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That came after US President Donald Trump warned that allied nations in the region would invade Gaza to wipe out Hamas if it failed to comply with the truce

“What we’ve seen the past week gives me great optimism the ceasefire is going to hold,” Vance said during a press conference in Kiryat Gat, a city in southern Israel where a US-led mission is monitoring the Gaza ceasefire.

“I think that everybody should be proud of where we are today. It’s going to require constant effort. It’s going to require constant monitoring and supervision,” he added.

Vance is to meet Israeli leaders including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday in Jerusalem.

There have been tensions over the implementation of the ceasefire, with Hamas saying it needs time and technical assistance to find the remaining dead Israeli hostages under the rubble of the Gaza Strip.

And, on Sunday, there was the worst outbreak of violence since the start of the truce. Two Israeli soldiers were killed, triggering a wave of retaliatory air strikes.

Before Vance’s arrival, Trump gave a stark warning to Hamas.

“Numerous of our NOW GREAT ALLIES in the Middle East, and areas surrounding the Middle East, have… informed me that they would welcome the opportunity, at my request, to go into GAZA with a heavy force and ‘straighten our [sic] Hamas’ if Hamas continues to act badly,” Trump posted on his Truth Social platform.

Very, very fragile
Opening a joint US-Israeli Civil-Military Coordination Center in southwest Israel, Vance endorsed this, but played down Israeli pressure for a firm deadline.

“I’m not going to do what the President of the United States has thus far refused to do, which is put an explicit deadline on it, because a lot of this stuff is difficult,” he said.

Vance also said that US troops would not be deployed in Gaza but that the United States would take part in “useful coordination.”

Hamas’s future is a key point of contention, with the ceasefire agreement ruling out a role for the group in Gaza.

Israel has accused Hamas of breaching the terms of the ceasefire, though the group has repeatedly said it is committed to the agreement.

Gardaí have begun a criminal investigation after violence broke out at a large protest outside an accommodation centre for international protection applicants at Citywest in Co Dublin

Around 2,000 people attended the protest, but shortly afterwards hooded and masked men threw missiles and fireworks at gardaí, vandalised the Luas stop and a garda van was set on fire.

The Luas and Dublin bus services to Saggart were suspended for a time.

The Garda Public Order Unit in full riot gear, the Mounted Unit, the Dog Unit, Air Support and water cannon were deployed.
The protesters were dispersed after two-and-a-half hours and calm was restored.

One female garda sustained foot injuries.

Six people were arrested for public order offences.

Groups of demonstrators hurled abuse at gardaí. Some, including men on horses and a sulky, tried to breach garda lines but were guided away by unarmed, uniformed gardaí wearing soft caps.

The situation turned violent as groups of young men, some wearing hoods with their faces covered, hurled traffic cones, bricks, bottles and other missiles at gardaí.

Bins were also emptied and their contents used as missiles.

Gardaí say individuals were seen carrying tools and garden forks and damaging property in the area. The garda helicopter was targeted with tasers-RTE

The White House Russian Foreign Ministry
Lavrov and Rubio are expected to meet in Budapest on Oct. 30, an anonymous German official told the Financial Times.

They added that Hungary’s pro-Russian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán was expected to outline plans ahead of the summit, which could include a meeting between Trump and EU leaders. The plans have not yet been confirmed.

EU leaders are set to close ranks in support of Ukraine at a Brussels summit on Thursday, followed the next day by a “coalition of the willing” meeting of European leaders in London to discuss the next steps to help Kyiv.

According to FT, EU leaders also plan to agree on loaning 140 billion euros ($162.5 billion) from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine and approve new Russia sanctions during the Brussels summit.

On Tuesday, leaders including Zelensky, French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, threw their support behind Trump’s peace effort while reaffirming their red lines.

“We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force,” the leaders, including EU chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von Der Leyen, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, as well as those of Italy, Denmark, Finland, Norway and Poland, said in a joint statement.

