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Iraqis celebrates US-Iran ceasefire as two-week halt in war begins

Iraqis celebrates US-Iran ceasefire as two-week halt in war begins

NewsFeed Celebrations have erupted in Iraq’s capital, Baghdad, following the announcement of a two-week ceasefire between Iran and the United States. Iraq had been pulled into the war with pro-Iran armed groups and US forces carrying out attacks on each other. Published On 8 Apr 20268 Apr 2026 Click here to share on social media share2 Share googleAdd Al Jazeera on Googleinfo Adblock test (Why?)

Is Arteta’s intensity Arsenal’s Premier and Champions League hope, or fear?

Is Arteta’s intensity Arsenal’s Premier and Champions League hope, or fear?

Arsenal’s quadruple hunt was halved in the space of a week, and their UEFA Champions League hopes were given a stern test by a Sporting Lisbon side that only just squeezed past Bodo/Glimt to reach the competition’s quarterfinals. Sporting, who had to come from 3-0 down following the first leg against Norway’s Bodo, are seven points off leaders Porto in the Portuguese top flight, but were more than a match for the English Premier League leaders in Lisbon on Tuesday, with only a late Kai Havertz strike separating the sides. Recommended Stories list of 4 itemsend of list The 1-0 win favours Mikel Arteta’s side ahead of the second leg in London next week, but it was another game that left the Gunners with as many questions as answers. Back-to-back defeats leading into the game – in the League Cup final against Manchester City and the FA Cup quarterfinals against second-tier Southampton – have left Arteta’s team in danger of a late-season slump. Having finished third in the Premier League for the last three seasons, their chances of dropping the “nearly men” tag look good this year. They hold a nine-point lead at the top of the English table, with seven games to play, although Pep Guardiola’s City in second do have a game in hand. Even substitute Havertz’s injury-time winner in Lisbon, however, could not paper over the cracks of another troubled performance for the Gunners, and against a side that have never made it beyond the quarterfinals of the competition. Sporting had 10 shots on goal compared with Arsenal’s seven, while five were on target compared with the Gunners’ four. Advertisement Arteta said going into the match in Lisbon that the questions about his team are to be expected, despite their Premier League lead and having won all but one of its games in the Champions League this season. “It’s been like this for the last nine months, and that’s going to continue; that’s never going to change when you play at this level for this club,” he said ahead of the match at Estadio Jose Alvalade. “There’s always going to be a question mark, and that’s it. You have to live the present; you have to deliver it every day.” Arteta’s intensity in full focus as Arsenal wobble again The question mark is not only over his side, though. The Spaniard struggles to hide his emotions, particularly in defeat, and Al Jazeera understands that this is an area of concern for certain members of Arsenal’s hierarchy, who believe the former midfielder’s intensity at crucial moments could be holding his side back. The slump, marked by the first time they have been beaten in successive games in this campaign, has plunged the club’s long-suffering fans into a bout of soul-searching. The north Londoners have not won a trophy since the 2020 FA Cup, and their “nearly men” tag has raised doubts about their ability to finally land silverware. Arteta, however, is convinced they can handle the mounting pressure of bidding to win the Champions League for the first time, while aiming to finally lift the Premier League trophy after a 22-year wait. “In the season, you always have moments, normally two or three. This is the first moment that we have with a certain level of difficulty,” Arteta said in the build-up to the match in Lisbon. “I love my players; what they have done for nine months. I’m not going to criticise them because we lost a game in the manner that they are putting their bodies through everything. “I’m going to defend them more than ever. Someone has to take responsibility. That’s me, and we have the most beautiful period of the season ahead of us,” Arteta added. Arsenal’s pain could provide Champions League gain Arsenal routed Sporting 5-1 in Lisbon in the league phase of the Champions League, a far cry from the continued nervy display by the Gunners on Tuesday. The soundbites from Christian Norgaard, which struck an upbeat note in the face of adversity heading into the Sporting match, would have been something that those doubting Arteta’s temperament were relieved to hear in the halls of power at Emirates Stadium. “The message is to have a positive body language, to talk with your teammates, with the coaching staff. Now is not the time to go with our heads down for too long,” the Arsenal midfielder said on Monday. Advertisement “It’s fine to be frustrated and also to analyse what went wrong, but then we also have to look forward, because there are so many big games coming up for this club.” Arteta did talk about his side turning the pain of the last two results into gain, drumming into his players to embrace the defeats, while fighting off outside noise about yet another late-season swoon. “What you have to be is clear,” he said on Monday. “Instead of panic, understand if that happens, why it happened, and bring clarity. And when you analyse that and you accept that, you will be better. That’s it, and that’s the thing that we have to do. “Have some perspective on how difficult it is. Feel that pain, feel that emotion, and use it to be better and to improve. There are a few things that we have discussed internally, and I’m very convinced that we’re going to see that.” The players were filmed partaking in team-building exercises in training on Monday, alongside their usual footballing drills ahead of the match in an attempt to shake off the blip. “We have full belief,” Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya told Prime after the game, in which his ability was hailed as the key performance on the night. “We absolutely believe [we can win the Champions League]. If you don’t believe, you are never going to win it, no matter what you go through. “We need to go back to what we are, be ourselves, learn from losing two competitions straight away, and learn from the pain in the belly.

