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Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Monday that Germany along with Ukraine’s other key Western backers had lifted range restrictions on weapons they send to Kyiv to fight against Russia.Russia in response warned that such a move would be “at odds” of reaching a peace agreement.  Merz, who took office early this month, also vowed that “we will do everything in our power to continue supporting Ukraine, including militarily”, in close coordination with other supporters.”There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons delivered to Ukraine — neither by the British nor by the French nor by us nor by the Americans,” he said in a wide-ranging TV interview.”This means that Ukraine can now defend itself, for example, by attacking military positions in Russia… With very few exceptions, it didn’t do that until recently. It can now do that.”Merz did not specify at which stage which country, including his own, had decided on any changes, sparking some confusion.Former US president Joe Biden decided in November 2024 to authorise Ukraine to use long-range Army Tactical Missile System, or ATACMS, against targets inside Russia.Also in November, Ukraine fired UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles into Russia for the first time, after being given the green light from London, British media reported at the time.France, which has supplied Scalp missiles to Ukraine, reiterated at the time that strikes on military targets inside Russia were an option.The Kremlin said on Monday after Merz’s comments that any Western decision to lift range limits on arms delivered to Ukraine would be “dangerous”.”If these decisions have indeed been made, they are completely at odds with our aspirations for a political (peace) settlement… These are quite dangerous decisions, if they have been made,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told Russian journalist Alexander Yunashev.The previous German government of centre-left chancellor Olaf Scholz strongly backed Kyiv but shied away from sending it long-range Taurus missiles, worried that this might escalate tensions with the nuclear power.Merz has in the past said he favours delivery of Taurus, but he did not say Monday whether Germany would now do so or whether he was referring to other weapons systems.His new government has stressed it would no longer detail what arms it is sending to Ukraine, preferring a stance of strategic ambiguity.The recently appointed chancellor however took the opportunity to slam Russian President Vladimir Putin’s reluctance to engage in talks to end the sighting in Ukraine.The Kremlin chief has responded to diplomatic efforts to bring the conflict to a close by prosecuting the war “harder than before”, Merz told WDR.”Putin obviously sees offers of talks as a sign of weakness,” Merz said.Since US President Donald Trump returned to the White House this year, he has sought to push the two sides in the conflict toward direct talks at the highest level.Trump last week suggested the Vatican as a possible host for a meeting, with the Italian government saying the leader of the Catholic Church was ready to organise talks. But Moscow has cast doubt on the potential for the Holy See as a host. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said it would be “inelegant” for the Catholic Church to mediate discussions between two principally Orthodox Christian countries. Merz said that Ukraine’s Western backers had sought to use all the diplomatic options available to them to initiate talks.”After the last three weeks, no one can seriously accuse us of not having exhausted all available diplomatic means,” Merz said. Short of “raising the white flag”, Ukraine’s supporters had “done everything” they could.”If even an offer to meet at the Vatican does not get (Putin’s) approval, then we must be prepared for this war to last longer than we all wish or can imagine.”

Russia fired its biggest ever drone barrage on Ukraine overnight, Kyiv said Monday, just hours after Donald Trump called Vladimir Putin “CRAZY” and warned Moscow risked new sanctions if it kept up its deadly bombardment.The US President has been trying to broker an end to the three-year war but has failed to extract any major concessions from the Kremlin, despite repeated negotiations between his administration and Russia.For three consecutive nights Russia has pummelled Ukraine with large-scale drone attacks, saturating its air defences and killing at least 13 people on Sunday, officials said. In a rare rebuke of the Russian leader, Trump said on Truth Social late Sunday in Washington: “I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!””I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!”The Kremlin played down Trump’s criticism on Monday, saying Putin was taking measures “necessary to ensure Russia’s security”.”This is a very critical moment, which is fraught with emotional stress for everyone, as well as emotional reactions,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said the attacks showed Russia had a sense of “impunity”.”The increase in Russian strikes should be met with increased sanctions,” he said on social media.Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, launched in February 2022, has killed tens of thousands of people, destroyed towns as well as cities and spurred the biggest crisis in relations with the West since the Cold War.Kyiv did not report any immediate deaths from the latest drone attack, but said Russian shelling in the last 24 hours had killed a civilian man in the northern Sumy region.Russia said Monday it had captured two border villages in Ukraine’s north eastern Sumy region, where it has been mounting an offensive for weeks.- Blasts heard in Kyiv -Earlier Sunday, Trump told reporters he was “not happy” about Russia’s attacks on Ukraine and was “absolutely” considering increasing sanctions on Moscow.AFP reporters in the capital Kyiv heard loud blasts from air defences early Monday.Russia fired “355 Shahed-type drones” including decoys at Ukraine between Sunday night and early Monday, as well as nine cruise missiles, Ukraine’s air force said.Air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat told AFP it was the largest drone attack since Moscow’s invasion began.Air alerts in Kyiv lasted for six hours, officials said. In the western Khmelnytsky region, Russian aerial attacks damaged 18 residential buildings, according to authorities.A Russian attack also wounded a 14-year-old boy in the southern Odesa region, the region’s governor said.Diplomatic efforts to end the three-year war have stepped up a gear in recent weeks, with Russian and Ukrainian officials holding direct talks in Istanbul earlier this month for the first time in three years.Both sides swapped 1,000 people each over the weekend in their biggest ever prisoner exchange, while Russia said it was preparing a document outlining its peace terms for ending the war.But Moscow has repeatedly rejected proposals for a 30-day ceasefire from Kyiv and its Western allies, while grinding forward on the front line.

