White House National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes said the Egyptian reconstruction plan didn't "address the reality that Gaza is currently uninhabitable." The United States and Israel have rejected a Gaza Strip reconstruction plan that sees the devastated enclave being fully rebuilt without displacing Palestinians, as envisioned under President Donald Trump’s proposal to transform the territory into the "Riviera of the Middle East." Under the $53 billion reconstruction plan proposed by Egypt at an emergency summit in Cairo on Tuesday, Gaza, which has been largely destroyed in Israel's nearly year-and-a-half military offensive in the enclave, would be rebuilt over the span of under six years. Artificial intelligence-labelled images, released as part of a version of the plan agreed at a summit that included representatives from across the 22-member Arab League, show modern housing developments and busy city streets, with the document outlining plans for tourist destinations, including resorts. The proposal, which also includes plans for a commercial harbor and an airport, suggests it be funded by a variety of international sources, including the United Nations and international financial organizations, as well as foreign and private sector investments. Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said the proposal would enable the reconstruction of Gaza while ensuring Palestinians are able to "stay on their land without displacement." The White House swiftly dismissed the plan, with National Security Council spokesperson Brian Hughes saying late Tuesday that the proposal did not "address the reality that Gaza is current uninhabitable." He said Trump stood by his "vision to rebuild Gaza free from Hamas," according to Reuters. According to local officials, more than 48,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip as a result of Israeli shelling and bombing. Most of the population has also been displaced and more than half of the infrastructure destroyed, including hospitals and schools, according to estimate from the United Nations. Trump's proposal for the U.S. to "take over" the Gaza Strip and turn it into the "Riviera of the Middle East" sparked outrage across the region and around the world last month, with some analysts warning that his plan to see Palestinians at least temporarily and possibly permanently displaced was tantamount to ethnic cleansing. The Israeli Foreign Affairs Ministry echoed Trump's proposal Tuesday, saying it provided an "opportunity for the Gazans to have free choice based on their free will." "This should be encouraged," it added. While Israeli officials have repeatedly suggested Trump's plan would give Palestinians in Gaza the ability to leave the enclave freely — something they have not been able to do under Israel and Egypt's nearly two-decade-long blockade on the territory — it has not expanded on whether they would just as easily be able to regain access to the territory. The Israeli Foreign Ministry also condemned the Egyptian proposal's plan for a committee of independent Palestinian technocrats to govern Gaza in preparation for the eventual return of the Palestinian Authority, accusing the Fatah-controlled government body of "corruption" and "support for terrorism." Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas commended the reconstruction plan in a statement, also thanking Trump for his efforts surrounding the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Hamas, which has run the enclave for almost two decades and is a bitter rival of the Palestinian Authority, welcomed the proposal embraced by Arab nations in a statement Tuesday. In Gaza, Palestinians balanced hope with doubt that the plan agreed by Arab nations would be enacted. "We want this suffering to end," Usen Abdul Jawad told NBC News' crew on the ground in Khan Younis in southern Gaza. "We want the rebuilding of Gaza again. Ebrahim Al Khalili, 27, warned that the humanitarian crisis in the enclave, where the Muslim majority was marking the month of Ramadan, was becoming "much more dire" after Israel halted the flow of aid and goods. Israel also warned of "further consequences" after Hamas refused to accept its proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire deal. Israel launched its offensive following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attacks, in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 others taken hostage, per Israeli tallies, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict. The first phase of the ceasefire agreed between Israel and Hamas in January expired Saturday, with negotiations for the second of three phases stalled for weeks. "Palestinians in Gaza have suffered beyond measures, and the risk of even greater devastation looms," United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres warned Tuesday.

