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Israel and Hamas are set for more indirect talks Sunday on the Gaza ceasefire, but deep divisions persist between the two warring sides on the terms of the fragile truce.Mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the initial phase of the ceasefire took effect on January 19, largely halting 15 months of deadly fighting in Gaza triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.That phase ended in early March, and though both sides have since refrained from all-out war, they have been unable to agree on the next stage of the ceasefire in the Palestinian territory.Late Saturday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu instructed Israeli negotiators to continue the talks, his office said.He directed them to base the negotiations on what his office said was a proposal by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff that calls for the “immediate release of 11 living hostages and half of the deceased hostages”.However, Witkoff told CNN on Sunday he had offered a “bridge proposal” that would see five living hostages, including Israeli-American Edan Alexander, released in return for freeing a “substantial amount of Palestinian prisoners” from Israel jails.”I thought the proposal was compelling,” Witkoff said.”The Israelis were informed about it and advised about it beforehand and after waiting for two or three days for Hamas… we got an unacceptable response.”It was totally unacceptable. I think there is an opportunity for them but the opportunity is closing fast,” Witkoff said.A Hamas official said the group was ready to release Alexander and the bodies of four other Israeli-Americans.”The delegation held fruitful discussions with our Egyptian brothers, focusing on ways to advance the implementation of the ceasefire agreement in light of Hamas’s acceptance of the updated American proposal,” he said.”The delegation asked mediators and guarantors, the United States, to compel the occupation (Israel) to implement the humanitarian protocol, immediately allow humanitarian aid into Gaza Strip, and begin the second phase of negotiations,” the official said on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the Gaza truce.- Deadlock -During the first phase of the truce agreement, Hamas released 33 hostages, including eight deceased, and Israel freed around 1,800 Palestinian detainees.Since then, Hamas has consistently demanded negotiations for the second phase, which would include a permanent end to the war, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, the reopening of border crossings for aid, and the release of remaining hostages.Israel, however, seeks to extend the first phase until mid-April, insisting that any transition to the second phase must include “the total demilitarisation” of Gaza and the removal of Hamas, which has controlled the territory since 2007.The talks are now at an impasse, with both sides sticking to their positions and accusing each other of obstructing progress.”It’s so hard for me to think about what they’re (hostages) going through right now because I know that feeling,” freed Israeli captive Omer Shem Tov said in a newly released video.”It’s a terrible feeling and it has to stop as soon as possible.”Gaza resident Mohammad Hallas, 41, said Hamas had no choice but to agree to release the hostages.”The fastest way for Hamas to reach a solution is to free the prisoners,” Hallas told AFP.”The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and worsens every day. Everything is in Israel’s hands, and Hamas only has the prisoners as a bargaining chip.”The October 7 attack resulted in 1,218 deaths on the Israeli side, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli figures, which includes hostages who were killed or died in captivity.In response, Israel vowed to destroy Hamas and launched a large-scale offensive in Gaza, which has killed at least 48,572 people, the majority of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.- Air strikes -Despite the fragile truce still holding, near-daily Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue.On Saturday, strikes in north Gaza’s Beit Lahia killed nine people, including four Palestinian journalists, said the territory’s civil defence agency, in the deadliest attack on a single site since January 19.Hamas condemned the attack as “a horrible massacre” and “a blatant violation of the ceasefire”.The Israeli military said it hit “a terrorist cell”, adding that militants were operating a drone intended to carry out “terrorist attacks” against its troops.

Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthis vowed to meet “escalation with escalation” after a wave of deadly US air strikes, with witnesses to the bombing saying Sunday they were taken aback by its intensity, even after years of war. US President Donald Trump said he had ordered the strikes and threatened more were to come if the rebels kept up their repeated attacks on shipping vessels in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.Attacks on the rebel-held capital Sanaa, as well as on areas in Saada, Al-Bayda and Radaa, killed at least 31 people and wounded 101, “most of whom were children and women”, Huthi health ministry spokesperson Anis Al-Asbahi said.An AFP photographer in Sanaa heard explosions and saw plumes of smoke rising Saturday night.Footage on Huthi media showed children and a woman among those being treated in a hospital emergency room, including a dazed girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages.One father of two, who gave his name as Ahmed, told AFP his “house shook, the windows shattered, and my family and I were terrified”.”I’ve been living in Sanaa for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” he said.Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to “use overwhelming lethal force” to end the Huthi attacks, which the rebels say are in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.”To all Houthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” he said.Trump also issued a stern warning to the group’s main backer.”To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!” he said, adding it would be held “fully accountable” for any continued threats.The Huthis vowed the strikes “will not pass without response”, while Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.The Huthi Ansarullah website slammed what it called Washington’s “criminal brutality”.US Central Command, which posted videos of fighter jets taking off and a bomb demolishing a compound, said “precision strikes” were launched to “defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation”.- ‘Fully prepared’ -“Yesterday’s shelling in Al-Jiraf (northern Sanaa) was absolutely terrifying: six strikes in a row,” 43-year-old father of three Malik told AFP.”My children were screaming and crying in my arms. It’s the first time I’ve ever said the Shahada,” he added, referring to the prayer that is recited before death.The Huthis’ political bureau said its “forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation”.The rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Huthis had “attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023”.The campaign put a major strain on the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to take a costly detour around southern Africa.The Palestinian group Hamas, which has praised the Huthi support, lashed out at the US strikes, branding them “a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country’s sovereignty and stability”.Iran “strongly condemned the brutal air strikes” in a statement, denouncing them as a “gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter”.The head of the country’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, said: “Iran will not wage war, but if anyone threatens, it will give appropriate, decisive and conclusive responses.”- ‘Political dialogue’ – The United States has launched several rounds of strikes on Huthi targets.After halting their attacks when a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January, the Huthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume them until Israel lifted its blockade of aid to the devastated Palestinian territory.Trump’s statement did not reference the dispute over Israel, but focused on previous Huthi attacks on merchant shipping.Earlier this month, the Trump administration reclassified the Huthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, banning any US interaction with it.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Moscow is close to Tehran.”Continued Huthi attacks on US military and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea will not be tolerated,” Rubio told Lavrov, according to the State Department.Russia’s foreign ministry said that “Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue… (to) prevent further bloodshed”.The Huthis captured Sanaa in 2014 and were poised to overrun most of the rest of the country before a Saudi-led coalition intervened.The war devastated the already impoverished nation. Fighting has largely been on hold since a 2022 ceasefire, but the promised peace process has stalled in the face of Huthi attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping.burs-smw/

Yemenis on Sunday recounted their panic and terror as the first US attacks under President Donald Trump struck rebel-held areas, killing dozens and wounding more than 100.A “horrific explosion” rocked the capital, Sanaa, late on Saturday during suhoor, the night-time meal during the holy month of Ramadan, one resident said.”The house shook, the windows shattered, and my family and I were terrified,” father-of-two Ahmed, who did not want to give his full name, told AFP.”I’ve been living in Sanaa for 10 years, hearing shelling throughout the war. By God, I’ve never experienced anything like this before.”The Iran-backed Huthi rebels, who control much of the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, have been fighting a Saudi-led coalition since 2015.The US strikes were aimed at preventing a resurgence of months of attacks on the vital Red Sea shipping lane during the Israel-Hamas war.”This is the most scared I’ve been since the beginning of the war,” said Malik, 43, who has three children.”Yesterday’s shelling in Al-Jiraf (northern Sanaa) was absolutely terrifying: six strikes in a row.”My children were screaming and crying in my arms. It’s the first time I’ve ever said the Shahada,” he said, referring to the prayer that is recited before death.”I was waiting for one of these missiles to hit our house.”- Victims are ‘always civilians’ -Attacks on Sanaa and Saada, the birthplace of the Huthi movement in Yemen’s rugged northern mountains, and elsewhere killed 31 and wounded 101, according to the rebels’ health ministry.Footage from Huthi media showed children and a woman among those being treated in a hospital emergency room, including a dazed girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages.Late on Saturday, a plume of white smoke had risen over Sanaa after explosions rocked the northern district of the capital.However, the Huthis sealed off areas around the blast sites, making it impossible to gauge the true scale of the destruction.Mohammad Albasha, a US-based consultant, said the area targeted in Sanaa was home to senior Huthi leaders and considered their stronghold in the capital.”This is the point of no return, and from now on, it’s gloves off between the Huthis and CENTCOM,” he said, referring to the regional US military command.Amal, 29, who lives with her mother in Sanaa, said Saturday’s attacks were “terrifying… windows were shattered and the walls of the house shook”. But she added: “We’ve witnessed hundreds of raids, most of them in the same areas.”Several military operations against the Huthis have been announced, but they’ve only added more casualties, most of them civilians.”The homes and locations of the leaders are well-known, but the victims are always civilians.”

