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UN Security Council backs Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan

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The United Nations Security Council on Monday backed a proposal outlined by President Joe Biden for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip and urged the Palestinian militants to accept the deal aimed at ending the eight-month-long war, Reuters reported.

Hamas welcomed the adoption of the U.S.-drafted resolution and said in a statement that it is ready to cooperate with mediators over implementing the principles of the plan “that are consistent with the demands of our people and resistance.”

Russia abstained from the U.N. vote, while the remaining 14 Security Council members voted in favor of the resolution supporting a three-phase ceasefire plan laid out by Biden on May 31 that he described as an Israeli initiative.

“Today we voted for peace,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Linda Thomas-Greenfield told the council after the vote.

The resolution welcomes the new ceasefire proposal, states that Israel has accepted it, calls on Hamas to agree to it and “urges both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without condition.”

Algeria, the only Arab member of the council, supported the resolution because “we believe it can represent a step forward toward an immediate and lasting ceasefire,” Algeria’s U.N. Ambassador Amar Bendjama told the council.

“It offers a glimmer of hope to the Palestinians,” he said. “It’s time to halt the killing.”

The resolution also goes into detail about the proposal, and spells out that “if the negotiations take longer than six weeks for phase one, the ceasefire will still continue as long as negotiations continue.”

ISRAEL’S GOALS

However, it did not contain enough detail for Moscow. Russia’s U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia asked what Israel had specifically agreed to and said the Security Council should not be signing up to agreements with “vague parameters.”

“We did not wish to block the resolution simply because it, as much as we understand, is supported by the Arab world,” Nebenzia told the council.

Israel’s U.N. Ambassador Gilad Erdan was present for the vote, but did not address the council. Instead, senior Israeli U.N. diplomat Reut Shapir Ben Naftaly told the body that Israel’s goals in Gaza had always been clear, read the report.

“Israel is committed to these goals – to free all the hostages, to destroy Hamas’ military and governing capabilities and to ensure that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” she said. “It is Hamas that is preventing this war from ending. Hamas and Hamas alone.”

The council in March demanded for an immediate ceasefire and unconditional release of all hostages held by Hamas.

For months, negotiators from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar have been trying to mediate a ceasefire. Hamas says it wants a permanent end to the war in the Gaza Strip and Israeli withdrawal from the enclave of 2.3 million people.

Israel is retaliating against Hamas, which rules Gaza, over an Oct. 7 attack by its militants, Reuters reported.

More than 1,200 people were killed and over 250 taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, according to Israeli tallies. More than 100 hostages are believed to remain captive in Gaza.

Israel launched an air, ground and sea assault on the Palestinian territory, killing more than 37,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

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Trump rejects latest Iranian proposal to end war, US official says

According to officials familiar with the discussions, Iran’s latest plan would delay talks over its nuclear program until after the fighting ends and maritime disputes in the Gulf are resolved.

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U.S. President Donald Trump is reportedly dissatisfied with Iran’s latest proposal aimed at ending the two-month conflict between the two countries, according to a U.S. official, raising fresh doubts over prospects for a ceasefire.

The renewed diplomatic setback comes as the war continues to disrupt global energy markets, drive inflation concerns and deepen regional instability.

According to officials familiar with the discussions, Iran’s latest plan would delay talks over its nuclear program until after the fighting ends and maritime disputes in the Gulf are resolved.

That approach is believed to have angered Trump, whose administration insists that any agreement must address Iran’s nuclear activities from the outset.

A U.S. official briefed on a Monday meeting between Trump and senior advisers said the president was unhappy with the proposal because it postponed one of Washington’s core demands.

White House spokeswoman Olivia Wales declined to discuss negotiations publicly, saying the United States “will not negotiate through the press” and had already made its red lines clear.

Iranian officials say their proposal envisions a phased process beginning with an immediate end to U.S. and Israeli military operations, followed by guarantees against renewed attacks.

The next stage would address the U.S. naval blockade and the future of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most important oil shipping lanes.