Donald Trump has been threatening major tariffs on America's two largest trading partners, Canada and Mexico, for more than a month. It now appears that the day of reckoning is at hand. The risk for the president is that his sweeping tariffs, which also target China, may drive up prices for businesses and consumers in the months ahead, damaging the health of the US economy - the issue that Americans say they care about most. The economy and inflation was at the top of voter concerns last November – concerns Trump promised to address as he stormed back to the White House, partly on the back of lingering discontent about soaring prices early in the Biden presidency. Trump can comfortably boast that he has delivered many of his most striking campaign promises – including slashing federal jobs, stepping up immigration enforcement and recognising two sexes only. But on inflation, the new Trump administration has made little tangible progress. Sky-high egg prices have been a daily reminder. And while the mass culling of chickens in response to bird flu has played a major role, the cost of the daily staple for many Americans has kept inflation front and centre in voters' minds. As Trump confirmed on Monday that 25% tariffs on Canadian and Mexican-made goods would indeed be coming into effect, US stock markets took their biggest hit of the year, providing an early indication of the economic turbulence his policies could create. And Trump's tariffs on Mexican food imports, in particular, could hit Americans where they feel it the most – in higher prices at the grocery store. According to a CBS survey conducted last week, 82% of Americans say they think the economy should be a "high" priority for the president. Only 30% said that about tariffs. Only 36% of respondents think Trump is prioritising the economy "a lot" – compared to 68% for tariffs. Just 29% believe Trump is prioritising inflation. Views on the state of the economy remain generally dour, as 60% said it is "bad", compared to 58% who had the same view last year. Public opinion of Trump's handling of the economy as a whole is within the margin of error on the survey, with 51% approving. That exactly matches his overall job rating, suggesting that the fate of this president, like those of his predecessors, will hinge on the strength of the economy. According to Clifford Young, president of public affairs at polling company Ipsos, Trump is still in the honeymoon period of his presidency, when Americans will give him room to manoeuvre. Typically, he said, this benefit of the doubt for a new president lasts about six months – but that can be cut short if the economy suffers some kind of dramatic shift. Trump argues that his tariffs will boost US manufacturing, raise tax revenue and spur investment – but most economists say that prices for Americans are likely to rise, potentially in a similar timeframe. On Tuesday night, in a primetime speech to a joint session of Congress, Trump will have a chance to make the case that the short-term pain of his tariff plan will lead to long-term benefits. It's his chance to convince the American public to keep his honeymoon going. "I'd be interested to see how he links government efficiency to the economy, global tariffs to the economy, even immigration to the economy," said Young. "Ideally, he would make an argument that all these different things he's doing are ultimately done with the view of improving the economy." The challenge for the president is there are some indications that doubts about the economy are growing, along with warning signs of other challenges to come. A survey of public and private businesses released last week by the Conference Board, a non-partisan economic research group, found a precipitous drop in consumer confidence – the largest decline since August 2021. The souring mood among US consumers was largely attributed to concerns over inflation and economic disruptions caused by rising tariffs. Inflation, as measured by the Consumer Price Index, rose 3% in January, marking a six-month high. The public appears to agree, as the CBS poll found 62% of Americans reporting that prices have been "going up" in the past few weeks. White House officials privately insist that administration efforts to cut government costs, reduce regulation and boost energy production will ultimately lead to lower prices even in the face of higher tariffs – but that such efforts take time to produce results. In a television interview on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump plans to appoint an "affordability tsar" to address the concerns of "working-class Americans". "President Trump said that he'll own the economy in six or 12 months," Bessent said, suggesting that former President Joe Biden was to blame for the current conditions. "But I can tell you that we are working to get these prices down every day." While Tuesday's speech is not a formal State of the Union address, Trump can talk about what he is doing – and will do – to address these voter concerns. Any missteps could give Democrats, who have been struggling to find an effective line of attack against the new president, an opening. Their choice of rebuttal speaker, newly elected Senator Elissa Slotkin from the trade-dependent industrial Midwestern state of Michigan, suggest they are keen to focus on economic issues. At the moment, Trump is at the height of his political power. Now, he appears willing to use that power to change the way the US conducts trade policy – an issue that has animated him for more than four decades. But American history books are lined with the names of presidents felled by souring public perceptions of the economy. Some financial disruptions are entirely out of a White House's control. With his tariff decision, however, Trump is making a high-stakes bet that the American public will ultimately approve of his decisions. If he's right, the payoff could be a generational political realignment on this issue. If he's wrong, it could undercut the second term of his presidency before it even gets fully underway. White House officials privately insist that administration efforts to cut government costs, reduce regulation and boost energy production will ultimately lead to lower prices even in the face of higher tariffs – but that such efforts take time to produce results. In a television interview on Sunday, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Trump plans to appoint an "affordability tsar" to address the concerns of "working-class Americans". "President Trump said that he'll own the economy in six or 12 months," Bessent said, suggesting that former President Joe Biden was to blame for the current conditions. "But I can tell you that we are working to get these prices down every day." While Tuesday's speech is not a formal State of the Union address, Trump can talk about what he is doing – and will do – to address these voter concerns. Any missteps could give Democrats, who have been struggling to find an effective line of attack against the new president, an opening. Their choice of rebuttal speaker, newly elected Senator Elissa Slotkin from the trade-dependent industrial Midwestern state of Michigan, suggest they are keen to focus on economic issues. At the moment, Trump is at the height of his political power. Now, he appears willing to use that power to change the way the US conducts trade policy – an issue that has animated him for more than four decades. But American history books are lined with the names of presidents felled by souring public perceptions of the economy. Some financial disruptions are entirely out of a White House's control. With his tariff decision, however, Trump is making a high-stakes bet that the American public will ultimately approve of his decisions. If he's right, the payoff could be a generational political realignment on this issue. If he's wrong, it could undercut the second term of his presidency before it even gets fully underway.

