France recognizes State of Palestine during UN meeting on two-state solution

French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday at a UN meeting on the two-state solution that his country recognizes the State of Palestine, joining most of the other UN member states that have already done so.

"I declare today that France recognizes the State of Palestine," Macron said at the High-Level International Conference for the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia.

"The time has come. We can no longer wait," he said, adding that "we want two states in peace and security side by side."

With France's recognition, over 150 countries have announced their recognition of the State of Palestine.

Japan's LDP leadership race kicks off with 5 candidates

Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) officially launched its leadership election campaign on Monday, with five candidates filing their candidacies.

The contenders are Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, former Economic Security Ministers Takayuki Kobayashi and Sanae Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, and former LDP Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi.

All five also ran in last year's election, which saw a record nine candidates.

The contest will focus on issues such as cooperation with opposition parties, economic measures to tackle rising prices, and rebuilding the party after successive election defeats and political funding scandals.

General strike shuts down Italy amid pro-Gaza protests

A general strike in solidarity with the Palestinian population of Gaza brought public transport, schools, and other services to a halt in Italy on Monday, causing disruption in major cities.

This was the second such initiative in a few days, following a first 4-hour walk-off called by the General Confederation of Labour (CGIL), Italy's largest union, on Sept. 19.

Local transports and some train connections were disrupted, and especially during morning and central hours, while activities in the ports of Genoa and Livorno stopped due to dockworkers' abstention.

As most schools, universities, and several public offices remained shut, large numbers of Italians gathered in the streets voicing solidarity with Palestinians, and protesting against Israel's military actions in the Gaza Strip.

Iranian FM says agreement with IAEA to become invalid if UN sanctions reinstated

Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi warned on Monday that Tehran's recent agreement with the UN nuclear watchdog on the resumption of cooperation will lose its validity if international sanctions are reimposed on Iran.

Araghchi made the remarks in an address to reporters upon arrival in New York to attend the 80th Session of the UN General Assembly while commenting on the move by France, Britain and Germany, collectively known as the E3, to reinstate the sanctions through the "snapback" mechanism under the 2015 nuclear deal, according to a video released by the Iranian Foreign Ministry.

He said if the E3's "destructive" action at the UN Security Council was eventually completed, Iran would take countermeasures. "We will once again see the unfolding of a new situation with the (International Atomic Energy) Agency."

UN Security Council meets urgently on alleged Russian intrusion of Estonian airspace

The UN Security Council on Monday held an emergency meeting to discuss the alleged intrusion of Estonian airspace by Russian fighter jets.

UN Assistant Secretary-General for Europe, Central Asia and the Americas Miroslav Jenca, in his briefing, said the world body is not in a position to confirm any of the claims regarding the incident and does not have any further details of the events. He, therefore, based his briefing solely on information available from public sources.

In a letter dated Saturday and addressed to the president of the Security Council, Estonia claimed that three Russian MiG-31 fighters entered up to 10 km inside Estonia's airspace and stayed for 12 minutes on Friday, said Jenca.

Israel says deputy chief of Hamas's naval police killed in Gaza

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced on Monday that its air force killed the deputy commander of Hamas's naval police in Gaza.

According to the IDF, Iyad Abu Yusuf was targeted in a precision strike on a refugee camp area in central Gaza. The army said Yusuf had participated in the deadly Hamas raid in southern Israel in October 2023 and later planned ambushes against Israeli forces while safeguarding Hamas's assets during the ongoing conflict.

Also on Monday, the Israeli military ordered the evacuation of the Jordanian Hospital, a key health facility in Gaza, according to a Palestinian health official.