The Republican-controlled US Senate on Wednesday confirmed President Donald Trump's former criminal defense attorney Todd Blanche to serve as Deputy Attorney General, the No. 2 role at the Justice Department.Blanche was confirmed in a 52-46 vote, with all Democrats voting against his nomination.As Deputy Attorney General, Blanche will be in charge of overseeing all 93 US Attorneys across the country, as well as the department's law enforcement components including the FBI, the Drug Enforcement Administration, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals Service.Blanche's former law partner Emil Bove, who worked with him to defend Trump against federal and state criminal charges, has been serving as Acting Deputy Attorney General until Blanche could be confirmed.

The Palestinian Mujahideen terror group in Gaza condemned Trump's warning, saying it demonstrated his administration's intention "to proceed as a partner in the crimes of genocide against our people.” Israel has denied accusations of genocide.“Trump's threats today clearly reveal the ugly face of the United States of America and show its lack of seriousness and its renunciation of the agreement it mediated,” the group said.Hamas has yet to comment on Trump's threats.

New Zealand's foreign minister Winston Peters said on Thursday he had sacked the country's ambassador to the United Kingdom, after he made comments seen as critical of United States President Donald Trump.Phil Goff made the comments at a forum in London on Tuesday that appeared to question Trump's grasp of history, contrasting the president's attempts to thaw relations with Russia with the actions of Britain's wartime leader Winston Churchill, who fought against Nazi Germany."President Trump has restored the bust of Churchill to the Oval Office. But do you think he really understands history?" Goff asked during a panel with Finland's foreign minister Elina Valtonen. Peters said in a statement on Thursday Goff's comments were "deeply disappointing.""They do not represent the views of the NZ Government and make his position as High Commissioner to London untenable," he said. Goff did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment via his X account outside UK business hours.Bede Corry, New Zealand's top government bureaucrat in the foreign ministry, was working with Goff on a transition to a new ambassador, he added. Goff, a former foreign minister and lawmaker in the center-left Labour Party, was appointed as ambassador to the UK in 2023. Peters leads the populist NZ First party in the current right-leaning coalition governing New Zealand.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich agreed to strengthen "dialog mechanisms to enhance collaboration in key areas" in a meeting on Wednesday to discuss the economic partnership between the two countries, the Treasury Department said."This is a critical time to shape a new strategic economic future for both countries, reinforcing American global leadership and Israel's role as a key economic partner," the Treasury Department said in a statement."To advance shared economic interests, both sides agreed to strengthen dialog mechanisms to enhance collaboration in key areas, including economic policy, technology, and financial regulation," the department added.

President Donald Trump is expected to issue an executive order aimed at abolishing the US Education Department, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the matter.The order may come as soon as Thursday, the newspaper said.

Four senior members of President Donald Trump's entourage have held discussions with some of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's top political opponents, Politico reported on Wednesday.Talks were held with Ukrainian opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko and senior members of the party of Former President Petro Poroshenko, Politico reported, citing three Ukrainian lawmakers and a US Republican foreign policy expert.Discussions were held on whether Ukraine could have quick presidential elections, according to the report.