Aug 01 Russia frees Gershkovich and Whelan, part of biggest prisoner swap in post-Soviet history By Eric Tucker, Dasha Litvinova, Matthew Lee, Associated Press The trade followed years of secretive back-channel negotiations despite relations between Washington and Moscow being at their lowest point since the Cold War after Russian President Vladimir Putin's February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Continue reading
Aug 01 Israel says it killed the chief of Hamas’ military wing in a July strike in Gaza By Melanie Lidman, Samy Magdy, Associated Press The rapid events this week have left U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators scrambling to salvage talks for a cease-fire deal in Gaza. Continue reading
Jul 31 Photos and takeaways from Paris Olympics Day 5 By Andrew Dampf, Associated Press Katie Ledecky dominates the 1,500-meter freestyle, an ambitious plan to clean up the long-polluted Seine River pays off and Adriana Ruano wins Guatemala’s first ever Olympic gold medal. Continue reading
Jul 31 Watch 4:18 Killings of Hamas and Hezbollah leaders escalate fears regional war could ignite By Zeba Warsi, Nick Schifrin The top political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, was killed overnight in Tehran, just hours after an Israeli airstrike killed one of the top military leaders of Hezbollah in Beirut. Taken together, after ten months of war in Gaza, the… Continue watching
Jul 31 Watch 6:44 Mideast experts assess Gaza cease-fire prospects after Hamas leader’s assassination By Geoff Bennett, Dan Sagalyn, Zeba Warsi Ismail Haniyeh, the top political leader for Hamas, was killed by an airstrike in Iran. Both Hamas and Iran blamed Israel for the assassination. Geoff Bennett has views on the development from Nathan Brown, professor of political science and international… Continue watching
Jul 31 Watch 7:04 Hezbollah legislator accuses Netanyahu of trying to ‘drag the Americans’ into Mideast war By Simona Foltyn The Israeli airstrike on a senior Hezbollah leader came after ten months of low-level conflict between the militants and Israel. For insights into Hezbollah's military and political influence, Special Correspondent Simona Foltyn traveled to its southern Beirut stronghold, beginning at… Continue watching
Jul 31 Ledecky breaks her own Olympic record and wins gold in 1,500-meter freestyle By Paul Newberry, Associated Press Katie Ledecky romped to the seventh individual Olympic gold medal — she has one team gold in a relay — and 12th medal overall with a runaway victory in the 1,500-meter freestyle Wednesday at the Paris Games. Continue reading
Jul 31 Skin diseases plague Palestinian children as infections run rampant in Gaza’s tent camps By Wafaa Shurafa, Mohammed Jahjouh, Associated Press Skin diseases are running rampant in Gaza, health officials say, from appalling conditions in overcrowded tent camps housing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes. Continue reading
Jul 31 UK prime minister accuses far-right protesters of hijacking town’s grief after stabbing attack that killed 3 children By Brian Melley, Jill Lawless, Associated Press Far-right protesters clashed with police outside a mosque in the town where three girls were fatally stabbed on Monday. The violence erupted after a peaceful vigil on Tuesday for the girls. Continue reading
Jul 31 Maduro asks Venezuela’s Supreme Court to audit the presidential election results By Regina Garcia Cano, Associated Press Colombian President Petro called on Venezuelan President Maduro to release detailed vote counts from the presidential election after authorities declared Maduro the winner. Continue reading