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Tag: Reuters

  • US Court Suspends Trump Layoff of Hundreds at Voice of America

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    By Blake Brittain and Jan Wolfe

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -A federal judge in Washington ordered the Trump administration on Monday to pause the layoffs of hundreds of employees from the agency that owns the U.S. news service Voice of America, adding that government officials had shown “concerning disrespect” for the court’s directives.

    U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth halted the plan while he determines whether the U.S. Agency for Global Media complied with an injunction he issued in April that it “fulfills its statutory mandate that VOA serve as a consistently reliable and authoritative source of news.”

    The layoffs would affect 532 jobs for full-time staff, representing most of the agency’s remaining employees. VOA broadcasts were abruptly shut down in March under an executive order from U.S. President Donald Trump.

    Lamberth said in his written order that he “no longer harbors any doubt” that the defendants, which include the agency and its acting CEO Kari Lake, “lack a plan to comply with the preliminary injunction”.

    Instead, they have “been running out the clock on the fiscal year while remaining in violation of even the most meager reading of USAGM and Voice of America’s statutory obligations,” he said.

    Representatives for the White House and the agency, as well as attorneys for the employees who filed the litigation did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the decision.

    Trump, who clashed with VOA during his first term, picked Lake, a former news anchor, to be its director for his second. Lake, a staunch ally of the president, has often accused mainstream media of harboring anti-Trump bias.

    Founded in 1942 to counter Nazi propaganda, VOA reached 360 million people a week in 2024, according to a USAGM report to Congress. 

    Lamberth, who was appointed by President Ronald Reagan, has been hearing a batch of lawsuits challenging the legality of Trump’s March executive order. The cases include one filed by Michael Abramowitz, VOA’s director.     

    (Reporting by Blake Brittain and Jan Wolfe in Washington; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • South Korea’s Lee, Outgoing Japan PM Ishiba Hold Talks on Better Ties, US Trade Deals

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    SEOUL (Reuters) -South Korean President Lee Jae Myung hosts outgoing Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Tuesday on a goodwill visit aimed at highlighting the two countries’ commitment to improve once-frosty ties and cooperate more closely on trade.

    Lee has engaged with Japan on security and trade issues, continuing his predecessor’s policy of cautious rapprochement after years of tension over Japan’s wartime history.

    Ishiba, whose Liberal Democratic Party is set to pick a new leader on October 4 who will likely become prime minister, is scheduled to visit South Korea for two days and meet Lee in the southern city of Busan.

    Ishiba is a unique figure in the Japanese ruling party and South Korea looked forward to his continued role to help bilateral ties after he stepped down, Lee’s national security adviser, Wi Sung-lac, told a briefing on Monday.

    The two leaders were also expected to compare notes on their respective trade negotiations with the United States to lower tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, Wi said.

    Japan has reached a framework deal with Trump who has signed an executive order formalising the agreement to lower tariffs on Japanese products to 15% including on autos.

    But many issues remain to be ironed out including Japan’s pledge of $550 billion in investment in U.S. industry and further actions threatened by Trump on pharmaceutical and semiconductor imports worldwide.

    South Korea’s Lee made a handshake-deal with Trump during his visit to Washington in August but follow-up talks to finalise the trade agreement remain deadlocked, mostly over the details of $350 billion in investments pledged by South Korea.

    South Korea has said that amount, if made in an upfront cash outlay as suggested by Trump, could trigger a financial crisis for Asia’s fourth-largest economy.

    Lee previously held a summit meeting with Ishiba in August just ahead of his U.S. visit.

    (Reporting by Jack Kim; Editing by Stephen Coates)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Morocco Squashes Youth-Led Protesters Over Health, Education

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    RABAT (Reuters) -A heavy security presence on Monday evening thwarted for a straight third day youth-led protests across several Moroccan cities, where demonstrators have sought to rally for improvements to the public health and education systems.

    The protests were organized online by a loosely formed anonymous youth group calling itself “GenZ 212,” using platforms including TikTok, Instagram and gaming application Discord.

    The government and judicial authorities have not yet communicated on the incidents and arrests and the interior ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

    On Monday evening, dozens were arrested as authorities prevented the group from holding protests in cities including Rabat, Casablanca, Agadir, Tangier and Oujda.

