live U.S. and Iran trade threats as World focus' on reopening Strait of Hormuz - Middle East conflict on 3 April
Iran has rejected claims it has been weakened, vowing instead “more crushing” attacks against the United States and ...
Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday that recent “unilateral attacks” on his country’s institutions and economy were intolerable, delivering a pointed criticism of U.S. foreign policy.
His remarks echoed his long-standing reproach of U.S. President Donald Trump, who has imposed tariffs, visa bans and financial sanctions in response to the conviction of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for attempting to stage a coup after losing the 2022 election.
“Assaults on sovereignty, arbitrary sanctions and unilateral interventions are becoming the norm,” Lula said, without mentioning Trump by name. “There is no justification for unilateral and arbitrary measures against our institutions and our economy.”
On Monday, Washington imposed sanctions on the wife of the judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s Supreme Court trial, which Trump dismissed as a “witch hunt,” and revoked the visas of six senior Brazilian officials.
Previously, the Trump administration had sanctioned Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes under the Magnitsky Act and introduced a 50% tariff on U.S. imports of many Brazilian products.
Lula also defended the investigation and due process that led to Bolsonaro’s conviction, which resulted in a 27-year prison sentence for his attempted coup to remain in power.
“He was afforded full rights to a defence,” Lula said. “Before the eyes of the world, Brazil sent a clear message to all aspiring autocrats and their allies: our democracy and sovereignty are not up for negotiation.”
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
A U.S. fighter jet has reportedly been shot down over Iran, with a search and rescue operation underway for the crew, Reuters reported on Friday
France and South Korea have agreed to strengthen defence ties and energy security cooperation following a two-day visit by French President Emmanuel Macron to Seoul.
In a highly unusual move highlighting shifting narcotics diplomacy, the U.S. has handed over a Chinese fugitive accused of serious drug crimes to authorities in Beijing.
Russian forces launched a day-long barrage of drone strikes on Ukraine’s second-largest city on Thursday (2 April), injuring at least two people and sparking fires across several districts, local officials said.
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