Gaza City / Tel Aviv — Hamas and Israel have completed a major prisoner exchange under a ceasefire deal that saw the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinians and 20 Israeli captives held in the Gaza Strip, in what many hope marks the beginning of the end of Israel’s two-year war on Gaza. Celebrations erupted in

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Families of Palestinian prisoners released by Israel as part of a prisoner exchange deal say their long-awaited relief has turned to anguish after learning that many of those freed will be deported to third countries rather than returning home. According to the Palestinian Prisoners’ Media Office, 154 Palestinians freed on Monday under the agreement will

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American-Israeli Joel Mokyr, French economist Philippe Aghion, and Canadian Peter Howitt win the 2025 economics prize for research explaining how innovation fuels long-term prosperity. The 2025 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences has been awarded to Joel Mokyr, Philippe Aghion, and Peter Howitt for their pioneering research on how technological innovation drives sustained economic growth. The

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Madagascar’s embattled President Andry Rajoelina is set to deliver a televised address to the nation on Monday evening amid mounting political turmoil and speculation over his whereabouts. The presidency announced that Rajoelina will speak at 7pm local time (16:00 GMT), even as protests continue in the capital Antananarivo and reports circulate that he may have

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About 300,000 people have fled South Sudan so far this year as renewed fighting between rival political leaders deepens fears of another full-scale civil war, the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan warned on Monday. The commission said the latest violence between President Salva Kiir and his suspended deputy, Riek Machar, risks

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Thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah on Monday to celebrate the release of nearly 2,000 Palestinian political prisoners and detainees held by Israel. The release, part of a major prisoner-hostage exchange, includes people from both the occupied West Bank and Gaza, which has endured two years of devastating war. Among those freed were 96 political

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During a speech at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, celebrating the Gaza ceasefire deal, US President Donald Trump praised diplomats, military leaders, and regional partners who helped broker the agreement. Among those singled out was Miriam Adelson, a long-time Republican mega-donor known for her strong pro-Israel stance. Trump lauded her as someone who “loves Israel,”

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Plans for US President Donald Trump to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea later this month remain on track despite escalating trade tensions, according to US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent. Speaking to Fox Business Network on Monday, Bessent said the two sides had “substantially de-escalated” following a week of heated rhetoric and retaliatory

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Kyiv – Ukraine has dispatched a high-level delegation to Washington, DC, for talks on strengthening its defence and energy systems as Russian attacks continue to cripple the country’s power grid ahead of winter. The visit, announced Monday, comes days before President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is set to meet US President Donald Trump at the White House

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Moscow – Russia has called on Pakistan and Afghanistan to show restraint after two days of deadly cross-border clashes left dozens dead and brought trade to a standstill — the worst fighting between the neighbours in years. In a statement on Monday, the Russian Foreign Ministry said it was closely monitoring the situation and noted

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