    In Rabat, a Reuters witness saw plainclothes officers arresting young protesters as they tried to chant slogans or speak to the press.

    The president of a child protection association, Najat Anouar, was arrested as she was speaking to media and released two hours later.

    “I came here to investigate allegations that the under-age have been arrested and got arrested myself,” she told Reuters.

    One group of protesters in downtown Rabat briefly managed to shout “freedom, dignity, and social justice”, a slogan echoing the 2011 demonstrations that prompted a constitutional reform devolving more powers from the Moroccan monarchy to the elected government.

    “We want a better health system and accountability,” said Brahim, 25, moments before fleeing as police sought to prevent people joining the protest.

    On Sunday night in Casablanca, protesters briefly blocked a major highway, while in Agadir, videos circulating on social media showed police dispersing students near the university campus.

    The recent wave of youth anger was sparked by earlier protests in Agadir over poor hospital conditions, which quickly spread to other cities.

    Demonstrators have denounced inadequate care, understaffed facilities, and a lack of medical resources.

    Morocco’s unemployment rate stands at 12.8%, with youth unemployment reaching 35.8% and 19% among graduates, according to the national statistics agency.

    (Reporting by Ahmed Eljechtimi; Editing by Lincoln Feast.)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Trump Can Slash Education Department’s Civil Rights Staff, Court Rules

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    (Reuters) -A federal appeals court on Monday allowed the U.S. Department of Education to proceed with plans to lay off civil rights staff as it paused an injunction that the Trump administration said should have been removed after a U.S. Supreme Court decision.

    A three-judge panel of the Boston-based 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals put on hold an injunction that President Donald Trump’s administration opposed. The injunction by U.S. District Judge Myong Joun ordered the Education Department to reinstate staff in its Office for Civil Rights.

    Joun declined in mid-August to lift the injunction. But the Trump administration argued that decision defied a Supreme Court ruling in July that allowed the government to fire 1,300 Education Department employees.

    The Department of Justice asked the 1st Circuit to intervene so it did not have to go back to the Supreme Court.

    The Education Department and lawyers for the plaintiffs challenging the cuts did not respond to requests for comment.

    Both cases followed a March announcement by Secretary of Education Linda McMahon of a mass layoff that would cut in half the staff of a department that Trump has called for shuttering, which only Congress could ultimately authorize.

    Joun, an appointee of Democratic President Joe Biden, in May blocked the department-wide job cuts at the behest of a group of Democratic-led states, school districts and teachers’ unions. But on appeal, the 6-3 conservative majority U.S. Supreme Court on July 14 lifted Joun’s injunction.

    That decision, though, did not address a narrower injunction Joun later issued covering just the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which enforces federal civil rights laws in schools and was facing a loss of half of its 550 employees.

    Those cuts were challenged by two students and the Victim Rights Law Center, which represents sexual assault victims. Citing the Supreme Court’s order, the Justice Department said the injunction those plaintiffs won could no longer stand.

    In declining to lift it, Joun called the Supreme Court’s brief July order “unreasoned,” echoing a critique by other lower-court judges of the short orders emanating from the high court’s emergency docket, also called the “shadow docket.”

    The Justice Department said Joun’s “disregard of the Supreme Court’s ruling represents an affront to the Supreme Court’s authority.”

    The 1st Circuit panel, comprised entirely of Biden appointees, on Monday paused the injunction, calling the cases similar.

    U.S. Circuit Judge Seth Aframe concurred but warned that the “unreasoned” Supreme Court order’s “import will be limited as this case moves ahead,” as the courts weigh whether the layoffs unlawfully impeded the office’s functions.

    (Reporting by Nate Raymond in Boston; Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Cynthia Osterman)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Starmer to Call for Unity to Win ‘Fight for the Soul’ of Britain

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    LIVERPOOL, England (Reuters) -British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will call on his Labour Party to unite on Tuesday, saying it was engaged in a “fight for the soul of our country” that would be long, difficult and not always comfortable.

    At his party’s second annual conference in the northern English city of Liverpool since winning power at a landslide election last year, Starmer needs to re-establish his authority over a party that is increasingly restive after falling far behind the populist Reform UK in opinion polls.

