New Gaza ceasefire-for-hostages talks set for Cairo this weekend
A fresh round of talks aimed at arranging a Gaza ceasefire in exchange for hostages held by Hamas militants is being planned for Cairo this weekend with US representation, the White House said on April 5.
CIA Director Bill Burns will lead the US delegation, a US official said.
White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said President Joe Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a phone call on April 4 to empower his negotiators in Cairo so that a deal can be reached as soon as possible.
India will enter Pakistan to kill terrorists who run away there, defence minister says
India will enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told broadcaster CNN News18 on April 5.
The minister’s comments come a day after Britain’s Guardian newspaper published a report stating the Indian government had killed about 20 people in Pakistan since 2020 as part of a broader plan to eliminate terrorists residing on foreign soil.
India’s foreign ministry did not respond to a Reuters’ request for comment on the report, while Pakistan’s foreign ministry refused to comment. Pakistan denies harbouring militants.
Trump subpoena to NBC over Stormy Daniels documentary blocked by judge
Donald Trump’s subpoena to Comcast-owned NBCUniversal for material related to a recent documentary about porn star Stormy Daniels was blocked on Friday by the judge overseeing the former US president’s April 15 criminal trial.
Justice Juan Merchan said Trump’s claim that Daniels and NBC conspired to release the film close to the trial to damage him was unsupported.
“His subpoena and the demands therein are the very definition of a fishing expedition,” the judge wrote in a court order.
Nestle steps up monitoring of French mineral water
Nestle said on April 5 that it has stepped up monitoring after warnings by French regulators about the quality of its bottled mineral water brands including Perrier and Vittel.
The move follows revelations earlier this week that France’s food safety watchdog had recommended stricter monitoring of sites where Nestle extracts mineral water after traces of “faecal” contamination were found.
The recommendation, made to the health ministry last year, comes on top of an investigation by prosecutors into allegations that Nestle used illegal treatment to purify its mineral waters.
Macron holds out hope of seeing Mbappe at Olympics
French President Emmanuel Macron said April 5 he remained hopeful national team captain Kylian Mbappe would be able to play for his country at the upcoming Paris Olympics.
“I hope he will be able to play at the Olympic Games,” Macron said when asked by pupils during a visit to a school in the French capital.
Mbappe has previously made clear his desire to represent France at the Games, but that possibility dissipated when Real Madrid recently warned they would not release any of their players to take part in the Olympics.
