How many hostages are left in Gaza?
Hamas freed six Israelis on Saturday in the last scheduled release of living hostages by the militant group under the current stage of a ceasefire agreement with Israel. In all, a total of 33 Israelis are being freed during this stage — including eight who are dead. Five Thai hostages have also been freed separately. Sixty-three hostages, including the body of a soldier held since 2014, remain in Gaza.
Israel refuses entry to 2 EU lawmakers and accuses 1 of promoting boycotts of it
Israel on Monday denied entry to two European Union lawmakers, accusing one of promoting boycotts of the country. Lynn Boylan, who chairs the European Parliament EU-Palestine delegation, and Rima Hassan were refused entry at Ben-Gurion airport and ordered to return to Europe. Interior Minister Moshe Arbel said French politician Hassan has “consistently worked to promote boycotts against Israel in addition to numerous public statements both on social media and in media interviews.”
Western leaders visit Kyiv and pledge military support against Russia on the war’s 3rd anniversary
Ukraine on Monday marked the bleakest anniversary yet of its war against the Russia invasion, with the country’s forces under severe pressure on the battlefield and U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration apparently embracing the Kremlin in a reversal of American policy. The three-year milestone drew more than a dozen Western leaders to Kyiv for commemorative events in a conspicuous show of support. They warned of the war’s wider implications for global security and vowed to keep providing billions of dollars in aid to Ukraine as uncertainty deepens over the U.S. commitment to help. Washington did not send any senior official to the occasion.
Top Apple exec concedes he had doubts about app store fees imposed on alternative payment options
Longtime Apple executive Phil Schiller on Monday conceded he initially opposed fees that the iPhone maker charges for in app-transactions processed outside its own payment system because he feared violating a court-ordered mandate designed to create more competition. Schiller, who oversees Apple’s lucrative App Store for iPhones, made the admission during three hours of testimony in the same Oakland federal courtroom where he last appeared on the witness stand nearly nine months ago as part of a long-running legal battle with Epic Games, the maker of the popular Fortnite video game.
Starbucks lays off 1,100 corporate employees as coffee chain streamlines
Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees globally as new Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol streamlines operations. In a letter to employees released Monday, Niccol said the company will inform employees who are being laid off by midday Tuesday. Niccol said Starbucks is also eliminating several hundred open and unfilled positions. “Our intent is to operate more efficiently, increase accountability, reduce complexity and drive better integration,” Niccol wrote in the letter.
Stock market today: Asian shares sag as worries over US-China trade weigh on outlook for the region
Shares sagged Tuesday in Asia as worries over U.S.-China trade friction weighed on the outlook for the region. Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 1.1% to 38,336.73 after markets in Japan reopened from a holiday on Monday. In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng gave up 0.6% to 23,196.33, while the Shanghai Composite index edged 0.1% lower, to 3,368.24. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.7% to 8,252.50.
Elizabeth Holmes fails to overturn her Theranos fraud conviction
Elizabeth Holmes, the disgraced founder of Theranos, will remain in prison after losing a bid Monday to overturn her fraud conviction, with a federal appeals court saying she hadn’t proved there were legal missteps during her trial for defrauding investors with false claims of what her blood-testing startup could achieve. The three-judge panel in San Francisco also upheld the fraud conviction of Holmes’ former business partner and lover Ramesh “Sunny” Balwani — as well as a lower’s court order for the two to pay $452 million in restitution.
A cliff that looks like a puppy resting beside the Yangtze River delights people in China
When Shanghai-based designer Guo Qingshan posted a vacation photo on Valentine’s Day and captioned it “Puppy Mountain,” it became a sensation in China and even created a tourist destination. Guo had gone on a hike while visiting his hometown of Yichang in central China’s Hubei province in late January. When reviewing the photos, he saw something he hadn’t noticed before: A mountain shaped like a dog’s head rested on the ground next to the Yangtze River, its snout perched at the water’s edge.
An elevated part of a highway being built in South Korea collapses, killing 3 workers
Elevated parts of a highway under construction collapsed in South Korea on Tuesday, killing three workers and injuring six others, officials said. Ten people were working on the site in the city of Cheonan, about 90 kilometers (55 miles) south of Seoul. They fell when it collapsed and were trapped in the rubble, the National Fire Agency said. One was found dead in the rubble. Eight injured workers were sent to hospitals before two of them were declared dead there later, according to fire agency officials.
Judge rejects immediately restoring AP’s access to White House but urges government to reconsider
A federal judge on Monday refused to immediately order the White House to restore The Associated Press’ access to presidential events, saying the news organization had not demonstrated it had suffered any irreparable harm. But he urged the Trump administration to reconsider its two-week-old ban, saying that case law “is uniformly unhelpful to the White House.” U.S. District Judge Trevor N. McFadden’s decision was only for the moment, however. He told attorneys for the Trump administration and the AP that the issue required more exploration before ruling.