    The British leader will try to flesh out his strategy to deal with the growing popularity of Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage’s Reform, after some in Labour said he was tacking too far to the right on immigration to match the populist party.

    DIFFICULT DECISIONS AHEAD ON TAX

    In a nod to the difficulties he has faced in the first year of his premiership, Starmer will again commit to raising living standards and putting money in the pockets of voters, which lawmakers say are essential to win back the party’s traditional electoral base – the working classes.

    “No matter how many people tell me it can’t be done, I believe Britain can come together,” Starmer will say in his conference speech, according to advance excerpts.

    “We can all see our country faces a choice, a defining choice. Britain stands at a fork in the road. We can choose decency, or we can choose division. Renewal or decline.”

    He faces some difficult decisions. After saying that last year’s tax rises – the biggest in more than 30 years – were a one-off in terms of scale, the government might be forced to again raise tens of billions of pounds in taxes to cover a forecast fiscal shortfall.

    Finance minister Rachel Reeves used her speech at conference to warn those in the party who want her to ease her fiscal rules to spend more on the nation’s ailing economy that they were “wrong, dangerously so”, keeping the door open to tax rises.

    Starmer will also make clear that some decisions might be difficult for Labour, which has long argued its return to power after 14 years of opposition had been made almost impossible by a Conservative administration that failed to balance the books.

    “It is a test. A fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war, and we must all rise to this challenge,” Starmer is expected to say.

    “And yet we need to be clear that our path, the path of renewal, it’s long, it’s difficult, it requires decisions that are not cost-free or easy. Decisions – that will not always be comfortable for our party.”

    (Reporting by Elizabeth Piper; Editing by Alex Richardson)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Italy Welcomes US President Trump’s Gaza Proposal, Pledges Support

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    MILAN (Reuters) -Italy welcomed U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to end the war in Gaza and it was ready to play its part in close coordination with the United States, European partners, and regional actors, the prime minister’s office said on Monday.

    “The proposal presented today by U.S. President Donald Trump could mark a turning point, enabling a permanent cessation of hostilities, the immediate release of all hostages, and full and secure humanitarian access for the civilian population,” it said in a statement.

    “Hamas, in particular – having initiated this war with the barbaric terrorist attack of October 7, 2023 – now has the opportunity to end it by releasing the hostages, agreeing to have no role in Gaza’s future, and fully disarming”, the statement added.

    (Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro;)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Israel’s Netanyahu Expresses Regret to Qatar for Doha Attack, White House Says

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed regret for an Israeli attack in Doha to Qatar’s leader on Monday in a three-way call with U.S. President Donald Trump, the White House said.

    The White House said Netanyahu also expressed regret for Israel violating Qatari sovereignty and “affirmed that Israel will not conduct such an attack again in the future.”

    “The leaders discussed a proposal for ending the war in Gaza, prospects for a more secure Middle East, and the need for greater understanding between their countries,” the White House said before a news conference with Trump and the Israeli prime minister.

    Trump hosted Netanyahu for talks on Monday to press him to back a Gaza peace proposal aimed at ending a nearly 2-year-old war that has seen Israel face growing international isolation.

    (Reporting by Jasper Ward and Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Frontier, Allegiant CEOs to Testify at US Senate Airline Competition Hearing

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    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The chief executives of low-cost carriers Allegiant Airlines and Frontier Airlines will testify before a U.S. Senate Judiciary antitrust subcommittee on Tuesday on air carrier competition, congressional aides said.

    Allegiant Airlines CEO Greg Anderson and Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle are among the witnesses that will testify, as will Sharon Pinkerton, a senior vice president at Airlines for America, which represents United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and others.

    (Reporting by David Shepardson; Editing by Mark Porter)

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  • Greece Intends to Buy Four Used Bergamini Frigates From Italy

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    ATHENS (Reuters) -Greece wants to buy four used Bergamini class frigates from Italy, Defence Minister Nikos Dendias said on Monday, as the NATO member seeks to modernise its navy.

    High-ranking officials from the two countries signed memorandums for naval cooperation, Dendias said in a statement after a meeting with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto in La Spezia in Italy.

    “One of the memorandums opens the door to acquire two FREMM frigates with an option to buy two more,” Dendias said without giving details of the cost.

