9+ min ago (215+ words) Sunday, 07 December 2025 07:40 AM EST Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he will meet President Donald Trump later this month, saying a second phase of the U.S. president's Gaza plan was close. The meeting will discuss possible opportunities for peace and an end to the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas's rule in the enclave, he said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Negotiations on the next stages of Trump's plan to end the two-year war in the Palestinian enclave have been continuing. The plan also included the release of Israeli hostages and the establishment of an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, overseen by an international "board of peace" and backed by an international security force. "I will be having very important conversations at the end of the month on how to ensure the second phase…...

9+ min ago (281+ words) Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty stressed that US President Donald Trump's peace plan stipulates that the reopening of Rafah crossing must be in both directions, and will not be a gateway for displacing Palestinians from their land. In his remarks on Saturday during his participation in the Doha Forum, Abdelatty added that "Upholding the ceasefire is a top priority, as it is the necessary prerequisite for an orderly transition to the second phase of President Trump's peace plan." The implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 2803 remains crucial, particularly regarding the role of the international stabilization force as a peacekeeping force, he noted. "This force, along with the Palestinian technocratic committee and the International Peace Council, are temporary arrangements paving the way for the Palestinian Authority to resume its full functions, within a geographically contiguous area between the West Bank and…...

14+ min ago (136+ words) Iranian authorities have executed over 1,000 people between January and September 2025, the highest number of yearly death penalties conducted in Iran that'Amnesty International'has recorded in at least 15 years. As Statista's Tristan Gaudiat shows in the chart below, within less than nine months, the number of people executed by the regime has already surpassed last year's grim total of 972 executions. These figures are likely low estimates due to the Iranian authorities not publishing such data publicly. According to Amnesty, the Iranian regime has increased its use of the death penalty since the 2022 "Woman, Life, Freedom" movement uprising, as a tool of state repression and to crush dissent. In 2025, the authorities have further intensified executions in the aftermath of the escalating hostilities between Israel and'Iran, under the guise of national security....

14+ min ago (70+ words) [ IDF troops operate in southern Lebanon. January 23, 2025. (photo credit: IDF SPOKESPERSON]Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji added that Hezbollah's current concern is to "buy time and preserve itself internally in order to regain its power." Lebanese FM: 'Hezbollah will not disarm without Iranian consent' Lebanese Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji added that Hezbollah's current concern is to "buy time and preserve itself internally in order to regain its power."...

16+ min ago (57+ words) UN chief calls for full commitment to Lebanon truce. UN Security Council President Samuel Zbogar on Saturday emphasized the importance of Lebanon's territorial integrity and sovereignty, urging all parties to fully uphold the ceasefire agreement signed UN chief calls for full commitment to Lebanon truce Tuvalor Exchange Introduces New Transparency & Reporting Initiative For Global Users...

21+ min ago (229+ words) JERUSALEM, Dec 7 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday that he will meet President Donald Trump later this month, saying a second phase of the U.S. president's Gaza plan was close. The meeting will discuss possible opportunities for peace and an end to the Palestinian militant group Hamas's rule in the enclave, he said during a joint press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz. Negotiations on the next stages of Trump's plan to end the two-year war in the Palestinian enclave have been continuing. The plan also included the release of Israeli hostages and the establishment of an interim technocratic Palestinian government in Gaza, overseen by an international "board of peace" and backed by an international security force. "I will be having very important conversations at the end of the month on how to ensure the second phase will…...

29+ min ago (770+ words) I have been a regular listener to the Hugh Hewitt Show since 2001." That's a long time to endure the host's unfailing, loud and unbearable braggadocio regarding the college football team that plays in Columbus, OH." The host has not lived in Ohio for his entire adult life, just as I have not lived in the place I grew up " Indiana " for my entire adult life." My connections to the state of my rearing remain as strong as his." Therefore it brings me great joy, happiness (and no small amount of return fire) to announce that last night INDIANA UNIVERSITY, BEAT OHIO STATE " solidly " FOR THE BIG TEN FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP." (It was routine in basketball for many years, but not football.)" The Cleveland newspapers and Sports Illustrated are noting just how good IU actually is." This might just get mentioned in…...

31+ min ago (355+ words) Home " Hamas Rejects Trump Peace Plan, Vows to Keep Weapons and Continue War Against Israel Mashaal rejected the central requirement of Trump's peace plan'Hamas disarmament. "Protecting the resistance project and its weapons is the right of our people to defend themselves," he stated. "The resistance and its weapons are the ummah's honor and pride. A thousand statements are not worth a single projectile of iron." Israel's Foreign Ministry responded sharply, stating that Hamas was "making a mockery of President Trump's peace plan" and that Mashaal's remarks were in "direct contradiction of the core terms of the peace plan itself." His office later clarified to Agence France-Presse that surrendering weapons "under the authority of the state" meant only a "sovereign and independent Palestinian state'code for a terror state that would replace Israel. Hamas is now making clear it will honor none…...

35+ min ago (533+ words) Hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square in the occupied West Bank to watch the lighting of a giant Christmas tree - as festive celebrations returned to the town for the first time since the Gaza war began. People could be seen singing and dancing among the twinkling lights that adorned the square in front of the historic Nativity Church, while a Santa helped distribute sweet treats. Residents welcomed the celebrations, with one saying she hoped "this light will lead us to better things ahead". Resuming celebrations was not without controversy, as suffering continues in Gaza, but Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati: "Deep inside my heart, I felt that this was the right thing to do because Christmas should never be stopped or cancelled." Read more on this story. The vehicle had transported the late Pope Francis on a visit to…...

35+ min ago (533+ words) Hundreds of people gathered in Bethlehem's Manger Square in the occupied West Bank to watch the lighting of a giant Christmas tree - as festive celebrations returned to the town for the first time since the Gaza war began. People could be seen singing and dancing among the twinkling lights that adorned the square in front of the historic Nativity Church, while a Santa helped distribute sweet treats. Residents welcomed the celebrations, with one saying she hoped "this light will lead us to better things ahead". Resuming celebrations was not without controversy, as suffering continues in Gaza, but Bethlehem Mayor Maher Canawati: "Deep inside my heart, I felt that this was the right thing to do because Christmas should never be stopped or cancelled." Read more on this story. The vehicle had transported the late Pope Francis on a visit to…...