Spotlight
World shares were mixed on Thursday, with benchmarks in Japan and South Korea setting fresh records, after the U.S. and Iran signed their initial agreement ending the war.
The rally in Asia followed a retreat Wednesday on Wall Street driven by speculation the Federal Reserve may raise interest rates this year to curb inflation.
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Ukraine hit a Moscow oil refinery for a second time in a week and disrupted commercial flights at Moscow airports in one of its biggest drone attacks since Russia's invasion more than four years ago, Russian officials said Thursday.
The Russian Defense Ministry said that its air defenses overnight shot down 555 Ukrainian drones over multiple regions, with almost 200 intercepted as they were approaching the Russian capital.
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An Israeli drone strike in south Lebanon killed two people on Thursday, hours after the United States and Iran signed an agreement to end the Middle East war, including in Lebanon.
The strike targeted a car in Kfartebnit, near the Israeli-declared 'yellow line'.
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Hezbollah supporters gathered Wednesday at the grave of former leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah in Beirut to hear a speech by Hezbollah new leader Sheikh Naim Qassem marking Ashoura, when Shiite Muslims commemorate Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad.
In his speech, Qassem urged Lebanese authorities to take advantage of a "pivotal" moment following a U.S.-Iran deal to end the Middle East war.
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The interim deal reached by the United States and Iran to end their war will reopen the Strait of Hormuz and bring the two adversaries back to the negotiating table over Tehran’s nuclear program. It will also give Iran an immediate benefit, allowing it to sell its oil freely again, according to details released by both countries.
Besides the new oil revenue for Iran, the two sides are more or less back where they were 3½ months ago — before Israel and the U.S. on Feb. 28 launched their war on Iran, which has left thousands dead across the region, triggered a global energy crisis and shaken the American economy.
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Germany and Poland are set to sign a new defense agreement on Wednesday, putting aside their complicated past to strengthen European military cooperation amid heightened tensions with Russia and growing uncertainty over U.S. engagement in Europe.
Relations between the two neighbors in recent years have become more pragmatic in the wake of Russia's full‑scale war on Ukraine in 2022 and the coming to power of a liberal government in Poland in 2023.
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Kylian Mbappé broke the France scoring record with two goals against Senegal at the World Cup on Tuesday.
The 27-year-old Real Madrid striker reached 58 goals, during a 3-1 victory for France, to move one ahead of Olivier Giroud, who has retired from the national team.
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Draw made Wednesday for the Champions League second qualifying round:
League Path
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Iran will immediately take steps to reopen the Strait of Hormuz once a tentative deal with the U.S. to end the war is signed and will be allowed to sell its oil without restrictions, according to leaked copies of an interim agreement that officials say broadly matches the document.
The accord, due to be formally signed in a ceremony in Switzerland on Friday, lays out that the U.S. would secure at least $300 billion to rebuild Iran after the war and work to end all American and United Nations sanctions imposed on Tehran if a final agreement addressing Iran's nuclear program is reached.
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The White House has informed supporters that President Donald Trump has accomplished his goals in the war with Iran despite the details of an initial agreement remaining unclear and negotiations on Tehran's nuclear program still to be held.
In a series of talking points sent to Trump supporters and Republican members of Congress this week, the White House proclaimed major victories, such as Iran agreeing to never have a nuclear weapon, reopening the crucial Strait of Hormuz and fighting in Lebanon ending.
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