Steve Witkoff meets with hostages' families in Tel Aviv
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Bloomberg
29 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Thousands March to Support Gaza
Good morning and welcome back, it's Ainsley here with all the news you need to kick off your working week. Today's must-reads: • Thousands march to support Gaza • Victoria's hybrid working rights • New Zealand's new tourist charge Tens of thousands of people marched across Sydney's Harbour Bridge on Sunday in support of Gaza, calling on the Australian government to increase pressure on Israel to alleviate the humanitarian crisis. While the police estimated a crowd of 90,000, organizers said the number may have been more than three times higher. It's a rarity that the bridge is closed, and traffic diverted, for a rally.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Merz, Macron among leaders appalled by Hamas hostage videos
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and France's Emmanuel Macron were among international leaders expressing their condemnation on Sunday of propaganda videos released by the Palestinian militant group Hamas showing emaciated Israeli hostages. "I am appalled by the images of Evyatar David and Rom Braslavski. Hamas is torturing the hostages, terrorizing Israel and using its own population in the Gaza Strip as a shield," Merz told the German newspaper Bild. "This is precisely why there is no way around a negotiated ceasefire for the time being. The release of all hostages is an absolute prerequisite for this." In the nearly five-minute video released on Saturday, hostage Evyatar David is so thin his bones stick out all over his body. He points to a calendar and tells the viewers when he has eaten - and when not. At times, the 24-year-old has gone three days without food or water. David is then forced to dig what he says is his "own grave" in the propaganda video released by the terrorist organization. His family approved the video's release. The images have prompted widespread criticism and a mass rally in Tel Aviv calling for the release of the remaining 50 hostages, of which around 20 are believed to be still alive. The EU's top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, said "the images of Israeli hostages are appalling and expose the barbarity of Hamas." She also acknowledged the suffering of Palestinians in Gaza, saying "large-scale humanitarian aid must be allowed to reach those in need." Macron denounced the "unbearable images," warning: "An abject cruelty, an unlimited inhumanity: this is what Hamas embodies." "We think with deep emotion of Evyatar David, Rom Braslavski, all the hostages still held captive, as well as their families and loved ones who have been plunged into hell for more than 660 days," Macron wrote on X. "France's absolute priority and imperative is the immediate release of all hostages," he stated. "We continue to act tirelessly toward this goal — to obtain their unconditional release, to promptly restore the ceasefire, and to enable the massive delivery of humanitarian aid, still blocked at Gaza's borders." David and Braslavski were taken hostage during the October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas on Israel, which sparked the war in Gaza. More than 60,000 Palestinians have been killed in the ensuing conflict according to the health authority controlled by Hamas. The figure does not distinguish between combatants and civilians, though the vast majority of victims are said to be women, minors and the elderly. Macron insisted that the release of the hostages and the end of the conflict must be accompanied by a "political solution." "That solution is the two-State solution, with Israel and Palestine living side by side in peace," he argued. "It is the only possible path toward a future where justice, security, and dignity are guaranteed for all the peoples of the region." "Let there be no ambiguity: within this political vision that we uphold, we demand the total demilitarization of Hamas, its complete exclusion from any form of governance, and recognition of Israel by the State of Palestine," said the French president. Macron last month announced that France would recognize Palestine, prompting condemnation from Israel.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Europe's Energy Future Hinges on Global Powers
The European Union's drive to replace Russian energy imports within two years, boost renewable energy rollout, and meet net-zero goals has put it in a position to become even more dependent on the two antagonistic global powers, the United States and China. The EU trade deal with the U.S. and the EU's reliance on China-made solar PV panels, wafers, and critical battery metals are likely to keep shaping the pace of energy transition in the European Union, which remains firmly committed to decarbonizing economies and becoming a carbon-neutral bloc by 2050. The new geopolitical realities in an increasingly protectionist world make the EU's energy transition more dependent on trade and tariff policies by the U.S. and China. In the goal to ditch all Russian energy by 2027, the EU is now more dependent on the United States than ever, while the target to accelerate renewable energy installations hinges on Chinese export policies for solar panel components and critical and rare earth elements. 'Balancing energy security and political realities will determine the pace and success of the EU's energy policies in the coming years,' Reuters energy columnist Ron Bousso points out. The reality under U.S. President Donald Trump is that Europe pledged to buy a total of $750 billion of American energy in three years, or about $250 billion per year. This would be more than tripling the $76 billion worth of American energy imports into the EU in 2024. A large part of the planned increase is expected to come from additional purchases of LNG from the United States. 'Purchases of US energy products will diversify our sources of supply and contribute to Europe's energy security,' the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said last week, commenting on the trade deal with the U.S., under which the American tariffs on most EU goods would be at 15%, half compared to the initially proposed 30%. 'We will replace Russian gas and oil with significant purchases of US LNG, oil and nuclear fuels.' So far, so good. But Europe is set to boost its reliance on U.S. LNG and pay higher prices for it, as soaring U.S. exports would drive U.S. benchmark prices higher, while competition for LNG supply with Asia will intensify. Significantly higher EU purchases will need a significant increase in U.S. export capacity. Even if all other planned or announced projects were approved today, they won't make it on time for a significant rise in LNG exports to drastically boost EU imports within three years. U.S. LNG exports are booming, but they won't be anywhere close to helping the EU triple its imports of American energy, per the trade deal. Europe, however, will become even more dependent on U.S. LNG. Related: The U.S. is already the EU's top supplier of LNG, with 55% of LNG supply to the bloc from the U.S. so far in 2025, according to estimates by the European Commission. The US is also the EU's top oil supplier (17% of all EU imports in 2024), and a key supplier of nuclear fuel and fuel services. The Commission insists that the EU-U.S. trade deal 'does not undermine EU's determination to decarbonise' as a jump in LNG imports over the next three years 'is fully compatible with our medium- and long-term policy to diversify our energy sources and to implement the REPowerEU Roadmap so that we fully phase out Russian energy imports as soon as possible.' The pillar of the REPowerEU plan and net-zero goals is the acceleration of solar and wind energy capacity installations. And here comes the Chinese dominance in solar power panels and other equipment. In 2023, China was the EU's largest supplier of solar panels, accounting for a whopping 98% of all imports, per the latest Eurostat data. Cheap Chinese panels are helping with the solar capacity rollout, but they have put many European solar manufacturers out of business. China's stronghold in critical minerals and rare earths is also a serious concern for Europe's automotive and renewable energy sectors. Stephane Sejourne, European Commissioner for Prosperity and Industrial Strategy, has even called for the creation of a strategic EU rare earths reserve. By Tsvetana Paraskova for More Top Reads From this article on Sign in to access your portfolio