President Donald Trump has said he is moving forward with 25% tariffs on goods imported from Canada and Mexico into the US, adding that time had run out to reach a deal. US stock markets sank in response to the measures, which he has threatened since earlier this year and said would now go into effect on Tuesday. An additional 10% tariff on Chinese imports is also expected to come into force, leaving all of America's top three trade partners facing significantly higher barriers than just a few weeks ago. "No room left for Mexico or for Canada," Trump said at the White House on Monday. "The tariffs, you know, they're all set. They go into effect tomorrow." The three major indices in the US sank after Trump's comments. The Dow Jones Industrial Average ended the day down 1.4%, the S&P 500 sank 1.75% and the Nasdaq fell 2.6%. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responded: "Canada will not let this unjustified decision go unanswered." Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters that Ottawa planned to impose retaliatory tariffs against US imports of C$155bn ($107bn; £ 84bn), with the first tranche of $30bn ready immediately to be levied on everyday goods like pasta, clothing and perfume. The foreign minister added that the tariffs were "an existential threat to us", with "thousands of jobs in Canada at stake". China's commerce ministry on Tuesday also vowed to retaliate against the fresh US tariffs, accusing the Trump administration of trying to "shift the blame" and "bully" Beijing over fentanyl flows. In a statement, the ministry urged the US to "immediately withdraw" its tariffs that it described as "unreasonable and groundless, harmful to others". State media outlet The Global Times reported on Monday that China may target US agricultural and food products with both tariff and non-tariff measures. Mexico also said it will retaliate against the US tariffs, raising the prospect of a widening trade war. Trump threatened to impose the tariffs, which are a tax added to a product when it enters a country - on Canada, Mexico and China in response to what he said was the unacceptable flow of illegal drugs and illegal immigrants into the US. All the tariffs were supposed to take effect last month, until the US agreed to a one-month delay for Canada and Mexico, pulling its North American neighbours back from the brink of a potentially damaging trade war. But Trump went ahead with imposing a 10% tariff on Chinese exports to the US in February, meaning goods from the country now face a levy of at least 20%. Trump has long maintained that tariffs are a useful tool to correct trade imbalances and protect US manufacturing. He has largely dismissed concerns that the measures risk economic damage in the US, despite the close ties, especially in North America, where businesses have enjoyed decades of free trade. "What they'll have to do is build their car plants, frankly, and other things, in the United States, in which case they have no tariffs," he added. Officials from Canada and Mexico had been in Washington in recent days, trying to stave off the tariffs. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum appeared to send a message to Trump earlier on Monday when she said at a public event in the city of Colima that "Mexico has to be respected". "Co-operation [and] co-ordination, yes, subordination, never." Trudeau met King Charles on Monday in the UK, saying beforehand that he would discuss issues of importance to Canadians, including "standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation". A day earlier Canada's PM said from a summit in London that Canada was "not an issue" as a source of illegal fentanyl in the US. Only 1% of fentanyl seized in the US is thought to come from Canada, according to US data. The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) says it has been "surging" its efforts to tackle fentanyl crossing into the US. President Trump has also announced a 25% charge on all steel and aluminium imports, which is meant to come into effect on 12 March. In addition, he has threatened to impose custom "reciprocal" tariffs on individual countries, as well as 25% tariffs on the European Union.

