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The US government was set to take the first tentative steps towards re-opening Thursday after President Donald Trump signed a bill to end the longest federal shutdown in US history.The 43-day funding freeze had paralysed Washington and left hundreds of thousands of workers unpaid while Republicans and Democrats played a high-stakes blame game.The Republican-led House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, largely along party lines, to approve a Senate-passed package that will reopen federal departments and agencies, as many Democrats fume over what they see as a capitulation by party leaders.Trump lashed out at Democrats as he put his signature to the bill later in the Oval Office, urging Americans to remember the chaos when voting in hotly contested US midterm elections in a year's time."Today we are sending a clear message that we will never give in to extortion," said Trump, surrounded by gleeful Republican lawmakers including House Speaker Mike Johnson.Johnson had earlier pointed the finger at the minority party in a withering floor speech before the vote."When we come up to midterms and other things, don't forget what they've done to our country," Trump said. "So with my signature, the federal government... will now resume normal operations."The package funds military construction, veterans' affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and Congress itself through next fall, and the rest of government through the end of January when lawmakers will again need to reach a funding agreement.Around 670,000 furloughed civil servants will report back to work, and a similar number who were kept at their posts with no compensation — including more than 60,000 air traffic controllers and airport security staff — will get back pay.Several federal agencies, including the Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services, told their staff to return to the office Thursday, according to US media.Travel delays looked set to improve but not disappear with almost 1,000 flights cancelled Thursday, according to tracking website FlightAware. Authorities said air traffic controller shortages were easing and the transportation secretary on Wednesday released a fresh order for six percent of flights to be frozen — lower than the eight to 10 percent expected under the previous emergency directive.The deal also restores federal workers fired by Trump during the shutdown, while air travel that has been disrupted across the country will gradually return to normal.Trump falsely accused Democrats of costing the country $1.5tn. While the full financial toll of the shutdown has yet to be determined, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that it has caused $14bn in lost growth.Johnson and his Republicans had almost no room for error as their majority is down to two votes.Democratic leadership — furious over what they see as their Senate colleagues folding — had urged members to vote no and all but a handful held the line.Although polling showed the public mostly on Democrats' side throughout the standoff, Republicans are widely seen as having done better from its conclusion.For more than five weeks, Democrats held firm on refusing to reopen the government unless Trump agreed to extend pandemic-era tax credits that made health insurance affordable for millions of Americans.Election victories in multiple states last week gave Democrats further encouragement and a renewed sense of purpose.But a group of eight Senate moderates broke ranks to cut a deal with Republicans that offers a vote in the upper chamber on health care subsidies — but no floor time in the House and no guarantee of action.Democrats are now deep in a painful reckoning over how their tough stance crumbled without any notable win.Democratic leadership is arguing that — while their health care demands went largely unheard — they were able to shine the spotlight on an issue they hope will power them to victory in the 2026 midterm elections."Over the last several weeks, we have elevated successfully the issue of the Republican health care crisis, and we're not backing away from it," House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told MSNBC.But his Senate counterpart Chuck Schumer is facing a backlash from the fractious progressive base for failing to keep his members unified, with a handful of House Democrats calling for his head.Outside Washington, some of the party's hottest prospects for the 2028 presidential nomination added their own voices to the chorus of opprobrium.California Governor Gavin Newsom called the agreement "pathetic," while his Illinois counterpart JB Pritzker said it amounted to an "empty promise." Former transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg called it a "bad deal."

US President Donald Trump signed a funding bill to reopen the government, ending the longest shutdown in the US history after the US House of Representatives approved the bill earlier in a 222-209 vote, with nearly every Republican and a some Democrats voting for it, according to CNN.The House, which is controlled by the Republicans, voted by a narrow majority to approve a package passed by the Senate that would reopen federal departments and agencies. Six Democrats joined nearly all Republicans in voting yes for the bill while two Republicans joined most Democrats in voting no.The US Senate had reached a bipartisan agreement a few days ago between the Republican and Democratic parties to resume federal funding and end the government shutdown.

