India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
Geostrategy
India and Pakistan urged to have ‘maximum restraint’ after Kashmir attack
The United Nations urged India and Pakistan to show "maximum restraint" as the nuclear-armed rivals imposed tit-for-tat diplomatic measures over...
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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
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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.
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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
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UN warns of last chance for two-state Israeli-Palestinian solution
Sigrid Kaag, the UN envoy for the peace process in the region, also warned against calls for Israel to annex...
- "The people of the region can emerge from this period with peace, security, and dignity. However, this may be our last chance to achieve the two-state solution," said Kaag.
- Kaag called on Hamas and Israel to agree on the second phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza war and avoid a resumption of fighting.
Geostrategy
US, Russia to appoint negotiators for Ukraine talks; Kyiv protests exclusion, Europe awaits role
Washington noted European nations would have to have a seat at the negotiating table "at some point", following the first...
- Some European leaders, alarmed by President Donald Trump's overhaul of US policy on Russia, fear Washington will make serious concessions to Moscow
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky slammed his nation's exclusion from the Riyadh gathering, which lasted for more than four hours, saying talks should involve European nations
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Iran’s Khamenei: US plan to displace Gazans ‘will go nowhere’
Tehran, Iran - Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday dismissed a proposal by the United States to displace Palestinians...
- Khamenei made the remarks during a meeting in Tehran with Ziyad al-Nakhalah, leader of the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad
- US President Donald Trump this month proposed a plan for a US takeover of the war-battered Gaza Strip and its Palestinian inhabitants to be relocated elsewhere
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More than one million Syrians return to their homes: United Nations
Geneva, Switzerland -- More than one million people have returned to their homes in Syria after the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad,...
- The returnees include 280,000 Syrian refugees and more than 800,000 people displaced inside the country.
- Syria's war has killed more than half a million people and displaced millions from their homes.
Israel army pulls out of Lebanon border villages, holds five positions: source
Israel's army has pulled out of southern Lebanese villages but remains in five positions as a deadline for the withdrawal...
- Authorities estimate reconstruction costs in Lebanon's South could reach more than US$10 billion
- More than 100,000 remain internally displaced
Geostrategy
Netanyahu commits to Trump’s Gaza plan as Rubio seeks Arab backing in Saudi talks
In a statement on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he was "committed to US President Trump's plan for...
- Arriving in the kingdom after talks in Israel, Secretary of State Marco Rubio - on his first visit to the Middle East - met Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
- A Saudi source had earlier told AFP that Riyadh would host a regional summit later this week "to discuss Arab alternatives" to President Donald Trump's plan for Gaza
Business
Saudi Arabia’s sports fund invests in DAZN streaming service
Paris, France - Saudi Arabian sports investment fund SURJ, linked to the kingdom's sovereign wealth fund, has acquired a minority stake...
- SURJ, originally named SRJ, was established in August 2024 by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) "to invest in acquiring and creating new sports events
- SURJ and DAZN will work closely to establish DAZN MENA, a joint venture that will unlock new broadcasting opportunities for Saudi Arabia's growing sports sector
India, Pakistan and threats of a water war: what we know
India, furious after a deadly attack, has suspended the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, with Islamabad warning any attempt to...
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'.