Hamas hands its response on ceasefire proposal to mediators, official close to talks says
The official did not immediately disclose the content of the response.
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Indian Express
22 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Canada could join UK, France in recognising Palestine: The significance
Canada announced on Wednesday (July 30) that it would formally recognise Palestine in the United Nations General Assembly in September. The statement comes after Britain made a similar announcement on July 29, with its recognition conditional on a ceasefire. France and Malta have also said it will recognise Palestine. Palestine is facing a severe humanitarian crisis that has led to massive starvation. Canada Prime Minister Mark Carney has blamed this on Israel's refusal to give international organisations control of aid in Gaza. UK's Keir Starmer, meanwhile, said the UK would support Palestinian statehood in September unless Israel halts its military campaign, abandons annexation plans in the West Bank, and engages in peace efforts to establish a two-state solution. This decision marks a major shift in UK foreign policy. Israeli ambassador to Canada, Iddo Moed, strongly criticised Canada's position, saying that it is 'rewarding terrorists'. As many as 147 out of 193 UN member countries recognise the state of Palestine at present. The 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 80) will open on September 9, in the US. What does achieving statehood do for Palestine? We explain. For Palestine, achieving statehood would mean international recognition as an independent and sovereign country. Currently, Palestine holds the status of a 'Permanent Observer State' at the United Nations. This allows Palestine to participate in debates and UN sessions but not to vote on resolutions. To become a full UN Member State, Palestine would need a recommendation from the UN Security Council, followed by a two-thirds majority vote in the General Assembly. However, any of the five permanent members (P5) of the Security Council (US, UK, France, Russia, and China) can veto the application. A US veto blocked Palestine's last bid for full UN membership in April 2024. While the 2012 upgrade to observer status was seen as progress, full recognition would give Palestine greater diplomatic and legal standing in international affairs and further its pursuit of a two-state solution. As of March 2025, 147 out of the 193 UN member states (roughly 75%) recognise the State of Palestine. The recognition movement gained momentum following the intensification of the situation in Gaza and growing international outrage over the humanitarian crisis. In 2024, a group of UN experts urged all member nations to recognise Palestine in a bid to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza. This had come a week after Spain, Norway, and Ireland recognised Palestine. Most nations in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East (including India) have long recognised Palestine. In contrast, several Western countries have not. The United States, Japan, South Korea, and Australia are among those that still withhold formal recognition. In Europe, while France and the UK recently announced they will recognise Palestine in September in hopes of promoting peace, countries like Belgium and Germany are yet to do so. In a post on X, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the U.K.'s decision, saying: 'Starmer rewards Hamas's monstrous terrorism & punishes its victims.' Despite this opposition, the growing number of recognitions signals a shift in global opinion, with many countries increasingly aligning with the call for Palestinian statehood as a step toward resolving the conflict. The UK's decision to recognise Palestine as a state holds immense political and symbolic importance as it marks a significant shift in British foreign policy. The UK would become the second G7 nation (after France) to recognise Palestine, followed by Canada being the third, putting additional diplomatic pressure on Israel. The timing also matters. The announcement comes in the wake of public outrage over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with images of starving children sparking global condemnation. By linking statehood recognition to a ceasefire and progress toward peace, the UK is using its diplomatic clout to incentivise negotiations. Britain's historical role adds further weight to this decision. The 1917 Balfour Declaration, in which Britain supported the establishment of a 'national home for the Jewish people' in Palestine, played a key role in shaping the modern Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Many Palestinians view the declaration as the beginning of their displacement and suffering, culminating in the Nakba of 1948. If the UK proceeds with recognition, the United States would become the only permanent member of the UN Security Council (P5) not to do so. That isolation could further challenge the US's position as an 'impartial mediator' in Middle Eastern peace talks. Shaarvi Magazine is a summer intern with The Indian Express
Time of India
22 minutes ago
- Time of India
Trump Mobile wants to sell you telehealth, car care and insurance
By Akash Sriram and Aditya Soni Hours after the high-profile launch of Trump Mobile , a new Trump-branded mobile service provider, in June, callers to the company's customer support line were greeted with, "Omega Auto Care, how can I help you?" Two calls placed by Reuters that day to the mobile service's helpline rang to the Missouri-based auto-warranty company, which is part of Ensurety Ventures, a St. Louis, Missouri firm led by entrepreneur Pat O'Brien, who was introduced by Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. on June 16 as a member of the launch team providing "customer support and device protection" for Trump Mobile. Today, calls to the support line are answered by people who identify themselves as Trump Mobile support staff, but the first-day confusion speaks to the dizzying speed with which the Trump family has scrambled to set up the businesses. In addition to Trump Mobile, the family has established several ventures since President Donald Trump was elected to a second term in November. These include 12 new overseas development deals, a Trump-branded bible, a crypto trading platform World Liberty Financial - which has netted the president's family about $500 million since launch - a $TRUMP meme coin, and a stablecoin USD1. Trump Mobile is what's known as a mobile virtual network operator, or MVNO, which has grown in popularity in recent years as various celebrities and causes leverage their cultural clout to launch branded wireless ventures. T-Mobile, for instance, acquired Ryan Reynolds-backed Mint Mobile for up to $1.35 billion in May. Jason Bateman, Will Arnett and Sean Hayes, the actors behind the hit SmartLess podcast, announced SmartLess Mobile in June. At the launch of Trump Mobile, Eric and Donald Trump Jr. introduced the team, including O'Brien, Don Hendrickson, a telecom executive who will serve as Trump Mobile's head of mobile operations, and Eric Thomas, a Utah-based entrepreneur entrusted with "device operations," as having "hundreds of years" of telecom experience between them. The service, pitched by the Trumps for "hardworking Americans," will bundle telemedicine services and roadside