Indian PM meets Chinese FM on ties

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met here on Tuesday with visiting Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, who is also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs.

Modi said that both India and China are ancient civilizations, and they have enjoyed a long history of friendly exchanges, and the Kazan meeting between leaders of the two countries last October turned out to be a turning point for the improvement and development of bilateral ties.

He stressed that India and China are partners, not rivals, and are sharing the same goal of achieving faster growths, and should increase exchanges, promote mutual understanding and expand cooperation, saying that huge potentials and bright future of bilateral cooperation could be perceived by the whole world.

Putin, Trump back continuation of direct Russia-Ukraine talks: Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump voiced support for continuing direct negotiations between Russian and Ukrainian delegations in a phone call, Russian presidential aide Yuri Ushakov said on Tuesday.

The call was initiated by Trump following his meetings at the White House with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and several European leaders, Ushakov said.

He said that Trump and Putin also discussed the idea of raising the level of representatives participating in the talks.

Trump orders team to work on security guarantees for peace in Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump has directed his team to come up with a framework for security guarantees that will help ensure lasting peace in Ukraine, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said Tuesday.

The accommodations of a potential Putin-Zelensky meeting are on the way, and both sides expressed willingness for talks, she told a press briefing.

In an interview with Fox News earlier on Tuesday, Trump said there will be no U.S. boots on the ground, but indicated the United States could help in other ways, including air support.

He again categorically ruled out Ukraine joining the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

Russia, Ukraine swap more bodies of fallen soldiers: Kremlin aide

Russia and Ukraine on Tuesday exchanged more bodies of fallen soldiers under the Istanbul deal, Russian presidential aide Vladimir Medinsky said.

Moscow had handed over 1,000 bodies of fallen soldiers to Kiev, while Ukraine had transferred 19 bodies to Russia, said Medinsky, also Russia's chief negotiator at the talks with the Ukrainian side.

During their second round of talks on June 2 in Istanbul, Russia and Ukraine agreed on an "all-for-all" exchange of seriously ill and wounded prisoners, and soldiers under the age of 25, as well as the transfer of bodies of fallen soldiers.

More U.S. states send National Guard troops to D.C. amid strong backlash

The U.S. state of Tennessee announced Tuesday that it is sending around 160 National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., after U.S. President Donald Trump asserted that crime and homelessness have been out of control in the nation's capital.

The latest development came about a week after Trump declared a crime "emergency" in the U.S. capital and deployed around 800 troops from the D.C. National Guard on Aug. 11.

Over the weekend, the Republican governors of West Virginia, Ohio and South Carolina pledged to deploy National Guard troops to the national capital. On Monday, Mississippi and Louisiana also said they would deploy National Guard troops to D.C.

Israel demands release of all hostages after Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal

A senior Israeli official said on Tuesday Israel is demanding the release of all hostages still held in Gaza, a day after Hamas announced it had accepted a ceasefire-for-hostage proposal brokered by Qatar and Egypt.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, did not explicitly reject the plan but said Israel "demands the release of all 50 hostages in accordance with the principles set by the cabinet for ending the war."

"Israel's policy is consistent and has not changed. We are in the final stage of defeating Hamas and will not leave any hostages behind," the official said.

At least 30 killed by Israeli army in Gaza

At least 30 Palestinians were killed and dozens of others injured by Israeli army in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, according to the Civil Defense in Gaza.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Civil Defense, told Xinhua that the casualties resulted from Israeli shelling and gunfire targeting tents for displaced people and gatherings of Palestinians near U.S.-backed aid distribution centers.

Basal said two men were killed when Israeli forces opened fire near aid centers north of Rafah in southern Gaza, while another man was killed in the Mawasi area of Khan Younis.