Israeli strikes target Iranian centrifuge and missile production sites overnight
ISRAEL'S MILITARY HAS said strikes it launched into Iran overnight struck a centrifuge production site and multiple weapon manufacturing facilities in capital Tehran, as missile fire between the two countries continued.
In an early morning attack, Israel said it targeted weapon production facilities with strikes, claiming to hit a facility for manufacturing centrifuges used to enrich uranium for atomic bombs.
More than 50 Israeli jets fired on missile production sites in Iran, the military said this morning.
Iran also sent a 'swarm of drones' towards Israel, where the army said it intercepted two over the Dead Sea area.
Iran said launched a hypersonic missile at Israel, telling residents in Tel Aviv to seek shelter before firing Fattah-1 rockets.
Hypersonic missiles travel at over five times the speed of sound and can manoeuvre mid-flight, making them harder to track and intercept.
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World powers have scrambled for an off-ramp, hoping to prevent the conflict from spiralling into a region-engulfing war.
In separate phone calls with his Iranian counterpart and US envoy Steve Witkoff last night, Egyptian foreign minister Badr Abdelatty urged a diplomatic solution.
US President Donald Trump fuelled speculation about American intervention when he made a hasty exit from the G7 summit in Canada, where the leaders of the club of wealthy democracies jointly called for a ceasefire.
Back in Washington yesterday, Trump demanded the Islamic republic's 'unconditional surrender'. He also boasted that the United States
could easily assassinate Iran's supreme leader
.
'We know exactly where the so-called 'Supreme Leader' is hiding. He is an easy target, but is safe there – We are not going to take him out (kill!), at least not for now,' Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform.
He met with his National Security Council last night to discuss the conflict, ending after an hour and 20 minutes with no immediate public statement.
Includes reporting by AFP
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Irish Examiner
34 minutes ago
- Irish Examiner
BBC under pressure amid criticism of ‘death to the IDF' chants at Glastonbury
Sir Keir Starmer has led criticism across the political spectrum of chants at Glastonbury for 'death' to the Israeli military as the BBC faced pressure to explain why it kept broadcasting. Rapper Bobby Vylan, of rap punk duo Bob Vylan, on Saturday led crowds on the festival's West Holts Stage in chants of 'Free, free Palestine' and 'Death, death to the IDF (Israel Defence Forces)'. A member of Belfast rap trio Kneecap suggested fans 'start a riot' at his bandmate's forthcoming court appearance related to a terrorism charge. Responding to the chants from Bob Vylan, the Prime Minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech. 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. 'The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' A member of Kneecap said 'f*** Keir Starmer' during their performance after the Prime Minister called for the band not to play at the festival. Avon and Somerset Police said video evidence from the performances would be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation. Glastonbury organiser Emily Eavis said Bob Vylan's chants 'very much crossed a line'. 'We are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence,' she said in a statement. Shadow home secretary Chris Philp said Bob Vylan was 'inciting violence and hatred' and should be arrested and prosecuted. 'By broadcasting his vile hatred, the BBC appear to have also broken the law,' he said. 'I call on the Police to urgently investigate and prosecute the BBC as well for broadcasting this. Our national broadcaster should not be transmitting hateful material designed to incite violence and conflict,' he posted on X. Health Secretary Wes Streeting called it a 'pretty shameless publicity stunt' and said the BBC and Glastonbury have 'questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens', speaking to Sky News. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes 'grotesque'. 'Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked,' she wrote on X. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said she was 'horrified' and that the BBC should have cut the feed. 'Given the nature of the attacks on Israel, the BBC should not have kept broadcasting that. They should have cut the coverage immediately,' she told Times Radio. Liberal Democrat culture, media and sport spokesman Max Wilkinson said: 'Bob Vylan's chants at Glastonbury yesterday were appalling. Cultural events are always a place for debate, but hate speech, antisemitism and incitements to violence have no place at Glastonbury or anywhere in our society.' Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel wrote in the Daily Mail that the incident was a 'systemic failure'. 'What happened at Glastonbury was dangerous,' she said. 'Chants calling for the death of Israeli soldiers crossed a line no civilised society should ever tolerate, and it was shameful that the BBC continued with its live broadcast of this incitement to violence. 