WORLD

JERUSALEM | Xinhua  | Hamas on Monday morning began releasing the first batch of hostages who had been held in Gaza for more than two years, as part of a major prisoner swap under a newly implemented ceasefire, Israel’s state-owned Kan TV reported. The prisoners were handed over to the …

PARIS, FRANCE | TASS | French Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu has formed the country’s new government, the BFMTV television channel reported, citing the Elysee Palace. Jean-Noel Barrot remaining as foreign minister will continue as foreign minister. Former labor minister Catherine Vautrin has been appointed minister of the armed forces. The interior ministry …

CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | An international summit will be held in Egypt’s Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh on Monday to finalize an agreement aimed at ending the war in Gaza, the Egyptian Presidency announced on Saturday. The meeting will be co-chaired by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi …

ROME, ITALY | Xinhua | The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on Friday opened a global exhibition titled “From Seeds to Foods” in Rome, celebrating eight decades of international cooperation in fighting hunger and transforming agrifood systems. Held in the Park of Porta Capena, across from …

GAZA  | Xinhua | Following two years of suffering and woes, Hamas and Israel on Thursday reached a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, which came into effect later on Friday following the Israeli government’s approval of the resolution. The first phase of the peace plan, achieved after three days …

UNITED NATIONS | Xinhua |  Within minutes of the Gaza ceasefire taking effect, displaced Palestinians resumed movement to the north, UN humanitarians said Friday. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that Israeli tanks had blocked Al Rashid Road along the coast after people attempted to …

Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado London, UK | THE INDEPENDENT | The Norwegian Nobel Committee has decided to award the Nobel Peace Prize for 2025 to Maria Corina Machado for her tireless work promoting democratic rights for the people of Venezuela and for her struggle to …

CAIRO, EGYPT | Xinhua | Israel and Hamas on Thursday agreed to a Gaza ceasefire deal, offering a tentative path toward ending the two-year conflict that has killed over 67,000 Palestinians, injured almost 170,000 others, and left the enclave in ruins. The deal on the “first phase” of a U.S.-backed …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Having successfully held the 19th Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Heads of State and Government in January 2024, Uganda will host a midterm review meeting at the level of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) from October 13 – 16 …

WASHINGTON, the United States  | Xinhua | The U.S. federal government’s shutdown entered its second week on Wednesday, with no end on the horizon as the Senate was unable to reach an agreement to reopen it. On the day, two bills to fund the government — one from Democrats and …