Jerusalem (AFP) – Facing increasing isolation abroad and mounting pressure at home, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will defend his intention to "finish the job" in Gaza when he meets US President Donald Trump on Monday.

The meeting comes days after Trump unveiled a 21-point plan aimed at ending the war in the Palestinian territory during discussions with Arab and Muslim leaders on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly.

On Sunday, Trump hinted at "something special" to come in Middle East talks, adding in a post on his Truth Social platform: "WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!"

On Friday, Trump had told reporters in Washington "I think we have a deal" on Gaza, even as Netanyahu, speaking at the UN, vowed to "finish the job" in Israel's war against Hamas.

But experts told AFP that Netanyahu appeared to be cornered, facing growing international and domestic calls to end the war.

"He has no other choice but to accept" Trump's plan for a ceasefire, said Eytan Gilboa, an expert on US-Israel relations at Israel's Bar-Ilan University.

"Simply because the United States and Trump have remained almost his only ally in the international community."

In Israel, tens of thousands of protesters have pressured Netanyahu to agree to a ceasefire, and on Saturday they urged Trump to use his influence.

"The only thing that can stop the slide into the abyss is a full, comprehensive agreement that ends the war and brings all the hostages and the soldiers home," said Lishay Miran-Lavi, wife of Omri Miran, who remains captive in Gaza.

Directly addressing Trump, she urged: "Use your influence with Prime Minister Netanyahu."

Israel's international isolation has deepened in recent days, with countries including the UK, France, Canada and Australia officially recognising Palestinian statehood, breaking with longstanding US-led diplomatic protocols.

Trump's 21-point plan, according to a diplomatic source, envisions a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a major influx of humanitarian aid.

Arab and Muslim leaders welcomed the proposal, but have also called for an immediate halt to Israel's military operations and any occupation of Gaza.

Other elements of the plan will prove hard for Netanyahu to swallow, and could even lead to the collapse of his right-wing government coalition.

Among the most controversial is the involvement of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority (PA) in the future governance of Gaza.

The PA ruled the territory until Hamas seized control in 2007, and its potential restoration represents a red line for Netanyahu's hardline coalition partners.

While the US proposal conditions the PA's return on implementing reform programmes, these changes "could take years" to materialise, Gilboa warned.

Several far-right ministers in Netanyahu's coalition have threatened to collapse the government if he agrees to the PA's return, or if he ends the war without defeating Hamas.

However, opposition leader Yair Lapid has offered a parliamentary "safety net", promising his centrist Yesh Atid party would support a ceasefire and hostage-release deal -- but it is not clear whether other opposition parties would follow suit.

"This kind of broad plan would need a broad consensus," said Ksenia Svetlova, a former Knesset member who now heads the regional cooperation NGO ROPES.

Svetlova predicted Netanyahu would only accept parts of the deal, while trying to negotiate or postpone decisions on other elements "seem difficult in this moment".

Another contentious point in the US proposal is who would guarantee security in the Gaza Strip once the Israeli army pulls out and Hamas is disarmed.

The proposal envisions an international security force comprising Palestinian personnel alongside troops from Arab and Muslim nations.

However, critical details about command structure and operational control remain unclear.

"This plan is internationalising the Gaza conflict in an unprecedented way," Svetlova said, "but without a clear plan on who will be the guiding star, what the end goals are, who will see it through."

"The unpredictability factor runs wild here, really."

The United States has reversed its visa restrictions on Ghana as the west African nation emerges as a key deportation hub in President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. While Accra maintains it has received nothing in return for taking in deportees, one political scientist told RFI an agreement to take in more west African deportees was the "only plausible explanation".

Earlier this month, Ghanaian President John Mahama revealed that the country was accepting west Africans deported by the United States – the fifth African nation to do so.

US President Donald Trump has made so-called "third-country" deportations a hallmark of his anti-immigration crackdown, sending people to countries where they have no ties or family.

Accra has insisted it has received nothing in return for taking in the deportees, though Mahama acknowledged that the deal was struck as relations were "tightening" – with Washington imposing tariffs as well as visa restrictions in recent months.

