will now take stock and consider the scope for a balanced outcome that provides stability and predictability for businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic.' It is believed the meeting will be held in Aberdeenshire and will be followed by a series of meetings with Starmer on Monday, with hopes he will widen the bare bones trade deal he struck in May. Trump's arrival in Scotland has required the biggest security operation since Elizabeth II died in 2022. More than 5,000 police and security personnel are involved in the four-day visit with no risks taken after the assassination attempt on the president a year ago. High perimeter fences have been erected around the coastal golf course with naval vessels patrolling the shore while security drones overhead and dozens of security detail staked out the resort early on Saturday. The heavy security presence may be a foretaste of events to come later in August when the US vice-president, JD Vance, and his family arrive for a holiday in the Cotswolds, reportedly in the village of Charlbury. Locals who resisted the expansion of Trump's golf course in the past asked who would be footing the bill for the security arrangements.
The Guardian
5 minutes ago
- The Guardian
At least nine killed in militant attack on courthouse in south-east Iran
An attack by the jihadist separatist group Jaish al-Adl on a courthouse in Iran's southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchestan killed at least nine people, including a mother and child, and wounded 22, Iranian media reported on Saturday. Attackers stormed the building, shooting a number of people inside. They then launched a second attack with mortars and grenade launchers on the courthouse, where a clash that lasted three hours began with security forces, according to the Baluch human rights group Haalvsh. Three gunmen were killed in clashes with security forces who responded to the attack, Iran's state news agency said. State media said several people injured in the attack were in critical condition and had been transferred to local hospitals. Jaish al-Adl claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement on Telegram and told civilians to evacuate the area 'for their safety'. Residents reported hearing several explosions and gunfire, while some roads that led to the courthouse were closed, Haalvsh reported. The Sistan-Baluchestan province, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has had an ongoing insurgency for the past two decades. The province is home to Iran's Sunni Baluch minority, who have advocated for autonomy and have long maintained that they experience marginalisation and exclusion under the Iranian government. The insurgency is part of a greater insurgency in Balochistan, which includes the Pakistani province of Balochistan. The insurgency is waged by Islamic militant groups and separatists and has resulted in bloody attacks which have wounded civilians as well as state security personnel in both countries. Jaish al-Adl is one of the Islamist militant groups in the province, which has been fighting Iranian security forces since 2014. Iranian authorities have designated the organisation a terrorist group and have accused Pakistan and Israel of backing the group. In December 2023, the group carried out an attack on a police station in Sistan-Baluchestan prvoince, killing 11 people. A later attack by the group on Iranian border guards in January 2024 led to Iran striking Pakistan, which it said was targeting a cell of Jaish al-Adl in the neighbouring country. The Iranian government has accused the insurgency movement of being funded by foreign actors and of being engaged in illegal smuggling operations. The deputy police chief of Sistan-Baluchestan province, Sardar Alireza Deliri, described Jaish al-Adl on Saturday as being affiliated with 'Zionists', referring to Israel. He added that the three militants were the only ones involved in the attack and claimed they were wearing undetonated suicide belts at the time of the attack.
The Independent
34 minutes ago
- The Independent
The huge police operation for Trump's Scotland golf course visit
A significant security operation is underway at Donald Trump 's Trump Turnberry golf resort in South Ayrshire following his arrival in Scotland. Police and military personnel are conducting searches at the resort, with road closures implemented and limited access for locals and media. Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday night, landing at Prestwick Airport, and is expected to spend much of his initial day golfing. Scheduled meetings include European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen on Sunday and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Monday, with First Minister John Swinney also set to meet him. Protests organised by the Stop Trump Coalition are anticipated in Edinburgh and Aberdeen, prompting Police Scotland to prepare for demonstrations and request support from other UK forces, leading to the redeployment of 1,500 officers from England and Wales.
