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CNN  —  So much for Donald Trump’s “force of personality” forcing Russian President Vladimir Putin to prove he wants to end the war in Ukraine. The president’s hyped-up phone call with his Russian counterpart on Monday mostly served to highlight how far away any such breakthrough may be. And more importantly, looking ahead, it raised new questions about how involved Trump really wants to be and widened transatlantic divisions on ending the war. Ukraine and its European partners are pushing for a 30-day ceasefire to allow time for talks on a permanent peace agreement to start. Moscow has refused, insisting…

Brighton substitute Jack Hinshelwood struck a late winner as the host came from behind to grab a 3-2 victory over champions Liverpool to keep their slim hopes of playing in Europe next season alive after twice coming from behind.Battling for eighth place and a chance of playing European football next season if Chelsea win the Conference League, Brighton went behind in the ninth minute when Harvey Elliott scored from close range after a superb Liverpool attack, but midfielder Yasin Ayari levelled in the 32nd minute.The home side still managed to go in a goal down at the break after Dominik…

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The Taiwanese president said Tuesday that trade tensions between the United States and Taiwan are just “frictions between friends” in a show of optimism as tariff negotiations are underway with Washington. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed 32% tariffs on all imports from Taiwan as part of sweeping duties levied against all U.S. trading partners last month.The tariffs on Taiwanese goods were subsequently lowered to 10% for 90 days to allow for trade negotiations. Officials from both sides met in Taipei, the island’s capital, last month for a first round of in-person talks, to be followed by…

Hong Kong CNN  —  Despite a 90-day truce in its trade war with the United States, China appears to be maintaining tight control over its rare earth exports – preserving a key source of leverage in future negotiations amid intensifying strategic rivalry with Washington. As part of last week’s trade agreement in Geneva to temporarily roll back tariffs, China pledged to suspend or remove the “non-tariff” countermeasures it imposed on the US since April 2. That has left businesses scrambling to find out whether that promise applies to China’s export controls on seven rare earth minerals and associated products, which…

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — For two days after Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander was released from 19 months of captivity in Gaza, he couldn’t eat anything. Despite periods of near starvation while being held by Hamas militants, Alexander just didn’t have an appetite.Then, his mother, Yael Alexander, put a burger and fries in front of him, and her son dove in.It was one of many joyful moments his family has experienced since learning he would be freed.Hamas portrayed the release of Alexander, the last living American hostage in Gaza, as a gesture to President Donald Trump ahead of his Mideast…

BARADA VALLEY, Syria (AP) — Inside a mountain above the Syrian capital, Hassan Bashi walked through tunnels that used to be filled with water from a spring famous for its pure waters.The spring rises inside the ruins of a Roman temple in the Barada Valley and flows toward Damascus, which it has been supplying with drinking water for thousands of years. Normally, during the winter flood season, water fills all the tunnels and washes over much of the temple. Now, there is only a trickle of water following the driest winter in decades. Bashi, who is a guard but also…

A federal judge in Texas ordered the Trump administration Monday to facilitate contact between a Venezuelan man deported to El Salvador and his lawyers, giving the federal government until Wednesday afternoon. It’s the first such order in the mounting legal saga surrounding President Donald Trump’s use of the Alien Enemies Act to deport hundreds of men to a supermax prison in El Salvador notorious for human rights abuses. The Terrorism Confinement Center, or CECOT, generally offers zero contact between inmates and the outside world, including their lawyers and families. The order by Judge Keith P. Ellison of the Southern District of Texas…

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australia’s central bank on Tuesday reduced its benchmark interest rate by a quarter percentage for a second time this year, to 3.85% after inflation fell within a target range.The Reserve Bank of Australia reduced its cash rate from 4.1%. The reduction from 4.35% at its February board meeting was Australia’s first rate cut since October 2020.The rate cut was anticipated, although expectations had declined slightly after the United States and China agreed last week to cut back recent tariff hikes for 90 days, reviving stalled trade between the world two biggest economies. Bank Governor Michele Bullock…

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The world is facing the most turbulent times since World War II, Greece’s top diplomat says, pointing to a crossroads in democracy and saying Europe is facing a “political identity crisis.”In a wide-ranging interview with The Associated Press, Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis weighed in on two of the globe’s major conflicts, saying the “nightmare” and escalating death toll in Gaza must end and Greece stands by Ukraine.He also noted that U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariffs are not “good news.”Here are some takeaways from Monday’s interview: A crisis in democracy tied to inequalityGerapetritis, whose country holds the…

Liverpool are interested in signing Florian Wirtz but they would need to receive assurances that he wanted to leave Germany before making an offer.The expectation at the moment is that the attacking midfielder will stay at Bayer Leverkusen, where he has a contact until 2027, or move to Bayern Munich. Leverkusen value Wirtz, 22, at €150m (£126m) so he would cost Liverpool significantly more than the club record £75m they paid Southampton for Virgil van Dijk in 2017.Although it is looking more likely that Wirtz will stay in Germany, Liverpool have not given up on trying to sign him this…