Iran’s Khamenei makes first public appearance since Israel war: state media
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country’s recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported.The octogenarian leader was shown in a video broadcast by state television greeting people and being cheered at a mosque as worshippers marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, an important date for Shia Muslims.Khamenei, 86, can be seen on stage dressed in black as the crowd before him, fists in the air, chants “The blood in our veins for our leader!”State TV said the clip was filmed at central Tehran’s Imam Khomeini Mosque, named for the founder of the Islamic republic.Khamenei, in power since 1989, spoke last week in a pre-recorded video, but had not been seen in public since before Israel initiated the conflict with a wave of surprise air strikes on June 13.His last public appearance was two days before that, when he met with members of parliament.Israel’s bombing campaign followed a decades-long shadow war with Iran, and was aimed at preventing it from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied.The strikes killed more than 900 people in Iran, its judiciary has said, while retaliatory Iranian missile barrages aimed at Israeli cities killed at least 28 people there, according to official figures.
Modi and Milei meet in Argentina ahead of BRICS summit
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Argentine President Javier Milei in Buenos Aires on Saturday, urging the expansion of New Delhi’s preferential trade deal with South America’s Mercosur bloc.The bilateral talks with Milei are the latest in Modi’s whistle-stop diplomatic tour culminating in the summit of BRICS emerging economies starting on Sunday in Brazil.Diplomats from both countries at the meeting, which included a lunch, decided to “deepen bilateral relations and commercial ties,” according to a statement from the Argentine presidency.Indian foreign ministry diplomat Periasamy Kumaran told reporters Modi “requested Argentina’s support in expanding the India-Mercosur preferential trade agreement.”The Mercosur regional trade bloc, comprising Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, is seeking closer ties with Asian economies in the face of Trump’s global trade war.”The two leaders discussed the necessity of diversifying and expanding bilateral trade” in sectors including defence, technology and health, said Kumaran.They also touched upon cooperation in the energy sector, including gas and petrol, as well as lithium, a key mineral for the clean energy transition. Argentina is the world’s fifth largest producer of lithium, according to the US Geological Survey.”Excellent meeting with President Javier Milei of Argentina,” Modi wrote on X of the leaders’ second bilateral talks.”We have covered significant ground in our bilateral relations, but we agree that the journey ahead is even more promising!”India was Argentina’s fifth largest trading partner in 2024, with bilateral trade up 33 percent, according to figures from the Indian external affairs ministry.
BRICS nations voice ‘serious concerns’ over Trump tariffs
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” trade tariffs, saying they are illegal and risk hurting the global economy. Emerging nations, which represent about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output, are set to unite over “serious concerns” about US import tariffs, according to a draft summit statement obtained by AFP.Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties.His latest salvo comes in the form of letters informing trading partners of new tariff rates that will soon enter into force.The draft summit declaration does not mention the United States or its president by name. But it is a clear political shot directed at Washington from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules,” the draft text says. It warns that such measures “threaten to further reduce global trade” and are “affecting the prospects for global economic development.”- Xi no show -Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power. But the two-day summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. “I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Hass said Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.”I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel, is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were divided over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel. Iranian negotiators were pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.But one diplomatic source said the text would give the “same message” that BRICS delivered in June when Iran was being bombed by Israel and the United States, expressing “concern.”Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
BRICS nations voice ‘serious concerns’ over Trump tariffs
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” trade tariffs, saying they are illegal and risk hurting the global economy. Emerging nations, which represent about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output, are set to unite over “serious concerns” about US import tariffs, according to a draft summit statement obtained by AFP.Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties.His latest salvo comes in the form of letters informing trading partners of new tariff rates that will soon enter into force.The draft summit declaration does not mention the United States or its president by name. But it is a clear political shot directed at Washington from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules,” the draft text says. It warns that such measures “threaten to further reduce global trade” and are “affecting the prospects for global economic development.”- Xi no show -Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power. But the two-day summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. “I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Hass said Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.”I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel, is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were divided over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel. Iranian negotiators were pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.But one diplomatic source said the text would give the “same message” that BRICS delivered in June when Iran was being bombed by Israel and the United States, expressing “concern.”Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
BRICS nations voice ‘serious concerns’ over Trump tariffs
