Headline

Trump Unveils $175bn ‘Golden Dome’ Missile Shield To Protect US

Published

3 months ago

May 21, 2025

United States President Donald Trump has revealed new details and initial funding for his “Golden Dome” missile defence system, a multi-layered shield designed to protect the nation from missile threats originating from land, sea, and space.

The announcement drew sharp criticism from geopolitical rival China, which accused Washington of undermining global stability and fuelling an arms race.

Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, Trump announced an initial allocation of $25 billion for the project, which he estimates could ultimately cost around $175 billion and be operational within three years.

“During my campaign, I promised the American people a cutting-edge missile defence shield. Today, I am proud to announce that we have officially selected the architecture for this state-of-the-art system,” Trump stated.

He explained that once fully deployed, the Golden Dome would be capable of intercepting missiles launched from anywhere in the world, including those fired from space. “This is crucial for the survival and success of our country,” he added.

US Space Force General Michael Guetlein will oversee the project, with Canada expressing interest in participating to secure similar protection.

The system aims to integrate next-generation technologies, including space-based sensors and interceptors, to defend against cruise missiles, ballistic missiles, hypersonic missiles, and drones, whether conventional or nuclear.

Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth emphasised the shield’s role in protecting
the homeland from a wide range of missile threats.

However, China condemned the initiative, asserting that it threatens international security and destabilises the global strategic balance.

Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning criticised the US for prioritising its own security at the expense of others and warned that the plan risks turning space into a battlefield and escalating an arms race.

The Golden Dome concept draws inspiration from Israel’s Iron Dome, which has successfully intercepted thousands of short-range rockets since 2011. However, the US system is far more expansive, designed to counter sophisticated ballistic and hypersonic missiles over a territory vastly larger than Israel’s.

The 2022 US Missile Defence Review highlighted growing threats from China and Russia, both of which are advancing missile technologies. The review also noted the increasing role of drones in modern warfare and the persistent missile threats from North Korea, Iran, and non-state actors.

In recent years, US defence systems have gained valuable experience countering missile and drone attacks, notably in Ukraine and in protecting Israel and naval vessels from Iranian and Huthi missile strikes.
AFP

Headline

42 Killed In Israeli Attacks, Says Gaza’s Civil Defense

Published

15 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Gaza’s civil defence agency reported at least 42 people killed in Israeli attacks on Sunday, as the Israeli army prepared for a new assault on the Palestinian territory’s largest city.

Civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal said there had been several air strikes around Gaza City — which the military is gearing up to capture — including one in the Al-Sabra neighbourhood that killed eight people.

Attacks were also reported elsewhere across the territory, he said, with the “total tally currently rising to 42 dead”.

The army did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the figure.

“The situation is extremely dangerous… Each day, each minute, there are bombings, martyrs, death and blood — we can’t take it anymore,” Al-Sabra resident Ibrahim Al-Shurafa told AFP, explaining strikes and shelling were ongoing.

“We don’t know where to go. Death follows us everywhere,” he added.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

The October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel that sparked the war resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.

Israel’s offensive has killed at least 62,686 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza that the United Nations considers reliable.

AFP

Headline

Venezuela Frees Eight Opposition Leaders

Published

15 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Venezuelan authorities released eight opposition leaders from jail early Sunday, including a former congressman and two Italian citizens, and granted house arrest to five others, an opposition politician said.

Most of those released had been charged with corruption in opposition-run mayoral offices.

Also set free was Congressman, Amirico de Grazia, detained amid protests that erupted during President Nicolas Maduro’s reelection in 2024.

“Today, several families are once again embracing their loved ones. We know there are many left, and we have not forgotten them; we continue to fight for everyone,” two-time former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles said on X.

Opposition leaders Victor Jurado, Simon Vargas, Arelis Ojeda Escalante, Mayra Castro, Diana Berrio, Gorka Carnevalli, as well as Italian nationals Margarita Assenzo and de Grazia were released, Capriles said.

Nabil Maalouf, Valentin Gutierrez Pineda, Rafael Ramirez, Pedro Guanipa, and David Barroso were placed under house arrest.

The Italian government confirmed the release of de Grazia and Assenzo, who must appear in court to clarify the conditions of their release. It also vowed to continue working on securing the release of other detained Italians.

“We have always said, and we maintain it: we will talk to whomever we need to talk to so that there is not a single political prisoner in our Venezuela!” Capriles added.

AFP

Headline

Russia, Ukraine Exchange Prisoners Of War, Civilians

Published

15 hours ago

August 24, 2025

Editor

Russia and Ukraine each sent back more prisoners of war on Sunday in the latest in a series of exchanges that have seen hundreds of POWs released this year, the two sides said.

Large-scale prisoner exchanges were the only tangible result of three rounds of talks between Russia and Ukraine in Istanbul between May and July.

They remain one of the few areas of cooperation between the two countries since Russia’s offensive began in 2022.

“On August 24, 146 Russian servicemen were returned from the territory controlled” by Kyiv, the Russian defence ministry said on Telegram.

“In exchange, 146 prisoners of war of the Ukrainian Armed Forces were transferred” to Ukraine, it added. Ukraine did not confirm any figures for the release.

Russia also said that “eight citizens of the Russian Federation—residents of the Kursk region, illegally detained” by Kyiv were also returned.

Ukrainian forces launched a surprise incursion into Russia’s Kursk region in August last year, seizing hundreds of square kilometres (miles) of territory in a major setback for the Kremlin.

Russia deployed thousands of troops from its ally North Korea as part of a counterattack but did not fully reclaim the region until April.

Among the Ukrainians released on Sunday was journalist Dmytro Khyliuk, President Volodymyr Zelensky said.

Khyliuk was kidnapped in the Kyiv region in March 2022. He is finally home in Ukraine,” Zelensky said on social media.

Also freed was former Kherson mayor Volodymyr Mykolayenko, “who spent more than three years in captivity,” Zelensky’s aide Andriy Yermak wrote on X.

“In 2022, he was on the list for return, but Volodymyr voluntarily refused to be exchanged in favour of a seriously ill prisoner with whom he was sharing a cell in a Russian prison,” Yermak said.

AFP