Israeli Cabinet approves Trump’s plan for Gaza ceasefire and release of Hamas hostages
Israel’s Cabinet early Friday approved President Donald Trump’s plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of all the remaining hostages held by Hamas, a key step toward ending the two-year war that has destabilized the Middle East, Associated Press reported.
A brief statement from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the Cabinet approved the “outline” of a deal to release the hostages, without mentioning other aspects of the plan that are more controversial.
Chemistry Nobel awarded for work on new materials that could help planet
The Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M Yaghi for their work on metal-organic frameworks, BBC reported.
The three scientists' work could tackle some of the biggest problems on our planet, including capturing carbon dioxide to help tackle climate change and reducing plastic pollution using chemistry.
"I'm deeply honoured and delighted, thank you very much," said Professor Kitagawa on the phone to a press conference after he was told the news, according to BBC.
UK won't relax visa rules for India, Starmer says
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK will not relax visa rules for India, speaking before he arrived in the country to tout the benefits of a recent trade agreement, BBC reported.
The prime minister is leading a delegation of more than 100 entrepreneurs, cultural leaders and university vice-chancellors, as he attempts to boost UK investment and improve sluggish economic growth.
Sir Keir said there were "massive opportunities" to improve trade and cultural ties with India.
But he said there were no plans to open up more visa routes to Indian workers or students, according to BBC.
Israel, Hamas agree to ‘first phase’ of peace plan, hostage-release, Trump says
Israel and Hamas have agreed to the “first phase” of his peace plan to pause fighting and release at least some hostages and prisoners, U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday (October 8, 2025) in announcing the outlines of the biggest breakthrough in months in the two-year-old war.
The ceasefire deal is to be signed on Thursday in Egypt at roughly 0900 GMT (2:30 p.m. IST), a source with knowledge of the agreement told AFP.
