The World

Representatives from Israel and Hamas are meeting indirectly in Egypt today to talk about an end to the war in Gaza. At the center of the talks is a 20-point plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes details about the release of hostages, future governance in Gaza and the disarmament of Hamas. Also, a Russian drone and missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Lviv was one of the most serious attacks on the city since Russia's 2022 full-scale invasion. And, South African prosecutors are reopening an inquest into the death of the prominent anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko nearly 50 years after he died in police custody. Plus, an installation at this year’s Momentum Biennale in Norway explores the connections between nature, global issues and sound.

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The Church of England has appointed Sarah Mullally to become the next Archbishop of Canterbury. It’s the first time a woman has held the position. Also, a new trade agreement will allow for Zimbabwe to export more blueberries to China, tariff free. And, young people across Morocco have taken to the streets to protest the shortcomings of the country's health and education systems. Plus, Lithuania unveils what it's calling the first-ever electric passenger riverboats.

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Two people died and four others were seriously injured after an attack at a synagogue in Manchester in the United Kingdom. The assault took place on Yom Kippur, the holiest day in the Jewish calendar. Also, citizens from four Caribbean nations — Barbados, Belize, Dominica and St. Vincent and the Grenadines — can now live and work in each others’ countries without the requirements of visas, residency permits or other extensive paperwork. And, Israel intercepts nearly all the vessels that were part of the multinational Sumud Flotilla bound for Gaza with aid, arresting the activists onboard. Plus, the Riyadh Comedy Festival in Saudi Arabia is drawing laughs — and criticism.

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EU leaders gathered in Copenhagen today, just days after airspace intrusions by unidentified aircraft closed Danish airports. Meanwhile, Washington gathered its top US military brass in Quantico, Virginia, focusing on what the White House has called “the enemy within.” Also, Brazil’s free, instant payment platform Pix reshapes the country’s financial landscape, with more than 150 million people using it daily. And, people in Afghanistan say the internet has been partially restored after two days of a complete shutdown across the country. Plus, a new musical in London revisits the history of Britain’s Black Power movement and the secret police unit that worked to undermine it in the 1960s.

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The longest-running and largest residential school in Canada had an estimated 15,000 children attend before closing down in 1970. Today, on the country's National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, the building is reopening as a historic site and museum to share the stories of survivors. Also, the UN mission in Kabul is urging the Taliban to reverse its shutdown of the internet and other telecommunications across Afghanistan. And, the Darien Gap in Central America was once one of the world's more dangerous and heavily used migration routes but is now nearly empty of people. Plus, a look at the long and surprising history of rope.

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Mexico and the US have launched a new bilateral initiative aimed at disrupting the stream of illicit weapons across their shared border. Also, US President Donald Trump meets with Israel’s prime minister in Washington for the fourth time in eight months to discuss a ceasefire deal in Gaza. And, Moldova’s pro-European party secures a resounding victory in the country’s parliamentary elections over a bloc of pro-Russia parties. Plus, Italy and Austria hit a major milestone in building the world’s longest underground railway located deep beneath the Alps.

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In Denmark, authorities are investigating a series of drone sightings near major airports and airbases in the country this week. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stated that the country was in the midst of a “hybrid war." Also, Iran will end its participation in international weapons inspections if United Nations sanctions are reimposed, says Ali Larijani, the country's secretary of the Supreme National Security Council. And, Moldova heads to the polls this weekend in what its President Maia Sandu calls the most consequential election in the country’s history. The pro-EU leader has accused Russia of mounting an “unprecedented” campaign to influence the result. Plus, with Korea's pop music scene eclipsing other musicians and styles found in Seoul, we offer one example of an artist who does not perform K-pop.

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This week at the United Nations General Assembly, Syria’s new interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa came with a message: Syria is back after being isolated for about six decades. Also, Chinese President Xi Jinping announced at the UN Climate Summit the country's first national emissions reduction targets. It marks a shift in China's approach to climate policy, which, until now, allowed emissions to grow in tandem with economic growth. And, Denmark issued a formal apology yesterday for forcing Indigenous women and girls from Greenland to use contraceptive devices. Beginning in the 1960s, Danish doctors inserted IUDs into thousands of Inuit women and school-age girls, often without their or their parents' knowledge or consent. Plus, climate change has exacerbated drought and extreme weather in northern Ghana, leaving many in the agricultural region struggling to grow enough food. Chef Fatmata Binta sees a solution in fonio, a grain similar to couscous, indigenous to West Africa.

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Russian troops have made incremental gains in parts of eastern Ukraine, although their advances elsewhere have stalled. Also, as part of a cultural initiative to counter the influence of narco-corridos, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s government is hosting “México Canta” or “Mexico Sings,” a national songwriting contest designed to promote nonviolent musical expressions. And, the World Bank is sending $4 billion to Argentina ahead of schedule, attempting to stabilize the country's cratering economy. Plus, Chicago has a long history with organized crime. Its most famous — or infamous — mob boss was Al Capone. But it wasn't just Italian families that worked in Chicago's underworld. Decades ago, two rival Chinese gangs ran amok in the city, but they were able to fly under the radar. 

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Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Russia has taken tens of thousands of Ukrainian children. War crimes researchers at Yale University have described it as "the single largest kidnapping of children during wartime since World War II." Also, the world's largest storm this year to date, Super Typhoon Ragasa, is moving its way toward China after making landfall yesterday in the northern island of the Philippines, causing major flooding and the evacuation of thousands. And, Machu Picchu, a top tourist attraction in Peru and one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, is seeing protests over bus contracts that left hundreds of visitors stranded last week, with trains and roads being blocked by demonstrators. The unrest has reignited long-standing concerns about overcrowding and mismanagement at the site. Plus, Alaa Abd el-Fattah, Egypt’s most prominent political prisoner, has reunited with his family after six years in prison.

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