President Donald Trump is meeting with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese at the White House for talks focused on trade and defense. Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner are in Israel to shore up the tenuous ceasefire holding in Gaza. An Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll finds Americans growing increasingly concerned about their ability to find a good job under Trump. It’s a potential warning sign for Republicans as a promised economic boom has given way to hiring freezes and elevated inflation.
Special envoy Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner have been in Israel to support the fragile ceasefire in Gaza. This visit comes after Israel threatened to stop aid transfers, accusing Hamas of killing two soldiers. The Israeli military has resumed enforcing the ceasefire, and aid deliveries are expected to continue. Witkoff and Kushner met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, according to an Israeli government spokesperson. The U.S.-proposed truce aims to end two years of war, but tensions remain high. The next stage of the ceasefire focuses on disarming Hamas and establishing an internationally backed authority in Gaza. Concerns persist about the ceasefire's stability.
President Donald Trump has suggested that the Donbas region of Ukraine should be divided, leaving most of it under Russian control, to end the ongoing war. He made these comments on Sunday while speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One. This comes after Ukrainian drones struck a major gas processing plant in southern Russia, causing a fire and halting gas intake from Kazakhstan. Meanwhile, Ukrainian prosecutors claim Russia is using modified bombs to target civilians deeper in Ukraine. Local authorities in Kharkiv reported a new rocket-powered aerial bomb was used in an attack on Saturday.
Afghanistan and Pakistan say they will respect a ceasefire mediated by Qatar and Turkey. The truce comes into effect immediately and is intended to pause hostilities. The Taliban government's chief spokesman and Pakistan's defense minister confirmed the truce on Sunday. Violence has escalated between the neighbors since earlier this month, with each country saying they were responding to aggression from the other. Afghanistan denies harboring militants who carry out attacks in border areas. Pakistan is grappling with militancy that has surged since 2021, when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan and returned to power.
Qatar says Afghanistan and Pakistan have agreed to an immediate ceasefire. It follows more than a week of fighting that killed dozens of people and injured hundreds, making it the deadliest crisis between them in several years. The two countries also agreed to establish mechanisms to consolidate lasting peace and stability, as well as hold follow-up talks to ensure the ceasefire’s sustainability, according to a Qatari Foreign Ministry statement issued Sunday. Violence has escalated since earlier this month, with Afghanistan and Pakistan each saying they are responding to aggression from the other.
Israel says Hamas has handed over “two coffins of deceased hostages” from Gaza. The handover took place late Saturday local time. The names of the hostages were not immediately released. The militant group over the past week had handed over the remains of 10 of the 28 dead hostages left in Gaza. It’s a key step in the ceasefire meant to end two years of war. Israel’s government says it wants Hamas to hand over the remains more quickly. Hamas says the devastation, unexploded ordnance and Israeli military control of some areas in Gaza is hampering the process.
President Donald Trump is calling on Kyiv and Moscow to “stop where they are” and end their brutal war. Trump made the statement in a social media post following a lengthy White House meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Friday. Trump’s frustration with the conflict has surfaced repeatedly in the nine months since he returned to office, but with his latest comments he edged back in the direction of pressing Ukraine to give up on retaking land it has lost to Russia. In his post, Trump said: “Enough blood has been shed, with property lines being defined by War and Guts. They should stop where they are. Let both claim Victory, let History decide!”
Israel has received the coffin of a missing hostage handed over to the Red Cross from Hamas. That's according to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office Friday. The Israeli military and security forces received the coffin inside the Gaza Strip, and it was to be transferred to Israel and the Ministry of Health’s National Center for Forensic Medicine. After a formal identification process, the family will be informed. The handover came after Hamas’s military wing said it will hand over the body of a hostage that was pulled out Friday to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
A new AP-NORC poll finds that more U.S. adults support President Donald Trump’s handling of the conflict in Israel after he brokered a ceasefire deal in Gaza, but his approval ratings on domestic issues remain weak. The survey reveals that Trump’s apparent success on the world stage has not improved his overall standing at home. Even some of those who voted for him believe he needs to do more to address issues such as the economy, health care and immigration. The poll was conducted Oct. 9-13, after the ceasefire deal was announced. About 4 in 10 U.S. adults approve of the way Trump is handling his job overall, unchanged from September.
Zelenskyy says with Gaza ceasefire Trump now has 'momentum' to stop Russia-Ukraine conflict.