The Kremlin said Wednesday that Donald Trump's plan for a "Golden Dome" missile shield required consultations with Russia but was otherwise a "sovereign matter" for the U.S., softening its tone after previously slamming the idea as destabilizing.

"This is a sovereign matter for the United States. If the United States believes that there is a missile threat, then of course it will develop a missile defense system," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding the plan would require resuming nuclear talks with Washington.

A record area of tropical rainforest -- equivalent to 18 football pitches every minute -- was destroyed worldwide last year due in large measure to fires fueled by climate change, researchers reported Wednesday.

The world lost 67,000 square kilometers (25,900 square miles) of precious primary tropical forest, an area double the size of Belgium or Taiwan. That was 80 percent higher than in 2023, according to the Global Forest Watch think tank.

President Joseph Aoun and his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas said Wednesday that weapons should be under Lebanese state control, meeting in Baabda to discuss disarming Palestinian refugee camps in the country among other issues.

A joint statement released by the Lebanese presidency said the two leaders share the "belief that the era of weapons outside Lebanese state control has ended," adding that both had expressed commitment to the principle that arms should be exclusively "in the hands of the Lebanese state."

Israeli strikes on two different locations in south Lebanon killed two people Wednesday, the latest attacks despite a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah.

An Israeli enemy drone struck a car in the southern town of Ain Baal in the coastal district of Tyre and few hours later another drone targeted a car in the southern town of Yater.

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced new details and initial funding for his "Golden Dome" missile shield system, with geopolitical rival China accusing Washington on Wednesday of undermining global stability.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Tuesday that Syria could be weeks away from a fresh civil war of "epic proportions," as he called for support to the transitional leadership.

The EU on Tuesday said it is preparing to impose a two-euro ($2.25) flat fee on low-value packages from outside the bloc, the majority of which come from China.

EU trade chief Maros Sefcovic told the European Parliament e-commerce platforms would be expected to pay the fee, which aims to help the bloc tackle the challenges from a massive influx of cheap mailed items.

Tesla chief Elon Musk said Tuesday the electric vehicle company's sales are "doing well" following a slump after the world's richest person drew backlash for helping U.S. President Donald Trump slash the federal workforce.

"We're strong everywhere else. So sales are... doing well at this point," Musk told the 2025 Qatar Economic Forum. "We're now back over a trillion dollars in market cap, so clearly, the market is aware of the situation, so it's already turned around."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia on Tuesday of delaying peace talks in a bid to pursue its three-year invasion, even as US President Donald Trump pushes for an immediate ceasefire.

Trump spoke by phone on Monday to both Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, while Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Istanbul on Friday for their first direct talks on the conflict in more than three years.

Lebanon still has "more" to do in disarming Hezbollah following the war between the Iran-backed group and Israel, Deputy U.S. Envoy for the Middle East Morgan Ortagus said Tuesday.

As part of a deal agreed to end 14 months of fighting last November, Hezbollah was to withdraw its fighters north of Lebanon's Litani River, while Israel was to pull all its forces from south Lebanon.