Category: 2. World

The ban, originally proposed by far-right Vox party, affects Muslims celebrating religious holidays in sports centres in Jumilla.

A ban imposed by a southeastern Spanish town on religious gatherings in public sports centres, which will mainly affect members of the local Muslim community, has sparked criticism from the left-wing government and a United Nations official.

Spain’s Migration Minister Elma Saiz said on Friday that the ban, approved by the conservative local government of Jumilla last week, was “shameful”, urging local leaders to “take a step back” and apologise to residents.

The ban, approved by the mayor’s centre-right Popular Party, would be enacted in sports centres used by local Muslims in recent years to celebrate religious holidays like Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha.

It was originally proposed by the far-right Vox party, with amendments passed before approval. Earlier this week, Vox’s branch in the Murcia region celebrated the measure, saying on X that “Spain is and always will be a land of Christian roots!”

The town’s mayor, Seve Gonzalez, told Spain’s El Pais newspaper that the measure did not single out any one group and that her government wanted to “promote cultural campaigns that defend our identity”.

But Mohamed El Ghaidouni, secretary of the Union of Islamic Communities of Spain, said it amounted to “institutionalised Islamophobia”, taking issue with the local government’s assertion that the Muslim festivals celebrated in the centres were “foreign to the town’s identity”.

The ban, he said, “clashes with the institutions of the Spanish state” that protect religious freedom.

Saiz told Spain’s Antena 3 broadcaster that policies like the ban in Jumilla harm “citizens who have been living for decades in our towns, in our cities, in our country, contributing and perfectly integrated without any problems of coexistence”.

Separately, Miguel Moratinos, the UN special envoy to combat Islamophobia, said he was “shocked” by the City Council of Jumilla’s decision and expressed “deep concern about the rise in xenophobic rhetoric and Islamophobic sentiments in some regions in Spain”.

I am shocked by the decision of the City Council of Jumilla to ban religious rituals and/or celebrations in municipal facilities in the municipality of Jumilla, region of Murcia, Spain.

🔗 Full Statement ⬇️https://t.co/WHADpxgITo pic.twitter.com/Rd92XMdpVF

— Miguel Ángel Moratinos (@MiguelMoratinos) August 8, 2025

“The decision undermines the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion” as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he said in a statement on Friday.

“Policies that single out or disproportionately affect one community pose a threat to social cohesion and erode the principle of living together in peace,” he added.

Far-right clashes with locals

For centuries, Spain was ruled by Muslims, whose influence is present both in the Spanish language and in many of the country’s most celebrated landmarks, including Granada’s famed Moorish Alhambra Palace.

Islamic rule ended in 1492 when the last Arab kingdom in Spain fell to the Catholics.

The ban stipulates that municipal sports facilities can only be used for athletic activities or events organised by local authorities. Under no circumstance, it said, can the centre be used for “cultural, social or religious activities foreign to the City Council”.

Its introduction follows clashes between far-right groups and residents and migrants that erupted last month in the southern Murcia region after an elderly resident in the town of Torre-Pacheco was beaten up by assailants believed to be of Moroccan origin.

Right-wing governments elsewhere in Europe have passed measures similar to the ban in Jumilla, striking at the heart of ongoing debates across the continent about nationalism and religious and cultural pluralism.

Last year in Monfalcone, a large industrial port city in northeastern Italy with a significant Bangladeshi immigrant population, far-right mayor Anna Maria Cisint banned prayers in a cultural centre.

The move led to protests involving some 8,000 people, and the city’s Muslim community is appealing it in a regional court.

TEL AVIV: Israel’s decision to take over Gaza City was met with resignation and defiance by Palestinians who have survived two years of war and repeated raids. Many Israelis responded with fear and anger, worried it could be a death sentence for hostages held in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced on Friday that Israel would intensify its 22-month war with Hamas by taking over Gaza City, large parts of which have been destroyed by past bombardment and ground incursions.

A major ground operation is almost sure to cause more mass displacement and worsen an already catastrophic humanitarian crisis.

