President Donald Trump cancelled a trip by two US envoys to Iran war mediator Pakistan on April 25, dealing a new setback to peace prospects after Iran’s foreign minister departed Islamabad after speaking only to Pakistani officials.
While peace talks failed to materialise on April 25, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered his troops to “forcefully” attack Hezbollah targets in Lebanon, his office said, further testing a three-week ceasefire.
Mr Trump told reporters in Florida that he decided to call off the planned visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner because the talks in Islamabad involved too much travel and expense, and Iran’s latest peace offer was not good enough for him.
Before boarding Air Force One on April 25 for a return flight to Washington, Mr Trump said Iran had improved an offer to resolve the conflict after he cancelled the visit, “but not enough.”
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PHOTO: GETTY IMAGES VIA AFP
Workers on April 25 were resurfacing the bottom of Washington’s famous Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool with “American flag blue” coloured material used in swimming pools, following an order by US President Donald Trump.
The project – part of the capital city’s sprucing up ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary celebrations on July 4 – will cost about US$1.5 million (S$1.9 million) and take roughly three weeks, Mr Trump told reporters on April 23.
Mr Trump said he rejected a proposal to replace the stone in the bottom, a plan he said would cost US$300 million and take three years.
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SCREENSHOTS: X/@OCTAVIOGUZMANGU
A bomb attack struck a restive region of southwestern Colombia on April 25, killing seven and injuring more than 20, the governor said, in the latest spate of violence ahead of May’s presidential election.
“An explosive device was detonated” on a road, leaving “seven civilians dead and more than 20 seriously injured,” Cauca Governor Octavio Guzman posted on X, sharing a video of victims on the ground and destroyed vehicles in the aftermath of the bombing.
Other social media posts showed extensive damage and craters in the roadway, with witnesses claiming the blast was so strong that they were knocked back several metres.
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Relentless Russian barrages of drones and missiles pounded on Ukraine’s central-eastern city of Dnipro for 20 hours straight, killing eight people and wounding dozens, local authorities said on April 25.
The attack – the largest ever on the city – began overnight and lasted well into the afternoon, coming in waves that hit homes, businesses and energy infrastructure.
Rescuers spent hours sifting through debris despite the ongoing strikes, clearing out the rubble of bombed apartment buildings and searching for survivors and bodies, photos from the Ukrainian emergency service showed. One apartment building was struck twice at different times, authorities said.
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PHOTO: REUTERS
Arsenal arrested their slump in form with Eberechi Eze’s superb early goal securing an ugly 1-0 home win against Newcastle United to reclaim top spot in the Premier League on April 25.
After successive league defeats to Bournemouth and Manchester City, Arsenal were knocked off the summit for the first time since October by City on April 22 but they responded to secure three vital points.
It was far from convincing, and the quality of Eze’s sublime ninth-minute strike was at odds with the rest of a laboured display by Mikel Arteta’s side, but all that mattered for the hosts was getting back to winning ways.
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