Malaysia supports France's initiative to relaunch the "two-state" Israeli-Palestinian solution, says Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim on his arrival at the Elysée Palace in Paris, while Emmanuel Macron says he wants to "move forward as quickly as possible".

At the press conference held before their bilateral meeting, Anwar praised Macron for his passion to try and resolve the conflict in Gaza. Anwar said Malaysia also condemns the Israeli aggression on Iran and will continue to support France’s efforts to bring peace in the Middle East.

mitv

Indian Prime Minister Modi exchanged memorandums of understanding with Trinidad and Tobago's Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissesar during his official visit to the Caribbean nation, where over a third of the population traces its roots to India. Modi began the two-day trip on July 3.

mitv

Russia and Ukraine on Friday conducted another round of prisoner exchange, the Russian Defense Ministry said. In accordance with the Russian-Ukrainian agreements reached on June 2 in Istanbul, another group of Russian servicemen has been returned from the territory controlled by Ukraine, the ministry said in a statement.

It added that a group of Ukrainian Armed Forces prisoners of conflict was handed over in exchange. The number of released prisoners from both sides was not provided.

Russian servicemen are in Belarus and will be taken to Russia for treatment and rehabilitation in the military's medical institutions. During their latest round of talks in Türkiye's Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed on an "all-for-all" exchange involving seriously ill and wounded prisoners, as well as soldiers under the age of 25.

mitv

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday that the positioning of China-EU relations should be that of partnership, the mainstream tone should be cooperation, the key value should be independence, and the development prospects should be win-win. Wang made the remarks at a joint press conference with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul in Berlin.

Wang said that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and the EU, which is of historic significance in building on the past and ushering in the future.

mitv

The election campaign for Japan's House of Councillors, or the upper house of the Diet, was officially launched on Thursday. The 17-day campaign will determine whether the ruling coalition, currently a minority in the lower house, can retain a majority in the chamber by securing at least 50 of the 125 contested seats.

A total of 519 candidates have registered across electoral districts and proportional representation. Additional debate is expected on pensions, social security, declining birthrates, and foreign policy, including responses to U.S. tariff pressures.

Voting is scheduled for July 20. The upper house has 248 members, and elections are held every three years to choose about half of the seats. Members serve a six-year term, and the election uses a mix of local districts and nationwide proportional representation.

mitv

The Republican-led US Congress narrowly passed Donald Trump's flagship spending bill Thursday after a marathon voting session on the package, which is set to slash social welfare programs and add more than $3 trillion to the national debt.

The text, headlined by a $4.5 trillion renewal of the president's first-term tax cuts, was approved by the House of Representatives along party lines, delivering Trump the biggest legislative win of his second term. Trump is expected to sign the bill into law on Friday.

mitv

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Thursday visited the community that saw the most hostages seized in Hamas militants' 2023 attacks, promising to bring home "all" those still held in Gaza.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants on October 7, 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. Thirty people were killed and more than 75 kidnapped in Nir Oz during the attacks. Several have since died in captivity.

Netanyahu visited the kibbutz at the invitation of its inhabitants and met with survivors of the attack and freed hostages. US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed to a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas that could lead to the hostages' release.

mitv

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Moscow would achieve its goals in the conflict with Ukraine, including the elimination of its root causes, in a telephone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday, according to Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov.

He said that Russia is ready for the third round of talks with Ukraine, adding that Putin and Trump did not discuss the specifics of what would be discussed during the possible negotiations. The Kremlin aide told the media that Putin and Trump discussed the current situation in Iran and the Middle East, and the situation in Syria over phone.

Putin and Trump confirmed their mutual interest in implementing a series of economic projects between Russia and the United States, including in energy and space, Ushakov said. Ushakov said the presidents agreed to continue their communication.

mitv

Turkish National Defense Minister Yaşar Güler attended a reception held to mark Japan Self-Defense Forces Day. In his speech at the event, Minister Güler expressed satisfaction with the current level of cooperation between Türkiye and Japan in the fields of military and defense industry. He also underlined the growing friendship between the two countries, stating that “Greatest wish is to elevate the bilateral relations to the highest level.”

mitv

Russia has officially recognized the Afghan interim government, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Afghanistan said in a statement late Thursday. According to the statement of the Afghan foreign ministry, Zhirnov, the Russian Ambassador to Afghanistan, met with Muttaqi, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, to formally deliver Moscow's decision to recognize the Islamic Emirate as the official government of Afghanistan.

Zhirnov called the move as a "historic step" toward deepening ties and strengthening cooperation between the two nations, the statement noted. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko received copies of Letters of Credence from the newly appointed ambassador of Afghanistan to Russia, said a statement of the Russian foreign ministry on July 3.

mitv