President Trump sent a letter to the Hostages and Missing Families Forum (Families HQ), thanking them for publicly backing him for the Nobel Peace Prize and pledging solidarity with the families. “Melania and I thank you for your tireless work. We remain committed to bringing every hostage home and to ending this conflict,” he wrote, adding that the administration is also committed to fighting antisemitism “at home and abroad.”  The note followed the Families HQ’s appeal urging the Norwegian Nobel Committee to award Trump the Peace Prize, as Cairo talks advance around his proposal to end the war and...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskky: “The Russians do not understand the cost of all these blackouts, of all the hardships that the people of Ukraine experience and endure during this war. “And this is not even a question of their morality, which they lack, but of their physical perception. Ukraine does not kill civilians. But they must understand the price of this. “Ukraine strikes back, hitting military targets and energy facilities that sell their energy resources. Russia sells its energy resources and then uses that money exclusively for war. “That is why Ukraine is taking absolutely just steps. We would gladly...

Indian prime minister Narendra Modi and North Korean leaders are two of the world leaders that have sent in warm regards to the president of Russia, Vladimir Putin on his 73rd birthday Narendra Modi disclosed he has spoken with the celebrant, in his words: “Spoke with my friend President Putin and conveyed warm birthday greetings and best wishes for his good health and long life. Deeply appreciate his personal commitment to deepening India–Russia ties over the years” While in a gesture highlighting the strengthening ties between Moscow and Pyongyang, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un also sent a heartfelt message to Russian...

President Vladimir Putin: “Once, I asked Jacques Chirac, “Why does the American leadership behave like this so aggressively and, in some cases, so shortsightedly?” “He answered to me in Russian: “Because they are uncultured people.” Those were his exact words”

The mother of an Israeli man taken by Hamas on 7 October 2023 says she still does not know if her son is dead or alive, but has “real hope” that US President Donald Trump’s peace plan will bring the return of all the hostages held in Gaza. Herut Nimrodi told BBC News she was “fearing the worst” for her son Tamir, a non-combat soldier, but she was clinging to hope that “he’s still hanging on” two years after his abduction. She said he was the only Israeli hostage whose family had not been told if they were alive or...

The Minister of Power, Chief Adebayo Adelabu, has revealed the Federal Government will not renew the licences of electricity distribution companies (DisCos) that fail to meet performance standards when their current licences expire in 2028. Adelabu issued the warning at the 2025 Nigerian Economic Summit in Abuja during a session on the power sector, where he identified the inefficiency of the DisCos as one of the major challenges preventing a stable electricity supply in the country. The session, with the theme: “Uninterrupted power supply: The Industrial Imperatives,” attracted key industry stakeholders to discuss solutions to Nigeria’s enduring electricity problems. According...

 A funeral service will be held Tuesday in Salt Lake City for Russell M. Nelson, the charismatic sentimentalist who oversaw a significant temple building boom as president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Nelson led the faith up until his death in late September at the age of 101. The funeral is expected to draw thousands of mourners to the faith’s Conference Center at Temple Square. About 600 members of Nelson’s family are expected to attend along with 20,000 people who quickly snapped up tickets that the church offered online within 20 minutes, said church spokesperson Doug Andersen. The...