The District bureau

Briefing: War halts in Gaza as Israel and Hamas begin prisoner exchanges. Peru removes its president in the middle of the night. + Out now—the weekend despatch.

An agreement on Gaza’s first peace phase after two years of war. A new set of American sanctions cut Serbia’s fuel supply. + U.S. air-traffic controllers are working 60-hour weeks without pay—and airports are going dark.

A Nobel in chemistry for structures that pull water from desert air. A former FBI chief faces Trump’s Justice Department in court. + Red Hat’s consulting breach—800 clients exposed through a trusted partner.

The U.S. treasury targets the Sinaloa cartel’s chemical suppliers. A hardline conservative is Japan’s first woman PM. + How TikTok turns casual scrollers into compulsive users—by design.

France’s government collapses in less than a day. Georgia’s opposition tries storming the presidential palace. &c. + When political fragmentation makes even forming a cabinet impossible.

The Czech Republic turns away from Ukraine. The Church of England names its first woman archbishop. + Out now—the weekend despatch.

The U.S. government suspends federal funding for Democratic states. Gen Z protests move across Madagascar. + Voice of America goes silent—while China and Russia keep talking.

The American government shuts down. The Pope questions the Pentagon. + Leaked documents about preventing leaks—and impending polygraphs for thousands at the U.S. Defense Department.