Trump says Iran needs to move quickly on proposalNew Foto - Trump says Iran needs to move quickly on proposal

(Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran has his administration's proposal and knows it needs to move quickly, a day after saying Washington and Tehran were close to a nuclear deal. "They have a proposal. More importantly, they know they have to move quickly or something bad—something bad's going to happen," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One after departing the United Arab Emirates, according to an audio recording of the remarks. An Iranian source close to the negotiating team, said Tehran has yet to receive the U.S. proposal, "but Oman has got it and will hand it over to Tehran soon". (Reporting by Gram Slattery in Abu Dhabi and Doina Chiacu in Washington, additional reporting by Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; writing by Susan Heavey; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

Trump says Iran needs to move quickly on proposal

Trump says Iran needs to move quickly on proposal (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said Iran has his administration's p...
Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving'New Foto - Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving'

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli strikes on Gaza have killed more than 250 people since Thursday morning, local health authorities said on Friday, one of the deadliest phases of bombardment since a truce collapsed in March and with a new ground offensive expected soon. The air and artillery strikes were focused on the northern section of the tiny, crowded enclave, where dozens of people including women and children were killed overnight, said Gaza Health Ministry spokesman Khalil al-Deqran. Israel has intensified its bombardment and built-up armour along the border despite growing international pressure for it to resume ceasefire talks and end its blockade of Gaza, where an international hunger monitor has warned of famine. U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday backed aid for the Palestinians, saying people in Gaza are starving and adding that he expected "a lot of good things" in the next month. Asked whether he supported Israeli plans to expand the war in Gaza, Trump told reporters: "I think a lot of good things are going to happen over the next month, and we're going to see. We have to help also out the Palestinians. You know, a lot of people are starving on Gaza, so we have to look at both sides." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on May 5 that Israel was planning an expanded and intensive offensive against Hamas as his security cabinet approved plans that could involve seizing the entire Gaza Strip and controlling aid. An Israeli defence official said at the time that the operation would not be launched before Trump concluded his visit to the Middle East, which is expected to end on Friday. Israel's declared goal in Gaza is the elimination of Hamas, which attacked Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people and seizing about 250 hostages. Its military campaign has devastated the enclave, pushing nearly all inhabitants from their homes and killing more than 53,000 people according to Gaza health authorities, while aid agencies say its blockade has caused a humanitarian crisis. Heavy strikes on Friday were reported in the northern town of Beit Lahiya and in the Jabalia refugee camp, where Palestinian emergency services said many bodies were still buried in the rubble. Israel's military said its air force had struck more than 150 targets across Gaza, saying these included anti-tank missile posts, terrorist cells, military structures and operational centres. STRIKES In Jabalia camp in the northern Gaza Strip, men picked through a sea of rubble following the night's strikes, pulling out sheets of metal as small children clambered through the debris. Around 10 bodies draped in white sheets were lined up on the ground before being taken to hospital. Women sat crying nearby and one lifted a corner of a sheet to gaze at the dead person's face. Ismail, a man from Gaza City who gave only his first name, described a night of horror. "The non-stop explosions resulting from the airstrikes and tank shelling reminded us of the early days of the war. The ground didn't stop shaking underneath our feet," Ismail told Reuters via a chat app. "We thought Trump arrived to save us, but it seems Netanyahu doesn't care, neither does Trump," he added. Israel has faced increasing international isolation over its campaign in Gaza, with even the United States, its staunchest ally, expressing unease over the scale of the destruction and the dire situation caused by its blockade on the delivery of food and other vital aid. On Thursday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington was "troubled" by the humanitarian situation in the enclave. Netanyahu has dispatched a team to Doha to take part in ceasefire talks with Qatari mediators but he has ruled out concessions, saying Israel remains committed to defeating Hamas. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum, which represents some of the families and supporters of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza, said that Israel risked missing a "historic opportunity" to bring them home as Trump wound up his visit to the Middle East. "We are in dramatic hours that will determine the future of our loved ones, the future of Israeli society, and the future of the Middle East," the group said in a statement. (Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie; writing by Angus McDowall, Editing by William Maclean)

Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving'

Deadly Israeli strikes pound Gaza as Trump says 'people are starving' By Nidal al-Mughrabi and James Mackenzie CAIRO/JERUSALEM (Reu...
Democrats look to block UAE arms sales, as Trump announces new dealsNew Foto - Democrats look to block UAE arms sales, as Trump announces new deals

