U.S. CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts.
William Burns, Tom Williams/Pool via Reuters/File Photo
U.S. CIA Director Bill Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this weekend to meet with his Egyptian and Israeli counterparts and the Qatari prime minister to try to reach a breakthrough in talks on releasing hostages held in Gaza by Hamas, Axios reporter Barak Ravid posted on social media site X on Thursday, citing two sources.
Negotiations continue, but Hamas refuses to concede anything. For the terrorist organization, the hostages remain their last bargaining chip.
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) economy maintained solid momentum in the third quarter of 2025, with nominal GDP reaching approximately US$595 billion, representing annual growth of 2.2 percent compared to the same period in 2024, according to data from GCC-Stat.
As direct Israeli-Lebanese negotiations are set to open in Washington on Tuesday, French President Emmanuel Macron spent the weekend posting on X and making phone calls, to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, urging a ceasefire, freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz and a "robust and lasting diplomatic solution" for the region.
A senior Iranian source said on Saturday the U.S. had agreed to release Iranian frozen assets held in Qatar and other foreign banks, welcoming the move as a sign of "seriousness" in reaching a deal with Washington in talks in Islamabad.
To make this website run properly and to improve your experience, we use cookies. For more detailed information, please check our Cookie Policy.
Necessary cookies enable core functionality. The website cannot function properly without these cookies, and can only be disabled by changing your browser preferences.