US President Donald Trump's latest move has left investors in a spin - for good reason. With the stroke of a pen, the tariffs he has imposed on Canada, Mexico and China have turned back the clock 70 years, erasing decades of globalisation. Tariffs, he says is a beautiful word, signalling jobs and riches for America. However, history tells us that those firing the opening shots in a trade war also suffer heavy casualties. Despite the president's rhetoric, American consumers are on the front line. These extra taxes mean that Americans are facing the highest level of tariffs on goods being imported to their country since the 1930s. Vegetables from Mexico, wheat from Canada, toys and T-shirts from China are all in the firing line. Retailers of such items can have very narrow profit margins and will raise prices quickly to cover the tariffs. Consumers will notice the price rises. Groceries may be one of Trump's favourite words, but his own electorate may not appreciate the increase in bills they could face. Assuming no further tariffs, economists suggest US inflation, already higher than expected, could rise further in the second half of this year. A price worth paying "to make America great again"? Look no further than the laundry room for a cautionary tale. During his first-term of office in 2018, Trump imposed tariffs of up to 50% on imported washing machines after American producer Whirlpool complained about cheap South Korean competition. Those rivals - Samsung and LG - then set up in America, creating close to 2,000 jobs. But at what price? An imported washing machine cost an American shopper almost a third more at the start of 2023, just before tariffs were abolished, than five years previously. Add up the costs of tariffs and one study claims each of those jobs cost Americans the equivalent of more than $800,000 (£627,000). Those tariffs of course meant revenue for American governments and that source has increased dramatically in recent years, following the raft of tariffs Trump also imposed in his first term on China - most of which were retained under President Joe Biden. However, the amount netted is equivalent to a tax rise on American households of up to $300. Ultimately it is they who are footing the bill - and will continue to do so. Then consider the impact on American manufacturers who have businesses spanning Canada, Mexico and perhaps even China. Overall, economists think we could be looking at a hit to US growth of up to 1% - not enough to prompt a recession, but unwelcome nonetheless. In sheer numbers terms, the hit to the Canadian economy could be greater, economists say. It sells more than $400bn worth of goods to America every year, accounting for a fifth of its income. But it has the capacity to lower interest rates, and healthy public finances, providing policy makers with scope to cushion the blow for Canadians. The damage to Mexico's national income could be less severe, but its central bank has less capacity to cut interest rates making it harder to deflect the pain. All of this will be anxiously watched by the European Union, likely next in line for those Trump tariffs. Germany, already in a fragile state, accounts for about a third of the goods sold by the EU to the US. China, despite being the target of Trump's repeated trade blows could actually be less vulnerable. Its exports to the US account for less than 3% of national income - easily made up elsewhere. Ironically, some of this resilience is down to the tariffs imposed by President Trump last time round. China simply looked for new markets. Countries like the UK could also benefit from a furthering of such trade diversion, more access to cheaper goods - something that could keep our own inflation down. A key point about trade wars is that there are winners as well as losers - particularly for those countries outside President Trump's firing line. Vietnam and Malaysia for example saw their exports grow rapidly during President Trump's last term as they scrambled to replace China in selling to America. If the UK continues to escape the wrath of President Trump, we could actually benefit from closer trading links with his country and indeed from greater foreign investment, if we looked to be a more certain environment than some of our competitors. But of course, our fate remains unclear. As it stands, the prospects for global growth in 2025 have dulled, but a recession appears very unlikely. However, in Trump world we have learnt very quickly to expect the unexpected - so much still depends on what happens from here. And that uncertainty itself is harming business confidence both in the US and around the world, putting off key decisions about where to invest and create jobs. Weaponising uncertainty too comes at a price - even on home soil.

