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CNA938 Rewind - Trump claims Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire – will it hold?

CNA938 Rewind - Trump claims Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire – will it hold?

CNA24-06-2025
CNA938 Rewind
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US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, hours after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar. The potential deal could end a 12-day war between the countries, with Iran winding down its missions first, followed by Israel 12 hours later. There's been no official confirmation of the agreement from Israel or Iran. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Mouin Rabbani, non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
CNA938 Rewind - Trump claims Iran and Israel have agreed to a ceasefire – will it hold?
US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran, hours after Iran launched a retaliatory strike on a US air base in Qatar. The potential deal could end a 12-day war between the countries, with Iran winding down its missions first, followed by Israel 12 hours later. There's been no official confirmation of the agreement from Israel or Iran. Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat with Mouin Rabbani, non-resident senior fellow at the Middle East Council on Global Affairs.
10 mins
CNA938 Rewind - Open for Business: Is Malaysia's new sales tax on non-essentials necessary?
From July 1st, Malaysia will impose a sales tax rate of 5 per cent or 10 per cent on non-essential and luxury goods, including salmon and imported fruits. The service tax will also be expanded to cover six new categories, including rental and leasing. But what necessitated it and how will it hit consumers both in Malaysia and shopping Singaporeans? Andrea Heng and Susan Ng chat to Cassey Lee, Economist, Senior Fellow and Coordinator for the Regional Economic Studies Programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute to find out more.
12 mins
CNA938 Rewind - Malaysia's Booker Prize nominee Tash Aw discusses 'The South' – the first in a quartet of novels
In 'Culture Club', Melanie Oliveiro speaks with Malaysian author Tash Aw, known for international bestsellers like 'The Harmony Silk Factory' and the longlisted Booker Prize novel 'Five Star Billionaire'. Twenty years after his debut title, Aw will talk about 2025's 'The South' which is a coming-of-age tale of teenager Jay Lim who – with his family – moves south of the Malaysian peninsula to a neglected farm that they have inherited. Aw will talk about the characters and era that propel the story and how 'The South' is the first in a quartet of novels.
39 mins
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Clark calls for more pay as WNBA labor talks intensify
Clark calls for more pay as WNBA labor talks intensify

CNA

time5 hours ago

  • CNA

Clark calls for more pay as WNBA labor talks intensify

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Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine, but can its economy keep pace?
Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine, but can its economy keep pace?

Straits Times

time6 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Russia is gaining ground in Ukraine, but can its economy keep pace?

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Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire
Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire

CNA

time7 hours ago

  • CNA

Druze regain control of Sweida city after Syria announces ceasefire

SWEIDA, Syria: Druze fighters pushed out rival armed factions from Syria's southern city of Sweida on Saturday (Jul 19), a monitor said, after the government ordered a ceasefire following a US-brokered deal to avert further Israeli military intervention. Fighting nonetheless persisted in other parts of Sweida province, even as the Druze regained control of their city following days of fierce battle with armed Bedouin supported by tribal gunmen from other parts of Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor said that "tribal fighters withdrew from Sweida city on Saturday evening" after Druze fighters launched a large-scale attack. Israel had bombed government forces in both Sweida and Damascus earlier this week to force their withdrawal after they were accused of summary executions and other abuses against Druze civilians during their brief deployment in the southern province. More than 900 people have been killed in Sweida since Sunday as sectarian clashes between the Druze and Bedouin drew in the Islamist-led government, Israel and armed tribes from other parts of Syria. Earlier Saturday, an AFP correspondent saw dozens of torched homes and vehicles and armed men setting fire to shops after looting them. But in the evening, Bassem Fakhr, spokesman for the Men of Dignity, one of the two largest Druze armed groups, told AFP there was "no Bedouin presence in the city". HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS The deal between the government and Israel was announced by Washington early on Saturday Damascus time. US pointman on Syria, Tom Barrack, said interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "have agreed to a ceasefire" negotiated by the United States. Barrack, who is the US ambassador to Ankara, said the deal had the backing of Turkey, a key supporter of Sharaa, as well as neighbouring Jordan. "We call upon Druze, Bedouins and Sunnis to put down their weapons and together with other minorities build a new and united Syrian identity in peace and prosperity with its neighbours," he wrote on X. Barrack later held a meeting in Amman with the Syrian and Jordanian top diplomats, during which they "agreed on practical steps to support Syria in implementing the agreement", the US envoy said in a later post on X. The US administration, which alongside Turkey and Saudi Arabia, has forged ties with the president despite his past links with Al-Qaeda, was critical of its Israeli ally's recent air strikes on Syria and had sought a way out for Sharaa's government. Sharaa followed up on the US announcement with a televised speech in which he announced an immediate ceasefire in Sweida and renewed his pledge to protect Syria's ethnic and religious minorities. "The Syrian state is committed to protecting all minorities and communities in the country ... We condemn all crimes committed" in Sweida, he said. The president paid tribute to the "important role played by the United States, which again showed its support for Syria in these difficult circumstances and its concern for the country's stability". The European Union welcomed the deal between Syria and Israel, saying it had been "appalled" by the deadly sectarian violence of recent days. France urged all parties to "strictly adhere" to the ceasefire. But Israel expressed deep scepticism about Sharaa's renewed pledge to protect minorities, pointing to deadly violence against Alawites as well as Druze since he led the overthrow of longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. In Sharaa's Syria "it is very dangerous to be a member of a minority – Kurd, Druze, Alawite or Christian", Foreign Minister Gideon Saar posted on X. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said at least 940 people had been killed in the violence since last Sunday. They included 326 Druze fighters and 262 Druze civilians, 165 of whom were summarily executed, according to the Observatory. They also included 312 government security personnel and 21 Sunni Bedouin, three of them civilians who were "summarily executed by Druze fighters". Another 15 government troops were killed in Israeli strikes, the Observatory said. Syria's Information Minister Hamza al-Mustafa on Saturday evening said that after the first phase of the ceasefire, which began on Saturday and involved the deployment of security forces to the province, a second phase would see the opening of humanitarian corridors. Raed al-Saleh, Syria's minister for emergencies and disaster management, told state television that "the humanitarian situation is bad" and that convoys were waiting to enter Sweida when "the appropriate conditions" present themselves. According to the United Nations, the fighting has displaced least 87,000 people.

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