assistance, along with a gold-toned, $499 smartphone dubbed T1 "designed and built in the United States," which a spokesperson says will be manufactured at facilities in Alabama, California and Florida. The company is charging $100 to "get in line" to buy the phone as soon as it ships. A Reuters review of the backgrounds of the Trump Mobile team reveals an interconnected web of companies owned by the three men that will form the core of the company's offering to consumers. The Trump Phone will ship bundled with an array of services provided by companies connected to O'Brien's Ensurety Ventures, Hendrickson and Thomas, including roadside assistance, device protection, and telehealth services , including "easy ordering" of prescription medications, according to its website. Reached by phone, O'Brien would not disclose the type of phone that will ship to users but did say it would run on Google's Android mobile operating system. "The plan is going to be able to have the phone done by September and launching where we're fulfilling orders in early October," O'Brien said. He added that the brand will initially launch one phone and eventually develop many devices, adding that the T1 has gotten a lot of pre-orders. He did not specify how many. From the start, telecom industry experts challenged the notion that the phone - or any competitive mobile device - could be built in the U.S. "Domestically manufacturing a smartphone in the USA could easily double its price compared to a similar one made in Asia," said Ken Hyers, Director of Market Analysis at TechInsights. Within days of the announcement, Trump Mobile dropped the Made in USA claim from its website. Now, a Trump Mobile spokesperson said the T1 is being manufactured in three states with the goal of sourcing "as many materials and parts from the U.S. as the supply chain allows." "We will continue to build on that as more and more parts and equipment are made here in America," the spokesperson said. Eric and Donald Trump Jr. did not respond to a request for comment. Thomas did not respond to requests for comment and Hendrickson could not be reached for comment. VIRTUAL OPERATOR Rather than building a telecom operation from scratch, Trump Mobile's wireless service will run on Liberty Mobile's network, a "virtual" network that leases cellular capacity from major carriers such as Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile, and is co-owned by the three members of the launch team, O'Brien, Thomas and Hendrickson. The company has not disclosed subscriber numbers, and O'Brien declined to provide them to Reuters. Incorporated in 2018 and registered to a condo in Trump Tower Miami, Liberty's service appears to be nascent, offering older smartphone models such as the iPhone 11. Its LinkedIn profile shows it has fewer than 50 employees and its website displays the text "lorem ipsum," typical placeholder text used to design pages before the content is final. Liberty's most recent annual filing in Florida dated February 7, 2025, lists Matthew Lopatin as its CEO and president, an entrepreneur who has founded and owns several businesses in Florida, filings show. Liberty and Lopatin did not respond to requests for comment. Hendrickson is listed as executive vice president of sales of Liberty Mobile. His son, Christian Hendrickson, worked at Liberty during the pandemic, according to his LinkedIn profile. Christian Hendrickson did not respond to a request for comment. BUNDLED SERVICES Among the services that will be bundled with the phone is VMed Mobile, a company jointly owned by O'Brien, Hendrickson and Thomas that sells portable wellness trackers and telehealth subscriptions, O'Brien said. The company certifies its products through a Shenzhen, China-based subsidiary, according to FCC filings on the company's website. O'Brien told Reuters he has been "personally involved" in Liberty Mobile for three years and that Liberty originally reached out to him to provide health tracking services. Liberty's website lists VMed Mobile as a service. Telehealth services for Trump Mobile will be provided by Doctegrity, according to its website. Doctegrity is a Texas-based telehealth subscription platform led by Jesse Ohayon, according to his LinkedIn profile and a YouTube posted months ago. Ohayon and Doctegrity did not respond to requests for comment. O'Brien's Ensurety Ventures controls roadside assistance provider Drive America and device insurance vendor Omega Mobile Care, two other services advertised by Trump Mobile. A separate webpage for the Omega Mobile Care lists three device protection plans for cracked screens between $100 and $300. Drive America, founded in 1968 and once owned by Ford Motor and Citi Group, serves 12 million customers, according to its website. Omega Auto Care, the company that picked up the phone on Trump Mobile launch day, provides vehicle service contracts and extended warranties that cover the cost of repairs for a car's mechanical breakdowns after its factory warranty expires. "We are providing products through that relationship that people normally have to pay upward of $30 per month or more to receive those benefits," O'Brien said.
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
India always supported a negotiated two-state solution: Govt. on Gaza conflict
India has always supported "a negotiated two-state solution" that would see the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel, the government told the Rajya Sabha on Thursday (July 31, 2025). The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was asked whether India's support for the Palestinian cause has been an "integral part of our foreign policy". Parliament Monsoon session Day 9 LIVE "India's policy towards Palestine has been longstanding. India has always supported a negotiated two-state solution, which would see the establishment of a sovereign, independent and viable State of Palestine within secure and recognised borders, living side by side in peace with Israel," Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh said in a written response to the query. India has "strongly condemned the terror attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the loss of civilian lives in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict", he said. "India remains concerned at the security situation and has called for a ceasefire, release of all hostages and peaceful resolution of the conflict through dialogue and diplomacy," Mr. Singh added. The MEA was also asked whether India, on June 12, abstained from voting on a UN General Assembly resolution demanding an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, the release of hostages and unimpeded humanitarian aid. Mr. Singh said India has emphasised the need for safe, timely and sustained delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Palestine. "India has also reiterated that bringing Israel and Palestine closer contributes to creating conditions for early resumption of direct peace negotiations," he said. India has reiterated the above position in various bilateral and multilateral forums, such as the UN, BRICS, NAM and Voice of Global South, the minister said. "In line with the above-stated policy and taking into account the lack of negotiations and overall imbalance of the resolution text, India abstained in the vote on the recent resolution in the UNGA Emergency Special Session on 12.06.2025," he said.
