Abbas urges Hamas to hand over weapons to Palestinian Authority

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Sunday called on Hamas to hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority (PA).

During his meeting with former British Prime Minister Tony Blair in the Jordanian capital Amman, Abbas said that "Hamas will not rule Gaza in the post-war era," the Palestinian official news agency WAFA reported.

He stressed that the only viable solution for the Gaza Strip is Israel's complete withdrawal from the strip and the empowerment of the State of Palestine to assume its responsibilities with Arab and international support.

Macron announces extra military spending over next two years

French President Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday an additional 6.5 billion euros (7.6 billion U.S. dollars) in military spending to be allocated over the next two years, aiming for annual defense expenditure to reach 64 billion euros by 2027.

In an address to the nation's armed forces, Macron outlined France's military direction and strategic vision, and he noted that military spending "is and will continue to be a source of wealth for our gross domestic product, our economy, and our regions."

The French president also revealed plans to explore the creation of a new national service initiative. (1 euro = 1.17 U.S. dollar)

German finance minister urges EU to push back if tariff talks with U.S. fail

German Vice Chancellor and Finance Minister Lars Klingbeil said on Sunday that the European Union (EU) must take firm action against the United States if tariff negotiations fail to ease the escalating global trade conflict, according to German newspaper Sueddeutsche Zeitung.

Klingbeil's remarks are in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's threat on Saturday to impose a 30 percent tariff on imports from the EU on Aug. 1, after negotiations so far have failed to yield a deal.

Urging an end to the escalating trade tensions, Klingbeil said "Trump's tariffs produce only losers. They threaten the American economy just as much as they harm businesses in Europe."

Klingbeil was quoted by Sueddeutsche Zeitung as saying that EU doesn't "need new threats or provocations," but "a fair deal."

Malaysia's forest park listed as UNESCO World Heritage Site

The Forest Research Institute Malaysia (FRIM) Forest Park Selangor, located 16 km northwest of Kuala Lumpur, has been officially listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Tourism, Arts and Culture Ministry has said.

The listing was made during the UNESCO's 47th session of the World Heritage Committee held from July 6 to 16 at the Paris headquarters, the ministry said in a statement.

According to the statement, the listing was decided by the World Heritage Committee, following a nomination process that began in 2013.

"The forest park is a unique site and represents one of the earliest large-scale tropical forest ecosystem restoration efforts through the replanting of trees in a former tin mining area," it said.

58 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks in Gaza: sources

At least 58 Palestinians were killed by Israeli airstrikes and gunfire across the Gaza Strip on Sunday, Palestinian sources said.

Mahmoud Basal, spokesperson for the Civil Defense in Gaza, told Xinhua that at least 15 people, including a doctor and a child, were killed in an Israeli airstrike targeting a crowded market in central Gaza City.

Basal added that 11 people, including a girl, were killed in separate Israeli airstrikes on the al-Shati refugee camp, and the neighborhoods of Tal al-Hawa, al-Zeitoun, and al-Sabra in Gaza City.

Israeli drones attacked a water distribution point in al-Nuseirat refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, according to eyewitnesses. In a press statement, Al-Awda Hospital said the bombing resulted in 10 deaths, including children, and 16 wounded.

The hospital recorded another 10 deaths from a separate Israeli airstrike targeting a residential house in the same refugee camp, according to the statement.

In the south, eight people were killed in the city of Khan Younis, Nasser Medical Complex said, noting that another four were killed by Israeli army fire outside the U.S.-backed aid center in the Shakoush area, north of Rafah.