ISRAELIS TAKE OUT THEIR LARGEST PROTEST SINCE START OF WAR

Tens of thousands of Israelis gathered outside the parliament building in Jerusalem on Sunday in the largest anti-government demonstration since the country went to war in October. They urged the government to reach a ceasefire deal to free dozens of hostages held by the Hamas militant group in Gaza and to hold early elections.

Israeli society was broadly united immediately after October 7, when Hamas killed some 1,200 people during a cross-border attack and took 250 others hostage. Nearly six months of conflict have renewed divisions, though the country remains largely in favour of the war.

“After six months, it seems like the government understands that Bibi Netanyahu is an obstacle,” said demonstrator Einav Moses, whose father-in-law, Gadi Moses, is held hostage. “Like he does not really want to bring them back, that they have failed in this mission.”

The crowd stretched for blocks around the Knesset, or parliament building, and organisers vowed to continue the demonstration for several days. They urged the government to hold new elections nearly two years ahead of schedule. Thousands also demonstrated in Tel Aviv.

Netanyahu, in a nationally televised speech before undergoing hernia surgery later Sunday, said he understood families’ pain. But he said calling new elections — in what he described as a moment before victory — would paralyse Israel for six to eight months and would paralyse the hostage talks.

ISLAMABAD WILLING TO WORK WITH U.S. FOR PEACE, SAYS SHEHBAZ

Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with the U.S., Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday assured President Joe Biden and emphasised that Islamabad wants to work with Washington to achieve the common goal of global peace and prosperity of the region.

Sharif's message to Biden came after the U.S. President wrote to the new Pakistani Prime Minister, assuring that Washington would continue to stand with Pakistan to tackle “the most pressing global and regional challenges”.

In his first communication with the new administration in Islamabad, the U.S. President noted that the “enduring partnership between our nations remains critical to ensuring the security of our people — and people around the world”.

Meanwhile, PM Shehbaz Sharif has banned the use of red carpets at government events, reserving them exclusively for diplomatic receptions, as part of austerity measures to cut down unnecessary expenditures in the cash-strapped nation.

Sharif expressed annoyance over the use of red carpets during the visits of federal Ministers and senior authorities at government functions.

CALIFORNIA BILL PROPOSES 'RIGHT TO DISCONNECT' FOR EMPLOYEES

The Bay Area, known for its tech industry, has contributed significantly to the 24/7 work culture with constant communication via smartphones. However, Assembly member Matt Haney of San Francisco aims to change this trend. He has introduced legislation that would make California the first state in the U.S. to give employees the legal right to ignore work-related calls and messages after hours.

Inspired by Australia's upcoming "right to disconnect" law, which allows workers to refuse after-hours communication deemed "unreasonable," Haney's bill seeks to protect employees' personal time. This concept, originally from France, has been adopted in various forms in several countries, including Canada, Italy, Belgium, and the Philippines. Although New York City considered a similar measure in 2018, it did not pass.

If passed, the California bill would give employees the freedom to postpone responding to emails, texts, and other work-related communication until they are back on the clock, promoting a healthier work-life balance.

US TO SEND MORE BOMBS, WARPLANES TO ISRAEL: REPORT

The US in recent days authorised the transfer of billions of dollars worth of bombs and fighter jets to Israel, two sources familiar with the effort said on Friday, even as Washington publicly expresses concerns about an anticipated Israeli military offensive in Rafah. The new arms packages include more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, said the sources, who confirmed a report in Washington Post. Washington gives $3.8 billion in annual military assistance to Israel, its longtime ally. The package comes as Israel faces strong international criticism over its continued bombing campaign and ground offensive in Gaza and as some members of President Joe Biden’s party call for him to cut US military aid.

TURKIYE HOLDS LOCAL ELECTIONS IN TEST OF PRESIDENT ERDOGAN’S POPULARITY

ANKARA: Turkiye held local elections on Sunday that will decide who gets to control Istanbul and other key cities. The vote is also a barometer of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s popularity. The main battlegrounds are the country's economic hub, Istanbul, and the capital, Ankara, both of which Erdogan lost in 2019.

RUSSIA ARRESTS THREE IN ANTI-TERROR OPERATION

Russian authorities on Sunday arrested three persons in the North Caucasus republic of Dagestan on charges of planning terrorist attacks, following a deadly attack on a concert hall near Moscow.

The arrests were made during an operation in Dagestan’s capital Makhachkala and in the town of Kaspiysk, around 10 km to the south. “Three criminals planning to commit a series of terrorist crimes have been arrested,” an official statement said.

The announcement comes more than a week after an attack on the Crocus City Hall in Moscow’s outskirts killed at least 144 people and injured 551.

