Chinese premier says willing to work with Zambia, Tanzania to build new economic hub

Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Thursday that China is willing to work with Zambia and Tanzania to advance the development of a prosperity belt along the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, and jointly foster a new hub of economic growth.

He made the remarks here in Zambia's capital of Lusaka while attending the ground-breaking ceremony of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway revitalization project with Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Tanzanian Vice President Emmanuel Nchimbi.

Li said that in September 2024, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and President Hichilema jointly witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the revitalization project of the Tanzania-Zambia Railway in Beijing.

Over the past year, relevant departments and enterprises of the three countries have worked in unity and taken concrete steps to make important progress, paving the way for the formal commencement of the project, Li noted.

China says Japanese PM's erroneous Taiwan-related remarks severely affect economic, trade cooperation

The blatant Taiwan-related remarks made recently by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi are fundamentally undermining the political foundation of China-Japan relations and causing a severe negative impact on China-Japan economic and trade exchanges and cooperation, according to China's Ministry of Commerce.

China urges the Japanese side to take a responsible attitude toward history and China-Japan relations, withdraw its wrongful remarks and actions, earnestly fulfill its commitments to China, and create a favorable environment for economic and trade cooperation between the two countries, He Yongqian, a commerce ministry spokesperson, said at a regular press briefing on Thursday.

"If Japan persists in its own way and continues to go further down the wrong path, China will resolutely take necessary measures and all consequences will be borne by Japan," the spokesperson said in response to a media query over the Japanese prime minister's recent remarks regarding Taiwan, which have drawn a massive public backlash among the Chinese people.

Trump approves plan for Russia-Ukraine peace

U.S. President Donald Trump has approved a 28-point plan for peace between Russia and Ukraine that U.S. officials developed in consultation with Russian and Ukrainian officials, NBC News reported on Wednesday.

Trump's special envoy, Steve Witkoff, Vice President JD Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and the president's son-in-law Jared Kushner were involved in formulating the plan, NBC quoted its sources as saying.

Three U.S. officials reportedly told NBC that the framework for the peace deal still needed to be presented to the Ukrainians and that the timing of finalizing a draft of the plan coincided with a visit of a U.S. Army delegation to Ukraine, which arrived in Kiev on Wednesday.

Russian forces capture key city in Ukraine's Kharkov region

Russian forces have taken control of the strategic city of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region in eastern Ukraine, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov said Thursday.

Units of the Zapad (West) group have seized the city of Kupyansk and are continuing to destroy Ukrainian forces encircled on the left bank of the Oskol River, Gerasimov reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Gerasimov said that advances are underway in Krasnoarmeysk, another strategic city in eastern Ukraine, adding that over 75 percent of the city's territory is now under Russian control.

S. Africa rebukes U.S. for boycotting G20, opposing consensus

The United States' absence negates its role over the Group of 20 (G20)'s conclusions, Chrispin Phiri, the spokesperson of South Africa's Department of International Relations and Cooperation, has said, reiterating that Pretoria would not be bullied.

Phiri made the remarks on Wednesday in response to Washington's decision not to attend the G20 Leaders' Summit scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, as well as its objection to the issuance of any outcome document presented as a G20 consensus without U.S. consent.

Earlier, South African G20 Sous-Sherpa Xolisa Mabhongo confirmed receiving a letter from the United States, in which Washington said it would only accept a "chair's statement" reflecting a lack of consensus.

Hamas accuses Israel of truce violation by altering Gaza "Yellow Line"

The Hamas-run media office on Thursday accused the Israeli military of a "blatant violation" of the cease-fire agreement, claiming Israel expanded the Yellow Line boundary that restricts its operations east of Gaza City.

In a statement, the Hamas office alleged the Israeli army had committed a "new act of aggression" by pushing into eastern Gaza City and moving the yellow markers.

The army extended the Yellow Line by 300 meters into the Al-Shaaf, Al-Nazzaz, and Baghdad neighborhoods, the statement claimed, adding that this move resulted in the encirclement of dozens of families who were unable to leave after tanks unexpectedly entered the area.

Clashes erupt between Syrian army, U.S.-backed Kurdish militants in northern province

Clashes between the soldiers loyal to Syria's interim authority and the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) erupted after midnight and continued into Thursday in northern Syria's Raqqa province, leaving casualties on both sides, officials and monitoring groups said.

Syria's defense authorities said SDF fighters attacked army positions in the city of Maadan in Raqqa province, using heavy fire from multiple weapons and seized several sites.

Two soldiers were killed and others wounded, the authorities said. Syrian troops later counterattacked, retaking the positions and driving out the attackers. The authorities blamed the SDF for what they called repeated "treacherous aggression" against army positions.

Kremlin says no Russia-U.S. consultations underway on Ukraine settlement

Moscow and Washington keep in touch, but there are no consultations on Ukraine, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Thursday.

"There are certainly contacts. But a process that could be called consultations -- no, it's not underway," Peskov told reporters, commenting on potential consultations on achieving peace in Ukraine.

Peskov said Russia remains open to the Ukraine settlement, but it must lead to the "elimination of the root causes of this conflict."