remains

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…

Israel’s military said it has retrieved the remains of Israeli police officer Ran Gvili, the last hostage held in Gaza, a development officials said fulfills a key condition in the initial phase of a U.S.-brokered plan to end the Gaza war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel had “brought them all back,” after months of operations and negotiations to secure the release or recovery of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 assault. Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem said the return of the final Israeli hostage…

Ghana's Multidimensional Poverty Rate Declines but Disparities Remain A recent report indicates that Ghana's multidimensional poverty rate has steadily decreased from 23.9% in the first quarter of 2025 to 21.9% by the third quarter. This report assesses poverty through four key indicators: health, living conditions, education, and employment, offering a more comprehensive view of poverty beyond mere income levels. At the report's launch in Accra this week, Senior Government Statistician Alhassan Iddrisu emphasized the…

Karachi mall inferno leaves at least 21 dead, dozens missing as firefighters comb ruins of Gul Plaza KARACHI, Pakistan — Pakistani firefighters on Monday pulled bodies from the smoldering remains of Gul Plaza, a sprawling shopping complex in Karachi, as anguished families waited for word of more than 60 people still missing after the city’s deadliest blaze in more than a decade. The fire erupted late Saturday, racing through the multi‑story mall that housed some 1,200 shops across a footprint larger than a football field.…

NAIROBI — Thirty-one years ago this week, a Nigerian diplomat walked into a modest office at Wilson Airport and asked two Kenyan pilots to do something almost no one could know about. The mission: fly the body of Somalia’s ousted ruler, Mohamed Siad Barre, from Lagos to his hometown of Garbaharey for a swift Islamic burial — quietly, safely and without alerting authorities across half a continent. For the first time, one of those pilots, Hussein Mohamed Anshuur — a former Kenya Air Force captain and co-founder of Bluebird…

Hamas, Red Cross resume search in Gaza for body of last Israeli hostage, key to ceasefire talks Hamas officials said Tuesday that search operations have resumed in Gaza City for the remains of the last Israeli hostage in the enclave, a move Israel has tied to the start of talks on the second phase of a fragile ceasefire agreement. The Palestinian group’s armed wing, the Ezzedine al-Qassam Brigades, is working “accompanied by Red Cross teams” in the Zeitun neighborhood in southeastern Gaza City after a two-week pause caused…

Nicolas Maduro pleads not guilty in New York after U.S. raid; judge orders ex-Venezuelan leader held without bail Toppled Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking and other charges in a federal courtroom in Manhattan, days after he was taken into U.S. custody during a predawn raid in Caracas that officials said involved air and naval support. Maduro, 63, spoke softly through a Spanish interpreter but struck a defiant tone. “I’m innocent. I’m not guilty,” he told the judge. He said he is the…

Trump says Ukraine peace talks ‘very close’ as Donbas remains sticking point MAR-A-LAGO, Fla. — President Donald Trump said he and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky are “getting a lot closer, maybe very close” to a framework to end the war in Ukraine, while acknowledging the fate of the disputed Donbas region remains a key unresolved issue. Speaking at a joint news conference after talks at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, both leaders reported progress on two of the most contentious items in negotiations — long-term security…

Trump and Zelenskiy say they are closing in on a peace agreement to end the war in Ukraine, with security guarantees nearly settled but the fate of the Donbas region still unresolved after talks at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. At a joint news conference, the U.S. president said the two sides were “getting a lot closer, maybe very close,” while acknowledging that Donbas remains a “very tough issue.” Both leaders offered few specifics and set no deadline, though Trump said it should be clear “in a few weeks” whether negotiations…

NAIROBI, Kenya — Prosecutors on Wednesday told the High Court that a Nairobi man already linked to three killings in October 2024 murdered his girlfriend a week later, mutilated and boiled parts of her body, and tried to dump the remains at Lang’ata Cemetery. Appearing before Lady Justice Margaret Muigai on Dec. 3, 2025, Senior Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Gikui Gichui said Hashim Dagane Muhumed — also known as Hashim Mohamed Khalif — killed Deka Abdi Noor Gorane on the night of Oct. 29–30, 2024, inside Valley…