Exclusive: The price of gold has skyrocketed to record highs and for small jewellery businesses like Larna Cooper and Julie Modica's, it's making it harder than ever to stay afloat.

In the five years they've been running Juju Gems Jewellery, a boutique store offering hand-crafted and bespoke pieces in Sydney's south, the cost of gold has doubled.

In the past, they tried to absorb those costs but with the price of gold breaking the $US4000 ($6071) barrier for the first time this week, that's become impossible.

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"Jules and I have been in the industry for such a long time, we've been through global financial crises and all these ups and downs, but this is next level," Cooper told 9news.com.au.

"Every week we're checking and the gold price has jumped, and it's just adding a lot of extra work to us and making it really hard for us."

Gold prices tend to spike in times of economic turbulence and inflation worries, as it's considered a "safe haven" investment separate from national economies – so it's no wonder that prices are surging now.

And while the price hikes are tipped to push Australia's gold earnings to $60 billion in the 2025-26 financial year, it could cripple small businesses.

"It's getting harder for little boutiques like us and artists who create handmade pieces here in Australia," Cooper said.

"We don't want to send anything offshore, we don't want to get anything mass made, but with the price of gold, it is getting harder and harder, and I think you will probably see some small guys like us really struggling."

This week she and Modica made the decision to only honour bespoke quotes for a week instead of months, as prices change so quickly.

It's just one of the sacrifices they've had to make to stay profitable.

The duo have also had to cut down on the amount of gold they use in their jewellery, along with raising the prices on ready-to-wear and custom gold pieces, and constantly repricing their stock to align with the ever-increasing cost of gold.

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"At first, we were just absorbing most of the spikes and wouldn't increase our costs," Cooper said, but it was costing the business too much in lost profits.

Now they constantly have to check gold prices and adjust their own.

It's costing them time that could be spent designing and making the jewellery that pays their bills.

"There's so many struggles with small business right now, and this adds to our daily struggle," Cooper said.

"As a small business, we tend to cut costs by paying ourselves very minimum wages and that hurts, especially with the cost of living … it does feel like a major setback."

The number of customers willing to pay for bespoke jewellery has nearly halved due to financial strain and skyrocketing gold prices.

And it's probably only going to get worse in the months and years to come.

READ MORE: Can Donald Trump really win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Cooper and Modica have been in the jewellery industry for about 20 and 40 years respectively and have never seen the price of gold dip by more than a few dollars.

They don't expect that to suddenly change now.

"We're not going to hold out for the price to drop, although it would be amazing, I think it's just a pipe dream," Cooper said.

Giving up on gold to save the business money isn't an option either.

Juju Gems is all about creating high-quality jewellery pieces that can be passed down through generations and that just can't be achieved with cheaper materials.

So Cooper and Modica will just have to keep coming up with ways to adapt.

One tactic that has been working well for the duo is encouraging customers to trade in their unwanted gold jewellery to lower the cost of creating new gold pieces.

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Millions of Australians have gold lying around the house, from family heirlooms to jewellery they just don't wear anymore.

What they may not know is that it could be worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars – provided it's solid gold, not plated.

"We have women come in who started accumulating jewellery in the '80s and they are sitting on quite a lot of money," Cooper said.

"And what they're getting back in trade-in is significantly more than what they paid for it."

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US President Donald Trump said he will travel to a military hospital for a "semi-annual physical," describing it as a routine exam.

"I think I'm in great shape, but I'll let you know," Trump said from the Oval Office ahead of a meeting with the Finnish president.

"Physically, I feel very good, mentally I feel very good."

READ MORE: Can Donald Trump really win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Earlier, the White House announced Trump would go to the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre in Maryland for what it called a "yearly check up."

That initial description prompted confusion, since Trump had received an "annual" exam just six months ago.

Trump's doctor at that time deemed him "fully fit" to execute his duties, writing in an April memo that he was in "excellent health" — and citing his frequent golf outings as evidence of his wellbeing.

Since then, Trump has been diagnosed with chronic venous insufficiency, a common condition in older people where blood can pool in the veins. The White House disclosed the diagnosis amid growing scrutiny over photos showing swelling in Trump's legs.

The president in recent months has also faced speculation over bruising on his hand that he has tried at times to cover with makeup.

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But chronic venous insufficiency is considered a benign and manageable condition, and Trump's physician has attributed the bruising to a combination of frequent handshaking and aspirin use that make it easier to bruise.

