Latest news with #EPA-EFE
Extra.ie
2 days ago
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Student views on horrific issues 'shouldn't affect' J-1 experience
Students should not be deprived of a US J-1 visa for expressing a view on 'horrific issues that are happening around the world', the Tánaiste has said. Last month, the US Embassy in Dublin said students applying for J-1 visas will undergo 'comprehensive and thorough social media vetting'. Simon Harris said he had 'a good conversation' about visas with Ed Walsh, US Ambassador to Ireland, yesterday. Students should not be deprived of a US J-1 visa for expressing a view on 'horrific issues that are happening around the world', the Tánaiste has said. Pic: Olivier Hoslet/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock He said: 'I was making the point that we live in a country where young people have very, very strong views – as do I – and they have every right to express those views. 'Freedom of speech matters. Being able to freely express yourself – online, offline, through protest – is an important part of our democracy, and I know Mr Trump is somebody who I would imagine in his own country would champion free speech. 'So we very much want our young people to continue to be able to articulate their very strongly held views… but that shouldn't deprive somebody from going on J-1.'
UPI
3 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
Zelensky suggests new Ukrainian prime minister
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Oslo, Norway in March. File Photo by EPA-EFE/OLE BERG-RUSTEN NORWAY OUT July 14 (UPI) -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday proposed a new Ukrainian prime minister as part of a broader government reshuffle. "I have proposed that Yuliia Svyrydenko lead the Government of Ukraine and significantly renew its work," said Zelensky wrote on social media. "I look forward to the presentation of the new government's action plan in the near future." Zelensky said he reached the decision after meeting with Svyrydenko where they decided to launch "a transformation of the executive branch" as they aim to "boost Ukraine's economic potential, expand support programs for Ukrainians and scale up pir domestic weapons production." Current Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal will remain in the role for the time being as Ukraine's constitution, the Verkhovna Rada, dictates taht the country's parliament appoints the government and Shmyhal would have to first submit his resignation formally to parliament, who would then have to vote on the issue. Should the parliament confirm Shmyhal's resignation, legislators would then have 30 days to vote on who would become the next prime minister. Meanwhile, the People's Deputy of Ukraine Yaroslav Zhelezniak posted to Telegram Monday that Shmyhal will move to lead Ukraine's Ministry of Strategic Industries, whose duties include the formation and implementation of "state industrial and military-industrial policy, state policy in the field of defense orders and the defense-industrial complex, as well as in the aircraft industry and in the field of space activities." Svyrydenko announced on social media Monday that she is "grateful to President Volodymyr Zelensky for his trust, and for the opportunity to serve Ukraine at this crucial time." She also expressed that the selection of Prime Minister is made by the Verkhovna Rada, and that "We are preparing to engage with parliament and present the relevant government steps." "I will announce the proposals for the candidacies of the members of the government soon," she added. Zelensky posted Sunday to X that he has met with Shmyhal, and said that they are "preparing a substantial governance transformation" in order to redefine "the future configuration of the executive branch. It is unclear if Shmyhal has commented in regard to any related government changes.
Novaya Gazeta Europe
3 days ago
- Politics
- Novaya Gazeta Europe
Kyiv death toll rises to 28 as rescue operations continue after Russian strikes — Novaya Gazeta Europe
Rescuers carry the body of a victim at the site of an airstrike on a nine-storey residential building in Kyiv, Ukraine, 17 June 2025. Photo: EPA-EFE/MAXYM MARUSENKO The death toll from Russian missile and drone strikes on Kyiv on Tuesday rose to 28 on Wednesday morning as rescue operations continued overnight, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko. Rescue operations were expected to continue throughout Wednesday morning, the State Emergency Service of Ukraine said. Klitschko had previously declared Wednesday a day of mourning in the city. According to Ukraine's Air Force, Russia launched a total of 440 drones and 32 missiles of various types at the country in the attack overnight from Monday to Tuesday, with Kyiv the main target. A total of 402 of the drones and 29 of the missiles were either intercepted or failed to reach their targets, it said, but strikes were recorded at 10 locations across Ukraine. Russia's Defence Ministry on Tuesday confirmed the strikes on Kyiv, claiming it had targeted Ukrainian 'military-industrial facilities' in a 'coordinated strike using high-precision weapons'. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the barrage 'one of the most horrific attacks' on Kyiv since Russia launched its full-scale invasion and called on the US, Europe and the rest of the world to respond to it 'as a civilised society responds to terrorists'. Addressing the G7 Summit in Alberta, Canada on Tuesday, Zelensky said Russia had targeted 'ordinary people [and] ordinary families in their homes' in the attack and stressed that continued Western support was 'a matter of life and death' for people in Ukraine. He also noted that such large-scale Russian strikes on Ukrainian cities had become increasingly common since Donald Trump took office as US president in January, with Russia feeling emboldened to 'ramp up' its strikes on Ukraine as it faced 'no new consequences' from the West in return. 'If last year it was shocking to see 100 Shahed drones used in one night, now it's unusual if fewer than 100 are used in a single strike,' Zelensky said, urging leaders at the summit to persuade Trump to 'use the influence he really has [and] force Putin to end this war'. After Trump left the summit early to focus on the intensifying conflict between Israel and Iran on Tuesday, missing a scheduled meeting with Zelensky, the Ukrainian president also cut short his attendance and returned to Kyiv in the aftermath of Tuesday's attack, Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne reported.