'The fact the BBC – a national institution – broadcast this hate-fuelled content will risk legitimising and normalising those views in society.' Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to the BBC director general about Bob Vylan's performance, a Government spokesperson said. The BBC said it showed a warning during the performance and that viewers would not be able to access it on demand. Bob Vylan performing on the West Holts Stage (Ben Birchall/PA) A spokesperson for the broadcaster said: 'Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. 'During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. 'We have no plans to make the performance available on demand.' The Israeli embassy said it was 'deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival'. The Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it would be formally complaining to the BBC over its 'outrageous decision' to broadcast Bob Vylan. 'Our national broadcaster must apologise for its dissemination of this extremist vitriol, and those responsible must be removed from their positions,' a spokesperson said. Bob Vylan, who formed in Ipswich in 2017, have released four albums addressing issues to do with racism, masculinity and class. Bobby Vylan's real name is Pascal Robinson-Foster, 34, according to reports. He is listed on Companies House as the director of Ghost Theatre Records, which is operated by Bob Vylan. Kneecap performing on the West Holts Stage (Yui Mok/PA) In a statement posted to Instagram, Vylan said: 'Teaching our children to speak up for the change they want and need is the only way that we make this world a better place. 'As we grow older and our fire starts to possibly dim under the suffocation of adult life and all its responsibilities, it is incredibly important that we encourage and inspire future generations to pick up the torch that was passed to us. 'Let us display to them loudly and visibly the right thing to do when we want and need change. 'Let them see us marching in the streets, campaigning on ground level, organising online and shouting about it on any and every stage that we are offered.' Kneecap have been in the headlines after member Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. The group performed after Vylan's set on the West Holts Stage with O hAnnaidh exclaiming 'Glastonbury, I'm a free man' as they took to the stage. In reference to his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would 'start a riot outside the courts', before clarifying: 'No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine.' In the run-up to the festival at Worthy Farm in Somerset, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up and Sir Keir said their performance would not be 'appropriate'. During Kneecap's set, O hAnnaidh said: 'The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer.' Kneecap also gave a 'big thank you to the Eavis family' and said 'they stood strong' amid calls for the organisers to drop them from the line-up. A BBC spokesperson said an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance was available on iPlayer. 'We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts Stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings.'
The Irish Sun
an hour ago
- The Irish Sun
US tariffs, Gaza ceasefire, economy & dynamic pricing on gigs – Michael McGrath speaks on big issues facing Ireland
THE Irish Sun sat down with European Commissioner Michael McGrath in his office in the Berlaymont building in Brussels last week. 3 European Commission President Ursula Von der Leyen Credit: AFP 3 Proposals will be taken forward next year to help protect consumer rights in an online environment Credit: EPA The wide-ranging brief sees him deal with everything from gangland At the same time, the Commission is dealing with a trade dispute with the Here, Michael McGrath gives The Irish Sun's Head of Content, Mark May, his assessment of some of the current issues facing Ireland and the EU. ON TARIFFS AN agreement is needed as soon as possible and we're doing everything we can to get one. The US side is very clear on what the EU position is, what our expectations are. READ MORE IN NEWS We are a trusted partner, a very reliable partner. Businesses crave certainty, predictability and stability and we want that as quickly as possible. Negotiating comprehensive trade agreements or settlements can take a long time. So it may not be possible to have a level of detail that you would normally have in a trade agreement completed by July 9, but hopefully we can have the outline of an agreement that can provide the stability we need. Most read in The Irish Sun ON OTHER MARKETS WE are finding the EU is being reached out to increasingly by countries all over the world who view us as a reliable partner, a tough negotiator but one that honours deals once they are made. Others want that certainty so we are in negotiations with a number of countries in We are always expanding the network of trade agreements we have. It's in the region of 44 trading agreements with about 76 countries and we are confident that will be extended. It's not possible to replace the US as a trading partner nor is that