The quake was at a depth of 10 kilometers (6.21 miles) GFZ said.

—

(Reporting by Devika Nair in BengaluruEditing by Peter Graff)

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The delegation, primarily composed of members from France’s left-wing ecologist and communist parties, had been invited by the French consulate in Jerusalem for a five-day official program aimed at promoting peace and international cooperation.

Israel’s interior ministry justified the cancellations under legislation permitting authorities to deny entry to individuals deemed threats to national interests.

The banned lawmakers condemned the action as “collective punishment” and a “major rupture in diplomatic ties,” calling on President Emmanuel Macron to intervene and pressure Israel to reverse its decision.

The incident occurs amid growing tensions over Palestinian statehood recognition. The lawmakers noted their political parties have historically supported Palestinian statehood, a position President Macron recently signaled France might formally adopt.

During a recent international summit, Macron indicated that France may recognize a Palestinian state as early as June.

Netanyahu has consistently opposed international recognition of Palestinian statehood, characterizing such moves as “a reward for terrorism.”

Read more at Times of India

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There was no immediate comment from the movement, which has operated legally in Jordan for decades and has widespread grass-roots support in major urban centres and scores of offices across the country.

Jordan said last week it had arrested 16 Muslim Brotherhood members, saying they were trained and financed in Lebanon and were plotting attacks involving rockets and drones on targets inside the kingdom. Jordan also attributed a foiled plot in 2024 to a Muslim Brotherhood cell in Jordan.

Fraya said all the activities of the group would be banned and anyone promoting its ideology would be held accountable by law. The ban includes publishing anything by the group and closure and confiscation of all its offices and property, he added.

Scores of security personnel, acting on an order from the public prosecutor, raided Muslim Brotherhood offices and began searching for documents, officials said, adding that some had already been removed or destroyed in an apparent attempt to conceal evidence.

The Muslim Brotherhood, one of the Arab world’s oldest and most influential Islamist movements, has denied links to the alleged plot but admitted members may have engaged in an individual capacity in arms smuggling to Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.

Opponents of the Brotherhood, which is outlawed in most Arab countries, call it a dangerous terrorist group that should be crushed. The movement says it publicly renounced violence decades ago and pursues an Islamist vision using peaceful means.

‘Final Divorce’

“Today, there is no longer any banner bearing the name of the Muslim Brotherhood. This marks a final divorce between the state and the Brotherhood after decades of fluctuating between co-opting them and merely tolerating their presence,” said Mohammed Khair Rawashdeh, a political analyst.

Rawashdeh added that he expected the Jordanian authorities to take further steps to root out the Brotherhood.

The movement’s political arm in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, became the largest political grouping in parliament after elections last September, although most seats are still held by supporters of the government.

Fraya said Muslim Brotherhood members had planned attacks on security targets and sensitive locations in Jordan, aiming to destabilise the country, but did not identify the targets.

Security forces said last week they had found a rocket manufacturing facility alongside a drone factory where short-range rockets were being developed, with at least one missile ready to be launched.

In a country where anti-Israel sentiment runs high, Muslim Brotherhood members have led some of the largest protests in the region in support of Hamas, their ideological allies, in what their opponents say allowed them to increase their popularity.

Like some of its neighbours seeking to curb political Islam, Jordan has been tightening restrictions on the Brotherhood in the last two years, forbidding some of its activities and arresting vocal anti-government dissenters.

International rights groups say that in the last four years Jordanian authorities have intensified persecution and harassment of political opponents and ordinary citizens using a string of laws to silence critical voices.

The Jordanian government says it tolerates public speech that does not incite violence.

—

(Reporting by Suleiman Al-Khalidi/Editing by Frances Kerry and Gareth Jones)

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The source‘s comments followed a Wall Street Journal report, citing people familiar with the matter, that the White House is considering cutting its tariffs on Chinese imports in a bid to de-escalate tensions with Beijing.

China tariffs could come down to between 50% and 65%, the paper said, citing a White House official. President Donald Trump since returning to the White House in January has ramped up tariffs on Chinese imports to 145%.

