During the talks, Baerbock emphasised that an independent Palestine state as a part of a comprehensive peace process and a two-state solution remains a clear goal of German policy, according to reports from German delegation circles on Monday evening.

Baerbock took part in a meeting of Arab and European foreign ministers in Riyadh, initiated by Saudi Arabia and Norway, at which the prospect of a two-state solution and the recognition of Palestine was on the agenda.

A two-state solution foresees the peaceful co-existence of Israel and a Palestinian state based on the borders of the Palestinian Territories occupied by Israel since 1967 - the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip.

However, Israel's government rejects such a two-state solution outright, whereas, the Palestinian militant organisation Hamas has said it wants an independent Palestinian state but will not officially recognise the state of Israel.

Baerbock also made it clear "that there is now an urgent need for improved humanitarian access to Gaza and the release of the hostages," it was reported after the talks.

She also held confidential talks with Arab and Western colleagues in Riyadh on the specific steps needed to end the fighting and find a sustainable solution to the conflict.

The ministers, including Baerbock's US counterpart Antony Blinken and UK Foreign Secretary David Cameron, met in Riyadh on the fringes of a two-day World Economic Forum (WEF) conference. Israel did not take part in the talks.

--IANS/DPA

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The White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday said Washington did "not support" the investigations and "we don't believe that they have the jurisdiction."

Jean-Pierre was asked whether potential arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other officials could torpedo the negotiations on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Asked several times, the spokeswoman stuck to her short answer and said: "I'll leave it at that."

Israeli media had previously reported that Netanyahu feared that Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan could issue international arrest warrants for him, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant and Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi this week.

The court in The Hague, Netherlands, has been investigating the Israel Defense Forces and the Palestinian organisation Hamas for alleged war crimes in the Palestinian Territories - the Gaza Strip, the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem - since 2021.

Palestine has been a state party since 2015. In 2021, the court determined that it also has jurisdiction over the territories occupied since 1967, such as the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Neither the US nor Israel recognise the court.

Investigations are also underway into acts of violence committed by Israeli settlers in the West Bank.

An ICC arrest warrant for Netanyahu and other Israeli citizens would mean that countries that have signed Curt's statutes would be obliged to arrest these individuals and transfer them to The Hague - provided the individuals are on their territory.

--IANS/DPA

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Civilian infrastructure, including several residential buildings, was damaged.

Previously, the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv, which is just over 30 kilometres from the Russian border, had been attacked with glide bombs, according to the authorities. Two civilians were injured in that attack. A multi-storey residential building was damaged.

Ukraine has been fending off a Russian invasion for over two years. The Russian army fires missiles and drones at the major cities of Kharkiv and Odesa on an almost daily basis.

Earlier Monday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that when NATO allies fail to deliver weapons and ammunition to Ukraine on time, "Ukrainians are paying the price."

"The lack of ammunition has enabled the Russians to push forward along the front line," Stoltenberg said in Kyiv, singling out the United States for Washington's protracted process to send more military aid.

"European allies have not delivered the amount of ammunition they promised," Stoltenberg added, referring to the European Union's failure to deliver one million artillery shells to Ukraine in a year.

Secretary General Stoltenberg was speaking at a press conference alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on an unannounced visit when he voiced his criticism.

"Lack of air defence has made it possible for more Russian missiles to hit their targets," Stoltenberg said.

"And the lack of deep strike capabilities has made it possible for the Russians to concentrate more forces, and we see the consequences of that now," he said.

Zelensky thanked the top NATO official for his support and stressed that he expected no further delays in the delivery of recently announced military aid.

Stoltenberg highlighted Spain's decision to supply Ukraine with Patriot missiles. He said he expected further announcements of support for Ukraine to follow soon.

Germany on Monday announced that it has delivered an additional 10 Marder infantry fighting vehicles (IFVs) and other defence equipment to Ukraine.

A second Skynex air defence system is also part of the package, as are almost 30,000 rounds of ammunition for the Gepard air defence tank and ammunition for the Iris-T system, the German government announced in Berlin.

The third Patriot air defence system promised in mid-April was not on the updated list of German military aid.

Russia has recently stepped up its airstrikes on Ukraine with missiles, cruise missiles, drones and glide bombs.

--IANS/DPA

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A fisherman, Murugan, was injured in the attack and was admitted to the Nagapattinam government hospital.

The attack happened 15 nautical miles from Nagapattinam coast within Indian sea limits near the international maritime boundary.

Tamil Nadu coastal police said the pirates robbed walkie-talkies and GPS from the boat.

