Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for 60-day Gaza ceasefire

4 hours agoShareSaveWyre DaviesBBC NewsReporting fromJerusalemJames ChaterBBC NewsShareSaveReuters

Israel has agreed to the "necessary conditions" to finalise a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, US President Donald Trump has said.

In a post on Truth Social, Trump said that during the proposed ceasefire the US would "work with all parties to end the War". He did not provide details on what the ceasefire would entail.

"The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope… that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," Trump wrote.

Israel has not confirmed it agreed to the conditions of a deal. A Hamas official told the BBC the group is "ready and serious" to reach an agreement if it ends the war.

Hamas is "prepared to agree to any proposal if the requirements for ending the war are clearly met or if they lead to its complete end," said Taher al-Nunu.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar posted on X that there is majority support in the government "for a framework to release hostages," and this opportunity "must not be missed."

For Israel, the key component of any deal will have to be the release of most, if not all, hostages still being held in Gaza.

Of the 50 or so hostages remaining in captivity, more than 20 are still thought to be alive and their plight has been at the forefront of regular demonstrations in Israel calling for an end to the war.

A recent Israeli newspaper poll suggested that a significant majority of Israelis want the war to end – but polling on Wednesday, from the Israel Democracy Institute, also suggests that most Israelis still don't trust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or his intentions.

Netanyahu has for months insisted on "complete victory" over Hamas before ending the war. It's unclear if his position will now change under renewed pressure from Washington – and the answer could be pivotal to reaching a deal.

Trump's announcement comes before a meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for next week, in which the US president has said he would be "very firm".

He earlier said that he believed Netanyahu wanted to end hostilities in Gaza. "He wants to. I can tell you he wants to. I think we'll have a deal next week," Trump said.

Hamas has already indicated it would be willing to agree to a ceasefire if it led to the end of the war. But without that provision, Hamas negotiators might question the value of releasing all the hostages if the Israeli military is likely to resume bombing Gaza.

Another consideration before an agreement can be signed – perhaps while Netanyahu is in Washington next week – is Hamas's demand for a partial Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, at least for the duration of the ceasefire.

The international community is also likely to lobby hard for the resumption of full-scale UN-backed aid deliveries into Gaza.

Prior to Trump's announcement, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the BBC Israel was "absolutely" ready for a ceasefire.

Speaking on the BBC News channel, Danon said that Hamas was "playing hardball".

"We are putting pressure on Hamas, and if they will not come to the table, the only option we will have to bring back the hostages, is to apply more military pressure," Danon said.

"The war will end when the hostages are back home," he added.

Last week, a senior Hamas official told the BBC mediators have increased efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remain stalled.

Trump's comments come shortly after Israel ordered evacuations in northern Gaza ahead of increased military action. At least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a seafront cafe in Gaza City on Monday, according to medics and eyewitnesses.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed. At least 56,647 have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military this week also said it was examining reports of civilians being "harmed" while approaching aid distribution centres in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said on Tuesday that as of 28 June, 408 people had been killed trying to reach aid at GHF aid sites.

More than 170 charities and other NGOs have called for the controversial group to be shut down. Organisations like Oxfam and Save the Children say Israeli forces "routinely" open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

Israel denies this accusation and says the organisation is necessary to bypass Hamas interference in aid distribution.

In March, a previous ceasefire deal collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza. The Israeli military described the action as "pre-emptive strikes… based on Hamas's readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm".

The previous ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas – which started on 19 January – was set up to have three stages, but did not make it past the first stage.

Stage two included establishing a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.

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Sursa: BBC News

Dalai Lama confirms he will have a successor after his death

3 hours agoShareSaveGeeta PandeyBBC News, DelhiSamira HussainBBC News, DharamshalaShareSaveReutersThe Dalai Lama delivered the long-awaited announcement in his 90th birthday week

Exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama has confirmed he will have a successor, putting to rest speculation over whether the 600-year-old institution will end when he dies.

In a video message keenly-awaited by his followers, he said only the trust that he founded could appoint his successor and "no-one else has any authority to interfere in this matter".