“What does (Israel) want from us? … There is nothing here to occupy,” said a woman in Gaza City who identified herself as Umm Youssef. “There is no life here. I have to walk every day for more than 15 minutes to get drinking water.”

Ruby Chen, a dual US-Israeli citizen whose son, Itay, is a hostage held in Gaza, told The Associated Press that the decision puts the remaining hostages in danger.

“What is the plan now that is different from the last 22 months?” he said.

Ehud Olmert, a former prime minister and harsh critic of Netanyahu, told the AP “there’s not any objective that can be achieved that’s worth the cost of the lives of the hostages, the soldiers” and civilians, echoing concerns expressed by many former top security officials in Israel.

‘I will die here’

Netanyahu says military pressure is key to achieving Israel’s war goals of returning all the hostages and destroying Hamas. On Thursday, he told Fox News that Israel intends to eventually take over all of Gaza and hand it over to a friendly Arab civilian administration.

But Hamas has survived nearly two years of war and several large-scale ground operations, including in Gaza City. In a statement, the militant group said the people of Gaza would “remain defiant against occupation” and warned Israel that the incursion “will not be a walk in the park.”

Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fled Gaza City in the opening weeks of the war, the first of several mass displacements. Many returned during a ceasefire earlier this year. Now, residents say they are too busy searching for food and trying to survive amid the city’s bombed-out buildings and tent camps to think about another exodus.

“I have no intention to leave my home, I will die here,” said Kamel Abu Nahel from the city’s urban Shati refugee camp.

Israel already controls and has largely destroyed around 75 percent of the Gaza Strip, with most of its population of some 2 million Palestinians now sheltering in Gaza City, the central city of Deir Al-Balah and the sprawling displacement camps in the Muwasi area along the coast.

The offensive has killed over 61,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians. It says women and children make up around half the dead. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The United Nations and other experts consider its figures to be the most reliable estimate of casualties, while Israel disputes them.

Ismail Zaydah said he and his family had remained in Gaza City throughout the war.

“This is our land, there is no other place for us to go,” he said. “We are not surrendering … We were born here, and here we die.”

‘This madman called Netanyahu’

Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people in the Oct. 7, 2023 attack that started the war and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians. Though most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals, 50 are still in Gaza, less than half of them believed by Israel to be alive.

Relatives of many of the hostages and their supporters have repeatedly protested against the continuation of the war, demanding that Israel reach a ceasefire with Hamas that would include the return of their loved ones. The long-running talks broke down last month.

“Somebody’s got to stop this madman called Netanyahu,” said Yehuda Cohen, whose son Nimrod is held hostage. He said faith in the United States to help is also dwindling. “I lost hope with Donald Trump … he’s letting Netanyahu just do whatever he likes,” he said.

But other Israelis voiced support for the decision.

“They need to go after Hamas,” said Susan Makin, a Tel Aviv resident. “Why are they not asking why Hamas has not given back the hostages and put (down) their arms?”

The agony around the plight of the hostages has worsened in recent days as Palestinians militants have released videos showing two of the captives emaciated and pleading for their lives. Families fear their loved ones, who may be held in other parts of Gaza, are running out time.

Amir Avivi, a retired Israeli general and chairman of Israel’s Defense and Security Forum, said there are a few hostages in Gaza City and the army will have to decide how to manage the situation.

He said they might be able to surround the hostages and negotiate directly with their captors or leave those areas untouched. Under pressure, Hamas might decide to release the captives, he said.

That strategy carries great risk. Last year, Israeli forces recovered the bodies of six hostages who were killed by their captors when troops approached the tunnel where they were being held.

A protester who was threatened with arrest under the Terrorism Act for holding a Palestinian flag and having signs saying “Free Gaza” and “Israel is committing genocide” is taking legal action against the police force involved.

Armed police told Laura Murton, 42, that her demonstration in Canterbury, Kent, last month expressed views supportive of Palestine Action, which had been banned under terrorism legislation earlier in July.

