WFP says has depleted all Gaza food stocks as Israel blocks aid
After 18 months of war, the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now, the United Nations' humanitarian agency OCHA...
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Lebanon parliament approves changes to banking secrecy law
Beirut, Lebanon -- Lebanon's parliament on Thursday approved amendments to banking secrecy legislation, a key reform demanded by the International...
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Geostrategy
Israel blocks humanitarian aid to Gaza as ceasefire’s first phase ends, sparking global outrage
Truce mediators Egypt and Qatar accused Israel of blatantly violating the ceasefire deal by halting the aid, a move left trucks...
- Early on Sunday Israel had announced a truce extension until mid-April that it said United States Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff had proposed
- But Hamas has repeatedly rejected an extension, instead favouring a transition to the truce deal's second phase that could bring a permanent end to the war.
PKK declares ceasefire with Turkey after 40 years of armed struggle
Istanbul, Turkey - Outlawed Kurdish militants on Saturday declared a ceasefire with Turkey following a landmark call by jailed PKK...
- The PKK, designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, has waged an insurgency since 1984 with the aim of carving out a homeland for Kurds
- Turkey's vice president Cevdet Yilmaz said "a new phase" began toward achieving the goal of a "terror-free Turkey", without making any mention of the PKK statement
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Israel endorses plan to extend Gaza truce as first phase draws to close, Hamas wants permanent peace
The first phase of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas was set to expire over the...
- Negotiations have so far been inconclusive, with the fate of hostages still held in Gaza and the lives of more than two million Palestinians hanging in the balance.
- A senior Hamas official told AFP the Palestinian militant group was prepared to release all remaining hostages in a single swap during the second phase
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Two lunar landings in a week for NASA’s private Moon fleet
Washington, United States -- More than fifty years passed between the last Apollo mission and the United States' return to...
- First up is Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1, nicknamed "Ghost Riders in the Sky."
- Blue Ghost's arrival will be followed on March 6 by Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission, featuring its lander, Athena.
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Europe backs Zelensky after White House showdown with Trump
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said the "unspeakable" row "underlined that a new age of infamy has begun". Friedrich Merz,...
- Russia backed Trump, who openly berated Zelensky on Friday and accused him of having "disrespected" the United States.
- European Union chiefs Antonio Costa and Ursula von der Leyen assured Zelensky in a joint statement that he was "never alone".
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Trump and Zelensky clash in heated Oval Office meeting over Ukraine peace deal
During a tense meeting at the White House, Trump and Zelensky argued over the war with Russia, with Trump accusing...
- Zelensky was at the White House to sign a deal on sharing Ukraine's mineral riches and discuss a peace deal with Russia, despite the US president recently branding him a dictator
- Tempers frayed after Vice President JD Vance said that "diplomacy" was needed to end the war. Zelensky asked "what kind of diplomacy" and Vance accused him of being disrespectful
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Mediators hope for end to conflict as next phase of Gaza ceasefire talks in Cairo begins
Mediator Egypt say Israeli, Qatari and US delegations were already in Cairo for "intensive" talks on the next stage of...
- A hostage-Palestinian detainees swap early Thursday was the final one under the initial stage of the truce that took effect on January 19.
- Over the past several weeks, Hamas freed in stages 25 living Israeli and dual-national hostages and returned the bodies of eight others.
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Hamas, Israel prisoner swap advances as talks for ceasefire’s next phase loom
Israeli authorities received four hostage bodies from Hamas, while Palestinian prisoners were welcomed in Ramallah, as ceasefire negotiations involving Egypt,...
- The office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed they had received the coffins of "four fallen hostages", and a process to formally identify them had started in Israel
- The ceasefire has largely halted the war sparked by Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, and seen 25 hostages released alive so far in exchange for more than 1,100 prisoners
Business
Clip of Gaza as seaside resort posted on Trump social media accounts
The video, which racked up more than 15 million views on Instagram and was shared thousands of times on Trump's...
- The 33-second clip remained on Trump's accounts without denial or retraction hours after the initial posting.
- Trump has floated the idea of a US takeover of Gaza under which its Palestinian population would be relocated -- a proposal met with global condemnation.
Geostrategy
Deal restored: Hamas, Israel finalize exchange of Palestinian prisoners for bodies of Israeli hostages
Mediators have revived a deal for Israel to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the bodies of four Israeli hostages,...
- Palestinian militant group Hamas confirmed the agreement, under Egyptian supervision, saying it was part of the first phase of its ceasefire deal with Israel
- On Sunday, Hamas accused Israel of endangering the five-week-old Gaza truce by delaying the release of 600 Palestinian prisoners
WFP says has depleted all Gaza food stocks as Israel blocks aid
After 18 months of war, the situation in Gaza "is probably the worst" now, the United Nations' humanitarian agency OCHA...
Geostrategy
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Qatar to invest $2 billion in Indonesia sovereign wealth fund
Jakarta, Indonesia -- Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto said Qatar is set to invest $2 billion in his country's new sovereign...
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China’s exports beat forecast in March despite trade war woes
China said Monday that exports soared 12.4 percent year-on-year last month, beating expectations as Beijing navigated mounting trade headwinds sparked...
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Trump says Russian strike on Ukraine ‘a horrible thing’
US President Donald Trump on Sunday said a Russian strike on the Ukrainian city of Sumy that killed at least...
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Iran says talks with US will remain ‘indirect’, to focus solely on nuclear issue, lifting sanctions
Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme, along with...
- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi and US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff held a first round of talks on Saturday in Muscat
- Analysts had said the US would push to include on the agenda discussions over Iran's ballistic missile programme
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US Pentagon chief says military ready to ensure Iran never gets a nuclear bomb
Washington, United States -- The US defense secretary reiterated Sunday that the United States hopes for a diplomatic solution to...
- US and Iranian diplomats opened indirect talks Saturday in Oman in an effort to resolve Western concerns about Iran's nuclear program.
- Trump said Wednesday that military action was "absolutely" possible -- in conjunction with Israel -- if the talks in Oman failed.
Geostrategy
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa makes first visit to UAE
Damascus, Syria -- Syria's interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose war-devastated country seeks Gulf financial support, traveled to the United Arab...
- Nearly a week after rebels toppled Assad in Dec, UAE presidential adviser Anwar Gargash said his government found the Islamist affiliation of Syria's new rulers "quite worrying'.
- But in mid-January Sharaa spoke by phone with the Emirati president about ways to reinforce ties and "ensure the stability and development of the region'.