PHILIPPINES LEADER ORDERS BOOST TO MARITIME SECURITY AS CHINA TENSION RISES

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered his government to strengthen its coordination on maritime security to confront “a range of serious challenges” to territorial integrity and peace, as a dispute with China escalates.

The order, signed on Monday and made public on Sunday, does not mention China but follows a series of bilateral maritime confrontations and mutual accusations over a disputed area of the South China Sea.

His order expands and reorganises the government’s maritime council, adding the national security adviser, solicitor general, National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief and the South China Sea task force.

The order appears to expand the role of the military by naming the Armed Forces of the Philippines, not just the navy, among the agencies supporting the council.

The renamed National Maritime Council will be the central body to formulate strategies to ensure a “unified, coordinated and effective” framework for the Philippines’ maritime security and domain awareness.

Marcos increased the number of agencies supporting the council to 13 from nine, including the space agency and the University of the Philippines’ Institute for Maritime Affairs and the Law of the Sea.

RUSSIAN DEFECTOR'S KILLING RAISES FEARS OF KREMLIN HIT SQUADS

The recent killing of Maksim Kuzminov, a Russian defector, in Spain has raised concerns about the continued operation of Russia's European spy networks. Kuzminov, who defected to Ukraine last year, was shot and run over in a parking garage in Villajoyosa, Spain, in what investigators believe was a message from his assailants.

Kuzminov's defection involved flying his military helicopter into Ukrainian territory with secret documents, an act considered treasonous by the Russian government. His killing has led to fears that Russia's intelligence services are targeting enemies of the Kremlin, despite efforts to dismantle spy networks after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine.

While no direct Kremlin involvement has been proven, the killing bears similarities to previous attacks linked to the Kremlin, including the assassination of a former Chechen rebel commander in Berlin in 2019 and the poisoning of Sergei Skripal in England in 2018. The professionalism of the killers and the use of a significant amount of ammunition suggest organized crime or a criminal organization was involved.

Kuzminov's defection was a significant victory for Ukraine, orchestrated by its military intelligence. However, he was later found living an indiscreet life in Spain, which may have made him an easier target. Despite the lack of direct evidence linking the Kremlin to the killing, Russia had openly expressed its desire for revenge against Kuzminov.

EIGHT DEAD, 20 INJURED IN CAR BOMB BLAST AT MARKET IN NORTHERN SYRIA

BEIRUT: A bomb exploded in a shopping area in a northern Syrian city held by pro-Turkish forces early on Sunday, killing eight persons and wounding more than 20 others, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said. It said that a “car bomb exploded in the middle of a popular market” in Aleppo province’s Azaz.

FRANCE TO SEND OLD ARMOURED VEHICLES, NEW MISSILES TO UKRAINE

PARIS: France will deliver hundreds of old armoured vehicles and new missiles to Ukraine in its war against Russia, Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Sunday. He said that French President Emmanuel Macron, following talks with Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelenskyy, had asked him to prepare a new aid package.

BULGARIA AND ROMANIA TAKE FIRST STEPS INTO EUROPE’S VISA-FREE ZONE

SOFIA: Bulgaria and Romania joined Europe’s vast Schengen area of free movement on Sunday, opening up travel by air and sea without border checks after a 13-year wait. A veto by Austria however means the new status will not apply to land routes, after Vienna expressed concerns over a potential influx of asylum seekers.

RUSSIA KEEPS UP ATTACK ON KYIV’S ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE

Russia has intensified its assault on Ukraine's energy infrastructure, with a cruise missile strike in Lviv killing one person and destroying a building, leading to a fire. Another man died in the northeast after a gas station was hit. In Odesa, debris from a downed Russian drone caused a blaze at an energy facility, leaving hundreds of thousands without power.

The Ukrainian air force claimed to have shot down nine drones and nine cruise missiles launched by Russia. This escalation follows weeks of deadly bombardment by Kyiv, prompting the evacuation of 5,000 children from Russia's Belgorod region bordering Ukraine.

AT&T NOTIFIES USERS OF DATA BREACH AND RESETS MILLIONS OF PASSCODES

AT&T reset the passcodes of 7.6 million customers after finding compromised customer data on the dark web. The data, from 2019 or earlier, does not include personal financial information or call history. Additionally, 65.4 million former account holders were affected. The compromised information may include full names, email addresses, mailing addresses, phone numbers, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, AT&T account numbers, and passcodes. AT&T is offering complimentary identity theft and credit monitoring services to affected individuals and is working with cybersecurity experts to analyze the situation. The company did not explain how the breach occurred or why it took so long to detect.