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CNN —Efforts to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and broker a prolonged pause in fighting are at an important juncture as President Joe Biden deploys his point person on hostage talks to Europe for multiparty talks on the contours of a possible agreement. He said on Friday, Biden had spoken to Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi as well as Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to discuss ongoing hostage talks. “We continue to do everything we can to facilitate another hostage deal just like we did back in November,” Kirby said. Each stage would come with a pause in fighting and the delivery of aid to the North and South of Gaza. The White House on Thursday reiterated its gratitude for Qatar — which has acted as a key mediator in hostage talks — in response to the leaked recording.

Persons: Joe Biden, Bill Burns, David Barnea, Abbas Kamel, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Burns, Barnea, John Kirby, “, ” Kirby, Biden, Abdel Fatah al, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Thani, Kirby, Brett McGurk, ”, Benjamin Netanyahu, Yoav Gallant, Netanyahu, Netanyahu’s, Betsy Klein, Katie Bo Lillis Organizations: CNN, CIA, White House, Qatari, White, National Security, Hamas, Biden, Qatar Locations: Gaza, Europe, Israel, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al, France, Washington, Qatar, Egypt, South, Palestinian, Gulf

☆ Woman accused of murdering her doppelgänger wanted to stage her death to get away from her strict, religious community, prosecutor says
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Joshua Zitser | Rebecca Rommen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A prosecutor in the "doppelgänger murder" trial said the suspect wanted to "start a new life." She said the suspect wanted to fake her own death to escape her religious community and family. Complications arose in her Yazidi family due to her separation from her husband, reports said. Related storiesCiting prosecutors, Blick reported that Sharaban wanted to distance herself from her family and escape the strict norms of the Yazidi religious community in Germany. AdvertisementIn addition to the first-degree murder charge, Sharaban K is accused of an attempt to order a hit on that relative.

Persons: —, Sharaban, Sheqir, Khadidja, Alexandra Engel, Blick, Der Spiegel, Ahlem Boudjemaâ, Veronika Grieser Organizations: Service, Prosecutors, Bild, BI Locations: German, Iraqi, Ingolstadt, Germany, Algerian

The strike by the GDL union will affect passenger services and freight trains operated by state-owned Deutsche Bahn until 6 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Monday. The union held a three-day strike earlier this month and two walkouts last year which lasted up to 24 hours. On Wednesday, train travel across the country and in many cities ground to a halt again with commuters and other travelers struggling to find alternatives involving long-distance bus or car travel or flights. “European freight traffic across the Alps, Poland or to Scandinavia as well as the seaports in Holland or Belgium will also be affected,” said Deutsche Bahn. With negotiations stalled, Germany's transportation minister said the government was not ruling out arbitration proceedings between GDL and Deutsche Bahn.

Persons: ”, Volker Wissing Organizations: BERLIN, Deutsche Bahn Locations: Poland, Scandinavia, Holland, Belgium

☆ Qatar Says Netanyahu's Reported Criticism Undermines Gaza Mediation
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-24 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Qatar said on Wednesday it was "appalled" by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's alleged remarks on its mediation role in the Gaza war after he called the Gulf state "problematic" in a leaked recording. "We are appalled by the alleged remarks attributed to the Israeli Prime Minister in various media reports about Qatar's mediation role," said Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari. In a leaked recording from a meeting with hostage families that aired on Israel's Channel 12 news on Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Qatar "problematic." An Israeli government spokesperson was not immediately available to comment on Qatar's statement or whether the leaked recording was authentic. In the recording, Netanyahu went on to say that Qatar has leverage over Hamas because it funds the movement.

Persons: Benjamin Netanyahu's, Majed Al Ansari, Benjamin Netanyahu, haven't, I'm, Netanyahu, Enas Alashray, Henriette Chacar, Cynthia Osterman Organizations: Israeli, PM, Israel's Locations: JERUSALEM, Qatar, Gaza, Israeli, United States

☆ Exclusive-One-Month Gaza Truce Focus of Intensive Talks, Sources Say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +8 min

Asked about the negotiations, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Monday the organization was open to discussing ideas but that no deal was yet in place. One offer by Israel is to end the war if Hamas removes six senior leaders from Gaza, said a seventh source, a senior Hamas official. Five of the sources said Israel had refused to discuss any end to the war that did not include Hamas being dismantled. Israeli government spokesperson Eylon Levy said at a press conference on Tuesday that efforts were ongoing to secure the hostages' release. The official briefed on the talks said Hamas had since softened that demand, which would likely be vehemently opposed by Israel.

