Vance visits Israel and says ceasefire in Gaza is going better than expected

KIRYAT GAT, Israel (AP) — U.S. Vice President JD Vance and other envoys projected optimism Tuesday about Gaza ‘s fragile ceasefire agreement, calling progress better than anticipated as they visited a new center in Israel for civilian and military cooperation. Vance noted flareups of violence in recent days but said the ceasefire that began on Oct. 10 is going “better than I expected” after two years of war between Israel and Hamas. The Trump administration’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, added that “we are exceeding where we thought we would be at this time.” They are in Israel as questions remain over the long-term plan for peace, including whether Hamas will disarm, when and how an international security force will deploy to Gaza and who will govern the territory after the war.

Japan’s parliament elects Sanae Takaichi as nation’s first female prime minister

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament has elected Sanae Takaichi as the country’s first female prime minister. On Tuesday, she replaced Shigeru Ishiba, ending a three-month political vacuum. Takaichi’s ultraconservative stance includes supporting male-only imperial succession and opposing same-sex marriage. Despite pledging to increase female representation, she appointed only two women to her Cabinet. Her leadership comes as the Liberal Democratic Party forms a coalition with the right-wing Japan Innovation Party. This alliance, however, lacks a majority in both houses of parliament, posing challenges for her government. Takaichi faces the task of addressing economic issues and maintaining stable international relations.

A court in Slovakia sentences a man to 21 years over the attempted assassination of PM

PRAGUE (AP) — A court in Slovakia has convicted a man of a terror attack and sentenced him to 21 years in prison over last year’s attempted assassination of Slovakia’s populist Prime Minister Robert Fico. Juraj Cintula was accused of opening fire on Fico on May 15, 2024, as the prime minister greeted supporters following a government meeting in the town of Handlová, located 140 kilometers northeast of the capital of Bratislava. The verdict was handed down by the Specialized Criminal Court in the central city of Banská Bystrica. Cintula and prosecutors still can appeal the verdict.

Paris prosecutor says stolen Louvre jewels worth an estimated $102 million

PARIS (AP) — The Paris prosecutor says that crown jewels stolen in a Louvre heist were worth an estimated 88 million euros ($102 million), but that the monetary estimate doesn’t include their historical value to France. Prosecutor Laure Beccuau, whose office is leading the investigation, said about 100 investigators are now involved in the police hunt for the suspects and gems after Sunday’s theft. She said in an interview with broadcaster RTL that the “wrongdoers who took these gems won’t earn 88 million euros if they had the very bad idea of disassembling these jewels.” She says authorities hope the culprits “won’t destroy these jewels without rhyme or reason.”