The UK formally recognized the state of Palestine, with Prime Minister Keir Starmer emphasizing the need to revive hope for peace and a two-state solution in the Israel-Hamas conflict. The announcement comes amid growing international pressure for a ceasefire and a resolution to the crisis in Gaza.
As the deadline set by the abductors of Biju Janata Dal MLA Jhina Hikaka and Italian tour guide Paolo Bosusco ends Tuesday, the chances of an early solution to the twin hostage crises in Odisha appeared to have receded with both the Maoist groups placing new conditions for the duo's release from captivity.
The Odisha government on Saturday said it will release five of the six rebels the Maoists have demanded for release of the Italian hostage, while another Naxal group holding MLA Jhina Hikaka extended the deadline to April 10 and demanded that five more persons be freed.
Talks have begun for the safe release of two Italian nationals abducted by Maoists in Odisha and the state government is making all efforts to get the hostages released. The Odisha government on Thursday evening began talks with two of the Maoist nominated mediators, Dandapani Mohanty and BD Sharma, for the safe release of two Italian nationals abducted by the ultras.
The Centre is keenly observing the hostage situation in Odisha and is believed to be against any swap of prisoners with an abducted member of Legislative Assembly and an Italian tour guide.
For the first time in its three decade-old history, the country's elite counter-terror force National Security Guard has begun training its commandos in undertaking precision hostage rescue missions in jungles keeping in view emerging Naxalite tactics aimed at capturing high-value targets.
Even as six hostages were taken by the gunman in the Jewish grocery store, around 30 others hid in a freezing cold storage room for about five hours, hoping they would not be found.
Trump vowed that those responsible for the hostage-taking would be "hit harder" than any previous actions taken against foreign entities by the US.
Amidst the drama of the Sydney hostage crisis, many Australians took to Twitter on Monday to express their outrage after tourists and few locals took selfies of themselves in the area of the Lindt caf hostage crisis in Martin Place.
It is high time India ends its silence on the human cost of the Gaza war and takes a principled stand without diluting its relations with Israel. A largely friendless Tel Aviv today needs New Delhi more than the other way around. India's failure now may cost it diplomatically in the long run, cautions M R Narayan Swamy.
Glimpses from around the world that will make you smile and cry.
The announcement came after Hamas consulted with other Palestinian factions. It precedes a planned visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the war, now in its 21st month, Al Jazeera reported.
Glimpses from around the world that will make you smile and cry.
After a day's break, talks resumed between the Odisha government and Maoist negotiators for release of the Italian captive while the state Assembly unanimously appealed to the kidnappers of Biju Janata Dal member of Legislative Assembly Jhina Hikaka to free him.
Expressing relief over the release of the abducted policemen by the Maoists, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said such incidents could recur in the state where elections are due later this year and demanded that all polling booths should be manned by Central forces.
"Intermittent pauses in hostilities are not enough to address the scale of humanitarian challenges confronting the people, who grapple daily with acute shortages of food and fuel, inadequate medical services and lack of access to education," Harish said at the open debate on the 'Situation in the Middle East, including the Palestinian question'.
After Monday's tragic Manila bus hostage crisis, we look at the worst hostage situations in recent times.
Gandhi urged the prime minister to speak out "clearly, boldly and forthrightly" on behalf of the legacy that India has long represented.
Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson and Rajya Sabha member Prakash Javadekar has said that the party plans to the issue of Angola in Parliament where the government in power has confisicated the passports of agitating Indians working in various companies and refusing to return them, thereby not allowing them to return to their country of origin.
Bowing to Maoists' demands, for securing the release of a Biju Janata Dal MLA and an Italian from the captivity of ultra-Left activists' captivity, Odisha government on Wednesday said it would facilitate the release of 27 persons, including 8 Naxals, from jails.
In a smoke-out operation late Monday, the police rescued five civilians held captive by militants inside a mosque in Jammu Kashmir's Kulgam district and killed two ultras, ending the nearly the 24-hour hostage crisis.
Rediff.com lists a few other dramatic and frightful hostage situations that sent governments and security agencies into a tizzy.
The Bihar police have registered an FIR against 18 named Maoists and 150 unknown people in connection with the killing of eight policemen and the kidnapping of four policemen by Maoists in Lakhisarai district.Lakhisarai Superintendent of Police Ranjeet Kumar Mishra told rediff.com over the telephone that an FIR has been registered at the Kajra police station against Maoists and unknown people.
He was a storyteller who made me feel the pulse of history, the stakes of human ambition, and the thrill of a well-told tale. Prem Panicker recalls his debt to Frederick Forsyth, who passed away on Monday.
'Trump is likely being purposefully vague, hoping that this lack of clarity will pressure India, fearing the worst, to agree to scale back its imports of Russian oil.'
Haim Weingarten, the head of a seven-man team of Israel Police's victim identification unit (ZAKA), which is in Mumbai, told the Jerusalem Post: 'Based on what I saw, although I cannot identify the type of bullets in the bodies of the victims, I don't think the terrorists killed all the hostages, to put it gently.'
'I can only confirm that something is cooking,' Kuwait and Gulf Link Transport Company spokesperson told PTI over phone from Kuwait.
The United States city of Aurora, that was the scene of a movie theater massacre last year, was shaken again by a hostage crisis that ended with the death of four people, including the gunman.
Israel's Defence Minister, Israel Katz, has affirmed that Gaza's annexation was part of a military strategy and troops will remain in the security zones created in Lebanon and Syria indefinitely, Al Jazeera reported.
He advocated a two-state solution where the Palestinian people can live within secure borders.
Deepa Gahlot lists some interesting made-for-OTT hostage dramas that you can watch.
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Wednesday rejected Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's charge that the Centre has not offered any help to the state over handling of the Italian hostage crisis, saying he should not make statements without any basis.
Will Russia's entry deter Trump on his warpath?, asks Ambassador M K Bhadrakumar.
Chhattisgarh government Thursday opened negotiations with Maoists-appointed mediators to secure the release of abducted Sukma collector Alex Pal Menon and both sides described the exercise as "positive".
Home Minister P Chidambaram on Tuesday said that he respected the Orissa government's "judgment" in handling the hostage crisis last week and dismissed reports that he disagreed with Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. "It's not important whether we agree or disagree. The matter was handled by the state government and it was a sensitive matter. They have handled it to the best of their ability," he said.
With the curtains drawn on the Italian hostage crisis, a somewhat relieved Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday flew to Maoist-infested Koraput where 37-year-old tribal MLA Jhina Hikaka was being held captive by a separate Maoist group since March 24.
The temporary truce aims to ease tensions during the religious holidays. Further details on its implementation are yet to be disclosed.
Gallant, who was a longtime rival from within the Likud Party, will be replaced by Israel's Foreign Minister Israel Katz. Minister without Portfolio Gideon Sa'ar will replace Katz, as per Times of Israel.
All You Want To Know About The 1999 Hijack.
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