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Israel’s hardline finance minister announced yesterday a major expansion by more than 2,000 homes of three Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank that Palestinians hope will be part of a future independent state. Most nations consider Israeli settlements there to be illegal under international law and a major obstacle to a two-state solution for long-term peace.Bezalel Smotrich, who holds authority over parts of Israel’s civilian administration in the West Bank, said a planning committee approved the construction of 2,162 new Jewish homes. They include 1,006 units in a new settlement near Jerusalem, 922 near the Palestinian city of Nablus and 234 near Hebron. “We are continuing to build the Land of Israel in practice,” said Smotrich, an ultranationalist sanctioned by Britain, France and others who accuse him of inciting violence against Palestinians.Smotrich has denounced the sanctions against him, saying the measures would not change Israeli policy. The new homes would “strengthen our hold on the land, reinforce Israel’s security, and establish clear facts on the ground that prevent the creation of an Arab terror state in the heart of the country,” Smotrich said in a statement, without specifying when construction would begin.Since becoming a minister three years ago, Smotrich has sought to tighten Israel’s control and presence in the West Bank while advocating against the idea of a Palestinian state. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s right-wing government has overseen the significant expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the establishment of new settlements.Palestinians want the West Bank as part of a future independent state that includes East Jerusalem and Gaza. Around half a mn Israelis live in the West Bank among about 3 million Palestinians. US President Donald Trump’s administration has been far less critical of the fast-expanding Israeli settlements.However, Trump did say last September that he would not allow Israel to annex the West Bank, angering some right-wing Israeli lawmakers. The United Arab Emirates, one of few Arab states to have official ties with Israel, has also publicly warned the Israeli government against annexation. Condemning yesterday’s announcement, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ office warned that Israel’s “provocative” policies were pushing the region towards more rounds of violence and called on the US to stop the Israeli “madness”.Smotrich on May 19 said he would wage “war” on the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited civic rule in the West Bank, after he said he was told the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor had sought a confidential arrest warrant against him. The ICC has not confirmed that. Source link
Nepal’s ruling party chief called for closer economic and strategic co-operation with India yesterday, on the first high-level visit since deadly 2025 anti-corruption youth protests toppled the previous government.But this trip to a key ally was not by Nepal’s new prime minister — 36-year-old rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah.Shah has shunned meetings with several foreign envoys to Nepal and, according to his aides, has said he will not travel abroad for his first year in power to focus on the many domestic challenges, not least the ailing economy.The first visit to key ally India instead was made by Rabi Lamichhane, a former deputy prime minister and interior minister, who is president of the Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP).It won a landslide victory in March parliamentary elections, led by Shah.Former television host Lamichhane retains a pivotal role in power, and the lawmaker is expected to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, RSP spokesman Manish Jha told AFP.Nepal, a landlocked Himalayan nation of 30mn people, must ensure a delicate diplomatic balance between its two giant neighbours, India and China.India has long considered Hindu-majority Nepal as a traditional ally, with open borders along the plains.Kathmandu’s largest trading partner is India, accounting for 63% of imports, or $8.6bn, followed by China at 13%, or $1.8bn, according to World Bank figures.”A stable and prosperous Nepal is a natural guardrail along India’s northern border, whereas a politically fractured Nepal makes India nervous about instability in the neighbourhood,” Lamichhane wrote in The Hindustan Times yesterday.”Nepal’s economic development is, therefore, a strategic necessity for India.”— Hydropower and cricket —Shah has spoken little since coming to power, and issued his victory message in a rap song, where he promised to “run like a leopard” to ensure his nation’s success.The visit takes place as a long-running border controversy resurfaced, over Nepali territorial claims to the Lipulekh Pass, where India, China and Nepal meet.The icy 5,334 metres-high (17,500 feet) pass has been used by Indian pilgrims to visit Mount Kailash — sacred to Hindus and Tibetan Buddhists, but also connects India to China directly.In 2020, protests erupted in Nepal after India inaugurated a new road leading to the pass.On Sunday, Shah said in parliament that both India and Nepal had “encroached” on each other’s territory, and said they should “resolve the issue as friends”. The comments sparked uproar in Kathmandu’s parliament.Analysts