WASHINGTON/ANKARA — Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan discussed developments in Syria and Gaza with US counterpart Donald J. Trump in a telephone call on Tuesday as Syria’s Turkey-backed government announced a ceasefire with US-allied Kurdish forces after days of clashes.

Turkey separately weighed if Mr. Erdogan should join the US leader’s “Board of Peace” initiative.

“President Erdogan stated that Turkey was closely following developments in Syria, that Syria’s unity, harmony and territorial integrity were important for Turkey,” the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Earlier Mr. Trump said he had a “very good call” with Mr. Erdogan, without elaborating.

Syria’s government seized swathes of territory in the northeast this week and gave the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) four days to agree on integrating into the central state.

The SDF’s main ally, the United States, said the partnership with the group had changed nature after Syria’s new government emerged.

The Turkish presidency added that Mr. Erdogan and Mr. Trump also discussed the fight against the Islamic State militant group and the “situation” of its prisoners in Syrian jails.

Turkey deems the SDF a terrorist organization linked with the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has mounted a four-decade insurgency against the Turkish state.

In its peace process with the PKK, Ankara has called for the group and its affiliates to disband and disarm.

Ankara, the main foreign backer of Syria’s new government, has praised Damascus’ advances against the SDF and repeatedly called for it to integrate with the Syrian state apparatus.

ERDOGAN THANKS TRUMP FOR ‘BOARD OF PEACE’ INVITE
Mr. Erdogan told Mr. Trump Turkey would continue to coordinate with Washington on Gaza, the Turkish presidency said.

“President Erdogan thanked US President Trump for the invitation to the Gaza Board of Peace,” it added.

A United Nations Security Council resolution, adopted in mid-November, authorized the “Board of Peace” and countries working with it to establish an international stabilization force in Gaza.

In October, a fragile ceasefire began in Gaza under a Trump plan on which Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas had signed off.

Earlier on Tuesday, Turkey said Mr. Erdogan would decide soon on joining the initiative. Turkey has been critical of Israel’s assault on Gaza, casting it as genocide, while Israel has repeatedly opposed a Turkish role in Gaza.

More than 460 Palestinians, more than 100 of them children, and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the Gaza truce began.

Under Mr. Trump’s Gaza plan, the board was meant to supervise Gaza’s temporary governance. Later, Mr. Trump said it would be expanded to tackle conflicts around the world.

Many rights experts say that Mr. Trump’s chairing of a board to supervise a foreign territory’s affairs would resemble a colonial structure.

Diplomats fear such a board for global issues could harm the work of the United Nations.

Among those the White House has named to the board are Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Britain’s former Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Mr. Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner. — Reuters

BRUSSELS — The EU plans to phase out components and equipment from high-risk suppliers in critical sectors, according to a draft proposal released by Brussels on Tuesday – a move criticized by China’s Huawei, which is set to be among the companies affected.

The measures, set out by the European Commission in revisions to the EU’s Cybersecurity Act, follow a rise in cyber and ransomware attacks and growing concerns over foreign interference, espionage and Europe’s reliance on non-EU technology suppliers.

The Commission, the 27-nation bloc’s executive arm, did not name any companies or countries.

Europe has, however, been tightening scrutiny of Chinese technology. Germany recently appointed an expert commission to reassess trade policy toward Beijing and has banned the use of Chinese components in future 6G telecoms networks.

The US banned approvals of new telecoms equipment from Huawei and Chinese rival ZTE in 2022 and has urged European allies to follow suit.

“Chinese companies have long operated in Europe in compliance with laws and regulations and have never endangered Europe’s national security,” Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China’s foreign ministry, said on Wednesday. He urged the EU to avoid “going further down the wrong path of protectionism”.

NEW MEASURES CREATE MORE SAFETY, TECH SOVEREIGNTY, EU SAYS
“With the new Cybersecurity Package, we will have the means in place to better protect our critical (information and communications technology) supply chains but also to combat cyber attacks decisively,” EU tech chief Henna Virkkunen said in a statement.

Huawei echoed criticism from China’s foreign ministry.

“A legislative proposal to limit or exclude non-EU suppliers based on country of origin, rather than factual evidence and technical standards, violates the EU’s basic legal principles of fairness, non-discrimination, and proportionality, as well as its WTO (World Trade Organization) obligations,” a Huawei spokesperson said.

“We will closely monitor the subsequent development of the legislative process and reserve all rights to safeguard our legitimate interests,” she said.

The new measures will apply to 18 key sectors identified by the Commission, including detection equipment, connected and automated vehicles, electricity supply and storage systems, water supply systems, and drones and counter‑drone systems. Cloud services, medical devices, surveillance equipment, space services and semiconductors are also classified as critical.

The EU adopted a 5G security “toolbox” in 2020 to curb the use of perceived high-risk vendors such as Huawei over concerns about sabotage or espionage. Some countries have yet to remove such equipment due to its high replacement cost.

