Israel approves Gaza ceasefire plan, hostage release
The Israeli cabinet on Friday approved US President Donald Trump's plan for a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the remaining hostages being held by Hamas, following a deal brokered on Thursday in the Egyptian resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.
A brief statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the cabinet had approved the "outline" of the hostage release agreement, without mentioning the other more controversial aspects of the plan.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that under the agreement, the ceasefire should come into effect immediately after formal approval by the government. The Israeli army now has 24 hours to withdraw to a previously agreed-upon line.
Trump calls for Spain to be expelled from NATO
US President Donald Trump suggested on Thursday that Spain be expelled from NATO, during a meeting at the White House with Finnish President Alexander Stubb.
The meeting, which was intended to discuss the purchase of American icebreakers from Finland, deviated towards the issue of the defense alliance, where Trump revived his ongoing clashes with the Spanish government over military spending.
Since the NATO summit in The Hague in June, Trump has been in open conflict with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, after the latter declared that Spain would not meet Trump's demand to increase military spending to 5% of GDP, beyond the current target of 2%.
Powerful earthquake hits Philippines, tsunami feared
A 7.6-magnitude earthquake struck off the southeastern coast of the Philippines, forcing authorities to issue evacuation warnings in coastal provinces due to the risk of a tsunami.
The Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (Phivolcs) said the earthquake was expected to cause damage and aftershocks, with its epicenter at sea, about 62 kilometers southeast of Manay town.
According to Phivolcs, a "destructive tsunami with life-threatening waves" is expected, while the final assessment of the earthquake remained at magnitude 7.6.
Putin admits Russia shot down Azerbaijani passenger plane
Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged for the first time on Thursday that Russian air defense forces were responsible for the shooting down of an Azerbaijani passenger plane in December, killing 38 people.
Putin made the statement during a meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in the Tajik capital, Dushanbe, where the two are attending a regional summit. He promised compensation for the families of the victims.
The Azerbaijan Airlines plane crashed on December 25, 2024 in the city of Aktau, Kazakhstan, during a flight from Baku to Grozny in Chechnya. Of the 67 people on board, 29 managed to survive thanks to the heroic intervention of the pilots, who were among the 38 victims.
