11 h. ago Why Trump’s ‘best for business’ diplomacy will fail with Russia or China

“All I’ve done all my life is deals,” US President Donald Trump told the Gaza peace summit, going on to say “maybe this is going to be the greatest deal of them all”. Trump has cultivated his image on being the greatest deal-maker, a legacy central to his identity as a business tycoon and now fundamental to his reputation as a world leader. The ceasefire in Gaza has been framed as a crowning achievement in this repertoire. “Together we’ve achieved what everyone said was impossible, but at long...

Politics

5 d. ago ‘Not a chance’: experts dismiss Trump’s Gaza peace declaration as temporary fix

Far from being a historic deal to end war in the Middle East as claimed by US President Donald Trump, the Gaza peace declaration has only established a bloc of regional countries that will work with Washington for now to stabilise the region, observers say. Composed of Egypt, Arab monarchies led by Saudi Arabia, and Nato member Turkey, this “Axis of Stabilisation” in the making will continue to diplomatically engage Iran and its “Axis of Resistance” allies, including Hamas, to reduce the risk of...

Politics

7 d. ago ‘History shows otherwise’: Anwar casts doubts about Gaza ceasefire deal

As US President Donald Trump continues to hail the peace plan to end the Israel-Gaza conflict, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has urged caution, saying he was not invited to the ceasefire signing ceremony in Egypt due to his concerns over the deal’s details and its durability. On Monday, Israel began releasing nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners during the first phase of the deal, while Hamas militants released 20 surviving Israeli hostages kidnapped during its assault on southern Israel...

Events

8 d. ago Trump hails ‘peace in the Middle East’ as leaders sign Gaza declaration

US President Donald Trump hailed a “tremendous day for the Middle East” as he and regional leaders signed a declaration meant to cement a ceasefire in Gaza, hours after Israel and Hamas exchanged hostages and prisoners. Trump made a lightning visit to Israel, where he lauded Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in an address to parliament, before flying to Egypt for a Gaza summit where he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey signed the declaration on Monday as guarantors to the ceasefire...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump to meet Zelensky as Ukraine hopes for peace deal after Gaza ceasefire

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Monday that he would meet US President Donald Trump in Washington on Friday, where the two would discuss Ukraine’s air defence and long-range strike capabilities. The two leaders spoke on both Saturday and Sunday amid intensifying discussions about the potential provision of long-range Tomahawk missiles to Kyiv, and a Ukrainian delegation led by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko is scheduled to visit Washington before the Friday meeting. Kyiv has been...

Politics

8 d. ago Trump says ‘nightmare’ for Israelis, Palestinians over, sparking Gaza peace hope

US President Donald Trump hailed an end to a “painful nightmare” in a speech to Israel’s parliament on Monday, as the last surviving hostages returned home from Gaza and a group of Palestinian prisoners were freed under a ceasefire deal he spearheaded. The US president’s lightning visit came ahead of a summit on Gaza in the Egyptian resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, with Trump departing Israel just hours after he had arrived. “From October 7 until this week, Israel has been a nation at war,...

Politics

1 week ago Venezuela’s Machado wins 2025 Nobel Peace Prize as Trump Gaza deal falls short

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who currently lives in hiding, won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for fighting dictatorship in the country, in a move the White House criticised as a snub to US President Donald Trump. “President Trump will continue making peace deals, ending wars, and saving lives. He has the heart of a humanitarian, and there will never be anyone like him who can move mountains with the sheer force of his will,” White House spokesperson Steven Cheung...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday

US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the Gaza hostages should be released on Monday or Tuesday and that he hopes to attend a signing ceremony in Egypt and address the Israeli Knesset. Trump opened a White House cabinet meeting by discussing a deal reached on Wednesday under which the hostages held by Hamas militants are to be released in the first phase of a broader Gaza plan. He said he believed it would lead to “lasting peace.” Trump said under the plan, Gaza is going to be “slowly...

Politics

1 week ago Trump says he may go to Middle East, with Gaza deal ‘very close’

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he may travel to the Middle East later this week, as negotiators in Egypt reported “encouraging” progress toward a deal to end the Gaza war. Trump, whose 20-point peace proposal forms the basis of the talks in the resort town of Sharm el-Sheikh, said a peace deal between Israel and Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas is “very close”. “Negotiations are going along very well,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “I may go there sometime toward...

