'Ceasefire brings fragile hope' - UN praises US-brokered peace accord amid Israel-Hamas prisoner swap

'Ceasefire brings fragile hope' - UN praises US-brokered peace accord amid Israel-Hamas prisoner swap

"UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said that the organisation's chief, Antonio Guterres, has expressed contentment with the signing of a Gaza peace deal, hailing it as a 'fragile hope of calm' after months of conflict, speaking from New York City on Tuesday. He also went on to say that Guterres "commends the governments of Qatar, Egypt, the United States and Turkey for their persistent mediation efforts" and acknowledged the "indispensable role of the International Committee of the Red Cross in ensuring that all releases take place safely and humanely." Moreover, Haq noted that the UN and its partners are rapidly scaling up humanitarian operations across Gaza, adding that UN agencies are now reaching communities cut off for months, delivering life-saving assistance - "an essential first step in stabilising conditions and restoring basic human dignity." He further stated that Guterres has appealed to regional and international actors "to seize this moment of respite" and to revive a credible political process aimed at achieving "two independent, sovereign democratic states, Israel and Palestine, living side by side in peace and security within their secure and recognised borders." The appeal, he said, is based on pre-1967 lines with Jerusalem serving as the capital of both states, in accordance with international law and UN resolutions. The Deputy Spokesperson added that UN partners are 'working to increase production of meals and community kitchens in the North', where thousands have already returned. He said, "We are helping kitchens and bakeries serve hundreds of thousands of meals and bread bundles every day, while trucking drinking water to areas where people are staying." This development follows the release of 20 hostages by Hamas and 1,900 prisoners by Israel as part of Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza. The agreement, proposed by US President Donald Trump, includes a ceasefire and a mutual release of hostages, which came into effect on Friday, October 10. Trump and other world leaders met in Egypt's Sharm el-Sheikh for a summit on phase two of the deal on Monday."

We have a lift-off! - SpaceX hits key milestone at Starship's 11th test flight before upgraded prototype debut

We have a lift-off! - SpaceX hits key milestone at Starship's 11th test flight before upgraded prototype debut

"SpaceX's Starship completed its 11th test flight on Monday from the company's Starbase site in South Texas, the final test before a new, upgraded version of the rocket begins launch trials for future Moon and Mars missions. Footage shows Starship being launched from the SpaceX facility, as well as the booster separating before it landed in the ocean. The rocket lifted off just after 18:25 local time (23:25 GMT), with the Starship upper stage stacked atop its Super Heavy booster. After propelling the upper stage toward space, the booster made a controlled descent into the Gulf of Mexico about seven minutes after lift-off. The upper stage later splashed down in the Indian Ocean as planned. Acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy called the mission "another major step toward landing Americans on the Moon's south pole." SpaceX said upcoming tests will feature an advanced Starship prototype equipped with upgrades designed for longer missions. "This is really the vehicle that could take humans to the Moon and Mars," SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell said at a conference in Paris last month. Earlier Starship tests had ended in explosive failures, but the program found success at a test flight in August. Monday's test followed a similar profile and carried mock Starlink satellites. However, this latest flight included more complex manoeuvres to test the spacecraft's capabilities. NASA's Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon, relies on a modified Starship as its lunar lander for the Artemis III mission planned for mid-2027."