Israel is prepared to bring the conflict in Gaza to a close immediately—on the condition that all hostages are freed and Hamas is no longer present in the territory, Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar said during a meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot in Paris.
“The way is very simple,” Sa’ar said, “hostages back, Hamas out.”
He noted that efforts are still underway to reach an agreement that would extend the current pause in fighting and secure the return of captives. “We are still giving a chance to negotiations to extend the ceasefire and release our hostages on the basis of [US special envoy Steve] Witkoff’s proposal, but it is not open-ended,” he warned, referencing a plan aimed at freeing five Israeli hostages.

Four space tourists who orbited the north and south poles returned to Earth on Friday, splashing down in the Pacific to end their privately funded polar tour. Bitcoin investor Chun Wang chartered a SpaceX flight for himself and three others in a Dragon capsule that was outfitted with a domed window that provided 360-degree views of the polar caps and everything in between. Wang declined to say how much he paid for the 3 1/2-day trip. The quartet, who rocketed from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on Monday night, returned off the Southern California coast. It was the first human spaceflight to circle the globe above the poles and the first Pacific splashdown for a space crew in 50 years.

President Trump announced this afternoon that he is extending the deadline for the sale of the Chinese-owned social media platform TikTok by 75 more days.
The move came shortly after China responded to Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs with its own set of retaliatory duties, pushing back against the administration’s offer of reduced rates if Beijing agreed to divest from the app.
“My Administration has been working very hard on a Deal to SAVE TIKTOK, and we have made tremendous progress. The Deal requires more work to ensure all necessary approvals are signed, which is why I am signing an Executive Order to keep TikTok up and running for an additional 75 days,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.

Danny Danon, the Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, went to the tape on Friday, accusing the U.N. Security Council of “political theater” for calling another emergency meeting on the humanitarian plight in Gaza without addressing the anti-Hamas protests occurring in the Strip.
The envoy played a recording of the protests on his cell phone, with anti-Hamas chants fully audible. “The Gazans have the courage you don’t have,” Danon told the council.
Backed by China, Pakistan, Russia and Somalia, Algeria called the session, ostensibly to discuss developments since the mid-March breakdown of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, including the humanitarian situation and risks to aid workers in Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu said he is suing Yair Golan—who leads The Democrats Party—for defamation, demanding 320,000 shekels ($86,500) in compensation.
The suit filed by Netanyahu’s lawyers, which also demands that Golan refrain from spreading further slander, came in response to March 31 remarks in which the left-wing leader had said that the premier should “be investigated on the suspicion that he sold Israel’s security for profit.
“He should be probed for the fact that the money that funded Hamas and the October [7, 2023] massacre reached the top levels of his office—and possibly even him,” Golan added, in reference to the recent arrest of two of Netanyahu’s aides on suspicion of illegal dealings with Qatar.

The Israel Defense Forces and the Shin Bet security agency revealed on Friday that they successfully targeted and killed Mohammed Hassan Mohammed Awad earlier in the day. Awad was a top figure within the Military Intelligence structure in Gaza and maintained close ties with senior leaders of the Palestinian Mujahideen terror group.
According to the statement, Awad played a leading role in the October 7 attacks, infiltrating Nir Oz multiple times during the massacre. He is believed to have had direct involvement in the kidnapping and brutal murder of Shiri, Ariel, and Kfir Bibas. He was also implicated in the abduction and burial of Gad and Judi Lynn Weinstein, as well as the capture of several Thai nationals.

Former NBA star Amar’e Yehoshafat Stoudemire, who completed his geirus several years ago, celebrated his wedding last night.
The simcha was attended by close friends and family, marking a significant milestone in Stoudemire’s personal journey.
Stoudemire, known for his illustrious basketball career with the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks, long expressed a deep connection to Yiddishkeit. He began exploring his roots in 2010 after learning about his family’s heritage from his mother. This exploration led him to visit Eretz Yisroel and eventually undergo a formal conversion process. In 2020, he completed his geirus, adopting the Hebrew name Yehoshafat Ben Avraham.