Netanyahu says US-Iran ceasefire ‘does not include Lebanon’

Netanyahu says US-Iran ceasefire ‘does not include Lebanon’

DEVELOPING STORYDEVELOPING STORY, Israeli prime minister’s office welcomes US decision to suspend attacks on Iran, but says the two-week truce does not apply to Lebanon. Published On 8 Apr 20268 Apr 2026 Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has announced that Israel backs the United States’s decision to suspend strikes against Iran for two weeks, but said the truce “does not include Lebanon”. In a statement on X on Wednesday, Netanyahu said Israel supported US President Donald Trump’s efforts to ensure “Iran no longer poses a nuclear, missile and terror threat to America, Israel, Iran’s Arab neighbors and the world”. He said the US has told Israel that it is committed to achieving these goals in the upcoming negotiations in Pakistan’s Islamabad on Friday. But the two-week ceasefire “does not include Lebanon”, he added. Netanyahu’s statement comes after Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced that the US, Iran and their allies “have agreed to an immediate ceasefire everywhere including Lebanon and elsewhere”. Sharif said the move was “effective immediately”. Lebanon was drawn into the war on March 2 after Iran-aligned Hezbollah launched attacks on Israel. Hezbollah said the attacks were in retaliation for Israel’s killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on February 28 as well as its near-daily violations of a ceasefire it agreed in Lebanon in November of 2024. Israeli attacks on Lebanon have since killed more than 1,500 people and displaced more than 1 million people. The Israeli military has also launched an invasion of southern Lebanon and said it aims to seize more territory for what it calls a buffer zone. There’s been no immediate comment from Hezbollah or Lebanon. Adblock test (Why?)

Abortion pill mifepristone stays available by mail for now as FDA faces 6-month review deadline

Abortion pill mifepristone stays available by mail for now as FDA faces 6-month review deadline

A federal judge allowed the abortion pill mifepristone to continue being distributed by mail nationwide for now, but warned the Biden-era policy could soon face major legal changes as a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) safety review of the drug unfolds. The legal challenge to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s January 2023 Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) seeks to end the “certified pharmacies” regulation that allows for the drug to be mailed across state lines while the federal agency continues its review. U.S. District Court Judge David C. Joseph, appointed by President Donald Trump, ruled against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on Tuesday, citing what he referred to as a “government by lawsuit.” “…It is the completion of FDA’s promised good faith, evidence-based, and expeditious review of the mifepristone REMS, not “government by lawsuit,” that this Court finds to be in the public interest,” Joseph wrote in his ruling. PLANNED PARENTHOOD ATTACKS HAWLEY EFFORT TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL OF MIFEPRISTONE Joseph also cited a letter from both Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and FDA Commissioner Marty Makary asking their respective agencies to “conduct a comprehensive safety review” of the 2023 mifepristone REMS. Murrill told Fox News Digital she plans on taking Joseph’s ruling to the Fifth Circuit despite the ongoing mifepristone REMS review from both agencies. “Judge Joseph concluded that Louisiana has standing to sue and is likely to succeed in showing that the 2023 REMS is unlawful,” Murrill said to Fox News Digital in a statement. YOUNG, GOP SENATORS URGES TRUMP TO REINSTATE ‘PROTECT LIFE RULE’ TO BLOCK TITLE X FUNDS FROM ABORTION CLINICS “He also concluded that Louisiana suffers irreparable harm every day that the 2023 REMS remains in effect,” she added. “Accordingly, under binding Fifth Circuit precedent, the only thing left to do is vacate the 2023 REMS pending the outcome of this litigation. We will ask the Fifth Circuit to do so.” The ruling sets up a high-stakes legal fight over abortion pills, with a federal appeals court showdown looming and the FDA under pressure to justify rules that dramatically expanded access in recent years. In the past year, many red states nationwide have taken the 2023 REMS mail-order regulation to the courts.  In one notable incident last year, a Texas man who fathered an unborn child sued a California doctor who prescribed his ex-girlfriend mifepristone through the organization “Aid Access.” His case, Rodriguez v. Coeytaux, is still ongoing. HAWLEY INTRODUCES BILL TO STRIP FDA APPROVAL FROM ‘INHERENTLY DANGEROUS’ ABORTION PILL In the State of Louisiana v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Murrill seeks a full rollback of the REMS policy regardless of the findings of the review. Joseph denied injunction without prejudice in the suit that Louisiana brought to the court, but also granted stay of the case. His ruling orders the FDA to complete their safety review, which had been postponed through the November midterm elections, and to report back in six months. “Should the agency fail to complete its review and make any necessary revisions to the REMS within a reasonable timeframe, the Court’s analysis – and the weight accorded to these factors – will inevitably change,” Joseph wrote in his ruling. Joseph did point to Louisiana’s standing in the suit, claiming the state is suffering “ongoing harm” after the Dobbs decision in 2022 allowed the state to ban abortion. “Thus, in that post-Dobbs regulatory environment, there is evidence that the 2023 REMS was approved without adequate consideration, at least in part, as part of an effort to circumvent anti-abortion states’ ability to regulate abortion,” Joseph wrote. “Likewise, there is evidence that the consequences of this action were predictable – out-of-state providers and related entities would expand access to mifepristone in ways designed to reach into jurisdictions like Louisiana.” PRO-LIFE ORGANIZATION CALLS ON HHS AND FDA TO SUSPEND ABORTION PILL APPROVAL, TIGHTEN SAFETY RULES However, Joseph pointed to the FDA as the ultimate decision maker on the issue, as a matter of “public health judgment.” Mifepristone was first approved by the FDA in 2000 under strict guidelines, requiring a pregnancy at seven weeks’ gestation or fewer, and only administered in-person after being seen by a prescribing physician.  The guidelines were first relaxed in 2016, where the gestational age of the proposed pregnancy was lengthened to 10 weeks, and required fewer in-person visits to obtain a prescription. After the COVID-19 pandemic, where mifepristone was prescribed and sent via mail under unprecedented circumstances, the same rules were legalized under the FDA’s REMS in 2023. Reuters reported that mifepristone is the single-most popular method of abortion in the U.S., representing about 60% of all abortions. HAWLEY LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO ABORTION DRUG MANUFACTURERS OVER ‘GRAVE RISKS’ TO WOMEN Joseph’s ruling orders the FDA to finish their review, which may revise rules under the 2023 REMS guidelines. It also allows the court to act if the agency continues to delay its safety review more than six months. “Should the agency fail… the Court’s analysis… will inevitably change,” Joseph concluded. Joseph maintained mifepristone access in Louisiana for now, but signaled the legal and scientific basis for those rules may not hold. “This is one of the many reasons why the investigation into the FDA must be sped up so that states can begin to regulate abortions if the feds don’t,” 40 Days for Life President Shawn Carney told Fox News Digital. “This was one of the great promises by RFK that they initiated last year, because we now know how dangerous these abortion drugs are.” “The investigation into the FDA must be sped up because every abortion pill sent through the mail is a huge, unregulated danger that has been a disaster since Biden deregulated it,” Carney added. The FDA did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