The United States will share a draft resolution on President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza with the 10 elected members of the United Nations Security Council, a US official said. Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas agreed a month ago to the first phase of Trump's 20-point plan for Gaza: a ceasefire in their two-year war and hostage-release deal.The United States has drafted a UN Security Council resolution that would approve a two-year mandate for a Gaza transitional governance body and an international stabilization force in the Palestinian enclave, according to the text seen by Reuters.A resolution needs at least nine votes in favour and no vetoes by Russia, China, the US, Britain or France to be adopted.It was not immediately clear if the US has yet shared a copy of the draft resolution with Russia and China. The two-page text seen by Reuters would authorize a Board of Peace transitional governance administration to establish a temporary International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza that could "use all necessary measures" - code for force - to carry out its mandate.

US President Donald Trump affirmed the strength of relations between his country and South Korea, noting that Seoul is a valued friend and ally of Washington. Trump made this statement during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) CEO Summit, held in Gyeongju, South Korea.The US president indicated that a trade agreement with South Korea would be finalized very soon, amid reports that negotiations over the details of the agreement had reached an impasse.For his part, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung asked his US counterpart to allow South Korea access to fuel for its nuclear-powered submarines and pledged to increase defense spending to bolster the country's military capabilities.The South Korean president made these remarks at the start of their summit talks in Gyeongju, southeast of Seoul, where Seoul is seeking to amend the bilateral nuclear energy agreement with Washington to gain greater flexibility in reprocessing spent nuclear fuel and uranium enrichment.The visit marks the US President's first trip to South Korea during his second term in office. The two-day state visit began today as the President arrived in the South Korean city of Busan.

US President Donald Trump arrived in Malaysia on Sunday on the first leg of an Asian tour that will include high-stakes trade talks with Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.US-China trade talks in the Malaysian capital entered a second day on Sunday, ahead of Trump's meeting with Xi in South Korea, in a bid to seal a deal to end the bruising trade war between the world's two biggest economies.Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One that he hoped for a "comprehensive deal" with Xi, adding that he expected China to make a deal to avoid further 100 percent tariffs that are due to come into effect on November 1."We're moving forward to the final details of the type of agreement that the leaders can review," US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer told reporters in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.As he left Washington, Trump added to speculation that he could also meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un for the first time since 2019 while on the Korean peninsula, saying he was "open to it".The US president will also visit Japan, on his first trip to Asia since returning to the White House in January in a blaze of tariffs and international dealmaking.It is Trump's first visit as president to Kuala Lumpur, where his flight was escorted on its final approach by two Malaysian F-18 jets.Greeted with a red carpet welcome and a sea of Malaysian and US flags, a grinning Trump responded with his trademark arm-waving dance to cultural performers.Trump, who is expected to sign a trade deal with Malaysia, rode with Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit in his armoured Cadillac -- nicknamed "The Beast".A small group of protesters, including some holding placards reading "Dump Trump", rallied elsewhere in the city.The US president is also expected to witness the signing of a ceasefire agreement between Thailand and Cambodia, a truce he helped broker after the deadliest clashes between the neighbours in decades.Tariff talksAfter Malaysia, Trump is expected in Tokyo on Monday, where the following day he will meet Japan's new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.The US leader said he had heard "great things about her" and hailed the fact that she was an acolyte of assassinated former premier Shinzo Abe, with whom he had close ties.Takaichi said she told Trump in a phone call on Saturday that "strengthening the Japan-US alliance is my administration's top priority on the diplomatic and security front".Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are "ripping off the United States".The highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, where Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office.Trump is due to land in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, and will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung.On Thursday, global markets will be watching closely to see if the meeting with Xi can halt the trade war sparked by Trump's sweeping tariffs, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing's rare-earth curbs.Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and announced the fresh 100 percent tariffs during that row, before saying he would go ahead after all.South Korea's reunification minister has said there is a "considerable" chance that Trump and North Korea's Kim will also meet.The two leaders last met in the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) separating the two Koreas during Trump's first term.Kim has said he would also be open to meeting the US president if Washington drops its demand that Pyongyang give up its nuclear arsenal.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani met Saturday with President of the United States of America, Donald Trump, at Al Udeid Air Base.At the outset of the meeting, His Highness the Amir welcomed the US President and his accompanying delegation, expressing his pleasure at meeting the president during his stopover in Qatar, and reaffirming his enduring commitment to further advancing the bilateral relationship between the two friendly nations and elevating it to new heights, while wishing the president and his delegation a successful trip.For his part, the US president expressed his thanks and gratitude for meeting His Highness the Amir, commending His Highness's role and Qatar's supportive efforts toward peace and security in the region, as well as the strong bilateral relationship between Qatar and the United States, and expressing his aspiration to deepen cooperation across various fields.During the meeting, both sides discussed avenues for strengthening strategic cooperation between the two countries across different areas of partnership, along with key regional and global issues, particularly the current developments in the Gaza Strip and the occupied Palestinian territories, with a focus on supporting peace in the region and reinforcing the agreement to end the war in Gaza and ensure the implementation of all its provisions by the parties.The meeting was attended by HE the Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim al-Thani, HE the Chief of the Amiri Diwan Abdullah bin Mohammed al-Khulaifi, along with several senior officials.On the US side, the meeting was attended by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and a number of the US president.

