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Britain’s threat level raised to ‘critical’ as IS claims responsibility for Tube explosion

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Britain’s threat level raised to ‘critical’ as IS claims responsibility for Tube explosion

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]No suspects identified yet for Friday’s incident that left 29 commuters injured, British PM May hints at tough measures to ensure safety of the country

As of Saturday morning, the London Metropolitan police and Scotland Yard were still trying to identify suspects for the London Tube explosion that left 29 commuters injured at Parsons Green station on Friday, even as the Islamic State reportedly claimed responsibility for the strike.

British Prime Minister Theresa May has announced that the national threat perception level has been escalated “from severe to critical” indicating that the country’s security agencies fear the possibility of another imminent attack. May has also hinted that Londoners will have to get used to seeing a posse of armed security personnel on the streets of the British capital and that she was even willing to change human rights laws of the country if they “get in the way” of protecting Britain.

The London police are currently scouring through CCTV footage of the London Tube in which the crude, apparently homemade improvised explosive device (IED) set in a white bucket went off on Friday and also footage collected from various stations on the Tube’s route.

It has not yet been ascertained whether the IS – which has on its propaganda website Amaq News claimed responsibility for the act of terror – was actually involved in the strike. The London Metropolitan Police’s Assistant Commissioner, Mark Rowley reportedly told media outfits in London that it was “very routine” for IS to claim the attack “whether or not they’ve had any previous engagement with the individuals involved.”

It is also possible that the police are looking for more than one attacker as their statements following the explosion have mentioned that they were hunting for “suspects”.

Britain’s threat level raised to ‘critical’ as IS claims responsibility for Tube explosionThe explosion on London’s Tube is bound to rekindle pointed debate about whether countries like Britain have been tough enough in fighting terrorism. The attack had triggered a sort of verbal duel between US President Donald Trump and British PM May who was also supported by other representatives of Britain’s political and security establishment.

Trump’s suggestion that the United Kingdom needed to be “more proactive” in dealing with the terrorists and his calling the strike the handiwork of a “loser terrorist” even before Britain had declared the explosion an act of terror, too did not go down well with the British government.

Although May had – hours after Trump’s ‘loser terrorist tweet’ – confirmed that the explosion was a “cowardly act of terror”, she also rebuked the US president for his remarks, albeit without expressly naming him. “I never think it’s helpful for anybody to speculate on what is an ongoing investigation,” May had said, adding: “the police and security establishment are still working to understand the full scale of this cowardly attack and identify all those responsible for it.”

Nick Timothy, a newspaper columnist who was formerly chief of staff to Theresa May, had also responded to Trump’s tweets by terming his reaction as “unhelpful”.[/vc_column_text][vc_raw_html]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[/vc_raw_html][vc_column_text]While May and others in her establishment retorted to Trump’s unsolicited advice asking the UK to be more “proactive” by terming it “unhelpful” at a time of crisis, the British Prime Minister soon after announced a slew of new measures that will be rolled out to ensure safety of Londoners.

“The public will see more armed police on the transport network and on our streets, providing extra protection. This is a proportionate and sensible step which will provide extra reassurance and protection while the investigation progresses,” May said late Friday.

The British PM also announced that for the period when the threat level remains pegged at critical “military personnel will replace police personnel on guard duties on search and protected sites that are not accessible for the public… terrorism is a great challenge of our times but by standing together we will defeat it.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Trump rejects Iran’s 7-day peace plan, says deal can come after US polls

US President Donald Trump rejected Iran’s seven-day proposal to end hostilities and indicated that a deal could come after the US midterm elections in November.

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has rejected Iran’s latest proposal aimed at bringing an end to the ongoing conflict, while indicating that a possible agreement could come after the US midterm elections in November.

Iran had proposed a seven-day framework under which hostilities could be brought to an end, the Strait of Hormuz could be reopened and negotiations over its nuclear programme could resume.

Iran’s seven-day proposal

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Tehran had put forward the proposal through intermediaries. Under the plan, the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened by the end of the seventh day if specified conditions were met, while broader nuclear discussions would restart.

The proposal was based largely on an earlier understanding reached between Washington and Tehran, but Iran sought to implement the latest framework much faster. The earlier arrangement had provided a longer period for negotiations.

The Strait of Hormuz is a strategically important waterway for global energy shipments, making its reopening a key element of any effort to ease the wider conflict.