Politics

1 week ago Israel and Hamas agree to first phase of Trump’s Gaza peace plan

Israel and Hamas agreed on Wednesday to the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan for Gaza, a ceasefire and hostage deal that could open the way to ending a bloody two-year-old war that has upended the Middle East. Just a day after the second anniversary of Hamas militants’ cross-border attack that triggered Israel’s devastating assault on Gaza, indirect talks in Egypt yielded an agreement on the initial stage of Trump’s 20-point framework to bring peace to the Palestinian enclave. The...

Politics

1 week ago Did Indonesia fall into ‘diplomatic trap’ over Trump’s Gaza peace plan?

Indonesia has backed US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to end the war in Gaza, presenting it as a constructive step towards resolving the two-year conflict and easing humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave. But the decision has stirred backlash at home, with analysts suggesting that Indonesia – long a vocal supporter of Palestinian statehood – may have stepped into a “diplomatic trap” that benefits Israeli and US interests more than those of Palestinians. “The government’s...

Politics

2 w. ago Israel shells Gaza on war anniversary, amid Hamas talks on Trump plan

Israeli tanks, boats and jets pounded parts of Gaza on Tuesday, giving Palestinians no respite on the anniversary of the Hamas attack that led to two years of war and underlining the challenges at talks on US President Donald Trump’s plan to halt the conflict. With no ceasefire in place, residents said Israel pressed on with its offensive after Hamas and Israel began indirect negotiations on Monday in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on key issues such as Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza and Hamas’...

Politics

2 w. ago Hamas ready for peace as Israel prepares ‘immediate implementation’ of Trump plan

US President Donald Trump told Israel on Friday to immediately stop bombing Gaza after Hamas agreed to release hostages and accept some other terms in a US plan to end the war, but vexing issues like disarmament appeared unresolved. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Israel was preparing for an “immediate implementation” of the first stage of Trump’s Gaza plan for the release of Israeli hostages, following Hamas’ response. Shortly after, Israeli media reported that the...

Politics

2 w. ago Hamas says it accepts some elements of Gaza peace plan after Trump ultimatum

Hamas said on Friday that it has accepted some elements of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip, including giving up power and releasing all remaining hostages, but that others require further consultations among Palestinians. The statement came hours after Trump said that Hamas must agree to the deal by Sunday evening, threatening an even greater military onslaught nearly two years into the war sparked by the October 7 attack into Israel. It was unclear how the US...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump says Hamas ready for peace, Israel must stop bombing Gaza ‘immediately’

US President Donald Trump said on Friday that Israel must “immediately” stop bombing Gaza to allow for negotiations after Hamas said it was open to ceasefire talks. “Based on the Statement just issued by Hamas, I believe they are ready for a lasting PEACE. Israel must immediately stop the bombing of Gaza, so that we can get the Hostages out safely and quickly!” Trump posted on social media. Hamas said on Friday that it had accepted some elements of Trump’s plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip,...

Politics

2 w. ago Trump sets Sunday deadline for Hamas to agree to deal for ending Gaza war

President Donald Trump said Hamas must agree to a proposed peace deal for Gaza by Sunday evening and threatened that the group will face more attacks if it does not. “An Agreement must be reached with Hamas by Sunday Evening at SIX (6) P.M., Washington, D.C. time,” Trump wrote on Friday on social media. “Every Country has signed on! If this LAST CHANCE agreement is not reached, all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas. THERE WILL BE PEACE IN THE MIDDLE EAST ONE...

Events

3 w. ago Trump meets Israel’s Netanyahu in US for pivotal talks on Gaza peace proposal

US President Donald Trump hosted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for pivotal talks on Monday to press him to back a Gaza peace proposal aimed at ending a nearly two-year war that has seen Israel face growing international isolation. In Netanyahu’s fourth visit since Trump returned to office in January, the right-wing Israeli leader was looking to shore up his country’s most important relationship after a slew of Western leaders formally embraced Palestinian statehood last week in...

Politics

3 w. ago Trump envoy Witkoff expects Gaza ‘breakthrough’ in coming days

US envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday he expected a breakthrough related to Gaza in the coming days, saying President Donald Trump had presented a plan to regional countries. Witkoff, a real estate friend of Trump who has become his roving ambassador, said the US president shared ideas when meeting with a group of Arab and Islamic countries on Tuesday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly. “We presented what we call the Trump 21-point plan for peace in the Mideast and Gaza,” Witkoff...

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