If Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was looking for the easy political victories that once gushed from US President Donald Trump, he left the Oval Office empty-handed.

The meeting was supposed to be about the two leaders negotiating the new 17% tariff the White House imposed on Israeli exports last week. In a gamble to avoid them, Israel had dropped its own tariffs on American products to zero a day earlier, even though they were only imposed on very few items.

Seated next to Trump in the White House, Netanyahu said Israel would eliminate trade barriers and trade deficits “very quickly.” With his usual effusive praise of Trump, the long-serving Israeli leader said, “We are going to eliminate the tariffs and rapidly.”

It made no difference to Trump. He pointed out that Israel gets $4 billion a year from the United States – “Congratulations, by the way. That’s pretty good,” he said – but he would not commit to changing his plans.

“Maybe not, maybe not,” he said when asked if he would reduce the tariffs.

For years, Netanyahu grew accustomed to political gifts from Trump, especially during the first Trump administration. Moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, recognizing the occupied Golan Heights as part of Israel, normalizing relations between Israel and two Arab Gulf countries, and many more – Netanyahu was always eager to celebrate these decisions and the president who made them.

Netanyahu was quick to point out that he was not only the first foreign leader to visit Trump during his second term, he was also the first to meet him to negotiate tariffs. But this meeting left Netanyahu with no clear deliverables or US promises for which he could take credit.

The biggest blow of all was on one of Netanyahu’s favorite topic: Iran. For days before the highly anticipated meeting, Israeli media were rife with speculation that the two leaders would discuss military strikes on Iran. The top Sunday headline in Israel’s most prominent newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, shouted “IRAN FIRST” and said the Islamic Republic would need to suffer a “heavy blow” before negotiating. The presence of at least six US B-2 stealth bombers in the Indian Ocean and a second aircraft carrier in the Middle East only fueled speculation in Israel that a strike was not only possible, but increasingly probable.

Ultimately, the biggest headline was about Iran, but almost certainly not in the way Netanyahu expected.

Trump announced that the US and Iran were about to begin talks on the potential for a new nuclear agreement. Netanyahu has been aware that Trump was pursuing talks with Iran, but the sudden revelation of the imminent talks – set to begin Saturday – appeared to surprise the prime minister. The smile quickly vanished from his face as he looked toward his team of advisers.

Before flying back to Israel, Netanyahu laid out his position.

“We agree that Iran will not have nuclear weapons. This can be done by an agreement, but only if this agreement is Libyan style,” he said, referring to a 2003 deal under which Libya voluntarily agreed to fully dismantle its nascent nuclear program. But if Iran drags out the talks, Netanyahu said he discussed the military option “at length” with Trump.

In Israel, the damage was already done.

“If (Trump) started the negotiation without our knowledge, it means that he’s going to represent the American interest only,” said Ronni Shaked, a researcher with the Truman Institute at Hebrew University. If Israel knew in advance, Netanyahu could have contributed with “some ideas, some new facts, some new intelligence,” Shaked said. “But here it’s nothing, nothing at all.”

Trump’s effusive praise of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan – one of Israel’s most vociferous critics since the start of the war in Gaza – was another surprising line in a press conference full of them.

Last year, Erdogan called on God to “punish” Netanyahu and said at an election rally, “We will send the person called Netanyahu to Allah.” For months, Erdogan has kept up a steady stream of anti-Israel – and specifically anti-Netanyahu – rhetoric.

Sitting right next to Netanyahu, Trump heaped praise on Erdogan. “I have great relations with a man named Erdogan,” Trump said. “He’s a tough guy. He’s very smart.” Trump said he thought he could work out any disagreement between Turkey and Israel.

“I think it was especially embarrassing for Netanyahu, because last week, Erdogan said he thinks Israel should be destroyed or eliminated,” said Alon Liel, Israel’s former ambassador to Turkey. “It was a very small part (of the press conference), but very meaningful.”

During a speech marking the Muslim holiday of Eid al Fitr on March 31, Erdogan called on God to “condemn Israel to misery.”

