Where the sides stand on securing a cease-fire in Gaza and freeing the hostages

U.S. and Mideast mediators appeared optimistic in recent days that they were closing in on a deal for a two-month cease-fire in Gaza and the release of over 100 hostages held by Hamas. But on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected the militant group’s two main demands — that Israel withdraw its forces from … Read more

Earthquakes kill over 2,000 in Afghanistan. People are freeing the dead and injured with their hands

ISLAMABAD — Powerful earthquakes killed at least 2,000 people in western Afghanistan, a Taliban government spokesman said Sunday. It’s one of the deadliest earthquakes to strike the country in two decades. The figures couldn’t be independently verified, but if correct, the toll would eclipse that of an earthquake that hit eastern Afghanistan in June 2022, … Read more