The head of a US-backed aid group for Gaza announced his resignation, saying it was impossible to do his job in line with principles of neutrality and independence, as the organization vowed to start delivering assistance on Monday.The Gaza Humanitarian foundation (GHF), based in Geneva since February, has promised to distribute some 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.But the United Nations and international aid agencies have said they will not cooperate with the group, amid accusations it is working with Israel while lacking any Palestinian involvement.In a statement by the GHF, executive director Jake Wood said he felt compelled to leave after determining the organization could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to humanitarian principles.Israel has faced global condemnation over the conditions in Gaza, where it has been at war since Hamas’s unprecedented October 7, 2023 attack.A more than two-month total blockade on Gaza has only begun to ease in recent days, as agencies warned of growing starvation risks.”Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF’s efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations,” Wood said.”Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering.”But, he said, it had become “clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.”The GHF said it was disappointed to learn of Wood’s resignation, but added that it would not be deterred.”Our trucks are loaded and ready to go. Beginning Monday, May 26, GHF will begin direct aid delivery in Gaza, reaching over one million Palestinians by the end of the week. We plan to scale rapidly to serve the full population in the weeks ahead,” it said in a statement.There was no immediate confirmation that GHF would be able to launch its aid effort Monday, however, or of how the aid would be distributed in a territory battered by war.The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,939.Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.

From false claims of Americans panic-buying Chinese goods to bot-driven attacks on US brands, a tide of misinformation is casting a shadow over a temporary trade truce between Washington and Beijing.The world’s two biggest economies agreed earlier this month to pause reciprocal tariffs for 90 days, a surprise de-escalation in their bitter trade war following high-level talks in Geneva.But an alternate reality is unfolding across social media platforms, including China’s Douyin and Weibo, where a surge of falsehoods is fueling anti-American sentiment that could undermine the fragile truce.One online video, which garnered millions of views across those platforms and TikTok, claims to show panicked American shoppers snapping up Chinese-branded television sets in the aftermath of trade tensions.But in reality, that was old footage from 2018 showing Black Friday shopping frenzy at a US supermarket.The falsehood was further amplified by Chinese state media outlets, including China Daily, which ran headlines such as: “Americans are starting to stock up like crazy amid tariffs and snapping up Chinese-branded TVs.”A news clip on its website — more recycled footage from 2018 — bears a “file footage” watermark in the upper left corner, apparently to shield the outlet from legal liability.Other unfounded claims emerged on Chinese platforms about Americans flying to China to shop for Chinese goods, and that US citizens — reeling from the economic fallout of the trade war — were queuing up to purchase supplies in bulk.”These narratives are almost certainly curated by the state, which has become increasingly fluent in harnessing social media,” Andrew Mertha, director of the SAIS China Global Research Center at Johns Hopkins University, told AFP.”(They) help align Chinese public opinion with governmental strategy, in this case demonstrating — albeit inaccurately, certainly prematurely — that ‘the US is already feeling the pain, so China must stay the course.'”- Economic jitters -US President Donald Trump’s on-again, off-again tariffs have sent jitters through the world economy, unnerving investors and roiling financial markets.Under the May 12 truce, the United States agreed to temporarily reduce the tariff on Chinese imports to 30 percent from 145 percent, while China said it would lower its import duty on American goods to 10 percent from 125 percent.Some of the false narratives emerged before the agreement but have continued to spread online, fueling confusion and a broader wave of information chaos.”A lot of friends in China asked me: Are there no eggs in the United States? Is it very unsafe? Are people rushing to buy things? Have you stockpiled anything?” Vivian Wei, a Chicago-based content creator, told AFP.”Some people even (suggested) not to come to the United States for tourism or study.”The rumors prompted Wei to tour several supermarkets across Chicago, only to find shelves stocked. While American shoppers seemed unfazed by the swirl of online misinformation, Wei observed that the “Chinese were getting very excited.”