ANTANANARIVO, Madagascar (AP) — Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina is on course for reelection in a vote boycotted by most opposition candidates, while supporters of his party claimed they had been promised money in return for backing him.Rajoelina had received 60% of the votes after 68% of polling stations declared their…

Israel and the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas reached a temporary cease-fire deal Wednesday that includes the release of Israeli hostages being held in the Gaza Strip. Here is what to know about this deal on the 47th day of the Israel-Hamas war.When is the cease-fire expected to begin?The agreement is set…

Controversial Dutch politician Geert Wilders has won a massive victory in an election, positioning him to form the next ruling party and potentially become Netherland’s next prime minister. Wilders, 60, has long been likened to the “Dutch Donald Trump,” for his brand of populist politics. But unlike the former U.S., he…

A rebel group with alleged links to neighboring Rwanda claimed Wednesday to have seized a key town in Congo’s conflict-hit eastern region amid intense fighting, raising further security concerns ahead of the country’s Dec. 20 presidential election.Mweso town, which is about 62 miles from the North Kivu provincial capital of…

A young Israeli woman who vanished following Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack has been found dead, reports say.The body of Shani Gabay, 26, was discovered Wednesday, weeks after she went missing. Gabay worked at the music festival in Kibbutz Re’im that was the target of the initial terrorist massacre last month.Yokneam…

Israel’s first war with neighboring Arab countries began on the same day the Jewish state was re-established on May 14, 1948. Jewish sovereignty ended 2,000 years earlier, in the year 70 A.D. at the hands of the Roman conquest. The first Jewish commonwealth dates back 3,000 years to the time…

An activist who documented murders in one of Mexico’s deadliest cities has himself been killed, authorities confirmed Wednesday.Adolfo Enríquez was killed in the city of Leon, in north-central Guanajuato state. The city has the third-highest number of homicides in Mexico, trailing only the border cities of Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez.Enríquez…

The Vatican press room was the scene of a sharp back-and-forth between the families of Israeli hostages and the press after a meeting with Pope Francis.The loved ones of hostages being held captive by Hamas in the Gaza Strip met Wednesday with Pope Francis at the Vatican following the pontiff’s…

A French pilot has been found guilty of involuntary manslaughter after the plane he was flying struck and decapitated a wingsuit skydiver over southern France in 2018.The pilot, only identified as 64-year-old Alain C, was found guilty on Tuesday following a trial and given a suspended sentence by Montauban criminal…

Iran claims to have developed a new hypersonic ballistic missile, allegedly expanding one of the most dangerous military capabilities at their disposal. “While a genuine hypersonic capability would be a huge step forward for Iranian ballistic missiles, the claim should be taken with a grain of salt,” Behnam Ben Taleblu, a…