Bulldozers with Egyptian and Qatari flags wait to enter Gaza at the Rafah border crossing on February 13, 2025 [Mohamed Arafat/AP Photo]

The Egyptian government is developing a plan to rebuild Gaza without displacing the Palestinian enclave’s population, as it attempts to provide a viable alternative to United States President Donald Trump’s controversial proposal to “take over” the territory and displace its population.

Egypt’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Badr Abdelatty said Cairo is “actively developing a comprehensive, multi-phase plan for Gaza’s early recovery and reconstruction”, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Monday.

Source: ALJAZEERA  

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to France has been marked by an exceptional display of camaraderie and respect from President Emmanuel Macron, show casing the strength of their bilateral relationship. 

From shared moments at the AI Action Summit to travelling together in a joint motorcade and even on the same plane to Marseille, the two leaders have highlighted their close personal and diplomatic ties. 

On the first day, President Macron spent time with PM Modi at the dinner hosted by him. The camaraderie continued the next day at the AI Action Summit, where India and France co-hosted the summit. 

Demonstrating their close ties, they hosted the India-France CEOs Forum together, reflecting their shared vision for economic collaboration. 

In an extraordinary gesture of friendship, both the leaders also travelled together in a joint motorcade and in the same plane to Marseille. President Macron hosted PM Modi for a working dinner in Marseille immediately on landing. — ANI

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

THE Gaza ceasefire appeared increasingly fragile Tuesday after Hamas said US President Donald Trump’s latest warning “further complicates” the agreement with Israel, which has so far led to five hostage-prisoner swaps. 

Trump said that “all hell” would break out if Hamas failed to release all Israeli hostages by the weekend. The truce, in place since 19 January, largely halted more than 15 months of fighting in Gaza but has come under strain in recent days. 

International efforts to salvage it intensified, with Jordan’s King Abdullah II expected to raise the issue during his meeting with Trump in Washington later Tues day. 

Tensions, which initially spiked after Trump proposed last month taking over Gaza and removing its more than two million inhabitants, have grown since his latest comments. 

“As far as I’m concerned, if all of the hostages aren’t returned by Saturday 12 o’clock — I think it’s an appropriate time — I would say cancel it and all bets are off and let hell break out,” Trump said on Monday. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

BELGIUM’S new Prime Minister Bart De Wever outlined his government’s priorities in parliament on Tuesday, pledging austerity measures, stricter migration controls, and a security overhaul, including increased defence spending and police reforms. 

De Wever emphasized that reducing Belgium’s debt, which exceeds 100 per cent of its gross domestic product (GDP), is a key priority. The government plans to cap unemployment benefits at two years and introduce pension reforms, imposing a two per cent annual penalty for early retirement starting in 2026, rising to five per cent by 2040, while rewarding those who work beyond the legal retirement age. 

“Those who retire early must accept the financial consequences,” he told lawmakers. The government also aims to boost employment by gradually raising the minimum wage and cutting employer taxes by 1.5 billion euros (US$1.56 billion). Workers will receive 500 euros more per month than those on unemployment, reinforcing incentives to remain in the workforce. On migration, social benefits will be restricted for newcomers until they have lived in Belgium for five years. Family reunification rules will tighten, and asylum seekers will receive reduced financial aid, covering their own expenses once granted residency. To enhance public security, the government will merge Brussels’ police zones to improve coordination in crime response. De Wever vowed zero tolerance for violence against law enforcement and pledged stronger policing measures. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

SAUDI Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud and Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa reviewed in Riyadh on Sunday bilateral relations and the latest developments in Syria.
The two sides discussed ways to enhance Syria’s security and stability, as well as opportunities for cooperation across various sectors, and exchanged views on regional developments and ongoing efforts to address them, the Saudi Press Agency reported.
The Saudi crown prince congratulated al-Sharaa on assuming the presidency of Syria and wished him success in fulfilling the aspirations of the Syrian people.
For his part, al-Sharaa expressed his gratitude to the crown prince for his good wishes and the kingdom’s supportive stance towards Syria and its people.
Al-Sharaa arrived in the Saudi capital on Sunday for his first official visit abroad. He has led the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group since 2017 and played a key role in the offensive that led to the overthrow of former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 and the establishment of the Syrian transitional government.
He has been the country’s de facto leader since Assad’s ouster. Syria’s Military Operations Administration announced on 29 January the appointment of alSharaa as president during the transitional period, granting him authority to establish an interim legislative council until a permanent constitution is ratified. —Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

