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The heads of US and Russian spy agencies have have spoken by phone and agreed to keep up regular contacts to lower the temperature in US-Russia relations, news reports said on Wednesday. In the first such contact in several years, CIA chief John Ratcliffe and the head of Russia’s
Politics
China, Iran and Russia conducted joint naval drills Tuesday in the Middle East, offering a show of force in a region still uneasy over Tehran’s rapidly expanding nuclear program and as Yemen’s Houthi rebels threaten new attacks on ships. The joint drills, called the Maritime Security Belt 2025,
Live News
Elon Musk’s Starlink signed an agreement with India’s top telecom operator on Wednesday to bring the US satellite Internet giant’s services to the world’s most populous country, a day after announcing a similar agreement with the country’s second-largest provider. The deals with Reliance Jio and
Sports
Paris Saint-Germain produced a historic turnaround to progress to the Champions League quarter-finals at Liverpool’s expense as they triumphed 4-1 on penalties after a 1-0 second leg win at Anfield. Never in Liverpool’s history had they lost a European tie after winning the first leg away from home
People Diplomacy
French President Emmanuel Macron on Tuesday called on military chiefs from across Europe and beyond to draw up a plan “to define credible security guarantees” for Ukraine in the event of a ceasefire, the presidency said. His appeal, in a closed-door Paris meeting of top brass from more than 30
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A Moroccan Islamist activist has been sentenced to two years in prison for “incitement to hatred” over social media posts praising a stabbing attack in Israel, his lawyer said on Tuesday. Redouane El Kastit, a member of the banned but tolerated Al Adl Wal Ihssane movement, was sentenced by a
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US President Donald Trump’s Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs Adam Boehler traveled to Iraq last month to push for the release of Israeli-Russian researcher Elizabeth Tsurkov, who was kidnapped in Iraq nearly two years ago, three sources familiar with the matter said. Since taking office, Boehler has stepped up
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Operations by Turkiye’s armed forces against Kurdish militants in northern Syria are continuing, including on Tuesday, a Turkish Defense Ministry official said on Wednesday, following a deal between the US-backed and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the new government in Damascus. The official did not provide details on
reports
Fearing for their lives, Syrian men, women and children waded through a river to safety in Lebanon on Tuesday, among hundreds of people who have fled to the neighboring country to escape sectarian killing targeting their Alawite community. A woman who made the crossing on Sunday said she’d seen
Politics
The center-right opposition has won a surprise victory in legislative elections in Greenland, the Danish territory coveted by US President Donald Trump, as support also surged for the nationalist Naleraq party seeking independence as soon as possible. The Democratic party — which describes itself as “social liberal” and has also called
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Pakistani security forces exchanged gunfire on Wednesday with hundreds of separatist militants as they sought to free about 300 hostages aboard a train in the country’s rugged southwest, officials said. Security forces were being cautious as officials said the hostages were surrounded by militants wearing vests loaded with explosives.
Live News
An agreement to integrate autonomous Kurdish institutions in Syria’s northeast into the new Syrian national government will “serve peace,” Turkiye’s president said on Tuesday. “The full implementation of the agreement reached yesterday will serve Syria’s security and peace. The winner will be all of our Syrian brothers,
Middle East
The Israeli military said it carried out an air strike in southern Lebanon on Tuesday that killed a senior Hezbollah militant who was reportedly responsible for a drone and rocket arsenal. “Earlier today, the IAF (air force) conducted a precise intelligence-based strike in the area of Nabatiyeh in southern Lebanon,
Live News
Israel confirmed the release of five Lebanese detainees held by its military, Israeli media reported on Tuesday, citing the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. They were captured during Israel’s ground offensive in southern Lebanon that began on Oct. 1 last year, and after the Nov. 27 ceasefire went
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Nearly 400,000 Sudanese have returned to their homes over the past two and a half months after being displaced by the ongoing conflict, the United Nations migration agency said on Monday. Between December and March, “approximately 396,738 individuals” returned to areas retaken from paramilitary forces by the army,
Politics
Saudi Arabia and Ukraine issued a joint statement Tuesday following the visit of Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky to the Kingdom, the Saudi Press Agency reported. Saudi Arabia expressed hope that efforts would succeed in ending this crisis in Ukraine in line with international law and the United Nations Charter, including