Persons: Andrew Mills, Nidal, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Dan Williams, Brett McGurk, Sami Abu Zuhri, Abu Zuhri, Yahya Sinwar, Mohamed al, Benjamin Netanyahu's, Netanyahu, NETANYAHU, Israel, Eylon Levy, Antony Blinken, Khan Younis, Mohamed Ahmed Hassan, Michael Georgy, Maayan Lubell, Jonathan Landay, Simon Lewis, Frank Jack Daniel, Daniel Flynn Organizations: Hamas, Tuesday U.S . Middle East, U.S . State Department, White, Service, Reuters, Palestinian Locations: Dan Williams DOHA, CAIRO, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Washington, Egypt, U.S, United States, Khan, Doha, Cairo, Jerusalem

The Spaniard is starting the season unbothered and ready to chase a third IndyCar championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Midway through his second season, Ganassi said he'd picked up the option on Palou's contract for 2023. McLaren is now suing for an exorbitant figure Palou certainly can't afford, and Palou in his legal response admitted to breach of his McLaren contract in a bid for the legal wrangling to focus only on actual damages Palou owes McLaren. So he sat before AP smiling and totally unbothered by this nearly two-year Ganassi and McLaren tug-of-war over his employment. "Pato can wait for someone to get hurt.”Since Palou's change of mind, McLaren has named Pato O'Ward, their 24-year-old IndyCar driver, as the F1 reserve.

Persons: — Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi’s, McLaren, Chip Ganassi, Lucia, Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der, Scott Dixon, Palou, Ganassi, ” Palou, it's, he'd, Arrow McLaren, ”, he’d, wasn't, “, Pato, Pato O'Ward, He's, We’ll, we’ll Organizations: DAYTONA, IndyCar, Daytona, IMSA, Ganassi, Associated Press, Midway, Arrow McLaren Racing, Formula, McLaren, AP, Indy Locations: Fla, United States, Formula

☆ Ethnic Killings in One Sudan City Left up to 15,000 Dead - UN Report
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-19 | by ( Jan. | At P.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +5 min

A top Sudanese general accused the UAE in November of backing the RSF war effort. The United Nations says about 500,000 people have fled Sudan into eastern Chad, several hundred kilometers south of Amdjarass. The monitors' report included similar accounts. They said that between 14-17 June, some 12,000 people fled El Geneina on foot for Adre in Chad. The Masalit were the majority in El Geneina until the attacks forced their mass exodus.

Persons: Michelle Nichols, Maggie Michael UNITED, El Geneina, RSF, Madani, Maggie Michael, Don Durfee, Daniel Wallis Organizations: Rapid Support Forces, United, Reuters, . Security, United Arab Emirates, United Nations, Security Locations: CAIRO, Sudan's West Darfur, United Nations, El, Sudan, Amdjarass, Chad, UAE, West Darfur, Geneina, El Geneina, Adre, Darfur, Libya, South Sudan, Egypt, States

☆ Medicine for Israeli hostages and Palestinians arrives in Gaza under deal struck by Qatar
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Helen Regan | Jennifer Hauser | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Medicine for Israeli hostages and Palestinians has entered Gaza, Qatar said Wednesday, after the Gulf nation brokered a deal between Israel and Hamas to provide vital medication to the war-torn enclave. The agreement mediated by Qatar Tuesday will see medication delivered to Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza in exchange for medicine and humanitarian aid to Palestinian civilians. Osama Hamdan, a Lebanon-based Hamas official, said the agreement was dependent on there being enough medication for Palestinians in Gaza in addition to the Israeli hostages. Hamas has stipulated that for every box of medication given to the hostages, Palestinians in Gaza must receive 1,000 boxes. However, the Israeli military said it does “not have the ability to guarantee” that medicine will reach the hostages.