"The US visa restrictions imposed on Ghana" have been "reversed", Ghanaian Foreign Minister Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said.

In a post on X, Ablakwa said the "good news" was delivered by US officials on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

In June, the United States announced restrictions on most visas for nationals from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Ghana and Nigeria, restricting them to three months and a single entry.

"Ghanaians can now be eligible for five-year multiple entry visas and other enhanced consular privileges," Ablakwa said.

Ablakwa attributed the US turnabout to "months of negotiations" without providing futher details.

At least 14 west Africans have been sent to Ghana since the beginning of September, though neither Accra nor Washington has made details of the arrangement public.

For political analyst Bright Simons, honorary vice-president of the Ghanaian think tank Imani, the Trump administration’s sudden change of course strongly suggests Ghana has agreed to take in further west African deportees.

“This is the only plausible explanation," Simons told RFI. "Ghana has made no announcement suggesting, for instance, a more favourable visa reciprocity policy towards the United States. The question is therefore: what prompted the US government to withdraw its restrictions? The only sensible answer is that Ghana offered something extra – and in this case, it was agreeing to take in deportees from third countries.”

Simons underlines that Cameroon and Nigeria remain under Washington’s sanctions. Both countries were hit by the same visa restrictions in July and have not since concluded migration agreements with the United States.

All of the 14 west Africans Ghana has taken in had won protection from US immigration courts against being deported to their home nations, their lawyers have told RFI. At least four of them have been forwarded on to their country of origin.

After weeks of detention in Ghana, allegedly under military guard and in poor conditions, six of the deportees were abruptly sent to Togo last weekend and left to fend for themselves, Samantha Hamilton, a lawyer for civil rights organisation (AAJC), that has filed a lawsuit in the US on behalf of the migrants, told RFI.

Another plane able to carry 14 people has since arrived in Ghana, though it was unclear how many people were on it.

Ghana has said it is accepting west Africans on humanitarian grounds and that the deal is not an "endorsement" of US immigration policy.

The return to the previous system has come as a relief for many Ghanaians. In 2024, Ghana ranked fifth on the continent for US visa approvals, and second for student visas.

(with AFP)

Tehran (AFP) – Iran on Sunday condemned as "unjustifiable" the reinstatement of United Nations sanctions over its nuclear programme, after the collapse of talks with Western powers and Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear sites.

The measures, which bar dealings linked to the Islamic republic's nuclear and ballistic missile activities, took effect overnight after Western powers triggered the so-called "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 nuclear accord.

"The reactivation of annulled resolutions is legally baseless and unjustifiable... all countries must refrain from recognising this illegal situation," the Iranian foreign ministry said in a statement.

"The Islamic Republic of Iran will firmly defend its national rights and interests, and any action aimed at undermining the rights and interests of its people will face a firm and appropriate response," it added.

The return of the sanctions ends months of tense diplomacy aimed at reviving nuclear talks derailed since June, when Israeli and US forces bombed Iranian nuclear facilities.

Despite the reimposition, Western leaders stressed channels for dialogue remained open.

Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top diplomat, on Sunday said the reimposition of sanctions "must not be the end of diplomacy", adding that "a sustainable solution to the Iranian nuclear issue can only be achieved through negotiations".

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Iran to "accept direct talks, held in good faith".

He also called on UN member states to "immediately" implement sanctions to "pressure Iran's leaders to do what is right for their nation, and best for the safety of the world".

The British, French and German foreign ministers said in a joint statement they would continue to seek "a new diplomatic solution to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear weapon".

They also called on Tehran "to refrain from any escalatory action".

Iran had allowed UN inspectors to return to its nuclear sites, but President Masoud Pezeshkian said the United States had offered only a short reprieve in return for handing over its whole stockpile of enriched uranium, a proposal he described as unacceptable.

An 11th-hour effort by Iran allies Russia and China to postpone the sanctions until April failed to win enough votes in the Security Council on Friday, leading to the measures taking effect at 3:30 am in Tehran (0000 GMT) on Sunday.