Murton said neither of her signs mentioned Palestine Action. When asked directly whether she supported any proscribed organisations, she replied: “I do not.”

Her solicitors have now issued a letter of claim on her behalf to the chief constable of Kent police in what was also said to be a move to remind other police forces of their responsibilities when it comes to peaceful protests by pro-Palestine demonstrators this weekend.

Murton will be seeking damages and intends to donate any compensation to Palestinian causes, as well as an apology and details of what has happened to any information that the police recorded about her.

Shamik Dutta from Bhatt Murphy, who is representing Murton, said: “The legal challenge is being brought because as matters stand our client has neither received any apology nor any acknowledgment that Kent police conduct has been unlawful.

“She has had no indication that no further action will be taken against her in relation to her protest on 14 July 2025 or that no further action will be taken against her if she wishes to engage in a materially similar protest in the future.”

In the encounter last month, which Murton filmed, one officer told her: “Mentioning freedom of Gaza, Israel, genocide, all of that all come under proscribed groups, which are terror groups that have been dictated by the government.”

He went on to say that the phrase “free Gaza” was “supportive of Palestine Action”, adding that it was an offence “to express an opinion or belief that is supportive of a proscribed organisation, namely Palestine Action is an offence under section 12(1A) of the Terrorism Act”. The officer told her she had committed that offence.

The officers said they would arrest Murton unless she provided her name and address, which she reluctantly agreed to do.

Kent police were approached for comment.

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are planning on meeting in Alaska, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

Mr. Trump confirmed on Truth Social the meeting will take place in Alaska on Friday, August 15.

One senior White House official told CBS News the planning for next Friday’s summit is still fluid, and that it is still possible that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy could end up being involved in some way. 

The White House said earlier this week that Mr. Trump is open to meeting with both Putin and Zelenskyy, but Mr. Trump suggested Friday he may start by just meeting with Putin, telling reporters he plans to “start off with Russia.” Mr. Trump also said he believes “we have a shot at” organizing a trilateral meeting with the Ukrainian and Russian leaders.

Russian businessman and Putin adviser Kirill Dmitriev acknowledged the planned meeting in a post on X that didn’t mention the Russia-Ukraine war. He suggested the U.S. and Russia should “partner on environment, infrastructure & energy in Arctic and beyond.”

The expected meeting comes as Mr. Trump presses Putin to strike a ceasefire deal with Ukraine. It would be the first face-to-face meeting between Putin and an American leader since former President Joe Biden met with his Russian counterpart in Switzerland in June 2021, eight months before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Friday, August 8, is the Trump-imposed deadline for Putin to either cut a ceasefire deal or face hefty sanctions targeting the Russian economy, including possible secondary sanctions on countries that do business with Russia. Mr. Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Indian goods earlier this week, in part because India buys oil from Russia.

The status of those additional sanctions is unclear.

“This is another opportunity for the Arctic to serve as a venue that brings together world leaders to forge meaningful agreements,” Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska wrote in a social media post Friday night regarding the meeting. “While I remain deeply wary of Putin and his regime, I hope these discussions lead to genuine progress and help end the war on equitable terms.”

Mr. Trump has grown frustrated with Putin in recent weeks, as Russia has continued to pummel Ukrainian cities with drone and missile attacks. Mr. Trump has described some of his recent phone calls with the Russian president as disappointing.

The Trump administration’s tone has appeared to shift in recent days. Mr. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Putin in Moscow for hours on Wednesday, which the U.S. president described as “very productive.” The White House and the Kremlin later indicated they were open to a Putin-Trump summit.

The president told reporters Friday: “President Putin, I believe, wants to see peace, and Zelenskyy wants to see peace.”

But the actual terms of any possible peace deal remain unclear. Russia’s military occupies large swaths of eastern Ukraine, including both territories that it has captured since 2022 and ones that it annexed in a lower-intensity conflict that began in 2014. 

Russian leadership has indicated in the past that it wants Ukraine to withdraw its own forces from much of the country’s east — possibly including areas that Russia hasn’t even captured — and to end its longstanding push to join NATO. Zelenskyy has pushed back on those demands.