Persons: Majed Al, Ansari, Osama Hamdan, Daniel Hagari, ” Hagari, “ There’s, I’ve, Dr, Nick Maynard, Martin Griffiths, “ Organizations: CNN, Medicine, Qatar, Qatari Foreign Ministry, Israel Defense Forces, Ministry, UNICEF, Al, Aqsa, United Nations, UN Locations: Gaza, Qatar, Israel, Doha, Egypt, Lebanon, British

☆ Hezbollah Rejected US Overtures, Still Open to Diplomacy to Avoid Wider War
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-18 | by ( Jan. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +9 min

U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein has been leading a diplomatic outreach to restore security at the Israel-Lebanon frontier as the wider region teeters dangerously towards a major escalation of the conflict ignited by the Gaza war. Israel has also said it wants to avoid war, but both sides say they are ready to fight if necessary. Branded a terrorist organisation by Washington, Hezbollah has not been directly involved in talks, three Lebanese officials and a European diplomat said. Hezbollah has dismissed both ideas as unrealistic, the Lebanese officials and the diplomat said. Iran's foreign minister on Wednesday said attacks against Israel and its interests by the "Axis of Resistance" will stop if the Gaza war ends.

Persons: Laila Bassam, Maya Gebeily, Amos Hochstein, Hochstein, Israel, Spokespeople, Eylon Levy, Najib Mikati, Mikati, Hamas, Mohanad Hage Ali, Hage Ali, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Nasrallah, Gebeily, Dan Williams, Tom Perry, Steve Holland, Edtiing, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: U.S, Yemen's, Reuters, Hezbollah, Lebanese, Iran's, Guards, Carnegie Middle East Center Locations: Maya, Maya Gebeily BEIRUT, Iran, Israel, Lebanon, Gaza, Yemen's Iran, Red Sea, U.S, Lebanese, Beirut, Jan, Washington, European, Hochstein, United States, IRAN, Syria, Iraq, Tehran, France, Jerusalem

Thursday's attack followed one by Iran inside Pakistan on Tuesday. The strikes imperiled diplomatic relations between Islamabad and Tehran, as Iran and nuclear-armed Pakistan have long regarded each other with suspicion over militant attacks. Iran has seen growing pressure for action after the Islamic State group attack, Israel's war on Hamas and wider unrest against its theocracy. Iran and Pakistan share a 900-kilometer (560-mile), largely lawless border in which smugglers and militants freely cross. For both Iran and Pakistan, the cross-border attacks renew questions about their own military preparedness, particularly their radar and air defense systems.

Persons: ”, Ali Reza Marhamati, Pakistan's, “, Jundallah, Jaish, Abdullah Khan, ” There's, Mao Ning, ___ Gambrell, Riazat Butt, Nasser Karimi, Liu Zheng Organizations: Hamas, Islamic, Ministry, Baluch Liberation Army, Baluch, Adl, Islamic State, Pakistan Institute for Conflict, Security Studies, Baloch, Foreign Ministry, Associated Press Locations: ISLAMABAD, Iran, Pakistan, Gaza, Iraq, Syria, Islamic State, Islamabad, Tehran, Iran’s Sistan, Baluchestan, Saravan, Baluchistan, United States, Israel, Pakistan’s Baluchistan, Sistan, Chabahar, Afghanistan, India, U.S, French, China, Beijing, Pakistan's Baluchistan, Jerusalem

☆ Satya Nadella says Microsoft just wants stability and good governance at OpenAI— not a board seat
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-16 | by ( Jyoti Mann | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Satya Nadella said he's "not interested" in a seat on OpenAI's board. "I'm comfortable, I have no issues with any structure, what we just want is good stability and as I said we don't even need, I'm not interested in a board seat," he said. The comments come after a tumultuous week at OpenAI in November in which CEO Sam Altman was ousted, only to return a week later. AdvertisementThe Microsoft chief doubled down on his comments regarding an OpenAI board seat: "It doesn't matter to me right, I mean the board seat is not the critical path at all for us." Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment from Business Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Satya Nadella, I'm, Sam Altman, Altman, Nadella Organizations: Service, Bloomberg, Economic, Microsoft, Business, OpenAI, Markets Authority, European Commission, EU, Apple Locations: Davos, OpenAI