Macron said separately that Ukraine’s Western allies were ready to provide security guarantees in the event of a ceasefire, but that Kyiv alone would decide on any territorial negotiations.

Russia on Tuesday said that there was “no precise timeframe” for a summit between Vladimir Putin and Donald Trump on Ukraine, dousing hopes for a swift preparatory meeting to finalize the talks.

“No precise timeframe was initially set here,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, including from AFP, at a briefing on Tuesday.

Asked if the summit could be postponed, Peskov said: “It’s impossible to postpone something that hasn’t been set in stone, … Preparation is needed, serious preparation.”

Donald Trump has said he did not want a “wasted meeting” after a plan to have face-to-face talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine were put on hold.

The US president indicated that a key sticking point remained Moscow’s refusal to cease fighting along the current front line, in remarks at the White House on Tuesday.

Earlier, a White House official had said there were “no plans” for a Trump-Putin meeting “in the immediate future”, after Trump said on Thursday that the two would hold talks in Budapest within two weeks.

Key differences between US and Russian proposals for peace became increasingly clear this week, appearing to have dashed chances of a summit.

Trump and Putin last met in Alaska in August, during a hastily organised summit which yielded no concrete results.

The White House decision to shelve plans for a second Trump-Putin meeting may be seen as an attempt to avoid another similar scenario.

“I guess the Russians wanted too much and it became evident for the Americans that there will be no deal for Trump in Budapest,” a senior European diplomat told Reuters.

A preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov was due to be held this week – but the White House said the two had had a “productive” call and that a meeting was no longer “necessary”.

On Monday, Trump embraced a ceasefire proposal backed by Kyiv and European leaders to freeze the conflict on the current front line.

“Let it be cut the way it is,” he said. “I said: cut and stop at the battle line. Go home. Stop fighting, stop killing people.”

Russia has repeatedly pushed back against freezing the current line of contact.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said the idea had been put to the Russians repeatedly but that “the consistency of Russia’s position doesn’t change” – referring to Moscow’s insistence on the complete withdrawal of Ukrainian troops from the embattled eastern regions.

Moscow was only interested in “long-term, sustainable peace”, Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday, implying that freezing the front line would only amount to a temporary ceasefire.

The “root causes of the conflict” needed to be addressed, Lavrov said, using Kremlin shorthand for a series of maximalist demands that include the recognition of full Russian sovereignty over the Donbas as well as the demilitarisation of Ukraine – a non-starter for Kyiv and its European partners.

It is the first time Pyongyang has fired a ballistic missile since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June

North Korea fires ballistic missile eastward, says Seoul

It is the first time Pyongyang has fired a ballistic missile since South Korean President Lee Jae Myung took office in June this year.

This photo provided by the North Korean government, shows what it says a test launch of new intercontinental ballistic missile “Hwasong-19” at an undisclosed site in North Korea
It is more than five months since North Korea launched a ballistic missile

North Korea fired a ballistic missile eastward, South Korea’s military said on Wednesday.

Seoul’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the “unidentified” missile flew east, with the South Korean Yonhap news agency saying it was launched toward the sea off North Korea’s east coast.

Pyongyang last launched ballistic missiles on May 8, when it fired several short-range projectiles from its east coast.

Wednesday’s launch is the first of its kind since South Korean President Lee Jae-myung took office in June.

During his presidential campaign, Lee proactively brought up the necessity of halting hostile moves toward North Korea.

Lee even talked up ushering in “a new era of peaceful coexistence” with North Korea in his first address at the UN General Assembly last month, reiterating the need to continue working toward denuclearization while fostering inter-Korean cooperation.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has overseen a number of weapons tests since since his high-stakes nuclear diplomacy with US President Donald Trump fell apart in 2019.

Last month Kim suggested he could return to talks if Washington drops its demand for a denuclearization of North Korea, after Trump repeatedly expressed hopes for a new round of diplomacy.

