Hamas says ready to negotiate prisoner swap deal in Gaza if Israel takes step

05:12, April 08, 2020

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  Afghanistan begins prisoner swap, 100 Taliban traded for 20 govt forces

  Jailed Taliban inside the Pul-e-Charkhi jail in Kabul, Afghanistan, December 14, 2019. (Photo: AP)Afghanistan on Thursday began the process of releasing 100 Taliban Islamist militants from jail in a prisoner swap for 20 of its security forces, a senior security official and a Taliban representative said.It is the first step toward freeing 6,000 prisoners held by the Afghan government and the insurgent group. The agreement is part of a number of confidence-building measures to give teeth to the peace deal signed between the United States and the Taliban to end nearly two decades of war."It was decided in the morning that 100 Taliban should be released in exchange for 20 members of Afghan security forces today," said a senior official in the office of President Ashraf Ghani.The names of those to be released had been sent to prison authorities, said the official, who sought anonymity because he had not been authorized to speak to the media.The Taliban said the swap would begin this week as teams from the warring sides work out technical details and logistics for receiving prisoners amid a coronavirus pandemic."The technical issues require some time," said Zabihullah Mujahid, a Taliban spokesman. "I think the release of 100 Taliban fighters and 20 Afghan security force members will happen either tomorrow or the day after."Both sides confirmed the Taliban prisoners are to be released at the Bagram military base north of the capital, Kabul. But the site for the release of the Afghan security forces has yet to be firmed up.Representatives of the Afghan government and the Taliban held talks in Kabul on Tuesday and Wednesday for the first time to discuss the prisoner swap.It was the first time the hardline Islamists had been invited to the Afghan capital to meet directly with government officials since they were toppled in the U.S.-led invasion of 2001. The two sides had previouslyspoken in a...

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  Iran in talks with countries to swap prisoners amid COVID-19 pandemic

  Passengers wait for check-in at a Mahan Air counter at the Mehrabad International Airport in Tehran, Iran, on Dec. 14, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)TEHRAN, April 6 (Xinhua) -- Iranian Deputy Justice Minister Mahmoud Abbasi said on Monday that Iran is in talks with some countries to exchange prisoners amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, official IRNA news agency reported."Given the current sensitive situation and outbreak of coronavirus, we are in talks with the countries to exchange prisoners," Abbasi said, noting that the follow-ups through the Foreign Ministry and Interpol have yielded positive results.Currently, 2,600 Afghan convicts are prepared to leave for their country and some central Asian states have agreed to exchange prisoners, Abbasi was quoted as saying.Irans judiciary has already freed 100,000 prisoners on bail amid the virus concerns.Iran is the worst-hit country by the pandemic in the Middle East, with 60,500 confirmed cases and 3,739 deaths as of Monday.

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  MEPs call for delay in Brexit transition

  EU's Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier meets EU Council President Charles Michel following the first round of talks on the EU-UK future ties, in Brussels, Belgium, March 6, 2020.They say novel coronavirus outbreak means talks for a deal now impossible.The center-right European People's Party, the lar