Over the weekend, officials from Qatar said progress had been made on a potential deal to release some of the nearly 240 hostages Hamas took captive from Israel on Oct. 7. The agreement would reportedly mean that Hamas would set free around 50 women and children and in return, Israel would agree to a temporary ceasefire of several days. And, since the start of the war in Gaza, communication blackouts have become common. Without phones, people can't call for an ambulance or let their families know they are alive. Also, Kenya’s Parliament approved the deployment of 1,000 police officers to Haiti, to lead a multinational force to help deal with the rise in gang violence. But the same day, the country’s High Court temporarily blocked the deployment amid a legal challenge from opposition politicians. Plus, remembering Rosalynn Carter. 

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Aid agencies say that deliveries of basic humanitarian goods into Gaza are practically nonexistent. The United Nations is warning that starvation is an immediate possibility. And, Israel has reportedly cut off the water that it supplied to Gaza via pipeline and has also severely limited the fuel needed to run desalination plants, leaving some 2 million people in the Gaza Strip with little to no water. Also, an estimated 1 million Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities remain imprisoned in China, four years after the country claimed to have closed a network of "reeducation camps" in the country's far western Xinjiang region. We hear from a survivor who served time in the system, and Uyghur activists who fear a thaw in US-China relations will mean their loved ones are forgotten. Plus, how do horses fly? 

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After a historic meeting with President Biden outside San Francisco on Wednesday, Chinese leader Xi Jinping said his country was ready to be a partner and friend of the US. We ask if the four-hour summit changed the fundamental dynamic of the superpowers. And, the Israeli air force dropped leaflets on the eastern part of Khan Yunis, the second largest city in the Gaza Strip, warning people to evacuate. Huge numbers of civilians emptied out of the north after similar warnings from the Israeli military. With nowhere to go, Gazan civilians are increasingly cornered in the ongoing war. Also, negotiators are working on a deal to release a large group of hostages taken by Hamas. Even if some or all are freed, it won't change how deeply Israelis have been affected by the events of Oct. 7. Plus, who is Neil the seal?

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The British government's flagship immigration plan to send asylum-seekers to Rwanda suffered a major setback today. The UK’s Supreme Court ruled that the policy was unlawful and in breach of both British and international laws. And, Israelis are intensely focused on the fate of 230-plus people being held hostage in Gaza. We hear from peace activist Gershon Baskin, who helped negotiate the release of an Israeli soldier from Hamas captivity in 2011. Also, 50 churches, synagogues, mosques and temples in New York City will start housing nearly 1,000 migrant men. The new plan announced by Mayor Eric Adams means the city will pay these places to have beds, showers and dining areas, filling a desperate need to provide shelter as more migrants continue to arrive. Plus, a food writer celebrates the taste of her hometown in Nigeria. 

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Fighting in Gaza has zeroed in more and more tightly on Gaza City, as the Israeli military relentlessly pushes against Hamas, cornering it. Israel has repeatedly alleged that Hamas is hiding its fighters beneath hospitals, a charge that the group denies. We hear how Israel plans to bring the fight to a close and what can be done about the large numbers of civilian casualties. And, Ireland is one of the most pro-Palestinian countries in Europe. Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar has repeatedly called for a humanitarian ceasefire. But in Northern Ireland, the picture is more complicated. Also, the violence in Sudan between the country's military and the Rapid Support Forces continues unabated. The RSF has now taken the majority of the Darfur region and, earlier this month, carried out mass killings. Plus, Napoleon's hat heads to auction this weekend in France.

Over the weekend, Israeli forces carried out attacks in Gaza, targeting the Al-Shifa hospital, one of the main health care centers in the Gaza Strip. Doctors describe a chaotic situation where they are being forced to either leave their patients or stay and face more attacks. Israel claims Hamas runs a command center underneath the hospital. And, the 3,600 residents of Grindavik, a town in southwest Iceland, left their homes Friday night as magma continues flowing beneath the surface of the Reykjanes Peninsula. Also, Taylor Swift fans in Argentina were seen carrying posters saying, "Swifties don't vote for Milei," the far-right libertarian candidate who has proposed radical changes if elected. Plus, Kenya plans to plant 15 billion trees by 2032.

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The US power to influence Israel is under scrutiny as the war in Gaza rages on. We put hard questions to one of the State Department's top spokespeople. We look at calls for a ceasefire, the humanitarian crisis for Palestinians and the future of Gaza. Also, Coca-Cola figures prominently in a lawsuit in Southeast Asia where Cambodian farmers were displaced to make way for sugar plantations. And electronic beats with a Confucian influence — music from the South Korean duo Haepaary.

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Israel announced on Thursday that it would allow for a daily "humitarian pause" that would enable trapped residents of Gaza City to leave. Thousands continue to stream out of Gaza heading further south in the Gaza Strip. And, Palestinian journalist and former New York Times correspondent Taghreed El-Khodary is deeply worried about friends and relatives now dispersed throughout Gaza. From 2001 to 2009, Khodary was one of the few Western media voices on the ground in Gaza. Also, since October, more than 8,000 people, mainly Africans, have come to the shores on Spain's Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco in the Atlantic Ocean. The tiny island of El Hierro alone has received over 6,000 migrants. Plus, a "seismic swarm" closes a spa in Iceland.

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Following the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war, an estimated 5,000 Israeli families have fled to Cyprus, where they've been welcomed by an established Jewish community. Meanwhile, only hundreds of foreign passport holders and injured Palestinians have been permitted to leave the blockaded Gaza strip through its border with Egypt. And, US Surgeon-General Vivek Murthy has called loneliness a public health crisis. We hear about the health effects of loneliness and what initiatives around the globe seem to be helping people actually connect. Also, since the beginning of Russia's large-scale invasion of Ukraine, Moscow has been bombing unique Ukrainian cultural sites. Preservationists are using special techniques to preserve the country's heritage — on their phones. Plus, the panda diplomats' sad farewell. 

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One month ago today, Hamas carried out a surprise attack in southern Israel. Oct. 7 ended up being the deadliest day in history for Jews since the Holocaust. And, since current war between Hamas and Israel started, Palestinian journalists in Gaza have been both reporters and victims. According to the Committee to Protect Journalists, 37 Palestinian journalists have been killed. Also, Russian American journalist Julia Ioffe has produced a new podcast about Vladimir Putin’s origin story, "About a Boy." We hear how Putin's hard-scrabble childhood — and the rough justice of the neighborhood playground — taught him lessons that shape his thinking and actions to this day. Plus, the king's speech is not written by the king.

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