R. Antony Johnson, leader of the Nagapattinam fishermen association, said the pirates were from Sri Lanka.

“We are being hounded and attacked in mid-sea regularly. Be it the attack by pirates or the arrest and impounding of mechanised boats by the Sri Lankan Navy, fishermen are routinely attacked. The Central government should immediately intervene in the matter and bring a solution to this grave issue,“ Johnson said while speaking to IANS.

Many fishermen are reluctant to venture into the sea and engage in fishing and the families are also worried about the regular attacks, Johnson said.

Tamil Nadu Coastal police officials also said that fishermen from Nagapattinam are now reluctant to venture into the sea these days.

More details were awaited.

Emergency rooms and inpatient care will remain in place at the two hospitals -- Seoul National University Hospital and Severance Hospital -- while the health ministry expected no major disruptions despite the one-day labour action by the medical professors, Yonhap news agency reported.

In Seoul's neighbouring areas, a significant number of senior doctors at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Yongin Severance Hospital and Korea University Ansan Hospital were set to join the move.

Professors at Seoul St. Mary's Hospital are preparing to suspend noncritical surgical services every Friday as well, with those at Asan Medical Center also planning a day off on the same day.

Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo said Monday that the government will deploy more military doctors to cope with the weekly breaks by medical professors.

"There will be no major disruptions," Park told reporters.

About 12,000 trainee doctors have left their worksites since February 20 in protest of the plan to boost the number of medical students by 2,000, causing delays in medical treatments, with some emergency rooms partially limiting their treatment of critically ill patients.

The government's policy, meanwhile, was perceived as gaining traction after President Yoon Suk Yeol and Lee Jae-myung, the head of the main opposition Democratic Party, agreed on the need for medical reform the previous day.

Lee promised the party's active cooperation on the government's medical reform plans, including its decision to increase admissions to medical schools, the report said.

Prospects for an agreement between the government and the medical community shortly, however, are also seen as slim as Lim Hyun-taek, the hawkish president-elect of the Korean Medical Association, begins his term Wednesday.

Lim has claimed that the medical community will not engage in any dialogue until the government completely scraps the medical reform plan.

Official Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir Jaiswal said, "The report in question makes unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations on a serious matter."

"There is an ongoing investigation of the High-Level Committee set up by the Government of India to look into the security concerns shared by the US government on networks of organised criminals, terrorists and others. Speculative and irresponsible comments on it are not helpful," he said.

The statement refers to a report published in the Washington Post which has claimed that a Research and Analysis Wing officer, Vikram Yadav, had instructed a hired hit team to kill the US-based separatist leader.

The talks that commenced on Monday are continuing on Tuesday. According to sources in the Israeli Defence Ministry, the negotiations are on a positive path. After Israel reduced the number of hostages to be released from 40 to 33, the possibility of a six-week ceasefire is high.

The Hamas side has demanded the release of around 600 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Some of the Palestinian prisoners whose names figure in the list of prisoners submitted by Hamas are charged with serious offences, including murder.

Israel has already publicly stated that if Hamas backs out of this discussion in Cairo, it would lead to an Israeli ground offensive in the Rafah region of the Gaza Strip.

Around 1.3 million Palestinians inhabit the Rafah area. Egypt President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi had expressed his concern about an Israeli military action in Rafah and the possibility of a huge exodus of refugees to the Sinai region that borders Rafah.

Egyptian intelligence head Major General Abbas Kamel during his recent visit to Israel had expressed concern about a Rafah operation.

Meanwhile, the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is in Saudi Arabia for a two-day visit, is overseeing the mediatory talks between Hamas and Israel.

Bangladesh is one of the six countries that have written to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres that they will contribute personnel to the Multinational Security Support Mission in Haiti (MSSM), Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Monday.

Invoking the UN Charter provisions for maintaining peace, the Security Council authorised the creation of the MSSM mission to help ameliorate the situation in Haiti by helping its national political force.

Having been burnt by its earlier forays into the Caribbean nation, the UN is taking a hands-off approach this time, authorising a force that will operate independently and not as a UN peacekeeping mission.

The other countries in the Kenya-led force are the Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Chad, and Jamaica.

Bangladesh is taking a bold step in joining the mission after the catastrophic end to the previous UN mission with military peacekeepers ended in 2017 amid accusations that Nepali troops introduced a strain of cholera from South Asia that, according to the World Health Organisation, killed 9,792 Haitians and sickened more than 810,000.

The mission, known as MINUSTAH from its French initials, was ineffective in bringing peace to the country contributing to its demise.

A smaller mission without the military component that followed ended in 2019.

