Author: Daily Sabah With Reuters
Pope Francis remains stable in hospital, “confirming the progress” the 88-year-old pontiff has made in the past week while battling double pneumonia, the Vatican said on Saturday. Francis, who was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on February 14, is also reducing his use of mechanical ventilation at night to help with his breathing, a statement said.
Hamas said on Friday it agreed to release an American-Israeli dual national, believed to be the last living American hostage held in Gaza, after receiving a proposal from mediators to continue negotiations on the second phase of a ceasefire deal. Hamas said in a statement that it responded “positively” to the proposal that was presented on Thursday to resume negotiations. It will also release the bodies of four other dual nationality hostages, it said without giving further details. There was no immediate comment from Israel. Meetings between Hamas leaders and U.S. hostage negotiator Adam Boehler in recent days sought the…
Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner has sought to evict an art house cinema from city property for screening Oscar-winning “No Other Land,” a film about the Israeli displacement of a Palestinian community in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. He also wants to halt future grant payments to the non-profit O Cinema in South Beach. City commissioners are expected to vote on legislation introduced by Meiner next week, according to a resolution document made public on Thursday. Meiner has described the movie as one-sided propaganda and an attack on Jewish people, while the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida and other civil…
Senior diplomats from Iran, Russia and China gathered in Beijing on Friday for talks on Tehran’s nuclear issues, Chinese state broadcaster CCTV reported, days after Iran rejected U.S. “orders” to resume dialogue over the Iranian nuclear programme. In 2015, Iran reached a deal with the United States, Russia, China, Britain, France and Germany and agreed to limit its nuclear programme in exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. But in 2018, Donald Trump, a year into his first term at the White House, pulled out of the pact. Last week, Trump said he had sent a letter to the Iranian…
G7 nations emphasised on Friday the need for robust “security arrangements” to ensure a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia, warning Moscow to follow Kyiv in agreeing a ceasefire or face further sanctions, according to a final draft statement. “G7 members called for Russia to reciprocate by agreeing to a ceasefire on equal terms and implementing it fully,” the G7 nations, comprising Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, said in a final draft statement seen by Reuters. The draft, approved by senior diplomats, still needs a green light from ministers, G7 officials said. “They emphasised that any…
Russia’s air base in Syria is sheltering about 9,000 people seeking refuge from a wave of sectarian violence, Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday. Zakharova said Moscow was shocked by events in Syria and hoped those responsible for the violence would be punished.
The White House is urging federal agencies to refrain from laying off their cybersecurity teams, as they scramble to comply with a Thursday deadline to submit mass layoff plans to slash their budgets, according to an email seen by Reuters. Greg Barbaccia, the United States federal chief information officer, sent the message on Wednesday, in response to questions about whether cybersecurity employees’ work is national security-related, and therefore exempt from layoffs. “We believe cybersecurity is national security and we encourage Department-level Chief Information Officers to consider this when reviewing their organizations,” he wrote in the email to information technology employees…
President Donald Trump told CEOs of major companies on Tuesday that new tariffs may go higher than 25%. “The tariffs are having a tremendously positive impact,” Trump told the Business Roundtable, brushing off the stock market reaction. He said they may rise above 25%. “The higher it goes the more likely it is they’re going to build” in the United States. He also defended Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who is leading a White House effort to shrink the federal government. “We’ve had some little hiccups, not big hiccups, but we saved a tremendous amount of money,” Trump said.
Yemen’s Houthis said on Tuesday they will attack any Israeli ship that violates the group’s ban on Israeli ships passing through the Red and Arabian seas, the Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Gulf of Aden, effective immediately. The leader of Yemen’s Houthis said on Friday that the group would resume its naval operations against Israel if Israel did not lift a blockage of aid into Gaza within four days.
European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, in simultaneous statements on X, said they welcomed the news from Jeddah on the U.S.-Ukraine talks, including the proposal for a ceasefire agreement. “This is a positive development that can be a step towards a comprehensive, just and lasting peace for Ukraine. The ball is now in Russia’s court,” they said on Tuesday. They added that the EU is ready to play its full part, together with its partners, in the upcoming peace negotiations.