☆ All prison staff held hostage by inmates in Ecuador now free, officials say
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-13 | by ( Heather Chen | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —All prison guards and administrative employees held hostage by inmates at correctional facilities across Ecuador have now been freed, the national prisons agency said Saturday night. Earlier on Saturday it had said 133 guards and three administrative employees were still being held after at least 41 were released. Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa welcomed the news and congratulated SNAI, the armed forces and the national police for securing their release. The agency had also reported an armed confrontation at a prison in the southern region of El Oro between inmates and members of the armed forces and the National Police. More than 3,000 police officers and members of the armed forces have been deployed to find him.

Persons: Daniel Noboa, SNAI, Jorge Rendon, ”, Rafael Correa, Adolfo “ Fito, Oliver, Fito, Fernando Villavicencio, Rodrigo Buendia, Villavicencio Organizations: CNN, Ecuadorian, National Police, Catholic, Security, Authorities, Getty Locations: Ecuador, Esmeraldas, El Oro, ”, Peru, Colombia, Guayaquil, Fito, Mexico, United States, Sinaloa, AFP, Quito

☆ Six Ukrainian Children to Be Returned From Russia Through Qatari Mediation
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-05 | by ( Dec. | At A.M. | ) www.usnews.com time to read: +2 min

The children are en route to Ukraine via Moscow, the source added. This is the second phase of a Qatar-mediated return of children, after four minors were returned in October. One of the children was being escorted by Qatari diplomats to their embassy in Moscow before being transferred to Ukraine, the source said. Kyiv says about 20,000 children have been taken from Ukraine to Russia or Russian-held territory without the consent of family or guardians. The ICC has accused them of responsibility for the war crime of deporting Ukrainian children - at least hundreds, possibly more - to Russia.

Persons: Andrew Mills, Max Hunder, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman, Vladimir Putin, Maria Lvova, Belova, Putin, Alexandra Hudson Organizations: Max Hunder DOHA, Reuters, Qatari, ICC Locations: KYIV, Ukrainian, Ukraine, Russia, Qatar, Moscow, Thani, Russian, Doha, Kyiv

☆ Fate of American hostages up in the air with little prospect of stalled hostage talks resuming soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-04 | by ( Mj Lee | Alex Marquardt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

The White House has said there is one American woman and seven men unaccounted for following Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel. The talks have stalled, and there does not appear to be any real prospects of those discussions starting back up any time soon, according to multiple senior administration officials. National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Monday the US is doing “everything in our power” to get hostages released from Hamas. The Israel Defense Forces said Friday that there are 136 hostages still being held in Gaza, including 17 women and children. It is unclear how many of those are being held by Hamas as opposed to other militant groups that operate in the territory.

Persons: ’, Jake Sullivan, Sullivan, “, ” Israel, –, ”, Matt Miller, “ We’ve, they’ve, ” Miller, Israel, Gaza –, CNN’s Haley Britzky, Tamar Michaelis, Joshua Berlinger, Jack Forrest Organizations: Washington CNN, CNN, Hamas, Thai, United, Israel Defense Forces, Sunday, Nova, ” Locations: Gaza, American, Israel, Russian, Doha, Qatar, Egypt, United States

☆ ‘Lost’ Botticelli masterpiece worth $109 million found in home in southern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jack Guy | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —A painting by the 15th-century master Sandro Botticelli, recorded as missing since the 1980s, has been found at a home in southern Italy. The depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ was discovered in a home in the town of Gragnano, near Naples, according to the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples. The painting by the artist most famous for “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” is estimated by Italian authorities to be worth at least €100 million ($109 million). “The family continues to hold the title of the work, which, however, will be preserved in a museum,” Croce added. The Somma family declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Sandro Botticelli, Virgin Mary, Christ, Venus ”, Santa Maria la Carità, Massimiliano Croce, Croce, ” Croce, “, Botticelli Organizations: Rome CNN, Protection Unit of Naples, Primavera, Roman Catholic Church, CNN, Cultural Locations: Italy, Gragnano, Naples, Neapolitan, Santa, State