Mr. Trump said Friday he expects “some swapping of territories” between Russia and Ukraine.

The U.S. president has blamed both Zelenskyy and Putin at various points for slow progress on a ceasefire deal. Mr. Trump publicly argued with Zelenskyy in the Oval Office earlier this year, and he claimed Zelenskyy was prolonging the conflict by refusing to cede the Crimean peninsula to Russia. The Trump administration has also paused military assistance to Ukraine at least twice, before restoring the aid shipments.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said early on Saturday that “Ukrainians will not give their land to occupiers” after Donald Trump said he would meet Vladimir Putin next week and that an end to the war must involve “some swapping of territories”.

The Ukrainian president said Kyiv was ready for real solutions that could bring peace but that any solutions without Ukraine would be against peace. “Any decisions against us, any decisions without Ukraine, are also decisions against peace. They will achieve nothing,” he said, adding that the war “cannot be ended without us, without Ukraine”.

Trump said he planned to meet the Russian president next Friday in Alaska. He announced the location in a brief post on his Truth Social site.

Russian state media agency Tass confirmed the date and location of the meeting, citing Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov.

Earlier in the day, Trump told reporters in the White House the meeting “would have been sooner, but I guess there’s security arrangements that unfortunately people have to make”.

The US president also said “there’ll be some swapping of territories to the betterment of both” Ukraine and Russia and that the issue would be discussed soon but he gave no further details.

Bloomberg reported on Friday that the deal could cement some of Putin’s territorial gains in Ukraine, in effect freezing the battle lines in the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia regions. Putin has claimed four Ukrainian regions in their entirety, although much of their territory remains under Ukrainian control.

US and Russian officials were working on a deal under which Russia would halt its offensive in exchange for the territorial concessions – making it a politically fraught proposal in Ukraine, Bloomberg said.

Trump’s comments came after Poland’s prime minister said a “freeze” in the conflict could be close, after speaking with the Ukrainian leader, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has communicated with Trump and European leaders in recent days.

“There are certain signals, and we also have an intuition, that perhaps a freeze in the conflict – I don’t want to say the end, but a freeze in the conflict – is closer than it is further away,” Donald Tusk said during a news conference. “There are hopes for this.”

Tusk said Zelenskyy was “very cautious but optimistic” about the ceasefire, Reuters reported. Ukraine was keen that Poland and other European countries play a role in planning for a ceasefire and an eventual peace settlement, Tusk said.

Trump has previously expressed his readiness to meet Putin one on one without preconditions, including direct negotiations between Putin and Zelenskyy, stoking fears that Ukraine may be left out of negotiations for the framework of a potential ceasefire.

If the summit happens, it would be the first US-Russia summit since 2021, when former president Joe Biden met Putin in Geneva.

Zelenskyy has responded by speaking with European leaders including the German chancellor, Friedrich Merz, and the French president, Emmanuel Macron, who are key conduits to Trump.

The US envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed a three-way meeting with Trump, Putin and Zelenskyy but the Kremlin had ignored that suggestion, said the Putin aide Yuri Ushakov, and was “focusing on preparations for a bilateral meeting with Trump in the first place”.

Putin has said he is not ready to meet Zelenskyy, even as the Kremlin claimed preparations were under way for a bilateral summit with Trump next week.

“I have nothing against it in general, it is possible, but certain conditions must be created for this,” Putin said of a meeting with Zelenskyy. “But unfortunately, we are still far from creating such conditions.”

Last month, Trump issued an ultimatum for Putin to agree to a ceasefire or face secondary sanctions with the deadline set for this Friday. That deadline appeared in place despite plans for the summit, although the White House has not said what secondary measures it could enforce.

Trump did target India with a 25% tariff hike for purchasing Russian oil this week, singling out one of Moscow’s economic enablers in a move that New Delhi complained was unfair and selective.

Trump had grown frustrated with Putin in public in recent months as the war dragged through its third year and Putin continued to launch nightly missile and drone strikes on Ukrainian cities despite Trump’s insistence that he could strike a deal within 24 hours of becoming president.