According to Tibetan tradition, Dalai Lamas are "reincarnated" after they die. China annexed Tibet in 1950 and the current Dalai Lama lives in exile in India, making succession a highly contentious issue.

Beijing rejected the statement, saying his successor would be from inside China and must be approved by the government.

Watch: Dalai Lama blesses followers as 90th birthday celebrations begin

Hundreds of followers gathered on Wednesday to hear the long-awaited announcement in the Indian town of Dharamshala where the Dalai Lama lives.

The Dalai Lama Library and Archive centre, where the video message was broadcast, resembled a sea of maroon with monks from all over the world in attendance.

"I am affirming that the institution of the Dalai Lama will continue," the Dalai Lama's statement said.

He reiterated that "the Gaden Phodrang Trust, the Office of His Holiness the Dalai Lama… should accordingly carry out the procedures of search and recognition in accordance with past tradition".

Who is the Dalai Lama and why does he live in exile?

Dharamshala is holding the Dalai Lama's milestone 90th birthday celebrations which began on Monday – his birthday according to the Tibetan lunar calendar – and will conclude on 6 July, his official birthday.

Celebrations will be attended by more than 7,000 guests, including a number of Indian ministers. Hollywood actor Richard Gere, a long-time follower, is also taking part.

ReutersMonks from all over the world had gathered to hear the Dalai Lama

In the past, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning spiritual head of Tibetan Buddhism had been torn between whether to continue with the post of Dalai Lama or not. A few years ago, he said his successor might be a girl, or that there might be no successor at all.

But in recent years, he had also said that if there was widespread support among Tibetans-in-exile for the post – which there is – then it would continue and his office would choose a successor.

He has always insisted that his successor must be born outside China and his reiteration of the same on Wednesday did not go down well with Beijing.

A Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson said that the Dalai Lama's reincarnation must comply with Chinese laws and regulations as well as "religious rituals and historical conventions" and would need to be approved by Beijing.

Even though the Dalai Lama has always advocated a "middle way" to resolve the status of Tibet – genuine self-rule within China – Beijing regards him as a separatist. It says the standard of living of people in Tibet has greatly improved under its rule and denies suppressing their human rights and freedom of expression.

A dam ignited rare Tibetan protests. They ended in beatings and arrests, BBC finds

Dalai Lama furore reignites Tibet 'slave' controversy

How China's boarding schools are silencing Tibet’s language

Getty ImagesHollywood actor Richard Gere (right) is a long-time follower of the Dalai Lama

The Dalai Lama's message "affirming that the continuation of the institution" has been welcomed by his followers.

Tsayang Gyatso, a 40-year-old businessman, said that for most Tibetans, the announcement is "a great relief and a moment of happiness".

"I always had a belief that the reincarnation will come. But having heard it from His Holiness, I feel elated," he told the BBC in Dharamshala.

Mr Gyatso, who had travelled from Delhi, said he felt "blessed to be here in person to witness His Holiness's birthday".

He said there was "a lot of propaganda from China on the appointment of the next Dalai Lama" which made him fear that the appointment process could be corrupted "but all that has been put to rest by His Holiness's announcement".

Robert Barnett, a Tibet scholar at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, told the BBC that the Dalai Lama's "message is indirect signalling" to China.

"He's signalling two things here. One is he's going to decide on his reincarnation, not China. And the other is he's showing China that he's made this decision through a kind of popular – almost democratic – process of asking the community whether they want his institution to continue."

That's a signal to China that his legitimacy is based on consent and not on force, Prof Barnett said.

Getty ImagesSunday's birthday celebrations will be attended by more than 7,000 people

Experts, however, say China is also expected to name its own Dalai Lama.

Dibyesh Anand, professor of International Relations at the University of Westminster, said, "After a period of a few months or a few years, they will have their own proteges identify a small boy as the next Dalai Lama and impose that. Of course, a majority of Tibetans are going to reject it and the majority of people in the world are going to make fun of it. But remember China has immense authority in terms of resources so they will try to impose that."

Youdon Aukatsang, an MP in the Tibetan parliament-in-exile, told the BBC that "despite all these years of trying to control the hearts and minds of Tibetan people inside Tibet", Beijing has "completely failed".