Germany, which triggered the return of sanctions alongside Britain and France, had "no choice" as Iran was not complying with its obligations, Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said.

"For us, it is imperative: Iran must never acquire a nuclear weapon," he told the UN General Assembly.

"But let me emphasise: we remain open to negotiations on a new agreement. Diplomacy can and should continue."

Russia made clear it would not enforce the sanctions, considering them invalid.

The sanctions "finally exposed the West's policy of sabotaging the pursuit of constructive solutions in the UN Security Council, as well as its desire to extract unilateral concessions from Tehran through blackmail and pressure," Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.

Iran has long contended that it is not seeking nuclear weapons.

Newspapers in the Islamic republic gave contrasting reactions to the reimposition of the sanctions.

The ultraconservative newspaper Kayhan, which opposes any dialogue with the United States, suggested the sanctions would likely have been imposed even if Iran had engaged in negotiations.

The reformist daily Ham Mihan wrote: "The big question is whether Russia and China will maintain their position".

The sanctions are a "snapback" of measures frozen in 2015 when Iran agreed to major restrictions on its nuclear programme under a deal negotiated by former president Barack Obama.

The United States already imposed massive sanctions when President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in his first term.

Iran and the United States had held several rounds of Omani-brokered talks earlier this year before they collapsed in June when first Israel and then the United States attacked Iranian nuclear facilities.

Iran recalled its envoys from Britain, France and Germany for consultations on Saturday, state television reported.

On the ground, Iranians lamented the likely impact of the new sanctions on an already squeezed economy.

"The current (economic) situation was already very difficult, but it's going to get worse," said an Iranian engineer who asked to be identified only by his first name Dariush.

"The impact of the renewed sanctions is already evident: the exchange rate is increasing, and this is leading to higher prices," the 50-year-old said, complaining that the standard of living is "much lower" than it was two or three years ago.

The economic strain was underscored on Sunday when the Iranian rial plunged to a record low against the US dollar on the black market, trading at around 1.12 million per dollar, according to the currency-tracking websites Bonbast and AlanChand.

Mumbai (AFP) – A stampede that killed dozens at a south India political rally happened after a crowd of thousands waited hours in baking heat without sufficient safeguards, officials and witnesses said Sunday.

Some 27,000 people thronged a public road in Tamil Nadu state in hopes of seeing popular actor-turned-politician Vijay on Saturday, but panic broke out and 39 were killed, authorities said.

Witnesses cited hours of delays, insufficient police presence and people falling from a tree branch onto the audience as contributing to the tragedy.

Deadly crowd incidents happen repeatedly during mass gatherings in India, often blamed on lax safety measures.

Vijay, known by one name, was addressing the rally when the crowds surged suddenly, forcing him to halt his speech in Karur district.

Videos on social media showed him tossing water bottles to supporters shortly before the panic broke out.

"My heart is shattered at this tragedy," the 51-year-old star said in a statement.

State Chief Minister M.K. Stalin told reporters on Sunday that 39 people had died, raising an earlier toll of 36.

Nine children were among the dead, he added, announcing a judicial enquiry into the disaster.

State police chief G. Venkataraman said crowds had been waiting for hours under hot sun without sufficient food and water after the public was informed that Vijay would arrive at the venue by noon.

"The crowds started coming in from 11 am. He came at 7:40 pm. The people lacked sufficient food and water under the hot sun," he told reporters.

He added 10,000 people were expected but some 27,000 turned up.

Vijay launched his own party in 2024 and has drawn huge crowds at campaign events ahead of state elections due next year.

"I was pushed down by the crowd all of a sudden. There was absolutely no space to move," B. Kanishka, a survivor, told the Hindu newspaper. "I subsequently fainted."

Others said poor organisation and an hours-long wait left people restless before the situation spiralled dangerously out of control.

Karthick, a survivor, told the publication that the situation could have been prevented "if people were not forced to wait for hours together".

"Poor planning and execution of the programme and lack of police personnel at the spot were also the reason," he said.

The Indian Express newspaper said panic spread after supporters who had climbed onto a tree branch fell onto the crowd below.