The first US strikes against Yemen’s Huthis since Donald Trump took office killed 31 people, the rebels said Sunday, with the US president warning “hell will rain down upon” the Iran-backed group if it did not stop attacking shipping.The Huthis, who have attacked Israel and Red Sea shipping throughout the Gaza war, said children were among those killed.An AFP photographer in the rebel-held capital Sanaa heard explosions and saw plumes of smoke rising.Attacks on Sanaa, as well as on areas in Saada, Al-Bayda and Radaa, killed at least 31 people and wounded 101, “most of whom were children and women”, Huthi health ministry spokesperson Anis Al-Asbahi said.Footage on Huthi media showed children and a woman among those being treated in a hospital emergency room, including a dazed girl with blackened legs wrapped in bandages.Trump, in a post on social media, vowed to “use overwhelming lethal force” to end the Huthi attacks, which the rebels say are in solidarity with Palestinians amid the Gaza war.”To all Huthi terrorists, YOUR TIME IS UP, AND YOUR ATTACKS MUST STOP, STARTING TODAY. IF THEY DON’T, HELL WILL RAIN DOWN UPON YOU LIKE NOTHING YOU HAVE EVER SEEN BEFORE!” he said.Trump also issued a stern warning to the group’s main backer.”To Iran: Support for the Houthi terrorists must end IMMEDIATELY!” he said.”Do NOT threaten the American People, their President… or Worldwide shipping lanes. If you do, BEWARE, because America will hold you fully accountable and, we won’t be nice about it!”The Huthis vowed the strikes “will not pass without response”, while Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi condemned the deaths and said Washington had “no authority” to dictate Tehran’s foreign policy.The Huthi Ansarullah website slammed what it called Washington’s “criminal brutality”.US Central Command, which posted videos of fighter jets taking off and a bomb demolishing a compound, said “precision strikes” were launched to “defend American interests, deter enemies, and restore freedom of navigation”.- ‘Escalation with escalation’ -“Our Yemeni armed forces are fully prepared to confront escalation with escalation,” the Huthi political bureau said.The rebels, who have controlled much of Yemen for more than a decade, are part of the “axis of resistance” of pro-Iran groups staunchly opposed to Israel and the United States.They have launched scores of drone and missile attacks on ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said the Huthis had “attacked US warships 174 times and commercial vessels 145 times since 2023”.The campaign put a major strain on the vital route, which normally carries about 12 percent of world shipping traffic, forcing many companies to take a costly detour around southern Africa.The Palestinian group Hamas, which has praised the Huthi support, lashed out at the US strikes, branding them “a stark violation of international law and an assault on the country’s sovereignty and stability”.Iran “strongly condemned the brutal air strikes” in a statement, denouncing them as a “gross violation of the principles of the UN Charter”.The head of the country’s Revolutionary Guards, Hossein Salami, said: “Iran will not wage war, but if anyone threatens, it will give appropriate, decisive and conclusive responses.”- ‘Political dialogue’ – The United States has launched several rounds of strikes on Huthi targets.After halting their attacks when a ceasefire took effect in Gaza in January, the Huthis announced on Tuesday that they would resume them until Israel lifted its blockade of aid to the devastated Palestinian territory.Trump’s statement did not reference the dispute over Israel, but focused on previous Huthi attacks on merchant shipping.Earlier this month, the Trump administration reclassified the Huthis as a “foreign terrorist organisation”, banning any US interaction with it.US Secretary of State Marco Rubio also spoke to his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov. Moscow is close to Tehran.”Continued Huthi attacks on US military and commercial shipping vessels in the Red Sea will not be tolerated,” Rubio told Lavrov, according to the State Department.Russia’s foreign ministry said that “Lavrov stressed the need for an immediate cessation of the use of force and the importance for all sides to engage in political dialogue… (to) prevent further bloodshed”.The Huthis captured Sanaa in 2014 and were poised to overrun most of the rest of the country before a Saudi-led coalition intervened.The war devastated the already impoverished nation. Fighting has largely been on hold since a 2022 ceasefire, but the promised peace process has stalled in the face of Huthi attacks on Israel and Israel-linked shipping.burs-smw/dv

Chinese internet search giant Baidu released a new artificial intelligence reasoning model Sunday and made its AI chatbot services free to consumers as ferocious competition grips the sector.Technology companies in China have been scrambling to release improved AI platforms since start-up DeepSeek shocked its rivals with its open source and highly cost-efficient model in January.In …

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At first glance, the office desk could belong to any Chinese executive — an ashtray, mini-flags, a golden sculpture inscribed with the character for “integrity”, and a picture of a local celebrity.Instead, it is part of a defiant art show challenging Hong Kong’s stuffy power structures, held in an office tower at the heart of …

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