Under Tuesday’s proposals, mobile operators will have 36 months from the publication of the high-risk supplier list to phase out key components. Phase-out periods for fixed networks, including fiber-optic and submarine cables, as well as satellite networks, will be announced later.

“This is an important step in securing our European technological sovereignty and ensuring greater safety for all,” Ms. Virkkunen said.

Restrictions on suppliers from countries deemed to pose cybersecurity risks would take effect only after a formal risk assessment initiated by the Commission or at least three EU countries. Any measures would be based on market analysis and impact assessments.

Telecoms lobby group Connect Europe warned that the proposals would increase the burden on the industry, with additional regulatory costs running into the billions of euros.

The updated Cybersecurity Act must still be negotiated with EU governments and the European Parliament in the coming months before it becomes law. — Reuters

CAIRO — Israeli forces ordered dozens of Palestinian families in the southern Gaza Strip to leave their homes in the first forced evacuation since October’s ceasefire, as residents and Hamas said on Tuesday the military was expanding the area it controls.

Residents of Bani Suhaila, east of Khan Younis, said the leaflets were dropped on Monday on families living in tent encampments in the Al-Reqeb neighborhood.

“Urgent message. The area is under IDF control. You must evacuate immediately,” said the leaflets, written in Arabic, Hebrew, and English, which the army dropped over the Al‑Reqeb neighborhood in the town of Bani Suhaila.

Israel’s military denied having plans to forcibly displace Palestinians from the area. It confirmed the leaflet drops but said they were aimed at warning Palestinians not to cross the armistice line with Hamas.

In the two-year war before the US brokered ceasefire was signed in October, Israel dropped leaflets over areas that were subsequently raided or bombarded, forcing some families to move several times.

Residents and a source from the Hamas militant group said this was the first time they had been dropped since then.

SIDES FAR APART ON NEXT PHASES
The ceasefire has not progressed beyond its first phase, under which major fighting has stopped, Israel withdrew from less than half of Gaza, and Hamas released hostages in return for Palestinian detainees and prisoners.

Virtually the entire population of more than 2 million people are confined to around a third of Gaza’s territory, mostly in makeshift tents and damaged buildings, where life has resumed under control of an administration led by Hamas.

Israel and Hamas have accused each other of major breaches of the ceasefire and remain far apart on the more difficult steps planned for the next phase.

Mahmoud, a resident from the Bani Suhaila area, who asked not to give his family name, said the evacuation orders impacted at least 70 families, living in tents and homes, some of which were partially damaged, in the area.

“We have fled the area and relocated westward. It is maybe the fourth or fifth time the occupation expanded the yellow line since last month,” he told Reuters by phone from Khan Younis, referring to the line behind which Israel has withdrawn.

“Each time they move it around 120 to 150 meters inside the Palestinian-controlled territory, swallowing more land,” the father-of-three said.

HAMAS CITES STATE OF HUMANITARIAN DISRUPTION
Ismail Al-Thawabta, director of the Hamas-run Gaza government media office, said the Israeli military had expanded the area under its control in eastern Khan Younis five times since the ceasefire, forcing the displacement of at least 9,000 people.

“On Monday, 19 January 2026, the Israeli occupation forces dropped warning leaflets demanding the forced evacuation of the Bani Suhaila area in eastern Khan Younis Governorate, in a measure that falls within a policy of intimidation and pressure on civilians,” Mr. Thawabta told Reuters.

He said the new evacuation orders affected approximately 3,000 people.

“The move created a state of humanitarian disruption, increased pressure on the already limited shelter areas, and further deepened the internal displacement crisis in the governorate,” Mr. Thawabta added.

Israel’s military has previously said it has opened fire after identifying what it called “terrorists” crossing the yellow line and approaching its troops, posing an immediate threat to them.

It has continued to conduct air strikes and targeted operations across Gaza. The Israeli military has said it views “with utmost severity” any attempts by militant groups in Gaza to attack Israel.

Under future phases of the ceasefire that have yet to be hammered out, US President Donald Trump’s plan envisages Hamas disarming, Israel pulling out further, and an internationally backed administration rebuilding Gaza.

More than 460 Palestinians and three Israeli soldiers have been reported killed since the ceasefire took effect.

Israel launched its operations in Gaza in the wake of an attack by Hamas-led fighters in October 2023 which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies. Israel’s assault has killed 71,000 people, the enclave’s health authorities say. — Reuters

SEOUL — A South Korean court on Wednesday sentenced former Prime Minister Han Duck-soo to 23 years in jail for charges including engaging in a key action of insurrection concerning ex-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s declaration of martial law in December 2024.

The Seoul Central District Court found Mr. Han guilty because he was considered instrumental in setting up the outward appearance of a cabinet meeting that facilitated the martial law declaration, a judge said, calling it a “top-down insurrection”.

