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World Court orders Israel to halt assault on Gaza’s Rafah

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Judges at the top United Nations court ordered Israel on Friday to immediately halt its military assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah, in a landmark emergency ruling in South Africa’s case accusing Israel of genocide.

While the International Court of Justice, or World Court, has no means to enforce its orders, the case was a stark sign of Israel’s global isolation over its campaign in Gaza, particularly since it began its offensive against Rafah this month against the pleas of its closest ally the United States.

Reading out the ruling, World Court president Nawaf Salam said the situation in the Palestinian enclave had deteriorated since the court last ordered Israel to take steps to improve it, and conditions had been met for a new emergency order, Reuters reported.

“The state of Israel shall (….) immediately halt its military offensive, and any other action in the Rafah governorate, which may inflict on the Palestinian group in Gaza conditions of life that could bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part,” he said.

Israel had not explained how it would keep the population safe during an evacuation of Rafah, or provide food, water, sanitation and medicine for the 800,000 Palestinians that had already fled the Israeli advance, he said.

The ICJ ordered Israel to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza to let in aid. Israel, it added, must provide access for investigators and report back on its progress within one month.

The order was adopted by the panel of 15 international judges in a 13-2 vote, opposed only by judges from Uganda and Israel itself.

South Africa hailed the ruling as groundbreaking.

A White House spokesperson said “We’ve been clear and consistent on our position on Rafah.”

The internationally recognised Palestinian Authority said it represented a global consensus that the war must end, although presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh said it did not go far enough because it did not halt fighting in other parts of Gaza.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim told Reuters: “We call upon the U.N. Security Council to immediately implement this demand by the World Court into practical measures to compel the Zionist enemy to implement the decision.”

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San Diego mosque security guard hailed as hero after deadly shooting

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A security guard who was killed during a deadly shooting at a mosque in San Diego is being remembered as a hero after authorities said his actions helped save lives.

Amin Abdullah, a father of eight and longtime security guard at the Islamic Center of San Diego, was among three people killed in Monday’s attack, according to the Council on American-Islamic Relations-San Diego (CAIR-SD).

San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl praised Abdullah’s response during the shooting, saying his actions were “heroic” and likely prevented further casualties.

“Undoubtedly, he saved lives today,” Wahl told reporters during a news conference.

The other victims were identified by CAIR-SD as Mansour Kaziha and Nader Awad.

According to police, two teenage suspects carried out the attack before later taking their own lives. Authorities said the suspects, aged 17 and 18, were found dead from self-inflicted gunshot wounds inside a vehicle several blocks from the mosque.

Investigators are treating the incident as a suspected hate crime. Police said “hate rhetoric” was connected to the attack, though officials have not yet released additional details about the suspects or their motives.

The shooting unfolded after the mother of one of the teenagers reportedly contacted police earlier in the day to say her son had run away with a friend and might be suicidal.

Hours later, officers searching for the pair discovered three victims suffering from gunshot wounds outside the Islamic Center of San Diego, including Abdullah.

Members of the local Muslim community described Abdullah as a kind and devoted figure who had spent more than a decade protecting worshippers at the mosque.

In a statement, the mosque said Abdullah “put himself on the line for the safety of others” and continued protecting the community even in his final moments.

Friends and community members also paid tribute on social media, remembering him as compassionate and welcoming to everyone who visited the mosque.

“He would greet anyone and make sure they were OK,” community member Sam Hamideh told local media.

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Trump says he paused attack on Iran, signals a nuclear deal may be possible

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said Iran’s armed forces are “ready to pull the trigger” in the event of any renewed U.S. attack.

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U.S. President Donald Trump ​said on Monday he had paused a planned attack against Iran after Tehran sent a peace proposal to Washington, and that there was now a “very good chance” of ‌reaching a deal limiting Iran’s nuclear program, Reuters reported.

After Iran sent the U.S. a new peace proposal, Trump said he had instructed the U.S. military that “we will NOT be doing the scheduled attack of Iran tomorrow, but have further instructed them to be prepared to go forward with a full, large scale assault of Iran, on a moment’s notice, in the event that an acceptable Deal is not reached.”

No such attack had previously been announced, and Reuters could not determine whether preparations had ​been made for strikes that would mark a renewal of the war Trump started in late February.

Under pressure to reach an accord that would reopen the Strait of Hormuz, Trump has ​previously expressed hope that a deal was close on ending the war, and similarly threatened heavy strikes on Iran if Tehran does not reach a deal.

