Erdoğan says ‘constructive’ Trump meeting could boost U.S.-Türkiye defence ties
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said on Thursday that his recent talks with U.S. President Donald Trump would likely produce a “positive out...
U.S. President Donald Trump addressed crowds on Washington's National Mall on Saturday night after severe weather delayed his appearance at celebrations marking the United States' 250th independence anniversary.
The event was briefly halted when thunderstorms forced thousands of people to leave the open field near the Washington Monument and take shelter in nearby museums and government buildings. Once the weather cleared, spectators were allowed back in before Trump took to the stage.
"There’s no way we can be deterred," Trump told the crowd, adding that he would have been prepared to wait longer if needed.
Many visitors had spent hours queuing to enter the event, facing tight security and temperatures of up to 39°C. The intense heat also led to several parades and other outdoor celebrations being cancelled across the capital.
Trump lauded American achievements such as war victories, the lunar landing and the Wright brothers' pioneering flight, as well as the U.S. system of government in general. But he also urged Congress to pass stalled legislation that would limit mail ballots and require proof of citizenship to register to vote, said he had "wiped out" Iran's military and cautioned against a rise of communism in the United States.
"We like to stop a threat like that immediately and before it begins. It's like a cancer – you've got to cut it out and you got to cut it out fast," he said.
The Republican president has in the past repeatedly referred to left-wing Democratic candidates who have won a string of primary elections as "communists," though he did not explicitly do so on Saturday.
The anniversary celebrations have taken on a distinctly political tone under Trump's administration.
Before Trump, presidents generally avoided in-person appearances at 4 July celebrations, but he has blurred the line between official commemoration and campaign-style politics. Aside from a similar address that Trump gave in 2019, no U.S. president has delivered a 4 July speech on the Mall since 1951.
The Trump administration's Freedom 250 group has largely sidelined a nonpartisan body set up in 2016 to handle the 250th anniversary and has fenced off much of the 1.5-mile (2.4-km) Mall for a "Great American State Fair" featuring attractions such as a Ferris wheel alongside displays by conservative groups and defense contractors.
Freedom 250 says the fair aims to showcase the people and innovations that make the U.S. "the greatest nation on Earth."
However, the approach has drawn criticism from opponents, who argue the celebrations have become too partisan. Several Democratic-led states chose not to send official delegations, while a number of performers withdrew from the programme.
A Reuters Ipsos poll found that most Americans believe the country's 250th anniversary celebrations have become too political, including large majorities of Democrats and around half of Republicans.
The event also drew members of the white nationalist group Patriot Front, which said it had travelled to Washington for the celebrations. Police said they received no reports of violence.
It has been a punishing week for large parts of China, and forecasters warn the worst may not be over. After Typhoon Maysak left a trail of destruction and at least 23 people dead, Super Typhoon Bavi is now threatening the country's eastern coast.
At least 12 people have been killed in forest fires in Almeria in southern Spain, Andalucía’s emergency agency has said, as firefighters continue efforts to put out the blaze.
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the memorandum of understanding signed with Iran to end the conflict was "over", adding he did not want to engage with Tehran, calling the Iranian leadership "sick people".
The death toll from Venezuela's twin earthquakes has risen to 3,811, according to figures released by National Assembly President Jorge Rodriguez on Wednesday.
The U.S. military said on Wednesday it launched fresh strikes on Iran to keep the Strait of Hormuz open to shipping, triggering Iranian attacks on Kuwait and Bahrain in the latest escalation to derail efforts to end the war.
China's technology sector is producing billion-dollar startups at its fastest pace in nearly five years, with artificial intelligence and robotics driving a new wave of investment that is reshaping the country's innovation economy.
Right-wing British politician Ann Widdecombe has died at the age of 78. The death of the former Conservative MP, television personality and Reform UK spokesperson was announced by her management company on Friday.
Andy Burnham is on the brink of becoming Labour leader and prime minister after securing the overwhelming backing of Labour MPs in the first round of leadership nominations.
The 4th Shusha Global Media Forum will bring together nearly 160 media leaders, experts and officials from 54 countries in Azerbaijan's historic city of Shusha on 13-14 July, to discuss journalism’s role in peacebuilding, restoring public trust and tackling challenges.
Ukraine and the United States have reached a political agreement on licences to produce Patriot missile interceptors in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Thursday.
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