Trump starts key Asian tour with deals ahead of China meet
Trump rewarded Cambodia and Thailand with trade deals after co-signing their ceasefire pact, and saying he was confident of a...Geostrategy
US Fed will likely cut again despite economic murkiness from shutdown
The central bank's second-to-last rate meeting of the year is taking place against the backdrop of a weeks-long standoff between...Economy Geostrategy
Trump drops Ukraine ceasefire demand after Putin summit, to pursue full peace accord
Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump...Prior to the high-stakes meeting in Alaska, securing an immediate cessation of hostilities had been a core demand of Trump and European leaders
The shift away from an urgent ceasefire would seem to favor Putin, who has long argued for negotiations on a final peace deal
Made-for-TV pageantry as Trump brings Putin in from cold
Anchorage, United States - Stepping foot on Western soil for the first time since he ordered the invasion of Ukraine,...Putin and Trump each flew in their presidential planes to Elmendorf Air Base, the largest US military installation in Alaska that played a key role in monitoring the Soviet Union
Trump waited in Air Force One until Putin landed and then stepped down to the tarmac, clapping as he saw the Russian leader for the first time since 2019
Trump, Putin meeting ends in areas of agreement, a renewed friendship but without Ukraine deal
"There's no deal until there's a deal," Trump said after emerging from a meeting with Putin. offering warm words but...After an abrupt ending to three hours of talks with aides, Trump and Putin offered warm words but took no questions from reporters - highly unusual for the media-savvy US president
Putin told Trump he agreed with him that the Ukraine war, which Putin ordered, would not have happened if Trump were president instead of Joe Biden
Hezbollah vows to fight disarmament as Lebanon PM slams civil war ‘threats’
Hezbollah leader Naim Qassem vowed Friday to fight government plans to disarm his group, with Lebanese Prime Minister Nawaf Salam...Qassem gave a televised address after meeting with Iran's security chief Ali Larijani, whose country has long backed the Lebanese militant group
Hezbollah emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel, and the Lebanese government -- under US pressure -- has ordered the army to draw up a plan to disarm the group
World plastic pollution treaty talks collapse with no deal
Negotiators from 185 nations worked beyond Thursday's deadline and through the night in an ultimately futile search for common ground....The stalemate was a resounding failure for the environment and for international diplomacy at a time when its frailties are in the spotlight.
Countries voiced anger and despair as the talks unraveled, but said they wanted future negotiations -- despite six rounds of talks over three years ending in a failure.
‘Like hell’: Indoor heat overwhelms Saudi Arabia’s cooks, bakers
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia -- Baker Eid Ahmed just can't get away from Saudi Arabia's notorious heat: he makes bread next...In arid Saudi Arabia, summer temperatures regularly reach 50C, leaving streets empty for much of the day.
To protect laborers, the kingdom bans work under direct sunlight and outside during the hours of most intense heat from mid-June until mid-September.
At least 1,760 killed while seeking aid in Gaza since late May: UN
"While 994 were killed in the vicinity of GHF (Gaza Humanitarian Foundation) sites, 766 were killed along the routes of...The update came as Gaza's civil defense agency said at least 23 people were killed by Israeli fire on Friday, including 12 who were waiting for humanitarian aid.
The military intends to take control of Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, some of the most densely populated parts of the territory.
Hezbollah chief thanks Iran for ongoing support to face Israel
Beirut, Lebanon - Hezbollah chief Naim Qassem has thanked a senior Iranian official for his country's ongoing support in confronting...Tehran has been the main backer of the Shiite Muslim group, which emerged badly weakened from last year's war with Israel
Larijani's visit came after the Lebanese government tasked the army with drawing up a plan to disarm Hezbollah by the end of the year
Israeli far-right minister backs contentious West Bank settlement plan
Israel's finance minister on Thursday backed plans to build 3,400 homes in a particularly contentious area of the occupied West...Israel has long had ambitions to build on the sensitive parcel of land east of Jerusalem known as E1, but the plan has been frozen for decades amid international opposition
Israeli NGO Peace Now, which monitors settlement activity, denounced the E1 plan as "deadly for the future of Israel and for any chance of achieving a peaceful two state solution
Expectations high as Trump, Putin set to meet at Alaska: What each side wants
In a draft peace plan published in June, Russia called on Ukraine to withdraw its forces from the Kherson, Lugansk,...For Putin, who has faced years of isolation from the West since the invasion, the summit is an opportunity to press Russia's hardline demands for ending the conflict
In addition to territory, Russia wants Ukraine to ensure the "rights and freedoms" of the Russian-speaking population and to prohibit what it calls the "glorification of Nazism".
