What happened
Donald Trump has said he expects hostages held in Gaza to be freed “very soon” ahead of fresh peace talks in Cairo between mediators, Hamas and Israel. The discussions follow Hamas’s partial acceptance of a 20-point US plan proposing a ceasefire, hostage releases and Gaza’s handover to non-partisan Palestinian administrators. Despite this, Israeli air strikes continued across Gaza, where 65 more people were killed in the past 24 hours, according to local health officials.

Who said what
Trump said the negotiations were “going very well” and described his plan as “a great deal for Israel, the Arab world and the world”.

While polls show that a majority of Israelis consistently back a ceasefire, for many “the main aim is the return of the remaining hostages”, said Zeena Saifi on CNN. Accordingly, even though he has been “strong-armed by Trump”, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has “embraced the Gaza deal as a personal win”, said Isabel Kershner in The New York Times.

What next?
Delegations from Israel, Hamas, the US, Qatar and Egypt are expected to gather in Cairo today. Netanyahu said he hoped to announce a hostage release “in the coming days”.

What happened
Rescue operations have begun on the eastern slopes of Mount Everest in Tibet after a sudden snowstorm stranded nearly 1,000 climbers and trekkers at high-altitude camps. Chinese state media said the blizzard, which began on Friday, buried tents and blocked access routes at elevations above 4,900 metres. About 350 people have already been rescued and escorted to safety in Qudang township, while hundreds more remain trapped as heavy snow continues to fall.

Who said what
“It was so wet and cold – hypothermia was a real risk,” said trekker Chen Geshuang, describing conditions as “not normal” for October. Local authorities have deployed villagers and emergency crews to dig through drifts and clear access roads.

What next?
Ticket sales and entry to Everest’s scenic area have been suspended as regional rescue teams brace for worsening weather. The effort comes as the area “faces extreme weather and neighbouring Nepal has been battered by heavy rain”, said The Independent. The severe weather has claimed 47 lives over the past two days.

“She was just my daughter yesterday, but today she is a goddess.” So said the father of Aryatara Shakya, the two-year-old who has been proclaimed Nepal’s new “living goddess”. The toddler was installed as the latest Kumari at a temple palace in Kathmandu last week during the country’s most significant Hindu festival, Dashain.

Revered by both Hindus and Buddhists in Nepal, the Kumari is an embodiment of the divine female energy. Typically chosen between the ages of two and four, the Kumari must meet strict physical criteria, including “unblemished skin, hair, eyes and teeth”, said AP.

The girls spend most of their childhood sequestered within the temple, although traditions have evolved to include some private tutoring. Beyond the temple walls, their feet are not allowed to touch the ground – during festivals, the Kumari is “wheeled around on a chariot pulled by devotees”.

A Kumari becomes mortal again when a girl reaches puberty, and former goddesses “often face difficulties adjusting to normal life”, said DW. In her 1990s memoir “From Goddess to Mortal”, ex-Kumari Rashmila Shakya described her lack of education and struggle to re-integrate into society.

“The Kumari is forced to give up her childhood,” said one of Nepal’s leading human rights lawyers, Sapana Pradhan-Malla. “She has to be a goddess instead.” Nepal is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, she said, which makes it clear that “you can’t exploit children in the name of culture”.