- ‘Digital blitz’ -Last month, disinformation security firm Cyabra uncovered an anti-US influence campaign on the Elon Musk-owned X involving thousands of fake or bot-operated accounts.They targeted global brands such as Gucci, Chanel and Amazon, amplifying the unfounded narrative that they produced goods in China while branding them as “Made in France” or “Made in Italy.”The accounts blamed Trump’s trade policies for enabling such deceptive marketing practices, while urging consumers to ditch those brands and purchase products directly from China.”This was a digital blitz. A third of the accounts weren’t real, but the backlash they triggered was,” Dan Brahmy, chief executive of Cyabra, told AFP.”Fake profiles hijacked luxury brands, pushed anti-US narratives, and steered buyers away without raising suspicion. That’s what makes it effective.”Last month, AFP also uncovered viral TikTok videos by Chinese content creators promoting the spurious claim that international luxury brands were secretly manufacturing their products in China.The targeted brands did not respond to the claim, which appeared to be part of a sprawling campaign exploiting US-China trade tensions to market counterfeit luxury goods.The false narratives are unlikely to fade as trade negotiations continue, experts say.”I believe these narratives will continue and will evolve in parallel with strengthening the Chinese government’s negotiating position,” said Mertha from Johns Hopkins University.burs-ac/sla/dhc

US President Donald Trump called his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “crazy” on Sunday after Moscow launched a deadly barrage of drones against Ukraine, even as the warring countries completed a large-scale prisoner exchange.At least 13 people were killed when Russia launched a record number of drones against Ukraine overnight to Sunday.”I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform.”I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he added.His comments marked a rare rebuke to Putin, who he often speaks of with admiration. The US leader has, however, expressed increasing frustration with Moscow’s position in deadlocked truce negotiations with Kyiv.Earlier Sunday, Trump told reporters he was “not happy” about the latest attack on Ukraine and that he was “absolutely” considering increasing sanctions on Moscow.”I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” he said.- ‘Terror’ -Ukraine’s emergency services described Sunday an atmosphere of “terror” in the country after a second straight night of massive Russian air strikes, including on the capital Kyiv.Those killed in the latest Russian strikes included victims aged eight, 12 and 17 in the northwestern region of Zhytomyr, officials said.”Without truly strong pressure on the Russian leadership, this brutality cannot be stopped,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on social media.”The silence of America, the silence of others around the world only encourages Putin,” he said, adding: “Sanctions will certainly help.”In his social media post, Trump also criticized Zelensky, a frequent target of his ire, accusing him of “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.””Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said.The European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, also called for “the strongest international pressure on Russia to stop this war.””Last night’s attacks again show Russia bent on more suffering and the annihilation of Ukraine,” she said on social media.- Call for sanctions -German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul also denounced the attacks. “Putin does not want peace, he wants to carry on the war and we shouldn’t allow him to do this,” he said. “For this reason we will approve further sanctions at a European level.”Ukraine’s military said on Sunday it had shot down a total of 45 Russian missiles and 266 attack drones overnight.Air force spokesman Yuriy Ignat said 298 drones were launched, adding that this was “the highest number ever.”Four people were reported killed in Ukraine’s western Khmelnytskyi region, and four in the Kyiv region.Two people were killed in the southern Mykolaiv region. “We saw the whole street was on fire,” a 65-year-old retired woman, Tetiana Iankovska, told AFP in Markhalivka village just southwest of Kyiv.Russia said its strikes were aimed at Ukraine’s “military-industrial complex” and that it had brought down 110 Ukrainian drones.The previous night, Russia had launched 14 ballistic missiles and 250 drones, wounding 15 people, according to Ukrainian officials.Flights at Moscow airports suffered temporary closures due to Ukrainian drone activity on Sunday but no injuries were reported, officials said. Ukrainian officials also reported Russian strikes overnight to Monday, but not on the same scale.Two people were injured and a house was destroyed in the Zaporizhzhia region when “the enemy struck the village of Yurkivka”, Ivan Fedorov, the governor of the region, said in a Telegram post.- Major prisoner exchange -The massive strikes on Ukraine came as Russia said it had exchanged another 303 Ukrainian prisoners of war for the same number of Russian soldiers held by Kyiv — the last phase of a swap agreed during talks in Istanbul on May 16.That marked their biggest prisoner swap since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, with 1,000 captured soldiers and civilian prisoners in total sent back by each side.Zelensky confirmed the swap was complete.An AFP reporter saw some of the formerly captive Ukrainian soldiers arrive at a hospital in the northern Chernigiv region, emaciated but smiling and waving to crowds.One former captive, 58-year-old Viktor Syvak, told AFP he was overcome by the emotional homecoming.Captured in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, he had been held for 37 months and 12 days.”It’s impossible to describe. I can’t put it into words,” he said of the release.

