Iran’s Foreign Minister, Abbas Araghchi, has described direct consultations with the United States on Iran’s nuclear program as futile. He made these remarks at a time when relations between Iran and the US have further deteriorated.

In 2015, former US President Barack Obama’s administration and Western allies established an agreement with Iran to halt its nuclear program. However, in 2018, during Trump’s first term as US President, he withdrew the US from the agreement and imposed strong sanctions against Iran. These measures have devastated Iran’s economy. The US took these steps with the encouragement of Israel’s terrorist Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Since then, Iran has restarted its nuclear program and begun enriching uranium. Iran has increased its uranium enrichment to 60%. Uranium needs to be enriched to 90% to reach weapons-grade. Iran maintains that its nuclear program is peaceful.

On January 20, Trump, who has begun his second term as US President, said he wants to work on establishing a new nuclear agreement with Iran again. He said this after reimposing the sanctions he had placed on Iran during his first term, which the previous US administration had eased. He said he wants to reach a good agreement with Iran that would allow the Iranian people to move forward with their lives.

Last month, Trump sent a letter to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei expressing hope that talks could be held between Iran and the US to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Later, Trump threatened to bomb Iran if it doesn’t reach an agreement with the US. This was just last week. Regarding Trump’s threats, Araghchi said that while the US says it wants to negotiate, its intentions are unclear. He questioned the purpose of issuing threats if they want to negotiate.

Iran still maintains that it is not working to produce nuclear weapons. It has not accepted the US proposals for negotiations so far. However, Iran has indicated that a solution to the nuclear issue could be worked out through other means without direct talks with the US. Araghchi also spoke along these lines. He said Iran wants to negotiate with the US as an equal country. Describing the US as repeatedly threatening and intimidating in violation of the UN Charter, Araghchi said that US leaders also speak differently on different occasions. In response to Trump’s threat to bomb Iran if an agreement is not reached, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, has responded. He said Iran is ready for war and that war is not something Iran is concerned about. He said that while Iran would not initiate a war, the country is prepared for a state of war.

Two members of the British Parliament who traveled to Israel have been denied entry and sent back to their country. The two MPs, Zarah Sultana and Apsana Begum, who belong to the UK Labour Party, traveled to Israel as part of a delegation from the British Parliament. Upon arrival in Israel, they were informed that they would not be allowed to enter the country. The two MPs were denied entry and sent back to their country because Israel claimed they were traveling to observe Israeli military activities and disseminate information to incite hatred against Israel.

British Foreign Secretary David Cameron said Israel’s action would only increase people’s antipathy towards that country. He said it was a matter of concern and that he had clearly told senior Israeli government officials that this was not how a British MP should be treated under any circumstances. He also said he had spoken to the two MPs to ensure they were with the returned delegation. Cameron added that the British government’s main focus is on ending the inhumane attacks by Israelis in Gaza, Palestine, by reviving the ceasefire agreement that Israel has violated, and discussing how to stop the bloodshed. He also said that freeing hostages is a priority for the UK.

In response to the incident, the two MPs involved, Sultana and Begum, issued a joint statement. The statement said both were shocked by Israel’s decision. It also noted that it is essential for British MPs to have the opportunity to see how things are unfolding in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel. The statement also highlighted that out of many MPs, these two had been speaking in Parliament about the Palestine-Israel issue in recent months and calling for adherence to international laws. The statement also said that MPs should have the freedom to speak truthfully in Parliament without fear of becoming targets.

Last year, Israel also banned UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres from entering Israel. Additionally, in February, Israel barred two British MPs from entering. This latest ban on British MPs comes after Israel killed 15 Palestinian doctors affiliated with the Red Crescent in an inhumane attack. Although Israel claimed they attacked the vehicle carrying the doctors because its emergency signals were not on and they didn’t know it was a Red Crescent vehicle, a video from the phone of one of the martyred doctors has exposed this as a blatant lie to the whole world. The video shows that the vehicle’s signal lights were on when the Israelis attacked, and it was clearly identifiable as a Red Crescent vehicle. Israel has faced severe criticism over this attack.

