Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Kyiv give up more land, withdraw troops deeper inside its own country, and drop efforts to join the NATO military alliance to end the war in Ukraine.

Johan Floderus, the Swedish European Union diplomat held in captivity for two years in Iran, has been freed and is on his way home in a prisoners swap, the Swedish prime minister confirmed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has demanded that Kyiv give up more land, withdraw troops deeper inside its own country, and drop it to end his war in Ukraine.

yril Ramaphosa faced major security and social challenges Saturday after being reelected for a second term as South Africa’s president, despite major corruption scandals that underscored the nation’s fragile post-apartheid political era.

European Union envoys “agreed in principle” late Friday on launching EU membership talks with wartorn Ukraine and Moldova after Hungary withdrew its opposition, officials said.

An Italian “anti-fascist” on trial for allegedly attacking neo-Nazis has been freed from house arrest in Budapest as she was elected to the European Parliament, which grants her immunity from persecution, officials said.

Hungary’s nationalist government has repurchased the country’s main international airport as it tries to make Budapest a hub for Chinese tourists.

Moscow said Thursday that the United States should “not be nervous” about Russian warships in Cuba, just 90 miles (144 kilometers) from the U.S., while President Joe Biden was seen wandering away in Italy.

U.S. President Joe Biden announced Thursday that the Group of Seven (G7) western economies agreed to give an extra $50 billion in aid to war-torn Ukraine using frozen Russian state assets as fighting continues on the battlefields.

In a controversial break with historical norms for a mainstream French political party, the leader of France’s conservative ‘Les Républicains’ has called for a nationwide alliance with the far-right anti-immigration Rassemblement National (National Rally) party, Jerusalem Post reports.

An alleged Israeli airstrike near the Syrian city of Aleppo early Monday reportedly killed Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) General Saeed Abiyar and, according to a war monitor, resulted in the deaths of 16 members of pro-Iran groups, various media reports indicate.

Some 120,000 protestors took to the streets of Tel Aviv in Israel on Saturday calling for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to resign and for the government to strike a deal with Hamas that would secure the release of the 128 hostages still captive in Gaza. the Times of Israel (TOI) reports.

Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant stated on Sunday afternoon that Israel has been “steadily choking” Hamas by cutting it off from its supply routes on the Gaza Strip’s border with Egypt and is working on establishing an alternative government in the Palestinian enclave.

On Friday, US President Joe Biden urged Israel to accept a three-part ceasefire and hostage deal, declaring, “It’s time for this war to end.” However, on Saturday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated there would be no “permanent ceasefire” in Gaza until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities were destroyed.

Hamas, deemed a terrorist organization by Israel, has published a video featuring what is believed to be the voice of Gaza hostage Noa Argamani in captivity, Israeli sources confirmed Friday. It came as U.S. President Joe Biden unveiled an Israeli ceasefire plan in Gaza, but Hamas did not immediately react.

In a significant development, Israel has announced that it has taken control of the strategic Philadelphi Corridor, effectively cutting off the Gaza-to-Egypt terror tunnels. According to Israel, this corridor served as an “oxygen line” for Hamas. Israeli troops have now assumed “operational control” of the Philadelphi Corridor, an 8.7-mile-long border area between Gaza and Egypt, as stated by IDF Spokesman Rear Adm. Daniel Hagari on Wednesday evening. So far, Israeli forces have uncovered 20 tunnels underneath the corridor, he added.

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan has expressed “extreme concern” over the Israeli government’s rejection of a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict, adding that Israel “doesn’t get to decide” whether the Palestinians can have a state or not, World Israel News (WIN) reports.