Daily News

After three years of Western sanctions, Russia could once again be open for American businesses — but only if a deal can be done to end the war in Ukraine. US President Trump says he wants to see major economic deals with Russia, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio says there are "extraordinary" opportunities there. Moscow says it is open to economic cooperation, but its war-driven economy is overheated, interest rates are high, and the business environment is unpredictable. The European Union and India aim to finalise a free trade deal by 2025. Germany is planning to relax debt rules to boost defence spending. Plus, why are so many Senegalese people unemployed?

Colin Clarke, Director of Research at The Soufan Group, has told Al Jazeera that Trump’s meddling with the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas risked backfiring. “My concern here is that the US injecting itself right in the middle of these negotiations and almost usurping the Israeli position, and Trump putting his thumb on the scale here, that it’s ultimately going to be counterproductive,” Clarke said. “He was unhappy with the slow pace of the negotiations, but again, these have been taking place on and off for the better part of 15 months.”

At least 13 people have been killed in Syria after an ambush by loyalists of the former regime. The attack highlights ongoing instability and the persistent threat of armed groups across the country. Local sources report that the ambush took place in a volatile region, where clashes between various factions continue to shape Syria’s security landscape.

US President Donald Trump has signed additional executive orders in the Oval Office, further shaping his administration’s policies.

Tariffs are central to US economic and foreign policy in the new Trump administration. The reverberations of his supporters' cheers are matched only by the shudders of apprehension globally. So, what's in store for the US and the world?

Meron Rapoport, editor of the Local Call news site in Tel Aviv, says that while the Israeli government is downplaying the direct contact between Hamas and the Trump administration, the discussions are important. “We have to remember Israel has been dialoguing with Hamas for many years but not directly, always through intermediaries. Direct talks are an interesting development, and I think Israel is viewing it with quiet concern,” Rapaport told Al Jazeera. Despite the Gaza ceasefire now stalled with Israel refusing to enter its second phase, the Israeli government appears to be reluctant to restart the fighting, he said, noting only 9 percent of the Israeli public in a recent poll wanted to go back to war. “It did not go further than this blockade and did not really go back into bombing as some may have feared. Prime Minister Netanyahu knows he’s in difficulties internally, and if the US is conducting negotiations with Hamas behind the scenes, it makes things even more difficult.”

The government of Argentina has placed football at the centre of the country's ideological debate amid an economic crisis that threatens the survival of many clubs. With President Javier Milei proposing to reduce state subsidies and open clubs to private investment, football — one of the pillars of Argentinian identity — has become a battleground between opposing visions. For Milei, this measure is necessary, while fans, club leaders and the Argentine Football Association (AFA) that have seen many young players from very small clubs become the world’s megastars, fear that these organisations could lose their social and community role or even disappear without state support.

Arab countries have agreed on a plan to rebuild and govern Gaza without displacing its Palestinian population, a direct response to United States President Donald Trump’s vision of transforming Gaza into the "Riviera of the Middle East". What does Egypt’s plan entail, and what are its chances of success?

United States President Donald Trump sees many European countries as extensions of the Democratic Party abroad, and thus his “adversaries”, argues Ed Luce, the US national editor at the Financial Times. Luce tells host Steve Clemons that the string of European leaders “bringing fruits to the volcano” in Washington will not be able to change Trump’s views on Ukraine or Europe in general. “America now sees the world as a jungle,” he says. The power vacuum left by the US will usher in “a dangerous time ... when you have the revenge of geopolitics, the return of history,” Luce says.

When Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in 2022 – amidst mass protests and an economic crisis– parliament elected veteran politician and six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. As President, Wickremesinghe negotiated the country’s biggest bail-out, but his critics say he is part of an establishment that turned a blind eye to war crimes and corruption and hindered the fundamental changes protesters demanded. Mehdi Hasan goes head to head with Wickremesinghe on his violent response to protestors, his handling of the 2019 Easter bombings, and whether he did enough to hold the powerful Rajapaksa family accountable.When Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa fled the country in 2022 – amidst mass protests and an economic crisis– parliament elected veteran politician and six-time Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.