UPI
3 days ago
- Business
- UPI
EU delays retaliatory tariffs on U.S. to allow time for negotiations
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced Sunday that they were pausing retaliatory tariffs on the United States. File Photo by Olivier Matthys/EPA-EFE July 14 (UPI) -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that Europe's retaliatory tariffs on U.S. goods have been delayed to allow more time for negotiations. The retaliatory measures, worth about $24 billion, were to go into effect on Monday. They were first announced in March in response to Trump's imposing a 25% tariff on all steel and aluminum imports, and were previously paused for talks between the two governments. On Saturday, Trump announced an additional 30% tariff would go into effect on EU goods starting Aug. 1. In a letter to von der Leyen, he explained that if the EU retaliated, whatever percentage of tariff they responded with would be added to the EU's overall levy. During a press conference Sunday, alongside Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, she said their retaliatory measures have been paused until Aug. 1. "This is very important. This is now the time for negotiations," she said. "But this also shows are are prepared for all eventual scenarios." She told reporters that they have always preferred to negotiate a solution with the United States and that "we will use the time that we have now until the first of August." If an agreement is not reached with the United States, she said they are prepared to respond. "We've prepared for this and we can respond with countermeasures if necessary," she said. Trump has turned to tariffs as a tool to even out trade deficits, as a negotiation tactic and as an attempt to spur the domestic manufacturing industry. The U.S. trade deficit with the 27-member EU was $235.6 billion last year, according to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
UPI
6 days ago
- Politics
- UPI
EU expresses caution after Britain inks with France to curb migration
Migrants crammed into a small, inflatable dinghy cross the English Channel from France in March 2024. Britain and France inked a deal Thursday aimed at deterring people from making the journey under a pilot scheme that would see them sent right back, though the numbers that would be affected were not announced. File photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE July 11 (UPI) -- British Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said Friday she expected Brussels to back a new so-called "one-in, one-out" deal with France aimed at curbing the number of migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats. Cooper said she was confident the European Commission would endorse the pilot scheme signed by British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron during a state visit after Paris said it needed legal authorization. The deal, which would see France take back migrants from Britain for the first time in an arrangement under which one migrant who arrives without permission is returned for each migrant with a legal asylum claim in France that Britain takes in, must also be approved by the other 26 EU countries. Speaking to a London radio station, she added that she didn't believe the scheme would be blown off track by resistance from countries fearful they might end up dealing with returned migrants, particularly frontline nations Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Italy and Malta which bear the brunt of migration from Africa and the Middle East and beyond. "We have been talking to the EU commissioners. We've also been talking to other European interior ministers and governments throughout this process. The French interior minister and I have been speaking about this, to develop this, since October of last year, and the EU commissioners have been very supportive," Cooper said. "So that is why we have designed this in a way to work, not just for the U.K. and France, but in order to fit with all their concerns as well." However, Brussels said Friday that it needed more information regarding the "substance and form" of the deal to be able to form a view on its legality before endorsing the plan, saying it needed to comply with EU law, both in spirit and practice. "What we have now is an announcement and a political agreement, in principle, to have a pilot agreement," said an EU commission spokesman. "Once we know more about the substance and the form of that, we can tell you more about it, but we will look at this together with U.K. and France we will be working with all parties involved." Cooper also insisted she was confident the plan would hold up against legal challenges that caused years of delays that ultimately sank a previous "deterrence" strategy championed by then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak involving sending irregular migrants to Rwanda. Shadow Home Secretary, Conservative MP Chris Philp, condemned the scheme as a publicity stunt. "Starmer's deal yesterday is a gimmick that won't work, just like his 'smash the gangs' claim (now never mentioned) was a gimmick that didn't work," he said in a post on X. The deal announced Thursday has been short on details, apart from stressing it would dismantle the business model of the criminal gangs smuggling people to Britain in often unseaworthy small dinghies, but the BBC said 50 people would be exchanged each week, initially. A news release from the Home Office, Downing Street and the Border Force stressed the plan will be rolled out in tandem action on so-called "pull factors," such as the ability find work illegally, that make Britain so attractive to migrants, which was repeatedlty raised by Marcron and the French side during his visit. The government pledged a "major nationwide blitz targeting illegal working hotspots, focusing on the gig economy and migrants working as delivery riders." "The U.K. will go further by changing the law to support a clampdown on illegal working in the gig economy. New biometric kits will be rolled out for Immigration Enforcement teams so they can do on-the-spot checks," the statement added.