A Dalai Lama chosen by China, she says, "will not be recognised, not only by the Tibetans but the world will not recognise it because China doesn't have the legitimacy to find the future Dalai Lama".

"We are concerned but we know that irrespective of our concern, China will come up with their own Dalai Lama, we will call it the Chinese-recognised Dalai Lama. I am not worried that Dalai Lama will have any credibility in the Tibetan world or the Buddhist world."

China 'coercing Tibetans into mass labour camps'

ChinaDalai LamaIndiaTibet

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Sursa: BBC News

Ukraine warns halt of US weapons shipments will 'encourage Russia'

3 hours agoShareSaveLaura Gozzi & James ChaterBBC NewsShareSaveEPA

Kyiv has warned that an interruption of US weapons shipments might encourage Russia to continue the war in Ukraine, now in its fourth year.

On Tuesday the White House said that it had cut off some weapons deliveries to Ukraine.

The decision was taken "to put America's interests first" following a Department of Defense review of US "military support and assistance to other countries", White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said.

Ukraine's foreign ministry said in a statement that "any delay or procrastination in supporting Ukraine's defense capabilities would only encourage the aggressor to continue war and terror, rather than seek peace."

It particularly emphasised the need for Kyiv to strengthen its air defences – as Russia continues to pummel the country with missiles and drones on a near-nightly basis.

A Kyiv-based US diplomat was invited to the foreign ministry for talks on Wednesday.

However, Ukraine's Ministry of Defence said it had not received any official notification from the US about the "suspension or revision" of the weapons deliveries, and urged people not to speculate on the basis of partial information.

But in a statement the defence ministry also said that the path to ending the war was "through consistent and joint pressure on the aggressor".

At the weekend Ukraine endured its biggest aerial attack since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, with more than 500 drones and ballistic and cruise missiles launched at its cities.

US officials did not immediately say which shipments were being halted.

According to US broadcaster NBC the weapons being delayed could include Patriot interceptors, Howitzer munitions, missiles and grenade launchers.

The US has sent tens of billions of dollars in military aid to Ukraine since Russia launched its full-scale invasion in February 2022, leading some in the Trump administration to voice concerns that US stockpiles are too low.

The Kremlin, for its part, welcomed news of the reduction in weapons shipments, saying reducing the flow of weapons to Kyiv will help end the conflict faster.

"The fewer the number of weapons that are delivered to Ukraine, the closer the end of the special military operation," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

Fedir Venislavskyi, an MP for Ukraine's ruling party, said the decision was "painful, and against the background of the terrorist attacks which Russia commits against Ukraine… it's a very unpleasant situation."

A Ukrainian military source quoted by AFP news agency said that Kyiv was "seriously dependent on American arms supplies, although Europe is doing its best, but it will be difficult for us without American ammunition."

Ukraine's European allies have spent billions in military aid over the last three and a half years.

However, military support for Kyiv is not endorsed by everyone on the political spectrum.

The Czech President and former Chair of NATO's Military Committee, Petr Pavel, has been a staunch supporter of Ukraine but told BBC Russian that he could "not guarantee" continued ammunition support for Kyiv, as that was dependent on the result of the upcoming Czech elections.

"I don't know what will be the priorities of a new government," he said.

The Pentagon's move is based on concerns that US military stockpiles are falling too low, a source told CBS News, although Anna Kelly stressed that "the strength of the United States Armed Forces remains unquestioned – just ask Iran".

Separately, US Undersecretary of Defense for Policy Elbridge Colby said in a statement that the defense department "continues to provide the President with robust options to continue military aid to Ukraine".

However, he added "the Department is rigorously examining and adapting its approach to achieving this objective while also preserving US forces' readiness for Administration defense priorities."

ReutersUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met US President Donald Trump at last month's Nato summit

The pause comes less than a week after President Donald Trump discussed air defences with Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelensky at the Nato summit in the Netherlands.

Trump said US officials "are going to see if we can make some of them available" when asked by the BBC about providing extra Patriot anti-missile systems to Ukraine.

Referring to his conversation with Zelensky, Trump said: "We had a little rough times sometimes, but he couldn't have been nicer."