Kenda Zellner-Smith hauled up a corrugated metal door to reveal hundreds of wooden boards covered with graffiti, each telling a story of the protests that followed George Floyd’s killing by a US police officer.The 28-year-old has collected and archived the panels that once protected businesses from rioting in Minneapolis, aiming to preserve the legacy of the 2020 murder that shocked the United States.Five years on, Zellner-Smith said the boards — kept in a storage unit by an industrial site two miles (three kilometers) from where Floyd died — still evoke powerful emotions.They range from blank plywood with text reading “I can’t breathe” — the final words Floyd said as Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on his neck — to colorful murals depicting rainbows and love hearts. “Every time I look at them there’s something different I notice,” she told AFP. “They reignite an energy or a fire that was felt years ago during the uprising.”Then a university graduate in Minneapolis, Zellner-Smith was among millions of Americans who joined the Black Lives Matter rallies in 2020 that swept US cities. The threat of vandalism saw many businesses protect themselves with wooden boards — which became canvases for protesters’ slogans and drawings demanding justice.- ‘Resistance’ -Zellner-Smith said she decided to start collecting the boards after seeing one taken down after the protests and thinking “‘Oh my god, these are going to disappear just as fast as they showed up.'””Every single day after work, I’d grab my dad’s pickup truck and I would just drive around searching for boards,” said Zellner-Smith, who searched alleyways and dumpsters. Today, her project called “Save the Boards” counts over 600 in its collection, with each stacked vertically in a pair of storage units measuring 10 by 30 feet (three by nine meters).But with Floyd’s legacy under the spotlight on the fifth anniversary of his death as many hoped-for reforms to address racism have not been met, she said the boards are crucial to sustaining the protest movement.”Art serves as a form of resistance and storytelling, and it speaks to real, lived experiences, and that’s what these are,” Zellner-Smith said.Her next challenge is finding a long-term home for the boards as grants that covered storage costs are running dry. A handful are already being exhibited — including in a building restored after it was damaged by arson during the 2020 protests — and most have been photographed to be archived online. “My biggest push is just to make sure they’re still seen. The stories they have to tell are still heard, and that people understand there’s still a lot of work to be done,” Zellner-Smith said.- ‘Murals gave me hope’ -Her initiative is similar to another, more expansive one in Minneapolis called Memorialize the Movement.That nonprofit exhibited around 50 boards during a memorial event held Sunday on a recreation ground near George Floyd Square, the name given to the area where the 46-year-old was killed. With Afrobeat music booming from speakers, dozens of people scanned the display that included one piece with squares of black and brown, each filled with phrases like “We matter” and “Protect us.”Another mostly bare wooden board had just a black love heart with “No justice, no peace” written in the middle. “I think it is absolutely vital that these murals and this story that they tell are preserved for future generations,” said Leesa Kelly, who has collected over 1,000 pieces while running Memorialize the Movement.Asked what drove her to start the project, the 32-year-old replied: “I didn’t do this because I was motivated or inspired, I did it because I was experiencing trauma.””A Black man was killed. The murals gave me hope,” said Kelly, who also collected many of the boards herself during the 2020 protests.Darnella Thompson, 43, was one of those looking at the boards on a warm, sunny day, stopping to take a photo in front of one saying “Speak up” and “Hope.””It’s overwhelming,” she told AFP. “As a person of color who has experienced quite a bit here in this country, it definitely resonates very much with me.””It brings up more so sadness than anything because this is continuous,” Thompson added.

