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Defending champions Carlos Alcaraz and Aryna Sabalenka both advanced to the third round of the Madrid Open after winning their initial matches on Friday. Carlos Alcaraz made a strong return to competition after a month’s break due to a forearm injury, which caused him to miss the Monte Carlo Masters and Barcelona Open. He convincingly defeated Alexander Shevchenko with scores …

On Friday, the Spanish football federation named Pedro Rocha as its new president, following the resignation of the former president, Luis Rubiales, last September amid controversy. Rocha, who is currently implicated in a corruption investigation involving the federation, had been serving as the interim president and was the sole candidate for the upcoming May election. The Spanish government recently decided …

U.S. mediator Amos Hochstein arrived in Israel on Friday, with potential plans to travel to Beirut to address the escalating tensions on the Lebanon border, sources reported to al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday. During his visit, Hochstein presented a new proposal aimed at de-escalating the recent intensification of conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah, in a discussion with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav …

A drone strike by Israel targeted a vehicle in eastern Lebanon, resulting in two fatalities, according to Lebanon’s state-run National News Agency. The Israeli military identified the target as Musab Khalaf, an official with Lebanon’s al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, a group allied with Hezbollah. Khalaf was accused by Israel of orchestrating attacks against Israeli troops in Shebaa Farms, a region captured by …

Yemen’s Houthi rebels recently fired ballistic missiles at a Panama-flagged oil tanker, causing minor damage while it navigated through the Red Sea. This incident is part of a surge in attacks following a period of reduced activity during Israel’s conflict with Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The U.S. military’s Central Command reported that the attack involved three missiles, with one …

Student protests against the Israel-Hamas conflict have escalated at U.S. universities, leading to confrontations with law enforcement. Amidst this backdrop, Columbia University’s Senate created a task force to scrutinize administrative decisions, particularly after police were called to disperse a pro-Palestinian student encampment, resulting in over 100 arrests. The university delayed the encampment’s removal several times, suggesting in an email that …

Hamas is reviewing the latest counterproposal from Israel regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza, following the arrival of an Egyptian mediation team in Israel to help restart the stalled peace talks. This development comes amid Israeli military preparations for a potential incursion into Rafah, Gaza’s southern city, and continued regional conflicts linked to the war. Khalil al-Hayya, a senior Hamas …

Next week, the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) will introduce a proposal aimed at addressing the Syrian refugee crisis to other Lebanese political groups, according to the National News Agency (NNA). This initiative contains practical solutions intended to alleviate the situation. The NNA reported that Walid Jumblat, the former leader of the PSP, discussed the proposal during a meeting in Clemenceau …