In August, Kim supervised a test firing of two “new” air defense missiles, which coincided with joint military exercises between the US and South Korea.

South Africa returned to the top of the table and eliminated Pakistan from the World Cup with a 150-run win on the DLS method in a rain-plagued match in Colombo.

It looked like the weather would wash out another match in the Sri Lankan capital, with rain halting play for nearly two and a half hours just two overs into South Africa’s innings and returning 10 overs into Pakistan’s chase.

However, South Africa were able to complete a 40-over innings, with three players scoring half-centuries and Nadine de Klerk blasting 41 (16) to propel the Proteas to 312-9.

Pakistan were then restricted to 83-7 chasing a rain-reduced 234 from 20 overs, down from their initial revised target of 306 in 40 overs and later 262 from 25 overs after multiple disruptions.

Bottom side Pakistan, who needed to win their final two group matches to keep their semi-final hopes alive, join Bangladesh in being eliminated with a game to spare.

Already qualified South Africa, meanwhile, move one point clear of Australia and England, who meet in Indore on Wednesday.

South Africa lost opener Tazmin Brits for her third duck of the tournament in the second over but came out swinging after the rain delay.

Laura Wolvaardt, top scoring with 90, and Sune Luus (61) combined for 118 for the second wicket to lay the foundations for an imposing total before late runs from Marizanne Kapp (68 not out) and De Klerk carried the Proteas beyond 300.

In reply, Ayabonga Khaka removed Muneeba Ali in the second over before Kapp struck three times in 10 deliveries to reduce Pakistan to 35-4 before the rain returned.

After a truncated two-over return, Pakistan were eventually tasked with scoring 186 runs from eight overs to complete the required 20 overs to constitute a match, and with South Africa running deliveries and turning down reviews, they beat both the weather and Pakistan to secure the two points.

Secretary John Healey told a London audience on Monday that UK forces could play an “anchor role” by contributing their “specialist experience and skills” to securing a long-term peaceBritain has sent a senior commander and a small number of troops to Israel to help international efforts to monitor a fragile Gaza ceasefire following an American request.

John Healey, the defence secretary, revealed the deployment barely a week after Yvette Cooper, the new foreign secretary, said the UK had “no plans” to send

Defence Secretary John Healey told a London audience on Monday that UK forces could play an “anchor role” by contributing their “specialist experience and skills” to securing a long-term peace.

A British Army soldier on exercises. File pic: iStock

Britain has sent a senior commander and a small number of troops to Israel to help international efforts to monitor a fragile Gaza ceasefire following an American request.

John Healey, the defence secretary, revealed the deployment barely a week after Yvette Cooper, the new foreign secretary, said the UK had “no plans” to send soldiers.

The British officer will work as the deputy to a US commander, who is tasked with running a civil-military coordination centre that is also expected to include troops from Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, and the United Arab Emirates.

The ceasefire deal, brokered by Donald Trump, between Hamas and Israel has created the “opportunity for a long-term peace”, Mr Healey said.

The European statement referred to “Russia’s stalling tactics”, indicating how intractable Moscow’s position remained.

Trump, who has often adopted a conciliatory tone towards Russia, is now planning direct talks with Putin in Budapest – although the date for a preparatory meeting between US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Lavrov seems to be slipping.

The US president spoke by phone to Putin last week, a day before meeting Zelensky and his team in the White House.

Several sources have told Western media that Trump pushed the Ukrainian leader to give up large areas of territory in the eastern regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, known as the Donbas, as part of a deal with Russia.

Some reports suggested there had been a “shouting match”. Zelensky only described the talks as “frank”.

The Ukrainian president has often ruled out withdrawing from the region, arguing that Russia could use it as a springboard for future attacks. “I explained during my visit to Washington last week that Ukraine’s position has not changed,” he said on Monday.

Although Russia has occupied most of Luhansk, Ukraine remains in control of about a quarter of Donetsk, including the key cities of Slovyansk and Kramatorsk.