    Greece plans to spend about 28 billion euros as part of a multi-year defence plan that includes the purchase of a fourth Belharra frigate from France and new submarines as it tries to keep pace with historic rival Turkey.

    Greece has a long-standing dispute with its NATO ally Turkey over maritime waters, energy resources and airspace in the eastern Mediterranean.

    (Reporting by Lefteris Papadimas; Editing by Alison Williams)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • High Time for Europe to Stand With Taiwan, Foreign Minister Says in Poland

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    WARSAW (Reuters) -It is high time for Europe to stand with Taiwan given both face the same threats from authoritarian neighbours, the island’s foreign minister said on Monday, seeking to find common cause with European democracies during a visit to Poland.

    Taiwan, which China views as its own territory, has found an increasingly sympathetic ear in parts of central and eastern Europe since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, even though almost all European countries only maintain formal diplomatic ties with Beijing and not Taipei.

    Addressing the Warsaw Security Forum, Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said economic security was inseparable from national security.

    “Today, authoritarian regimes, namely China, Russia, Iran and North Korea, have formed an axis of upheaval to challenge the rule-based international order. China is largely seen as the decisive enabler behind Russia’s invasion of Ukraine,” he said.

    Europe faces threats from Russian hybrid operations, similar to what Taiwan faces from China, like cyber attacks and military exercises, Lin added.

    “It is high time for Europe to stand with Taiwan, to forge a robust coalition for our shared values and halt the expansion of authoritarian regimes. Taiwan is ready to work with Europe; is Europe ready to work with Taiwan?”

    This is Lin’s second visit to Europe this month, after earlier trips to Prague, Rome and Vienna, all of which earned a stern rebuke from China, especially as he was in Austria just a week after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

    China says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state ties, a view the government in Taipei strongly rejects.

    Lin said Europe should put forward policies to welcome more companies from semiconductor powerhouse Taiwan, and pointed to the example of major chipmaker TSMC’s investment in Germany.

    “Through such economic interactions, Taiwan and Europe can forge a powerful synergy, one that fosters a resilient and diversified tech ecosystem and contributes to Europe’s strategic re-industrialisation which is essential in rearming Europe.”

    (Writing by Ben BlanchardEditing by Tomasz Janowski)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Netherlands-Flagged Cargo Ship Attacked Near Yemen’s Aden, Maritime Firms Say

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    CAIRO (Reuters) -British maritime security firm Ambrey said on Monday that a Netherlands-flagged general cargo ship reportedly came under attack 120 nautical miles southeast of Yemen’s port city of Aden.

    The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) also said that military authorities reported that a vessel, 128 nautical miles off Aden, had been hit by an unknown projectile and was reported to be on fire.

    The UKMTO and Ambrey said they received reports of smoke in the vicinity of the vessel, with the UKMTO saying the ship’s master reported witnessing a splash in the distance.

    At the time of the attack, the vessel was not transmitting its automatic identification system (AIS), Ambrey added.

    The vessel was previously targeted on September 23 on its way to Djibouti, according to Ambrey.

    The UKMTO said on September 23 that a vessel reported a splash and the sound of an explosion in its vicinity 120 nautical miles (222 km) east of Aden.

    Both firms did not identify the party responsible.

    It was not immediately clear if the reported attack was carried out by Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis, who had launched numerous attacks on vessels in the Red Sea since 2023 that they deem to be linked with Israel in what they say is solidarity with Palestinians in Israel’s war on Gaza.

    (Reporting by Jaidaa Taha and Menna Alaa ElDin and Tala Ramadan; Editing by Toby Chopra)

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  • Hungary Blocks 12 Ukrainian News Sites in Tit-For-Tat

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    BUDAPEST (Reuters) -Hungary said on Monday it was blocking access to 12 Ukrainian news sites after a similar move by Kyiv, worsening relations between the two neighbours that have been fraught during Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    Earlier this month, Ukraine blocked various websites deemed to contain pro-Russian views at the request of the security services. They included eight Hungarian-language portals, among them a popular pro-government news site origo.hu. 

    “A sovereign country must give a proportional response to an entirely unjustified attack,” Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said in a Facebook post on Monday, announcing the measure.

