Sudan rejects US request to discuss taking in Palestinians under Trump’s Gaza plan | Donald Trump

Sudanese officials say they have rejected a request from the US to discuss taking in Palestinians displaced from Gaza under Donald Trump’s plan to turn the territory into a “Riviera on the Mediterranean”. According to an Associated Press report, the US and Israel contacted officials in Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland about resettling uprooted Palestinians. The … Read more

The new reality dawning in Australia: it can no longer rely on the US | Australian foreign policy

It’s not really about the tariffs. Not for Australia the brutal humiliation meted out on camera to Ukraine in the Oval Office. Nor Canada’s escalating war of invective and retaliatory sanctions. Australia, instead, got a desultory dismissal in the corridors of the White House – from a staffer: Canberra’s plea to be exempted from the … Read more

American Airlines plane catches fire in Denver after emergency landing | Denver

An American Airlines flight heading from Colorado Springs to Dallas-Fort Worth was forced to divert about 30 minutes after takeoff to make an emergency landing at Denver on Thursday evening, whereupon one of the plane’s engines dramatically caught on fire on the tarmac. Passengers were swiftly forced to evacuate, including via wing and emergency slide, … Read more

Hamas says it will free Israeli-US hostage in potential breakthrough in ceasefire talks | Israel-Gaza war

Hamas has said it is ready to free an Israeli-US soldier held hostage in Gaza and hand over the remains of four other Israeli-US nationals in what may be a breakthrough in ongoing negotiations over the fragile ceasefire in the devastated territory. The militant Islamist organisation announced in a statement on Friday that it was … Read more

China criticises Hong Kong firm’s sale of majority stake in Panama ports | China

China has criticised the sale of the business that controls ports in Panama to US investors, saying the Hong Kong-based parent company should “think twice” and that the $22.8bn deal is “power politics” that is not in the country’s national interest. Shares in the Hong Kong-based conglomerate CK Hutchison fell more than 6% on Friday … Read more

First Thing: Chuck Schumer to back Republican funding bill to avoid shutdown | US news

Good morning. The Senate minority leader, Chuck Schumer, has announced he will vote for a Republican funding bill to avert a government shutdown, saying he believed a stoppage would carry “consequences for America that are much, much worse”. Schumer’s comments suggest his members are willing to provide sufficient votes for the bill, which would fund … Read more

US turns to Denmark as it hunts for eggs despite Trump’s threat over Greenland | Trump administration

The United States has asked Denmark and other European nations if they can export eggs as Americans face surging egg prices, the Nordic country’s egg association said on Friday. The request from the US Department of Agriculture coincides with a raft of new US tariffs on countries, including in Europe, and the threat of more. … Read more

Wyoming shields utility companies from wildfire-liability payouts | Wyoming

Wyoming’s governor has signed a bill that limits the liability for electric utility companies found guilty of starting wildfires. Legislators argued that the bill was necessary for utility companies to function in an era of massive fire-related class-action lawsuits, especially for many of the smaller, co-op utilities that are a hallmark of the mountain west. … Read more