Iran expected to resist US plan to move uranium stockpile to third country

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Issue is seen as a key stumbling block in talks with US as Washington seeks to scale back Iran’s nuclear programme

Iran is expected to resist a US proposal to transfer its stockpile of highly enriched uranium to a third country – such as Russia – as part of Washington’s effort to scale back Tehran’s civil nuclear programme and prevent it from being used to develop a nuclear weapon.

The issue, seen as one of the key stumbling blocks to a future agreement, was raised in the initial, largely indirect, talks held in Muscat, Oman, between Iran’s foreign minister, Abbas Araghchi, and Donald Trump’s special envoy Steve Witkoff.

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Woman killed in late-night drive-by shooting in Sydney suburb

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Police searching for perpetrators after multiple shots fired at home in Ambarvale, on the city south-west outskirts

A drive-by shooting has killed a woman in her 60s and left a suburban Sydney home peppered with bullet holes.

Those responsible remained on the run on Tuesday following the overnight attack in Ambarvale on Sydney’s south-west outskirts.

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Trump officials cut billions in Harvard funds after university defies demands

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Education department says $2.3bn in funds to be frozen after university rejects slew of demands as political ploy

The US education department is freezing about $2.3bn in federal funds to Harvard University, the agency said on Monday.

The announcement comes as the Ivy League school has decided to fight the White House’s demands that it crack down on antisemitism and alleged civil rights violations, including shutting down diversity, equity and inclusion programs.

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Thousands of Israeli reservists condemn leadership for return to war – The Washington Post

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  1. Thousands of Israeli reservists condemn leadership for return to war  The Washington Post
  2. Why Mossad and Shin Bet Veterans Are Now Calling to End the War in Gaza  Haaretz
  3. Ex-Israeli military and spy agency leaders say Netanyahu should end 'political' war in Gaza  NBC News
  4. Dissent against war grows in Israel’s military as reservists from elite unit join protest movement  CNN
  5. Ex-hostages, prominent authors join mounting calls for deal – even if it ends war  The Times of Israel
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‘Still in disbelief’: Fired USAID worker speaks out as Trump targets agency – KING5.com

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  1. 'Still in disbelief': Fired USAID worker speaks out as Trump targets agency  KING5.com
  2. Dozens of USAID contracts were canceled last weekend. Here's what happened : Goats and Soda  NPR
  3. U.S. Slashes Many of the Aid Programs It Had Promised to Keep  The New York Times
  4. Exclusive: Trump administration moves to restore some terminated foreign aid programs, sources say  Reuters
  5. USAID reverses course and restores some humanitarian aid contracts after WFP warning of possible deadly consequences  CNN
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Suspected US airstrikes kill at least 7 people in Yemen, Houthi rebels say – AP News

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  1. Suspected US airstrikes kill at least 7 people in Yemen, Houthi rebels say  AP News
  2. Exclusive | U.S. Strikes Spur Plans for Yemeni Ground War Against Houthis  WSJ
  3. US strikes Houthi targets in Hodeidah, western Yemen - report  The Jerusalem Post
  4. US attacks on Yemen killed 123 people since mid-March: Health authorities  Al Jazeera
  5. Yemeni factions plan ground offensive against Houthis amid US strikes, officials say  Middle East Eye
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Sudan in ‘world’s largest humanitarian crisis’ after two years of civil war

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NGOs and UN say country is ‘worse off than ever before’ with wide-scale displacement, hunger and attacks on refugee camps

Sudan is suffering from the largest humanitarian crisis globally and its civilians are continuing to pay the price for inaction by the international community, NGOs and the UN have said, as the country’s civil war enters its third year.

The UK is hosting ministers from 20 countries in London on Tuesday in an attempt to restart stalled peace talks. However, diplomatic efforts have often been sidelined by other crises, including the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

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Deadly floods and storms affected more than 400,000 people in Europe in 2024

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European State of the Climate report ‘lays bare’ impact of fossil fuels on continent during its hottest 12 months on record

The home-wrecking storms and floods that swept Europe last year affected 413,000 people, a report has found, as fossil fuel pollution forced the continent to suffer through its hottest year on record.

