peace

US President Donald Trump has announced that Hamas has agreed to disarm, a key step in his Gaza peace plan. The announcement, reported by major US outlets, marks a potential turning point in the conflict and the plan for postwar governance of Gaza. Details on timing and verification of the disarmament process have not yet been made clear.

The United Nations has published its weekly roundup on peace operations covering 26 September to 2 October 2026. The update comes from the UN's political and peacebuilding affairs department and summarizes developments across the organization's peacekeeping and special political missions worldwide for that week.

Analysis under the Gaza peace plan is examining which party bears legal responsibility for the treatment of protected persons, and what obligations that role entails under international humanitarian law. The question of who safeguards civilians and detainees in Gaza, and to what standard, is emerging as a central legal debate surrounding the plan's implementation.

David McAllister, chair of the European Parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee, has warned that the EU must urgently close its defence gaps. He argued that while Europe is not at war with Russia, it is no longer at peace either, and stressed that the continent remains too dependent on the United States for its security. The comments add to a growing debate in Brussels over accelerating European rearmament and strengthening the continent's ability to defend itself without American support.

Halle Berry and her ex-husband Olivier Martinez took part in co-parenting therapy together in 2024, according to a new report. The actors, who divorced in 2016 and share a son, are said to have worked on their co-parenting relationship. Berry has previously spoken about her commitment to raising their child peacefully with Martinez.

Victoriano Izquierdo analysed 1,958 TV series, including 600 Spanish ones, and 3,600 films to measure how many qualify as feel-good, defined as conveying peace, love and hope. Using Claude Opus 5.5 to classify plots via Wikipedia synopses, he found nearly half of 1990s US series were feel-good, while today the share barely exceeds 10%. The findings are drawing attention to how much darker television tone has become over three decades.

French daily Le Monde highlights Moscow's stance in the war in Ukraine, quoting the position that Ukraine must first surrender before any negotiation can begin. The remark underscores the gap between Russian and Ukrainian positions on how peace talks could ever start, and reflects continuing debate over whether negotiations are realistically possible while fighting continues.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un remains a focal point of Asian security coverage, with commentary arguing that South Korean President Lee must prepare for war in order to preserve peace on the peninsula. The Asia Times piece urges a stronger deterrent posture amid ongoing nuclear tensions and stalled diplomacy, keeping attention on how Seoul balances deterrence with engagement.

A Foreign Affairs piece argues that Palestinians themselves continue to back a two-state solution, pushing back against claims that the idea has lost legitimacy among them. The argument lands amid ongoing debate over the future of Israeli-Palestinian relations, with international figures divided over whether statehood negotiations remain a realistic path to peace.

Eritrea has severed diplomatic relations with Ethiopia, describing the move as tit-for-tat retaliation amid a sharp deterioration between the two former allies. The break comes after years of tensions that followed their cooperation in Ethiopia's civil war, which ended with the Pretoria peace agreement. Al Jazeera reported the announcement, and observers are watching for the impact on stability in the Horn of Africa.

A growing conversation in travel media argues that silence, not champagne or lie-flat seats, is becoming the scarcest luxury in air travel. With fuller cabins, chatty passengers, announcements and constant screens, quiet is increasingly what travellers say they would pay extra for, and some airlines are responding with quiet zones, noise-cancelling amenities and premium cabins marketed around calm rather than glamour.

Four opposition groups in South Sudan have announced the formation of a new political alliance, according to Radio Tamazuj. The coalition brings together groups opposed to the government as the country continues to struggle with the implementation of its peace agreement and prepares for delayed elections. Details of the alliance's platform and leadership have not yet been reported.

Working Against Violence, Inc. held its annual Power of Peace event in Rapid City, South Dakota, focusing this year on how technology is changing domestic violence, both as a tool for abuse and as a means of support and prevention. Attendees heard discussion of the evolving digital dimension of abuse and how advocacy services are adapting.

UN peacekeepers stationed along the Lebanon-Israel border are approaching the end of their mission, with reporters on the ground documenting their final phase of operations. The force has patrolled the contested boundary for decades, and its drawdown raises questions about security arrangements in a region still tense after recent hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

A source says Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz 30 days after any peace agreement, signaling a potential timetable for restoring passage through the world's most critical oil chokepoint. The claim suggests Tehran views closure as a temporary wartime measure rather than a permanent step, with global energy markets and shipping routes hinging on prospects for a deal.

Commentary and analysis are marking three years since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, which triggered the war in Gaza. Writers are drawing lessons from the anniversary, examining how the region has changed, the state of the conflict, and what the past three years reveal about security, diplomacy and prospects for peace.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace examines the fact that the United States has deployed or acknowledged weapons capabilities in space, and what this means for international security. The piece weighs how Washington might manage escalation risks, arms-race dynamics, and the absence of binding rules governing military activity beyond Earth's atmosphere.

The Norwegian Nobel Committee's Peace Prize shortlist this year reportedly includes the International Space Station, a rare case of an orbital project rather than a person or organisation. Observers say honouring the station would recognise decades of US-Russia and international cooperation in space amid current geopolitical tension. The winner will be announced in Oslo later this year.

Ethiopia has closed its embassy in Asmara, the capital of Eritrea. The move has prompted speculation about its meaning for relations between the two neighbours, whose ties were reopened after the 2018 peace deal that followed decades of hostility stemming from their border war. No official explanation has been widely reported, leaving analysts and regional observers to debate whether it signals a diplomatic rift, an administrative reshuffle, or a broader shift in Ethiopia's foreign policy toward Eritrea.

The Kremlin says economic deals between Russia and the United States could begin before any peace settlement in Ukraine is reached. The statement signals Moscow's interest in normalising economic ties with Washington even as the war continues, raising questions about whether commercial cooperation could shape or undercut diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.