China welcomes Netherlands' suspension of administrative order regarding Nexperia

China's commerce ministry said Wednesday that the country welcomes the Dutch government's move to suspend its administrative order regarding semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia, an overseas subsidiary of Chinese company Wingtech.

It is "a first step in the right direction toward a proper settlement of the issue," said a spokesperson with the ministry.

Government officials of the two countries held two rounds of consultations in Beijing regarding the Nexperia issue on Tuesday and Wednesday, during which the Dutch side offered to suspend the administrative order issued under the "Availability of Goods Act," according to the ministry.

U.S. Senate unanimously approves bill to release Epstein files following House passage

The U.S. Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a House-passed bill that requires the Department of Justice (DOJ) to release files related to late financier Jeffrey Epstein.

The bill still requires the signature of U.S. President Donald Trump.

The upper chamber passed the bill by unanimous consent, just hours after it cleared the House via a nearly unanimous vote. The Senate's passage occurred before the bill was technically sent from the House.

All 267 people rescued from grounded passenger ferry off S. Korea

All 267 people were rescued on Wednesday from a passenger ferry that ran aground in waters off western South Korea, according to the coast guard.

The coast guard announced that all passengers and crew members were rescued at 11:27 p.m. local time (1427 GMT) while three of them sustained minor injuries.

Twenty-one crew members remained onboard, while the rescued passengers will be transported to the southwestern port city of Mokpo.

Erdogan, Zelensky hold talks in Ankara to revive diplomacy with Russia

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday emphasized Trkiye's commitment to advancing diplomatic efforts to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, during talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Ankara.

"It would be beneficial for the Istanbul process to be reactivated with a comprehensive framework that can address the now-acute problems," Erdogan said during their joint press conference, calling for renewed international support for the initiative.

He reaffirmed that Trkiye is ready to discuss with Russia "any proposals that could accelerate a ceasefire and pave the way for a just and lasting peace," urging all partners seeking to stop the bloodshed to adopt a constructive approach to reviving the process.

Israeli army launches new wave of airstrikes in S. Lebanon

The Israeli military said Wednesday afternoon in a statement that it launched a new wave of airstrikes on southern Lebanon targeting "several Hezbollah infrastructure sites."

It came about an hour after Avichay Adraee, an Israeli military spokesperson, warned on the social media platform X residents of the village of Deir Qanun Al-Nahr to evacuate ahead of an imminent airstrike on "a Hezbollah military site."

A ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel has been in effect since Nov. 27, 2024, largely ending the clashes that had erupted between the two sides in the wake of the Gaza conflict.

25 killed in Israeli strikes across Gaza

The death toll from Israeli strikes across Gaza on Wednesday rose to 25, the Gaza Civil Defense said, updating an earlier count of 10.

Mahmoud Basal, the Civil Defense spokesman, told Xinhua that 11 people were killed in an airstrike on a building in the Al-Zeitoun neighborhood of southern Gaza City. The building had been sheltering dozens of displaced families, and the victims included women and children.

Near the Al-Shujaiya junction in eastern Gaza City, two separate strikes killed at least two people and injured 10 others. In Khan Younis, in southern Gaza, at least 12 people were killed, including two children, Basal said.

Iran denies starting nuclear talks with U.S.

Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei on Wednesday rejected a recent claim by the U.S. president that Tehran and Washington were holding nuclear talks.

He made the remarks in an address to reporters in Tehran, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump said the United States was talking to Iran and that Tehran wanted "very badly" to make a deal.

In a Tuesday meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman at the White House, Trump said, "We're talking to them, and we start a process. But it would be a nice thing to have a deal with Iran."

Baghaei stressed, "No negotiation process currently exists between Iran and the United States."