MIDDLE EAST

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UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has arrived in Saudi Arabia to meet with Gulf allies following the announcement of a ceasefire between the U.S. and Iran. According to Downing Street, the visit is focused on diplomatic efforts to maintain the peace agreement and ensure the continued reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Starmer’s trip comes in the wake of aggressive rhetoric from Donald Trump, who warned of civilizational collapse if Iran did not end hostilities. The Prime Minister is expected to return to the UK on Friday.

Sir Keir said: "I welcome the ceasefire agreement reached overnight, which will bring a moment of relief to the region and the world."

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A senior official in Iran has dismissed assertions by Donald Trump that Tehran's leadership sought a ceasefire, underscoring deepening tensions as hostilities involving the United States and Israel persist.

Speaking from the Iranian capital, officials firmly denied any outreach requesting a halt to fighting. The rebuttal follows Trump's social media statement alleging that Iran's "new regime president" had appealed for an immediate ceasefire arrangement with Washington.

Iranian authorities described the claim as unfounded, maintaining that no such communication had taken place. The denial adds another layer of uncertainty to an already volatile conflict that has disrupted global energy flows and heightened geopolitical risks.

Earlier, Trump indicated that any consideration of a ceasefire would hinge on the reopening of the strategically vital Strait of Hormuz. The narrow passage, a key artery for global oil and gas shipments, has been severely impacted by the ongoing war, fueling concerns about supply shortages and economic instability worldwide.

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The World Health Organization (WHO) has suspended all medical evacuations from Gaza to Egypt via the Rafah crossing following the death of a contractor. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus confirmed that the contractor, identified locally as 54-year-old Majdi Aslan, was killed by Israeli troops in a "security incident" on Monday. While two other staff members present during the encounter were uninjured, the organization has halted patient transfers until further notice.

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Israel’s parliament on Monday, March 30, approved a bill that would allow the execution of Palestinians convicted on terror charges for de@dly attacks, a move that has been criticised as discriminatory and immediately drew a court challenge.

Sixty-two lawmakers, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, voted in favour and 48 against the bill, championed by far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.

There was one abstention, and the rest of the lawmakers were not present.

Before the vote qas cast, Ben Gvir had worn a lapel pin in the shape of a noose, symbolising his support for the legislation.

“We made history!!! We promised. We delivered,” he posted on X after the vote.

The bill would make the de@th penalty the default punishment for Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank found guilty of intentionally carrying out de@dly attacks deemed “acts of terrorism” by an Israeli military court.

The bill says that the sentence may be reduced to life imprisonment under “special circumstances”.

Palestinians in the West Bank are automatically tried in Israeli military courts.

Meanwhile, under the bill, in Israeli criminal courts, anyone “who intentionally causes the death of a person with the aim of harming an Israeli citizen or resident out of an intention to put an end to the existence of the State of Israel shall be sentenced to

death or life imprisonment”.

Criminal courts try Israeli nationals, including Palestinian citizens and residents of East Jerusalem.

The bill sets the execution method as hanging, adding that it should be carried out within 90 days of the sentencing, with a possible postponement of up to 180 days.

The bill appears to conflict with Israel’s Basic Laws, which prohibit arbitrary discrimination, and shortly after it was passed, a leading human rights group announced that it had filed a petition with the Supreme Court demanding the legislation’s annulment.

“The law creates two parallel tracks, both designed to apply to Palestinians,” the Association for Civil Rights in Israel said in a statement. “In military courts – which have jurisdiction over West Bank Palestinians – it establishes a near-mandatory death sentence,” the rights group said.

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Israel has launched a major strike on a crucial Iranian petrochemical facility, intensifying an already volatile regional conflict and raising fresh concerns about energy security and diplomacy.

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Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu has reversed an earlier decision restricting access to a key Christian holy site in Jerusalem, following widespread backlash.

Netanyahu said he had directed authorities to allow Pierbattista Pizzaballa to enter the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and conduct Palm Sunday services. 

The move came after the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem revealed that Israeli police had, for the first time in centuries, prevented senior church leaders from entering the church to celebrate Mass.

The Patriarchate described the incident as a “grave precedent” that disregards the sensitivities of Christians worldwide during Holy Week, the most sacred period in the Christian calendar.

Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week and commemorates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is widely believed to be the site of his burial and resurrection.

Israeli authorities said the restrictions were due to security concerns amid ongoing tensions involving Iran, noting that recent missile attacks had landed close to the holy site.

Police later approved a limited prayer arrangement at the church, while maintaining restrictions at other religious sites, including the Western Wall and the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound.

Netanyahu’s office denied any malicious intent, stating that the measures were taken solely to ensure public safety. However, it added that plans were being made to allow religious leaders to worship at the site in the coming days.

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Iran has hanged a teenage boy and a young man for participating in the January protests.

Mohammadamin Biglari, 19, and Shahin Vahedparast Kalour, 30, were executed at Ghezel Hesar Prison at dawn on Sunday, April 5.

They were among at least 25 men at risk after being arrested in anti-regime protests in January, with more than half a dozen others killed last week.

Mahmoud Amiry-Moghaddam, director of Iran Human Rights, warned that many more hangings will follow if pressure is not brought to bear on the regime.

‘These daily executions, carried out under the shadow of war, are part of a deliberate policy to terrorise the Iranian people and prevent new protests,’ he told the Mail after this newspaper told both men’s stories on Saturday.