US President Donald Trump on Sunday called Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin “crazy” for his attacks on Ukrainian cities and warned that any attempt at a total takeover of Ukraine would “lead to the downfall of Russia.”The comments were a rare rebuke to Putin, and came after a record number of Russian drones killed at least 13 people across Ukraine, despite a prisoner exchange and a US push for a truce.”I’ve always had a very good relationship with Vladimir Putin of Russia, but something has happened to him. He has gone absolutely CRAZY!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social.”I’ve always said that he wants ALL of Ukraine, not just a piece of it, and maybe that’s proving to be right, but if he does, it will lead to the downfall of Russia!” he added.Trump also criticized Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, a more frequent target of his ire, accusing him of “doing his Country no favors by talking the way he does.””Everything out of his mouth causes problems, I don’t like it, and it better stop,” he said of Zelensky.Earlier on Sunday, Trump told reporters that he was “not happy” with Putin over the latest Russian offensive.”I’ve known him a long time, always gotten along with him, but he’s sending rockets into cities and killing people, and I don’t like it at all,” said Trump on the tarmac at Morristown airport before boarding Air Force One bound for Washington.Trump’s remarks come as European allies and even some in his own Republican Party call for increased pressure on Russia to agree to a ceasefire.The US president has avoided issuing ultimatums to Russia, instead threatening to walk away from negotiations if both sides cannot agree to a ceasefire.But in response to a question on the tarmac in Morristown, Trump said Sunday he was “absolutely” considering increasing US sanctions on Russia in response to the latest violence.”He’s killing a lot of people. I don’t know what’s wrong with him. What the hell happened to him, right? He’s killing a lot of people. I’m not happy about that,” said the US leader.That statement was at odds with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s testimony at Congress earlier this week, when he said Trump believed that “right now, if you start threatening sanctions, the Russians will stop talking.”Trump and Putin held a two-hour phone call on Monday after which the US leader said Moscow and Kyiv would “immediately start negotiations towards a ceasefire.”Putin has made no commitment to pause his three-year invasion of Ukraine, announcing only a vague proposal to work on a “memorandum” outlining Moscow’s demands for peace.

The head of a controversial US-backed group preparing to move aid into the Gaza Strip announced his abrupt resignation Sunday, adding fresh uncertainty over the effort’s future.In a statement by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), executive director Jake Wood explained that he felt compelled to leave after determining the organization could not fulfil its mission in a way that adhered to “humanitarian principles.”The foundation, which has been based in Geneva since February, has vowed to distribute some 300 million meals in its first 90 days of operation.But the United Nations and traditional aid agencies have already said they will not cooperate with the group, amid accusations it is working with Israel.The GHF has emerged as international pressure mounts on Israel over the conditions in Gaza, where it has pursued a military onslaught in response to the October 7, 2023 attacks by Hamas.A more than two-month total blockade on the territory only began to ease in recent days, as agencies warned of growing starvation risks.”Two months ago, I was approached about leading GHF’s efforts because of my experience in humanitarian operations” Wood said.”Like many others around the world, I was horrified and heartbroken at the hunger crisis in Gaza and, as a humanitarian leader, I was compelled to do whatever I could to help alleviate the suffering.”Wood stressed that he was “proud of the work I oversaw, including developing a pragmatic plan that could feed hungry people, address security concerns about diversion, and complement the work of longstanding NGOs in Gaza.”But, he said, it had become “clear that it is not possible to implement this plan while also strictly adhering to the humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence, which I will not abandon.” Gaza’s health ministry said Sunday that at least 3,785 people had been killed in the territory since a ceasefire collapsed on March 18, taking the war’s overall toll to 53,939, mostly civilians.Hamas’s October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the war resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.Militants also took 251 hostages, 57 of whom remain in Gaza including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Wood called on Israel “to significantly expand the provision of aid into Gaza through all mechanisms” while also urging “all stakeholders to continue to explore innovative new methods for the delivery of aid, without delay, diversion, or discrimination.”