    Most of the websites targeted by Hungary are widely read in Ukraine. One, European Pravda, closely tracks Ukraine’s EU accession aspiration and Hungary’s efforts to block that.

    Gulyas said Ukraine banned the Hungarian portals because they wrote critically about sanctions against Russia and military support for Ukraine and criticised the European Union and NATO alliance for being fragmented and ineffective.

    “If the fragmentation of the European Union provides grounds for state censorship in Ukraine, then it is time for Ukraine to renounce its intention to join,” he wrote.

    Gulyas said the Hungarian sites were also banned in Ukraine because they “dared to report on the influence activities of the Soros Foundation.” Hungarian-born financier George Soros and his liberal views have been a perennial target of Orban’s Fidesz party over the past decade.

    Orban has been sceptical about Western military aid for Ukraine and has maintained more cordial relations with Russian President Vladimir Putin than other NATO and EU member states.

    There was no immediate response from Ukraine to Hungary’s move to block the websites.

    (Reporting by Anita Komuves in Budapest and Yuliia Dysa in Kyiv; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

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  • Israeli Forces Advance Ahead of Trump-Netanyahu Gaza War Talks

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    By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell

    CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israeli tanks thrust closer to the heart of Gaza City on Monday, pressing a ground offensive hours before talks between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has hinted at a diplomatic breakthrough in a bid to end the war.

    After nearly two years of failed diplomatic efforts, Washington presented a 21-point plan to Arab and Muslim states last week that calls for a permanent ceasefire and the release of remaining hostages.

    Trump, who said last week that he believed a deal to end the fighting was close, promised “SOMETHING SPECIAL” on the eve of his meeting with Netanyahu.

    “We have a real chance for GREATNESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST,” he wrote on social media. “ALL ARE ON BOARD FOR SOMETHING SPECIAL, FIRST TIME EVER. WE WILL GET IT DONE!!!”

    Still, there are signs of scepticism from Israel.

    ISRAELI OFFICIALS RAISE CONCERNS

    A source familiar with the discussions said Israeli officials had raised concerns with U.S. counterparts over the proposal, including over the proposed involvement of Palestinian security forces in Gaza after the war, a lack of clarity over whether Hamas officials would be expelled from the enclave, and over who would hold overall responsibility for Gaza’s security.

    Meanwhile, there was no let-up on the ground, where Israel has launched one of its biggest offensives of the war this month, an all-out assault on Gaza City, where Netanyahu says he aims to wipe out Hamas in its final redoubts.

    Huda, a Palestinian woman sheltering in Deir Al Balah south of Gaza City with her two children, told Reuters that she worried Trump’s latest peace plan was “going to be another disappointment”.

    “Trump has made promises in the past that all turned out to be fiction,” she said by phone.

    Abu Abdallah, sheltering with nearly two dozen family members in tents along the Gaza City coast, said the family was waiting until after the White House meeting before deciding whether to flee south.

    “It is either peace or Gaza City would be wiped out, just like Rafah was,” he said, referring to a southern city that Israel completely flattened earlier in the war.

    ISRAEL SAYS OFFENSIVE WILL ERADICATE HAMAS

    Israeli tanks advanced on Monday to within a few hundred metres from Gaza City’s main Al Shifa Hospital, where doctors say hundreds of patients are still being treated despite Israeli orders to leave.

    Health officials said tanks had also surrounded the area around nearby Al Helo hospital, where 90 patients were being treated including 12 babies in incubators. Medics said the hospital was shelled overnight.

    Israel has said it will not halt fighting unless Hamas frees all hostages and permanently surrenders its weapons.

    Hamas, which precipitated the war by attacking Israel nearly two years ago, says it is willing to free its hostages in return for an end to the war, but will not give up its arms as long as Palestinians are still fighting for a state. It has said it has yet to be shown any new U.S. peace proposal.

    Hamas-led fighters killed around 1,200 people and captured 251 hostages in their October 2023 attack. More than 66,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s assault, according to Gaza’s health authorities.

    PREVIOUS CEASEFIRE EFFORTS FELL APART

    In Israel’s latest offensive, troops have flattened Gaza City neighbourhoods, dynamiting buildings which they said were used by Hamas. Hundreds of thousands of residents have fled, though many say there is nowhere to go. Israel has told them to head south, where other cities have already been razed and much of the population is crammed into tented camps.

