Morn News

European Union leaders reached on Thursday morning a deal to establish a €50-billion plan for Ukraine after Viktor Orbán lifted his veto.

The decision was taken surprisingly fast at the beginning of an extraordinary summit in Brussels, where financial aid for Kyiv was at the very top of the agenda.

The special fund, known as the Ukraine Facility, combines €33 billion in loans and €17 in grants and will be gradually disbursed between 2024 and 2027. The Facility is tied to a wider review of the bloc’s common budget that includes top-ups for migration, border control, cutting-edge technologies and crisis management.

“All 27 leaders agreed on an additional €50 billion support package for Ukraine within the EU budget,” Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, announced in a short message on social media.

EU leaders are in Brussels for confrontation wth Hungary’s Viktor Orbán over his dissent to sanction a new €50bn assistance package for Ukraine.

There is a robust frustration among the leaders that they are back to square one on the issue.

Mostly members beleive they should go ahead with or without Orban however, much will depend upon the President.

All other member states have agreed the budget, so it could be a brief summit.

Other topics on the agenda include the Middle East and strategic technologies to make Europe more competitive.

Although gradually Israel and Hamas are moving towards a deal without publically admitting it.

But it remains to be seen how long the three pauses in the war may last without Iran benefitting from it.

Meanwhile, there was no let-up in fighting or aerial bombardment, with the current focus of combat in the main southern city Khan Yunis, where Israel says leading Hamas militants are hiding.

Overnight, witnesses said several Israeli air strikes hit the city, while Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was due in Cairo on Thursday to discuss a truce proposal thrashed out in Paris last weekend with CIA chief William Burns. and health workers have for days reported heavy fighting, particularly around two hospitals.

According to VOA and other sources familiar with the developments

The United States imposed sanctions on three entities and one individual based in Turkey and Lebanon on Wednesday for giving “critical financial support” to a financial network used by Iran’s Quds Force, or IRGC-QF, and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

“These entities have generated hundreds of millions of dollars’ worth of revenue from selling Iranian commodities, including to the Syrian government,” the U.S. Treasury Department said in a statement.

An American naval destroyer shot down three Iranian drones along with an anti-ship missile fired by Yemen’s Houthis rebels Wednesday, the US military said.
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) had also earlier announced a strike on a Houthi surface-to-air missile it said posed an “imminent threat” to American aircraft — a deviation from past air raids that focused on reducing the rebels’ ability to threaten international shipping. (CENTCOM) had also earlier announced a

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The Israeli attacks included Gaza City, where the military said it also killed 15 Hamas militants during ground operations.

In Khan Younis, the main city in southern Gaza, witnesses reported heavy fighting in addition to numerous airstrikes

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant has said that Israel is preparing for a potential war with Lebanon’s Hezbollah, warning that the war would be devastating for the crisis-hit country.

Yedioth Ahronoth meanwhile said Wednesday that the Israeli army has decided to lower the number of troops in northern Israeli communities.

Israel PM “We will not withdraw the IDF from the Gaza Strip and we won’t release thousands of terrorists. None of that is going to happen. What is going to happen? Total victory.” by local security squads who would act against any hostile action until Israeli forces arrive.”

Lebanon.

The Head coach of England Steve Borthwick facing  difficulties  in selection  before his team’s First game.

England have never lost to Italy and are favourites to win.

Stalwarts Courtney Lawes, Mako Vunipola, Ben Youngs and Jonny May have retired from international duty, while several overseas players are ineligible for selection and former captain Owen Farrell is taking a break from Test rugby.

England spinner Jack Leach is out for the second Test against India because of his knee injury.

The Somerset spinner suffered a knee injury during the first Test win in Hyderabad .

      An Iraqi militant group suspected of launching a drone strike in Jordan that killed three US soldiers says it has suspended operations against the US. Kataib Hezbollah, the Iran-aligned group that took credit for the attack on Sunday, said it was “to prevent embarrassment of the Iraqi government”.

The Israeli army said Tuesday it is pouring water into Gaza’s tunnels in a bid to destroy the sprawling underground network used by Hamas militants to launch attacks on Israel. News of the flooding came after Israeli undercover agents, some disguised as medical staff, raided a West Bank hospital and shot dead three Palestinian militants.

Meanwhile President Joe Biden said Tuesday he’s decided how the U.S. is going to respond to the drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan by Iran-backed militants that killed three American soldiers.President Joe Biden speaks to reporters before boarding Marine One .

Have you made a decision how you’ll respond to the attack,” Biden was asked leaving the White House as headed for fundraisers in Florida.”Yes,” he said.Retaliatory strikes by the U.S. so far have yet to deter any of these Iranian-backed groups in the region. Asked if this upcoming response will actually deter them, he said, “we’ll see.”