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New push to salvage Israel-Hamas truce
Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to salvage the Gaza ceasefire Wednesday, a Palestinian source told AFP, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war.

Talks to form Austria's first far-right govt stall
Talks to form Austria's first far right-led government stalled on Wednesday, with the negotiating parties airing disagreements over key posts.

Over 250 people held at Myanmar scam centre released at Thai border
More than 250 people rescued from online scam centres in Myanmar were handed over to Thailand on Wednesday, a senior Thai army official said, following a series of crackdowns on the illegal operations.

Russia rejects swapping occupied territory with Ukraine
Russia on Wednesday rejected swapping occupied territory with Kyiv as part of any future peace deal hours after launching a barrage of drones and missiles on Kyiv that killed one person.

New push to salvage Gaza truce
Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to resolve a crisis in the Gaza ceasefire Wednesday, a Palestinian source told AFP, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war.

France set to hand over sole military base in Ivory Coast
In a few days, France will hand over its only military base in Ivory Coast, its former star colony in west Africa, and both sides say the run up is proceeding seamlessly without any rancour.

Indonesia's Prabowo, Turkey's Erdogan agree to bolster ties
Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks Wednesday, signing a series of agreements to boost trade and defence ties between the Muslim-majority nations, including a joint venture to build drones.

Asian, European stocks rise as Powell rate warning taken in stride
Asian equities rose while London and Frankfurt hit fresh highs Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank was in no hurry to cut interest rates.

Asian stocks mostly rise as Powell rate warning taken in stride
Most equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again.

'Saudi is the best!': Why are TikTok mumfluencers lauding desert megacity?
Expat "mumfluencers" are taking to TikTok to sing the praises of life in Saudi Arabia and to extol the virtues of its new NEOM megacity, filming their idyllic lives spent picnicking by turquoise waters and shopping in gleaming malls.

DRC conflict overshadows African summit
A dramatic escalation of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and swingeing US humanitarian aid cuts are set to dominate an African Union summit this week, overshadowing the election of its new chairman.

Trump's new defence chief to pressure allies on first NATO visit
New US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for his first meetings at NATO headquarters Wednesday looking to push European nations over support for Ukraine and ramping up military spending.

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if hostages not freed Saturday
Israel threatened Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if hostages were not released this weekend, while Hamas insisted it remained committed to the ceasefire deal and accused Israel of violations.

Gutting aid, US cedes soft power game to China
When President Donald Trump froze nearly all US foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country -- until China stepped in with the necessary funding.

Modi hopes to rekindle Trump bromance
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will try on a US visit to pick up where he left off four years ago in wooing Donald Trump, as he offered quick tariff concessions in hopes of avoiding the second-term president's wrath.

Life 'cut short': Peru's victims of forced sterilization seek amends
Florentina Loayza was 19 and mother to an infant when she was sterilized by agents of the Peruvian government, against her will.

AP reporter barred from White House event over 'Gulf of America'
The Associated Press said Tuesday that its White House reporter was barred from an event with President Donald Trump over the top US news agency's refusal to follow his order renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America.

Zelensky offers land swaps as Russia heartens Trump with prisoner release
Ukrainian President Volodmyr Zelensky said he was ready to swap land in negotiations with Russia, which freed an American prisoner in a gesture President Donald Trump's administration described Tuesday as a goodwill gesture on ending the war.

Trump insists US to own Gaza, Jordan king pushes back
President Donald Trump on Tuesday doubled down on his idea of exiling Palestinians and placing a rebuilt Gaza under "US authority" but faced pushback from visiting Jordanian King Abdullah II.

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if hostages not released Saturday
Israel threatened on Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if hostages were not released this weekend, while Hamas insisted it remained committed to the ceasefire deal and accused Israel of violations.

Jordan king vows to take sick Gaza kids, rejects Trump plan to remove Palestinians
Jordan's King Abdullah II told Donald Trump Tuesday that his country would take in some 2,000 sick children from war-torn Gaza but pushed back against the US president's plan to take over the Palestinian territory and send its population into exile.

Russia frees American as Trump envoy sees 'goodwill' over Ukraine
Moscow on Tuesday freed an American prisoner after the first-known visit by a member of President Donald Trump's administration to Russia, in a deal the White House called a positive sign for ending the Ukraine war.

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if no hostages released Saturday
Israel threatened on Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if no hostages were released this weekend, echoing a warning from US President Donald Trump that has strained the fragile truce deal.

'Senile insanity': Ukrainians outraged at Trump's Russia comment
Ukrainians in Kyiv were left bewildered and frustrated on Tuesday after US President Donald Trump suggested their country "may be Russian someday".

Jordan to take sick Gaza kids as Trump pushes takeover plan
Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday told Donald Trump that his country would take in some 2,000 sick children from war-torn Gaza, as the US president pushed his plan to take over the territory and push out Palestinians.

Israel says to resume Gaza fighting if no hostages released
Israel threatened on Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if no hostages were released this weekend, echoing a warning from US President Donald Trump that has strained the fragile truce deal.

US Fed chair says in no rush to tweak interest rate policy
Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Tuesday that the US central bank was in no hurry to adjust its interest rate-cut policy, as the country's economy maintains resilient growth and a relatively strong labor market.

Canada, Mexico, EU slam 'unjustified' Trump steel tariffs
Canada, Mexico and the EU on Tuesday slammed US President Donald Trump's "unjustified" decision to impose tariffs on steel and aluminium imports, which has raised fears of a broader trade war.

At least $53 billion needed to rebuild Gaza, UN estimates
More than $53 billion will be required to rebuild Gaza and end the "humanitarian catastrophe" that has gripped the war-ravaged territory, including $20 billion in the first three years alone, the United Nations said Tuesday.

Trump blasts judges, fueling fear of constitutional clash
US President Donald Trump slammed "highly political judges" Tuesday as his new administration veered closer to a constitutional clash with the courts over his plans to radically overhaul the government and amass power in the White House.

US foreign aid halt to have major hit on poorest countries: report
A suspension of US foreign aid and possible dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) will have a major impact on some of the world's poorest countries, the Washington-based Center for Global Development (CGD) warned Tuesday.

US farmers say Trump let them down with spending freeze
US farmers caught up in President Donald Trump's short-lived attempt to freeze all federal funding descended on Congress Tuesday to demand answers after grants to their politically influential sector were paused.