Morning bird: The handover of Israeli hostages could take place over the weekend. Macron wants to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours
The war in the Gaza Strip is nearing its conclusion. A deal has reportedly been struck between Hamas and Israel on the implementation of the first phase of the peace plan. Among other things, it involves the release of Israeli hostages. The French political crisis continues after Macron's second election as president and after last year's early parliamentary elections. He now promises to appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours to replace the outgoing Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu.
Israel has reportedly agreed on a peace plan with Hamas
US President Donald Trump stated that Hamas will probably hand over Israeli hostages on Monday. Other sources suggest that the handover will already take place over the weekend. According to existing information, Hamas and its allies are holding 48 Israeli hostages in the Gaza Strip, of which about just 20 are still alive.
At the same time, Trump announced the conclusion of an agreement between Hamas and Israel for the implementation of the first phase of his peace plan. After official approval of the agreement, the Israel Defense Forces reportedly have 24 hours to retreat to the agreed positions. Hamas then has 72 hours to release the hostages, Ceskenoviny.cz reported.
France seeks a solution to the political crisis
The French President Emmanuel Macron will appoint a new prime minister within 48 hours who will replace the outgoing prime minister Sébastien Lecornu. He resigned on Monday, but Macron tasked him with attempting to propose a possible solution to the crisis in talks with representatives of political parties by this evening. Following the prime minister's resignation, Macron came under political pressure to call new parliamentary elections or to resign as head of state. Lecornu also told Macron that the majority in parliament is against dissolving the legislative assembly, reported Al Jazeera.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry Goes to Discovery Compared to the Magical Bag from Harry Potter
Three scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for the development of new molecular structures capable of capturing massive amounts of gas, laying the foundation for potential greenhouse gas removal from the atmosphere or moisture collection from desert environments. The chairman of the committee that awarded the prize compared these structures to the seemingly bottomless magical bag from the Harry Potter series or the enchanted carpet bag of Mary Poppins. The vessels look small on the outside but can hold surprisingly large amounts inside. Scientists Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson and Omar M. Yaghi were recognized for their "groundbreaking discoveries" that "could contribute to solving some of humanity's greatest problems," from pollution to water scarcity, reported the AP in that connection.
Ronaldo became the first dollar billionaire in sports history
Portuguese football superstar Cristiano Ronaldo became the first dollar billionaire in sports history, according to CNN. The report refers to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. Although the former star of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus was always among the highest-earning footballers, it is only his current stint with the Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr that catapulted him onto the exclusive list of billionaire athletes. Thanks to the transfer, he is the highest-paid player in the history of the sport, with an annual salary of around 200 million dollars, which is equivalent to 4.2 billion crowns.
Sources: Ceskenoviny.cz, Al Jazeera, AP, CNN
