ABU DHABI -- UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan held a phone conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday, reaffirming his country's support to achieve a peaceful resolution to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, according to the Emirates News Agency (WAM).
During the phone conversation, the two leaders discussed bilateral relations and ways to strengthen cooperation within the framework of their strategic partnership. (UAE-Russia-Talk)
- - - -
TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Thursday strongly condemned fresh U.S. sanctions on individuals and entities in Iran and other countries on the pretext of cooperating with Tehran in different areas, calling them a clear sign of U.S. attempts at "economic terrorism."
The sanctions imposed over the past few days were a clear sign of U.S. policymakers' insistence on law-breaking and violation of other countries' rights and interests, as well as their bids to disrupt friendly and legal relations among developing states through economic terrorism, Baghaei said in a statement. (Iran-US-Sanctions-Condemnation)
- - - -
SACRAMENTO, United States -- A federal judge ordered the U.S. Border Patrol to stop conducting warrantless immigration stops across California's Central Valley on Tuesday, dealing a significant blow to the Trump administration's aggressive immigration enforcement tactics.
U.S. District Court Judge Jennifer L. Thurston issued a preliminary injunction that restricted Border Patrol agents from stopping people without reasonable suspicion or making arrests without a warrant unless they had probable cause that someone might flee. (US-Border Patrol-Farmworker)
- - - -
JERUSALEM -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said here Thursday that defeating Hamas is Israel's main goal and takes precedence over securing the release of the hostages still held in Gaza.
"We have many goals in this war. We want to bring back all our hostages ... It is a very important goal ... But the war has a supreme objective, and this supreme objective is victory over our enemies," Netanyahu made the remarks during a speech as the country is marking its 77th Independence Day. (Israel-Defeating Hamas-Freeing Hostages)
- - - -
LONDON -- Voters across England went to the polls on Thursday for local elections in the first major electoral test for political parties since the general election last year.
More than 1,600 seats are being contested in councils across England. The elections also cover six mayoralties and a by-election in Runcorn and Helsby in Cheshire, the first since last year's general election. (UK-Local Elections) ■