On Thursday, Trump maintained that neither was giving him any trouble – and that the upcoming trip to Walter Reed was mainly an effort to keep it that way.

"I have no difficulty so far," Trump said. "When I'm around, I like to check. Always be early, it's a lesson for a lot of people."

The White House said the president would also attend a "planned meeting" and deliver remarks to troops while at the hospital.

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President Vladimir Putin has admitted that Russia's air defence were to blame for downing an Azerbaijani jetliner in December that killed 38 people, his first public admission of responsibility for the crash in an effort to ease tensions between the neighbours.

Putin said the missiles fired by Russian air defences to target a Ukrainian drone exploded near the Azerbaijan Airlines plane flying from Baku as it was preparing to land in Grozny, the regional capital of the Russian republic of Chechnya, on December 25, 2024. Ukrainian drones have regularly struck deep inside Russia.

Speaking at a meeting with Azerbaijan's President Ilham Aliyev in Tajikistan's capital of Dushanbe, where both were attending a summit of the former Soviet nations, Putin pledged to punish those responsible and provide compensation.

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Azerbaijani authorities had said the Embraer 190 jet was hit accidentally by Russian fire, then tried to land in western Kazakhstan, where it crashed and killed 38 of 67 people aboard.

Days after the crash, Putin apologised to Aliyev for what he called a "tragic incident" but stopped short of acknowledging responsibility. Aliyev, meanwhile, criticised Moscow for trying to "hush up" the incident.

The controversy over the crash has roiled the previously warm ties between Moscow and Baku. Their relations were further destabilised by deaths of ethnic Azerbaijanis rounded up by police in a Russian city in June and a series of arrests of Russians in Azerbaijan.

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Speaking to Aliyev on Thursday, Putin said that Russian air defences that targeted a Ukrainian drone fired on the Azerbaijani airliner because of a "technical malfunction," adding that two missiles exploded just 10 metres away from the passenger jet.

"The Russian side will obviously do everything to provide compensation and give legal assessment to all responsible officials' action," he said.

"Of course, these words related to this tragedy, aimed at supporting – morally supporting – the families do not solve the main problem: We can't bring back to life those who died as a result of the tragedy."

READ MORE: Can Donald Trump really win the Nobel Peace Prize?

Aliyev, for his part, thanked Putin for investigating the cause of the plane's downing.

"I would like to thank you for keeping the situation under your personal control," he said.

Relations with Baku have become increasingly important for the Kremlin since it sent troops into Ukraine in 2022, especially as Azerbaijan's close ally Turkey has become a key economic partner for Russia as it faced sweeping Western sanctions.

Azerbaijan is a key transport corridor for Russia's trade with Iran and other partners in the Middle East. The energy-rich Caspian Sea nation also has bought oil and natural gas from Russia to meet internal demand while exporting its own hydrocarbons to the West.

Russia, in turn, has been the main market for Azerbaijan's fruit and vegetable exports and also is home to a sizable Azerbaijani diaspora. A 2021 census listed about a half-million ethnic Azerbaijanis living in Russia, but unofficial estimates put the number as high as two million.

All those ties have suffered as tensions over the jet's crash have surged. Both leaders on Thursday signaled their desire to turn the page and ease the strain.

"I hope that our cooperation not only will be restored, but continue in the spirit of our relations, the spirit of our alliance," Putin said.

Aliyev responded that they had a chance to discuss a "broad and positive" bilateral agenda, voicing hope that "the messages we are sending today to our societies will meet a positive response."

As part of his state visit to Tajikistan, Putin also sought to bolster relations with the Central Asian nation that neighbors Afghanistan and hosts a Russian military base.

Speaking at the start of his talks with Tajikistan's President Emomali Rakhmon, who has been in power for nearly 33 years, surpassing Putin's own quarter-century rule, the Russian leader praised the close military and security ties between Moscow and Dushanbe and noted that over one million Tajik citizens were working in Russia.

Later on Thursday, Putin held a summit with Rakhmon and the leaders of the four other Central Asian nations to discuss expanding trade and other contacts.

"Russia firmly intends to further strengthen its strategic partnership and alliance with your countries, and deepen mutually beneficial political, economic, and humanitarian ties," Putin said.

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This year, perhaps more than any other, there's been one big – huge – name looming over the Nobel Peace Prize.

