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US slams sanctions by UK, allies on far-right Israeli ministers

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the sanctions imposed Tuesday by Britain and other nations against two Israeli cabinet members accused of repeatedly inciting violence against Palestinians.

"These sanctions do not advance US-led efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home, and end the war" in Gaza, Rubio said in a statement.

Britain's foreign ministry earlier announced that Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir will be banned from entering the UK and will have any assets in the country frozen.

The five countries accused Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich of inciting 'extremist violence'

Israel deports Greta Thunberg after intercepting Gaza-bound aid boat

Campaigner Greta Thunberg arrived home in Sweden late Tuesday, after Israel detained her and other activists aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat and deported some.

Of the 12 activists on board the Madleen, which was carrying food and supplies for Gaza, four including Thunberg agreed to be deported immediately, while all of them have been banned from Israel for 100 years, the rights group that legally represents some of them said in a statement.

Israeli forces intercepted the Gaza-bound Madleen aid boat, operated by the Freedom Flotilla Coalition, in international waters on Monday

Trump must tell Netanyahu 'enough is enough': ex-Israeli PM

US President Donald Trump should tell Israel's leader Benjamin Netanyahu "enough is enough", a former Israeli prime minister told AFP, denouncing the continuation of the war in Gaza as a "crime" and insisting a two-state solution is the only way to end the conflict.

Ehud Olmert, prime minister between 2006-2009, said in an interview in Paris that the United States has more influence on the Israeli government "than all the other powers put together" and that Trump can "make a difference".

Former Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert has teamed up with former Palestinian foreign minister Nasser Al-Qidwa

Trump warns of decision time as Iran prepares nuclear counter-proposal

President Donald Trump said Monday that new US-Iran talks this week could make clear if a nuclear deal is possible to avoid military action, as Tehran readies a counter-proposal on a potential agreement.

Trump spoke by telephone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, whose office said the US leader informed that he had made a "reasonable offer" to Iran.

Netanyahu has threatened to strike the nuclear sites of Iran, whose cleric-run government he sees as Israel's existential enemy, but Trump has said he has held him back.

US President Donald Trump participates in an "Invest America" roundtable discussion in the State Dining Room of the White House

Israel says Gaza-bound aid boat activists awaiting deportation

Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg and other activists detained aboard a Gaza-bound aid boat have been taken to a Tel Aviv airport for deportation, Israel said Tuesday, after their vessel was intercepted by naval forces.

The activist group departed Italy on June 1 aboard the Madleen carrying food and supplies for Gaza, whose entire population the UN has warned is at risk of famine.

Israeli forces intercepted the boat in international waters on Monday and towed it to the port of Ashdod.

The Madleen set sail from Italy on June 1 to raise awareness of food shortages in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip

Iran says no sanctions relief in US nuclear proposal

Iran's parliament speaker said on Sunday that the latest US proposal for a nuclear deal does not include the lifting of sanctions, state media reported as negotiations appeared to have hit a roadblock.

The two foes have held five rounds of Omani-mediated talks since April, seeking to replace a landmark agreement between Tehran and world powers that set restrictions on Iran's nuclear activities in return for sanctions relief, before US President Donald Trump abandoned the accord in 2018 during his first term.

Iran's Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf

Israel diverts Gaza-bound aid boat carrying Greta Thunberg: What to know

Israel intercepted a Gaza-bound aid boat on Monday morning, preventing the activists onboard, including Swedish campaigner Greta Thunberg, from reaching the blockaded Palestinian territory.

The Madleen departed from Italy on June 1 aiming to bring awareness to food shortages in Gaza, which the United Nations has called the "hungriest place on Earth". After 21 months of war, the UN has warned the territory's entire population is at risk of famine.

AFP lost contact with the Madleen early Monday morning.

Palestinians carry supplies from a Gaza Humanitarian Foundation aid point in the central Gaza Strip

Gaza rescuers say Israeli fire kills 36, six near aid centre

Gaza's civil defence agency said Saturday that Israeli forces had killed at least 36 Palestinians, six of them in a shooting near a US-backed aid distribution centre.

The Israeli military told AFP that troops had fired "warning shots" at individuals it said were "advancing in a way that endangered the troops".

The shooting deaths were the latest reported near the aid centre run by the Gaza Humanitarian Fund (GHF) in the southern district of Rafah, and came after it resumed distributions following a brief suspension in the wake of similar deaths earlier this week.

A boy looks on as he sits between Muslim worshippers prostrating as they perform the early morning prayers for Eid al-Adha at the makeshift prayer room of the Nour mosque in Gaza City

Cristiano Ronaldo rules himself out of Club World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo confirmed he would not play in the upcoming Club World Cup on Saturday, dismissing rumours he was set to transfer to one of the participating clubs.

Speaking ahead of Sunday's Nations League final against Spain in Munich, the Portugal captain said suggestions he was set to take part in the newly expanded competition were wide of the mark.

"I will not be at the Club World Cup," the Portugal veteran said, but added he had "been contacted" by several participating teams.

Portugal forward and captain Cristiano Ronaldo said he will not play in the Club World Cup.

In Tunisia's arid south, camel milk offers hope for economic gain

Deep in Tunisia's desert south, camels stride toward humming milking machines. Their milk is at the heart of a women-led project promising an economic lifeline for disadvantaged communities.

Spearheading this effort is 32-year-old Latifa Frifita, who launched Tunisia's first, and so far only, camel milk pasteurisation unit two years ago in Medenine.

Containing up to five times more iron than cow's milk, camel milk is non-allergenic