“The defendant was a Prime Minister who had been indirectly given democratic legitimacy and responsibility… Nevertheless, the defendant chose to turn a blind eye… and participate as a member of the December 3 insurrection,” the judge said.

“As a result of the defendant’s actions, South Korea was in danger of returning to the dark past when the basic rights and liberal democratic order of the people were violated, potentially preventing them from escaping from the quagmire of dictatorship for a long time.”

The lower court also found Mr. Han guilty of related charges such as perjury and creating a false official document.

Mr. Han had denied wrongdoing for all charges except partial perjury.

Mr. Han, 76, is the first former cabinet minister to be handed a ruling by a lower court on criminal charges directly related to martial law.

Mr. Han was detained by the court immediately after the ruling.

The ruling can be appealed, and Mr. Han’s lawyer said he expected the ruling to be appealed up to the Supreme Court. — Reuters

VENEZUELA’S interim president Delcy Rodriguez said on Tuesday that the country has received $300 million from oil sales, the first proceeds from US President Donald Trump’s announced 50-million-barrel oil supply deal with Caracas, following the capture of President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.

Mr. Trump said separately on Tuesday his country had taken the 50 million barrels out of Venezuela, and was selling some of it in the open market, though shipping records show that volume has not yet been exported.

Reuters reported last week that four Venezuelan banks had been notified by the country’s government that they would split $300 million of oil revenues deposited in an account in Qatar, enabling them to sell dollars to Venezuelan companies that need foreign exchange to pay for materials.

“We should inform you that we have gotten funds, from the sale of oil, and we have gotten, of the first $500 million, $300 million,” Ms. Rodriguez said at an event in Caracas. “These first funds will be used through the exchange market in Venezuela, by national banks and the central bank, to consolidate and stabilize the market and protect the incomes and purchasing power of our workers.”

Elsewhere on Tuesday, Ms. Rodriguez’s brother, lawmaker Jorge Rodriguez, said a reform of the country’s main oil law expected to be debated for the first time this week will be based on a partnership structure first introduced during President Nicolas Maduro’s administration, though he provided no details.

Interim president Ms. Rodriguez told lawmakers last week that the government supported changes to the hydrocarbons law to boost foreign investment. The law has a single contract model of joint ventures controlled by state company PDVSA, but the country has been introducing so-called ‘productive participation contracts’ for new partnerships in recent years, whose terms have not been fully disclosed.

Those contracts are “a fundamental element to be expressed in the law’s reform,” Jorge Rodriguez told journalists.— Reuters

TOKYO — A Japanese court will on Wednesday deliver its verdict on a man accused of fatally shooting former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, three and a half years after the assassination of the country’s longest-serving premier stunned the nation.

Tetsuya Yamagami, now 45, was arrested on the spot in July 2022 after fatally firing at Mr. Abe with a homemade gun while the former prime minister was delivering a campaign speech in the western city of Nara. Mr. Abe was 67.

Although he was no longer Japan’s leader at the time, Mr. Abe remained a powerful and binding force within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. His absence has left a vacuum within the party, which has since seen two leadership races and by extension, a revolving door of prime ministers.

Mr. Abe himself served as prime minister for a total of 3,188 days over two separate terms, stepping down in September 2020 citing health reasons.

His protegee Sanae Takaichi now leads Japan and the LDP, but the party’s grip on power has considerably diminished.

Mr. Abe’s killing also brought to light a deep link between his party and the Unification Church, an organization many consider a cult. An in-party investigation found that more than a hundred lawmakers had dealings with the group, leading many voters to shun the LDP, which has ruled Japan for most of the post-war period.

Media have quoted Mr. Yamagami as telling the court that he held a grudge against the Unification Church after his mother’s large donation to it caused financial hardship for their family, and that he took out his anger on Mr. Abe because the former prime minister had once sent a video message to an event held by a group affiliated with the church.

Founded in South Korea in 1954, the Unification Church is famous for its mass weddings and counts Japanese followers as a key source of income.

A guilty verdict is all but certain after Mr. Yamagami admitted to killing Mr. Abe in the first court hearing at the Nara District Court in October, and attention is on the severity of the sentence.

Prosecutors sought a life sentence last month, calling the act an “extremely grave incident that is unprecedented in post-war history”.

Mr. Yamagami’s lawyers, meanwhile, argued that the family’s misfortune caused by the donation to the Unification Church should be taken into consideration and limit his prison term to 20 years at most.

While Mr. Abe was a divisive figure domestically, he was among the few global leaders to have a strong rapport with US President Donald Trump.

Mr. Abe was the first foreign leader to meet Mr. Trump after his 2016 election victory and the two went on to forge a close bond over rounds of golf in the United States and Japan. Prime Minister Takaichi has repeatedly referenced their friendship in her own dealings with Mr. Trump.—Reuters