By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. congressional Democrats on Thursday sought to block arms sales to the United Arab Emirates over its alleged involvement in Sudan's civil war and concern about crypto currency ties, the same day Republican President Donald Trump announced $200 billion in new deals with the Gulf State. Democrats Chris Murphy, Chris Van Hollen, Brian Schatz and Tim Kaine, and Bernie Sanders, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, introduced resolutions of disapproval in the Senate that would block three arms sales to the UAE. Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, and Sara Jacobs, the top Democrat on the panel's Africa subcommittee, introduced resolutions of disapproval in the House of Representatives. The senators cited concerns that have been raised about Abu Dhabi arming Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitaries in Sudan's civil war. The UAE has repeatedly denied such charges. They also cited the announcement by MGX, an investment firm backed by the Emiratis, that it would use a stablecoin launched by Trump's World Liberty Financial crypto venture for its $2 billion investment in crypto exchange Binance. A series of Trump family crypto-related ventures, including a "meme coin" launched in January, have drawn criticism from government ethics experts and political opponents over potential conflicts of interest. In a statement, Murphy said he wanted to force a full Senate debate on what he termed "nuclear grade corruption." The House members said the Trump administration had decided to move ahead with the UAE sales despite Meeks' hold on such transactions over of his concerns about the conflict in Sudan. "The Trump administration's end-run around Congress is irresponsible and will further embolden the UAE to violate the UN's Darfur arms embargo and continue its support for the RSF and the killing of innocent civilians," Meeks and Jacobs said in a statement. TRUMP EXPECTS STRONGER UAE TIES The White House and the UAE embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to requests for comment. However, both Republican and Democratic U.S. administrations have long viewed the Gulf state as a vital security partner and the UAE has denied providing weapons to the RSF. Trump pledged to strengthen U.S. ties to the Gulf State as he announced the deals. "I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better," he said in a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. U.S. law requires congressional review of major arms deals, and lets members of the Senate force votes on resolutions of disapproval that would block such sales. Although the law does not let House members force such votes, resolutions must pass both chambers of Congress, and potentially survive a presidential veto, to go into effect. No block has ever succeeded and survived a veto. Among the sales targeted in the resolutions were a $1.32 billion sale of helicopters and equipment, $130 million for F-16 aircraft components and accessories, and $150 million for Apache, Black Hawk and Chinook aircraft parts, logistics and support. (Reporting by Patricia Zengerle; Editing by Sandra Maler)

Democrats look to block UAE arms sales, as Trump announces new deals

Democrats look to block UAE arms sales, as Trump announces new deals By Patricia Zengerle WASHINGTON (Reuters) -U.S. congressional Democrat...
EU readying new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, von der Leyen saysNew Foto - EU readying new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, von der Leyen says

By Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci TIRANA (Reuters) - The European Union is working on a new package of sanctions to increase pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war in Ukraine, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said on Friday as leaders from across Europe met in Tirana. The EU, however, has already adopted 17 sanction packages - the latest one this week - and diplomats say it is increasingly difficult to get the necessary unanimity among the bloc's 27 members to pass new measures. "He does not want peace, so we have to increase the pressure, and this is why we are working on a new package of sanctions," von der Leyen said, referring to Putin, before the European Political Community summit in Albania. "This package will include for instance sanctions on Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2. It will include working on listing more vessels of the Russian shadow fleet and also lowering the oil price cap, and also more sanctions on the financial sector in Russia." Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2, each consisting of two pipes, were built by Russia's state-controlled Gazprom to pump natural gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. They were ruptured by a series of blasts in 2022. "Massive" sanctions European leaders have threatened over the past days would need U.S. support to succeed, officials and diplomats have said. Meanwhile, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in Istanbul on Friday for what was billed as their first direct peace talks in more than three years, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. Putin on Sunday proposed direct talks with Ukraine in Turkey, but has spurned a challenge from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy to meet him in person, and instead has sent a team of mid-ranking officials to the talks. NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Putin "made a mistake by sending a low-level delegation". "What we saw yesterday and overnight is yet more evidence that Putin is not serious about peace," British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said as he arrived at the Tirana summit. "He's been dragging his heels, and I think it's really important therefore, that we have absolute unity with our allies. We'll be working on that again today to be clear that there must be a ceasefire, but also to be clear that should there not be a ceasefire, then we will act together in relation to sanctions." (Reporting by Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci in Tirana; Additional reporting by Benoit Van Overstraeten, Ingrid Melander, Bart Meijer, William James and Julia Payne; Writing by Ingrid Melander; Editing by Alex Richardson)

EU readying new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, von der Leyen says

EU readying new sanctions to increase pressure on Russia, von der Leyen says By Andrew Gray and Fatos Bytyci TIRANA (Reuters) - The Europea...
Kremlin says a Putin-Trump meeting is essential but needs advance preparation and must yield resultsNew Foto - Kremlin says a Putin-Trump meeting is essential but needs advance preparation and must yield results

MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on Friday that a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump was essential but required considerable advance preparation and had to yield results when it happened. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was commenting after Trump said he would meet Putin "as soon as we can set it up". "...Such a meeting is certainly necessary. It is necessary both primarily from the point of view of bilateral Russian-U.S. relations and from the point of view of having a serious conversation at the highest level about international affairs and on regional problems, including, of course, about the crisis over Ukraine," Peskov said. Russian and Ukrainian negotiators were in Istanbul on Friday for what was billed as their first direct peace talks in more than three years, under pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to end Europe's deadliest conflict since World War Two. Commenting on the Istanbul talks, Peskov said that the Russian negotiating team was in constant communication with Moscow and that President Putin was receiving real-time updates. (Reporting by Anastasia Lyrchikova; Writing by Maxim Rodionov and Anastasia Teterevleva; Editing by Andrew Osborn)

Kremlin says a Putin-Trump meeting is essential but needs advance preparation and must yield results

Kremlin says a Putin-Trump meeting is essential but needs advance preparation and must yield results MOSCOW (Reuters) - The Kremlin said on ...

 

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