Armed gangs run several parts of the country, including the capital Port-au-Prince, and several thousands have perished in the violence that has destabilised the country.

More than 362,000 Haitians have been displaced by gang activity, according to the UN, and 1.4 of its 11.5 million people are threatened by famine, and four million face "acute food insecurity".

There were few takers because of the history of ill-fated international interventions in Haiti.

Kenya finally offered to lead the mission but had to overcome court challenges within the country before it could take charge.

The latest twist in the tragic saga of Haiti, Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who fled the country in February, resigned last week while in exile in the US.

A National Transitional Council with representatives of political parties and civil society groups was immediately created with Finance Minister Michel Patrick Boisvert as interim Prime Minister to find a more enduring solution.

The assassination of President Jovenel Moise in 2021 was one of the milestones in the descent into chaos of Haiti which suffered under decades of brutal dictatorship under the Duvalier family, and after its overthrow in 1986 has gone through a military coup and violence that punctuated feeble attempts at democracy.

The UN set up an ambitious $400 million trust fund to help the victims of the cholera epidemic blamed on Nepali peacekeepers but it has collected only about five per cent of that amount.

(Arul Louis can be contacted at arul.l@ians.in and followed at @arulouis)

The group, headed by Minister for External Economic Relations Yun Jong Ho, travelled to the Iranian capital last week for an economic conference, said Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani.

Any link to cooperation on nuclear matters was "unfounded," he added.

There was speculation in South Korea that military cooperation between North Korea and Iran could be discussed during the visit.

The two countries - both of which have faced strict international sanctions and isolation on the diplomatic stage for their nuclear activities- have repeatedly been accused of active cooperation, particularly in the field of missile technology.

Iran's controversial nuclear programme has been the subject of renewed interest in recent months following the outbreak of the war in Gaza. Kanaani last week denied again that Tehran is striving to build nuclear weapons.

--IANS/DPA

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Authorities said 20 people in residential buildings in the border town were killed in various attacks during the night.

Seven members of a family in Rafah were also reportedly killed in shelling on Monday morning.

The information could not be independently verified.

An Israeli army spokesman said he could not comment without the exact coordinates of the incidents.

Israel has said it will launch an offensive in Rafah to eliminate the remaining strongholds of the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

Israel's allies have repeatedly urged caution, as hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians are sheltering in the city.

The planned military operation could yet be avoided, with a Hamas delegation arriving in Egypt on Monday to hold negotiations on the release of Israeli hostages in return for Palestinian prisoners.

--IANS/DPA

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"I have decided to carry on as the head of the government with even more strength, if possible," the Socialist politician said in his speech in Madrid.

The huge solidarity rallies organised by his supporters in Madrid and other cities over the weekend influenced his decision, which he said he had made together with his wife.

Sanchez, 52, unexpectedly announced on Wednesday that he was considering stepping down after nearly six years, owing to what he said were baseless claims made against his wife.

The allegations against Gomez, who does not hold public office, were laid by the right-wing Manos Limpias (Clean Hands) organisation. It accused her of influence peddling and business corruption. Manos Limpias later acknowledged that the allegations were based on media reports that could be false.

The public prosecutor's office in Madrid last week also requested that a preliminary investigation into Gomez, 49, be dropped.

Last Wednesday, Sanchez startled the country when he wrote on X that he was tired of the political "mud pit" that had been created by the right and far right.

The leader of the European Union's fourth-largest economy wrote he needed to decide "whether it is worth it" to stay in office and would announce his choice on Monday. He cancelled all public duties in the interim.

More than 10,000 people demonstrated in Madrid on Saturday, calling for him to remain in office. About 5,000 turned out in the Spanish capital on Sunday evening. They held posters saying "Don't give up" and accused the right-wing of resorting to "blackmail" and "fake news."

The Spanish parliament narrowly voted last November to confirm Sanchez in office for a renewed four-year term, nearly four months after snap elections were held. Sanchez controversially promised an amnesty deal for Catalan separatists in return for the votes of two Catalan parties.

--IANS/DPA

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The militants approached the post in the Karachay-Cherkessia region on Sunday night, leading to the deadly shoot-out, the region's Interior Ministry said.

In addition, two police officers were killed, and four other officers were injured.

The multi-ethnic region in the North Caucasus sees frequent bloody clashes between criminal gangs or militant Islamists and the security forces.

The authorities said that the same attackers who struck on Sunday were responsible for an attack on a police checkpoint that killed two officers on April 22.

In the latest incident, they were also said to have had explosive devices on them.

--IANS/DPA

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"What has taken place, all Palestinians in Gaza have to pay for it," Madbouly said.