say Lamichhane’s visit could help renew ties.”There has been a vacuum of political dialogue between Nepal and India for a while,” Kathmandu-based foreign affairs analyst Chandra Dev Bhatta said.”So this visit is a positive step towards opening engagements and clearing any misunderstandings.”Lamichhane said that Nepal could offer energy-hungry India hydropower, from its many dams on rivers running off the Himalayas.”Nepal’s hydropower potential is no longer just a domestic asset; it is a clean, green engine capable of powering the industrial corridors of a rising India,” he wrote.He also noted that Nepal shared the same love of cricket as India, with fans watching the just completed India Premier League (IPL) T20 tournament.”We have also been deeply contemplating how Nepali players and Nepali stadiums can be integrated into the IPL franchise,” he said.Nepal are cricketing minnows — but came within a nail-biting single ball of one of the biggest upsets in T20 World Cup history in February, when they lost to England by only four runs. Source link
Israeli authorities on Wednesday extended the detention of a player on the Palestinian women’s national football team after she was summoned for questioning in Jerusalem, Palestinian officials reported.The Palestinian Football Association (PFA) denounced the prolonged detention of 20-year-old Rand Halawani, who was arrested on Tuesday evening.In a statement, it said Halawani’s arrest and that of a former national team player was “not an isolated incident, it is part of a well-documented pattern of systematic targeting of Palestinian athletes, which continues without accountability”.According to the Palestinian governorate for Jerusalem, an Israeli court extended Halawani’s detention until Friday.Israel’s military also arrested former national football player Natalie Abu Diyeh, a student at Birzeit University, as well as three other young Palestinian women in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday.The military said in a statement that the four women were suspected of “promoting terrorist activities and additional terrorist-related activities”.Birzeit University denounced the arrests as part of Israel’s “systematic policies targeting Palestinian education and students’ right to continue their academic journey”.Bishop Imad Haddad of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, to which Natalie Abu Diyeh belonged, called for her release.”We are deeply shocked and horrified by this news, as well as by the news that her family does not yet know where she has been taken”, Haddad said in a statement on Tuesday.According to the Prisoners Club, the main association for prisoners’ rights in the Palestinian territories, 89 Palestinian women are currently in Israeli jails, including three minors and three pregnant women.The Palestinian Authority-affiliated Prisoners Club announced in late May that more than 9,400 Palestinians were in Israeli jails, including Palestinian citizens of Israel, sometimes called Arab Israelis. Source link
Unlike traditional circuit races that are decided over a fixed number of laps or a short race distance, Le Mans puts teams to the test by…
The US is discussing whether to deploy nuclear weapons in additional European Nato states, the Financial Times reported yesterday.US officials have signaled openness to additional deployments beyond the existing six countries hosting nuclear-capable bombers, the FT said, citing three people briefed on the discussions.The move would involve more countries to host so-called US dual-capable aircraft (DCA), which are able to deliver nuclear strikes, the newspaper said, while cautioning that an agreement to expand US nuclear hosting was not imminent.Countries on Nato’s eastern flank including Poland and some Baltic states were interested in potentially hosting DCA bases, the report said, adding that discussions were ongoing in Nato channels.Reuters could not immediately verify the report. The White House, Department of Defense and Nato did not immediately respond to requests for comment.Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby has previously said publicly that the US will continue to use its nuclear weapons to protect Nato members, even as European allies take the lead on conventional forces.US President Donald Trump and many of his aides have criticised European allies for not spending enough on their militaries and relying on the US for conventional defence. (Reuters) Source link
Palestinians pour water on a destroyed vehicle at the site of an Israeli strike, in Deir al-Balah, in the central Gaza Strip, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Mahmoud…
