Arab Countries: Green Light For Indirect Talks

Pete Hegseth, the former Fox News host whom Donald Trump has nominated to be Defense Secretary, came under fire on Tuesday during his Senate confirmation hearing, where he faced questions about his history of alleged sexual assault and excessive drinking, his views on women in the military, and his role in the pardoning of men accused of war crimes.

If the Israel-Hamas ceasefire deal goes according to the current draft, then fighting will stop in Gaza for 42 days, and dozens of Israeli hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners will be freed. In this first phase Israeli troops will pull back to the edges of Gaza, and many Palestinians will be able to return to what remains of their homes as stepped-up aid flows in. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] The question is if the ceasefire will survive beyond that first phase. That will depend on even more negotiations meant to begin within weeks.

Kate Middleton, Princess of Wales, announced Tuesday that her cancer is in remission, nearly a year after she publicly revealed her diagnosis. “It is a relief to now be in remission and I remain focussed on recovery,” she said in a post on X on Jan. 14. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Middleton first shared her cancer diagnosis in March 2024, saying that she began treatment in late February and was undergoing what she called “preventative” chemotherapy.

PRAYAGRAJ, India — Tens of thousands of naked Hindu ascetics and millions of pilgrims took dips in freezing water at the confluence of sacred rivers in northern India on Tuesday, in the first of a series of major baths in the Maha Kumbh festival, the largest religious congregation on Earth. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Holding tridents, swords, spears and small two-headed drums, ash-smeared Hindu holy men marched and rode chariots at sunrise toward the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati rivers in the northern city of Prayagraj.

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip killed at least 18 people overnight, including six women and four children, health officials said Tuesday, as Israel and Hamas appeared to be narrowing in on a ceasefire deal to end the 15-month war and release dozens of hostages. Officials have expressed mounting optimism that they can conclude an agreement in the coming days after more than a year of talks that have repeatedly stalled. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels meanwhile fired a missile at central Israel, setting off sirens and sending people fleeing to shelters without causing any casualties.

PRAYAGRAJ, India — Millions of Hindu devotees, mystics and holy men and women from all across India flocked to the northern city of Prayagraj on Monday to kickstart the Maha Kumbh festival, which is being touted as the world’s largest religious gathering. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] Over about the next six weeks, Hindu pilgrims will gather at the confluence of three sacred rivers—the Ganges, the Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati—where they will take part in elaborate rituals, hoping to begin a journey to achieve Hindu philosophy’s ultimate goal: the release from the cycle of rebirth. Here’s what to know about the festival: A religious gathering at the confluence of three sacred rivers Hindus venerate rivers, and none more so than the Ganges and the Yamuna.