Trump Has Not Made Decision

Trump has not made a decision, the Journal said, adding that the discussions remain fluid and several options are on the table.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

U.S. stocks extended their early session gains after the report. The market had opened sharply higher on a combination of relief among investors over comments from Trump late on Tuesday that were seen as constructive about the tariffs on China, and on Trump backing away from threats to fire the head of the Federal Reserve. The benchmark S&P 500 index was up 3.3% at a two-week high in mid-morning trading.

On Tuesday Trump expressed optimism that he would make progress with China that would substantially lower tariffs on their imports but also warned that “if they don’t make a deal, we’ll set the deal.”

Trump said a deal would result in “substantially” lower tariffs on Chinese goods.

“It won’t be that high,” Trump said when asked about the current rates. “It won’t be anywhere near that.”

The Journal said the administration is also considering a tiered approach similar to one proposed by the House of Representatives committee on China late last year: 35% levies for items the U.S. deems not a threat to national security, and at least 100% for items deemed as strategic to America’s interest, some of the people said. That bill proposed phasing in those levies over five years.

—

(Reporting by Pretish M J in Bengaluru; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

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Since a January ceasefire collapsed on March 18, Israeli attacks have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza’s land.

Israel has also imposed a blockade on all goods into Gaza, including fuel and electricity, since the beginning of March.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministers of Germany, France, and Britain jointly called on Israel to adhere to international law and allow the unhindered passage of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

They also urged for the ceasefire to be restored and for remaining hostages held by militant group Hamas to be released.

“Humanitarian aid must never be used as a political tool and Palestinian territory must not be reduced nor subjected to any demographic change,” the ministers said in a statement.

Medics said the airstrike on the Yaffa School in the Tuffah area of Gaza City set fire to tents and classrooms. There has been no Israeli comment on the school attack.

Some furniture was still in flames several hours after the strike as people sifted through blackened classrooms and the schoolyard in search of their belongings.

“We were sleeping and suddenly something exploded, we started looking and found the whole school on fire, the tents here and there were on fire, everything was on fire,” said eyewitness, Um Mohammed Al-Hwaiti.

“People were shouting and men were carrying people, charred (people), charred children, and were walking and saying: ‘Dear God, dear God, we have no one but you.’ What can we say? Dear God, only,” she told Reuters.

Medics said at least 36 people had been killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza on Wednesday.

Intensive Care Unit, Solar Power Damaged

The Gaza Health Ministry said an Israeli missile hit the upper building of the Durra Children’s Hospital in Gaza City, damaging the intensive care unit and destroying the solar panel system that feeds the facility with power. No one was killed in the hospital strike.

Gaza’s healthcare system is close to collapse due to Israel’s blockade, which it says is aimed at pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war.

The health ministry said many Palestinian victims of Israeli military strikes remained trapped under buildings, as rescue teams are unable to reach them because of ongoing bombardments. The attacks have also hit dozens of bulldozers and machinery used to clear roads, remove debris, and to carry out rescue operations.

The Israeli military said on Tuesday it had hit 40 “engineering vehicles” that were used for “terrorist actions”, including Hamas’ October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.

Israel says 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’ assault that day and 251 hostages were taken to Gaza.

Since then, local health authorities have reported that over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

—

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi. Additional reporting by Mahmoud Issa in Gaza; Editing by Sharon Singleton)

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The attack occurred in Pahalgam, a popular destination in the scenic, mountainous region where mass tourism, especially during the summer months, has resurged as Islamist militant violence has eased in recent years.

One security source put the death toll at 20, while the second put it at 24 and the third at 26. All three spoke on the condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media.

“The firing happened in front of us,” one witness told broadcaster India Today, without giving his name. “We thought someone was setting off firecrackers, but when we heard other people (screaming), we quickly got out of there…, saved our lives and ran.”

“For four kilometers, we did not stop … I am shaking,” another witness told India Today.

