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Iran accuses US of ‘excessive demands’ TEHRAN: Tehran accused the United States of “excessive demands” as media reports raised the prospect that Washington was mulling new military strikes. Pakistan’s army chief arrived in Tehran on Friday to bolster mediation and US President Donald Trump abruptly changed his plans to skip his son’s wedding to stay in Washington due to “circumstances pertaining to government”, fuelling speculation that the situation had entered a sensitive stage. Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said in a call with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that Tehran was engaged in the diplomatic process despite “repeated betrayals of diplomacy and military aggression, along with contradictory positions and repeated excessive demands” by the United States. Axios and CBS News, citing unnamed sources, reported the White House was considering strikes on Iran, although both added a final decision had not been made yet. Pakistan’s army chief Asim Munir landed in Tehran on Friday, where he met Araghchi. – AFP Talks on nuclear disarmament fail NEW YORK: Talks at the UN to reaffirm nuclear nonproliferation and disarmament goals failed on Friday. Vietnam’s Do Hung Viet, the president of the conference, said that “despite our best efforts ... it is my understanding that the conference is not in a position to achieve agreement.” “I do not intend to put the document forward for adoption.” Negotiators were reviewing the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, amid fears of a renewed arms race. Previous reviews in 2015 and 2022 were also unsuccessful. With expectations low, participants negotiated over a repeatedly reviewed and watered-down text, which they ultimately failed to adopt. Experts pointed out that even in the absence of a review agreement for the third time in a row, the treaty continues to exist, but with diminished legitimacy. Exactly why the review failed is not yet known. – AFP

the needs of people, their work and their future”. For years, collection, treatment and disposal of garbage in southern Italy was largely in the hands of a small group of private owners. In January 2025 the European court found that Italian authorities had repeatedly failed to stop illegal dumping in a region also known as the “Triangle of Death”, due to abnormally high rates of cancer among local residents. The court gave the Italian government two years to establish a comprehensive database of toxic waste sites and communicate the risks to the public. Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in February 2025 appointed an Italian general to head a task force aimed at helping victims and pursuing environmental clean-up operations. – Reuters The incident unfolded in Garden Grove, Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles. Garden Grove police chief Amir El-Farra said about 40,000 people were affected by the evacuation order, with several thousand refusing to leave. Aerial footage filmed by TV stations showed jets of water being sprayed at the tank, which has a capacity of 34,000 gallons. Covey said later on Friday that efforts to cool the tank had been successful. “It’s down to a temperature around 61ºC, with 50ºC being its happy place, so those efforts are succeeding,” Covey said. “Our group is going to do everything they can to come up with a third, fourth and fifth option,” he said. Orange County health officer Regina Chinsio Kwong said the large exclusion zone was a necessary precaution. “If it does explode and there is vapour, you are all safe as long as you are out of the zone,” she said. She appealed for anyone who might notice “a fruity and heavy smell” to alert authorities. “Smelling it doesn’t mean you’ve reached a level that causes symptoms. But we don’t want you to smell that. So, we need to know if you’re smelling it.” No injuries had been reported by Friday evening, and there was no immediate indication as to what caused the leak. – AFP

Water being sprayed on a failing tank of flammable liquid in Garden Grove, California, on Friday. – REUTERSPIC

Toxic fumes leak triggers evacuation

LOS ANGELES: Tens of thousands of people were ordered to leave their homes in California on Friday after a huge chemical tank began to leak, sending toxic fumes over Thousands ordered to leave amid blast fears

very bad chemicals into the parking lot in that area or, two, the tank goes into a thermal runaway and blows up, affecting the tanks around them that have fuel or chemicals in them as well. “We are setting up these evacuations in preparation for these two options... it fails or it blows up,” he said.

a heavily populated area and posing the risk of an explosion. The tank contained 26,000 litres of methyl methacrylate, a volatile and flammable liquid used to make plastics. “There are literally two options,” Incident Commander Craig Covey said. “The tank fails and spills a total of about 7,000 gallons of

Pope slams polluting companies ACERRA: Pope Leo yesterday called out companies that seek “dizzying profits” at the cost of environmental pollution, on a visit to an area in Italy known as a hotbed for illegal dumping of toxic waste.

While in Acerra, about 220km south of Rome, the pope urged the world to “reject temptations of power and enrichment linked to practices that pollute the land, water, air and social coexistence”. Leo said he wanted to come to the area near Naples known as the “Land of Fires”, where the European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that authorities had failed to protect residents from waste dumping since at least 1988, to “gather the tears” of families who had lost loves ones to related illnesses. Leo was greeted by people waving flags and wearing yellow hats, some holding up

Pope Leo arriving in Acerra yesterday. – REUTERSPIC

organisations have been allowed to act with impunity for too long”. During his four-hour visit to Acerra, he also referred to “the dizzying profits of a few, blind to

posterboards with pictures of family members who had died. Leo, who will issue his first major document tomorrow, said “unscrupulous people and

Abuse of flotilla activists reflects immoral policy RAMALLAH: Palestine on Friday condemned mistreatment of activists seized from a Gaza bound aid flotilla, saying the actions of Israeli forces reflect a policy devoid of “law, human morality and human dignity”. and humiliation suffered by activists of the Global Sumud Flotilla, which headed to the Gaza Strip on a humanitarian mission, at the hands of the occupation forces and their extremist ministers.” Ben-Gvir deliberately filmed and published footage of the mistreatment of the activists while boasting about it,

The Palestinian presidency urged the international community to assume its “legal and humanitarian responsibilities toward the Palestinian people, lift the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and work to stop the Israeli attacks against our people, land and holy sites”. – Bernama

It incident demonstrated how Israel has “turned collective humiliation into a declared part of its political and security doctrine”. The ministry also praised flotilla participants, commending their “courage and noble humanitarian positions”. said the

describing the actions as part of a broader Israeli policy rather than “an isolated incident” or “individual political showmanship”.

The ministry said Israeli National Security Minister Itamar

Its Foreign Ministry said it “strongly condemns the abuse