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  China controls the rare earths the world buys - can Trump's new deals change that? US President Donald Trump has signed a flurry of deals on his Asia visit to secure the supply of rare earths, a critical sector that China has long dominated. The deals with Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and Cambodia differ in size and substance and it's too early to assess their tangible impact. But they all include efforts to diversify access to the minerals that have become essential for advanced manufacturing, from electric vehicles to smartphones. The agreements, which aim to lock partners into trading with the US, are a clear bid to reduce dependence on China, ahead of a key meeting with its leader Xi Jinping. They could eventually challenge Beijing's stranglehold over rare earths, but experts say it will be a costly process that will take years. "Building new mines, refining facilities, and processing plants in regions such as Australia, the United States, and Europe comes ...
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Israeli air strike on hospital kills 28 people in Gaza, civil defence says


The strike at European Hospital resulted in several deep craters inside the hospital compound, which buried several vehicles including part of a large bus.

Eyewitnesses said Israeli drones maintained a tight aerial siege over the building, preventing rescue teams from reaching the site.

A quadcopter drone reportedly wounded two civil defence officers as they attempted to approach the European Hospital.

Dr Tom Potokar, a plastic surgeon working with the Ideals international aid charity, was in the hospital when it was hit.

Speaking to  Newshour programme, he described "six enormous explosions one after the other" that directly hit the hospital with "no warning whatsoever".

"There was complete panic," he added.

The dead and wounded have been transferred to Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, local sources said, where medical teams are reportedly struggling to deal with the casualties.

The emergency department of Nasser Hospital was hit by another strike earlier on Tuesday, according to medical sources and eyewitnesses.

They said a well-known Palestinian photojournalist was among two people killed.

Hassan Aslih, who was being treated for injuries from a previous Israeli strike, was targeted in what witnesses described as a drone attack on the hospital's surgical wing.

A doctor there confirmed that Aslih had been at the hospital for nearly a month after surviving an air strike on the same facility in April.

The Israeli military had previously accused him of involvement in the 7 October Hamas attack on Israel. The strike in April killed Aslih's colleague Helmi al-Faqawi and wounded several other journalists.

In a joint statement the IDF and the Israeli Securities Authority (ISA) said Hamas "continues" to use hospitals in Gaza for its activities - a long-standing Israeli allegation which the group denies.

Israeli media reported the target of the strike was senior Hamas figure Mohammed Sinwar - the younger brother of the former Hamas leader in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar.

Hamas has not commented on these reports.

Mohammed Sinwar is believed to have taken command of the group's military wing, following the death of Mohammed Deif in an Israeli strike last summer.

Separately on Tuesday evening, the Israel army said it intercepted "two projectiles" launched from Gaza. The armed wing of Islamic Jihad has claimed responsibility and said it shot rocket fire from Gaza at Israel.

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