EU ready to help de-escalate situation in Middle East: statement

European Union (EU) leaders said on Monday that the bloc was ready to play a role in easing tensions in the Middle East, calling for de-escalation and a return to negotiations.

The EU stands ready to "contribute in every possible way to help de-escalate the situation and facilitate the return to the negotiating table," European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement following a video conference with leaders from the region.

They added that dialogue and diplomacy remain "the only viable way forward."

Von der Leyen and Costa reaffirmed the EU's commitment to regional stability in the Middle East, calling for the protection of civilians and full respect for international law, international humanitarian law and the principles of the United Nations Charter, according to the statement.

They also expressed "their openness" to enhance maritime defensive operations, which are aimed at protecting critical waterways and preventing any disruption to vital supply chains, the statement said.

EU ready to help de-escalate situation in Middle East: statement

EU ready to help de-escalate situation in Middle East: statement

EU ready to help de-escalate situation in Middle East: statement

EU ready to help de-escalate situation in Middle East: statement

China's Shenzhou-23 crewed spaceship blasted off from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the country's northwest on Sunday, sending three astronauts to its orbiting space station.

The spaceship, atop a Long March-2F carrier rocket, lifted off from the launch site at 23:08 Beijing Time (15:08 GMT).

The crew members consist of mission commander Zhu Yangzhu, and fellow astronauts Zhang Zhiyuan and Lai Ka-ying, who is also the first astronaut from China's Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

In another notable first, one of the crew members is set to undertake a year-long stay aboard the space station, double the usual duration of previous Shenzhou missions.

After entering orbit, the Shenzhou-23 spaceship will perform a fast automated rendezvous and docking with the radial port of the space station core module Tianhe, forming a combination of three modules and three spacecraft.

Shenzhou-23 marks the 40th flight of China's manned spaceflight program and the seventh manned flight mission since the Tiangong space station entered its application and development phase in late 2022.

China launches Shenzhou-23 manned spaceship