POLITICS & POLICY

A bulldozer assists in the search for bodies at the Al-Shifa medical complex in Gaza City

Israel Hits Gaza After Truce Talks End

Israel launched fresh strikes in the Gaza Strip Friday after negotiators pursuing a long-stalled truce agreement left talks in Cairo without having secured a deal.
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Protesters seeking a deal to free Israeli hostages protest outside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's private residence in Caesarea north of Tel Aviv on January 27, 2024

No More Bear Hugs: Biden Gives Up On Netanyahu Embrace

Days after the October 7 attack, Joe Biden walked onto the tarmac in Tel Aviv and offered a warm bear hug to Benjamin Netanyahu, a sign both of solid support for Israel and the US president's long, if not uncomplicated, relationship with the prime minister.
Graphic on the JLOTS (Joint Logistics Over-the-Shore) temporary port system, which the US Army has begun constructing in the Gaza Strip.

Israel Shells Rafah As Biden Vows Arms Suspension

Israel shelled Rafah on Thursday as US President Joe Biden offered his starkest warning yet over the conduct of its war against Hamas, vowing to cut off arms transfers if an offensive into the southern Gaza city goes ahead.
Goats and sheep graze in a valley near Jargalant Mountain in western Mongolia

Mongolia's Wildlife At Risk From Overgrazing

The icy peaks of Jargalant Mountain are supposed to belong to snow leopards, whose numbers have dwindled to fewer than 1,000 in Mongolia, but hard-pressed herders are increasingly pushing into the vulnerable animals' traditional habitat.
At age 100, World War II veteran Harold Terens has found love, and will marry Jeanne Swerlin, 96,  in France at a ceremony coinciding with the 80th anniversary of the Allies landing at Normandy

US Centenarian To Marry At Normandy, 80 Years After Allied Landing

Americans Harold Terens and Jeanne Swerlin promise their courtship is "better than Romeo and Juliet": He is 100, she's 96, and they marry next month in France, where the groom-to-be served during World War II. US Air Force veteran Terens will be honored on June 6 at a commemoration of the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in Normandy, the historic Allied operation that changed the course of the war.
Rafah has been regularly bombed in Israeli strikes, even prior to any ground invasion

Israel Orders Evacuation From Rafah Area In South Gaza

Israel's military on Monday called for the evacuation of Palestinians from eastern Rafah, ahead of a long-threatened ground invasion of the southern Gaza city, the prospect of which has triggered widespread global alarm.
If the far-right makes inroads, the main question is whether the European Parliament's centre-right will partner with it on at least some issues

Far Right Seen Making Gains In EU Elections

Surveys predict Europe's far right will surge in EU elections next month, giving it more influence in Brussels politics even if mainstream players will still have greater weight.
Pro-Tibet demonstrators gathered in Paris

Macron Seeks To Sway China's Xi On Ukraine

French President Emmanuel Macron was on Monday set to warn Chinese leader Xi Jinping against backing Russia in the conflict over Ukraine but also seek to enlist his help in finding an end to the war.
Macron made his own visit to China in 2023

China's Xi In France For Macron Talks On Ukraine

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday arrived in France on a state visit hosted by Emmanuel Macron where the French leader will seek to push his counterpart on issues ranging from Ukraine to trade.
Global criticism of the war's spiralling toll on civilians in Gaza has escalated, fuelling demonstrations across the United States

Hamas Delegation Heads To Cairo For Truce Talks

Hamas said its delegation was heading to Cairo on Saturday to resume Gaza truce talks, as the United Nations warned that Israel's threatened assault on the city of Rafah could produce a "bloodbath".
Xi and Russia's President Vladimir Putin have close ties; here they are seen  in Beijing in 2023

Xi Heads To Europe To Defend Russia Ties

Xi Jinping heads to Europe on Sunday to defend China's "no limits" alliance with Russia, first to key Ukraine backer France, then to Serbia and Hungary, which have close ties to the Kremlin.

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