The agreement, which would include the release of hostages, was met with cautious optimism after 15 months of war. But Israel’s cabinet needs to ratify the deal, and the prime minister’s office said there were some last-minute disputes with Hamas.

Russia’s president is said to have blamed birds or a Ukrainian drone for a Dec. 25 crash of an Azerbaijani plane. Azerbaijan says Russian air defenses were at fault.

The former Brazilian president, squeezed by criminal investigations, looks to the United States to shift his nation’s politics — and maybe keep him a free man.

Three reasons help explain why the two politicians have faced such contrasting fates.

Police are checking on safety at schools and visiting karaoke bars and rental homes to root out perceived malcontents, after several mass killings alarmed the public.

An agreement offers Gazans at least some respite, and for Israelis it means the release of hostages. But the deal’s ambiguity leaves open the possibility that fighting could resume within weeks.

The outreach to an Iranian diplomat came after the journalist’s boyfriend had sought help from the tech billionaire, and the Italian prime minister had met with President-elect Trump.

President-elect Donald J. Trump said a deal had been reached, but negotiators had yet to confirm a start date and other technical issues could still derail a deal.

President-elect Donald J. Trump’s threat to take back the Panama Canal may be posturing, but it could dampen the Panamanian government’s wish to broaden relations with the United States, analysts say.

Negotiators and mediators meeting in Qatar were trying to address outstanding issues on Wednesday.