Europe

Paris, France: European and US allies ofUkraineon Tuesday agreed "robust" security guarantees for Kyiv to come into force after an eventual ceasefire in Russia's war against the pro-Western country that would see the United States lead a truce monitoring mechanism, French President Emmanuel Macron said. Macron, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky signed a declaration of intent that foresees Britain, France and other European allies deploying troops on Ukrainian territory after a ceasefire. Macron said after the meeting in Paris that the moves represented "robust security guarantees for a solid and lasting peace", hailing an "operational convergence" among allies including the United States. The security guarantees are "the key to ensuring that a peace agreement can never mean a Ukrainian surrender and that a peace agreement can never mean a new threat toUkraine" from Russia, Macron said. Against the background of tensions between Europe and the US on Greenland and Venezuela, US envoy Steve Witkoff, who was present at the talks in Paris, said "a lot of progress" had been made. Read Also UNRWA terminates contracts of several staff outside Gaza due to financial crisis Somalia condemns Israeli minister's entry into Hargeisa, affirms sovereignty 5.2-magnitude quake hits north of Barishal, Pakistan: USGS Allies have "largely finished" agreeing security guarantees forUkraine"so that the people ofUkraineknow that when this ends, it ends forever," he said, flanked by President Donald Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner who was also present at the talks. Witkoff said that "land options" will be the most "critical issue" and "hopefully we will be able to come up with certain compromises with regard to that". Starmer said for his part that following a ceasefire the UK and France will establish "military hubs" acrossUkraineand "build protected facilities for weapons and military equipment to supportUkraine's defensive needs". But he warned: "We can only get to a peace deal if (Russian President Vladimir) Putin is ready to make compromises. Putin is not showing he is ready for peace." "This only hardens our resolve," he added. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, whose nation has been wary of contributing troops to a multinational force, said German forces could join to monitor aUkraineceasefire, but based in a neighbouring country. "We will certainly have to make compromises", he said in Paris, adding that "we will not achieve textbook diplomatic solutions".

Middle East

New York: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has informed several of its staff members outside the Gaza Strip that their contracts have been terminated and others placed on exceptional leave for up to 12 months. The agency indicated that this step comes as a result of its worsening financial crisis and its inability to meet its obligations. In an official letter sent to staff, UNRWA stated that it had made every possible effort to provide and secure the necessary funds to support current programs and meet staff salary obligations, but the financial situation "continued to deteriorate," noting that this is what prompted it to take these "difficult decisions." This decision comes in the context of an unprecedented financial crisis that UNRWA has been suffering for months, which it says has worsened sharply since the outbreak of the Israeli offensive on Gaza on October 7, 2013, and the subsequent political and financial pressures on the agency, including the suspension or reduction of funding from several donor countries.

Africa

Mogadishu: Somalia on Tuesday strongly condemned the entry of the Israeli Foreign Minister into Hargeisa, a city that is an integral part of Somalia's sovereign territories. In a statement on Tuesday, the Somali Ministry of Foreign Affairs considered this action a blatant violation of the country's sovereignty, political unity, and territorial integrity, and an unacceptable interference in the internal affairs of a UN member state. The Ministry affirmed that Hargeisa is an integral and inalienable part of internationally recognised Somali territories, and that any official presence, contact, or dealings within Somali territories without the explicit consent and authorisation of the Federal Government are illegal, null and void, and have no legal effect. The statement added that these practices contravene the principles of the UN Charter, the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), and international norms governing relations between sovereign states, including respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, and non-interference in internal affairs. The Somali government called on Israel to immediately cease all actions that undermine Somalia’s sovereignty, unity, and territorial integrity, and to fully comply with international law. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs affirmed Somalia’s commitment to peaceful international engagement, constructive diplomacy, and adherence to international law, while reserving the right to take all necessary diplomatic and legal measures to protect the country’s sovereignty, national unity, and territorial integrity.