    The military said in a Monday statement it was continuing to target militant groups to ensure the protection of Israeli civilians. Medics said the military had killed at least 18 people across Gaza on Monday, most of them in Gaza City.

    Previous ceasefire efforts backed by the U.S. have fallen apart due to a failure to bridge the gaps between Israel and Hamas.

    Netanyahu’s far-right allies in the Israeli government want the war to continue until Hamas has been defeated. They have also called for the annexation of the West Bank, which Palestinians want for their future state.

    But the Gaza City offensive is also a source of domestic political tension within Israel, where families of hostages say it is time to seek a peace deal to bring their loved ones home, and some accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war.

    The Hostages Families Forum, representing many relatives of those held captive in Gaza, sent a letter to Trump ahead of his meeting with Netanyahu, urging him not to allow anyone to sabotage the deal he is putting forward to end the Gaza war.

    “The stakes are too high, and our families have waited too long for any interference to derail this progress,” the letter said.

    (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Alex Cornwell in JerusalemEditing by Peter Graff)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Pentagon Urges Missile Makers to Double Output for Potential China Conflict, WSJ Reports

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    (Reuters) -The U.S. Pentagon is urging defense contractors to double or quadruple production rates focussing on 12 critical weapons due to concerns over low U.S. stockpiles in a potential conflict with China, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter.

    Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a Reuters’ request for comment.

    (Reporting by Bipasha Dey in BengaluruEditing by Ros Russell)

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  • Russia’s Belgorod Region Scrambles to Restore Power After Ukrainian Missile Attack, Governor Says

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    MOSCOW (Reuters) -Russia’s Belgorod region is working to restore power and hot water after Ukrainian missile strikes caused significant outages and injured at least three civilians, the area’s governor said on Monday.

    Vyacheslav Gladkov said Ukraine had targeted the region’s infrastructure, forcing certain facilities to switch to backup power generators and had twice struck the regional capital – Belgorod – with six warheads in total.

    Unverified social media footage showed what looked like a powerful missile attack on a power station in Belgorod with a series of loud explosions followed by smoke rising into the sky.

    Reuters could not verify the footage and there was no immediate comment from Ukraine whose own power infrastructure comes under regular attack from Russia.

    Gladkov said Kyiv’s forces had shelled other parts of the region, which borders Ukraine, and had launched at least 76 attack drones in the last 24 hours, some of which had been shot down near residential areas.

    The Russian Defence Ministry said it had shot down 21 Ukrainian drones over Belgorod overnight.

    Gladkov, who posted footage of Belgorod’s philharmonic orchestra playing by torchlight during one of the missile attacks, said emergency repair crews had worked through the night to restore power.

    (Reporting by Andrew OsbornEditing by Guy Faulconbridge)

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  • EU Confirms It Has Reinstated Sanctions Against Iran

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    BRUSSELS (Reuters) -The European Union confirmed on Monday that it had reinstated sanctions against Iran, following a similar move against Iran by the United Nations.

    “Today, the EU reinstated sanctions against Iran in response to its continued non-compliance with the nuclear agreement. The door for diplomatic negotiations remains open,” said the EU presidency in a statement.

    The EU said the sanctions included freezing the assets of the Iranian Central Bank and other Iranian banks, as well as travel bans on certain Iranian officials.

    The EU was also banning Iran’s purchase and transportation of crude oil and the sale or supply of gold and certain naval equipment.

    On Sunday, the United Nations reinstated an arms embargo and other sanctions on Iran over its nuclear programme following a process triggered by European powers that Tehran has warned will be met with a harsh response.

    Britain, France and Germany initiated the return of sanctions on Iran at the U.N. Security Council over accusations it had violated a 2015 deal that aimed to stop it developing a nuclear bomb. Iran denies seeking nuclear weapons.

    (Reporting by Andrew Gray;Editing by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Ros Russell)

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  • Guinea Announces First Post-Coup Presidential Vote on December 28

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    CONAKRY (Reuters) -Guinea will on December 28 hold its first presidential election since a coup in 2021, according to a decree read on state television.

