International
Negotiations for a ceasefire in Gaza are in their “final phase,” according to the United States
Negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are in their “final phase,” although there remain some pitfalls that U.S. President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will discuss during their meeting at the White House, said a senior US official.
According to this source, during the meeting, Biden will try to solve some of the “final gaps” to reach an agreement that allows a truce to be declared in the Gaza Strip, where more than 39,000 people have already died, in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages who remain in the enclave and Palestinian prisoners.
“We believe that we are in the final stages and that an agreement can be closed,” said the official, who spoke with the press on Wednesday under the condition of remaining anonymous.
The official was confident that the obstacles that are still present can be resolved and said that there will be “a lot of activity in the next week” with more meetings aimed at reaching an agreement between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip.
The US representative downplayed some of the statements made by Netanyahu this Wednesday in his speech before the two chambers of Congress, in which he promised a “total victory” over Hamas.
Instead of falling into rhetoric, the conversation with Biden will focus on how the agreement would be put into practice once both parties approach positions, that source explained.
“I don’t expect the meeting (with Netanyahu) to be a yes or a no, it’s rather a ‘How do we close these final gaps?’ And there are some things we need on the Israeli side, without a doubt,” the official added.
The last indirect talks between Israel and Hamas took place a couple of weeks ago in Doha and Cairo, with positive signs that an agreement was close.
However, at the last minute Netanyahu added demands that blocked the dialogue again, such as the Israeli control of the Philadelphia corridor – the border of the Strip with Egypt – and the Rafah crossing.
International
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.
The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.
Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.
Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.
The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.
More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.
The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.
Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.
Central America
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.
In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”
Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.
“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.
The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.
International
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
Several U.S. strikes targeted areas near the Strait of Hormuz on Thursday, according to Iranian state media citing local authorities, as hostilities between the United States and Iran intensified.
Officials in Iran’s Hormozgan Province said the island of Qeshm was struck multiple times by what they described as U.S. missiles during the evening. The reports were carried by the Iranian news agencies Fars and Tasnim.
Iranian state television also reported that the Bandar Abbas region, located on the Iranian coast overlooking the Strait of Hormuz, was the target of what authorities described as an “enemy U.S. air attack.”
According to local officials quoted by state television, no casualties have been reported following the strikes.
The reported attacks come amid renewed military tensions between Washington and Tehran, although U.S. authorities had not immediately commented on the reported operations.
U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists
Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute
U.S. Strikes Hit Areas Near Strait of Hormuz as Tensions With Iran Escalate
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