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Cyprus on Thursday heralded a move by United States President Joe Biden allowing the strategic Mediterranean country access to military equipment.Traditionally aligned with Russia, European Union member Cyprus has solidified a more pro-American stance since the election of President Nikos Christodoulides in 2023.In a memorandum issued by the White House on Wednesday, Biden said “the furnishing of defence articles and defence services to the Republic of Cyprus will strengthen the security of the United States and promote world peace.”Biden’s decision makes Cyprus eligible “to receive defence equipment, supplies, and services” through programmes including Foreign Military Sales and the Excess Defense Articles divestment initiative, Washington’s embassy to Nicosia said on its website.A statement from the Cyprus Presidency on Thursday called the move a “historic milestone in the bilateral relations between Cyprus and the United States” that would “yield tangible benefits at diplomatic and defence levels”.It is also “clear acknowledgement” from Washington that Cyprus is a “key pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean”, the Presidency said.On X, United States Ambassador Julie Davis Fisher said: “President Biden’s determination of the ROC’s eligibility for government-to-government defence sales marks an important step in deepening the relationship, enhancing security cooperation & promoting stability in the East Med.”In 2022 Washington fully lifted a decades-old arms embargo, conditional on Nicosia continuing to block Russian warships from its ports.The United States imposed the arms embargo on the whole of Cyprus in 1987 in the hope it could encourage its reunification. Cypriot government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said the new defence cooperation was the result of Cyprus proving itself a valuable partner during the Middle East crisis.The two countries cooperated in an initiative to deliver aid to Gaza by sea, as well as on the evacuation of US nationals from the region, he said.Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when NATO-member Turkey invaded the north in response to a Greek-backed coup. More than 30,000 Turkish troops remain stationed on the island.Last year, Christodoulides was the first Cypriot president to visit the White House since 1996, and the two sides entered a Strategic Dialogue aimed at enhancing security and other areas.

Israel accused Hamas on Thursday of backtracking on parts of a fragile ceasefire and hostage release deal in the Gaza war, and carried out fresh air strikes ahead of an expected vote by the cabinet.The truce, announced by mediators Qatar and the United States on Wednesday, would take effect on Sunday and involve the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, after which the terms of a permanent end to the war would be finalised.But the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday that Hamas had “reneged on parts of the agreement reached… in an effort to extort last-minute concessions”.It also said that the Israeli cabinet, which has yet to approve the agreement, “will not convene until the mediators notify Israel that Hamas has accepted all elements of the agreement”.Hamas political bureau member Sami Abu Zuhri said there was “no basis” to Israel’s accusations.In Gaza, the civil defence agency said Israel had pounded several areas of the territory since the announcement of the deal, killing at least 73 people and wounding hundreds.The agreement followed months of fruitless negotiations to end the deadliest war in Gaza’s history, and, if finalised, would pause hostilities one day before the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.Netanyahu spoke with both US President Joe Biden and Trump on Wednesday, the Israeli leader’s office said, thanking them for their help securing the agreement but also cautioning that “final details” were still being worked on.The war was triggered by the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, which resulted in the deaths of 1,210 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of official Israeli figures.During the attack, the deadliest in Israeli history, Palestinian militants also took 251 people hostage, 94 of whom are still being held in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.Israel’s ensuing campaign has destroyed much of Gaza, killing 46,788 people, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry that the UN considers reliable.- Mixed feelings -In Israel and Gaza, there were celebrations but also anguish.Saeed Alloush, who lives in north Gaza, said he and his loved ones were “waiting for the truce and were happy”, until overnight strikes killed his relatives.”It was the happiest night since October 7″ until “we received the news of the martyrdom of 40 people from the Alloush family”, he said.In Tel Aviv, pensioner Simon Patya said he felt “great joy” that some hostages will return alive, but also “great sorrow for those who are returning in bags, and that will be a very strong blow, morally.”Two far-right party leaders in Netanyahu’s cabinet have publicly opposed the agreement.Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said it was a “dangerous deal”, while National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir called it “disastrous”.Israeli media said the government’s ratification of the agreement may be delayed in part due to disagreements within the ruling coalition.Citing a source close to talks, Kan public broadcaster said Netanyahu wanted to protect the integrity of his government but that Smotrich was presenting a “real threat”.The deal followed intensified efforts from mediators Qatar, Egypt and the United States.Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani announced on Wednesday that the “two belligerents in the Gaza Strip have reached a deal”.”We hope that all parties will commit to implementing all the terms of this agreement,” he said, adding that the three mediators would monitor its implementation.During an initial 42-day ceasefire, 33 hostages would be released, the Qatari prime minister said, including women, “children, elderly people, as well as civilian ill people and wounded”.Also in the first phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza’s densely populated areas and allow displaced Palestinians to return “to their residences”, he said. – Aid needed -Announcing the deal from the White House, Biden said he was “deeply satisfied this day has come”, calling the negotiations some of the “toughest” of his career.He added that the second phase of the agreement, if finalised, would bring a “permanent end to the war”.Envoys from both Trump’s incoming administration and Biden’s outgoing one had been present at the latest negotiations, with a senior Biden official saying the unlikely pairing had been a decisive factor in reaching the deal.Trump on social media hailed the “EPIC ceasefire agreement”.Biden said the deal would “surge much needed humanitarian assistance to Palestinian civilians, and reunite the hostages with their families”.Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi underscored the “importance of accelerating the entry of urgent humanitarian aid” into Gaza.Egypt’s state-linked Al-Qahera News cited a security source as saying coordination was “underway” to reopen the Rafah crossing on Gaza’s border with Egypt to allow the entry of aid.The UN’s Palestinian refugee agency, UNRWA, facing an Israeli ban on its activities set to take effect later this month, welcomed the deal.”What’s needed is rapid, unhindered and uninterrupted humanitarian access and supplies to respond to the tremendous suffering caused by this war,” UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini wrote on X.burs-ser/ami

