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Israel transferred the bodies of 15 Palestinians to Gaza in what officials said was the final exchange under the first phase of a U.S.-brokered cease-fire with Hamas, days after the country recovered the remains of its last Israeli hostage. The Gaza Health Ministry, part of the Hamas-run government, said the bodies were received and taken to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The International Committee of the Red Cross said it helped facilitate the handover. Under the terms of the cease-fire struck in October, Israel agreed to…

Texas executes Charles Thompson for 1998 double murder, the first U.S. execution this year Texas on Wednesday put to death Charles Thompson, 55, by lethal injection for the 1998 murders of his ex-girlfriend and her boyfriend, marking the first execution in the United States this year and renewing attention to the nation’s use of capital punishment. Thompson was pronounced dead at 6:50 p.m. Central time at a state prison in Huntsville, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice said. He was sentenced to death for killing…

European Union foreign ministers agreed to add Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to the bloc’s list of terrorist organizations, a move that aligns the powerful force with groups such as the Islamic State organization and al-Qaida and signals a sharp shift in Europe’s approach to Tehran. “Repression cannot go unanswered,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said on social media, adding that “any regime that kills thousands of its own people is working toward its own demise.” The IRGC, created after Iran’s 1979 Islamic…

US plan to expand social media screening for foreign visitors could strip as much as $15.7 billion from tourism spending this year, the World Travel and Tourism Council warned, as prospective travelers say the policy would make the country less welcoming. In a survey of people in visa-exempt countries considering trips to the United States, 34% said they would be somewhat or much less likely to visit in the next two to three years if the measures take effect, according to the council. Based on that sentiment, the group…

About 300 jobs at Amazon’s Irish operation are under threat as the tech giant confirmed 16,000 corporate layoffs worldwide, completing a plan for roughly 30,000 reductions since October while signaling more cuts could follow. Amazon employs nearly 6,500 people in Ireland and said it would not comment on how many local roles are affected. RTÉ News reported that approximately 300 Ireland-based positions are at risk, following around 150 losses in the country during a global round of redundancies last October. The latest…

Trump warns Minneapolis mayor he is ‘playing with fire’ as ICE raids continue despite pledged de-escalation MINNEAPOLIS — President Donald Trump warned Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey he was “playing with fire” for refusing to have local police enforce federal immigration laws, even as the White House signaled it would scale back tactics in the city after weeks of protests and deadly confrontations tied to “Operation Metro Surge.” The mixed messages left Minneapolis on edge Wednesday. Immigration and Customs Enforcement…

COLOMBIA–VENEZUELA BORDER — A Satena passenger plane carrying 15 people crashed near Colombia’s border with Venezuela on Monday, killing everyone on board, the country’s civil aviation authority said. The twin‑propeller Beechcraft 1900 took off from the border city of Cucuta and lost contact with control towers shortly before it was due to land in nearby Ocana around midday (5 p.m. GMT). “There are no survivors,” an official from the aviation authority said. The aircraft was carrying 13 passengers and two crew members.…

China suspended imports of Irish beef after authorities confirmed an outbreak of the bluetongue virus in County Wexford, a setback for exporters barely two weeks after the Chinese market reopened to Irish meat. The Department of Agriculture said it notified Beijing of the confirmed cases, and that Chinese authorities “subsequently informed us that they have suspended the acceptance of Irish beef exported from Ireland with effect from 27 January 2026.” Minister Heydon described the move as a temporary measure. “As with all…

PARIS — A French court on Friday found former senator Joel Guerriau guilty of drugging a woman lawmaker with MDMA with the intent to sexually assault her, sentencing the 68-year-old to four years in prison, with 18 months to be served behind bars. The ruling followed a high-profile trial that began Monday and centered on Guerriau’s conduct during a November 2023 meeting at his Paris apartment with National Assembly member Sandrine Josso. Prosecutors said the veteran politician spiked Josso’s champagne with the synthetic drug…

BUDAPEST — Prosecutors in Hungary have filed charges against Budapest’s opposition mayor, Gergely Karácsony, seeking a court-imposed fine for organizing the capital’s Pride parade last June despite an official ban, authorities said. The district prosecutor’s office said it had proposed that a court issue a summary judgment without holding a trial, but did not specify the amount of the fine sought. The move escalates a legal battle that has shadowed the city’s record-breaking Pride, which drew an estimated 200,000 people in…