Hassan al-Haydos trains at Qatar’s World Cup base camp in Santa Barbara, Southern California. It is far from certain that Hassan al-Haydos will start for Qatar at the FIFA World Cup, which begins on June 11. At 35, the veteran forward is more likely to be called upon from the bench, introduced in the closing stages to provide experience and composure when required. Yet al-Haydos’ importance to the squad extends beyond the minutes he plays. Qatar’s most-capped player, with 184 appearances and 41 goals, retired from international football in March 2024 after leading the country to back-to-back AFC Asian Cup titles. But a year later, following a request from head coach Julen Lopetegui, he returned to the national team setup to help Qatar navigate the final stages of their qualification journey and prepare for the nation’s first World Cup appearance earned through competition rather than automatic qualification as hosts. “I am proud to have represented the national team for all these years. I will continue to live up to the trust placed in me by the people and the fans who have always supported the team,” al-Haydos said after training in Santa Barbara, Qatar’s base camp in Southern California. “The decision to retire from international football was not an easy one, and neither was the decision to return. At that time, however, I felt the team needed me, particularly in the dressing room, and that played a big part in my decision. As a player, the biggest difference now is the experience I have gained. Having gone through a World Cup in 2022, I believe I am better equipped to handle both the small details and the bigger challenges that come with a tournament of this magnitude.” Al-Haydos believes Qatar are well prepared for the challenge ahead. “Our preparation did not begin with this training camp. It started the moment we secured qualification. Since then, everyone has been working to prepare the team in the best possible way and ensure we are fully ready for the World Cup,” he said. “There are many qualities that athletes must possess, and they are not important only for me but for the entire team. One thing every young player, and the squad as a whole, must understand is the importance of maintaining a constant hunger for success – a desire for results, trophies and achievement. These are not just words. They must be reflected in your daily habits – how you train, how you eat, how you rest and how you conduct yourself every day.” Hassan al-Haydos retired in March 2024, before reversing his decision a…
An Iranian drone and missile attack reportedly targeted Kuwait’s international airport killing at least one person and wounded several others, also causing flight suspensions and diversions. Attacks…
US President Donald Trump has confirmed a tense exchange with Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he reportedly berated his close ally with expletives.In an interview published Wednesday in the New York Post, Trump was asked about the conversation he had with Netanyahu over the phone on Monday.”You said, ‘Are you f-ing crazy? What are you f-ing doing? I helped you stay out of jail.’ Is that true? Did you speak to him in those terms?” the interviewer asked.”I did,” Trump responded. “I was a little bit perturbed at his constantly fighting with Lebanon.””I said, ‘Bibi, we gotta stop this.'”Trump went on to say he had a “very good relationship” with Netanyahu. “We’ve done well together… I like Bibi a lot.”Trump unleashed the profane tirade over Israel’s threats to bomb the Lebanese capital Beirut, fearing it would undermine talks with Tehran to end the war in the Middle East, the Axios news outlet and ABC News reported.The exchange underscored the shaky ties between two right-wing allies who started the war by launching an attack on Iran in late February that spread to Israel striking Lebanon.Israeli media have rejected the account of the conversation.A White House official referred AFP to Trump’s Truth Social posts from Monday in which he thanked Netanyahu for what he said was an agreement to pull troops back from Beirut.Iran had reportedly halted peace talks because of Israel’s attacks on Lebanon. Source link
The curtain will come down on the Al Shaqab Showjumping League season when the final event gets under way at the Longines Indoor Arena today, with riders across multiple categories battling for titles over three days of competition.Action begins with the Al Shaqab Champions class (140cm), offering a prize fund of QR70,000, followed by the Young Champions class (130cm) with QR45,000 at stake. Preliminary competitions at 40cm and 80cm will also be held.Tomorrow's programme features the 60cm preliminary class, the Amateur class (100cm) for QR15,000, the Future Champions class (110cm) carrying QR20,000 in prize money, and the Junior Champions class (120cm) with a purse of QR35,000.The final day on Saturday will see riders contest the Youth Champions class (135cm) for QR45,000, alongside the Amateur (105cm), Future Champions (115cm) and Junior Champions (125cm) classes, before the season concludes with the Al Shaqab Champions class (145cm), again offering QR70,000 in prize money. With league standings determined through a cumulative points system, the final round is expected to play a decisive role in crowning this season's champions following closely contested earlier stages.Fahad Abdullah al-Sulaiti tops the 40cm preliminary standings with 49 points, while Mashael Mohammed al-Thani leads the 60cm category on 35.5 points. Abdulaziz Ibrahim al-Baker heads the 80cm division with 50 points and Haifa Hamad al-Thani leads the Talents category (100-105cm) on 52 points.Abdullah Ahmed al-Khalifi sits atop the Future Champions standings (110-115cm), while Haya Khalid al-Hitmi leads the Junior Champions division (120-125cm) with 51 points. Mohammed al-Asaker holds first place in the Al Shaqab Champions category (140-145cm) with 50 points.The closest contest remains in the Young Champions division (130-135cm), where Khalid al-Hadi and Abdulaziz Fahad al-Eid are level on 57 points. In the team standings, Team Ghazal lead the way, ahead of Team Afrin on 57 points and Team Hariri on 49.5 points. Source link