In ⁠his post, he said the leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had requested that he hold off on the attack because “a Deal will be made, which will be very ​acceptable to the United States of America, as well as all Countries in the Middle East, and beyond.” He did not offer details of the agreement being discussed.

Speaking to reporters later, he said the United ​States would be satisfied if it could reach an agreement with Iran that prevents Tehran from obtaining a nuclear weapon.

“There seems to be a very good chance that they can work something out. If we can do that without bombing the hell out of them, I would be very happy,” Trump told reporters gathered for an unrelated announcement.

Trump’s post on calling off an attack came after Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Esmaeil Baghaei confirmed that Tehran’s views had been “conveyed to ​the American side through Pakistan” but gave no details.

A Pakistani source confirmed that Islamabad, which has conveyed messages between the sides in the war in the Middle East since hosting the only round of peace ​talks last month, had shared the latest proposal with Washington. But the source suggested progress had been difficult.

The sides “keep changing their goalposts,” the Pakistani source said, adding: “We don’t have much time.”

Iran remained defiant in statements issued ‌on state media ⁠after Trump’s announcement, warning the U.S. and its allies against making any further “strategic mistakes or miscalculations” in attacking Iran, while contending the Iranian armed forces were “more prepared and stronger than in the past.”

Iran’s top joint military command, Khatam al-Anbiya, said Iran’s armed forces are “ready to pull the trigger” in the event of any renewed U.S. attack, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency.

“Any renewed aggression and invasion … will be responded to quickly, decisively, powerfully, and extensively,” the commander of Khatam al-Anbiya, Ali Abdollahi, was quoted as saying.

The Iranian peace proposal, as described by a senior Iranian source, appeared similar in many respects to Iran’s previous offer, ​which Trump rejected last week as “garbage”.

It would focus ​first on securing an end to the war, ⁠reopening the Strait of Hormuz – a major oil supply route that Iran has effectively blockaded – and lifting maritime sanctions.

In an apparent softening of Washington’s stance, the senior Iranian source said on Monday that the United States had agreed to release a quarter of Iran’s frozen funds – totalling tens of ​billions of dollars – held in foreign banks. Iran wants all the assets released.

The Iranian source also said Washington had shown more flexibility in agreeing ​to let Iran continue some ⁠peaceful nuclear activity under supervision of the International Atomic Energy Agency.

The U.S. has not confirmed that it has agreed to anything in the talks.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency separately quoted an unidentified source as saying the U.S. had agreed to waive oil sanctions on Iran while negotiations were under way.

Iranian officials did not immediately comment on Tasnim’s report, which a U.S. official, who declined to be named, said was false.

A fragile ceasefire is in ⁠place after six ​weeks of war that followed U.S.-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, although drones have been launched from Iraq towards Gulf countries, including ​Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, apparently by Iran and its allies. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Monday condemning a drone attack on Sunday, in which Saudi Arabia said it had intercepted three drones that entered the country from Iraqi airspace.

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China to buy at least $17 billion in US agricultural products annually, White House says

The $17 billion figure does not ​include the soybean purchase commitments China made in October ⁠2025, the White House said.

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China has committed to purchasing at least $17 billion of U.S. agricultural ​products in 2026, 2027 and 2028, the White House ‌said in a fact sheet released on Sunday.

The commitment was made during meetings between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping last ​week, the White House said.

The $17 billion figure does not ​include the soybean purchase commitments China made in October ⁠2025, the White House said.

There has been a marked reduction ​in U.S. agricultural exports to China after last year’s rounds of ​tit-for-tat tariffs sharply curtailed trade, which fell 65.7% year-on-year to $8.4 billion in 2025, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture data.

China has dramatically scaled back its ​reliance on U.S. farm goods since Trump’s first term, sourcing ​roughly 20% of its soybeans from the U.S. in 2024, the year before ‌he ⁠returned to office, down from 41% in 2016.

China will work with U.S. regulators to lift suspensions of U.S. beef facilities and resume imports of poultry from U.S. states determined to be ​free of avian ​influenza, the ⁠White House said.

Confirming earlier statements from the Chinese government, the White House also said on Sunday the ​world’s two largest economies would establish a U.S.-China ​Board of ⁠Trade and the U.S.-China Board of Investment.

The boards will resolve concerns over market access for agricultural products and expand trade “under a ⁠reciprocal ​tariff-reduction framework,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ​said in a statement last week.

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