According to three regional sources, Israel related its plans to its neighbours Egypt and Jordan, along with the United Arab Emirates, which normalised ties with Israel in 2020. He declined to offer details when asked whether those plans had been raised with international partners, including Arab states. A U.S. official, who declined to be identified, said Israel had "floated" the buffer zone idea without saying to whom. The regional sources compared the Gaza buffer zone plan to the "security zone" Israel once had in south Lebanon. "The buffer zone could make (Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu's forces a target also in the zone," he said.

Persons: Ronen, Israel, Abu Dhabi, Ophir Falk, Benjamin Netanyahu, Lebanon's, it's, Mohammad Dahlan, Benjamin, Netanyahu's, Samia Nakhoul, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Jonathan Saul, Dan Williams, Aidan Lewis, Humeyra Pamuk, Steve Holland, Edmund Blair, Daniel Flynn Organizations: REUTERS, Israel, United Arab Emirates, Saudi, Reuters, U.S, Lebanon's Hezbollah, Hamas, Palestine Liberation Organization, PLO, Palestinian Fatah, Thomson Locations: Gaza, Gaza Israel, Egypt, Jordan, UAE, Saudi Arabia, U.S, DUBAI, CAIRO, LONDON, Israel, Riyadh, Arab Turkey, Qatar, Qatari, Turkish, Palestinian, Cairo, Lebanon, PLO, Dubai, London, Jerusalem, Washington

☆ How Qatar swayed Israel and Hamas to make a truce work
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +10 min

It was necessary to clarify all the points in the agreement and make sure they meant the same thing to Israel and Hamas, a source briefed on the negotiations said. Qatar's foreign ministry told reporters that Hamas and Israel negotiated in Doha until "the early morning" of Nov. 23 and agreed on a plan to implement the truce deal the next day. Qatari negotiators shepherded Israel and Hamas to agree on exactly where in Gaza Israeli tanks would be stationed during the truce. Israel vets all financial transfers Qatar makes to Palestinians in Gaza, Qatari sources have said. Despite proximity to Hamas officials, Qatari negotiators did not speak directly to the group's leaders in Gaza, but through its representatives based in Doha.

Persons: Qatar’s, Abdullah Al Sulaiti, Imad Creidi, Qatar's, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Sheikh Mohammed, David Barnea, Israel, Benjamin Netanyahu, Netanyahu, shepherded Israel, Al Shifa, Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim, Mehran Kamrava, We've, Al Sulaiti, I've, Ahmed Mohamed Hassan, Matt S, Dan Williams, David Gauthier, Frank Jack Daniel Organizations: Hamas, National Command Centre, REUTERS, Rights DOHA, Qatari, Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, U.S . Department of State, U.S, Gaza, Bild, Palestinian, Georgetown University, Thomson Locations: Israel, Palestinian, Doha, Qatar, Palestinian Territories, Egypt, Gaza, Moscow, London, Hamas, U.S, Russia, Gulf, Berlin, Syria, Qatari, Cairo, Washington, Jerusalem

☆ Israel and Hamas agree to last-minute cease-fire extension of 24 hours
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-30 | by ( Natasha Turak | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A helicopter with Israeli hostages released earlier by Hamas lands at Sheba Medical Centre on the sixth day of the temporary truce after Hamas blamed ‘technical issues’ on the delay as family and friends wait nearby in the early morning hours of November 30, 2023 in Ramat Gan, Israel. Israel and Hamas agreed to extend their cease-fire by at least a further 24 hours just minutes before the fragile truce hit its deadline. Under the terms of the deal between the warring parties, three Palestinian prisoners are exchanged for every one Israeli hostage. Qatar, a key mediator of the arrangement which has also been home to Hamas' political division since 2012, noted the continuation of humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza under the terms of the cease-fire. U.S. President Joe Biden confirmed Wednesday that one of the freed hostages was a dual Israeli-American national.

