Azerbaijan, Armenia publish text of US-brokered peace deal
Armenia and Azerbaijan published the text of a U.S.-brokered peace agreement on Monday, pledging to respect each other’s territorial integrity and formally put an end to nearly four decades of conflict. The deal was struck in Washington last Friday, when Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House.
Israel strike kills Al Jazeera journalists in Gaza
A prominent Al Jazeera journalist, who had previously been threatened by Israel, was killed along with four colleagues in an Israeli airstrike on Sunday in an attack condemned by journalists and rights groups. Israel’s military said it targeted and killed Anas Al Sharif, alleging he had headed a Hamas militant cell and was involved in rocket attacks on Israel.
European leaders to meet virtually on Ukraine before call with Trump
Germany is convening a virtual meeting of European leaders on Wednesday to discuss how to pressure Russia to end the war in Ukraine ahead of a European call with U.S. President Donald Trump, a government spokesperson said on Monday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and EU and NATO officials are set to join the meeting at 1400 CET (1200 GMT) with the leaders of Germany, Finland, France, Britain, Italy and Poland, the spokesperson said.
Zelenskiy says ‘no sign’ Russia is getting set for peace
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia was preparing its troops for new offensives instead of getting ready to stop the war in Ukraine, after he spoke to the leaders of India and Saudi Arabia on Monday as part of efforts to mobilise support for Kyiv beyond Europe. Zelenskiy won diplomatic backing from Europe and the NATO alliance on Sunday, amid fears that the U.S. and Russian leaders may try to dictate terms for ending the 3-1/2-year war during their Friday summit in Alaska.
Trump calls for legislation to end no-cash bail in US cities as part of crime crackdown
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday he would ask Congress to tighten U.S. crime laws as part of a crackdown on violent crime in the District of Columbia and other U.S. cities. Trump said Congress should end reforms in Chicago, New York and some other cities that allow some accused criminals to get out of jail ahead of their trial dates without posting a cash bond.
Israel steps up Gaza City bombing after Netanyahu vow to expand offensive
Palestinians reported the heaviest bombardments in weeks on Monday in areas east of Gaza City, just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he expected to complete a new expanded offensive against Hamas “fairly quickly”. An airstrike also killed six journalists including prominent Al Jazeera correspondent Anas Al Sharif in a tent at Gaza City’s Al Shifa Hospital compound, the deadliest strike against journalists during an Israeli campaign that has lasted more than 22 months.
Trump says Ukraine, Russia will have to swap some land for peace
U.S. President Donald Trump said on Monday that both Ukraine and Russia would have to cede land to each other to end the war and that his talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin would be aimed at taking the temperature on a possible deal. Trump told a White House press conference that his talks on Friday with Putin in Alaska would be a “feel-out meeting” to determine whether Putin was willing to make a deal. He said he could know within two minutes whether progress was possible.
Europe races to try to influence US position ahead of Trump-Putin talks
European leaders and Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskiy will speak to U.S. President Donald Trump this week ahead of his summit with Russian leader Vladimir Putin, amid fears Washington may dictate unfavourable peace terms to Ukraine. Trump announced last week he would meet Putin on Friday in Alaska to negotiate an end to the 3-1/2-year war, which began with Russia’s full-scale invasion of its neighbour.
Trump signs order extending China tariff truce by 90 days, White House says
U.S. President Donald Trump extended a tariff truce with China by another 90 days on Monday, a White House official said, staving off triple-digit duties on Chinese goods as U.S. retailers prepared for the critical end-of-year holiday season. Trump signed an executive order delaying the start of higher tariffs until mid-November shortly after giving reporters a noncommittal answer when asked at a news conference if he planned to keep the lower tariff rates in place. On Sunday, Trump demanded China quadruple its purchases of U.S. soybeans, but it remained unclear whether Beijing had agreed.
Colombian presidential hopeful Uribe dies two months after shooting
Colombian Senator and presidential hopeful Miguel Uribe, who was shot in the head at a campaign event two months ago, died in the early hours of Monday at the age of 39, the hospital treating him said. Uribe, a member of a prominent political family and a lawmaker for the right-wing opposition, was shot in Bogota on June 7 where he was speaking to try to secure his party’s nomination for 2026 elections.
Firefighters battle ‘fire whirls’ in northern Spain
Extreme heat and strong winds caused “fire whirls” as a blaze burned several houses and forced the evacuation of hundreds of people from near a UNESCO-listed national park in northern Spain, authorities said on Monday. About 800 people were told to abandon their homes in half a dozen villages in the north of the Castile and Leon region, where several wildfires were raging.
Death of Miguel Uribe, murdered Colombia senator, echoes mother’s tragedy
Miguel Uribe, who died on Monday, was from a prominent Colombian political family for whom the turbulence of the country’s recent decades twice became personal tragedy. Uribe had been vying for his party’s candidacy in upcoming presidential elections but died two months after being shot in the head at a campaign rally. He was 39.
Explosions at U.S. Steel plant leaves one dead, one missing, 10 injured
Multiple explosions at a U.S. Steel plant near Pittsburgh killed at least one person and injured 10 others, authorities said on Monday, and emergency crews were searching through the rubble for an employee believed to be missing. The blasts at the Clairton Coke Works – part of a sprawling industrial complex along the Monongahela River – took place just before 11 a.m. ET (1500 GMT). Firefighters battled flames and heavy smoke that billowed out of the plant, which is owned by U.S. Steel, a subsidiary of Nippon Steel.