Trump points to US midterm elections

Trump, speaking at the United Nations, showed no indication that he was ready to immediately resume negotiations on the terms proposed by Tehran.

He called for the economic isolation of Iran and said he believed a deal could be reached after the US midterm elections in November. Trump also said Iran was waiting to see how he performed in the midterm elections.

The remarks came as Iranian officials signalled that they remained open to diplomacy and described the UN General Assembly as an opportunity to revive negotiations.

Nuclear talks remain part of Iran proposal

Iran’s latest plan links the easing of hostilities with the resumption of negotiations over its nuclear programme.

The proposal follows the collapse of an earlier US-Iran arrangement. According to reporting on the latest proposal, the new framework is intended to compress the timeline for implementing commitments that had previously been discussed by the two sides.

For now, Trump’s remarks indicate that Washington is not accepting Tehran’s seven-day framework as presented, while Iran continues to put diplomacy and negotiations forward as part of its proposal.

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Iranian President Pezeshkian at UN says Iranians have been victims of US terrorism

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said at the UN General Assembly that Iranians had been victims of US terrorism and insisted that Iran had acted in self-defence.

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Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian accused the United States of subjecting Iranians to what he described as terrorism while addressing the United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday.

Pezeshkian said Iran had defended itself against attacks and rejected the characterisation of the country as a terrorist actor. His remarks came during a rare wartime appearance at the UN as tensions between Iran and the United States remain high.

Pezeshkian accuses US and Israel of attacks

Speaking at the General Assembly, Pezeshkian said Iranian civilians had been targeted by attacks and described the actions against his country as aggression.

“We have only defended ourselves. We are not terrorists,” he said, according to the report.

Pezeshkian also accused the United States and Israel of attacking Iran, while maintaining that Tehran’s response was an act of self-defence.

The Iranian president displayed photographs of former Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and more than 150 schoolchildren who, according to his account, were killed during the early days of the conflict.

Iran’s message at the UN

Pezeshkian’s address came against the backdrop of the ongoing conflict between Iran and the United States and heightened tensions in the region.

Iranian officials had indicated ahead of the UN visit that they intended to highlight what Tehran considers attacks against its people and raise concerns over the international response to the conflict.

The Iranian delegation’s visit to New York also comes amid restrictions imposed by the United States on the delegation’s movement and other aspects of its stay, according to reporting ahead of the address.

Pezeshkian says Iran defended itself

Pezeshkian’s central message at the UN was that Iran’s military actions should be viewed as a response to attacks rather than terrorism.

His description of the conflict and the allegations against the United States and Israel represent the Iranian government’s position. They should therefore be attributed to Pezeshkian rather than presented as independently established facts.

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PM Modi’s Canada visit could help wrap trade talks, says Canada PM Mark Carney

Canadian PM Mark Carney said he is looking forward to hosting PM Narendra Modi, with both countries aiming to conclude their ongoing trade negotiations.

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Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has said he is looking forward to hosting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as India and Canada continue efforts to advance their bilateral relationship and conclude ongoing trade negotiations.

The two countries have been working towards a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), with both sides previously setting a target to conclude the negotiations in 2026.

Carney and Modi have held discussions on strengthening economic ties between India and Canada, including trade and investment. Their engagement has gained momentum following Carney’s visit to India earlier this year.

India-Canada trade talks

India and Canada formally resumed efforts towards a broader trade agreement after a period of strained bilateral ties. The two sides have committed to advancing negotiations on a CEPA covering their economic relationship.

In June, Carney and Modi reviewed progress in bilateral economic cooperation during their meeting on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in France. They expressed satisfaction with the progress in CEPA negotiations and reaffirmed their shared objective of concluding the talks in 2026.

During Carney’s visit to India in March, the two leaders had also agreed to accelerate negotiations on the CEPA and work towards finalising the agreement during 2026.

Modi’s proposed Canada visit

Carney had invited PM Modi to visit Canada in 2026, and the two leaders agreed to remain engaged through diplomatic channels to work towards a mutually convenient date for the visit.

The proposed visit comes as New Delhi and Ottawa seek to build on renewed diplomatic and economic engagement, with trade negotiations remaining a key part of the relationship.

The focus on completing the trade talks comes as both countries look to expand commercial ties and establish a broader economic framework through the proposed CEPA.

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