Only after those issues are settled would broader negotiations begin on Tehran’s nuclear program, including Iran’s demand for recognition of its right to enrich uranium for civilian purposes.

Iran has long maintained that its nuclear activities are peaceful.

Diplomatic Efforts Continue

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi has recently travelled to Pakistan, Oman and Russia in an effort to build support for negotiations.

During a visit to Moscow, Araqchi met President Vladimir Putin, who reportedly offered diplomatic backing.

Planned peace talks in Islamabad were also dealt a blow after Trump cancelled a proposed visit by special envoy Steve Witkoff and adviser Jared Kushner.

With no clear breakthrough in sight, oil prices rose again in Asian trading on Tuesday as traders focused on continued disruption to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

Ship-tracking data indicated that maritime traffic through the chokepoint has dropped sharply since the conflict began, with several tankers reportedly turned back in recent days.

Before the war, more than 120 vessels passed through the strait daily. Analysts say that number has fallen dramatically, increasing pressure on global energy supplies.

Trump is also facing growing domestic pressure to end the war, particularly as economic concerns mount and public support weakens.

Iranian officials say Washington has failed to meet its military objectives, while the White House insists pressure will continue until U.S. demands are met.

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Turkey’s Erdogan offers support to Trump in call after White House dinner shooting

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Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan offered ​his support for ‌U.S. President Donald Trump in a phone ​call following a shooting ​at the White House ⁠Correspondents’ Association dinner, ​the Turkish presidency said ​late on Sunday.

“Erdogan said he saw the incident ​as a heinous ​act against democracy and press ‌freedom,” ⁠the presidency said in a statement on X, Reuters reported.

Earlier, Erdogan ​had condemned ​the ⁠incident in a separate statement ​on X, saying ​he ⁠was happy that Trump and first ⁠lady ​Melania Trump ​were unharmed.

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Trump safe after shooting at White House correspondents dinner, suspect in custody

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President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after ​a man armed with a shotgun tried to breach security, officials said.

The armed man fired at a Secret ‌Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said.

All federal officials, including Trump, were safe. About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended.”

“Quite ​an evening in D.C. Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added.

‘GET DOWN, GET DOWN!’

Shortly afterwards, ​he posted, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition.” He ⁠said he would be holding a White House press conference on Saturday night.

Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said the service ​was investigating a shooting near the main screening area at the entrance to the event.

After the sound of shots, dinner attendees immediately ​stopped talking and people started screaming “Get down, get down!” Many of the 2,600 attendees took cover while waiters fled to the front of the dining hall.

Security agents pushed cabinet officials to the ground, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum.

Other security ​personnel in combat fatigues stormed the stage and evacuated Trump and his wife. Some security personnel took up position on the stage, ​pointing their rifles into the ballroom. Cabinet members were then evacuated from the venue one by one.

Trump and the first lady bent down behind ‌the dais ⁠before being hustled out by Secret Service officers. Trump stayed backstage about one hour, a source told Reuters. “We are staying,” he was overheard saying, the source said.

The event eventually was canceled for the evening. Trump posted on social media that he hoped it could be rescheduled in 30 days.

Saturday was the first time Trump has attended the correspondents’ dinner as president.

He was the subject of two ​assassination attempts in 2024, after ​he left the White House ⁠in 2021 and while he was campaigning for reelection.

The most serious occurred while Trump was campaigning at an outdoor rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July 2024. Trump was shot and wounded in his ​upper ear by a 20-year-old gunman. The gunman was shot dead by security personnel.

Just over two ​months after the ⁠Butler shooting, Secret Service agents spotted a man wielding a gun and hiding in bushes at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida, while Trump was on the course. It was deemed an assassination attempt and the suspect was sentenced to life in ⁠prison in ​February.

The site of Saturday’s dinner, the Washington Hilton, was the scene of an ​attempt on the life of President Ronald Reagan, who was shot and wounded by a would-be assassin outside the hotel in 1981.

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