The United Nations has revealed that Israeli forces are killing or injuring about 100 children every day as part of their inhumane aggression aimed at the genocide of Muslims in Gaza, Palestine. The UN disclosed the number of children killed or injured since the resumption of the Gaza offensive on March 18, in connection with Children’s Day being observed in Palestine. “There can be no excuse [for Israelis] to absolve themselves from attacking and killing children,” said Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA). “This is a black stain on humanity.” He made these condemning remarks about Israel’s inhumane crimes at a time when the United States has declared it will give full support to the massacre being carried out to kill and eliminate Gaza’s Muslims.

Israeli forces began committing inhumane crimes against Gaza’s Muslims on October 7, 2023. The number of people killed in that aggression has risen to 61,700, while more than 114,000 have been injured. And Gaza’s civilian homes and infrastructure have been completely destroyed and leveled to the ground.

Evacuating two-thirds of Gaza
Although the exchange of attacks was suspended under an agreement between the ruling Hamas group in Gaza and the Israelis that came into effect on January 19, Israeli forces violated that agreement and began attacking Gaza again on March 18. The Gaza Ministry of Health revealed that the number of people killed in the terrorist attacks since then has exceeded 1,300. Most of them are innocent women, innocent children, and weakened elderly.

After March 18, Israeli forces ordered the evacuation of two-thirds of Gaza and emptied those areas. This includes the lands of Shuja’iyya in Gaza City in the north and Rafah in the south. Lazzarini said that Gaza has been turned into an unlivable place for children in Israel’s inhumane aggression. And that hundreds of children are being killed in an aggression in which children have no share or participation.

The UN Children’s Rights Agency (UNICEF) said it has been confirmed that more than 322 children have been killed in the terrorist attacks by Israeli forces after March 18. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell said that the relief that Gaza’s children received from the suspension of aggressions has again been snatched away. “However, those children have again been thrown into violence, their rights taken away,” she said.

Number of martyred children exceeds 17,000

Children’s Day in Palestine is celebrated on April 5. The Palestinian Ministry of Education said that the number of children killed in the inhumane aggression carried out by Israeli forces since October 2023 has risen to more than 17,000. “This number reflects the violence that Gaza’s children are enduring, each number is a lost life, a memory,” said a statement issued by the ministry. Hamas has also condemned the deliberate terrorist and merciless attacks by Israeli forces with the tyrannical intention of killing Gaza’s children. And condemned the violent acts being committed against children. “The number of children violently arrested after October 7, 2023 has reached 1,100, and more than 39,000 children’s parents have been killed,” the group revealed.

In addition to Gaza, a large number of children have also been arrested from the West Bank occupied by Israelis. Human rights advocacy groups said that the number of children arrested from the West Bank after October 7, 2023 has also risen to more than 1,200. These groups revealed that Israeli forces are inflicting inhumane abuses on these children such as torture, depriving them of food and medical care and subjecting them to thirst and hunger, and violating their human rights.

Large protests have begun against President Donald Trump and his senior advisor, billionaire Elon Musk, in the U.S. capital Washington, major cities, and various parts of the world. Protests against Trump and Musk are ongoing in more than 1,200 locations across America. These are the largest such protests against Trump and Musk in a single day. The organizers of the protest near the National Mall in Washington said that the number of people raising their voices against the two men would exceed 20,000. These are protests organized to raise voices against the steps Trump is taking to make major changes to the U.S. government administration and to consolidate the powers of the presidency.

Members of more than 150 individual groups consisting of activists and thousands of members of the public are participating in the protests. While voices are being raised against Trump and Musk in all 50 U.S. states, protests are also ongoing in Canada and Mexico against Trump’s decisions. Among the concerns of the protesters are the harsh measures taken by the Trump administration against immigrants to America and the steps taken by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in the name of strengthening government administration.

