RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) — The Palestinian foreign minister on Thursday attacked the Biden administration as weak and passive in the Middle East, as violence between Israel and the Palestinians surges to its highest levels in nearly two decades.

The comments by Riad Malki reflected the Palestinian frustration with U.S. President Joe Biden, who initially won plaudits from the Palestinians when he rejected the Trump administration’s unabashedly pro-Israel stance. But Biden so far has done little to follow through on that vision

WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress responded to the fiery train derailment in eastern Ohio earlier this year with bipartisan alarm, holding a flurry of hearings about the potential for railroad crashes to trigger even larger disasters. Both parties agreed that a legislative response was needed.

Yet six months after life was upended in East Palestine, little has changed.

OSLO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China has been benefiting Norway and the government has interest in expanding such cooperation, two senior advisors from the Norwegian government said on Wednesday.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 3 (NNN-APP) – Four people were killed in a shootout between two groups, in Pakistan’s south-west Balochistan province, last night, police said.

The incident happened in the provincial capital of Quetta, where a verbal argument between members of two groups turned worse, and they opened fire at each other, police told the media from the incident site.

Both groups were from the city’s influential families, who clashed over a land dispute, the police added.

NEW DELHI, Aug 3 (Reuters) - India on Thursday said it will impose a licensing requirement for imports of laptops, tablets and personal computers with immediate effect, a move that could hit hard the likes of Apple, Dell and Samsung and force them to boost local manufacturing.

Current regulations in India allow companies to import laptops freely, but the new rule mandates a special licence for these products similar to restrictions India imposed in 2020 for inbound TV shipments.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: China calls on NATO countries to drop the Cold-War mentality and refuse from plans of expanding eastwards, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui said in an interview with TASS.

"We insist that NATO meet the calls of the times, heed the calls of Asia Pacific countries for peace and development, adjust its erroneous attitude, drop the Cold-War mentality and refrain from moving to the Asia Pacific region," he said.

CAIRO, Aug. 2 (Xinhua) -- Intra-Palestinian reconciliation has to be achieved for reviving the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and realizing peace and security in the Middle East region, Egyptian analysts have said.

"Egypt is fully aware it will not be possible to relaunch the peace process in the Middle East amid the Palestinian division that has been ongoing for more than 15 years," Mostafa Amin, an Egyptian researcher on Arab and international affairs, told Xinhua.

MOSCOW, August 3. /TASS/: President Vladimir Putin proposed on Thursday that Russian state and municipal officials should ride around in cars made in Russia.

"Ministries, agencies, the [presidential] staff offices have asked to continue with purchases focused on foreign-produced cars, to carry on with this practice," Putin said at a meeting with chief executives representing Russia’s manufacturing industry.

"However, I replied that this was totally unacceptable and all Russian officials should be riding in domestically produced cars," Putin added.

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanon handed over to Italy on Thursday morning a notorious Italian drug dealer arrested last month north of the capital of Beirut, judicial officials said.

Bartolo Bruzzaniti was flown to Italy on a private jet that took off from Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, who became Democratic heroes as members of the “Tennessee Three,” are hoping to once again reclaim their legislative seats Thursday after they were expelled for involvement in a gun control protest on the House floor.

OTTAWA, Aug 3 (Reuters) - Justin Trudeau's surprise announcement that he and his wife were separating, just a week after a broad cabinet reshuffle, underscores the Canadian prime minister's focus and intent to lead the Liberal Party into a fourth election victory, despite sagging opinion polls, pollsters and insiders said.

ISLAMABAD, Aug 3 (APP):Pakistan and Iran on Thursday set a target of $5 billion for bilateral trade as the two countries chalked out a five-year trade cooperation plan to enhance cooperation.

Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, addressing a joint press stakeout with his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir Abdollahian, said the five-year trade cooperation plan was aimed at removing impediments in bilateral trade, finalizing the Free Trade Agreement and establishing of institutional linkages between the private sectors of both countries.