Israel's response to the massacre that left over 1,200 people dead and hundreds more taken hostage "was unbelievable," he said at a conference organised by the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh on Monday.

More than 80 per cent of the health facilities in Gaza have been destroyed, he said, while an "estimated 7,000 [people] remain under the rubble."

The Prime Minister said that it would take "decades" for Gaza to recover.

On Sunday, the Hamas-controlled health authority put the number of people killed in the Gaza Strip since the start of the war at 34,454. The figures it publishes make no distinction between civilians and militants and are almost impossible to verify independently.

The WEF conference underway in Saudi Arabia's capital is focusing on topics including health, the environment and finance. Several Western and Arab foreign ministers were due to meet on the fringes of the conference to discuss the Gaza war.

--IANS/DPA

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The two men had been in Germany for medical rehabilitation after sustaining injuries during the war, Ukrainian media reported.

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had instructed his diplomats to keep a special eye on the case and maintain constant contact with Germany's security agencies so that the suspect would be punished according to the full severity of the law, the reports said on Sunday evening.

Two men from Ukraine were stabbed to death on the premises of a shopping centre in Murnau in Upper Bavaria on Saturday evening.

Shortly afterwards, police arrested a 57-year-old Russian.

Kuleba thanked the German authorities for the arrest, the online portal Ukrainska Pravda reported.

According to police reports on Monday, there are no indications so far that the crime is connected to the Russian war against Ukraine, which Russian President Vladimir Putin launched on February 24, 2022.

Hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians and Russians live in Germany.

The Ukrainian nationals, aged 23 and 36, both lived in the district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen. They died from stab wounds: the older of the two at the scene of the crime, the younger a short time later in hospital.

The investigating judge issued an arrest warrant for murder on Sunday.

According to the investigations so far, it appears that the three men knew each other, a police spokesman said.

Details still need to be clarified.

--IANS/DPA

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The three-member Hamas delegation flew in from Doha to discuss the latest proposal for a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, the sources said.

Israeli news website ynet reported on Monday that the proposal envisages the release of 33 hostages in return for several hundred Palestinian prisoners. These are to include women, including female soldiers, elderly people, the injured and the "mentally impaired."

Citing a senior Israeli government representative, ynet reported that the duration of the ceasefire would depend on the number of hostages released. Hamas is demanding the release of 50 prisoners for every soldier and 30 prisoners for every civilian, according to the news outlet.

Under the proposal, Israel would also withdraw from a central road that divides the Gaza Strip into two parts - north and south. Residents of the northern section would be allowed to return to their homes.

A large majority of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip have fled to the south during the war.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may have to choose between a hostage deal and the continued existence of his government.

Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionist Party, threatened on Sunday to end the government if the current hostage deal is implemented and a military operation in Rafah is stopped.

Netanyahu's political survival depends on his far-right coalition partners.

--IANS/DPA

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South Korean Foreign Minister Cho Tae-yul and Defence Minister Shin Won-sik held a meeting with Albanese and Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong to exchange opinions on Indo-Pacific strategic cooperation, the military and defence industry, and North Korean issues, Yonhap news agency reported.

The meeting took place ahead of the Korean ministers' "two plus two" talks with Wong and Defence Minister Richard Marles, slated for Wednesday, their Ministries said.

The Ministers vowed to further advance the "comprehensive strategic partnership" and bolster defence ties. After the meeting, Albanese emphasised the importance of continuing to develop bilateral relations for regional security.

"South Korea is a crucial regional partner for Australia. Our two countries are working together towards an open, stable, and prosperous region," Albanese wrote on X.

Earlier in the day, Cho paid tribute at the Australian National Korean War Memorial in Canberra.

Australia was among the 22 countries that sent troops and gave medical aid to South Korea under the UN flag during the 1950-53 Korean War, which ended in a ceasefire, not a peace treaty.

Canberra dispatched a total of 17,164 service members during the war, and 340 of them were killed in action, according to South Korean data.

Anthony Albanese will on Wednesday hold a meeting of the national cabinet, which is composed of federal, state and territory leaders, to discuss plans to prevent male violence against women, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We need to look at the full suite of policy measures that can make a practical difference here," he told state media Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) television on Monday.

On Sunday, the Prime Minister was one of thousands of Australians who joined protests across the country demanding an end to gender-based violence following a wave of incidents.

According to the advocacy group Destroy the Joint, 27 women have died violently in Australia so far in 2024, more than double the 12 in the first four months of 2023.

Addressing protesters in Canberra, Albanese dismissed organisers' calls for the government to declare family violence a national emergency, instead making the case for long-term action to address the national crisis.