The UK government has said it will not send further payments to Rwanda following the cancellation of the migrant deal between the two countries. On Monday, Rwanda's government spokesperson Yolande Makolo said the UK had asked Rwanda to "quietly forgo" the remaining payment - reportedly amounting to £50m ($64m) - based on "trust and good faith". However, Rwanda has now asked the UK to pay the remainder of the money it says it is owed, accusing the UK of breaching trust by suspending some aid to the country. In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said that "no further payments in relation to this policy will be made and Rwanda has waived any additional payments". The row over payments linked to the Rwanda scheme comes after the UK government announced it would halt bilateral aid to the east African country last month, except for "support to the poorest and most vulnerable". The UK took the decision to cut aid after accusing the country of supporting M23, a rebel group that has captured swathes of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in a deadly uprising. The aid cuts have amounted to "unjustified punitive measures to coerce Rwanda into compromising our national security", Makolo said on Monday. Rwanda has often denied backing the M23 rebel group, but has recently been more defensive, saying it has had to take measures to deal with the "existential threat" posed by genocidal militia near its borders. UN experts have previously estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 Rwandan troops are in eastern DR Congo. Makolo said Rwanda would now be "following up" on outstanding payments relating to the migrant deal to which the UK was "legally bound". The plan to deport some asylum seekers to Rwanda, devised by the previous Conservative government in 2022, cost the UK £240m ($310m) before being scrapped by Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer. Speaking in July last year, shortly after being elected, Starmer said the plan was "dead and buried", arguing that the scheme had "never been a deterrent" and would only deport "less than 1%" of small boat arrivals. In a statement, a UK government spokesperson said: "The Home Secretary has been clear that the costly Migration and Economic Development Partnership with Rwanda wasted tax-payer money and should not continue."

SEOUL, South Korea — The powerful sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un threatened Tuesday to launch high-profile provocations in response to the arrival of a U.S. aircraft carrier in South Korea and other U.S. military activities, which she slammed as “confrontation hysteria of the U.S. and its stooges.” The warning by Kim Yo Jong implies that North Korea will most likely ramp up weapons testing activities and maintain its confrontational posture against the U.S., though President Donald Trump has said he would reach out to Kim Jong Un to revive diplomacy. In a statement carried by state media, Kim Yo Jong accused the U.S. of clearly showing “its most hostile and confrontational will” to North Korea with the deployments of the USS Carl Vinson and other powerful U.S. military assets and U.S.-South Korean military drills this year. “The DPRK is also planning to carefully examine the option for increasing the actions threatening the security of the enemy at the strategic level to cope with the fact that the deployment of U.S. strategic assets in the Korean Peninsula has become a vicious habit and adversely affects the security of the DPRK,” she said, using the acronym of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Her statement suggests North Korea may test-launch powerful missiles designed to strike the mainland U.S. or American military bases in the region, observers say. South Korea’s Defense Ministry warned later that it was ready to repel any provocations by North Korea based on a solid military alliance with the U.S. A ministry statement called Kim Yo Jong’s warning “sophistry” meant to justify her country’s nuclear development and future provocations.On Sunday, the USS Carl Vinson and its strike group arrived in South Korea, the latest temporary deployment of a U.S. strategic asset aimed at displaying the firmness of the U.S.-South Korean military alliance in the face of North Korean threats and strengthening interoperability of the allies’ combined assets. The U.S. carrier’s arrival came four days after North Korea conducted cruise missile tests, its fourth missile launch event this year. North Korea views arrivals of such powerful U.S. military assets in South Korea as major security threats and often responds with missile tests. North Korea has not directly responded to Trump’s overture, but alleged U.S.-led hostilities against North Korea have intensified since the start of Trump’s second term in January. Experts say Kim Jong Un is not likely to embrace Trump’s outreach anytime soon as he is now focusing on his support of Russia’s war against Ukraine with supply of weapons and troops. They say Kim could consider returning to diplomacy with Trump when he thinks he cannot maintain his country’s current booming cooperation with Russia. Kim and Trump met three times from 2018 to 2019 during Trump’s first term to discuss the future of North Korea’s nuclear program. Their high-stakes diplomacy eventually collapsed due to wrangling over U.S.-led economic sanctions on North Korea.

