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Middle East latest: Gaza ceasefire talks resume, Egypt says

Middle East latest: Gaza ceasefire talks resume, Egypt says

Egypt said late Thursday that “intensive discussions” between Israel and Hamas on the next phase of the ceasefire in Gaza have begun in Cairo.
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A look at Louisiana's Mardi Gras festivities through the years

A look at Louisiana's Mardi Gras festivities through the years

After a weekslong pre-Lenten bash — complete with elaborate parades that meander through New Orleans, shimmery beads tossed from floats, streets lined with costumed revelers, lavish balls and seafood boils — Louisiana's 2025 Carnival Season is approa
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Vatican says Pope Francis continues to improve but his prognosis remains guarded

Vatican says Pope Francis continues to improve but his prognosis remains guarded

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis continued to improve from double pneumonia Thursday, the Vatican said, working from his hospital room and going to his private chapel to pray, though doctors said he needs more days of “clinical stability” before they revise
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Carnival's women revelers take over the Rhineland for a day, dancing, drinking and kissing

Carnival's women revelers take over the Rhineland for a day, dancing, drinking and kissing

COLOGNE, Germany (AP) — At 11:11 a.m. on Thursday, hundreds of thousands of carnival revelers took over the streets of the Rhineland in western Germany, dancing, singing, drinking and showing off their colorful costumes.
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A German court sentences 2 Afghans to prison for plotting to attack the Swedish parliament

A German court sentences 2 Afghans to prison for plotting to attack the Swedish parliament

BERLIN (AP) — A German court sentenced two Afghan men to several years in prison on Thursday for planning an attack on the Swedish parliament and killing lawmakers in response to the burning of copies of the Quran , German news agency dpa reported.
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Who are the hostages released by Hamas?

Who are the hostages released by Hamas?

JERUSALEM (AP) — Hamas handed over the remains of four more Israeli hostages early Thursday in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners as part of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip .
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A Tunisian extremist is imprisoned for life for killing 3 people in a French basilica in 2020

A Tunisian extremist is imprisoned for life for killing 3 people in a French basilica in 2020

LYON, France (AP) — A Tunisian national was sentenced late Wednesday to life imprisonment without parole, France’s most severe sentence possible, over the killing of three people in a basilica in the French Riviera city of Nice in 2020, one of multip
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Pope signs decree making José Gregorio Hernández, 'doctor of the poor,' Venezuela's first saint

Pope signs decree making José Gregorio Hernández, 'doctor of the poor,' Venezuela's first saint

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A man revered by millions as the “doctor of the poor” will be the first saint from Venezuela after Pope Francis approved a decree Tuesday. A date for the canonization of Dr.
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Hamas hands over bodies of 4 hostages to Israel as dozens of Palestinians leave Israeli prison

Hamas hands over bodies of 4 hostages to Israel as dozens of Palestinians leave Israeli prison

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas handed over the bodies of four hostages to the Red Cross early Thursday in exchange for Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, days before the first phase of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip was to
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Israelis bid farewell to Shiri Bibas and her 2 young sons killed in captivity in Gaza

Israelis bid farewell to Shiri Bibas and her 2 young sons killed in captivity in Gaza

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — Holding flags, orange balloons and signs saying “forgive us,” tens of thousands of Israelis lined highways as the bodies of a mother and her two young sons, killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip , were taken for burial on Wedn
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