Hundreds of people are also participating in the protests calling for the rights of Palestinian Muslims to be guaranteed and pushing for the establishment of an independent state. In addition, thousands of people are raising their voices against his government due to concerns about the negative effects on the U.S. economy following Trump’s decision to increase import duties on goods imported into America.

Raising voices against the dismissal of government employees

Another concern of the protesters is the measures being taken by DOGE in the name of strengthening government administration. Trump has entrusted the running of DOGE to billionaire Musk, who donated millions of dollars to his campaign. Under Musk’s supervision, more than 200,000 U.S. government employees have been dismissed from their jobs. And Musk continues to work on dismissing more people from their jobs. Protesters are saying that with Musk’s actions, the jobs of 2.3 million people working in U.S. government positions are threatened. Most recently, about 20,000 employees of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) were dismissed. With that decision, DOGE, with Musk behind it, has eliminated the jobs of 25% of the people working at the IRS.

In addition, rumors have intensified that Trump is working to stop the social security services being provided to American citizens. However, White House Deputy Press Secretary Liz Hutson has denied these allegations. “President Trump’s policies are very clear: to protect the rights of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, and to ensure those services for all who qualify. However, Democrats want to provide these services to ‘illegal aliens’ as well, which will bankrupt America and lose the rights of the elderly,” she said.

Hours before massive protests against Trump and Musk began in all U.S. states, similar protests had started in the capital cities of many European countries. These include Berlin, the capital of Germany, and Frankfurt, the commercial center,, as well as Paris, the capital of France, and London, the capital of the United Kingdom. These are protests being held to raise voices against the increase in import duties on goods imported into America from foreign countries and the trade measures taken against those countries. In addition, protests against Trump are also ongoing in Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has met with Maldivian students studying in Liverpool, United Kingdom. The meeting took place during the President’s ongoing visit to the UK. In the meeting held at noon, the President inquired about the students’ educational progress and experiences. He assured the students that the government would pay special attention to resolving the challenges faced by students pursuing higher education.

The President expressed his satisfaction in meeting the Maldivian students and said he was proud of their achievements in higher education. He also highlighted the challenges facing the country’s education sector and the measures the government is taking to address these issues.

Meeting with Maldivian citizens living abroad and students studying in foreign countries is a high priority for the President during his overseas trips. In these meetings, he focuses on understanding the difficulties and challenges faced by Maldivians and finding solutions to address them.

President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu has appealed to stop selling cigarettes in the Maldives, saying it’s not something that should be done in the country. He made these remarks during a podcast titled “With the People” conducted by the President’s Office. The President said that while banning vapes wasn’t easy, the government has successfully done so, and now the focus is on saving youth and others from cigarettes and tobacco products.

“We’ve now banned vapes. Next, I’m urging youth and people of all ages to stay away from smoking cigarettes and using tobacco products. We increased the price for this purpose,” the President said.

The President explained that along with banning vapes, they increased duties on tobacco products and raised cigarette prices to discourage their sale. He acknowledged it’s a difficult task but believes gradually increasing taxes won’t solve the issue.

The President stated that such practices are not appropriate for this small country. He appealed to cigarette importers and traders to abandon this business.

“Increasing taxes bit by bit won’t work. So I’m asking cigarette importers to give people a chance to adjust, and I’m requesting those who import and trade cigarettes to give up this business. This is not something we should be doing,” the President said.

Noting that young people in the Maldives, like in other countries, get into smoking or tobacco use and then struggle to quit, the President said it’s best to prevent tobacco use before it starts in youth, as it’s easier to stop then.

“I’ll float this idea to the public. I’m proposing a few options. One is to make it so that all children born from January 1, 2007, onwards, including future births, cannot use cigarettes or tobacco products throughout their lives. The second option is to keep all children born from January 1, 2004, onwards away from cigarettes or tobacco use,” the President said.

The President mentioned that he has tasked the Health Minister with preparing a cabinet paper and conducting studies to save youth from the tobacco epidemic. He also said they will seek advice and consultation from relevant local authorities and doctors on this matter.