But as the world asks if US President Donald Trump can really cap off his relentless campaign for the prestigious award with a win today (tonight AEDT), there's a list of other fascinating questions still to answer.

Does the Gaza peace plan make a difference? What is the Nobel committee really looking for anyway? What are some of the other names in contention? And would it be a good thing for the world if Trump wins – or loses?

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Can Trump win the Nobel Peace Prize today?

Of course he can but those in the know seem to think he probably won't. 

Experts say the Norwegian Nobel Committee typically focuses on the durability of peace, the promotion of international fraternity and the quiet work of institutions that strengthen those goals.

Trump, for all his claims of having "ended seven wars" and his rapid-fire rush to get Israel and Hamas to agree to a peace plan this week, has also shown disdain for multilateral institutions and his disregard for global climate change concerns.

Nina Græger, director of the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO), told 9news.com.au she believed it was "unlikely" for Trump to win this year.

"While he clearly deserves credit for his efforts to end the war in Gaza, it is too early to tell whether the peace agreement will lead to lasting peace," she said, in a statement.

"The Nobel Committee may also want to look at the sum of a candidate's efforts towards peace. 

"Trump's retreat from international institutions, and his wish to take over Greenland from The Kingdom of Denmark, a NATO-ally, do not align well with the will of Alfred Nobel."

Trump's own outspokenness about possibly winning the award might work against him: The committee won't want to be seen as caving in to political pressure she said, describing his prospects as "a long shot".

"His rhetoric does not point in a peaceful perspective," she said earlier this week at a press briefing in Norway.

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What about next year?

Another thing counting against Trump is the timing of the award. Nominations closed on January 31, 11 days after he returned to the White House, although at least one politician said they nominated him before that deadline.

Perhaps more critically, the committee appears to have already made a decision before Trump announced his Gaza peace plan or Israel and Hamas agreed to the "first phase".

"In October, we make the announcement, and therefore the decision has to be taken just before the first week of October," Jørgen Watne Frydnes, Chair of the Norwegian Nobel Committee, said in a video published by the Nobel Institute last week.

On Thursday, the Norwegian Nobel Committee said it held its last meeting on Monday.

All those factors would seem to indicate that if, and that's a big if, the committee is inclined to recognise Trump, its members might be more likely to wait for next year.

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What happens if Trump wins (or loses)?

Alistair Campbell, who was a senior figure in former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet, suggested the prize announcement was a "big part" in the timing of the Gaza announcement.

"He sort of woke up a few days ago and thought 'If I'm gonna get this peace prize, I've got to stop this fighting now', and he's really, really gone for it," he said on the Rest of Politics podcast this week.

Campbell said rewarding him would be "absurd" even if the fighting stopped immediately, because peace was not just about stopping wars but the "durable peace" that follows.

His co-host, former Tory minister Rory Stewart, questioned whether it would be better to keep Trump involved in the process with the "carrot" of next year's prize.

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"Do you think it would be more motivating for Trump to remain engaged if he won the prize on Friday, or if they dangled the possibility that if he did a good job over the next 12 months, they might give him the prize next year," he asked.

Last month, Trump told a gathering of military leaders at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Virginia that if he didn't win it would be a "big insult to our country"."They'll give it to some guy that didn't do a damn thing; they'll give it to the guy who wrote a book about the mind of Donald Trump," he said.

Some observers have questioned whether Trump could blame and punish Norway if he doesn't win.

The five-member committee is appointed by the Norwegian parliament but is completely independent. 

Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eid stressed Norway's government is not involved in the Nobel Peace Prize decisions.

"It's simply up to the Nobel Committee. It's important to remember it's an independent committee," he told Bloomberg.

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Who has nominated him?

Trump has been nominated several times by people within the US as well as politicians abroad since 2018.

His name was put forward in December by US Representative Claudia Tenney, her office said in a statement, for his brokering of the Abraham Accords, which normalised relations between Israel and several Arab states in 2020.

Nominations made this year from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Pakistan's government occurred after the January 31 deadline for the 2025 award, as did Argentine President Javier Milei's endorsement on X this week.

Trump has said repeatedly that he "deserves" the prize and claims to have "ended seven wars". 

CNN reported that he did contribute to brokering a couple of agreements between long-standing foes but his role in securing ceasefires in some of the other conflicts had been disputed by some of the countries involved.

