China, EU hold 13th round of high-level strategic dialogue

At the 13th round of China-EU High-level Strategic Dialogue Wednesday, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas agreed to deepen mutual understanding and work together to get well-prepared for the upcoming leaders' meeting for enhancing cooperation.

Noting this year marks the 50th anniversary of bilateral diplomatic ties as well as the 80th anniversary of the founding of the United Nations (UN), Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, said the upcoming China-EU leaders' meeting is drawing broad attention.

Looking back on the extraordinary journey of China-EU relations over the past five decades, Wang said, their relationship should be characterized as that of partners rather than rivals, with cooperation as the defining feature and ballast.

U.S. House passes Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill

The U.S. House of Representatives passed President Donald Trump's One Big Beautiful Bill with a vote of 218 to 214 on Thursday.

The bill will be sent to the president's desk for signing by the deadline of July 4, which was set by Trump.

Two Republican representatives, Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, voted against the bill.

Hamas to deliver final decision over Gaza ceasefire proposal

Hamas said in an official statement on Friday that it will deliver its final decision over the Gaza ceasefire proposal to the mediators after the consultations are over.

In line with Hamas keenness to end the Israeli aggression against their people and ensure the free entry of aid, they are conducting consultations with leaders of the Palestinian forces and factions regarding the offer it received from the mediators, Hamas said.

Hamas and Israel have held several rounds of indirect negotiations over the past months, but no final ceasefire agreement has been reached. In previous talks, Hamas demanded a complete end to the war, while Israel insisted on a temporary ceasefire.

Trump says no progress on Iran, Ukraine

U.S. President Donald Trump said that he did not make any progress during his phone call earlier on Thursday with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over Iran and the Ukraine conflict.

"No, I didn't make any progress with him today at all," Trump told reporters. "I'm not happy about that."

"We had a call. It was a pretty long call. We talked about a lot of things, including Iran, and we also talked about, as you know, the war with Ukraine," said Trump.

Denmark takes over EU presidency

Denmark officially assumed the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union on Thursday, marking the occasion with a visit by leaders from the European Commission and the European Council and an official opening ceremony in Aarhus, Denmark's second-largest city.

At the launch event, Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen pledged that Denmark would "do all we can to forge a more powerful and a more decisive Europe." She reaffirmed that the Nordic country would prioritize maintaining and strengthening European support for Ukraine during its six-month presidency.

S. Korea's parliament approves prime minister nominee

South Korea's parliament approved the appointment of prime minister nominee Kim Min-seok on Thursday.

The motion to appoint Kim, the ruling Democratic Party's four-term lawmaker, was approved with 173 votes in favor, three against and three invalid.

Of the 300 members of the ruling party-controlled National Assembly, lawmakers of the conservative opposition People Power Party refused to vote on it, calling for Kim's voluntary resignation.