    The announcement was made on Saturday, a day after the Supreme Court validated the results of a referendum approving a new constitution that could allow coup leader Mamady Doumbouya to run. Doumbouya has not said whether he plans to.

    The coup in Guinea was one of eight that swept West and Central Africa between 2020 and 2023.

    Guinea is of international financial significance as the home to the world’s largest reserves of bauxite.

    It also has the world’s richest untapped iron ore deposit at Simandou.

    Some countries that experienced coups, such as Chad and Gabon, have since held elections formally marking transitions to civilian rule, while others, including Mali and Niger, have approved lengthy transition periods without the need for a vote.

    Doumbouya’s government proposed a two-year transition to elections in 2022 after negotiating with regional bloc ECOWAS, but it missed that deadline.

    The new constitution replaces the transitional framework that had barred members of the junta from contesting elections, opening the door for Doumbouya’s candidacy.

    It also introduces institutional changes, such as longer presidential terms, from five years to seven, renewable once, and a new Senate.

    It passed with 89% of the vote, according to results published late Friday by the Supreme Court that put turnout at 92%.

    Opposition politicians have contested the turnout figure, saying it did not square with their observations at polling stations that indicated sparse voter participation.

    (Reporting by Guinea newsroom;Writing by Robbie Corey-Boulet; editing by Barbara Lewis)

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  • Japan Protests China’s Ocean Research in Exclusive Economic Zone

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    TOKYO (Reuters) -Japan lodged a protest with China to stop ocean research activities in Japan’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ) after spotting a Chinese vessel in the country’s southwest, chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said on Monday.

    Japan’s Coast Guard found the Chinese ship “Xiang Yang Hong 22” extending a wire-like object into in the ocean in the Japanese EEZ about 379 kilometers (235 miles) west of the island of Amami Oshima early on Sunday morning, Hayashi said.

    “We protested to the Chinese government that conducting marine scientific research in the zone without Japan’s consent was unacceptable,” said Hayashi, the top Japanese government spokesperson. He added that the Chinese ship left the waters and moved westward about three hours later.

    Tokyo and Beijing face a territorial dispute over a group of Japanese-administered islands in the East China Sea, called the Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China.

    (Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Jacqueline Wong)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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  • Indonesian President Defends Free Meals Programme After 6,000 Suffer Food Poisoning

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    JAKARTA (Reuters) -Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday defended his ambitious plan to provide free meals for children after some 6,000 cases of food poisoning, saying the percentage of those affected was small and the programme was still finding its footing.

    The food poisonings have sparked a public outcry with TV channels broadcasting images of children being treated on hospital beds. Local non-profit organisations have called for the suspension of the programme.

    The multibillion dollar initiative, which also offers free meals for pregnant women, has rapidly expanded since its launch in January with around 30 million recipients to date. It aims to reach 83 million by the year’s end.

    “Yes, there were shortcomings, food poisoning. We counted all the meals served, the deviation, the deficiency, or error represents 0.00017%,” Prabowo said in a speech at a political party event.

    There have been some 70 separate incidents. Two-thirds of 6,000 people affected have been in incidents since August.

    Prabowo said the programme, which aims to prevent childhood stunting, has improved nutrition for many children, created jobs as well as opportunities for local farmers and fishermen to sell produce.

    “This doesn’t mean we’re satisfied. But a human endeavour of this magnitude has never been undertaken before, I think, in the history of the world. It took Brazil 11 years to reach 40 million recipients,” he said.

    After a cabinet meeting over the weekend to discuss ways to prevent food poisoning, Prabowo ordered each kitchen in the programme to be given rapid testing equipment to check food quality, a food tray steriliser, a water filter and CCTV connected to the central government for monitoring.

    The National Nutrition Agency said last week that of the 9,000 kitchens in the programme, 40 had been closed for not meeting standards.

    The programme has also raised concerns that it may not be fiscally sustainable. A budget of 335 trillion rupiah ($20 billion) has been allotted for next year, triple the estimated spending of 99 trillion rupiah for 2025.

    Underscoring the sensitivity of the issue, Prabowo’s office temporarily revoked a palace reporting credential for a reporter over the weekend after she asked Prabowo how he planned to deal with the food poisoning cases.