The two had a heated confrontation in the Oval Office in March this year. Afterwards, Trump said he was pausing military aid to Ukraine that had been earmarked by the previous Biden administration. Intelligence sharing with Ukraine was also suspended.

But both pauses were subsequently lifted.

In late April, the US and Ukraine signed a deal that would give the US access to Ukraine's mineral reserves in exchange for military assistance.

Meanwhile, French President Emmanuel Macron spoke with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Tuesday – the first time in over two-and-a-half years.

They spoke on the phone for more than two hours, Macron's office said, adding that the French president had urged a ceasefire in Ukraine and for talks to start on a "solid and lasting settlement of the conflict".

The Kremlin said Putin had "reminded Macron" that the West's policy was to blame for the war, because it had "for many years ignored Russia's security interests".

Last month Russia's long-time leader told a forum in St Petersburg that he saw Russians and Ukrainians as one people and "in that sense the whole of Ukraine is ours".

Moscow currently controls about 20% of Ukrainian territory, including the Crimea peninsula annexed in 2014.

Russia has made slow, grinding advances in Ukraine in recent months and claimed full control of the eastern Luhansk region this week. It has also claimed to have seized territory in the south eastern region of Dnipropetrovsk.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday a Ukrainian attack killed three people at a Russian arms production factory for making drones and radars in Izhevsk, more than 1,000km (620 miles) from the border with Ukraine.

'They took shrapnel from my heart' – the magnets saving lives in Ukraine

'Mariupol is diseased': Residents deny Russian claims occupied city returning to normal

Follow the twists and turns of Trump's second term with North America correspondent Anthony Zurcher's weekly US Politics Unspun newsletter. Readers in the UK can sign up here. Those outside the UK can sign up here.

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Sursa: BBC News

Un elicopter militar ugandez s-a prăbușit și a luat foc în Somalia

acum 2 oreDistribuieSalveazăSwaibu Ibrahim, Ibrahim Aden și Fardowsa HanshiBBC News, Kampala, Mogadiscio și NairobiDistribuieSalveazăMunasar MohamedAutoritățile civile spun că investighează cauza accidentului

Un elicopter militar ugandez cu opt persoane la bord s-a prăbușit și a luat foc pe principalul aeroport internațional din capitala Somaliei, Mogadiscio, a declarat un purtător de cuvânt al armatei ugandeze pentru BBC.

Trei persoane au scăpat cu arsuri, dar celelalte cinci „nu au fost încă găsite” În urma accidentului de pe Aeroportul Internațional Aden Adde, generalul-maior Felix Kulaigye a declarat că, deși cauza acestuia este încă neclară,

„Am auzit explozia și am văzut fum și flăcări deasupra unui elicopter. Fumul a acoperit în întregime elicopterul.” Farah Abdulle, unul dintre angajații aeroportului, a declarat pentru agenția de știri Reuters.

Agenția de știri de stat din Somalia a relatat că incendiul a fost rapid stins de serviciile de urgență.

Trupele ugandeze fac parte dintr-o forță a Uniunii Africane (UA) formată din 11.000 de oameni care ajută guvernul să lupte împotriva grupării al-Shabab, legate de al-Qaeda, care duce o insurgență brutală în Somalia de mai bine de două decenii.

Șeful Autorității Aviației Civile Somaleze, Ahmed Maalim, a declarat pentru BBC că elicopterul s-a prăbușit în secția militară a aeroportului după ce a zburat de la baza aeriană Balidogle din regiunea Lower Shabelle, la aproximativ 90 km nord-vest de Mogadiscio.

Într-un comunicat, misiunea UA din Somalia a declarat că cei trei supraviețuitori au fost duși la spital pentru tratament, în timp ce operațiunile de „recuperare a echipajului și a pasagerilor rămași” sunt în curs de desfășurare.

Atât oficialii UA, cât și cei somalezi au declarat că este în curs de desfășurare o anchetă pentru a stabili cauza accidentului.

Acesta a întârziat plecarea unui avion de pasageri Turkish Airlines, dar zborurile interne au continuat să funcționeze normal.

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