By Guy Faulconbridge

MOSCOW (Reuters) -U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday said Russian President Vladimir Putin's offer to voluntarily maintain limits for a year on deployed strategic nuclear weapons "sounds like a good idea".

What would it mean for nuclear arms control and what are the main issues ahead?

WHAT DID PUTIN OFFER?

Having long declined to address arms control in isolation, Putin in September offered to voluntarily maintain for one year the limits on deployed strategic nuclear weapons set out in the New START Treaty, which expires on Feb. 5, 2026.

DUBAI/PARIS (Reuters) -Iran and France indicated on Monday that talks on the release of two French citizens held in Iran in exchange for an Iranian national detained by France were progressing.

Iran has been holding Cecile Kohler and her partner Jacques Paris since 2022. An 18-year-old French-German cyclist, Lennart Monterlos, is also being held in Iran after his arrest in June.

By Ahmed Eljechtimi and Alexander Dziadosz

RABAT/CAIRO (Reuters) -Youth-led unrest that spread across Morocco last week revealed deep-seated anger over poverty and public services behind a storyline of ambitious infrastructure projects and modern stadiums opening ahead of the 2030 World Cup.

The protests in major cities – inspired by similar revolts in Nepal, Madagascar and Peru – devolved into riots in rural towns and remote cities. Three people were shot dead as they tried to storm a security headquarters, andover 400 were arrested, before the violence eased.

BERLIN (Reuters) -The International Committee of the Red Cross said on Monday that it was ready to act as a neutral humanitarian intermediary to help bring Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees back to their families.

"We are also prepared to bring aid into Gaza and distribute it safely to civilians in desperate need," ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric said in a statement.

(Reporting by Friederike Heine, Editing by Miranda Murray)

GAZA (Reuters) -Palestinian twins Uday and Hamza Abu Odah have known nothing but war since they were born in Gaza, less than a month after the conflict began on October 7, 2023.

Their lives have been defined and encompassed by Israel's devastating military offensive, launched in response to the deadly attack on southern Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas two years ago.

Delegations from Hamas and Israel on Monday began indirect talks in Egypt on ending the nearly two-year war in Gaza, with US President Donald Trump judging that the Palestinian militant group was ready to compromise over his proposals for a deal.

Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence, said the first round of talks ended "amid a positive atmosphere" and would continue on Tuesday.

By Andrew Mills

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt/CAIRO/DUBAI (Reuters) -Hamas officials were in Egypt on Monday ahead of talks with Israel that the U.S. hopes will bring a halt to war in Gaza and release of hostages despite contentious issues like disarmament of the Palestinian militant group under Donald Trump's plan.

Israeli negotiators were also due to travel to Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh later in the day for talks about freeing hostages, part of the U.S. president's 20-point blueprint for ending the two-year-old conflict.

By Emma Farge

GENEVA (Reuters) -The United Nations Human Rights Council will decide on Monday on an EU proposal to set up a U.N. investigation into abuses in Afghanistan, which could enable criminal investigations into suspected violations by both the Taliban and foreign troops.

The European Union motion calls for investigators to prepare evidence for future court proceedings and is among the strongest form of U.N. rights probe, on par with existing investigations into crimes in Syria and Myanmar.

By Olivia Le Poidevin

GENEVA (Reuters) -Nine members of the Gaza aid flotilla arrived home in Switzerland on Sunday after being deported by Israel, with some alleging they had been subject to inhumane conditions whilst in detention there, the group representing them said.

Israel did not immediately comment on the new allegations.

Its foreign ministry previously described reports that detainees had been mistreated as "complete lies".

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said on Monday that ongoing attempts to end the Gaza war were the most promising since its beginning two years ago.

"For the first time in two years, it is not just about a ceasefire, but about a viable political solution. Israeli, Arab and Palestinian actors now share ideas on how things can continue in the Gaza Strip," the minister told German public broadcaster ARD.