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Last week, he teased the possibility of ending an eighth war if Israel and Hamas agree to his peace plan aimed at concluding the nearly two-year war in Gaza.

"Nobody's ever done that," he said.

Israel and Hamas have since agreed to the first phase of the peace plan for Gaza, paving the way for a pause in the fighting and the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. 

In the early hours of Thursday, families of hostages and their supporters started chanting "Nobel prize to Trump" as they gathered in Tel Aviv's hostage square.

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Who should win?

The Nobel Committee won't reveal the list of nominees until 2075 so we don't actually even know who is in the running. 

But the annual PRIO director's list, compiled by Græger, is as good a place to start as any.

"Each year, I put together PRIO Director's list of five worthy contenders for the Nobel Peace Prize. Each of these organizations would be good candidates to receive the Prize," she told 9news.com.au.

"This year, my list includes Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms, a community-driven grassroots effort providing humanitarian relief amid conflict; the Committee to Protect Journalists, which defends press freedom and documents attacks on and killings of journalists in hostile environments; and the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, a century-old movement advancing peace by lobbying for disarmament and the key role of women in peacebuilding."

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What are the bookies saying?

Despite the overwhelming views of Nobel watchers, Trump has shot into contention among the bookmakers' favourites since the Gaza deal was announced.

This morning one Australian bookmaker had him at $2.60 to win, behind only Sudan's Emergency Response Rooms ($1.72) and much more-fancied than the Mediterranean Sea Rescue Organisations ($4) and Yulia Navalnaya ($5), the widow of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Australia's Julian Assange was paying $7, alongside Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and runner Nedd Brockman was the longest of long shots at $101.

Why are people talking about Obama

While giving Trump the prize after just nine months in the job would be extraordinary, there is one surprisingly direct modern precedent.

Former US president Barack Obama was at the exact same point in his first term when the Nobel committee recognised him in 2009 "for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples".

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But it was a decision the committee's then-secretary, Geir Lundestad, said didn't provide the expected boost to the president, instead provoking criticism in the US, where many argued he hadn't been in charge long enough to have an impact worthy of the prize.

"Even many of Obama's supporters believed that the prize was a mistake," Lundestad wrote in his memoir, Secretary of Peace, in 2015. 

"In that sense the committee didn't achieve what it had hoped for".

Lundestad had left the committee earlier that year and died in 2023 so it's unclear what impact, if any, those reflections would have on this week's decision.

– Reported with Associated Press

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If you want to address Laurence Watkins by his official government name, it might take you about 20 minutes.

That's because the Sydney man, originally from New Zealand, holds a unique world record.

After a lengthy High Court battle decades ago, the 60-year-old has the world's longest personal name.

READ MORE: Trump says Israel and Hamas agree to 'first phase' of Gaza peace deal

Watkins' full name is 2253 words long and it was recognised again by the Guinness World Records after a small change to his 1992 title, revising it from the world's longest christian name to world's longest personal name.

"I always wanted to be a little bit famous," he told 9news.com.au.

"I read the 1989 Guinness World Records from cover-to-cover and that was really the only record I could have a chance of beating."

At the time in New Zealand, there was no law stopping Watkins from changing his legal name to something absurd.

Do you have a story? Contact reporter April Glover at Google Play.

Italy: By now, it's common for almost every traditional car brand to have some sort of offering in the electric car market in Australia.

While EVs make up just 10 per cent of all new car sales, and growing slowly, the introduction of an electric model can bring new customers to a brand and create a new experience for existing owners.

However, many people might be shocked to hear that Ferrari is launching their own full electric car next year.

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Far from a traditional new car launch, Ferrari's gathering of the world's media at their factory in Maranello, Italy revealed only the direction the company was taking as well as the raw and bare underpinnings of the future electric car – the chassis.

The first of three steps toward revealing the car itself somewhere mid-way through next year, today's event was about setting a benchmark for what to expect, and also creating some certainty for fans of the brand that this new EV would indeed be every bit as Ferrari.

Speaking exclusively to 9News, Ferrari's chief product development officer Gianmaria Fulgenzi stressed the importance of this announcement, saying "it's a new chapter of our history".

"It's a very important day for us," Fulgenzi said.

"Let me say an historic day, because we wanted to continue our electrification journey starting many years ago."