Persons: Joe Biden Organizations: Sheba Medical, Israeli Defense Forces, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Locations: Ramat Gan, Israel, Gaza —, Qatar, Gaza, State, American, Egypt, U.S

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Federal mediators have rejected a union's request that could have cleared the way for a year-end strike by flight attendants at American Airlines. The National Mediation Board instead directed the airline and the Association of Professional Flight Attendants to keep negotiating over a new contract. “We look forward to continued negotiations with APFA and reaching an agreement our flight attendants have earned,” American said in a statement Tuesday. The airline says its proposal to pay flight attendants during boarding would make the 11% raise more like 18%. American, which is based in Fort Worth, Texas, is proposing to match Delta’s decision last year to pay flight attendants during boarding.

Persons: Julie Hedrick, ” Hedrick, “ Organizations: —, American Airlines, Association of Professional, APFA Locations: Texas, American's, Fort Worth , Texas

"The released hostages are on their way to hospitals in Israel, where they will re-unite with their families," the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said in a statement. Israel released 39 Palestinians - six women and 33 minors - from two prisons, the Palestinian news agency WAFA said. Saturday's swap follows the previous day's initial release of 13 Israeli hostages, including children and the elderly, by Hamas in return for the release of 39 Palestinian women and young people from Israeli prisons. On Friday Hamas also released a Philippine national and 10 Thai farm workers. Israel has said the ceasefire could be extended if Hamas continued to release at least 10 hostages a day.

Persons: Israel, WAFA, Srettha Thavisin, Thais, Thongkoon Onkaew, Natthaporn Onkaew, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al, Osama Hamdan, Majed Al, Ansari, Maya Regev, Emily Hand, Hila Rotem, Emily, Raya Rotem, Shorouk Dwayyat, Emily Rose, Bassam Masoud, James Mackenzie, Maayan Lubell, Emma Farge, Aidan Lewis, Adam Makary, Nidal, Moaz Abd, Ali Sawafta, Sybille de La Hamaide, Jeff Mason, Humeyra Pamuk, Leslie Adler, Clarence Fernandez, William Mallard Organizations: Sunday, International Committee, Israel Defense Forces, West Bank, Hamas, Reuters, Brigades, IDF, United Nations, CNN, Al, Thomson Locations: Israel Egypt, Qatar, West Bank GAZA, JERUSALEM, Israel, Gaza, Egypt, Palestinian, Rafah, Al, Bireh, Ramallah, Philippine, U.S, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Al Jazeera, Nantucket , Massachusetts

☆ Can Divorce Be Affordable? Yes, but Only if Spouses Want It to Be.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-25 | by ( Caitlin Kelly | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

It was my condo and I was making the payments.” She recommends having a lawyer review a document divorce to ensure that it is done correctly. The process took a year and cost less than $2,000 because she had hashed out issues with her ex before their divorce proceedings, she said. Ms. McGrady, 55, was glad to have saved thousands of dollars for her own retirement or for her daughter’s future needs. At the time, Ms. Steele, a senior design manager at Atlassian, a software company, had little disposable income and no children. She had been married for 10 years when, she said, “the wheels started to fall off.” She filed for divorce, which was finalized six months later.

Persons: Vanessa McGrady, ”, “, McGrady, who’s, ” Caitlin Steele, Steele Locations: California, Seattle, San Francisco

"A lot of times, people try to hide in the herd, and we try to fit in, and I think that's the worst advice." Anne Mahlum started the boutique fitness chain Solidcore in 2013. Building empathy, maintaining disciplineMahlum's hard-charging approach may have helped her build a fitness empire, which now has more than 100 locations across the U.S. "When we had to do some of those layoffs [I didn't realize] I was taking away [former employees'] social life, their workout life, their friendships, not just their job," Mahlum says. A lifelong athlete, Mahlum says she decided to start Solidcore after being humbled by a L.A.-based Pilates class.

