International

Tears, relief, fresh bruises – Palestinian prisoners return

Celebrations erupted for the gaunt men who were released from Israeli jails as part of the ceasefire deal. But many others remain in detention

Trump’s speech to the Knesset, decoded

It was a rambling, boastful, and overlong address. Here’s how to read between the lines

As living hostages return, a long wait begins for the dead

Getting the remains of all deceased captives from the 7 October attacks will be much more difficult

Exploring Antwerp

From arts to eats, there’s plenty to discover in Belgium’s second city

Why Britain will suffer without a coherent attitude towards Beijing

Fear of angering an economic superpower and major trading partner has led to dithering and short-term thinking over security by the UK government

A widow’s plea for the return of her husband’s body

The young wife of a kibbutz worker killed fighting Hamas hopes peace will at last give her a chance of closure

The showman, the reconciler and the cynic: this trinity must succeed

Netanyahu will kick and scream, but Trump and Blair can drag Israel into a brighter future for the Middle East

What it takes to rebuild war-torn lives

Relief at the apparent end of hostilities in Gaza is tempered by the trauma experienced by the many thousands of Gazans who have lost family and friends

The burden of hope

The hostages are coming home, the bombardment of Gaza has stopped and Palestinian prisoners will be released. But so many questions still remain. Chief among them: Will there, one day, be a reckoning?

All eyes on Weiss: new CBS news chief keeps US guessing

Will the controversial founder of the Free Press website be the ogre that liberals fear?

After 14 years of war, Syrians see the sea for the first time

Ten months after the Assad regime fell, families from devastated cities such as Idlib and Raqqa have been able to visit beaches on the west coast. But their freedom has come at a price for the local Alawite community

China’s grip on minerals threatens AI boom in US

Country’s tightened chokehold on rare earths spurred a tariff backlash and could undermine supply chains

‘Perpetual political crisis’ renews calls for Sixth Republic

As the president names his eighth PM since 2017, the case is being made for a new constitution

In pictures: 7 October 2023 to 12 October 2025

This war has been more widely documented than any other – opening the world’s eyes to the horror it unleashed

A brother weeps as he hears his siblings will be freed

Two men’s names appear among 2,000 Palestinian prisoners in swap deal

Mexico sings against the drug cartels – but popular culture just isn’t listening

Government-sponsored TV talent show proves far too wholesome to make a dent in the country’s love of narcocorridos crime ballads

Despite trial result, little changes for French women

The only man to challenge his sentence has lost his appeal. But campaigners fear old attitudes remain in place

Thatcher-san

Sanae Takaichi, a hardline conservative who idolises the Iron Lady, aims to be the country’s first female PM