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That journey, as he outlines, took the company from their electrified Formula One cars, into road cars like the LaFerrari, SF90 and others which feature hybrid electrified powertrains to today.

"We wanted to complete this electrification journey to develop a completely new car," Fulgenzi said.

"Also to enlarge the customer base for our car."

There is no question, though, that petrol-powered internal combustion engines will continue to be part of the Ferrari line-up for a long time to come.

As Fulgenzi put it, Ferraris will be "not all electric, but also electric".

While announcing this Ferrari Elettrica, the company was at pains to point out its deep knowledge of what makes a car feel great to drive – what it is that creates the thrill of driving that Ferraris are known for.

In fact, they know it, and spell it out well: sound, gear change, braking, lateral and longitudinal acceleration.

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So can an electric car replicate all these sensations?

Fulgenzi says: "It's not only an electric car, it's a Ferrari."

Simple as that.

"First of all. First and foremost, it's a Ferrari.

"What does it mean? What does it mean that the car that has an electric powertrain, but that creates the same emotion of the other Ferrari cars."

There's a real emotive sense to Fulgenzi's passion for this brand and this upcoming car, based around that driving experience.

"Driving thrills are something that starts in the brain, explode in the heart, creating butterflies in the stomach, and create a very big smile in the face when you drive the car and push you and your companion or your family to use the car massively every day, every moment, because using the car, you enjoy yourself."

Like other Ferraris before it, over decades, the all-electric Ferrari will be born in Maranello, Fulgenzi pointing out the significance of this.

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"We are very proud to say that every core components are thought, developed and produced in-house," he said.

"Because like we have done in the last 78 years for the internal combustion engine that we produce, we think, we develop, we test our internal combustion engine in-house – and also for the electric components.

"For the inverter, for the battery system these components, the key components for the electric cars.

"So we want strongly to develop them in-house and to keep them in-house, to pursue the excellence and also to guarantee the usability for the car also for the future."

I witnessed the very factory floor where the battery is being assembled from raw battery cells, where electric motors are built, paired with gearing and placed into assemblies forged within a few kilometre radius of each other – all by Ferrari.

We won't see this new electric car until half-way through next year, but here's what we can surmise based on what we've heard thus far.

The Ferrari Elettrica will be a new model and carry a new name.

It will also be an SUV body shape, perhaps similar to the Purosangue which is on the roads today.

And it will be fast, very fast.

A top speed of 310km/h, accelerating from zero to 100km/h in just 2.5 seconds.

A 122kWh battery will provide at least 530km of range and four motors will power each of the wheels independently, each of which can also steer with the front wheels able to be disconnected from the drivetrain in search of range on open highway driving.

The specifications look fantastic, and if the company can deliver on the exterior design in the same way they have the underlying technology, then we're in for something very special.

Trevor Long travelled to Italy as a guest of Ferrari Australia.

Prosecutors have lodged an appeal against mushroom killer Erin Patterson's sentence on the grounds the judge "erred" when he considered the triple murderer's time in solitary confinement.

The Office Of Public Prosecutions Victoria on Monday filed an appeal against Patterson's prison sentence handed down last month.

Patterson was handed three life sentences for the murders of Heather Wilkinson, Don Patterson and Gail Patterson, and 25 years for the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, with a 33-year non-parole period.

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Prosecutors have lodged an appeal on the basis there was an error in the sentence imposed and that it was "manifestly inadequate".

"The sentencing judge erred in finding that there was a 'substantial chance' the respondent would be held in 'solitary confinement for years to come' when such a finding was not open on the evidence, and that finding infected his assessment of the respondent's likely future conditions in custody and his decision to fix a non-parole period," the appeal filing notes.

The filing also stated it was inappropriate for the judge to fix a non-parole period.

Patterson is also expected to appeal her convictions.

The 51-year-old's appeal period was due to expire at 11.59pm today, but during the hearing last Thursday, Justice Christopher Beale cited a new court practice note directing applications for appeal extensions of 28 days or fewer to be granted automatically.

Patterson's defence had not given any indication of an intention to appeal during her sentencing last month.

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To appeal her sentence or convictions, Patterson's defence team need to provide specific grounds for the appeal, such as errors of law, an unreasonable verdict, or a miscarriage of justice.

If the appeal grounds are valid, Patterson's case would be heard by judges in the Court of Appeal.

These judges have the ability to overturn sentences or convictions if they find grounds to.

