|
This is Danielle Jalowiecka with the BBC News. Hello.
President Trump has signed off his plan for bringing peace to Gaza at a summit being held at the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. Mr. Trump took center stage as he and the leaders of Egypt, Qatar and Turkey, who all helped broker the ceasefire deal, added their signatures. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said that while events of recent days likely mark the end of the current Gaza war, more work remains to be done to ensure a lasting peace. "For the time being, what we have is an agreement to end the war in Gaza. Nothing more. The 20 points of President Trump are very impressive, but there is nothing there significant about the day after, the strategy that will lead towards a comprehensive political agreement between Israel and Palestine that will lead to peace." Earlier, the 20 surviving Israeli hostages who'd been held by Hamas in Gaza were released, sparking scenes of joy in Israel. Similar scenes in the Palestinian territories greeted the return of freed Palestinian prisoners and detainees. This man was among those released by Israel. "I am the freed prisoner ???Bilal Riyadh Mohamed Nasrallah from northern Gaza. I was arrested on charges of affiliation with the Gaza government. As I was an employee there, I was detained for about a year. Praise be to God and thanks to him for the blessing of freedom." Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said the events in the Middle East may raise the hope of peace in other regions. He praised the leadership of President Trump and said work was underway so that Ukraine would also see its day of peace. Mr. Zelenskyy announced he would travel to the White House on Friday for a meeting with Mr. Trump. He said the main focus of the visit would be air defense and long-range capabilities. Madagascar's embattled President Andry Rajoelina has said he's fled the country following weeks of youth protests calling for his resignation. The 51-year-old, who holds French citizenship, said he was sheltering in a safe place after an attempt on his life without disclosing his whereabouts. Sammy Awami reports in the capital, Antananarivo. The president claimed in a speech delivered by his Facebook page that he was forced to leave the country because there was a plot against his life and that the military was planning a coup. The protesters, who were largely young, began last month against water shortages and frequent power cuts, but they escalated into an uprising against other issues, including corruption with demands for the president's resignation. Legally, the president still remains in charge, even though he has left the country, but the national assembly is planning to impeach him. You're listening to the World News from the BBC. The president of Mexico has been visiting some of the areas worst affected by devastating floods that have killed at least 64 people and left dozens missing. President Claudia Schoenbaum said around 10,000 troops, along with military planes and helicopters, have been deployed to deliver aid and search for survivors. Many of America's main news outlets have said they won't agree to a new policy restricting how their reporters operate at the Pentagon. The Washington Post, The New York Times and CNN, along with The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal and even the conservative Newsmax network, have all rejected the revised terms ahead of Tuesday's deadline. Venezuela has announced that it's closed its embassy in Oslo just days after the opposition leader María Corina Machado was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in the Norwegian capital. In a statement, the Venezuelan government said the closure was part of a restructuring of its foreign service. Norway's Foreign Ministry described the move as regrettable but said it was keen to maintain dialogue with Caracas. In football, Cape Verde have become the second smallest nation ever to reach a men's World Cup after topping their qualifying group to book a place at next year's finals. A 3-0 victory over Eswatini on Monday saw them qualify for the tournament for the first time in their history. BBC Sport Africa's Isaiah Akinremi reports. A commanding victory at home over Eswatini sealed Cape Verde's place in history as the island nation becomes the second smallest country to qualify for the FIFA World Cup following Iceland's remarkable feat at the 2018 tournament in Russia. The Blue Sharks topped Group D with 23 points, suffering just one defeat in an impressive qualification campaign. Their rise continues a pattern of punching above their weight having reached the African Cup of Nations quarterfinals on their debut in 2013 and again in 2023. BBC News. |