    ($1 = 16,675.0000 rupiah)

    (Reporting by Stefanno Sulaiman; Writing by Gayatri Suroyo; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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  • Trump to Push Proposal for Elusive Gaza Peace in Netanyahu Talks

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    By Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Donald Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House on Monday, with the U.S. president pushing a Gaza peace proposal after a slew of Western leaders embraced Palestinian statehood in defiance of American and Israeli opposition.

    In Netanyahu’s fourth visit since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader will be looking to shore up his country’s most important relationship as it faces growing international isolation nearly two years into its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip.

    He can expect a warm welcome compared to the chilly reception he received when he spoke on Friday before the U.N. General Assembly where many delegates walked out in protest.

    Netanyahu went on to deliver a blistering attack on what he called a “disgraceful decision” over the past week by Britain, France, Canada, Australia and several other countries to recognize Palestinian statehood, a major diplomatic shift by top U.S. allies.

    They said such action was needed to preserve the prospect for a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict and help bring the war to a close.

    Trump, who had criticized the recognition moves as a prize to Hamas, told Reuters on Sunday he hopes to get Netanyahu’s agreement on a framework to end the war in the Palestinian enclave and free the remaining hostages held by Hamas.

    “We’re getting a very good response because Bibi wants to make the deal too,” Trump said in a telephone interview, using Netanyahu’s nickname. “Everybody wants to make the deal.”

    He credited leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, UAE, Jordan and Egypt for their assistance and said the deal aims to go beyond Gaza to a broader Middle East peace.

    “It’s called peace in the Middle East, more than Gaza. Gaza is a part of it. But it’s peace in the Middle East,” he said.

    Asked whether there is now an agreed deal for peace in Gaza, a senior Israeli official said “it’s too early to tell.” The official added that Netanyahu would give Israel’s response to the proposal when he meets Trump on Monday.

    Netanyahu is under mounting pressure from the hostages’ families and, according to public opinion polls, a war-weary Israeli public.

    A 21-point peace plan had been circulated to a string of Arab and Muslim countries on the U.N. sidelines last week.

    It calls for the release of all hostages, living and dead, no further Israeli attacks on Qatar and a new dialogue between Israel and Palestinians for “peaceful coexistence,” a White House official said on condition of anonymity. Israel angered the Qataris and drew criticism from Trump for an airstrike against Hamas leaders in Doha on September 9.

    Previous U.S.-backed ceasefire efforts have fallen apart due to a failure to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas and Netanyahu has vowed to continue fighting until Hamas is completely dismantled.

    GAZA WAR TAKES CENTER-STAGE

    The White House meeting follows an annual gathering of world leaders in New York in which the Gaza war took center-stage and Israel was often the target. Netanyahu responded that the world leaders recognizing Palestinian independence were sending the message that “murdering Jews pays off.”

    The most far-right government in Israeli history has ruled out acceptance of a Palestinian state as it presses on with its fight against Hamas following the militants’ October 7, 2023, rampage in Israel. Hamas-led fighters killed some 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.

    Israel’s military response has killed more than 65,000 people in Gaza, according to local health officials, leaving much of the territory in ruins, a humanitarian crisis deepening and hunger spreading.

    The International Criminal Court has issued a warrant for Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in the Gaza war. Israel rejects the court’s jurisdiction and denies committing war crimes.

    While Trump and Netanyahu have mostly been in sync and the U.S. continues to be Israel’s main arms supplier, Monday’s discussions have the potential for tensions to surface.

    Some of Netanyahu’s hardline ministers have said the government should respond to growing recognition of Palestinian statehood by formally extending Israeli sovereignty over all or parts of the occupied West Bank to snuff out hopes for Palestinian independence.

    On Thursday, however, Trump said he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, which the Palestinians want for their state, along with Gaza and East Jerusalem.

    Analysts say Israeli annexation of the West Bank could unravel the landmark Abraham Accords, a signature foreign policy achievement brokered by Trump’s first administration in which several Arab countries forged diplomatic ties with Israel.

    (Reporting By Matt Spetalnick and Steve Holland, writing by Matt Spetalnick, Editing by Humeyra Pamuk and Diane Craft)

    Copyright 2025 Thomson Reuters.

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