The attack took place in an off-the-road meadow and two or three militants were involved, the Indian Express newspaper reported, citing an unidentified senior police officer.

“The death toll is still being ascertained so I don’t want to get into those details,” Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said in a post on X. “Needless to say, this attack is much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years.”

The nationalities of the victims were not immediately known.

A little-known militant group called the “Kashmir Resistance” claimed responsibility for the attack in a social media message. It expressed discontent that more than 85,000 “outsiders” had been settled in the region, spurring a “demographic change”.

“Consequently, violence will be directed toward those attempting to settle illegally,” it said.

Reuters could not independently verify the source of the message.

The regional government of Jammu and Kashmir, where Pahalgam is located, told its legislature this month that nearly 84,000 non-locals, from within India, had been given domicile rights in the territory in the last two years.

Security Meeting

“Those behind this heinous act will be brought to justice … They will not be spared!” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted on X. “Their evil agenda will never succeed. Our resolve to fight terrorism is unshakable and it will get even stronger.”

Indian Home Minister Amit Shah said he was rushing to Kashmir to hold a security meeting.

The Himalayan region, claimed in full but ruled in part by both India and Pakistan, has been prone to militant violence since the start of an anti-Indian insurgency in 1989. Tens of thousands of people have been killed, although violence has tapered off in recent years.

India revoked Kashmir’s special status in 2019, splitting the state into two federally administered territories – Jammu and Kashmir, and Ladakh. The move also allowed local authorities to issue domicile rights to outsiders, allowing them to get jobs and buy land in the territory.

That led to a deterioration of ties with Pakistan, which also claims the region. The dispute has been at the root of bitter animosity and military conflict between the nuclear-armed neighbours.

Attacks targeting tourists in Kashmir have become rare. The last deadly incident took place in June 2024 when at least nine people were killed and 33 injured after a militant attack caused a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims to plunge into a deep gorge.

Some major militant attacks during the height of the insurgency coincided with visits from high-profile foreign officials to India, in likely attempts to draw global attention to Kashmir, Indian security agencies have said.

Tuesday’s attack came a day after U.S. Vice President JD Vance began a four-day, largely personal visit to India.

—

(Reporting by Fayaz Bukhari; additional reporting by Sakshi Dayal and Shilpa Jamkhandikar; writing by Surbhi Misra and YP Rajesh; editing by Bernadette Baum and Mark Heinrich)

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Bruce, speaking to reporters at a regular news briefing, said the talks will go ahead and that President Donald Trump’s Ukraine envoy General Keith Kellogg would attend the discussions.

It was unclear whether the absence of Washington’s top diplomat meant that Trump had downgraded Washington’s expectations from the meeting, after saying on Sunday that he hopes Moscow and Kyiv will make a deal this week to end the conflict in Ukraine.

“In this particular instance, while the meetings in London are still occurring, he will not be attending. But that is not a statement regarding the meetings. It’s a statement about logistical issues in his schedule,” Bruce told reporters at a regular news briefing.

“General Kellogg is there, and so he will be having those conversations.”

Earlier on Tuesday, Bruce said in an interview on Fox Business Network’s “Mornings with Maria” program that she was leaving along with Rubio for London to continue talks, adding: “London has potential, and this is a good open door.”

The decision comes after warnings that the U.S. would walk away from efforts to broker a Russia-Ukraine peace deal unless there are clear signs of progress soon.

Since taking office in January, Trump has upended U.S. foreign policy, pressing Ukraine to agree to a ceasefire while easing many of the measures the Biden administration had taken to punish Russia for its 2022 full-scale invasion of its neighbor.

The U.S. president has repeatedly said that he wants to broker a ceasefire in Ukraine by May, arguing the U.S. must end a conflict that has killed tens of thousands and risks a direct confrontation between the U.S. and nuclear-armed Russia.

Europe has been increasingly concerned over the Trump administration’s overtures towards Moscow, after the failure so far of Trump’s efforts to secure a ceasefire in the war.