A senior Iranian defense ministry official told Reuters that Russian missile experts made multiple visits to Iranian missile production sites last year. Several senior Russian missile specialists have visited Iran over the past year as the Islamic Republic has deepened its defense cooperation with Moscow, a Reuters review of travel records and employment data indicates. The seven weapons experts were booked to travel from Moscow to Tehran aboard two flights on April 24 and September 17 last year, according to documents detailing the two group bookings as well as the passenger manifest for the second flight. The booking records include the men’s passport numbers, with six of the seven having the prefix “20.” That denotes a passport used for official state business, issued to government officials on foreign work trips and military personnel stationed abroad, according to an edict published by the Russian government and a document on the Russian foreign ministry’s website. Reuters was unable to determine what the seven were doing in Iran. A senior Iranian defense ministry official said Russian missile experts had made multiple visits to Iranian missile production sites last year, including two underground facilities, with some of the visits taking place in September. The official, who requested anonymity to discuss security matters, didn’t identify the sites. A Western defense official, who monitors Iran’s defense cooperation with Russia and also requested anonymity, said an unspecified number of Russian missile experts visited an Iranian missile base, about 9 miles west of the port of Amirabad on Iran’s Caspian Sea coast, in September. Reuters couldn’t establish if the visitors referred to by the officials included the Russians on the two flights. The seven Russians identified by Reuters all have senior military backgrounds, with two ranked colonel and two lieutenant-colonel, according to a review of Russian databases containing information about citizens’ jobs or places of work, including tax, phone and vehicle records. Two are experts in air-defense missile systems, three specialize in artillery and rocketry, while one has a background in advanced weapons development and another has worked at a missile-testing range, the records showed. Reuters was unable to establish whether all are still working in those roles as the employment data ranged from 2021 to 2024. Their flights to Tehran came at a precarious time for Iran, which found itself drawn into a tit-for-tat battle with arch-foe Israel that saw both sides mount military strikes on each other in April and October. Reuters contacted all the men by phone: five of them denied they had been to Iran, denied they worked for the military or both, while one declined to comment and one hung up. Iran’s defense and foreign ministries declined to comment for this article, as did the public relations office of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, an elite force that oversees Iran’s ballistic missile program. The Russian defense ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment. Cooperation between the two countries, whose leaders signed a 20-year military pact in Moscow in January, has already influenced Russia’s war on Ukraine, with large numbers of Iranian-designed Shahed drones deployed on the battlefield. Rockets and artillery The flight booking information for the seven travellers was shown to Reuters by Hooshyaran-e Vatan, a group of activist hackers opposed to the Iranian government. The hackers said the seven were travelling with VIP status. Reuters corroborated the information with the Russian passenger manifest for the September flight, which was provided by a source with access to Russian state databases. The news agency was unable to access a manifest for the earlier flight, so couldn’t verify that the five Russian specialists booked on it actually made the trip. Denis Kalko, 48, and 46-year-old Vadim Malov were among the five Russian weapons experts whose seats were booked as a group on the April flight, the records showed. Kalko worked at the defense ministry’s Academy for Military Anti-Aircraft Defense, tax records for 2021 show. Malov worked for a military unit that trains anti-aircraft missile forces, according to car ownership records for 2024. Andrei Gusev, 45, Alexander Antonov, 43, and Marat Khusainov, 54, were also booked on the April flight. Gusev is a lieutenant-colonel who works as deputy head of the faculty of General Purpose Rockets and Artillery Munitions at the defense ministry’s Penza Artillery Engineering Institute, according to a 2021 news item on the institute’s website. Antonov has worked at the Main Rocket and Artillery Directorate of the Defense Ministry, according to car registration records from 2024, while bank data shows Khusainov, a colonel, has worked at the Kapustin Yar missile-testing range. One of the two passengers onboard the second flight to Tehran in September was Sergei Yurchenko, 46, who has also worked at the Rocket and Artillery Directorate, according to undated mobile phone records. His passport number had the prefix “22;” Reuters was unable to determine what that signified though, according to the government edict on passports, it isn’t used for private citizens or diplomats. The other passenger on the September flight was 46-year-old Oleg Fedosov. Residence records give his address as the office of the Directorate of Advanced Inter-Service Research and Special Projects. That is a branch of the defense ministry tasked with developing weapons systems of the future. Fedosov had previously flown from Tehran to Moscow in October 2023, according to Russian border crossing records viewed by Reuters. On that occasion, as he did for the September 2024 flight, Fedosov used his passport reserved for official state business, the records showed.