He told the ABC on Monday that an emergency declaration would trigger immediate one-off government actions, such as emergency payments during natural disasters.

"What we need here is not one-off actions. What we need here is a concerted plan," he said.

Earlier on Monday, Environment Minister Tanya Plibersek said that misogyny online was working against government policies aimed at reducing violence against women.

She told Seven Network television that adolescent boys in particular are being fed violent content online that is supporting misogynistic attitudes.

The defendant, who holds the rank of Captain, had worked at the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw).

The Koblenz-based institution is responsible for equipping the Bundeswehr, Germany's armed forces, with equipment and weapons, as well as developing, testing and procuring defence technology.

Since May 2023, the man is said to have offered to cooperate with the Russian consulate general in Bonn and the Russian embassy in Berlin on several occasions and on his own initiatives.

Prosecutors say that the defendant, who is identified only as Thomas H due to Germany's strict privacy laws, handed over information with the intent it be used by Russian intelligence. There are no indications that he received money in return.

Details about what information he may have passed along have not been revealed.

Germany has been one of Ukraine's biggest military supporters in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion. The country's security authorities say that they have stepped up their efforts to combat espionage by Russian services.

Federal police officers took the Captain into custody in Koblenz last August. Prosecutors pressed charges in March.

His trial is to begin at the Dusseldorf Higher Regional Court at 0900 (GMT).

--IANS/DPA

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Seoul, April 29 (IANS) South Korea’s Health Minister Cho Kyoo-hong, on Monday, said that the government plans to deploy more medical staff as senior doctors at five major hospitals in Seoul decided to take a weekly day off starting this week.

Cho also renewed a pledge to accomplish medical reform, although a mass walkout by trainee doctors has crippled public health services at major hospitals for more than two months, Yonhap news agency reported.

The government will "further strengthen the emergency treatment system by sending more medical personnel to prevent damage to patients because of sudden resignations or leaves of absence by medical professors," Cho told at a government response meeting.

Cho said that the government will "unwaveringly push for medical reform," while calling for senior and junior doctors to stop their collective action against the government's plan to hike the number of medical students.

Last week, medical professors working for South Korea's five major hospitals -- Asan Medical Center, Samsung Medical Center, Severance Hospital, Seoul National University Hospital, and Seoul St. Mary's Hospital -- decided to suspend their work either on a day, or every week.

Those serving at Seoul National University Hospital will take a day off on Tuesday, and Severance professors will take a weekly break starting Tuesday through end of May.

Asan centre professors vowed not to work on Tuesday and Friday, and professors for Samsung and St. Mary's hospitals are discussing exactly when to take a day off, the report said.

About 12,000 trainee doctors have left their worksites since February 20 in protest of the plan to boost the number of medical students by 2,000, causing delays in medical treatments, with some emergency rooms partially limiting their treatment of critically ill patients.

The government launched a special presidential commission on medical reform on Thursday for talks on the issue with the medical community, including doctors.

It also decided to allow universities to decide their quotas by a range of 50 to 100 per cent of what the government assigned for next year.

But doctors have rejected the proposals, calling for the government to revisit the issue from scratch.

Separately, Second Vice Health Minister Park Min-soo repeated calls for doctors to find progress through talks to resolve the standoff over the hike in medical school admissions, the report said.

"The government has a willingness to hold one-on-one dialogues with the medical community," Park said.

Park said the government would increase compensation for treatment of cerebrovascular disease and organ transplants, as part of its efforts to support essential medical fields.

The Hamas delegation will also reach Cairo on Monday with Qatar and Egypt taking the lead for the mediation regarding the release of hostages and temporary ceasefire talks in the ongoing war between Hamas and Israel.

Hamas, according to Arab media have in principle agreed to the release of a minimum of 33 hostages. The hostages include women, old people, sick and men above the age of fifty. Hamas has demanded the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. This includes those arrested with grave offences, including murder.

Sources in Israel's defence ministry told IANS that they have communicated to the mediators that the IDF would not be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip.

Israel, it may be recalled, has already called upon the Hamas side not to drag its feet from the release of hostages and has stated that if Hamas backs out from the deal then the Rafah ground operations will be imminent.

The Israel Defence Forces (IDF) have already deployed its elite Nehal brigade in the Rafah region and are waiting for the outcome of the talks in Cairo.

President of Egypt Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has already shared the country‘s apprehensions of an Israeli attack in the Rafah region with the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken during his last visit to Cairo.

Blinken has reached Saudi Arabia on a two-day visit and will be communicating with both the Egyptian and Qatar mediators regarding the temporary ceasefire.

