Israel, Hamas to extend truce for two more days

TEL AVIV, Israel -- Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire for two more days past Monday, raising the prospect of further exchanges of militant-held hostages for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel and a longer halt to their deadliest and most destructive war. Eleven Israeli women and children, freed by Hamas, entered Israel on Monday night after more than seven weeks in captivity in Gaza in the fourth swap under the original four-day truce, which began Friday. Thirty-three Palestinian

Nov. 28, 2023

Hamas releases more hostages, says it will seek to extend deal

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — The fragile cease-fire between Israel and Hamas was back on track Sunday as the militants freed 17 more hostages, including 14 Israelis and the first American, in a third exchange under a four-day truce that the US said it hoped would be extended. In turn, Israel released 39 Palestinian prisoners. Most hostages were handed over directly to Israel, waving to a cheering crowd as they arrived at an air force base. Others left through Egypt. Israel’s army said

Nov. 27, 2023

China ministry seeks more fever clinics to combat respiratory illness surge

China's health ministry on Sunday urged local authorities to increase the number of fever clinics as the country grapples with a surge in respiratory illnesses in its first full winter since easing COVID-19 restrictions. The spike become a global issue last week when the World Health Organization asked China for more information, citing a report on clusters of undiagnosed pneumonia in children by the Program for Monitoring Emerging Diseases. China and the WHO have faced questions about the

Nov. 26, 2023

Hamas frees Israeli, Thai hostages in temporary truce

GAZA/JERUSALEM -- Thirteen Israelis and four Thai nationals arrived in Israel on Sunday in the second release of hostages from Hamas captivity in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in a deal briefly endangered by a dispute about aid delivery into Gaza. Although overcome by the mediation of Egypt and Qatar, the dispute that threatened the truce to free captives underscored the fragility of the pact meant to release 50 hostages held by the Palestinian militant groups and 150 prisoners held in Isra

Nov. 26, 2023

On Day One of Gaza cease-fire, Hamas and Israel carry out first swap of hostages and prisoners

Hamas on Friday released 24 hostages it held captive in Gaza for weeks, and Israel freed 39 Palestinians from prison in the first stage of a swap under a four-day cease-fire that offered a small glimmer of relief to both sides. Israel -- wrenched by the abduction of nearly 240 people in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack that triggered the war -- cheered as 13 Israeli women and children emerged free from Gaza. Most were in their 70s or 80s, and the youngest was a 2-year-old. Also released were 10 pe

Nov. 25, 2023

Voters offers clean slate in election to replace Netherlands' longest-serving leader

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) -- There's one thing that's certain for Dutch voters casting ballots Wednesday in a general election: Mark Rutte, the Netherlands' longest-serving prime minister, is on the way out . All the rest is up in the air in a knife-edge vote. Rutte's replacement after 13 years in office could be the country’s first female premier or a social democrat who left his job as the European Union's climate czar to return to national politics. The next p

Nov. 22, 2023

[Graphic News] Japan ranks last globally in employee well-being

Japan came in last in a global ranking of employee well-being, measured by assessing workers’ physical, mental, social and spiritual health, the results of a survey conducted by the McKinsey Health Institute showed. Employee well-being in Japan was at 25 percent in the poll of more than 30,000 workers across 30 countries, according to the study. Turkey ranked the highest at 78 percent, followed by India and China. South Korean employee well-being came in below the average at 48 percent to

Nov. 22, 2023

At least 30 premature babies evacuated from Gaza's main hospital, health officials say

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) -- At least 30 premature babies were evacuated from Gaza’s main hospital on Sunday and will be transferred to facilities in Egypt, the territory’s Health Ministry said. Medhat Abbas, a spokesman for the ministry, confirmed the evacuation in a phone call with The Associated Press. A World Health Organization team that visited Shifa Hospital on Saturday said 32 babies were among scores of critically ill patients stranded at the hospital, where Israeli force

Nov. 19, 2023

Trump vows to kill Asia trade deal being pursued by Biden if elected

Donald Trump, the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination, said on Saturday that he would kill off a Pacific trade pact being advanced by US President Joe Biden if he were to win the 2024 election and return to the White House. Speaking to supporters in Iowa, Trump said he was against the regional trade deal being negotiated by the Biden administration with 13 other countries, arguing that it would hollow out US manufacturing and trigger job losses. Talks on the trade sections of

Nov. 19, 2023

Biden says Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern Gaza and West Bank

US President Joe Biden said on Saturday the Palestinian Authority should ultimately govern the Gaza Strip and the West Bank following the Israel-Hamas war. "As we strive for peace, Gaza and the West Bank should be reunited under a single governance structure, ultimately under a revitalized Palestinian Authority, as we all work toward a two-state solution," Biden said in an opinion article in the Washington Post. "There must be no forcible displacement of Palestinians from Gaza, no