“Putin … talks nice and then he bombs everybody in the evening,” Trump said last month. “So there’s a little bit of a problem there.”

It’s been a while, but Trump and Putin are no strangerspublished at 10:54 British Summer Time

10:54 BST

Madeline Halpert
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

The first time Trump and Putin held face-to-face talks was on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, in 2017. Both sides said they talked about a wide range of topics, including Russia’s alleged meddling in the US election.

Later in 2017, the US and Russian leaders met at the APEC conference in Da Nang, Vietnam, where they discussed “their determination to defeat ISIS in Syria”, according to a joint statement at the time.

The following year, a Russia-US summit was held in Helsinki. The two men held nearly two hours of private talks in the Finnish capital.

There, Trump sparked an uproar when he sided with Russia, contradicting US intelligence agencies by saying the country had not interfered in the 2016 presidential election.

US intelligence agencies had concluded that Russia was involved in an effort to tip the scale of the US election against former US presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, with cyber attacks and fake news stories.

“President Putin says it’s not Russia. I don’t see any reason why it would be,” Trump said at the time.

The two also met in 2019 at the G20 summit in Japan, where, in front of reporters, Trump told Putin with a smirk: “Don’t interfere in the election.”

A tense phone call between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump over a ceasefire between India and Pakistan has emerged as a key flashpoint in the dramatic collapse of ties between the two leaders, according to a report published by American financial publication Bloomberg.

The two leaders spoke during the June G7 summit in Canada, where Modi attended as a guest. At Trump’s request, the two held a 35-minute call, which Indian officials say, centred on Trump’s insistence that Washington deserved credit for brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following four-days of clashes in May.

Modi, according to the Indian account, rejected Trump’s claims, asserting that the talks to cease military hostilities took place directly through military channels between New Delhi and Islamabad, and only at Pakistan’s request. “India has not accepted mediation in the past and will never do so,” Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri told reporters after the call.

Misri’s claim was in sharp contrast with President Trump’s insistence that he had brokered the truce between India and Pakistan. Islamabad has also repeatedly said that Modi approached the American leader with a request to play a role in cessation of hostilities between the two nuclear neighbours.

Tensions escalated sharply after the Indian leader learned that Trump planned to host Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, for a lunch at the White House the following day. According to officials briefed on the matter, that moment brought the diplomatic tension to a head.

Bloomberg reports that on June 17, Trump extended an invitation to Modi for a formal dinner at the White House. However, the Indian premier declined the invite, fearing that the meeting could be used to orchestrate a direct encounter with Field Marshal Munir.

The fallout quickly spilled into the public sphere. Within weeks, Trump imposed additional 25% tariffs on Indian exports, citing New Delhi’s continued purchases of Russian oil as a core concern. With some duties now reaching as high as 50%, India is facing one of the steepest tariff barriers of any US trading partner. The tariffs are expected to take effect on August 17, unless a trade deal is reached in time.

Speaking at a press event this month, Trump described the Indian economy as “dead”, slammed India’s “obnoxious” trade barriers, and accused the country of showing little concern for Ukrainian casualties in its neutral stance on the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The breakdown in relations marks a stark reversal in a strategic partnership that has been nurtured for decades. Both countries have long viewed each other as critical democratic allies, particularly as a counterweight to growing Chinese influence in the Indo-Pacific.

“The carefully crafted consensus of successive administrations has brought the two largest democracies together for almost three decades,” said Eric Garcetti, who served as US Ambassador to India until January. “The administration’s actions could endanger this progress if not brought to quick resolution. I hope cooler minds prevail in both capitals. There’s too much at stake.”

Since the contentious June call, Modi and Trump have reportedly not spoken again. India’s Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to media requests for comment, while the White House also declined to clarify the US role in the India-Pakistan ceasefire or provide updates on bilateral relations.

Meanwhile, State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott, during a Thursday briefing, said Trump was “taking action to address concerns about trade imbalances and India’s continued purchases of Russian oil.”