—

(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey and Simon Lewis; Writing by Daphne Psaledakis, editing by Deepa Babington)

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Gaza’s health ministry said a U.N.-backed polio vaccination campaign meant to target over 600,000 children had been suspended, putting the enclave at risk of the revival of a crippling disease that once had been all-but eradicated.

In diplomacy to end the conflict, a Hamas delegation was expected to arrive in Cairo for talks. Two sources familiar with the mediation effort said the delegation would discuss a new offer which would include a truce for 5 to 7 years following the release of all hostages and an end to fighting.

The sources said Israel, which rejected a recent Hamas offer to release all hostages for an end of the war, had yet to respond to a revamped long-term truce proposal. Israel demands Hamas be disarmed, which the militants reject.

Hamas Source Denies Knowledge of Visit

A Hamas source later denied knowledge of an imminent visit, telling Reuters the group stood by its demand any agreement must end the war.

Gaza residents said Israeli forces bombed several areas across the enclave from tanks, planes, and naval boats. The attacks hit houses, tent encampments and roads, they added.

The airstrikes destroyed bulldozers and vehicles being used to lift rubble and help recover bodies trapped under the ruins, officials and residents said.

Hamas said the vehicles that were destroyed included nine that had been received from Egypt, adding that the move aimed to “deepen the suffering of our people in Gaza.”

The Israeli military said they hit 40 “engineering vehicles” that were used for “terrorist actions”, including the execution of Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

The vehicles were “considered a key component in Hamas’ ability to carry out terrorist operations against the Defense Forces and the State of Israel,” said the military.

Israel has imposed a total blockade on all supplies to Gaza since the start of March and relaunched its military operations on March 18 after the collapse of a ceasefire.

Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 1,600 Palestinians according to the Gaza health authorities, and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes as Israel seized what it calls a buffer zone of Gaza land.

Israel’s 18-month bombing campaign has rendered nearly all buildings in the Gaza Strip uninhabitable, and Gaza’s 2.3 million people now mostly live in the open under makeshift tents. Since the total blockade was imposed last month, all 25 U.N.-supplied bakeries making bread have been shut.

Israel says enough supplies were sent into the enclave during the six-week truce to keep Gazans alive for months. Aid agencies say they fear the population is on the precipice of starvation and mass disease.

If polio vaccines don’t arrive immediately, “we anticipate a real catastrophe. Children and patients must not be used as cards of political blackmail,” said Gaza health ministry spokesperson Khalil Deqran. He said 60,000 children were now showing symptoms of malnutrition.

Israel Denies Blockade Breads International Law

Israel says its blockade is aimed at pressuring the Hamas militants who run Gaza to release 59 remaining Israeli hostages captured in the October 2023 attacks that precipitated the war. Hamas says it is prepared to free them but only as part of a deal that ends the war.

“Israel is acting in full accordance with international law,” Defence Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, in response to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, who called the Israeli blockade of Gaza since March a war crime.

“The humanitarian condition in Gaza is constantly monitored and large quantities of aid were delivered. Whenever it becomes necessary to allow additional aid, it must be ensured that it does not pass through Hamas, which exploits humanitarian aid to maintain control over the civilian population and to profit at their expense,” Katz wrote.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of the United Nations Palestinian relief agency UNRWA, described the blockade as collective punishment of Gaza’s people.

“The siege must be lifted, supplies must flow in, the hostages must be released, the ceasefire must resume,” Lazzarini said on Tuesday in a post on X.

The conflict was sparked by a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, resulting in 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages taken to Gaza, according to Israeli records.

Since then, local health authorities report that over 51,000 Palestinians have been killed in the Israeli offensive.

—

(Reporting and writing by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Peter Graff and Ros Russell)

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Oman has been mediating between Iran and the United States as President Donald Trump seeks an agreement that would curb Iran’s nuclear programme, which Washington believes is aimed at developing a nuclear weapon.

“We discussed the progress of negotiations between Iranian and American representatives,” Interfax quoted Kremlin foreign policy aide Yury Ushakov as saying.

