Daily World Briefing, May 22
China and the ten ASEAN countries have fully completed negotiations on the Version 3.0 China-ASEAN Free Trade Area (CAFTA), the Ministry of Commerce said on Wednesday.
The achievement was announced during a special online meeting of economic and trade ministers from China and ASEAN on Tuesday, according to the ministry.
The CAFTA 3.0 will send a strong signal in support of free trade and open cooperation, said an official with the ministry, noting that the agreement will inject greater certainty into regional and global trade, and serve as a model for openness, inclusiveness, and win-win cooperation.
The negotiations, which began in November 2022, concluded substantially in October 2024 after nine rounds of formal talks.
The upgraded agreement introduces nine new chapters covering areas such as digital economy, green economy, and supply chain connectivity, according to the ministry.
Omani FM says 5th round of Iran-U.S. talks set for Friday in Rome
Omani Foreign Minister Sayyid Badr bin Hamad bin Hamood Albusaidi said on Wednesday that the fifth round of indirect talks between the United States and Iran will be held in Rome on Friday, May 23. The announcement was made in a post on his official X account.
The talks, aimed at reviving stalled diplomacy over Iran's nuclear program and U.S. sanctions, are being facilitated by Oman. Four rounds have taken place since April, three in Muscat and one in Rome.
Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi said on Wednesday that Tehran was still considering whether to participate in the upcoming talks in the face of "excessive demands" from the United States, according to Iran's state news agency IRNA.
"We will stand against excessive demands at the negotiating table, but we have never abandoned diplomacy," Araghchi said, adding that uranium enrichment would continue "with or without an agreement."
He reiterated that Iran is prepared to offer transparency regarding its nuclear activities, but expects negotiations to also address the lifting of U.S. sanctions and embargoes imposed on the country.
Israel's Netanyahu says Gaza to be fully controlled as offensive enters "final phase"
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Wednesday that all areas of the Gaza Strip will be under Israeli security control and Hamas will be defeated by the end of the ongoing "Operation Gideon's Chariots."
Netanyahu described the operation, which he said began on Saturday, as the "final phase" of Israel's military campaign. That campaign was launched following a Hamas-led attack on October 7, 2023, that killed about 1,200 people in Israel.
"Our forces are landing powerful blows that will get stronger against Hamas strongholds that still exist in Gaza," Netanyahu stated, adding the operation was meant to "complete the war, the work" in the Strip.
Netanyahu also said that Mohammed Sinwar, Hamas' military leader and the younger brother of former Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, was "apparently" killed in a recent Israeli airstrike in southern Gaza. There has been no official confirmation of Mohammed Sinwar's death from either Israeli or Hamas sources.
The prime minister confirmed that a May 13 strike on the European Hospital in Khan Younis was aimed at Sinwar. According to Palestinian officials, the attack caused extensive damage and heavy casualties. The Gaza-based health authorities said at least six people were killed and 40 others injured in the strike.
U.S. intelligence reveals Israel preparing strike on Iran's nuclear facilities
U.S.-gathered intelligence suggests that Israel is preparing to strike Iran's nuclear program, CNN has reported, citing multiple U.S. officials.
The report on Tuesday also cited U.S. sources as saying that it was unclear whether Israel had made a final decision to carry out the strikes, and that within the U.S. government, there was disagreement about whether the Israeli side would ultimately decide to conduct the strikes.
The likelihood of an Israeli strike on an Iranian nuclear facility "has gone up significantly in recent months," the CNN report quoted a source familiar with the intelligence as saying. The source said that the odds would be higher if the United States reached a deal with Iran that did not remove all of the country's uranium.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration has been negotiating with Iran for a diplomatic deal on its nuclear program. Earlier on Tuesday, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei described U.S. demands on Iran's uranium enrichment as "excessive and outrageous," voicing doubt over the talks' prospect.
Canada summons Israeli ambassador over shots near diplomatic tour
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand said on Wednesday that she is summoning the Israeli ambassador over Israel Defense Forces' warning shots near a diplomatic tour in the West Bank.
Anand confirmed that four of Canada's personnel were part of the delegation when Israel Defense Forces fired shots.
Anand wrote on her social media account that she spoke with Canada's Head of Mission in Ramallah earlier on Wednesday and that she was relieved to know Canada's team is safe.
"I have asked my officials to summon Israel's Ambassador to convey Canada's serious concerns. We expect a full investigation and accountability," Anand wrote.
Israel Defense Forces said that the tour group deviated from its approved route and soldiers fired warning shots with no one injured in the incident.
Earlier this week, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron issued a joint statement threatening to impose targeted sanctions on Israel in response to its renewed military offensive in Gaza.
Trump unveils 175 bln USD "Golden Dome" missile shield project
U.S. President Donald Trump announced Tuesday a 175 billion U.S. dollar missile defense system dubbed the "Golden Dome," appointing U.S. Space Force General Michael Guetlein to lead what Trump described as a "Manhattan Project-scale" initiative.
During the Oval Office announcement, flanked by U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Guetlein, Trump revealed that the project would be completed within three years and would protect the entire continental United States, including Canada, from aerial threats.
"It is a great day for America," Trump declared, seated beside a poster showing the continental U.S. painted gold with artistic depictions of missile interceptions. "This design for the Golden Dome will integrate with our existing defense capabilities and should be fully operational before the end of my term."
The ambitious system is designed to create a comprehensive network of satellites capable of detecting, tracking, and intercepting incoming missiles. Trump touted the system would be "capable of intercepting missiles even if they are launched from other sides of the world and even if they are launched from space."
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Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from meeting with Trump with a deal that brings back all hostages. Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage. Israel's retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts, displacing most of the population of more than 2 million and triggering widespread hunger. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials. (Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo, Hatem Khaled in Gaza and Howard Goller in New York; Editing by Alex Richardson, Philippa Fletcher and Rosalba O'Brien)