Pope Leo calls out Trump’s Iran rhetoric before last-minute ceasefire emerges

Pope Leo calls out Trump’s Iran rhetoric before last-minute ceasefire emerges

Hours before President Donald Trump announced a two-week delay in attacking Iran, Pope Leo issued a rare and pointed condemnation, denouncing Trump’s Tuesday morning threat against the country as “truly unacceptable.” Speaking to journalists outside his residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, the leader of the world’s 1.4 billion Catholics spoke out against the escalating war and called for an immediate end to the conflict. “Today, as we all know, there has also been this threat against the entire people of Iran, and this is truly unacceptable,” the pope said. “There are certainly issues of international law here, but even more so a moral issue for the good of the whole entire population.” The comments were seemingly in reference to one of Trump’s earlier Truth Social posts, where he wrote, “A whole civilization will die tonight, never to be brought back again. I don’t want that to happen, but it probably will… God Bless the Great People of Iran!” TRUMP VOWS US WILL STRIKE IRAN’S POWER PLANTS, BRIDGES IF STRAIT OF HORMUZ IS NOT REOPENED Trump later said that, based on conversations with Pakistani leaders, he would delay the “bombing and attack of Iran” for two weeks. The postponement is subject to the Islamic Republic of Iran agreeing to “the COMPLETE, IMMEDIATE, and SAFE OPENING of the Strait of Hormuz,” the president wrote in a Truth Social post. He added the administration received a 10-point proposal from Iran, and officials “believe it is a workable basis on which to negotiate.” Pope Leo had warned that attacks on civilian infrastructure are “against international law” and serve as a “sign of the hatred, the division [and] the destruction the human being is capable of.” The pontiff went on to describe the conflict as a war many are calling “unjust” that is “not resolving anything.” “In fact, we have a worldwide economic crisis, energy crisis situation in the Middle East of great instability, which is only provoking more hatred throughout the world,” he said. “So come back to the table. Let’s talk let’s look for solutions in a peaceful way.” The pope also took the unusual step of calling on everyday citizens to “contact the authorities — political leaders, congressmen — to ask them to work for peace and to reject war always.” A clash between the sovereign of the Vatican City State and world leaders is highly unusual, though the pope made his first direct appeal to Trump last week, urging him to find an “off-ramp” to end the war with Iran, according to a report from Reuters. Pope Leo on Tuesday pleaded for the protection of the innocent, urging the world to remember “the children, the elderly, the sick,” who he said “have already become, or will become, victims of this continued warfare.”