“It remains to be seen if this will result in charges,” said Khalid Abdalla, who also starred in “United 93” and “The Day of the Jackal.” LONDON — The British actor who played Princess Diana’s love interest in the Netflix series “The Crown” said he had been summoned for questioning by police after he attended a pro-Palestinian rally in central London. Khalid Abdalla, who played Dodi Fayed in the popular show, said in a statement posted to his social media channels that London's Metropolitan Police Service had sent him a letter requesting he attend “a formal interview,” in relation to “the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign protest” Jan. 18. “It remains to be seen if this will result in charges,” added Abdalla, who also starred in “United 93” and “The Day of the Jackal.” He added that the right to protest was “under attack” in the the United Kingdom. Abdalla was among tens of thousands of people who attended the demonstration, which was held the day after Israel and Hamas agreed to a ceasefire deal to pause the war in the Gaza Strip, which has claimed the lives of more than 48,000 people, according to health officials in the Palestinian enclave. Israel launched its military campaign after the Hamas terrorist attacks Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people and saw around 250 taken hostage, according to Israeli officials. The Metropolitan Police confirmed to NBC News via email that it had arrested 77 people on suspicion of breaching protest conditions after some of them broke through a police line that day. It added that 21 people had been charged so far. As part of the “ongoing investigation,” the force said it had “invited a further eight people to be interviewed under caution at a police station.” British police typically do not confirm the identity of anyone under investigation. Abdalla, 44, has attended several pro-Palestinian rallies in the past and has publicly called for a permanent ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. Addressing the crowds at the Jan. 18 rally, Abdalla said, “Tomorrow phase one of this ceasefire begins. It remains to be seen if the ceasefire will hold, or if the blood shed since it was announced augurs what it will become.” In February, he was one of the signatories to an open letter written to the BBC by the advocacy group, Artists for Palestine UK, which criticized the broadcaster for pulling a documentary on Gaza’s children. The Palestine Coalition, the activist group that organized the rally, condemned the letter sent to Abdalla in a statement issued Monday, accusing police of carrying out an “apparently coordinated attack against the Palestine solidarity movement.” The force, it said, was “endeavoring to halt public protest on the issue through harassment of those involved in the movement, and through increasingly draconian restrictions on demonstrations.”

King Charles has met Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, under the shadow of inflammatory statements made about Canada by US President Donald Trump. Trump has repeatedly spoken of making the neighbouring country the 51st state of America. He has also vowed to impose new import taxes on Canada, which is one of the US's top trading partners. Ahead of his meeting with the King at Sandringham, outgoing PM Trudeau said he would discuss issues of importance to Canadians, including "standing up for our sovereignty and our independence as a nation". The King has also extended an invitation to Trump to visit him in what will be an unprecedented second state visit. As head of state of the Commonwealth nation, the King has faced calls to give Canada his vocal backing in the face of Trump's statements. Jason Kenney, the former leader of the Canadian province of Alberta, suggested Charles faces a difficult tightrope. Jason Kenney, a conservative who served as Alberta's premier, wrote on X that the King could only act on the advice of the Canadian PM, who "should ask [Charles] to underscore Canadian sovereignty". But the conservative politician then took aim at British Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer, whom he said had "cravenly thrown Canada under the bus" when he refused to comment on Trump's annexation threats during his visit to the White House last week. "It was a shameful betrayal of a fellow realm which has made enormous sacrifices for the defence of Britain," Kenney wrote. New import taxes announced by Trump are also set to come into effect on Tuesday, targeting goods arriving from China and Mexico as well as Canada. The president is eager to protect American manufacturing and jobs, and to address the US trade deficit. He suggested in a post on his Truth Social platform on Sunday that his country was effectively subsidising Canada by paying to import its products. Without this flow of capital, Canada "ceases to exist as a viable country", he wrote. Trump has previously spoken of using "economic force" to make Canada the 51st state of America. But he said he was not considering using military force - an assurance he has not given while stating his ambitions of taking the Panama Canal and Greenland. The question of how to respond to Trump's tariff threats and other statements about Canadian sovereignty has dominated the debate in Trudeau's Liberal Party, with candidates vying to replace the PM after he announced his resignation in January. On the other side of the Canadian political divide, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has also attacked Trump's statements. The King has found himself at the centre of a recent whirlwind of diplomatic meetings following Trump's return to the presidency - some of which relate to the war in Ukraine. On Sunday, he also met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky - who ended up in a row of his own with Trump at the White House on Friday. Zelensky was in the UK to meet European leaders, who reiterated their support for Ukraine in its conflict with Russia - with American support apparently on the wane under Trump.