The EU said Thursday it would deliver 120 million euros ($123 million) in new aid for war-torn Gaza, a day after the announcement of a ceasefire and hostage release deal.The European Commission, the EU’s executive arm, said the new package brought the EU’s humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian territory to more than 450 million euros since 2023. The EU has also conducted flights that delivered over 3,800 tonnes of aid.”Today we are also adopting a package of 120 million euros for Gaza to address the ongoing humanitarian crisis there,” EU spokeswoman Eva Hrncirova told reporters.The package will include food, healthcare and shelter assistance and support to allow access to clean water, the commission added in a statement.Humanitarian organisations have repeatedly urged safe and unhindered aid access in Gaza, wracked by hunger, and world leaders called for the truce to remove aid obstacles.Another EU spokesman, Anouar El Anouni, said Brussels hoped the ceasefire would “allow vastly improved access for humanitarian aid for the Gaza Strip, and that aid can be effectively distributed to those in need”.Palestinian prime minister Mohammed Mustafa is in Brussels for meetings with senior EU officials including European Council chief Antonio Costa Thursday and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas Friday.EU crisis management chief Hadja Lahbib met Mustafa earlier Thursday, after which she said they “discussed the huge needs in Gaza and the West Bank and how to address them”.Qatar and the United States announced a ceasefire and hostage-release deal between Israel and Hamas, although the agreement appeared fragile Thursday as Israel alleged the Palestinian militant group was backtracking on certain elements.

China said Thursday it would launch a probe into US exports of chips used in everything from cars to home appliances over concerns about alleged dumping and subsidies.Washington has expanded its efforts in recent years to curb exports of state-of-the-art chips to China, concerned that these can be used to advance Beijing’s military systems and …

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Online privacy campaigners said Thursday they had filed complaints in several European countries against six Chinese companies including TikTok, accusing them of “unlawfully” sending Europeans’ personal data to China.Prominent Austria-based privacy campaign group NOYB (None of Your Business) said it has lodged six complaints against TikTok, AliExpress, SHEIN, Temu, WeChat and Xiaomi — in its …

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Spain raised its flag at Madrid’s Damascus embassy Thursday, in the presence of its top diplomat more than a decade after suspending activity and as Western countries resume ties following Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s ouster.Spain closed the mission in March 2012, a year after Assad began brutal repression of anti-government protests, triggering more than 13 years of war.”It is an honour for me to be here in person,” Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said at the embassy, where the Spanish national anthem was played, an AFP correspondent reported.”Raising the Spanish flag again is a sign of the hope we have for Syria’s future, of the commitment we convey to the Syrian people for a better future.”A statement from the foreign ministry ahead of the visit said Albares would meet representatives of Syria’s new administration and of civil society.The trip comes more than a month after rebels led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) ousted Assad. Top European officials, including foreign ministers from France and Germany, have made a series of visits to meet with the country’s new rulers.A transitional administration has been appointed until March and HTS, which has roots in the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda, has sought to reassure minorities that they will not be harmed and the rule of law will be respected.Albares told public broadcaster TVE ahead of the visit that “the message that I want to send is a message of support to Syria”.”But we also have red lines. Syria must be peaceful. Syria must be inclusive, and the rights of all must be respected, including those of women, and ethnic and religious minorities,” he added.”This will be my first official trip this year”, Albares told TVE, adding he “wanted to start with one of the regions where Spanish foreign policy is most influential and where we work hardest to achieve peace”.Albares’s trip to Syria followed a visit to neighbouring Lebanon on Wednesday, where he announced a 10 million euro ($10.3 million) aid package for the country’s army, nearly two months into a ceasefire between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah group.