“We will see what the result will be. We maintain close contact with our Iranian colleagues. Where we can, we help.”

Trump has threatened to bomb Iran unless a deal is reached; Iran denies seeking atomic weapons. Russia signed a strategic partnership treaty with Iran in January and is also trying to improve relations with the Trump administration.

Moscow has a role in nuclear talks with Iran as a signatory to a previous nuclear deal that Trump abandoned during his first term in 2018. Russia has said any U.S. military action against Iran would be illegal.

In televised comments, Putin was shown telling the sultan that Russian energy companies were interested in developing relations with Oman.

It was the second time in less than a week that Putin has met face-to-face with a Middle Eastern leader, following a visit by the emir of Qatar on April 17. Iran’s foreign minister visited last week.

—

(Reporting by Reuters, writing by Mark TrevelyanEditing by Peter Graff)

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Vance arrived in India earlier on Monday for a largely personal four-day visit to the country with his family, which includes visiting the Taj Mahal and making a speech in the city of Jaipur, U.S. officials said.

The two leaders also noted continued efforts towards enhancing cooperation in energy, defence and strategic technologies, among others, a statement from Modi’s office said after talks between them.

They discussed regional and global issues and called for dialogue and diplomacy as the way forward, it said, reiterating a standard Indian line about global conflicts without naming any.

New Delhi has in the past used this formulation for the war in Ukraine.

“(The) prime minister conveyed his warm greetings to President Trump and said that he looked forward to his visit to India later this year,” it added.

A statement from Vance’s office said the two leaders agreed on a roadmap for further discussions on trade. It said a bilateral trade agreement “presents an opportunity to negotiate a new and modern trade agreement focused on promoting job creation and citizen well-being in both countries.”

Vance’s wife, Usha, is the daughter of Indian immigrants.

Vance landed in New Delhi following a visit to Rome, where he held a private meeting with Pope Francis on Easter Sunday.

Modi and Vance reviewed and positively assessed the progress in various areas of bilateral cooperation outlined in February when the Indian leader met President Donald Trump in Washington. It includes “fairness” in their two-way trade and growing their defence partnership.

‘Need Pact With largest Trade Partner’

The Indian prime minister was one of the first world leaders to meet Trump after he took office, and Reuters has reported that his government is open to cutting tariffs on more than half of its imports from the U.S., which were worth a total $41.8 billion in 2024, as part of a trade deal.

However, the U.S. president has continued to call India a “tariff abuser” and “tariff king”.

“We are very positive that the visit will give a further boost to our bilateral ties,” Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters on Thursday, speaking about Vance’s engagements in India.

The U.S. is India’s largest trading partner and their two-way bilateral trade reached $129 billion in 2024, with a $45.7 billion surplus in favour of India, U.S. government trade data show.

Officials in New Delhi are expecting to clinch a trade deal with the U.S. within the 90-day pause on tariff hikes announced by Trump on April 9 for major trading partners, including Delhi.

India hopes to “positively conclude” the first part of the trade pact by this autumn, Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said in San Francisco on Monday as she started on a trip packed with engagements between the two nations.

“The long and short of engaging with the U.S. is not just for this reciprocal tariff-related matter, but in the interest of… our largest trading partner with whom we need to have an agreement,” Sitharaman said in an address to the Indian diaspora.

Vance’s tour in India is also seen as laying the ground for Trump’s visit to the country later in the year for the summit of leaders of the Quad grouping that includes India, Australia, Japan and the U.S.

Harsh Pant, foreign policy head at the Observer Research Foundation think tank in Delhi, said the timing of Vance’s visit was critical in the backdrop of trade talks.

“The fact that the US-China tensions are ramping up, and Vance in particular seems to have taken a very high-profile role in American diplomacy, also means that the visit assumes an added layer of significance,” he said.

—

(Reporting by YP Rajesh, Tanvi Mehta and Shivam Patel in New Delhi; Additional reporting by Trevor Hunnicutt, David Brunnstrom, and Steve Holland in Washington; Editing by Raju Gopalakrishnan)

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