TOP NEWS

Middle East Crisis  Iran-US Relations
Intelligence: Israel Plans Iran Attack – Despite Trump's Mediation

Israel is planning attacks on Iranian nuclear infrastructure, despite Donald Trump seeking diplomatic solutions with the country. This is according to intelligence sources in the US, according to CNN.

Such an attack would be a headache for the US president, who has been trying to reach agreements with Iran over their nuclear weapons program for several months. It would also risk escalating the crisis in the Middle East even further, according to information provided to the channel.

– The risk of an Israeli attack has grown significantly in recent months. An agreement between Trump and Iran that does not involve Iran getting rid of its uranium increases that risk even further, says a source.

The intelligence consists partly of messages between politicians and the movement of air combat weapons.

Tariff crisis  Trump's tariff policy
Sources: EU close to proposals for US – first step towards agreement

The EU is preparing trade proposals for the US to get the talks started, sources tell Bloomberg.

The proposals are said to take into account American interests and include plans to gradually remove tariffs on non-sensitive agricultural and industrial products. Joint investments and strategic investments in energy and AI are also included.

According to the sources, the Commission will need a mandate from the member states before formal negotiations can begin. At the same time, EU officials are said to be skeptical about whether the Trump administration is willing to reach an agreement. 

Political situation in Japan
Japanese minister resigns after criticized rice statement

Japan's Agriculture Minister Taku Eto has resigned. This after he received sharp criticism earlier this week for a statement that he had "never paid for rice", writes AFP.

Over the weekend, Eto stated that he had never needed to buy rice because his supporters had donated so much to him "that he could practically start selling it". The statement has stirred strong emotions in Japan, where prices for the commodity have risen sharply recently. Due to rice shortages, the price in April was almost double compared to the same period last year.

The leader of the opposition party, Junya Ogawa, calls the comment "extremely inappropriate and unrealistic".

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba called the statement “extremely unfortunate.”

“I apologize to the Japanese people. It is my responsibility because I appointed him,” Ishiba said.