ISTANBUL
Here’s a rundown of all the news you need to start your Tuesday, including US President Donald Trump saying Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine for a week, Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian issuing an order to resume nuclear negotiations with the US, Rafah crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border officially reopening, and up to 1,000 migrants feared missing in the Mediterranean after Cyclone Harry.
TOP STORIES
- Trump says Putin agreed to pause attacks on Ukraine for a week
US President Donald Trump said Monday that Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to halt attacks on Ukraine for one week after he raised concerns about extreme cold weather affecting the country.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he contacted Putin directly to request a temporary pause in missile strikes, particularly targeting major cities.
"I did call up President Putin," he said, noting that Russia has the "same cold wave" that the US has recently experienced but stressing that Ukraine is "much colder than us."
"They have a tremendous cold wave," he said, adding that he asked Putin, "if you wouldn't shoot for a period of one week, no missiles going into Kyiv or any other towns, and he's agreed to do so."
"It's something," he added.
- Iran’s president orders resumption of nuclear talks with US
Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian has issued an order to resume nuclear negotiations with the United States, Iranian media reported Monday.
Tasnim News Agency, citing an informed source, said the talks are likely to restart soon and will involve senior officials from both countries.
However, the exact time and location of the meeting have yet to be finalized.
The negotiations, it added, are expected to take place at the level of Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
The move comes amid heightened tensions between Iran and the US, with the American military fleet reportedly heading toward the region, as announced by President Donald Trump.
- Rafah crossing officially reopens
The Rafah border crossing on the Egypt-Gaza border officially resumed operations Monday, with 50 people expected to leave Gaza and 50 others set to return, according to Egyptian official media.
Al-Qahera News reported Monday that an initial group of Palestinians had arrived at the crossing.
The Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing began operating on a trial basis on Sunday after being completely closed for more than 18 months due to Israeli restrictions.
About 50 Palestinians are expected to enter Gaza, while 150 patients and their companions are set to leave the enclave for medical treatment in Egypt, according to Israeli media. Gaza health officials estimate that about 22,000 patients are waiting for the crossing to fully reopen.
- Up to 1,000 migrants feared missing in Mediterranean after Cyclone Harry
Up to 1,000 migrants may have gone missing in the central Mediterranean during extreme weather caused by Cyclone Harry in mid-January, according to the Italian NGO Mediterranea Saving Humans.
The NGO said testimonies collected by Refugees in Libya and Tunisia point to what could be one of the deadliest tragedies on the central Mediterranean migration route in recent years, accusing Italian and Maltese authorities of a lack of information and rescue efforts.
"The contours of the greatest tragedy in recent years are taking shape along the central Mediterranean routes, and the governments of Italy and Malta remain silent and do nothing," Laura Marmorale, president of Mediterranea Saving Humans, said in a statement on Monday.
NEWS IN BRIEF
- Türkiye welcomes any step that helps peace and stability in Syria and that protects its territorial and political unity, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday, following a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.
- Conservative Laura Fernandez Delgado of the ruling Sovereign People’s Party (PPSO) is leading in the country’s presidential election, the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) announced Sunday.
- US President Donald Trump said Monday that his administration is in ongoing discussions with the leadership in Cuba, which he alleged is a "failed nation."
- French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu late Monday survived two no-confidence motions, moving the budget toward final approval after months of debate at the National Assembly.
- US Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced Monday that her department will immediately deploy body cameras to all law enforcement officers operating in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- Syrian internal security forces on Monday entered the village of Shuyukh, south of the Ayn al-Arab district, which is under the occupation of the terrorist organization YPG, under an agreement signed between Damascus and the terror group.
- UK lawmaker Dan Norris, who was suspended from the Labour Party last year on suspicion of sexual offenses against a girl, child abduction, and rape, has been rearrested, police confirmed Monday.
- US President Donald Trump announced Monday that he is launching a new strategic critical minerals reserve to ensure that American manufacturing can wean itself from its reliance on China.
- EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said Monday that the UN is "not delivering the way it should" and reiterated the need to develop international law with countries seeking a rules-based order.
- The Spanish government on Monday condemned Israel’s decision to ban the activities of the medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in the Gaza Strip.
- Venezuela's interim President Delcy Rodriguez received US envoy Laura Dogu on Monday as the two countries moved toward repairing relations that were severed in 2019.
- Poland’s military police are investigating how an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) of unknown origin crashed inside a military compound in the country’s northeast, just meters from an arms depot, authorities confirmed Monday.
- A China-led team has discovered amphibian track fossils in Middle Jurassic strata in Beijing, marking the first such find in Asia, China’s state-run Xinhua news agency reported Monday.
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office Ignazio Cassis held talks Monday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv to reaffirm the organization’s role as a “platform for dialogue.”
- German Chancellor Friedrich Merz urged Europeans on Monday to become more independent amid global upheavals.
BUSINESS & ECONOMY
- Trump announces new US-India trade deal cutting reciprocal tariffs to 18%
US President Donald Trump announced Monday a new trade deal with India that will lower US reciprocal tariffs from 25% to 18%, saying the agreement will expand bilateral trade and strengthen ties.
"It was an Honor to speak with Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi, of India, this morning," Trump said on his US social media company Truth Social, describing him as "one of my greatest friends and, a Powerful and Respected Leader of his Country."
- China once again tops shipbuilding in 2025
China's shipbuilding industry remained the world's leading shipbuilder in 2025 in terms of total output and its share of new and pending orders, according to official data released Monday.
The country's shipbuilding output reached 53.69 million deadweight tons (DWT) last year, an 11.4% increase compared to the previous year, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.
China's manufacturing accounted for 56% of global shipbuilding output, the data showed.