The holy month began on Saturday, the same day the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas came to an end. Amid the death and destruction left behind by more than a year of war, Palestinians in the Abu Mustafa neighborhood of Khan Younis welcomed the first day of Ramadan early Saturday with a communal suhoor, a predawn meal that begins the daily fast. Ramadan, the most sacred month of the Islamic calendar and a joyous time for Muslims around the world, comes during a time of growing uncertainty this year — following the expiration of the first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with many questioning if there will be a second phase or an extension of the first. On Saturday, colorful lights flickered in celebration of the holy month, which is when Muslims believe the first verses of the Quran were revealed to Prophet Muhammad over 1,000 years ago. The suhoor, an initiative sponsored by Jordan, had a large turnout that included mostly children. Hundreds sat at a table that seemed to stretch for miles, laden with cheese, vegetables, falafel, olives and bread. Symbolizing resilience and the joyous ambience, messages wishing Gazans a happy Ramadan were drawn on the few remaining walls of destroyed buildings. Young children at the gathering sang a popular Ramadan song by Emirati singer Hussain Al Jassmi: “Everywhere we walk, there are Ramadan lanterns and decoration in the street. The sound of the adhan [the Islamic call to prayer] pours into the heart, and we pray taraweeh [Ramadan voluntary night prayer] in the mosque.” Aya Abu Mostafa, who attended the suhoor, said that although the gathering was right in front of the rubble of her family home, it made her feel hopeful. “Today we celebrate and feel proud that we are the Palestinian people, who are known for their resilience,” Abu Mostafa told an NBC News crew on the ground. “Today, we celebrate Ramadan, which unites us and provides us with joy and hope. This year, we feel safe during Ramadan, unlike last year, when we were living in fear.” Abu Mostafa said her aspirations for the future are to live in safety, without the buzzing of drones. “We hope to live with pride and joy, like all the children of the world,” she said. Shahed Abu Mustafa, beaming with joy, wishes for the same. “I am very happy that we decorated the neighborhood and that the war ended,” she said. “All the kids are happy and our gathering is very nice. I hope it will always be like this with such an atmosphere.” Hours later, a similar initiative sponsored by Kuwait in the southern Gaza city of Rafah provided fasting Palestinians with 5,000 meals for iftar, a meal in which Muslims break their fast at sunset. Hundreds gathered at a table resembling the mileslong one from the suhoor, breaking their fast with rice and chicken amid the sunset call to prayer. Malaak Fada, who helped organize the iftar, recalled how that street in Rafah looked before the war. “Before the war, this street was crowded with happy people going to the markets,” she said. “Here there was a watercress salesman, over there was a pickles salesman, and over there was a juice salesman. The Ramadan vibes were amazing because all the people had decorated their homes.” Fada said it was this nostalgia that inspired her. “When I saw how the street looked [after the war] and saw how sad the people were, and how everything around us is sad and breaks our hearts, I said, ‘No, we need to bring this street back to life like before the war, and even more,’” she said. Many Gazans remain hopeful for a better future, even as Israel cut off aid to the enclave Sunday in an attempt to pressure Hamas to accept a new ceasefire proposal. Israel faced criticism for the move, including from the foreign minister of Egypt, who accused the country of using “starvation as a weapon." Even so, Mamdouh A'rab Abu Oday says he will not leave Gaza. “Despite what happens to us, we are united and together,” he said. “We tell the entire world that we are together and we will not leave our country.”