Author: Disha Mishra

(Forelines) – A high-ranking Israeli security delegation arrived in Qatar on Sunday for discussions regarding a potential Gaza hostage release and ceasefire agreement, according to a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, reported by Reuters, signaling possible progress in ongoing negotiations. According to Reuters, Qatar along with mediators Egypt and the United States is stepping up renewed efforts to negotiate a deal to end the fighting in Gaza and ensure the release of the remaining 98 hostages before President-elect Donald Trump takes office on January 20. Prime Minister Netanyahu’s office stated on Saturday that the delegation comprises Mossad chief…

LOS ANGELES, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Firefighters were slowly making progress in their battle to contain the inferno that has razed swathes of Los Angeles’ Pacific Palisades neighborhood to the ground, but still-spreading flames threatened communities in the populous San Fernando Valley on Sunday. Aircraft dropped water and fire retardant on steep hills to stem the eastward spread of the Palisades Fire and KTLA television reported that ground crews had managed to save a number of houses, although others were lost. “LA County had another night of unimaginable terror and heartbreak,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Lindsey Horvath said. Six simultaneous…

(Forelines) – On Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy urged allies to fulfil their pledges to supply Ukraine with weapons, including those needed to counter Russian air attacks, reported by Reuters. Volodymyr Zelenskiy stated that in the past week, Russian forces had carried out hundreds of strikes on Ukraine and deploying nearly 700 aerial bombs and over 600 attack drones were used, as per Reuters. Ukrainian air defences intercepted 60 of the 94 drones carried out by Russia overnight, according to the air force Sunday, cited by Reuters. The air force further stated that 34 drones were “lost” due to Ukraine’s…

(Forelines) – On Saturday, two individuals believed to be linked to government-backed militias, locally referred to as “Death Squads,” were killed, and three others injured in separate incidents in Balochistan’s Kech and Kohlu districts in Pakistan, The Balochistan Post reported. In the first incident, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle attacked Jameel, the son of Malik Dadullah, in the Kohad area of Tump Tehsil, Kech. Another person, Meraj Arif, was injured and taken to Turbat Civil Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. According to local sources, the victims were reportedly affiliated with a government-backed militant group, The Balochistan Post…

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], January 12 (ANI): Several areas in Rawalpindi are facing a severe water shortage after the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) cut off electricity to nine key tubewells, citing non-payment of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1.8 billion in outstanding dues by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), as reported by the Dawn. The disconnection, which occurred on Thursday evening, has left residents in localities between Chandni Chowk and Shamsabad without water. Wasa officials explained that these areas, which rely on tube wells for water, are now facing disruptions in supply. While Wasa paid PKR 60 million to Iesco on Friday…

N’DJAMENA, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Chad’s ruling party won two-thirds of the seats in the legislative election which was boycotted by many in the opposition last month, provisional results showed on Sunday, reinforcing President Mahamat Idriss Deby’s hold on power. Results of the Dec. 29 election seal the oil-producing Central African nation’s transition to constitutional rule more than three years after Deby seized control following the sudden death of his father and long-standing predecessor Idriss Deby Itno. Deby’s party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement, secured 124 of the 188 seats at the National Assembly, the national electoral body said. The participation…

RIYADH, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Foreign ministers and top diplomats from Western and Middle Eastern countries are meeting Syria’s new foreign minister in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday at the first such regional meeting on Syria since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted last month. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Riyadh on Sunday morning ahead of the meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani. British foreign minister David Lammy was also expected to join the talks, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office. Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar,…

(Reuters) – The Biden administration delayed until June an order for Nippon Steel (5401.T), opens new tab to abandon its $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel(X.N), opens new tab, the companies said on Saturday, giving them some time to revive the politically contentious deal. President Joe Biden blocked the acquisition on national security grounds on Jan. 3, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this week the proposed deal had received a “thorough analysis” by the interagency review body, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The delay will give the courts time to review a legal challenge the…

(Reuters) – President Joe Biden is calling for tighter cybersecurity standards for federal agencies and contractors in a new executive order due to be published in the coming days, pushing reforms designed to address repeated Chinese-linked cyber operations and cybercriminal operations, according to a draft of the order seen by Reuters. The order is set to land in the waning days of Biden’s presidency, during which several high-profile, Chinese-linked hacks occurred, according to the U.S. government and cybersecurity research groups. The alleged activity targeted critical infrastructure, government emails, major telecom firms and, most recently, the U.S. Treasury Department. Beijing has…

(Reuters) – U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepared to return to the White House. Smith resigned on Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court filing on Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, asking her to lift a court order she issued blocking release of his final report. Notice of Smith’s resignation came in a footnote in the filing, which said the Special Counsel had completed his work,…