Nov. 19, 2023

Patients and staff leave Gaza's biggest hospital, and dozens are killed at a crowded refugee camp

Hundreds of patients, medical staff and people displaced by Israel's war against Hamas left Gaza’s largest hospital Saturday, with one evacuee describing a panicked and chaotic scene as Israeli forces searched and face-scanned men among those leaving and took some away. Israel’s military has been searching Gaza City's Shifa Hospital for a Hamas command center that it alleges is located under the facility — a claim Hamas and hospital staff deny . The evacuation, which

Nov. 19, 2023

China, Japan reaffirm 'strategic relationship' in rare leader talks

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said they would pursue mutually beneficial relations in their first face-to-face talks in a year, putting emphasis on shared economic interests amid a series of diplomatic disputes. The leaders of Asia's two largest economies discussed thorny issues such as China's ban on Japanese seafood and the case of a Japanese businessman detained in China on suspicion of espionage during hour-long talks at a hotel in San Fra

Nov. 17, 2023

Biden, Xi's 'blunt' talks yield deals on military, fentanyl

WOODSIDE, California -- US President Joe Biden and Chinese leader Xi Jinping agreed on Wednesday to open a presidential hotline, resume military-to-military communications and work to curb fentanyl production, showing tangible progress in their first face-to-face talks in a year. Biden and Xi met for about four hours on the outskirts of San Francisco to discuss issues that have strained US-Chinese relations. They plan to resume military contacts that China severed after then-House of Representat

Nov. 16, 2023

[Graphic News] Afghanistan opium poppy supply plummets 95% after Taliban ban: UN

Opium poppy production in Afghanistan, previously the world’s top supplier, has plummeted since the Taliban administration banned the cultivation of narcotics last year, a United Nations report said. The UN Office on Drugs and Crime said opium cultivation fell throughout the country to just 10,800 hectares in 2023 from 233,000 hectares the previous year, slashing supply by 95 percent to 333 tons. This was putting pressure on farmers in the war-torn country, where most people depend on agri

Nov. 16, 2023

Israeli troops enter Gaza hospital

GAZA STRIP -- Israeli forces stormed Gaza's largest hospital Wednesday, targeting what they believe is a Hamas command center housed among thousands of ailing and sheltering civilians. Israeli and Palestinian officials said military operations were taking place at Gaza City's Al-Shifa hospital -- the focal point of days of deadly fighting and nearby aerial bombardments. Youssef Abul Reesh, an official from the Hamas-run Health inistry who is inside the hospital, told Agence France-Pres

Nov. 15, 2023

China's Xi leaves Beijing for summit with Biden: state media

BEIJING, China -- Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Tuesday, state media reported, on his way to San Francisco where he will hold highly anticipated talks with his US counterpart Joe Biden. "On the evening of November 14, President Xi Jinping left Beijing on a special plane. At the invitation of United States President Biden, he will go to San Francisco for the China-US presidents' meeting," state broadcaster CCTV reported. The two leaders will meet on the sidelines of

Nov. 14, 2023

World severely off track to limit planet-heating emissions: UN

PARIS, France -- The world is "failing to get a grip" on climate change, the UN warned Tuesday, as an assessment of current climate pledges shows only minor progress on reducing emissions this decade. In a report released just weeks before high-stakes climate negotiations, the United Nations climate change organisation said the world was failing to act with sufficient urgency to curb greenhouse gas emissions. With temperatures soaring and 2023 expected to become the warmest year so far

Nov. 14, 2023

Zelensky says Russian attacks increasing

KYIV, Ukraine -- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Tuesday Russia was increasing its attacks across the front line, as Kyiv called for the West to boost its weapons supplies ahead of winter. Neither side has made any significant territorial gain for months, but both Zelensky and the Kremlin have denied the conflict has ground to a stalemate. "The military reported an increase in the number of enemy assaults," Zelensky said in a post on social media, saying Russians were at

Nov. 14, 2023

Putin approves new restrictions on media coverage ahead of presidential elections

MOSCOW, Russia — Russian President Vladimir Putin has approved changes to the law that governs presidential elections putting new restrictions on media coverage, local news agencies reported on Tuesday. The changes come ahead of the election to be held in March in which Putin, who has ruled Russia for the last 24 years, is expected to seek a new six-year term. Putin, 71, has not declared whether he will run, saying he will announce that only after the parliament formally sets the election

Nov. 14, 2023

Largest hospital in Gaza not functioning amid Israeli assault

The largest hospital in Gaza has ceased to function and fatalities among patients are rising, the head of the World Health Organization said on Sunday, as a fierce Israeli assault continues in the Hamas-controlled strip. Hospitals in the north of the Palestinian enclave, including the Al-Shifa complex, are blockaded by Israeli forces and barely able to care for those inside, with three newborns dead and more at risk from power outages amid intense fighting nearby, according to medical staff. Isr

Nov. 13, 2023