U.S. Special Envoy for Syria Thomas Barrack on Thursday called for a non-aggression agreement between Syria and Israel as a first step towards building relations between the two countries.

Speaking to Saudi channel Al Arabiya in Damascus, Barrack described the long-standing conflict between Syria and Israel, who have technically been at war since 1948, as a "solvable problem" through dialogue, proposing a "non-aggression agreement" between them.

Russia said Thursday its army had captured three more villages in eastern Ukraine, with its troops pressing on even as Moscow calls for fresh peace talks with Kyiv next week.

In a statement posted on social media, Russia's defense ministry said its army had captured the village of Stroivka in Ukraine's northeastern Kharkiv region, as well as Gnativka and Shevchenko Pershe in the Donetsk region.

U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff said Wednesday he had "very good feelings" about a possible Gaza ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, adding that he expected to send out a new proposal imminently.

U.S. President Donald Trump said Wednesday he had told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold off from striking Iran as he voiced optimism about nuclear talks his administration is holding with Tehran.

Artificial intelligence will encourage more people to create music in the future and is not a threat to the industry, the founder and CEO of streaming giant Spotify said.

Artists using machine-learning tools to produce music have given rise to concerns about whether AI-generated music -- even entirely fake artists -- could one day replace human artists.

Liverpool's beloved former manager Jurgen Klopp said there are more "serious things in the world than football" after car ploughed into supporters at the end of a parade to celebrate the club's Premier League title triumph.

Germany will "do everything" to make sure the damaged Nord Stream 2 pipeline from Russia will not resume deliveries of natural gas to Europe, Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Wednesday.

The Kremlin on Wednesday rebuffed a call by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky for a three-way summit with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin as Kyiv seeks to force Moscow to halt its three-year-long invasion.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday urged NATO to invite Kyiv to a summit of the alliance in June, warning that excluding his country would be a victory for Russia.

"If Ukraine is not present at the NATO summit, it will be a victory for Putin, but not over Ukraine, but over NATO. Therefore, the decision lies with our partners," Zelensky told a press conference alongside German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.

Iran on Wednesday said it may consider allowing U.S. inspectors with the United Nations nuclear watchdog to inspect its facilities if a deal is reached with the United States.

Iran has long been accused by Western powers of seeking to develop nuclear weapons -- a claim Tehran has consistently denied, insisting its nuclear program is solely for peaceful, civilian purposes.