The huge swings rocking Wall Street and the global economy may feel far from normal. But, for investing at least, drops of this size have happened throughout history. Stomaching them is the price investors have had to pay in order to get the bigger returns that stocks can offer over other investments in the long term. Here’s a glimpse at what’s behind the market’s wild moves and what experts advise investors young and old to consider: HOW BAD IS THE MARKET? Wall Street’s main benchmark, the S&P 500, has lost more than 16% since setting an all-time high on Feb. 19, mostly because of worries about President Donald Trump’s tariffs.

The Trump administration’s expansive new tariffs will likely lead to higher inflation and slower growth, Fed Chair Jerome Powell said Friday. Powell said that the tariffs, and their likely impacts on the economy and inflation, are “significantly larger than expected.” He also said that the import taxes are “highly likely” to lead to “at least a temporary rise in inflation,” but added that “it is also possible that the effects could be more persistent.” “Our obligation is to … make certain that a one-time increase in the price level does not become an ongoing inflation problem,” Powell said in remarks delivered in Arlington, Virginia. Powell’s focus on inflation suggests that the Fed will likely keep its benchmark interest rate unchanged at about 4.3% in the coming months.

The Trump administration has issued a list of demands Harvard University must meet as a condition for receiving almost $9 billion in grants and contracts, federal money that is being threatened during an investigation into campus antisemitism. In a letter to Harvard’s president on Thursday, three federal agencies outlined demands described as necessary for a “continued financial relationship” with the government. It’s similar to a demand letter that prompted changes at Columbia University under the threat of billions of dollars in cuts. The letter describes Harvard’s federal money as a taxpayer investment that’s based on performance.

Wall Street braced for another punishing session Friday as stocks took a nosedive following China’s announcement of steep counter-tariffs, intensifying fears of an all-out global trade war in response to President Trump’s recently announced “Liberation Day” levies.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average tumbled nearly 1,000 points within minutes of the market opening, coming on the heels of Thursday’s staggering 1,679-point plunge—the worst single-day performance since the early days of the COVID-19 crisis in 2020.
Technology stocks also faced a massive selloff, with the Nasdaq slumping roughly 500 points, or 2.3%, at the open. The S&P 500 wasn’t far behind, shedding about 130 points, a 2.4% decline.

NEW YORK (AP) — Most of the numbers on Wall Street this week were red, but not all o

China declared on Friday that it will be introducing a new set of tariffs and restrictions targeting American products, in direct retaliation to the broad tariffs recently levied by U.S. President Donald Trump.
According to the Chinese Finance Ministry, starting April 10, all imports from the United States will be subject to an additional 34% tariff.
In another move escalating trade tensions, China revealed it will restrict the export of several medium and heavy rare-earth elements to the U.S., with the new regulations going into effect on April 4. These include samarium, gadolinium, terbium, dysprosium, lutetium, scandium, and yttrium.

President Donald Trump has unveiled his latest tariffs, and they could have significant implications for your wallet. Trump’s sweeping new tariffs, on top of previous levies and retaliation worldwide, are expected to increases prices for everyday items. The trade wars have already roiled financial markets and plunged businesses into uncertainty — all while economists warn of potentially weakened economic growth and heightened inequality. Which impacts will be felt by consumers and workers first? And what can households do in the face of so much uncertainty? Here’s what you need to know: What are tariffs and how will they affect me? Tariffs are taxes on goods imported from other countries.

Restated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman    L’zecher nishmas R’ Tzvi Dovid ben R’ Moshe The Small Aleph and

In a 1996 speech on the House floor, Representative Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) strongly criticized a then-bipartisan initiative that would grant China Most Favored Nation (MFN) trade status. She pointed out the imbalance in trade relations, emphasizing that while the United States imposed low tariffs on Chinese imports, China maintained high tariffs on American exports.
Pelosi stood firmly against the proposal to open up free trade with China, warning that the ballooning trade deficit was wreaking havoc on American workers and the national economy.

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