If an appeal against a sentence is allowed, the Court of Appeal could reduce or increase the sentence.

If the Court of Appeal decides there was no legal error, the appeal will be dismissed and the original sentence will stand.

A breakdown of Patterson's prison sentence

Patterson was last month sentenced to life in prison with a non-parole period of 33 years, meaning she will remain behind bars for at least that long.

Assuming it is not successfully appealed, Patterson's sentence, which includes the 676 days she served in pre-sentence detention, would see her eligible for release on parole in 2056 at the age of 81.

Beale sentenced Patterson to four separate sentences, all to be served concurrently:

• For the attempted murder of Ian Wilkinson, Patterson was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
• For the murder of Heather Wilkinson, she was sentenced to life in prison.
• For the murder of Don Patterson, life in prison.
• For the murder of Gail Patterson, life in prison.

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A peace deal between Israel and Hamas has received cautious bipartisan support in Australia after US President Donald Trump announced a hostage release would be the "first phase" of a historic peace plan.

Hamas is expected to release all living Israeli hostages in the coming days, Trump announced on his social media platform Truth Social.

"I am very proud to announce that Israel and Hamas have both signed off on the first Phase of our Peace Plan," he wrote on Truth Social.

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"This means that ALL of the Hostages will be released very soon, and Israel will withdraw their Troops to an agreed upon line as the first steps toward a Strong, Durable, and Everlasting Peace."

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese expressed hope for the end of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hamas in a statement today.

"In the Middle East, the past two years have been full of dark days but today we see a ray of light. Today, the world has cause for real hope," Albanese said.

"Hope for the families of the hostages who have kept a two-year vigil, that must have felt like an eternity.

"Hope for the people of Gaza who have endured suffering beyond imagining."

The Coalition also backed Trump's peace plan.

"Careful diplomacy delivers results," Opposition Leader Sussan Ley said.

"All fair-minded Australians will welcome it and we remain hopeful today's announcement will be borne out over the coming days."

Trump has also revealed plans to travel to Israel, after he was invited to address the Knesset, the country's parliament.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Trump after the announcement, and they congratulated each other on an agreement to release all the hostages which Netanyahu's office described as a "historic achievement".

According to a statement from the prime minister's office, the conversation was "warm and moving".

Netanyahu thanked Trump for his "efforts and global leadership", while Trump praised Netanyahu's "determined leadership and the actions he led".

1. Trump said after the call he was likely to travel to Israel in the coming days, according to a CNN reporter he spoke to.

"They want me to give a speech at the Knesset and I will definitely do that if they want me to," he said.

"It is a great day for Israel and for the world.

"My call with Bibi was great. He is so happy. He should be.

"It is a great achievement.

"The whole world has come together to reach this deal, including countries that were enemies."

The agreement will head to the Israeli cabinet later today for its approval, and once that occurs, Israeli forces will begin withdrawing to the agreed upon boundary, according to a senior White House official.

That should take less than 24 hours, according to the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss planning.

Hamas then has 72 hours to release hostages, and the White House believes they will begin being released on Monday, the official said, but other sources have suggested the living hostages will be released on the weekend.

The deceased hostages will come out in a later stage in phases, people familiar with the matter told the Associated Press.

The Israel army will move out of 70 per cent of the area, they said.

Hamas said that it has provided lists of Palestinian prisoners to be released as part of the Gaza ceasefire plan agreement.

Hamas "affirms that it has handed over lists of Palestinian prisoners in accordance with the criteria agreed as part of the arrangement", senior official Zaher Jabarin said in a statement.

A final agreement on names was "pending", Jabarin said.

Earlier, another Hamas official, Taher Al Nunu, said Hamas and Israel had already exchanged a list of hostages and prisoners to be released.

Note that prompted Truth Social post

The announcement came after Trump, at a round table in the White House, received a note and spoke briefly to Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

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"I was just given a note by the secretary of state saying they're very close to a deal in the Middle East and they're going to need me pretty quickly, so I'll take a couple more questions," he said.

The note, on White House stationery, read: "You need to approve a Truth Social post soon so you can announce deal first."

Netanyahu said all the hostages would return home "with God's help" and said today was a "great day" for Israel.

He will convene the Israeli government today to ratify the agreement.

It's unknown how Netanyahu's shaky coalition, including right-wing factions staunchly opposed to ending the war, will react.

