live Israel-Lebanon ceasefire to be extended by three weeks, Trump says - Friday, 24 April
The ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon will be lengthened by three weeks, U.S. President Donald Trump said in a post on social media website...
Türkiye and the United Kingdom on Thursday signed a wide-ranging strategic partnership agreement to boost bilateral cooperation, especially in defence. The deal, signed in London, signals a “new era” in relations between the two NATO allies.
The landmark deal was signed in London by Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper.
According to a joint statement released after the signing, the new strategic partnership framework marks the beginning of a “new era” in relations between the two longstanding NATO members.
“It creates a strong basis to strengthen dialogue and cooperation between our two countries, as NATO Allies and strategic partners,” the statement reads.
Türkiye and the UK, it adds, “share a historic friendship, excellent bilateral relations, and common perspectives on a wide range of international issues and global challenges, including a strong desire for security and stability in the Middle East.”
With a view to “ensuring the security of the Euro-Atlantic area,” the partnership deal calls for stepped-up cooperation in security, counter-terrorism and defence technology.
It also calls for closer coordination in several non-military areas, including climate change, humanitarian development, scientific innovation and the fight against organised crime.
The agreement includes an economic dimension, calling for enhanced bilateral trade and investment and stressing the need to modernise a pre-existing free trade agreement between the two countries.
The new Türkiye-UK partnership comes at a time of rapidly shifting geopolitical dynamics, including escalating conflict in the Middle East and unprecedented disruptions to global supply chains.
“The accelerating global transition towards a multi-polar, fragmented international order places the UK and Türkiye in a period of heightened risks,” the joint statement reads.
Within this context, NATO has “increased its political and military relevance”, it adds, describing the 32-nation alliance as “the bedrock of our security and collective defence.”
The U.S. military has intercepted at least three Iranian-flagged tankers in Asian waters and is redirecting them away from their positions near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday, exclusively to Reuters.
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards targeted three vessels, seizing two of them for alleged maritime violations and transferring them to Iranian shores, as U.S. President Donald Trump said Washington is extending its ceasefire with Iran until Tehran submits a proposal.
Two local trains collided head-on north of Copenhagen on Thursday (23 April), injuring 17 people, five of them critically, according to emergency services.
The U.S. military is redirecting at least three Iranian-flagged tankers after intercepting them in Asian waters near India, Malaysia and Sri Lanka, shipping and security sources said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Tehran said U.S. breaches, blockades and threats are undermining “genuine negotiations.”
The European Union is preparing its 20th round of sanctions against Russia over the war in Ukraine. The measures are close to being approved, after earlier delays linked to energy concerns in Slovakia and Hungary eased following repairs to the Druzhba oil pipeline.
China has urged the European Union to take its concerns seriously over new cybersecurity and digital regulations, warning they could create difficulties for Chinese companies operating in Europe.
Russia and Ukraine have swapped prisoners of war, according to officials on both sides. Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said 193 prisoners, including soldiers and border guards, had been returned from Russia, some injured and facing criminal charges.
The U.S. and the European Union are set to sign a memorandum of understanding on Friday to establish a partnership on the procurement and production of critical minerals, the U.S. State Department confirmed late on Thursday.
Russian emergency services have contained a major fire at the Tuapse oil refinery on the Black Sea coast, local officials said on Thursday, ending a four-day effort after a Ukrainian drone strike.
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