The military detected the North laying mines on the unpaved road inside the DMZ late last year near Arrowhead Hill in Cheorwon, 85 km northeast of Seoul, Yonhap news agency reported, citing the official.

The path was created under a 2018 inter-Korean military agreement to connect the South and the North for joint efforts to excavate remains of those killed near the hill during the 1950-53 Korean War.

Since late last year, the North has installed mines on all roads between the two Koreas once seen as symbols of inter-Korean reconciliation and cooperation.

In January, North Korean troops were spotted installing mines on two inter-Korean roads -- the Gyeongui road between the South's western border city of Paju and the North's Kaesong and the Donghae road along the east coast.

Last month, the military also detected the North removing dozens of streetlights along the two roads.

The moves came after the North's leader Kim Jong-un called for scrapping a decades-long policy of seeking unification with South Korea and defining their relations as those between "two states hostile to each other."

In January, Kim gave instructions for "strict" measures to block all the channels of inter-Korean communication along the border, such as cutting off the Gyeongui land route to an "irretrievable level."

In the hardest-hit town of Sulphur in Murray County in south Oklahoma, a person was killed and some 30 others injured in the wake of at least two large tornadoes, which flattened a number of homes and buildings, Xinhua news agency quoted Stitt as saying on Sunday.

A flood warning was also issued for the city, according to the National Weather Service.

"It seems like every business downtown has been destroyed now here in Sulphur," Stitt said. "It's definitely the most damage since I've been governor that I've seen."

Two others, including an infant, died in the Holdenville city, where at least 14 homes were damaged or destroyed.

The fourth died near an interstate road, local media reported.

Nearly 47 million people are at risk for severe weather on Sunday when storms continue threatening more twisters, heavy rain and large hail from Missouri to Texas, said the reports.

"In addition to the severe weather, intense rainfall rates are expected to accompany these thunderstorms at times, leading to a moderate to locally high potential of flash flooding," the National Weather Service said.

The WCK said in a press statement on Sunday that despite the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, it is "resuming its operations with the same energy, dignity, and focus on feeding as many people as possible".

It added, "We have so far distributed more than 43 million meals, and we are eager to provide millions more."

The organization stressed the importance of delivering food aid to northern Gaza, noting that its 276 trucks carrying the equivalent of approximately 8 million meals are ready to enter Gaza through the Rafah border crossing, Xinhua news agency reported.

It added that it is also exploring the maritime corridor, in addition to establishing 68 community kitchens, saying, "We are building a third high-production kitchen in (the southern Gazan town of) Al-Mawasi, along with two others in Rafah (in the south) and Deir al-Balah (in central Gaza)."

The charity suspended its humanitarian aid operations in Gaza on April 2 after seven of its staff members were killed in an Israeli strike targeting an aid convoy in Deir al-Balah.

The incident, which resulted in the deaths of aid workers from Australia, Canada/the United States (dual citizen), Gaza, Poland, and Britain, sparked condemnation both regionally and internationally.

Later, the Israeli military claimed responsibility for the deadly attack, saying it was conducted "upon mistaken identification and due to errors in decision-making," as it believed the convoy was transporting Hamas members.

The WCK organization is responsible for receiving vessels loaded with humanitarian aid for Gaza. It acts on behalf of the United Arab Emirates in distributing humanitarian aid transported by sea through a port in Cyprus to Gaza residents.

"We reject the worst scenario in southern Lebanon, and it is in no one's interest for the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel to expand," Sejourne was quoted by Lebanese TV channel Al-Jadeed as saying on Sunday.

Sejourne made the remarks after his meeting in Beirut with senior Lebanese officials, during which they discussed solutions to the ongoing conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, Xinhua news agency reported.

"We have presented proposals to all partners, considered Lebanon's response, and will wait for Israel's response on Tuesday. An agreement must be reached in the end," he said.

Sejourne emphasized France's commitment to safeguarding Lebanon, stressing the importance of restoring stability in southern Lebanon by sending the Lebanese army to the area.

He said that Paris would continue to support the Lebanese army, pointing out the "decisive role" of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in "avoiding the worst scenario," and urging all parties to allow UNIFIL to carry out its tasks.

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said during his meeting with Sejourne that "the French initiative constitutes a practical framework for implementing UN Security Council Resolution 1701," according to a statement released by the Lebanese Council of Ministers.

Mikati said Lebanon was committed to its full implementation, and demanded Israel to honor its commitments and stop its destructive aggression in southern Lebanon.

During the meeting with Sejourne, Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib also underlined the importance of implementing Resolution 1701 to achieve stability.