Displaced repeatedly. Forced to live in tent camps or amid the ruins of their homes. Stricken by hunger and deprived of medical supplies.

Now, 22 months into the war, around 1 million Palestinians are bracing for another catastrophe after the Israeli security cabinet’s decision to take control of Gaza City. Such an offensive would force them toward the south of the territory, and an uncertain future.

“Since this morning, after hearing the news of evacuation of Gaza City, I have been feeling anxious and afraid,” said Umm Ibrahim Banat, a 55-year-old mother originally from northern Gaza, who has already been displaced four times. “Where will we go with the children and the elderly? I swear we are exhausted from displacement, starvation, and being driven from one place to another.”

“Now,” she said, “We are the walking dead.”

After a 10-hour overnight meeting, the Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced on Friday that his security cabinet had approved a plan to take over Gaza City, marking another escalation of Israel’s offensive that has killed at least 61,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians.

According to Israel’s Channel 12 the plan, which would mean sending ground troops into the territory, could displace tens of thousands of people and further disrupt efforts to deliver food to the territory and force approximately 1 million Palestinians in Gaza City and other areas into evacuation areas in the southern part of the strip.

“Gaza has been completely destroyed – what more can they do?”, said Banat, whose daughter Maryam was killed with her husband and children. “We have lost the best of our youth; our territory is a huge prison besieged by land, sea and air; the destruction has become unbearable; diseases are spreading, tents stretch as far as the eye can see, water is contaminated, prices are insane, hospitals are in ruins, our lives are utterly tragic! What more do they want?”

The timing of another Israeli major ground operation is unclear since it is likely to require mobilising thousands of troops. However, according to sources familiar with the details of the meeting, the evacuation of Gaza City is scheduled to be completed by 7 October.

It is unclear how many people still reside in the city, which was Gaza’s largest centre of population before the war. In the opening weeks of the conflict in 2023, hundreds of thousands fled under evacuation orders in the opening weeks of the conflict, but many returned during a ceasefire at the start of this year.

Although residents of Gaza City say they have not yet received an evacuation order, many are already preparing to leave once again, hoping to find a safe place to live in the south.

“If we are ordered to evacuate, I will leave everything and go, fearing for my family and children,” says Abu Nasser Mushtaha, 35, a father of four and a resident of Gaza’s Rimal neighbourhood. “The cost of staying would be too high. I have already lost enough; my mother was killed at the beginning of the war when the Israeli occupation bombed a neighbouring house.”

“I have already started making a financial plan to reduce expenses and planning to move only the essential items, said Mushtaha, before concluding: “This will, without a doubt, be the end of Gaza’s people.”

Palestinians, at least 90% of whom have already been displaced at least once by the war and of whom nearly one in 10 have been injured in Israeli attacks, are braced for further misery. There is little remaining of the healthcare system, and aid agencies such as the UN have been largely shut out by Israel.

The war has already forced thousands to find refuge in cities such as Khan Younis and Rafah. Now, with both reduced to little more than rubble, it is unclear where civilians escaping the new offensive can hope to live. For this reason, while thousands are already planning yet another flight, just as many are determined to remain in Gaza City – even if it means risking their lives.

“How can all these people be emptied into the south, which is already overcrowded?” asked Hossam al-Saqa, 46, a father of two from Gaza City. “We are staying in our homes and on our land, holding on to them. I will not leave, even if all the weapons are pointed at my head.”

“I see Netanyahu’s and Israel’s propaganda as nothing more than media fireworks meant to intimidate and spread fear among the people,” he said. “This will not scare us, for God is with us, and He is stronger than everyone.”

Al-Saqa, like others in Gaza City, said he saw the occupation plan as an attempt to pressure Hamas into accepting surrender after talks mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar appeared to have broken down last month.

“This is our land where we grew up since childhood, and we will not give it up easily,” said Ibrahim Abu al-Husni, 47, who lost his eldest son, who was 23, during the war. “I will not leave this city.”

“I will live here,” he said, And I will die here.”