The Gaza war has dragged on for 15 months, with only one brief ceasefire achieved early in the conflict. Mediated by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar, talks have faced numerous deadlocks. Netanyahu remains adamant about dismantling Hamas' military capabilities, while Hamas demands a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
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Snowy conditions led to numerous crashes in Virginia and North Carolina, including a fatal incident involving over 50 vehicles on I-40. Emergency services responded to nearly 1,200 collisions in North Carolina and 500 in Virginia. The severe weather caused power outages and flight cancellations, with forecasts predicting further snowfall.
Fifteen Palestinian prisoners freed by Israel under the Gaza ceasefire have arrived in Turkey, according to foreign minister Hakan Fidan. They were issued visas by the Turkish embassy in Cairo. This follows the first phase of the ceasefire agreement, where 33 Israeli hostages were released in exchange for around 1,900 Palestinian prisoners. Some of the freed prisoners will be permanently exiled, with Turkey offering to take in a number of them.
US President Donald Trump is receiving rare accolades from animal advocacy groups like PETA for federal agencies' plans to phase out animal testing. The FDA and EPA are shifting towards humane alternatives, with the FDA using lab-grown organoids and AI. The EPA is reinstating a Trump-era directive to eliminate animal testing by 2035.
The Trump White House acknowledged February as Black History Month while the Defense Department declared identity months unnecessary, ceasing observances like Black History Month and Women's History Month. President Trump, targeting diversity programs, calls for a merit-based society. His proclamation praised key figures in Black history and anticipated future contributions under his administration.
“It’s part of democracy. There are people who agree and disagree, and most of us still like each other, we’re all going to get through it,†George Clooney said reacting to the election outcome without criticizing what the Donald Trump administration has done so far or the involvement of Elon Musk in the administration.
A lot has been discussed about Harry and Meghan's marriage problems with insiders claiming that they are on the verge of a divorce. Vanity Fair did a cover story about the ex-royals in which they claimed that Meghan Markle was approached to write a "post-divorce" book though there was no such scenario on the horizon
Two American citizens, Matthew Heath, a former U.S. Marine, and Osman Khan, a Florida resident, have filed a lawsuit against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, alleging that his government operated a “criminal enterprise†that wrongfully detained them as part of a coercive strategy. The lawsuit accuses Maduro’s regime of torture and exploitation of American prisoners for political leverage with the US.
Due to forecasted intense cold weather, President-elect Donald Trump will take the oath of office inside the Capitol Rotunda. The lowest inauguration day temperatures since 1985 are expected, and alternate plans for attendees are in place. Other scheduled inaugural events will proceed as planned.
President Trump announced that coal could be used as a backup fuel source for new electric plants during a national energy emergency. He emphasized the versatility of coal, especially in situations where other energy sources like gas and oil pipelines are compromised, during his speech at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
Elon Musk expressed his appreciation for NASA astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are set to return to Earth after over nine months in orbit. The SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule has docked at the ISS, and the astronauts will soon return with their replacements aboard.