BRICS leaders meeting in Rio de Janeiro from Sunday are expected to decry US President Donald Trump’s “indiscriminate” trade tariffs, saying they are illegal and risk hurting the global economy. Emerging nations, which represent about half the world’s population and 40 percent of global economic output, are set to unite over “serious concerns” about US import tariffs, according to a draft summit statement obtained by AFP.Since coming to office in January, Trump has threatened allies and rivals alike with a slew of punitive duties.His latest salvo comes in the form of letters informing trading partners of new tariff rates that will soon enter into force.The draft summit declaration does not mention the United States or its president by name. But it is a clear political shot directed at Washington from 11 emerging nations, including Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. “We voice serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade and are inconsistent with WTO (World Trade Organization) rules,” the draft text says. It warns that such measures “threaten to further reduce global trade” and are “affecting the prospects for global economic development.”- Xi no show -Conceived two decades ago as a forum for fast-growing economies, the BRICS have come to be seen as a Chinese-driven counterbalance to Western power. But the two-day summit’s political punch will be depleted by the absence of China’s Xi Jinping, who is skipping the annual meeting for the first time in his 12 years as president. “I expect there will be speculation about the reasons for Xi’s absence,” said Ryan Hass, a former China director at the US National Security Council who is now with the Brookings Institution think tank.”The simplest explanation may hold the most explanatory power. Xi recently hosted Lula in Beijing,” said Hass.The Chinese leader will not be the only notable absentee. War crime-indicted Russian President Vladimir Putin is also opting to stay away, but will participate via video link, according to the Kremlin.Hass said Putin’s non-attendance and the fact that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be a guest of honor in Brazil could also be factors in Xi’s absence.”Xi does not want to appear upstaged by Modi,” who will receive a state lunch, he said.”I expect Xi’s decision to delegate attendance to Premier Li (Qiang) rests amidst these factors.”Still, the Xi no-show is a blow to host President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who wants Brazil to play a bigger role on the world stage.In the year to November 2025, Brazil will have hosted a G20 summit, a BRICS summit, and COP30 international climate talks, all before heading into fiercely contested presidential elections next year, in which he is expected to run.Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian, whose nation is still reeling from a 12-day conflict with Israel, is also skipping the meeting. A source familiar with the negotiations said the BRICS countries were divided over how to respond to the wars in Gaza and between Iran and Israel. Iranian negotiators were pushing for a tougher collective stance that goes beyond referencing the need for the creation of a Palestinian state and for disputes to be resolved peacefully.But one diplomatic source said the text would give the “same message” that BRICS delivered in June when Iran was being bombed by Israel and the United States, expressing “concern.”Artificial intelligence and health will also be on the agenda at the summit.Original members of the bloc Brazil, Russia, India, and China have been joined by South Africa and, more recently, by Saudi Arabia, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Ethiopia and Indonesia.
French writer jailed in Algeria won’t appeal: supporters
French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal will not appeal his five-year prison sentence to Algeria’s Supreme Court, sources close to the author said Saturday, as Paris stepped up its calls for him to be pardoned.The 80-year-old dual national was sentenced to five years in March on charges related to undermining Algeria’s territorial integrity over comments made to a French media outlet.”According to our information, he will not appeal to the Supreme Court,” the president of the author’s support committee, Noelle Lenoir, told broadcaster France Inter.”Moreover, given the state of the justice system in Algeria… he has no chance of having his offence reclassified on appeal,” the former European affairs minister added.”This means that the sentence is final.”Sources close to Sansal told AFP the writer had “given up his right to appeal”.His French lawyer, Pierre Cornut-Gentille, declined to comment when contacted by AFP.French Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said earlier this week he hoped Algeria would pardon the author, whose family has highlighted his treatment for prostate cancer.But Sansal was not on a list of thousands of people pardoned by Algeria’s president on Friday, the eve of the country’s independence day.- ‘Intolerable’ -Bayrou returned the subject on Saturday.”Boualem Sansal has not been convicted for what he might have done but for opinions expressed,” he told members of his party at a Paris meeting, the Parisien newspaper reported.”And that one of our compatriots, 80 years old and ill, is thus imprisoned is intolerable,” he added.Lenoir said she remained hopeful.”We believe he will be released. It is impossible for Algeria to take responsibility for his death in prison,” she said.A prize-winning figure in north African modern francophone literature, Sansal is known for his criticism of Algerian authorities as well as of Islamists.The case against him arose after he told the far-right outlet Frontieres that France had unjustly transferred Moroccan territory to Algeria during the colonial period from 1830 to 1962.Algeria views that claim as a challenge to its sovereignty and one that aligns with longstanding Moroccan territorial assertions.Sansal was detained in November 2024 upon arrival at Algiers airport. On March 27, a court in the town of Dar El Beida sentenced him to a five-year prison term and fined him 500,000 Algerian dinars ($3,730).Appearing in court without legal counsel on June 24, Sansal said the case against him “makes no sense”, as “the Algerian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and conscience”.The writer’s conviction has further strained France-Algeria relations, already complicated by issues such as migration and France’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara, a disputed territory claimed by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front, an armed separatist movement.