The summit between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump will take place, but will likely be postponed to a later date, said Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund and the Russian president's special envoy for investment and economic cooperation with foreign countries.In an interview with CNN, Dmitriev, who is visiting the US, said that the meeting between Putin and Trump had not been canceled, as the US president described it, and that the two leaders will likely meet at a later date."I believe Russia and the US and Ukraine are actually quite close to a diplomatic solution," the Russian envoy said.Last week, US President Donald Trump announced that he would meet with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, in Hungary to try to end the war in Ukraine, before later announcing the cancellation of the summit.

US President Donald Trump affirmed that he is working hard on resolving the Ukrainian crisis, amid the ongoing Russian military operation against Ukraine since February 24, 2022. Trump added, in press statements, that he continues to work on ending the Russian war on Ukraine, saying he is working diligently on this file, ahead of the expected visit of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the White House scheduled for Friday. On another note, the US President stated that the United States is in a trade war with China. In response to a question about the possibility of escalating relations with China into a trade war, Trump said, "We're in one now."

US President Donald Trump headed on a high high-stakes trip to Israel and Egypt Sunday, after saying it would be a "very special" moment for efforts to end the Gaza war.Air Force One took off from Joint Base Andrews near Washington in light rain, AFP reporters said. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and CIA chief John Ratcliffe were also on the plane, the White House said.

US President Donald Trump plans to convene world leaders for a summit on Gaza during his visit to Egypt next week, Axios reported on Friday, citing four sources with knowledge of the matter.Among those expected to participate are representatives from Qatar, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Italy, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Indonesia, Axios said, citing the sources.

Turkiye's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday welcomed the Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. In a post on social media platforms, Erdogan expressed his sincere gratitude to his American counterpart Donald Trump, the State of Qatar, and the Arab Republic of Egypt for demonstrating the necessary political will to encourage Israel to agree to a ceasefire in Gaza. Erdogan said that Turkiye will closely monitor strict implementation of the ceasefire deal, and continue to contribute to the process. Earlier, Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had signed the first phase of the peace plan, expressing his thanks to the mediators from the State of Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, and the Republic of Turkiye.

His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani reaffirmed Qatar's support for peace efforts, expressing His Highness's confidence in the ability of countries backing the plan of President of the friendly US of America Donald Trump, to reach a just settlement that ensures security and stability in the region and safeguards the rights of the Palestinian people.This came during a phone call His Highness the Amir received Wednesday from the US president. During the call, the two sides discussed developments regarding President Trump's plan to end the war in the Gaza Strip.They also discussed the close strategic relations between the two countries across various fields of partnership and bilateral cooperation, in addition to exchanging views on a number of other regional and international developments of mutual interest.