February 26, 2025

* Hamas, Israel agree to resolve delay in release of Palestinians Hamas has said it has agreed during a visit to Cairo on a solution to end the delay of releasing Palestinian prisoners. In a statement, the resistance group said its delegation met with Egyptian officials to discuss the implementation of the ceasefire and prisoner exchange agreement as well as preparations for the next phase of negotiations. Hamas added a solution has been reached ensuring the release of Palestinian prisoners would occur simultaneously with the handover of the remains of Israelis. * Israel carries out air strikes in southern Syria Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has confirmed the military assault on southern Syria. Residents of Damascus and Reuters reporters in the city heard the sound of airplanes flying several low passes over the capital and a series of blasts. The bombardment came hours after Syria condemned Israel's invasion into the country's south and demanded it withdraw, according to the closing statement of a national summit. * US, Ukraine agree on terms of minerals deal — Ukrainian official Ukraine has agreed on the terms of a minerals deal with the United States and could sign it as early as Friday on a trip to Washington by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a senior Ukrainian official said. The deal would see the United States jointly develop Ukraine's mineral wealth, with revenues going to a newly created fund that would be "joint for Ukraine and America", a senior Ukrainian source told the AFP news agency on condition of anonymity. The Washington Post, which cited a Ukrainian official and another person familiar with the matter, said the deal was on "much better term" than those offered in an earlier proposal. * Dozens dead as hail, rain hit two provinces in Afghanistan — officials At least 29 people have died in two provinces in Afghanistan due to hail and heavy rain, officials said. Among the poorest countries in the world after decades of war, Afghanistan is particularly exposed to the effects of the climate crisis, which scientists say is spurring extreme weather. Flash floods in May last year killed hundreds and swamped swaths of agricultural land in Afghanistan, where 80 percent of people depend on farming to survive. * Chile declares state of emergency after sweeping power blackout Chile has declared a state of emergency and curfew across much of the country, including the capital, Santiago, following a massive blackout possibly caused by an electrical system failure, the interior ministry said. After the blackout hit, subway services were promptly evacuated. Traffic lights were knocked out, causing traffic jams in the country's largest cities, while a fleet of electric buses was deployed to assist with inner-city mobility. The outage occurred amid a heat wave in Chile, and in small towns such as Lo Barnechea, Talagante and La Florida, authorities promptly established supplies of drinking water.