the objective. But we also have to look at opportunities elsewhere and we're pursuing every option. ON BIG TECH THE Digital Services Act is our digital rule book. There are various actions underway against companies in areas such as product safety, So we defend the DSA as vital for our overall architecture of the digital space and we continue to uphold and apply it without fear or favour. It doesn't just apply to American companies (as has been claimed by the The DSA does not target companies from any particular country. It is equally applied. We reserve the right to set legislation in the European Union and to apply it in an objective and even-handed manner. ON GAZA WE need an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. We need the full restoration of access for humanitarian aid, including by the international organization. We also need the What we are witnessing in Gaza is abhorrent and it is untenable. The international community has to work together to find a solution. We need an urgent ceasefire and we need the trucks that are waiting at the border to be allowed to enter Gaza. It is unconscionable that we are watching scenes of children who are clearly malnourished and emaciated while thousands of trucks of food and medicine are waiting at the border. ON THE ECONOMY I KNOW from my previous role there are a range of economic forecasts published by member states, including by the Irish government, which is forecasting continued growth, for the economy. Similarly we recently had the commission forecasts for the European economy which are predict growth. We would like it to be higher growth and that's why we are a very serious around the competitiveness agenda. The issues of trade have been to the fore and are complex and changing, but there are levers that are within our control and that is maximizing the potential of the EU single market. Although a recession is not forecast, you never know what can happen with an economic shock. But maximizing the potential in the market is largely within the control of the EU and its members. ON DYNAMIC PRICING I WILL be developing the Digital Fairness Act. We will bring forward proposals next year to help protect consumer rights in an online environment and also focus on the protection of minors. It will look at issues such as addictive design, dark patterns, the role of social media influencers, and child protection issues in the context of certain video games. MEPs have raised the issue of dynamic pricing and we have given a commitment that we will examine it. It doesn't mean it was necessarily lead need to a ban but, at a minimum, more information is needed for consumers joining a queue to buy concert tickets. 3 European Commissioner for Justice Michael McGrath has vowed to develop the Digital Fairness Act Credit: EPA
Irish Examiner
an hour ago
- Irish Examiner
Canadian PM Mark Carney scraps plans for digital tax on US technology firms
Canada scrapped its digital services tax targeting US technology firms, just hours before it was due to take effect, in a bid to advance stalled trade negotiations with the United States. Canadian prime minister Mark Carney and US president Donald Trump will resume trade negotiations in order to agree on a deal by July 21, Canada's finance ministry said in a statement. Mr Trump abruptly called off trade talks on Friday over the tax targeting U.S. technology firms, saying that it was a "blatant attack." He reiterated his comments on Sunday, pledging to set a new tariff rate on Canadian goods within the next week, which threatened to push US-Canada relations back into chaos after a period of relative calm. The breakdown in trade talks comes after the two leaders met at the G7 in mid-June and Mr Carney said they had agreed to wrap up a new economic agreement within 30 days. Canada's planned digital tax was 3% of the digital services revenue a firm takes in from Canadian users above $20m (€12.5m) in a calendar year, and payments were to be retroactive to 2022. It would have impacted US technology firms, including Amazon, Meta, Alphabet's Google and Apple. Monday collection will be halted, the Canada's finance ministry statement said, and finance minister François-Philippe Champagne will bring forward legislation to rescind the Digital Services Tax Act. "The DST was announced in 2020 to address the fact that many large technology companies operating in Canada may not otherwise pay tax on revenues generated from Canadians," the statement said. "Canada's preference has always been a multilateral agreement related to digital services taxation." Stocks index futures rose after the news the digital tax will be rescinded and the bullish sentiment spilled over into Asian markets. Canada is the second-largest US trading partner after Mexico, and the largest buyer of US exports. It bought $349.4bn (€297bn) of US goods last year and exported $412.7bn (€351bn) to the US. The Biden administration had requested trade dispute settlement consultations over the tax in 2024, saying it was inconsistent with Canada's North American trade deal obligations. Canada had escaped Mr Trump's broad tariffs imposed in April but faces 50% duties on steel and aluminum. Reuters
