Ceasefire talks could restart today
Negotiations for a pause in fighting between Israel and Hamas could restart today, officials said. A mid-level Israeli delegation is planning to fly to Cairo for new Egyptian-brokered talks, but only if Hamas also agrees to attend, Israeli officials said.
Hopes for a ceasefire arose after Israel scaled back its demand that at least 40 hostages be freed and said it was willing to settle for 33, in part because it believes some have died in captivity.
“That makes it a little easier to reach an agreement,” Patrick Kingsley, our Jerusalem bureau chief, told us yesterday. “But there are still many obstacles.”
“Hamas wants a truce that gives it a chance to survive the war as a military force, while Israel wants an agreement that gives its army a chance to eventually resume fighting and defeat Hamas,” he added. “That’s why Israel wants a short ceasefire, while Hamas wants a longer one that can last until it becomes permanent.”
Yesterday, President Biden called the leaders of Egypt and Qatar as he seeks to increase pressure on Hamas to accept a deal. The moves raised expectations that the two sides could be approaching their first truce in months.
Other war updates:
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Hague: The International Criminal Court is considering arrest warrants for Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, as well as Hamas leaders, Israeli officials believe.
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Arabian countries: Regional leaders are cracking down on protests, trying to prevent pro-Palestinian protesters from criticizing their own governments.
Russia advances before US aid can arrive
Last week, Russia captured or entered about half a dozen villages on Ukraine’s eastern front. Moscow is trying to seize a window of opportunity as kyiv’s outnumbered and outgunned troops await the first batch of American military aid.
Military experts have said Russia is preparing to launch a new large-scale offensive in late May or early June, and will press ahead with strikes in the coming weeks.
The United States said last week it would rush the first billion-dollar military aid package, which will include shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles and other air defense munitions, Javelin anti-tank guided missiles and 155-millimeter projectiles.
Whats Next: Russia can advance toward the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a logistics hub for the Ukrainian military, or try to push north toward Chasiv Yar, a strategic hilltop town that has come under relentless Russian attacks in recent weeks.
Elon Musk’s business victory in China
Tesla CEO Elon Musk has secured a deal that potentially brings the company closer to offering its most advanced self-driving software in cars in China. The moment is significant. Just days before arriving in China to close the deal, Musk identified self-driving technology and artificial intelligence as critical to Tesla’s future.
Approval of the deal would also give it a much-needed victory after U.S. regulators on Friday issued a tough assessment of the system’s safety and performance.
Analysis: China took advantage of Musk’s visit to demonstrate that it still has influence with foreign companies that depend on its market. He touted Musk’s meeting with Premier Li Qiang, China’s No. 2 official, as an example of how Western companies play by Beijing’s rules.
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What makes ‘super-ages’ special?
Scientists have been studying a subset of people they call the “super-aged.” From the age of 80, they have the memory capacity of a person decades younger.
A paper published yesterday helps shed some light on what makes them special: their brains have less atrophy than those of their peers.
The participants were otherwise similar in terms of diet, sleep, career, or alcohol and tobacco use. Being elderly could simply come down to “some kind of lucky predisposition” or parts of the brain we don’t yet understand, said Tessa Harrison, a scientist.