Trump did give Netanyahu some political cover back home. The two leaders said they’re working on another deal to bring Israeli hostages back from Gaza. Trump said Netanyahu was working on it constantly, even as the Israeli leader faces continued criticism that he’s not doing enough to return the hostages.

Trump said he’d like to see the war stop “and I think the war will stop at some point, that won’t be in the too-distant future.” For Netanyahu, a ceasefire would be a poisoned chalice, since his government relies on the support of far-right parties that adamantly oppose an end to the war.

Referring to Netanyahu by his nickname, Shaked said, “Bibi is coming back home with empty, empty hands. Not Iran, not Gaza, not the kidnapped people. Nothing at all.”

Three Americans have been transferred to the United States after their death sentences over a foiled deadly coup were commuted to life imprisonment last week by Congolese authorities, in the wake of talks with US government officials.

The Americans, Marcel Malanga, Tyler Thompson Jr., and Benjamin Reuben Zalman-Polun were among 37 people sentenced to death by a military court in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in September for participating in the failed coup led by Malanga’s father, Christian.

At least six people, including Christian Malanga, an opposition politician were killed in a gun battle with presidential guards as the putschists sought to overthrow the government last May.

She earlier said the clemency decision was filed by the public prosecutor and recommended by the DRC justice minister.

DRC’s presidency said in a statement Tuesday that the repatriation of the Americans to the US was “part of a dynamic effort to strengthen judicial diplomacy and international cooperation in matters of justice and human rights between the two countries.”

The repatriation appears to soften the ground for a mooted minerals-for-security partnership between the US and the DRC as war rages in the country’s resource-rich eastern region between government forces and a rebel group.

Last week, DRC President Felix Tshisekedi held talks with the visiting US Senior Adviser for Africa Massad Boulos, and Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs Corina Sanders in the capital Kinshasa.

Those discussions “yielded agreement on two important goals: A lasting peace that affirms the territorial integrity of the DRC (and) strengthening of economic ties, including private sector investment in the mining sector,” Salama wrote in a post on X on April 3.

Germany’s major centrist parties have reached a coalition deal, amid mounting pressure to form a government as Europe’s largest economy teeters on the brink of recession after sweeping tariffs imposed by the Trump administration caused global turmoil.

Details of the coalition agreement remain unclear, and are set to be unveiled at a Berlin news conference at 9 a.m. ET.

Chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz’s CDU party emerged victorious in February’s vote but failed to win a majority, with the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) surging into second place and almost doubling its supporter base.

Since then, the CDU/CSU have for weeks been locked in formal coalition talks with the SPD – Germany’s other main centrist party, which had led a three-way coalition government until its collapse in November 2024.

Pressure in Berlin to reach a deal had only mounted in the face of wider uncertainty, including the Trump administration’s introduction of sweeping import tariffs that have reshaped global trade. Merz has promised to revive Europe’s largest economy if he becomes chancellor, after years of uncharacteristic stagnation.

Continued mounting support for the AfD since the election also infused the talks with a sense of urgency. An Ipsos poll released Wednesday showed the far-right coming out on top for the first time, landing on 25%, ahead of the CDU on 24%.

“For the first time in the still-young history of the AfD, we are the strongest force in Germany. Thank you for your tremendous trust – the political change will come!” AfD co-leader Alice Weidel wrote in a post on X alongside the poll’s findings.

Merz has also pledged to boost the country’s defense spending, as Europe grapples with the threat from Russia and the US adopting a more hostile stance to European security. Berlin has reformed its so-called “debt brake” in order to loosen borrowing limits and allow for new investments in defense.

Merz has vowed to significantly tighten Germany’s immigration policies following a series of attacks perpetrated by migrants that catapulted the issue to the forefront of the 2025 election.

A group of powerful anti-slavery advocates issued a warning Tuesday, declaring that “millions of lives are at risk” unless urgent, coordinated international action is taken to eliminate modern slavery by the year 2030.