The resolution was adopted in August 2006 to seek a full cessation of hostilities shortly after a month of deadly warfare between Israel and Hezbollah ended with a fragile truce.

Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on October 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon.

Many others were still trapped under the rubble and civil defence crews were working to rescue them, Xinhua news agency reported, citing local sources.

The Israeli army killed 66 Palestinians and wounded 138 others during the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 34,454 and injuries to 77,575 since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict broke out on October 7, 2023, the Hamas-run Health Ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

Sami Abu Zuhri, a senior Hamas official, said in a statement on Sunday that the group "will not accept any agreement that does not include a cessation of war in Gaza", Xinhua news agency reported.

Abu Zuhri added that Israel's response, which reached the movement through mediators, is under study, and that it is too early to reach a decision regarding it.

A Hamas delegation is scheduled to visit Cairo on Monday, to deliver the movement's response regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and to negotiate a hostage-for-prisoner swap deal with Israel, according to a source from the movement.

The source, who preferred not to mention his name, added that the delegation is headed by Khalil Al-Hayya, the Hamas deputy chief in Gaza.

Earlier in the day, as reported by Israeli public radio, a senior Israeli official described the current development as "decisive moments in the efforts to reach a new hostage deal with Hamas."

The official added, "We are awaiting the response of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar," expecting it to be made "within the next 48 hours." He noted that Israel has expressed readiness to make "very significant concessions" regarding the return of displaced persons to northern Gaza.

On Saturday, Hamas announced that it had received Israel's official response to the movement's position on the Gaza ceasefire, which was submitted to the mediators Egypt and Qatar on April 13.

At the time, Hamas reiterated its demands, including "a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the (Israeli) army from Gaza, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, the increase of relief and aid for the strip, and the start of its reconstruction."

Abu Zuhri noted in the Sunday statement that Hamas would study the new Israeli proposal, and upon completion, it would hand over its response to the mediators.

The movement's announcement came after Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel recently arrived in Israel in an effort to broker a ceasefire deal between the conflicting parties.

Kamel held a series of meetings with Israeli security officials on the potential military operation in Rafah and the release of detainees, according to Israeli media outlets.

Qatar, Egypt and the United States are seeking to reach a deal for a prisoner exchange and a second ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, following the first one that ended last December.

Israel estimated that there were still about 134 Israelis held hostage in Gaza, whereas Hamas announced that 70 of them had been killed in Israeli indiscriminate airstrikes.

Israel holds more than 9,000 Palestinian prisoners in its jails, whose conditions have worsened since its war on Gaza began last October, resulting in deaths among them, according to Palestinian organizations concerned with prisoners.

The accident occurred on Sunday morning on the Capulin-Chalma highway and state police have attended to it, the local Mexican security secretariat said in a statement. Medical units also rushed to the scene to transport the injured to hospitals.

How the driver had come to lose control remained unclear.

According to media reports, the pilgrims from Guanajuato state were travelling to Chalma, the site of a Christian sanctuary to the south-west of Mexico City. The sanctuary is one of the most important destinations for pilgrims in Mexico.

The Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) of Japan on Sunday emerged victorious in three crucial by-elections, including a closely watched race in Shimane Prefecture, traditionally considered a conservative stronghold, long dominated by the LDP, Xinhua news agency reported.

The by-elections, the first elections since the LDP's slush fund scandal surfaced late last year, were held in Shimane and Nagasaki prefectures, as well as one in Tokyo. The seats were previously held by the conservative LDP before they became vacant.

Local analysts pointed out that the public's dissatisfaction with the ongoing scandal within the LDP was much underscored by the CDP's wins in the Shimane No. 1 district, the Nagasaki No. 3 district and the Tokyo No. 15 district, while recent polls showed record-low support rates for the prime minister.

"We faced political headwinds throughout the election campaign," LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi told the press, citing fierce backlash from the public.

Members of Kishida's party had warned before Sunday's by-elections that voter anger could result in a change of government after the next general election, which must be held before Oct. 30, 2025, but could be called much earlier, the Japan Times reported on Sunday.

Sunday's results now mean Kishida could face stronger interparty resistance if he seeks re-election as LDP president, with his term due to finish this September, the paper added.

At the end of last year, in the wake of the unfolding scandal where five major factions were suspected of paying kickbacks to member lawmakers who sold fundraising party tickets above their quota without recording the amount as revenue in its political fund reports, over 10 senior officials or heavyweight lawmakers have stepped down from their positions in Kishida's cabinet or in the LDP.

