Stronger Azerbaijan-Armenia ties force questions over Georgia's position as a transit hub
The recent peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reignited a sensitive debate in Georgia: does regional normalisation strengthen Georgia’...
Israeli officials say there is currently no formal ceasefire in Gaza, despite a temporary pause in some airstrikes, as negotiations move forward on a U.S.-brokered deal to free hostages held by Hamas.
Government spokesperson Shosh Bedrosian confirmed on Sunday (October 5) that a delegation of Israeli negotiators will travel to Cairo tonight to begin the technical phase of discussions with Egyptian mediators. The talks will focus on finalising the first stage of the agreement — the simultaneous release of 48 Israeli hostages.
“This development comes with talks that will be taking place in Egypt, as the Prime Minister instructed the team, led by Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dermer, to finalise the technical details of the release of the hostages — a priority and first step of this deal,” Bedrosian said. She added that Israel’s government had agreed to the first phase of the U.S.-backed plan, and that Hamas must now act on its commitment to release the captives.
Bedrosian stressed that the meetings in Cairo are strictly technical, focused on logistics and sequencing rather than broader political terms. “The team will be leaving tonight, with plans for talks to begin tomorrow,” she said.
On the ground, she clarified that while some airstrikes had ceased, the Israeli military retained authority to respond if threatened. “There’s no ceasefire in place at this point in time,” Bedrosian told reporters. “The Prime Minister has given orders for defence forces to fire back for defensive purposes, of course, if there is a threat to their life in the battlefield in Gaza.”
The upcoming talks in Egypt mark the most advanced stage yet in efforts to implement President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace proposal, which envisions a phased ceasefire, the release of hostages and prisoners, and eventual international oversight of Gaza’s governance.
Negotiators from Israel, Egypt, and the United States are expected to attend Monday’s meeting in Cairo, as momentum builds toward what could become the most significant breakthrough since the conflict began nearly two years ago.
Firefighters were clearing the charred ruins of a Karachi shopping mall in Pakistan on Tuesday (20 January) as they searched for people still missing after a fire that burned for nearly two days and killed at least 67 people, police said.
President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States has an "armada" heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear programme.
A commuter train collided with a construction crane in southeastern Spain on Thursday (22 January), injuring several passengers, days after a high-speed rail disaster in Andalusia killed at least 43 people.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has told his Iranian counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian that Türkiye opposes any form of foreign intervention in Iran, as protests and economic pressures continue to fuel tensions in the Islamic republic.
Iran will treat any military attack as an “all-out war,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, as the United States moves additional naval and air assets into the Middle East amid rising tensions.
U.S. President Donald Trump thanked Azerbaijan and Armenia for upholding last August’s peace deal and said Vice President J.D. Vance will visit both countries in February.
An international photography exhibition by world-renowned photojournalist Reza Deghati, known globally as REZA, is offering travellers a powerful visual introduction to Azerbaijan at Heydar Aliyev International Airport.
Trade turnover between Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan reached $33.4m in 2025, almost three times higher than the previous year, according to data from Tajikistan’s Customs Service.
The recent peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan has reignited a sensitive debate in Georgia: does regional normalisation strengthen Georgia’s position or threaten its long-standing role as the South Caucasus’ key transit hub?
The Turkish Defence Ministry has called for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)’s “unconditional compliance” with the 18 January ceasefire agreement between the Kurdish-led militant group and Damascus.
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