Author: Prima News

President Donald Trump welcomes NATO chief Mark Rutte to the White House on Wednesday, as the war with Iran has pushed U.S. relations with other ​members of the military alliance to a crisis point. The Republican president has threatened to withdraw from the 32-member transatlantic alliance and denounced Washington’s ‌European allies in recent weeks for what he said was inadequate support for the U.S.-Israeli bombing campaign in Iran. Trump said on Tuesday the attacks would be paused after the two sides agreed to a two-week ceasefire. Trump has called for countries that depend on oil from the Gulf region to break Iran’s chokehold on…

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, potentially suspending a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East and caused ​unprecedented disruption to the world’s energy supplies. Trump announced the agreement late on Tuesday, just two hours before a deadline he had set for Iran to open the blockaded Strait of ‌Hormuz or face the destruction of its “whole civilisation”. The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire brokered by Pakistan, potentially suspending a six-week-old war that has killed thousands, spread across the Middle East and caused ​unprecedented disruption to the world’s energy…

Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun pledged on Wednesday to channel ​the spirit of her party’s founder Sun Yat-sen and seek reconciliation with China, offering praise at his tomb for the country’s achievements ‌following the communist revolution. Cheng, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party, is in China at a time of increased Chinese military pressure on Taiwan, which Beijing views as its own territory, and as the opposition-dominated parliament stalls a government plan for $40 billion in extra defence spending. In a moment filled with symbolism on her first full day in the country, Cheng ​laid a wreath…

The voyage of four astronauts to the far side of the moon has given the world a glimpse of America at its best, offering a respite from global despair and displeasure over U.S-led conflict, tariffs, and crumbling global institutions. Through ​a carefully curated flow of high-quality photos, GoPro videos and other footage from NASA, the three American and one Canadian astronauts have provided real-time documentation ‌of NASA’s 10-day Artemis II mission full of historic firsts. The multibillion-dollar series of missions under the Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon’s surface by 2028 before China, and establish a long-term U.S. presence there over the…

Ukraine has increased attacks on Russian energy facilities in recent weeks as peace talks have failed to make progress. Following is a summary of the attacks and their impact: NORSI NORSI, Russia’s fourth-largest oil refinery, owned by Lukoil (LKOH.MM), opens new tab, suspended operations on April 5 following a ​Ukrainian drone attack, two industry sources said. NORSI, which is also Russia’s second-largest producer of gasoline, can process 16 million metric tons of oil ‌per year, or around 320,000 barrels per day. KIRISHI Russia’s Kirishi oil refinery may partially restart within a month, sources say, after processing at the end of March following Ukrainian drone attacks…

U.S. President Donald Trump is “impatient” about making progress toward ending the Iran war ​and has instructed his negotiating team to engage the ‌Iranians in good faith, Vice President JD Vance said on Wednesday. Speaking at an event in Budapest during his trip to Hungary, Vance said a deal ​was possible if Iran negotiated sincerely, but cautioned that ​while some parts of the Iranian system were approaching ⁠the talks constructively, others were not. He described the ​situation as a “fragile truce.” “The President of the United States has told ​me, and he’s told the entire negotiating team, secretary of state,…

Australia’s most decorated living soldier will remain behind bars after his legal team did not seek bail following ​his arrest over multiple alleged war crimes, local media reported on Wednesday. Police ‌on Tuesday arrested and charged Ben Roberts-Smith, 47, with five counts of war crimes in connection with the murder of five civilians in Afghanistan between 2009 and 2012. Each charge carries a maximum sentence of life ​in jail. He was refused bail by police and taken to Silverwater Correctional Complex in Sydney’s ​west where he stayed overnight. Roberts-Smith did not appear via video link at ⁠an online bail court hearing on…

Peruvians will go to the polls on April 12 to elect a new president and members of Congress, following years of political upheaval, impeachments and corruption scandals that have seen eight presidents since 2018. A record number of candidates will compete in the first round. If no candidate clears the 50% threshold needed to win outright, the two most-voted candidates would advance to a second round, scheduled for June 7. Opinion ​polls indicate a runoff is likely, with at least five of the 35 presidential hopefuls in with a chance of claiming one of the two spots. KEIKO FUJIMORI Conservative…

 A Syrian man accused of crimes against humanity for allegedly torturing and raping prisoners when he was a member ​of a militia that backed the government of former president ‌Bashar al-Assad told Dutch judges on Wednesday he did not beat inmates. The 57-year-old man, identified only as Rafik A., faces 25 charges including torture, sexual violence and rape ​as crimes against humanity against nine people more than a decade ​ago. In court, A. spoke through an interpreter and denied the charges, ⁠saying victims and prosecutors were conspiring against him. “The people who ​said I was hitting them (…) that is…

Poland has detained a third suspect following an arson attack on an optics ​and drones factory in the Czech ‌Republic last month, a special services spokesman said on Wednesday. A previously unknown pro-Palestinian activist ​group has said it carried out the March 20 ​attack on the LPP company’s factory ⁠in Pardubice, east of Prague, which ​caused millions of dollars in damage. Poland, Slovakia and the ​Czech Republic have previously said they detained several suspects of Polish, Czech, Egyptian and U.S. nationality. “Officers ​of the Internal Security Agency detained ​in Zielona Gora another 23-year-old Pole, who is accused ‌of ⁠assisting in the intentional arson of a production…