The Eastern Herald

Gaza War: Kushner Meets Hamas in Egypt to Push Peace Deal Netanyahu Already Rejected Jared Kushner met Hamas chief Khalil al-Hayya in Egypt on Saturday, alongside Qatar, Egypt, Turkey, and the Board of Peace, to push Trump's Gaza deal roadmap. Hamas said it had fully complied with ceasefire terms; Netanyahu called the plan unacceptable as Israeli strikes killed more Palestinians....

Iran War: Tehran Puts $30,000 Bounty on US Troops as Persian Gulf Ceasefire Nears Collapse Iran's Army Commander has announced a $30,000 bounty for killing or capturing US troops in what Tehran calls a response to 'aggressor' operations. The announcement lands four days before the Iran-US ceasefire formally expires Monday with no successor deal in sight....

Stripe Acquires AI Gateway OpenRouter for $7 Billion, Betting the Future Runs Through AI Stripe has finalized an acquisition of AI gateway startup OpenRouter for more than $7 billion, absorbing a platform built on the promise of preventing AI vendor lock-in. The deal comes three months after OpenRouter's $1.3 billion Series B and raises immediate questions about the neutrality of the infrastructure hundreds of thousands of developers depend on....

Japan Economy Grows Just 1.1% in Q2 2026, Missing Forecasts as Consumer Spending Retreats Japan's economy expanded 1.1 percent annualized in the second quarter of 2026, missing market expectations as household spending pulled back despite record nominal wage gains. The result forces the Bank of Japan to weigh whether its rate normalization path remains intact....

Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir Calls for Killing ’30 to 40′ Palestinians in Gaza Every Night Israel's national security minister Ben-Gvir called for killing 30 to 40 Palestinians in Gaza every night, describing them as 'not even people.' International lawyers say the statement constitutes genocide incitement from a serving member of Israel's security cabinet....

Gold Rate Today, August 17, 2026: 22K at ₹14,219 a Gram as MCX Reopens ₹2,180 Higher Gold rate today, August 17, 2026: 22K is quoted at ₹14,219 a gram and 24K at ₹15,512, each a rupee lower than Sunday. MCX reopened about ₹2,180 per ten grams above Friday's close, which means the counter is still selling last week's market....

Trump Orders Pentagon to Curtail South Korea Military Drills, Calling Ulchi Freedom Shield ‘Hostile’ President Trump ordered Pentagon chief Hegseth to substantially reduce joint Ulchi Freedom Shield exercises with South Korea, citing cost and a 'hostile signal' to North Korea — just as Seoul's refusal to join the Iran campaign surfaced publicly for the first time....

NYT Strands Hints and Answer Today – August 17, 2026 (#897) NYT Strands today, August 17, 2026: the spangram for puzzle #897 is BODYJOINTS on the theme "On a bender." Seven theme words, NECK, ELBOW, ANKLE, KNEE, WRIST, KNUCKLE and SHOULDER, make this one of the fullest boards of the month....

Horoscope Today, 17 August 2026: The Moon Goes Void in Libra for 10 Hours, and Every Zodiac Sign Should Wait Before Signing Horoscope Today, 17 August 2026 opens on a Monday; the sky spends most of its evening refusing to commit. At 17:01 IST, the Moon in Libra completes a sextile to the Sun in Leo, and then it does nothing at all. No conjunction, no square, no trine, no opposition to any planet for the next ten hours and fifteen minutes, until it crosses into Scorpio at 03:16 IST on Tuesday morning....

Indonesia Earthquake: 53 Dead on Flores Island as Rescuers Race to Reach Nagekeo A 7.7-magnitude earthquake struck Indonesia's Flores Island before dawn Saturday, killing at least 53 people and displacing more than 5,000. Landslides have sealed off Nagekeo regency from rescue teams as Indonesia mobilises 3,500 troops in the country's deadliest quake response of 2026....