US President Donald Trump on Sunday described the latest negotiations between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program as “very, very good.”Speaking on the tarmac at Morristown airport before boarding Air Force One, Trump hailed “real progress, serious progress” following a fifth round of nuclear talks, which wrapped up in Rome on Friday.The Oman-mediated talks, which began in April, are the highest-level contact between the countries since the United States quit a landmark 2015 nuclear accord during Trump’s first term as US president.Since returning to office, Trump has revived his “maximum pressure” campaign on Iran, backing talks but warning of military action if diplomacy fails.Iran wants a new deal that would ease the sanctions that have battered its economy.Following the latest round, Iranian Foreign Minister and lead negotiator Abbas Araghchi downplayed the progress, stressing that “the negotiations are too complicated to be resolved in two or three meetings.”And Omani Foreign Minister Badr Albusaidi said on X that the fifth round concluded “with some but not conclusive progress,” adding that he hoped “the remaining issues” would be clarified in the coming days.Trump said continuing discussions had been “very, very good.””I think we could have some good news on the Iran front,” he said, adding that an announcement could come “over the next two days.”The talks came ahead of a June meeting of the UN nuclear watchdog, the Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), during which Iran’s nuclear activities will be reviewed.They also come before the October expiry of the 2015 accord, which aimed to allay US and European Union suspicions that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons capability, an ambition that Tehran has consistently denied.In return for curbs on its nuclear program, Iran had received relief from international sanctions. But the accord was torpedoed in 2018 when Trump unilaterally withdrew the United States and reimposed sanctions.A year later, Iran responded by ramping up its nuclear activities.It is now enriching uranium to 60 percent — far above the deal’s 3.67 percent cap but below the 90-percent level needed for a nuclear warhead.

Americans on Sunday marked five years since George Floyd was killed by a US police officer, as President Donald Trump backtracks on reforms designed to tackle racism.Floyd’s deadly arrest on May 25, 2020 helped launch the Black Lives Matter movement into a powerful force that sought to resolve America’s deeply rooted racial issues, from police violence to systemic inequality. But since Trump’s return to power in January –- he was serving his first term when Floyd died -– his administration has axed civil rights investigations and cracked down on diversity hiring initiatives.BLM, meanwhile, finds itself lacking the support it enjoyed when protesters sprawled across US cities and abroad during the Covid pandemic — with many now agreeing the movement achieved little of substance.Some Democratic politicians, as well as UN rights chief Volker Turk, commemorated the anniversary on Sunday.”As anti-racism, inclusion efforts & law enforcement reforms face serious setbacks, we must continue advocating for racial justice & equality globally — with greater determination & strength,” Turk wrote on X.A memorial event was held this weekend at what has been named George Floyd Square, the area of Minneapolis where the 46-year-old took his final breath as police officer Derek Chauvin knelt on his neck during an arrest.Dozens of people on Sunday visited the small junction set in a residential part of the northern US city, which is covered with protest art, including a purple mural that reads “You Changed the World, George.”That optimistic message painted in 2020 is now, however, at odds with a president whose more extreme allies have suggested he pardon Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering Floyd and sentenced to more than 22 years in prison.Some experts believe Trump’s re-election was partly a backlash to BLM activism, which included protests that turned to riots in some cities and calls to defund the police.Floyd’s family members told AFP on Friday that they wanted people to continue pushing for reform despite the hostile political climate.”We don’t need an executive order to tell us that Black lives matter,” said his aunt Angela Harrelson, who wore a dark T-shirt depicting Floyd’s face.”We cannot let a setback be a holdback for the great comeback. Donald Trump just didn’t get the memo,” she added to nods from other relatives standing beside her.Paris Stevens, a Floyd cousin, agreed: “No one can silence us anymore.”- ‘Easy to forget’ -Protests marking Floyd’s death have also been planned in a handful of other US cities, including Chicago and Dallas, but no major rallies were expected. In Minneapolis, some people cried and others laid flowers or stuffed animals by the roadside spot where Floyd’s fatal arrest was filmed and shared around the world.”George Floyd may be resting in peace and power, but he’s alive through everyone that shows up here,” WD Foster-Graham, an author who grew up in the same neighborhood, told AFP Sunday.”It can be very easy to forget, but as one person to another, make sure we never forget and let those powers that be know we haven’t forgotten, and we’re not going away,” the 73-year-old added. Jamie Dencklau, 30, said it was important to show that Floyd’s death was not just a “moment in time.”But the nonprofit worker from Minneapolis said she was upset about Trump, who has a track record of racially charged rhetoric and heavy support from far-right figures.”It’s disheartening to see that our country has elected this individual as our president, and it really makes me question how important equity and inclusivity are to our community,” she said.Memorial events have been held annually since Floyd’s death and the theme for this one -– “The People Have Spoken” -– was suggested by Nelson Mandela’s grandson Nkosi when he visited the square, according to Floyd’s aunt Harrelson.She said the defiant title was meant to reflect five years of protesting, adding that “even though it’s tiresome, we go on.”