First direct talks between Lebanon and Israel: dialogue shifts from military to political

Today's headlines: The hostage’s body returned by Islamic Jihad is that of Thai migrant Suthisak Rintalak, found north of Gaza; Beijing is deploying its most impressive naval force in East Asia; Delhi reverses its decision to make it compulsory to install a state-provided application on smartphones in the country; The new round of talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan ends without agreement.

​LEBANON - ISRAEL

Lebanon and Israel held their first civilian-led direct talks in decades yesterday during a meeting organised by UNIFIL in Naqoura as part of the November 2024 ceasefire monitoring mechanism. The shift from military to political dialogue, desired by President Joseph Aoun, marks a historic break for Beirut, which wants to address political and security issues with the Jewish state, not just technical matters. This paves the way for direct negotiations, with the aim of averting war and weakening Hezbollah's influence on security matters by aligning the country with regional developments, in particular the Abraham Accords.

ISRAEL - GAZA - THAILAND

Israel has identified the body received through the Red Cross yesterday, confirming that it is the remains of 43-year-old Thai farm worker Suthisak Rintalak. He was one of the last two hostages still in the Strip, along with Ran Gvili, a 24-year-old Israeli police officer, who has yet to be returned. The military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) reportedly found Rintalak's body in northern Gaza.

CHINA

Beijing is deploying the most impressive naval force in East Asia, concentrating over a hundred vessels. Although this is a training exercise, there have been no announcements of large-scale tests. However, the decision could be linked to growing diplomatic tensions with Japan, whose Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has said she is ready to intervene in the event of a Chinese attack on Taiwan, while the leader of Taipei has allocated billion for defence. Chinese ships are massed in the waters stretching from the southern part of the Yellow Sea through the East China Sea to the South China Sea.

INDIA

Yesterday, the Indian government cancelled its previous order to smartphone manufacturers to install a government cybersecurity application on new devices. The reversal is linked to protests across large parts of the country, not only by citizens but also by politicians and global technology companies, who fear widespread surveillance.

PAKISTAN - AFGHANISTAN

The new round of peace talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which aimed to end tensions on the border between the two South Asian countries, recently the scene of serious violence, ended without an agreement. The two sides agreed to extend the fragile ceasefire. Last weekend's talks in Saudi Arabia are the latest in a series hosted by Qatar, Turkey and Saudi Arabia. The latest talks included representatives from the Pakistani army, intelligence services and foreign offices. Also yesterday, a roadside bomb killed three Pakistani police officers near the Afghan border.

CAMBODIA - THAILAND

Bangkok has seized assets worth over 0 million, including shares in a large regional energy company, and issued arrest warrants for 42 people in a high-profile operation against regional fraud networks. Areas of Southeast Asia, including the border areas between Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, have become hubs for online fraud, with criminal networks earning billions from illegal complexes where trafficking victims are forced to work. The seizures and warrants involve Chinese-Cambodian tycoon Chen Zhi, who heads the US-sanctioned Prince Group, and Cambodians Kok An and Yim Leak.

RUSSIA

According to statistics from the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the combined wealth of Russia's richest men has increased by £18 billion since the beginning of 2025, reaching a total of £306.5 billion. The list includes 21 Russian citizens, the top three being the owner of Nornikel, Vladimir Potanin, with nearly £30 billion, the main shareholder of Severstal, Aleksey Mordashov with £25 billion, and the head of Nlmk, Vladimir Lisin with £22 billion.

ARMENIA

To put an end to internal controversy within the ecclesiastical hierarchy, Armenian Patriarch Karekin II has convened a general synod of bishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church for 4-7 November. This is in response to a statement signed by 13 archbishops on the “sacrilegious acts” of Archbishop Arshak Khachatryan, defended by the Catholicos, who allegedly posted videos of “unworthy content” on social media showing the prelate himself engaging in obscene acts.