Trump is currently on trial in Manhattan in a case of falsification of business records in regard to hush-money he allegedly paid an adult porn star in 2016 for not going public with their affair.

He is facing 34 charges in the case, each of which carries the punishment of four years in jail. But a conviction will not land him in prison immediately as he will be able to appeal it in the appellate court and eventually the Supreme Court.

The other three cases have not gone on trial yet.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found that while the majority of Americans - 55 per cent - will not vote for Trump if he is either convicted or is in jail, a third of Republicans - 32 per cent - said they won't, and 24 per cent said they were not sure yet of what they will do.

A vast majority of Democrats - 90% - said they won’t vote for him if he was convicted or jailed.

Another poll by Ipsos, done with Politico magazine in Month, found that a third of Independent voters said they would be less likely to support Trump if he were to be convicted in the Justice Department’s case against him for trying to subvert the 2020 election through the January 6 insurrection and the Manhattan case of falsifying business records.

Independent voters are critical in determining the electoral outcomes in the handful of swing states that decide the presidential election every cycle.

The poll did not cover views about the two other cases, mishandling of classified documents and trying to overturn the 2020 vote count in Georgia.

A conviction would not, however, stop him from running. The US Constitution only lays down three qualification rules for running for President: 35 years of age, a natural-born citizen, and a resident of the US for 14 years.

There are no rules on criminals and felons, and although some states have barred felons from running, these rules do not apply to elections for federal offices. But a conviction will take away his vote in Florida, where he lives.

People convicted of a felony are disenfranchised by Florida state law till the completion of the jail sentence or payment of a fine. Felons can, however, apply for a waiver from the Governor.

He could, however, switch to New York state where he has lived most of his life to keep his vote because of the more permissive rules, which allow felons to vote during parole or probation.

But if he is imprisoned, he will lose his vote. Only the states of Vermont, Maine, and Washington DC allow felons to vote.

The four cases against Trump

Falsification of business records, Manhattan, New York: Trump faces 34 charges of falsifying records to pay Stormy Daniels, an adult film star, to keep quiet about an affair they had in 2005 (he has denied the affair). The money was paid to Daniels by Michael Cohen, a one-time fixer for Trump, and he was later reimbursed as legal fees.

Mishandling of classified documents: The US Justice Department has charged Trump with 40 counts for carrying away classified documents from the White House at the end of his term. He had held on to them despite requests from the National Archives, which is the custodian of all presidential records. President Joe Biden was also found later to have carried away classified documents after his two terms as Vice President in 2016.

January 6 efforts to overturn 2020 presidential election: The US Justice Department has also charged Trump with four counts for instigating supporters to attack the US Capitol, home to the US Congress, to stop a joint sitting of the two chambers to prevent the certification of Biden as the winner of the 2020 presidential election.

Georgia state efforts to overturn 2020 vote count: The former President faces 13 counts of conspiring with his accomplices over the vote count in the state to overturn his defeat to Biden into victory.

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"The Prime Minister has been pleased to designate Mohammad Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister of Foreign Affairs, as Deputy Prime Minister with immediate effect until further notice," said a notification issued by the Cabinet Division.

The elevation of Dar, who is considered close to former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is seen as the first strong influence of Nawaz Sharif in the federal government, which Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) refrains from taking ownership of and insists that it is a coalition government handed over to it forcibly.

"We have seen voices from within the PML-N stating that they were forced to take over the federal government by the military establishment even though Nawaz Sharif was not in favour of the decision because the party did not get a single majority to form the federal government," senior political analyst Javed Siddique said.

"It is clear now that PML-N is focused on the Punjab province because Nawaz Sharif's daughter Maryam Nawaz is its Chief Minister. Nawaz Sharif wants to regain his stronghold and work towards promoting his daughter as a success story, while also maintaining a strong influence over the federal government through his trusted aides like Ishaq Dar," he added.

Dar previously served as Federal Minister of Commerce and Investment during 1997-99 when Nawaz Sharif was the Prime Minister.

He served twice as Federal Minister for Finance, Economic Affairs and Statistics from 1997 to 1999 and during 2008.

Dar has also served in a key position in the Punjab government as well, headed the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and was appointed as Minister of State/Chief Executive of the Pakistan Investment Board (PIB) from 1992 to 1993.

He became the Federal Minister for Finance in 2008 but resigned after his PML-N parted ways with coalition partner, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), in the federal government.

He was appointed again as Finance Minister from September 2022 till August 2023 under the coalition government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) under the then Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

However, Dar got a new position as Pakistan's Foreign Minister in March this year, even though he was believed to be the PML-N's go-to man for the Finance Department.