Senior Iranian officials leveled up criticism over Israel swelling a military campaign in Lebanon this week, as parallel discussions to end violence in the region press on. A top military commander, Brig. Gen. Esmail Qaani, warned Israel must “withdraw to the positions it held before the start of the 40-day war” in early March, when … Read more
Hamas freed three more Israeli hostages on Saturday as Israel released 369 Palestinian prisoners, prolonging a fragile cease-fire in the Gaza Strip that appeared to be teetering only days ago. The hostages — Alexander Troufanov, 29, known as Sasha; Iair Horn, 46; and Sagui Dekel-Chen, 36, one of the few Americans still held in Gaza … Read more
Star Entertainment Group delisted days after damning report by casino regulator in New South Wales. Australia’s largest publicly traded casino operator has been temporarily suspended from the country’s stock exchange after failing to lodge its annual financial results. Star Entertainment Group was delisted from the Australian Securities Exchange on Monday as the group faces scrutiny … Read more
Top-secret talks including Biden and Putin result in freedom for 26 people. It’s the biggest prisoner swap between Russia and the West since the Cold War – despite the worst hostility in modern times because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. How was the deal done? Why did it happen now? And could better relations follow? … Read more
Former Iranian official Hamid Nouri released in exchange for Swedish citizens Johan Floderus and Saeed Azizi. Tehran, Iran – Iran and Sweden have completed an Omani-brokered prisoner swap that involves the release of a former Iranian official in exchange for a European Union diplomat and another Swedish-Iranian citizen. The state-run Oman News Agency confirmed on … Read more