INCUMBENT President Alexander Lukashenko has won the presidential election of Belarus, according to the preliminary results released early Monday by the country’s Central Election Commission.
The preliminary data from the Central Election Commission showed that Lukashenko received 86.82 per cent of the vote. Sergei Syrankov, Oleg Gaidukevich, Anna Kanopatskaya and Alexander Khizhnyak secured 3.21 per cent, 2.02 per cent, 1.86 per cent and 1.74 per cent of the vote, respectively.
Under Belarusian law, a presidential candidate who secures more than 50 per cent of the vote is declared the winner. Belarussian president is elected by direct ballot and the term of office is five years.
The Belarus election commission will announce the final results of the voting no later than 5 February. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

THE Greek parliament on Saturday failed to elect the country’s next president.
None of the four candidates secured the required minimum 200 votes out of the total 300 members of the assembly in the first round. 297 members participated in the voting.
Constantine Tassoulas, former parliament speaker and nominee of the ruling New Democracy party, received 160 votes, the most. The other three candidates each secured less than 50 votes.
A second round is scheduled for 31 January with the threshold also being 200 votes, according to the Greek constitution.
If no candidate achieves the required votes in the second round, the threshold will drop to 180 votes in the third round, and to a simple majority of 151 votes in the fourth round. In the final round, the president will be elected with a relative majority.
The term of outgoing President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, former head of Greece’s highest administrative court, expires in March. According to the constitution, the country’s president is elected for a five-year term and can be re-elected only once. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

THE leaders of Japan and Laos agreed Tuesday to upgrade their bilateral relations to a “comprehensive strategic partnership”, as Tokyo tries to strengthen cooperation with Southeast Asia.
In a joint statement issued after their meeting in Tokyo, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and his Laotian counterpart Sonexay Siphandone confirmed that the two governments will launch a foreign vice-ministerial-level dialogue to promote security collaboration.
With Japan and Laos marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties this year, the two prime ministers pledged to continue “deepening and expanding multi-layered exchanges,” covering politics, economic cooperation, trade, investment and people-to-people exchanges, the statement said.
The Laotian prime minister is the first leader to make an official working visit to Japan this year. —Kyodo

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

US President-elect Donald Trump announced on Sunday he will repeal multiple executive orders of the Biden administration within hours after being sworn in as president on Monday.
“Every radical and foolish executive order of the Biden administration will be repealed within hours of when I take the oath of office,” Trump told his supporters at a victory rally held in Capital One Arena in Washington.
Trump said that the executive orders he is about to sign will cover areas such as border security, energy, federal government spending, the short video-sharing platform TikTok and DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion) programmes.
“Tomorrow at noon, the curtain closes on four long years of American decline, and we begin a brand new day of American strength and prosperity, dignity and pride,” said the incoming president.
According to US media reports, Trump is expected to sign over 100 executive orders on the day of his inauguration.
Trump will take the oath of office at noon on Monday. Due to the forecast cold weather in Washington, DC, his inauguration ceremony will be held indoors — the first time in four decades in the United States. — Xinhua

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar

SUPPORTERS of South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol stormed a Seoul court Sunday after a judge extended the impeached leader’s
detention over his ill-fated attempt to impose martial law.
Yoon said he was “deeply shocked and saddened” by the pre-dawn attack on the court, where his supporters smashed windows and doors.
Tens of thousands of people had gathered outside the Seoul Western District Court in a show of support Saturday for the president, who became South Korea’s first sitting head of state to be arrested in a dawn raid this week.
AFP journalists saw hundreds of police officers charge into the court, with the force arresting dozens and denouncing an “intolerable
illegal and violent incident”. — AFP

Source: The Global New Light of Myanmar