U.S. Senate fails to advance DHS funding bill, partial gov't shutdown looms

The U.S. Senate on Thursday failed to advance a funding bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), raising the prospect of a partial government shutdown as temporary funding for the department expires at the end of Friday.

The procedural vote was 52-47, short of the 60 votes required to advance the bill.

The legislative stall came as the White House and congressional Democrats have been unable to reach an agreement on immigration enforcement regulations, following two fatal shootings by federal law enforcement officers in the city of Minneapolis.

Britain announces new half-a-billion-pound aid package to Ukraine

Britain announced a new half-a-billion-pound (680 million U.S. dollars) package for urgent air defense support to Ukraine on Thursday during a NATO defense ministers' meeting in Brussels.

"Today, I'm announcing a new half-a-billion-pound package of urgent air defense support, which is President Zelensky's top priority," said British Defense Secretary John Healey at a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group (UDCG).

He explained that 150 million pounds of the total will be allocated for air defense interceptors in the "Prioritised Ukraine Requirements List" (PURL) program, a NATO-led U.S. arms-buying scheme, and 400 million pounds will be used for lightweight multirole missiles.

Netanyahu says conditions may be set for good deal with Iran

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Thursday that the conditions for a good deal between the United States and Iran may be created.

"The conditions Trump is creating, combined with the fact that they must understand that they were wrong the last time they did not make a deal, could be the conditions for a good deal," said Netanyahu before leaving the United States for Israel.

He added that during his talks with the U.S. president on Wednesday, he "expressed general skepticism about the nature of any deal with Iran."

Norwegian PM warns of "great uncertainty" in relations with U.S.

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Thursday warned that current developments in the United States under the Trump administration are creating "great uncertainty" and a "highly demanding" environment for Norway.

In a security policy address to Norway's parliament, the Storting, Store highlighted a significant shift in U.S. foreign and trade policy, noting that "unpredictability" has become a defining characteristic of the current American administration.

Ahead of his departure for the Munich Security Conference, he expressed deep concern over what he described as frequent "rhetorical attacks" on Europe originating from the "MAGA movement's" worldview. He specifically cited President Donald Trump's remarks to European allies, including the claim that "your countries are going to hell," as evidence of a deteriorating diplomatic climate.

U.S. House lawmakers vote to reject Trump's tariffs on Canadian goods

The Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to reject President Donald Trump's tariffs on Canada.

Lawmakers voted 219 to 211 in favor of a resolution to end slapping punitive tariffs on Canadian goods under the pretext of national emergency, according to local media reports.

Though the vote is largely symbolic as the resolution still needs to be approved by the U.S. Senate and then by Trump himself, it shows the lawmakers are caught between voting to "lower the cost of living for the American family" or "keep prices high out of loyalty to one person -- Donald J. Trump," said Democrat Representative Gregory Meeks, who authored the resolution.

Kremlin says Russia expects constructive dialogue with U.S. on Cuba

Russia hopes to resolve issues surrounding the U.S. oil embargo against Cuba through constructive dialogue with the United States, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday.

Peskov said Russia does not wish its assistance to Cuba to trigger additional U.S. tariffs and lead to further escalation, though current trade turnover between Russia and the United States stands at zero.

Russian media reported Thursday that Russia will soon deliver a batch of crude oil and fuel to Cuba as humanitarian assistance, citing the Russian embassy in Cuba.

Zelensky denies plans to announce election on Feb. 24

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denied plans to announce a presidential election and a referendum on a peace agreement on Feb. 24, the Ukrinform news agency reported Wednesday.

Zelensky told reporters that Ukraine would hold an election only after having security guarantees in place and a ceasefire with Russia.

On potential negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Zelensky said Ukraine is open to talks at locations suggested by the U.S. side -- in the United States, in Europe, or in neutral countries, anywhere except Russia and Belarus.

Egypt says 5,400 aid trucks ready for Gaza, seeks to raise entry capacity

Egypt has some 5,400 humanitarian aid trucks on its side of the Rafah border crossing ready to enter the Gaza Strip, and is working to increase the daily entry capacity, local media reported Thursday, citing North Sinai Governor Khaled Megawer.

Megawer made the remarks during a visit to the Egyptian side of the crossing by delegations from Sweden and Finland, where they reviewed Cairo's ongoing logistical and humanitarian efforts to support Gaza, according to Egypt's state-affiliated Al-Qahera News TV.

He noted that the trucks are fully prepared to enter Gaza's logistical zones once existing obstacles are resolved, adding that coordination with international partners is ongoing to ensure sustained aid delivery.

School shooting in southern Thailand leaves principal dead

A school shooting that occurred in southern Thailand's Songkhla province on Wednesday left the school principal dead, according to a notice issued by the school on Thursday.

The Royal Thai police said on social media on Thursday that the attack had left one principal killed and two students injured.

The suspect, a 17-year-old local male, has been taken into custody. He committed the crime with a rifle stolen from the police, according to the police.