World News

In contrast to the joyful scenes of living hostages returning home over the past few weeks, the transfer of bodies on Thursday, potentially including those of two children, will be somber.

Many people in Russia expressed relief that an end to the conflict in Ukraine seemed nearer and that the hardships of war, and the shunning of their country by much of the world, may soon end.

The Rwandan shore of Lake Kivu offers leisure and relaxation. Across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the same lake was recently the site of devastation and misery after a rebel offensive.

The Vatican said that the pontiff had pneumonia in both lungs and that he “continued to present a complex picture.”

Left out of a meeting between American and Saudi officials, the Ukrainian leader also canceled a trip to Riyadh.

Amid reports of new atrocities by their troops in Sudan, leaders of the Rapid Support Forces were cheered at an elaborate political event in Kenya.

Hamas said it would turn over the bodies of the boys, Ariel Bibas and his baby brother, Kfir, and their mother. Israel was expected to release Palestinian prisoners in exchange.

The militant group’s chief negotiator also said Hamas would increase the number of living hostages it would release on Saturday to six from three.

The two sides are meeting in Saudi Arabia for their most extensive discussions in years. In addition to Ukraine, business ties are on the table.

Thousands uprooted by the war in Lebanon have been unable to reach southern towns occupied by Israel, but some have tried anyway. For one man, the journey was deadly.