In January, 30 people were killed in a crush at a major religious fair, and last year 121 died during a Hindu prayer meeting in Uttar Pradesh.

In July last year, 121 people were killed in northern Uttar Pradesh state during a Hindu religious gathering.

Belgium’s prime minister has poured cold water on the European Commission’s proposal to use immobilised Russian central bank assets to fund a ‘reparation loan’ to Ukraine.

The move throws a giant wrench in the EU executive’s plan to use the cash balances associated with €200 billion in frozen assets to support Kyiv’s budget needs and reconstruction.

Most of the assets are held in Euroclear, a Brussels-based clearing house – making Belgium a key player in EU negotiations.

“Taking Putin’s money and leaving the risks with [Belgium]. That’s not going to happen, let me be very clear about that,” Prime Minister Bart De Wever on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly meeting in New York.

“If countries see that central bank money can disappear if European politicians see fit, they might decide to withdraw their reserves from the eurozone,” he added.

Berlin (AFP) – Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of the German capital on Saturday to demand that Israel halt its military campaign in Gaza.

Large crowds waved Palestinian flags and banners reading "Free Palestine" and "Food and water are human rights" as they marched from Berlin's town hall.

"Today we can send a signal that the majority, who are against Israel's policies and against this genocide, are visible on the streets and can take action," Dustin Hirschfeld, who took part in the "Together for Gaza" demonstration, told AFP.

The protesters finished their march at Berlin's Victory Column monument, the site of a rally and concert by rappers and hip hop artists.

Police estimated some 60,000 people took part in both the march and the rally, which was organised by Die Linke political party and civil society groups. Organisers put the figure at around 100,000.

About 1,800 police were deployed to monitor the protests.

Die Linke party has accused the German government of staying largely silent as the humanitarian situation worsens in Gaza.

The government "must finally take action and increase pressure on the Israeli government to force it to change course," the party urged, as it called for people to join the protest.

By around 1800 GMT, the event had been peaceful.

The huge demonstration highlights growing anger and the shifting public mood in Germany.

Israel has historically enjoyed widespread support in Germany, and Berlin, at pains to atone for the Holocaust, is one of its staunchest allies.

But as the military campaign has ground on, international outrage has grown.

Berlin has stepped up criticism -- Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced in August that his government was going to restrict weapons sales to Israel.

However critics argue Merz has not gone far enough.

Germany has so far baulked at sanctioning Israel, and has signalled it is not ready to recognise a Palestinian state, unlike many of its Western allies.

Drug gang suspected in torture and murder of two young women, and a 15-year-old girl, in crime that shocks Argentina.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/9/28/thousands-protest-livestreamed-murder-of-2-women-young-girl-in-argentina

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Polls opened in Moldova on Sunday in parliamentary elections that could see the country swerve from its pro-European path towards Moscow, with the government and the EU accusing Russia of "deeply interfering". The results of the critical election are expected later on Sunday.

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.france24.com/en/europe/20250928-polls-open-in-decisive-moldova-election-plagued-with-russian-interference-claims

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Archived link: https://archive.is/Nyx2H

Ukraine’s president says Kremlin checking Europe’s capacity to protect its skies following new drone sightings

Vladimir Putin will expand his war in Ukraine by attacking another European country, Volodymyr Zelenskyy has predicted, and accused Russia of recent drone incursions that he said were an attempt to test Nato’s defences.

Speaking in Kyiv after his meeting with Donald Trump at the UN in New York, the Ukrainian president said Russia was preparing for a bigger conflict. “Putin will not wait to finish his war in Ukraine. He will open up some other direction. Nobody knows where. He wants that,” he said.

Ukraine’s president said the Kremlin was deliberately checking Europe’s capacity to protect its skies, after drone sightings in Denmark, Poland and Romania and the violation of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets. More drones were spotted on Friday night above a Danish military base, and over a Norwegian base on Saturday.

Ukrainian intelligence released an intercepted call from Donetsk in which a Russian commander threatened to shoot any soldier who tried to retreat, shouting, “Victory or death.”

Archived version: https://archive.is/newest/https://www.kyivpost.com/post/60938

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