Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas hit last-minute snag, holding up deal
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas hit last-minute snag, holding up deal.
JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli official says Gaza ceasefire talks with Hamas hit last-minute snag, holding up deal.
CAIRO (Reuters) -Saudi Arabia said it would not establish ties with Israel without the creation of a Palestinian state, contradicting President Donald Trump's claim that Riyadh was not demanding a Palestinian homeland when he said the U.S. wants to take over the Gaza Strip. In a shocking announcement, Trump said on Tuesday the United States would take over the war-ravaged enclave after Palestinians are resettled elsewhere and develop it economically. Saudi Arabia rejects any attempts to displace the Palestinians from their land, Saudi Arabia's foreign ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, adding that its stance towards the Palestinians is not negotiable.
As the European Union braces for rocky ties with its ally the United States, its top official has left the door open for a thaw in relations with China. For the second time in a fortnight, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen - seen as the continent's most prominent China hawk - said there was space to deepen trade ties and even "find agreements" with Beijing, in "an era of hyper-competitive and hyper-transactional geopolitics". "We will keep de-risking our economic relationship -
BEIJING (Reuters) -China and Thailand should deepen trust in each other and expand cooperation to counter growing global uncertainties, President Xi Jinping said on Thursday during a meeting in Beijing with Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. The Thai leader's official visit to China from February 5 to February 8 is her first since taking office in August, marking the 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Xi cited projects such as a high-speed railway set to link Bangkok with southwestern China's Kunming, adding that digital economy and electric vehicles were additional areas for greater cooperation.
A flurry of naval drills surrounding the Philippines involving the United States and its partners has prompted complaints from Beijing, which claims the entire South China Sea and accuses Manila of colluding with others to destabilize the region. The U.S. 7th Fleet based in Japan said forces from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. conducted a “multilateral Maritime Cooperative Activity” within the Philippines’ Exclusive Economic Zone on Wednesday. The maneuvers were taking place within the Philippines’ zone, but the fleet gave no details on the exact location.
China is willing to work with the European Union to boost cooperation and respond to "global challenges," its foreign ministry said on Wednesday, as the bloc faced potential U.S. tariffs on its shipments to the world's largest economy. "The world is facing the risk of division, fragmentation and disorder," said Lin Jian, spokesperson at the Chinese ministry. The EU's trade chief said on Tuesday that the bloc wanted to engage swiftly with the United States over President Donald Trump's planned tariffs.
Russia’s economy is showing “serious cracks” and the West must intensify sanctions to put Ukraine in the best possible position for a peace deal, Finland’s foreign minister has said.
When Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he was ready to negotiate with Vladimir Putin to end the war, it wasn't the first time Ukraine's leader had announced his readiness to talk to Moscow. In fact, the two sides already tried to negotiate in the early days of the war.View on euronews
Trump's plans are likely to heighten fears among Palestinians in Gaza, which had a pre-war population of around 2.3 million, of being driven out of the coastal strip, and stoke concern in Arab states that have long worried about the destabilising impact of any such exodus. Palestinians have long been haunted by what they call the "Nakba", or catastrophe, when 700,000 of them were dispossessed from their homes during the war that surrounded the creation of Israel in 1948. Israel disputes the account that they were forced out.
STORY: :: Trump is in no hurry to speak to Xi,says US will 'do fine against China':: February 4, 2025:: Washington, D.C."Any update on when you would speak to President Xi (Jinping)?""No, I will speak to him at the appropriate time. I'm in no rush. I'm in no rush.""Do you think that conversation can lend itself to the type of freeze that it meant for the tariff for for Canada and Mexico?""Well, we'll see what happens.""Mr. President, what is your reaction to China's retaliatory tariffs?""That's fine. It's fine. We're going to do fine against China and against everybody else." "Right now, they've taken advantage of the Biden administration like I've never seen. I've never seen. The deficit with China is about a trillion dollars. Think of it. A trillion dollars. they're using our money to build their military, and Biden let that happen." China imposed targeted tariffs on U.S. imports on Tuesday and put several companies, including Google, on notice for possible sanctions, in a measured response to Trump's tariffs.A conversation between Xi and Trump is seen as key to a potential easing or delay of tariffs, as conversations with Mexican and Canadian leaders did on Monday.White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt told reporters that a Trump-Xi call still needed to be scheduled."President Xi did reach out to President Trump to speak about this, maybe to begin a negotiation. So we'll see how that call goes," Leavitt told Fox Business Network earlier on Tuesday.Liu Pengyu, spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington, said China hoped Washington would work with Beijing to ensure stable, healthy and sustainable ties between the two countries.
Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra has arrived in China for a four-day visit as the two sides look to crack down on telecoms scam farms in Southeast Asia, and with trade, technology and infrastructure expected to top the agenda. Thailand, a long-time US ally, is also a crucial regional partner for Beijing in light of its fierce rivalry with Washington. Paetongtarn arrived in Beijing on Wednesday for what is her first visit to China since taking office in August. Do you have questions abo
Iran's government seems to be welcoming some recent decisions by the United States — even though they happen to come from a man Iranian operatives have allegedly been plotting to assassinate. President Donald Trump's moves to freeze spending on foreign aid and overhaul, maybe even end, the U.S. Agency for International Development have been lauded in Iranian state media. The reports say the decisions will halt funding for opponents of the country's Shiite theocracy — pro-democracy activists and others supported through programs as part of U.S. government's efforts to help democracy worldwide.
US president doubles down on his proposal for Washington to control and redevelop the war-torn territory, which has sparked global condemnation
Leverage is the most important thing in negotiations, Donald Trump said in his book The Art Of The Deal. The US president has just maximised his leverage over Iran's government, squeezing it where it hurts most. The move will hurt Iran's economy, already in deep trouble, and could lead to more social unrest.
China's former ambassador to France, who earned a reputation for his fierce defence of national interests, has been appointed to a prestigious post in charge of European affairs, Beijing announced Thursday.Lu, who served in Paris from 2019 for five years, has been appointed Special Representative for European Affairs, Beijing's foreign ministry told a regular press briefing.
Thai leader's official visit to China this week marks 50th anniversary of diplomatic ties between two countries
JERUSALEM/WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump said on Thursday Israel would hand over Gaza to the United States after fighting was over and the enclave's population was already resettled elsewhere, which he said meant no U.S. troops would be needed on the ground. A day after worldwide condemnation of Trump's announcement that he aimed to take over and develop the Gaza Strip into the "Riviera of the Middle East", Israel ordered its army to prepare to allow the "voluntary departure" of Gaza Palestinians. Trump, who had previously declined to rule out deploying U.S. troops to the small coastal territory, clarified his idea in comments on his Truth Social web platform.
Turkey, who shares a 910 kilometre border with Syria, is considered a key ally of its new administration.View on euronews
The UK is to take over the leadership of the Ukraine defence group from the US.
French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Syria’s interim leader Ahmed al-Sharaa in a phone call that covered the transition in Syria, economic sanctions and the need to continue the fight against terrorism. He also extended an invitation for al-Sharaa to visit France in the coming weeks. In the first call to Sharaa from a western leader, Macron on Wednesday congratulated the leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Islamist group, which lead the overthrow of former president Bashar al-Assad, fo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday restored his "maximum pressure" campaign on Iran that includes efforts to drive its oil exports down to zero in order to stop Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon. Ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump signed the presidential memorandum reimposing Washington's tough policy on Iran that was practiced throughout his first term. As he signed the memo, Trump described it as very tough and said he was torn on whether to make the move.