Chaired by former UK prime minister, Baroness Theresa May, the Global Commission on Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking formally delivered a new report to UN Secretary-General António Guterres in New York. The 150-page report, entitled “No Country is Immune,” paints a grim picture of systemic failures and global inaction, while outlining clear steps needed to provide help to the millions of people currently trapped in modern slavery worldwide.

According to the commission, the report is meant as a wake-up call to members of the United Nations, warning that failure to act will not only hinder the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 8.7, which aims to eradicate modern slavery by 2030, but could also endanger countless more lives. It calls for immediate, tangible changes across governments, businesses and civil society sectors.

“Talking to organizations involved in supporting victims and dealing with this issue, we realized the political will to act had gone. And that’s primarily why we’ve produced this report, to raise the political momentum and get people to recognize they need to act now,” said May.

Central to the report is a newly developed Prevention Framework, modeled after the 2014 Prevention of Genocide Framework by Adama Dieng, former UN Under-Secretary-General and Special Advisor of the Secretary General on the Prevention of Genocide. This model seeks to help nations understand the root causes of modern slavery and provide practical tools for identifying and combating its many forms.

An estimated 50 million people worldwide are enslaved today, which includes forced labor and forced marriages.

The commission’s policy recommendations include urging UN member states to adopt enforceable and effective domestic laws, establish a unified global definition of modern slavery and demand greater accountability from businesses to eliminate forced labor in global supply chains.

Also in attendance at the report launch event was Nasreen Sheikh, a survivor of modern slavery turned advocate, who urged world leaders to confront the consequences of unconscious global consumption and economic indifference.

Israeli forces raided six United Nations schools in East Jerusalem, ordering them to close within 30 days, according to UNRWA, the UN agency for the Palestinian refugees, and the Israeli Ministry of Education.

Approximately 800 students will be directly impacted by the closure orders and may not be able to finish the school year, UNRWA’s Commissioner-General Philippe Lazzarini said on social media. Schools run by the agency serve Palestinians in areas occupied by Israel, including East Jerusalem, the West Bank and Gaza.

“UNRWA schools are protected by the privileges and immunities of the United Nations,” Lazzarini said. “Today’s unauthorized entries and issuance of closure orders are a violation of these protections.”

Israel’s Ministry of Education said in a statement that parents were directed to register their students at other schools. “The professional staff at the Ministry of Education continue to support the educational framework for each student.”

In October, Israel’s parliament passed a law banning UNRWA from activity within Israel and revoking the 1967 treaty that allowed the agency to carry out its mission.

Yulia Malinovsky, a member of the Israeli parliament who sponsored the bill to ban UNRWA, confirmed the closure orders. The schools will have until May 8, she said.

“We’re also working very hard to close the water and electricity to all of UNRWA’s facilities (in areas occupied by Israel),” Malinovsky said. “We’re doing everything we can to implement the UNRWA bills fully in all institutions and in all aspects.”

Israel has long sought to dismantle the UN agency, arguing that some of its employees are members of Hamas and that UNRWA’s education system teaches students to hate Israel.

A UN-commissioned inquiry found that examples in textbooks of anti-Israel bias were “marginal” but nonetheless constituted “a grave violation of neutrality.”

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have alleged that a handful of UNRWA’s 13,000 employees in Gaza participated in the October 7 massacre. UNRWA has repeatedly denied these accusations, saying there is “absolutely no ground for a blanket description of ‘the institution as a whole’ being ‘totally infiltrated.’”

UNRWA was founded by the United Nations a year after the 1948 creation of Israel that led to the displacement of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians from their homes in an event known by Palestinians as the “Nakba” (catastrophe).

The agency, which began by assisting about 750,000 Palestinian refugees in 1950, now serves some 5.9 million across the Middle East, many of whom live in refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and East Jerusalem as well as in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria.

In the Gaza Strip, which has been ravaged by a devastating Israeli war for more than a year, UNRWA serves some 1.7 million Palestinian refugees. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem, it assists around 871,500 refugees.