Diplomatic Exchanges and Legal Battles: American Teacher Freed in U.S.-Russia Deal, Netanyahu Warns of Ceasefire's End, and Greenpeace Challenges Energy Transfer Lawsuit

Good Morning,

Marc Fogel, an American teacher detained in Russia since 2021, has been released in a negotiated exchange between the US and Russia, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned that the ceasefire in Gaza will end and military operations against Hamas will resume if hostages are not released by midday Saturday, and Greenpeace has filed an anti-intimidation lawsuit in the Netherlands against US energy company Energy Transfer, challenging its $300 million lawsuit over 2016 pipeline protests under a new EU directive designed to combat SLAPP cases aimed at silencing civil society.

Top Stories

● Russia has released detained American teacher Marc Fogel, the White House says (AP)

● Netanyahu says Israel will end Gaza ceasefire if hostages not returned on Saturday (Reuters)

● Greenpeace files an anti-intimidation case against an American fossil fuel pipeline company (AP)

● Sam Altman tells OpenAI staff that board hasn’t ‘seen anything official from Elon’ (CNBC)

● Woman jailed in Sweden for keeping Yazidi slaves in Syria (AJ)

United States and Canada

● Trump says he is considering tariff exemptions on Australian steel and aluminum (AP)

● Vance rails against AI regulation in Paris as US faces off with EU, China (AJ)

● Trump nominee Gabbard heads toward confirmation as intelligence chief (Reuters)

● Senate Democrat alleges FBI chief pick Patel is secretly overseeing firings (Reuters)

● Trump pushes Gaza plan in meeting with Jordan's King Abdullah II (CBS News)

● S.E.C. Moves to Kill Climate Disclosure Rule (NYT)

Latin America

● Exclusive: Colombia deforestation in 2024 among lowest levels in 23 years, minister says (Reuters)

● A Dominican man is sentenced to prison after 11 migrants drowned in a smuggling attempt (AP)

● Colombia defense minister will leave gov't, ministry says (Reuters)

● Brazil steelmakers lobby group says US 25% tariffs on steel will benefit neither country (Reuters)

Africa

● Besigye launches hunger strike amid prolonged detention (AN)

● At least 55 civilians killed by militia fighters in northeastern Congo (AN)

● Could a rebellion in eastern Congo widen into a regional war? (AP)

● Congo humanitarian operations hit hard by Trump aid pause, says UN official (Reuters)

● At least 26 killed in Ethiopia bus crash, state-affiliated media reports (Reuters)

● UNAIDS warns HIV infections could surge without U.S. support (AN)

Middle East

● State media in Iran say Khamenei pardons journalists who reported woman’s death, sparking protests (AP)

● Iran alerts UN to Trump threat of force, says it will defend itself (Reuters)

● Abbas risks Palestinian backlash over overhaul of prisoner payments (Reuters)

● ‘Outraged’: WFP says staff member dies while detained in northern Yemen (AJ)

● Turkmenistan reaches deal with Turkey to ship natural gas via Iran (AP)

● Mosul’s renowned minaret restored from ravages of Islamic State (Reuters)

Indo-Pacific

● Pakistan Navy stages multinational counter-terrorism exercises (AJ)

● South Korea’s top think tank lowers economic growth projection, citing Trump’s tariffs (AP)

● Russia offers India its most advanced Su-57 stealth fighter jet (Reuters)

● Singapore detains teenager radicalised by far-right extremism (Reuters)

Europe

● The UK’s ruling Labour government ‘paved the way for Reform to rise’ (AJ)

● U.S. will not send troops to Ukraine, Pentagon chief Hegseth says (Reuters)

● EU vows countermeasures to US tariffs. Bourbon, jeans, peanut butter, motorcycles are easy targets (AP)

● Scholz, challenger Merz vow to shun extreme right as German election nears (Reuters)

● A doctor arrested in Germany over patients’ deaths is now suspected of 10 killings (AP)

● A collision between a train and a truck in Germany injures 12 (AP)

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