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Mediator Qatar expects Gaza ceasefire to last despite 'violation'

Mediator Qatar said Wednesday it expected a US-backed ceasefire to hold in Gaza despite a "violation" as Israel carried out strikes in response to Palestinian fire.

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Canada central bank cuts lending rate to 2.25%, says tariff hit 'evident'

Canada's central bank cut its key lending rate to 2.25 percent on Wednesday, saying that while the economy has shown resilience in response to President Donald Trump's trade war, "the impact is becoming more evident."

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Putin defies Trump with second nuclear weapons test in days

Russia has successfully tested a nuclear-capable, nuclear-powered underwater drone, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday, defying US President Donald Trump's warnings with Moscow's second test of a new nuclear weapons system in just a few days.

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US military says reduced presence in Europe not a 'withdrawal'

The U.S. military confirmed Wednesday it was reducing its presence on NATO's eastern flank, but denied the move amounted to an American withdrawal from Europe.

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Germany urges Israel to show 'restraint' in Gaza

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul on Wednesday expressed "deep concern" after the deadliest night of bombing in Gaza since a U.S.-brokered truce went into effect earlier this month.

Gaza's civil defense agency said the strikes had killed more than 100 people, including at least 35 children, a toll confirmed by an AFP tally of medical sources at five hospitals in Gaza.

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Israel bans ICRC visits to detained Palestinian combatants

Israel has banned the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for visiting Palestinian prisoners detained under a law targeting "illegal combatants", Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Wednesday.

"The opinions presented to me leave no doubt that Red Cross visits to terrorists in prisons would seriously harm the state's security. The safety of the state and our citizens comes first," Katz said, according to a statement from his office.

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Trump arrives in South Korea where he will meet China's Xi

U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday said a trade deal with South Korea would be finalized soon, ahead of a meeting with the country's President Lee Jae Myung later in the day.

"Our deal with the Republic of Korea will be finalized very soon," he told delegates at the APEC CEO summit in the South Korean city of Gyeongju.

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Trump says 'timing' didn't work out to meet N. Korea's Kim

Donald Trump on Wednesday said he was not able to arrange a meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un during the U.S. president's visit to the South, ending fierce speculation over a possible summit.

Trump also said he would aim to "straighten out" tensions between North Korea and South Korea as he met Seoul's President Lee Jae Myung for a summit.

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Israel says Gaza ceasefire renewed after 100 killed in series of strikes

The Israeli military said Wednesday it had reinstated the Gaza ceasefire after carrying out a series of strikes on "dozens of militant targets" since the previous day.

"Following a series of strikes, in which dozens of terror targets and terrorists were struck, the IDF has begun the renewed enforcement of the ceasefire in response to Hamas' violations," the military said.

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Tunisia suspends second civic rights group within days

The Tunisian Forum for Social and Economic Rights (FTDES) said on Monday authorities had suspended its activities for a month, the second NGO hit by such a measure in the space of a few days.

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