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In the news today: Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in Gaza to free the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners; Senate Republicans voted down legislation that would have put a check on U.S. President Donald Trump's ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels; and the United Nations will cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force. Also, Dolly Parton says she "ain't dead yet."
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People react as they celebrate following the announcement that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of a peace plan to pause the fighting, at a plaza known as hostages square in Tel Aviv, Israel, Thursday. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti)
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Israel and Hamas to free hostages and prisoners after agreeing to first phase of Trump's peace plan
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Israel and Hamas agreed to pause fighting in Gaza to free the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. The sides accepted elements of a plan put forward by the Trump administration that Palestinians greeted warily Thursday as a possible breakthrough toward ending the devastating two-year-old war. Read more. |
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- Under the terms, Hamas intends to release all 20 living hostages in a matter of days, while the Israeli military will begin a withdrawal from the majority of Gaza, people familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss details of an agreement that has not fully been made public. In an interview on Fox News, Trump said Hamas will begin releasing hostages "probably" on Monday.
Uncertainty remains about some of the thornier aspects — such as whether and how Hamas will disarm, and who will govern Gaza — but the sides appear closer than they have been in several months to ending a war that has killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, destroyed most of Gaza and triggered other armed conflicts across the Middle East.
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Senate Republicans vote down legislation to check Trump's use of war powers against cartels
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Senate Republicans voted down legislation Wednesday that would have put a check on Trump's ability to use deadly military force against drug cartels after Democrats tried to counter the administration's extraordinary assertion of presidential war powers to destroy vessels in the Caribbean. Read more. |
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The vote fell mostly along party lines, 48-51, with two Republicans, Sens. Rand Paul and Lisa Murkowski, voting in favor and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman voting against. Wednesday's vote was brought under the War Powers Resolution of 1973, which was intended to reassert congressional power over the declaration of war.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Republican Conference for lunch Wednesday to emphasize to senators that they should vote against the legislation. He told the senators the administration was treating cartels like governmental entities because they have seized control of large portions of some Caribbean nations, according to Sen. John Hoeven of North Dakota.
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United Nations to cut 25% of its global peacekeeping force in response to US funding strains
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The United Nations will begin slashing its peacekeeping force and operations, forcing thousands of soldiers in the next several months to evacuate far-flung global hot spots as a result of the latest U.S. funding cuts to the world body, a senior U.N. official said. Read more. |
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Roughly 13,000 to 14,000 military and police personnel out of more than 50,000 peacekeepers deployed across nine global missions will be sent back to their home countries. The U.N. support office in Somalia will also be affected. The U.N. plans to reduce the peacekeeping force's budget by approximately 15% for this year.
The countries where the U.N. has peacekeeping missions include Congo, the Central African Republic, South Sudan, Lebanon, Cyprus and Kosovo.
- Trump administration officials have argued that the U.N.'s budget and agencies are bloated and redundant, pledging not to make any further contributions until the State Department has assessed the effectiveness of every single U.N. agency or program.
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Adnan, who goes by one name only, smokes a cigarette as he lies on sand in Legung Timur village in Sumenep on Madura Island, Indonesia, in September. (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)
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Photos of life in the sand village, where people bring the beach into their homes
In the northeastern tip of Indonesia's Madura Island, sand blankets front yards and even spills into the interior of homes. Residents of the three coastal communities — Legung Timur, Legung Barat and Dapenda — collectively known as the sand village, believe sand brings comfort and healing. |
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Please let us know what you think of this newsletter. You can sign up for more and invite a friend here. For news in real time visit APNews.com. - Sarah |
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