Persons: Anne Mahlum, —, Mahlum, It's, Adams Morgan, who'd Organizations: CNBC Locations: U.S, Washington

All but one were abducted from the Nir Oz kibbutz, according to spokespeople for the kibbutz and the Hostages and Missing Families Forum. Eleven foreign nationals were also released alongside the Israeli hostages: 10 Thai citizens and one Filipino citizen, according to a Qatar Foreign Ministry spokesperson. Here’s what you need to know about the released hostages:Yafa Adar, 85Adar is a founder of the Nir Oz kibbutz and is the oldest person to be taken hostage on October 7. Now Daniel and Emilia are on their way to Israel,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement. “She has diabetes, and suffers severe vision loss in one of her eyes,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a statement.

Persons: Nir, “, Daniel Hagari, Hagari, Yafa, Kibbutz Nir Oz, Tamir Adar, Nir Oz, Margalit Moses, ”, Hana Katzir, Rami Katzir, Elad, Nir Oz’s, Adina Moshe, David, Sa’id, Moshe, Ruth Munder, Keren, Ohad, Roee, Avraham, Ruth, Keren Munder, Ohad Munder, Munder “, Daniel Aloni, Emilia Aloni, Emilia, Sharon Aloni, “ Daniel, Daniel, Doron Katz Asher, Raz Asher, Aviv Asher, Doron, Efrat Katz, Ganot Hadar, Dori Roberts, Efrat, Roberts, Channa Peri, Peri Organizations: CNN, Gaza, Qatar Foreign Ministry, Israel Defense Forces, Hamas, Raz Locations: Israel, Hatzarim Airbase, Gaza, Hatzerim Airbase, Mozambique, Aviv, Ganot, Kibbutz Nirim, South Africa

☆ Israel-Hamas war live updates: Israel and Hamas begin temporary pause in Gaza fighting, with first hostage release expected
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-24 | by ( Ruxandra Iordache | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The 50 hostages, among about 240 taken by Hamas in their Oct. 7 raid on Israel, are expected to be released in batches, probably about a dozen a day, during the four-day ceasefire. The pause will be extended by a day for each additional batch of 10 hostages released, Israel said in a statement. The group said Israel agreed not to attack or arrest anyone in Gaza, and people can move freely along Salah al-Din Street, the main road along which many Palestinians have fled northern Gaza where Israel launched its ground invasion. Hamas has not released a full list of names of those being held in Gaza. Not all the hostages taken on Oct. 7 were being held by Hamas fighters.

Persons: Israel, Salah al, Foreign Ministry Mohammed Al, Joe Biden, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al, Benjamin Netanyahu, — Organizations: Hamas, State, Foreign Ministry, U.S, Qatar, Qatari, United Locations: Israel, Gaza, Qatar, Gaza ., Doha, United States, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, Israeli, Egypt

Israel's response has been a fierce military campaign that has killed more than 14,000 people inside Gaza so far. Israel regards the entire Hamas leadership as terrorists, accusing Haniyeh, Meshaal and others of continuing to "pull the strings of the Hamas terror organisation." The plan, drawn up by the Hamas military council in Gaza, was such a closely guarded secret that some Hamas officials seemed shocked by its timing and scale. During the decade in which Haniyeh was Hamas' top leader in Gaza, Israel accused his leadership team of helping to divert humanitarian aid to the group's military wing. Three senior officials told Reuters that Khamenei told the Hamas leader in that meeting, that Iran would not enter the war having not been told about it in advance.

Persons: Ismail Haniyeh, Haniyeh, Israel, Khaled Meshaal, Yahya Sinwar, Adeeb Ziadeh, Meshaal, Iran's, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Khamenei, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, Yassin, Samia Nakhoul, Stephen Farrell, Edmund Blair Organizations: Palestinian, Gaza, Al, Hamas, Qatari, Qatar University, Reuters, Islamic University, Thomson Locations: Qatar, Gaza, Israel, Turkey, Doha, Iran, Al Jazeera, Meshaal, Muslim Iran, Egypt, Tehran, Iranian, Al, Gaza City, Al Jura, Ashkelon, Dubai

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