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This is the World in brief from The Economist.

Our top stories.

Paramount was poised to secure a deal to buy Warner Brothers Discovery, a bigger rival film studio,

after Netflix declined to sweeten its bid.

Warner said Paramount's revised offer,

which upped its per share price for the whole company, was better than the one it had earlier accepted from Netflix. The streaming giant's decision ends a months-long bidding war. The deal

must be cleared by regulators.

Afghanistan launched, quote, large-scale offensive operations along its border with Pakistan.

The Taliban said the strikes were in retaliation against Pakistani attacks on Afghanistan on Sunday.

Pakistan said those strikes targeted groups responsible for several deadly attacks on its territory,

including a suicide bombing in Islamabad, the capital, that killed at least 36 people.

The average 30-year mortgage rate in America fell below 6% for the first time since

2022. Borrowing costs have been gradually declining since the middle of 2025. Inflation has

slowed and the Federal Reserve cut interest rates three times in the second half of last year.

Lower mortgage rates could heat up America's housing market,

although their recent drop has not spurred home buying.

Nuclear negotiations between America and Iran concluded in Geneva.

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