Pioneer In Short

Trump says Israel, Lebanon agree to 10-day ceasefire

Israel and Lebanon have agreed to a 10-day ceasefire, President Donald Trump announced on Thursday, two days after the countries held their first direct diplomatic talks in decades in Washington. The truce that Trump said was scheduled to begin at 5 pm Eastern follows more than a month of war between Israel and the Iran-backed Hezbollah militant group in Lebanon. Lebanon has insisted on a ceasefire to stop the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah before engaging in more talks, while vowing to commit to disarming the group.

Jay Shah in wef Global Leaders Class of 2026

The chairman of the International Cricket Council, Jay Shah, has been named to the Young Global Leaders Class of 2026 by the World Economic Forum, which recognised his role in shaping the future of global cricket. Shah — who previously served as the youngest secretary of the BCCI and played key roles in IPL operations, the growth of women’s cricket, and major media rights deals — has also been instrumental in cricket’s inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “Shah’s selection underscores his growing influence in international cricket administration. As ICC Chairman, he has focused on expanding the sport’s global footprint, strengthening international partnerships, and positioning cricket for long-term growth across established and emerging markets,” said a press release.

GOOGLE BLOCKED OVER 24m advt accounts

Tech giant Google blocked or removed 483.7 million policy-violating advertisements and suspended 1.7 million advertiser accounts in India in 2025 with the help of its AI platform Gemini. Globally, Google blocked or removed over 8.3 billion bad ads and suspended 24.9 million advertiser accounts last year, according to Google’s ‘2025 Ads Safety Report’ released on Thursday. The company stated that the integration of its Gemini artificial intelligence models has dramatically improved its ability to detect and stop bad actors in real-time, especially as scammers increasingly use generative AI to create deceptive ads at scale.

Of the 8.3 billion ads removed globally, Google said it stopped over 99 per cent before they were ever seen by users.

Modi, Macron discuss West Asia

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with French President Emmanuel Macron and discussed the situation in West Asia, with both leaders emphasising the need to urgently restore safety and freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz. In a post on X about his telephonic conversation with Macron, Prime Minister Modi said on Thursday, “We will continue our close cooperation to advance peace and stability in the region and beyond.”