Hamas also responded, thanking mediators Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey, as well as Trump, for the agreement.

The group said the agreement stipulated "an end to the war on Gaza, the occupation's withdrawal from it, the entry of aid, and a prisoner exchange".

Hamas also urged mediators to ensure Israel "fully implement the agreement's requirements and not allow it to evade or delay the implementation of what has been agreed upon".

The United Nations said in a statement it would fully support the implementation of the agreement's terms.

"I urge all concerned to abide fully by the terms of the agreement. All hostages must be released in a dignified manner. A permanent ceasefire must be secured," Secretary General Antonio Gutterres said.

"The fighting must stop once and for all. Immediate and unimpeded entry of humanitarian supplies and essential commercial materials into Gaza must be ensured. The suffering must end."

The Trump plan calls for an immediate ceasefire and release of the 48 hostages that militants in Gaza still hold from their attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, that started the war and triggered Israel's devastating retaliation.

Around 20 of the hostages are believed to still be alive.

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The families of the hostages have welcomed the agreement.

"This marks an important and meaningful step toward bringing everyone back, yet our struggle is not over and will not end until the last hostage returns home," the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

It envisions Israel withdrawing its troops from Gaza after Hamas disarms, and an international security force moving in.

The territory would be placed under international governance, with Trump and former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair overseeing it.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi said recently in televised comments that the negotiations so far "were very encouraging".

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In a statement on Tuesday, Hamas reiterated its longstanding demands for a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, but said nothing about disarmament, a step it has long resisted.

Hamas has also spoken against the idea of international rule, though it has agreed it will have no role in governing post-war Gaza.

Speaking in Sharm el-Sheikh, Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas' top negotiator, told Egypt's Qahera TV that the group wanted solid guarantees from Trump and mediators that the war "will not return".

It appeared to be his first public appearance since an Israeli strike targeting him and other top Hamas leaders in Qatar last month killed six people, including his son and office manager.

In January, the two sides had a ceasefire that brought the release of some Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned by Israel.

Under the agreement – which Trump and US special envoy Steve Witkoff played a major role in brokering – the two sides were then supposed to enter negotiations over a long-term truce, an Israeli withdrawal and a full hostage release.

But Israel broke the ceasefire in March, resuming its campaign of bombardment and offensives, saying it aimed to pressure Hamas for the remaining hostage releases.

Past rounds of negotiations have frequently fallen apart over the same obstacle, with Hamas demanding assurances of the war's end and Netanyahu vowing to keep fighting until the group is destroyed.

The Trump plan attempts to resolve all the issues at once, by laying out Hamas disarmament and a post-war scenario for governing the territory with provisions for a major reconstruction campaign.

– Reported with Associated Press and CNN.

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The daily pāua limit is five per person.

Putting astronauts on Mars is one of the next big goals for humans in space. But who will those astronauts be?

Missions to Mars are likely to last up to three years, with astronauts enduring prolonged confinement, limited living spaces, and – to put it mildly – high levels of mutual responsibility.

In such an environment, you might think a singular kind of person was needed – a Rambo, or a Sarah Connor, somebody diligent, determined, and mission-focused.

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That's not entirely wrong – but it's not the whole story.

In fact, according to new research, putting together a whole team of people who think and act exactly the same way is a swift recipe for disaster.

Iser Pena and Hao Chen of the Stevens Univeristy of Technology in the US say in their new study that diverse personalities are the key to space-based success.

"The absence of personal space and privacy exacerbates stress levels, potentially affecting team cohesion and performance," the authors said in a release.

"Understanding and optimising team dynamics under these extreme conditions is crucial, as effective collaboration, stress management, and psychological support systems are essential for the success of long-duration space missions."

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Using advanced methodology and psychological knowledge, the researchers modelled how five personality traits – openness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, and agreeableness – matched mission roles such as engineer, medic, or pilot.

Diverse teams performed generally better than teams composed of similar personality types, they found.

They showed lower stress levels, improved performance, cohesion, and health.

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This suggested that a broader mix of coping styles and interpersonal dynamics might help teams maintain stability over time.

"For the first time, we've combined psychological insights with a computer simulation to model a 500-day mission to Mars," the authors said.

"This new approach lets us explore how different astronaut personalities and team roles might affect a crew's stress and performance, and it gives us a glimpse of the human challenges astronauts could face on these long journeys into deep space."

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