Japan’s oldest man dies at 112 – Media

A 112-year-old man, recognised as Japan’s oldest male, has passed away in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo, local media reported on Thursday.

Gisaburo Sonobe, who died in late March, was born on Nov. 6, 1911 and became the country’s oldest man after his predecessor died in November 2022 at 111, the report said, citing local authorities.

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The municipal government of Tateyama, where Sonobe resided, has not revealed the exact date or the cause of his death at the request of his family, the report noted.

On Wednesday, Guinness World Records said that the world’s oldest man, Juan Vicente Perez, had died at 114 in Venezuela.

Sonobe had been expected to be the next title holder.

Japan’s oldest man dies at 112 – Media

Palestinians renew request for full UN membership

The Palestinian Authority has again requested to become a full member of the United Nations, according to a Tuesday letter addressed to UN Secretary-General António Guterres.

“Today, the State of Palestine, and upon instructions of the Palestinian leadership, sent a letter (to) the Secretary General requesting renewed consideration to (our) Membership application,” read a post on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, from the Palestinian permanent observer mission to the UN on Tuesday.

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The post included a letter, signed by Palestinian UN ambassador Riyad Mansour, requesting that a 2011 Palestinian application for full membership be resubmitted to the Security Council in April.

The Palestinian Authority in September 2011 submitted an application for full UN membership but failed to obtain the nine votes necessary to pass it in the powerful 15-nation council.

The U.S. had threatened to veto the application.

The U.S. and other Western powers had warned that UN recognition of a Palestinian state would void previous agreements that support negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to establish a Palestinian state living in peace next to Israel.

In 2012, the UN General Assembly voted 138-9, with 41 abstentions, to give Palestine “non-member observer State status” despite opposition from the U.S., which has no veto power there.

Of the 193 UN member states, 139 have so far recognized Palestine as an independent state. Germany and the U.S. are not among them. 

Palestinians renew request for full UN membership

Israel agrees to U.S. proposal on prisoner exchange with Hamas – Reports

Israel agrees to the terms proposed by the United States for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages held by Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip and is awaiting a response from the movement on this matter, CNN reported, citing a source.

The report indicated that the proposal was presented by CIA Director Bill Burns, and that it involves the release by Israel, of about 700 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of 40 Israeli hostages by Hamas.

However, agreements were still not reached on other issues, including the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip and the deployment of the Israeli military in the enclave, the report read.

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On Sunday, Israeli reporter for the Axios news portal Barak Ravid wrote on X, citing unnamed Israeli officials, that the U.S. proposal involves the release of 100 Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israelis, fewer than what was proposed by Qatari mediators three weeks ago.

Israel rejected the Qatari proposal because Hamas had failed to respond to the one put forward during the Paris talks, which included the release of 400 prisoners, among them 25 serving life sentences, Ravid wrote.

Israel is also willing to discuss the U.S. “bridging proposal” on the return of Palestinian civilians to the northern Gaza Strip, which the journalist described as “one of the main points of contention in the talks.”

Last October, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel from the Gaza Strip and breached the border, killing 1,200 people and abducting around 240 others.

Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages.

Over 32,200 people have been killed so far in the Gaza Strip, local authorities said. 

Israel agrees to U.S. proposal on prisoner exchange with Hamas – Reports