Good morning.
Donald Trump has met the Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, in Saudi Arabia after agreeing to lift sanctions on Syria, saying that doing so “gives them a chance of greatness”.
The US president and Sharaa met before a conference of the Gulf Cooperation Council, part of Trump’s four-day visit to the Middle East, where he is expected to court Gulf allies for investments in the US.
The meeting was the culmination of months of diplomacy by the Syrians, as well as their Turkish and Saudi allies, who believed face time with Trump would help end Syria’s international isolation.
The meeting was also seen as a key step towards recognition of the legitimacy of the new authority in Damascus after Bashar al-Assad was ousted as Syria’s president in December.
What else has Trump said on his tour of the Gulf states? He has said he wants to make a deal with Iran, but it can only go ahead if the regime stops “supporting terror” and abandons its nuclear plans.
California judge resentences Menendez brothers to be eligible for parole
A California judge has given Erik and Lyle Menendez, who had been sentenced to life in prison for the murders of their parents in their Beverly Hills home, a chance at freedom after 35 years behind bars.
Judge Michael Jesic shortened the brothers’ sentences of life in prison without the possibility of parole to 50 years to life. They’re now eligible for parole under California’s youthful offender law because they committed the crime under the age of 26. They would still need approval from the state’s parole board to be released, and will remain incarcerated while their parole status is decided.
How has the family responded? Anamaria Baralt, a cousin of Erik and Lyle, testified that the brothers had repeatedly expressed remorse for their actions. She said: “We all, on both sides of the family, believe that 35 years is enough. They are universally forgiven by our family.”
Israel hits Gaza hospitals in deadly strikes after pause to allow release of Edan Alexander
Israeli strikes on hospitals in Gaza this morning reportedly killed dozens of people, after a brief pause in fighting during which the 21-year-old Israeli-American Edan Alexander was released, having been in Hamas captivity since the 7 October 2023 attack.
The strikes hit the European hospital complex near Khan Younis and left large craters and cracks in the courtyard, images from the AFP news agency show. A damaged bus was lodged in a hole in the road.
“Everyone inside the hospital – patients and wounded alike – was running in fear, some on crutches, others screaming for their children, while others were being dragged on beds,” Amro Tabash, a local photojournalist, told AFP.
What was the ostensible aim of the hospital attacks? Israeli media reported that the target was the Hamas leader, Mohammed Sinwar, brother of the group’s previous leader, Yahya Sinwar, who was killed in an Israeli operation in October 2024. Israel’s military said it hit a “Hamas command centre” beneath the hospital. Hamas denies exploiting hospitals and civilian properties for military purposes.
In other news …
A federal grand jury has indicted a Wisconsin judge, Hannah Dugan, who was arrested by the FBI last month on allegations that she helped an undocumented immigrant avoid federal authorities.
Pakistan seems have to used Chinese jets and missiles to shoot down India’s planes, military analysts have said, the first time the fighters and their PL-15 missiles have been employed in combat.
Work has begun to protect the Hagia Sophia, the 1,500-year-old Istanbul landmark that Unesco has called an “architectural masterpiece”. Its most extensive works in years will include efforts to prevent earthquake damage.
Don’t miss this: Give birth? In this economy? US women scoff at Trump’s meager ‘baby bonuses’
In theory, Savannah Downing would love to be a mom. But having children in the United States is wildly expensive – so when she saw the news that the Trump administration was considering giving out $5,000 “baby bonuses” to convince women to have kids, Downing was incensed. “Five thousand dollars doesn’t even begin to even cover childcare for one month. It just seems really ridiculous.”
Climate check: Car use and meat consumption drive emissions gender gap, research suggests
Cars and meat are major factors driving a gender gap in greenhouse gas emissions, research suggests. Men emit 26% more planet-heating pollution than women from transport and food, according to a preprint study of 15,000 people in France. The gap shrinks to 18% after controlling for socioeconomic factors such as income and education.
Last Thing: Chimpanzees use leaves to wipe bottoms and dab wounds, study finds
Humans are not unique in having a host of hygiene and healthcare habits, researchers have found: chimpanzees wipe their bottoms, wipe their genitals after sex and dab wounds using leaves, according to a study.
The team found cases of chimpanzees in the Sonso community helping each other with actions including removing a snare, tending wounds, and – in one case – wiping the penis of a peer after sex.
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