April 4, 2025

Qatar refutes claims of paying to disrupt Israel-Hamas negotiations Qatar condemned and rejected allegations that it made "financial payments" to undermine efforts by Egypt and mediators in talks between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire in Gaza. It affirmed that "these allegations are baseless and serve only the agendas of those who seek to sabotage the mediation efforts and undermine relations between nations," it added. Doha "remains committed to its humanitarian and diplomatic role as a mediator between the relevant parties to end this devastating war and is working closely with Egypt in our efforts to achieve a lasting ceasefire and protect civilian lives," it stressed. Brown University hit with $500M funding freeze amid Gaza protest The Trump administration plans to halt over $500M in contracts and grants to Brown University over its response to alleged anti-Semitism, a White House official said. It comes two days after the Trump administration halted research grants at Princeton University and began reviewing $9 billion in federal contracts and grants awarded to Harvard University. Dozens of other universities are facing federal investigations following a wave of pro-Palestine and anti-genocide protests last year, but the administration has focused special attention on elite colleges. Palestine urges UN to act against Israel's land grab in Gaza Palestine's ongoing envoy to the UN, Riyad Mansour, urged the UN Security Council to act against what he described as Israel's ongoing annexation of Palestinian land under the guise of security operations. Mansour warned that failure to act would deepen Palestine's despair and reinforce perceptions that the world is abandoning them. Mansour stressed that Israel is prioritising territorial expansion over the release of hostages, saying ""Israel's true objective is not the release of the hostages but stealing Palestinian land." South Korea's Constitutional Court ousts impeached President Yoon South Korea's Constitutional Court decided to oust President Yoon Suk-yeol, upholding parliament's impeachment motion over his short-lived imposition of martial law last year. With Yoon's ouster on Friday, a presidential election is required to take place within 60 days, according to the country's constitution. Prime Minister Han Duck-soo will continue to serve as acting president until the new president is inaugurated. Turkish finance minister vows to enhance economic ties with EU Türkiye and the EU developed a consensus on enhancing economic relations and increasing cooperation in all areas, Turkish Finance Minister Mehmet Simsek said. The EU and Türkiye held the first High-Level Economic Dialogue (HLED) meeting in six years in Brussels on Thursday. Issues such as the modernisation of the Customs Union and visa facilitation were also discussed between the two sides. "In the government-to-government session, the parties reviewed the latest economic policy developments and prospects in Türkiye and the EU, amid a challenging and highly uncertain global outlook," it added.