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Added on the 31/10/2021 21:07:49 - Copyright : AFPTV - First images
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken leaves Joint Base Andrews as he heads back to the Middle East to push ahead a Gaza ceasefire deal, as cautious optimism rises. The top US diplomat, who is putting off vacation plans for his ninth trip to the Middle East since Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, will fly to Tel Aviv ahead of expected meetings with the Israeli leadership. IMAGES
The White House says that President Joe Biden can bounce back from his poor debate performance last week. "He knows how to come back," White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre tells reporters during a briefing. SOUNDBITE
US President Joe Biden says during his State of the Union address that Ukraine is capable of stopping Putin if the US provides Kyiv the "weapons it needs to defend itself." SOUNDBITE
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen says her executive will "by the end of next week" finalise its opinion on whether Ukraine should be a candidate country to join the EU. "The discussions today will enable us to finalise our assessment by the end of next week," she tells Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Kyiv during a surprise visit. SOUNDBITE
Ukraine's foreign minister welcomes a French initiative for a summit between US President Joe Biden and Russia's Vladimir Putin, saying Kyiv hopes it would result in Moscow pulling back its troops. SOUNDBITE
Supporters of Zambian President Lungu hold a rally in Lusaka during a tense presidential race, which has been marked by clashes between rival supporters. The presidential election will take place on Thursday. IMAGES.