After two years of voluntary exile yesterday, the former premier attended celebrations marking the 19th anniversary of the assassination of his father Rafic. Analysts and observers point to his re-election bid in 2026, but the regional scenario presents new tensions and challenges. A rapprochement with the Saudis and relations with the Christian bloc the decisive factors.
Today's news: Arab diplomacy meets in Saudi Arabia to end the war in Gaza; Delhi aims to discontinue the visa-free policy to Myanmar and block entry to the north-east; A Houhti court sentences 13 people to death by public execution for homosexuality; Ulan Bator aims to launch the country's first satellite to strengthen communications; Outgoing president Ilham Aliev in the lead with counting almost complete.
Today's news: India won't withdraw troops from the Maldives, after archipelago's president seeks relations with Beijing; Seoul court approves seizure of funds from a Japanese company to compensate for wartime labour exploitation; Israel denies the attack on the UN shelter in Gaza that also drew a rebuke from Washington; Fuel runs out in Laos.
Israel loses 21 soldiers in one day, calls for a two-month truce. The hostage issue remains unresolved. Increasingly, Israelis want a deal with Palestinians, with 51.3 per cent backing a demilitarised Palestinian state in exchange for the release of the hostages. Research by an Israeli NGO, Yesh Din, shows that Jewish settlers enjoy impunity; about 94 per cent of investigations into anti-Palestinian violence ended without an indictment.
Today's news: Taiwan says it has detected six more Chinese spy balloons flying over the island; In May, construction will begin on a new mosque in Ayodhya, India; Putin says he plans to visit Pyongyang soon; Israeli Foreign Minister Katz and his Palestinian counterpart al-Maliki will attend the EU foreign ministers' meeting in Brussels separately: Tajikistan continues the work of "de-Russification" of its civil code.
US and British air raids against pro-Iranian rebels first act of a possible widening of the war. An operation in response to assaults on ships bound for the Red Sea by the rebels. Mgr. Martinelli: difficulties in reaching "a stable equilibrium", the "great concern" for the situation in the Holy Land remains. In Yemen "the nuns' work for the poor and sick continues".