US intelligence chief Avril Haines visits DRC and Rwanda as tensions push the two to conflict
This visit comes against a backdrop of heightened tensions in the region, with the UN Group of Experts previously uncovering evidence of direct interventions by the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) in DRC territory. These interventions were allegedly aimed at reinforcing M23 combatants or conducting military operations against the Forces Démocratiques de Libération du Rwanda (FDLR) and local armed groups. The Rwandan government has consistently denied these allegations.
Ceasefire holds as Israel and Hamas look set for further discussions to ‘build on progress’
Previously during the truce, Hamas fighters released 50 Israeli women and children, some of them toddlers, from among the 240 hostages they captured in southern Israel during a deadly rampage on October 7. In return, Israel released 150 security detainees from its jails, all women and teenagers.
Women file 3,700 sex abuse claims against celebrities, politicians under US’ Adult Survivors Act
The list of the accused contained many familiar names from past #MeToo scandals and a few new ones. A huge number of claims were also made by former prisoners over alleged assaults in jails and prisons.
Puzzle of China’s mysterious wave of Covid-like childhood pneumonia as lockdown looms
The Chinese wave of illness differs from that seen in other countries. Some nations grappled with flu and RSV infections during their post-Covid winter surges, but in China, M. pneumoniae infections have been common. This is surprising because bacterial infections are often opportunistic and take hold after viral infections, says Cowling.
Screen Actors Guild: Provision that okays AI digital replicas and synthetic performers promotes redundancy in film industry
Leaders of the Directors Guild of America and the Writers Guild of America, in contrast, overwhelmingly agreed to have their members accept the agreements they hammered out with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP).
Uganda to borrow $150 million from China’s Exim after World Bank halted funding
Uganda is also in negotiations with Chinese export credit agency SINOSURE and Exim Bank for a loan to finance the construction of a pipeline to help Uganda export its crude oil to international markets.
More hostages set for release as Israel, Hamas extend ceasefire for two more days
Monday’s releases bring to 50 the number of Israelis freed under the truce, along with 19 hostages of other nationalities. So far, 117 Palestinians have been released from Israeli prisons.
Arab states, EU agree on two-state solution to Israel crisis during Mediterranean nations conference
Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi said any talk of administration of Gaza after the conflict should focus on the West Bank and Gaza as one entity and that the Palestinian people should decide who rules them.
Irregular meals, benches as beds: As freed hostages return to Israel, details of captivity emerge
The fullest image yet of life under Hamas captivity was conjured by 85-year-old Yocheved Lipschitz, a hostage who was freed before the current cease-fire. Upon her release, Lipschitz said she had been held in tunnels which stretched under Gaza “like a spider web.” She said her captors “told us they are people who believe in the Quran and wouldn’t hurt us.”
Qatari mediator says there’s slim chance Israel, Hamas will pause war further to free more hostages
Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas have raised concerns over the lists of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners due to be released on Monday, the final day of an agreed four-day pause in the fighting, an official briefed on the matter said. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed...