Dramatic scenes of cars piled up on inundated streets and bridges being ripped away by raging torrents were seen around the continent in 2024, with “high” floods on 30% of the European river network and 12% crossing the “severe” flood threshold, according to the European State of the Climate report.

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Republican supporters of Ukraine put pressure on Trump after missile strikes – The Guardian

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  1. Republican supporters of Ukraine put pressure on Trump after missile strikes  The Guardian
  2. Analysis: Trump calls Sumy missile strike a ‘mistake.’ But Russia’s war seems to be raging on exactly to Putin’s plan  CNN
  3. Russian missiles hit Ukrainian city of Sumy during Palm Sunday celebrations, killing more than 30  AP News
  4. Russia’s Palm Sunday attack against Ukraine triggers calls for more US pressure on Putin  The Hill
  5. Civilian Death Toll in Ukraine Climbs as Putin Resists Trump’s Peace Drive  WSJ
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Exclusive | U.S. Strikes Spur Plans for Yemeni Ground War Against Houthis – WSJ

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  1. Exclusive | U.S. Strikes Spur Plans for Yemeni Ground War Against Houthis  WSJ
  2. Yemeni gov't reportedly preparing 80,000 man assault on Houthi-controlled Hodeidah port  The Jerusalem Post
  3. As U.S. Pounds Houthis From Red Sea, Yemeni Ground Forces Are Arming Up  The Maritime Executive
  4. Yemen government 'planning to retake Hodeidah port'  thenationalnews.com
  5. Houthis Threaten Major U.S. Ally in Fiery Warning, Vow to Cripple Oil Empire | Attack On Saudi Next?  MSN
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More than 400 killed by rebel group in Sudan says UN – BBC

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  1. More than 400 killed by rebel group in Sudan says UN  BBC
  2. 'Death is everywhere': Sudan camp residents shelter from attacks  BBC
  3. Up to 400,000 displaced from Darfur camp after Sudan RSF takeover, UN agency says  CNN
  4. Sudanese Paramilitaries Kill Entire Clinic Staff in Famine-Struck Camp  The New York Times
  5. Sudan's RSF claims control of major Darfur camp, civilians flee  Reuters
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EU plan to end Russian oil and gas imports due out in May – Reuters

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  1. EU plan to end Russian oil and gas imports due out in May  Reuters
  2. Back to Russian gas? Trump-wary EU has energy security dilemma  Reuters
  3. EU mulls plan to let importers break Russian gas contracts without penalties  The Guardian
  4. German, French energy giants consider restoring gas supplies from Russia's Gazprom, Reuters reports  The Kyiv Independent
  5. EU may resume Russian gas imports – Reuters  Українська правда
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US begins inquiry into pharmaceutical and chip imports in bid to impose tariffs

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Notices show Trump administration setting stage for levies on both sectors on national security grounds

The Trump administration is kicking off investigations into imports of pharmaceuticals and semiconductors as part of a bid to impose tariffs on both sectors on national security grounds, notices posted to the Federal Register on Monday showed.

The filings scheduled to be published on Wednesday set a 21-day deadline from that date for the submission of public comment on the issue and indicate the administration intends to pursue the levies under authority granted by the Trade Expansion Act of 1962. Such inquiries need to be completed within 270 days after being announced.

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JD Vance fumbles Ohio State’s national title trophy during White House visit

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  • Vice-president unable to hang on to trophy
  • Buckeyes were celebrating last season’s title win

JD Vance, the man entrusted as America’s back-up in times of emergency, may not be the safest pair of hands if Monday’s events are anything to go by. The vice-president ended the Ohio State football team’s visit to the White House by fumbling the team’s national championship trophy.

After laudatory speeches by Donald Trump, Buckeyes coach Ryan Day and Vance on the South Lawn, the Vance – an Ohio State graduate – tried to lift the trophy. He didn’t appear to realize that the top of the trophy is detachable from its base. After a moment of struggle, the vice-president lost his grip on the two pieces. OSU running back TreVeyon Henderson, standing behind Vance, grabbed the football-shaped top of the trophy, but the base fell to the ground, forcing Vance to grasp around as it rolled away from him.

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