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Shumita Basu, Narrating: Good morning! It's Monday, November 27th. I hope you had a nice Thanksgiving break. I'm Shumita Basu. This is "Apple News Today." On today's show: an extended pause in fighting in Gaza, how to raise less materialistic kids when they're surrounded by holiday-shopping hype, and what happens when airlines lose your luggage.
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We’ll start in the Middle East, where Qatar’s foreign ministry says Israel and Hamas will halt fighting for an additional two days. Qatari diplomats have been working with both sides and the U.S. The original four-day pause was scheduled to end today. Hamas has been gradually releasing some hostages in waves, with Israel freeing Palestinians held in Israeli jails in return.
President Biden spoke about the release of American Abigail Edan. She turned four-years-old while held captive. She was taken after both her parents were killed by Hamas militants.
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President Joe Biden: What she endured is unthinkable. Abigail was among 13 hostages released today from Gaza under the brokered and sustained, though intensive, U.S. diplomacy. She's now safely in Israel and we continue to press and expect for additional Americans will be released as well.
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As of early this morning, Hamas released 58 hostages. They’re arriving home now with stories of harsh conditions: little food, minimal access to bathrooms. Some are getting medical treatment, and have lost weight from malnourishment, but most appear to be in stable condition.
Palestinians released under the deal say they're victims of an Israeli system that's heavily tilted against them. Israel often holds Palestinians accused of crimes for months without trials. Maysoon Algebaily is one of the more than 100 Palestinians released by Israel. She told "Al Jazeera" that Palestinian prisoners are treated poorly.
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Maysoon Algebaily: [SPEAKING THROUGH TRANSLATOR]
Translator: They gassed us and took some of us to solitary confinement. It was really dire. Prison officers used to tell us, "Keep silent." We have the green light to do anything to you. We were treated very badly.
[END AL JAZEERA ARCHIVAL CLIP]
There are dozens more Hamas hostages still held in Gaza. But some are believed to be held by other militant groups not under Hamas’s direct command, which has complicated negotiations. And Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised to resume attacks on Hamas once exchanges are over.
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Now, let's take a brief look at some other stories in the news.
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There’s now a suspect under arrest in the Vermont shootings of three college students of Palestinian descent over the weekend. He’s pleaded not guilty to three charges of attempted murder and is being held without bail. The victims survived, but one was seriously injured. Investigators are looking into the suspect’s potential motive.
The Burlington police chief says it's understandable that so many people in the community believe this is a potential hate crime and federal investigators are involved.
In waters off the coast of Yemen, an Israel-owned tanker is now safe after the U.S. Navy responded to a distress call. The vessel was seized by armed hijackers, who eventually fled and were captured by the U.S. warship. This follows the recent seizure of another Israel-linked cargo ship by Yemeni fighters with ties to Iran.
Derek Chauvin, the former Minneapolis police officer convicted of murdering George Floyd in 2020, is expected to survive the recent stabbing attack in prison. Minnesota's attorney general says the incident is regrettable, and that any convicted person should be able to serve their sentence without violence.
And in New Zealand, a groundbreaking ban on cigarette sales is being canceled. We talked about this on the show a while back. The policy was originally planned for next year. It would've banned selling cigarettes to anyone born after 2008. It was supported by the previous government led by Jacinda Ardern. But her party is now out of power, and the more conservative coalition is getting rid of the ban on cigarette sales in order to bring in more revenue and make tax cuts possible.
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Moving on now to a story about holiday spending. It's that time of year when stores are amping up their Black Friday through Cyber Monday sales, and every online purchase you've ever made comes back to haunt you in your email inbox with some kind of screaming discount. Maybe helpful if you have holiday shopping to do, but also, aggressive, and easy to end up buying things you don't really need. "Vox" has a nice series out called "Buy Less Stuff," for anyone looking to break up with modern consumer culture, or at the very least, be more mindful about it.
One of the pieces is focused on how to talk to kids about all this. It looks at how our materialistic culture can be really damaging for young minds. Research shows a focus on money and buying stuff is linked to lower academic achievement and engagement, as well as anxiety, depression, and selfishness. "Vox" spoke with experts and came up with some tips on how to help kids deal with the onslaught of marketing.
First, talk to your kids about ads. Even if they're watching shows on ad-free streaming services, they're still exposed to a lot of consumer content on social media, or through those creepy unboxing videos. Having honest conversations early about when something is designed to sell to you can help children develop some healthy skepticism.
It's also a good exercise to ask kids why they want something. One marketing professor says, a good question to ask is: What changes do they expect in their life after they get something. This exercise forces people to think harder about material possessions. They might wind up more determined to have it. Or they may realize they didn't really need the thing after all.
And like all things in parenting, we need to model the behavior we want to see in our kids. So, if you want to teach them to be more mindful about accumulating stuff, they can't see packages showing up for their parents every day.
There's so much more in this series that's helpful as we get deeper into the holiday season. You can read more in the Apple News app.
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Apart from shopping, another big part of the holiday season is travel. Now, hopefully you made it home from Thanksgiving with all your luggage. The vast majority of luggage gets where it's supposed to go. But U.S. airlines lose two million bags a year. "NPR" looks at what happens to the bags that never get reunited with their traveler. They're ultimately put up for sale at a giant store in Scottsboro, Alabama.
Airlines take three months to try to reunite lost luggage with owners. They're on the hook to reimburse travelers for up to $3,800 for lost luggage. But for suitcases that don't make it home, this store, which is called Unclaimed Baggage, buys the stuff and sells it. It's one of the top tourist destinations in Alabama with a million people stopping by every year.
It's laid out kinda like a department store. It's got fitting rooms and everything, and all the items are priced at a steep discount from retail. So, you can find some high-end goods for pretty cheap, like Louis Vuitton handbags and Prada shoes. Employee Sonni Hood told "NPR" the electronics section is particularly popular. All of the devices have been wiped of any personal data.
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Sonni Hood: So, anything from cellphones and laptops, tablets, headphones. You name it. This is where guests are going to find these items.
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And some pretty unusual stuff shows up too, from a Jim Henson puppet to a suit of armor. The store has had enough bizarre things pass through to start a museum inside, celebrating the most interesting items left behind.
You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a Narrated Article coming up next from "Vogue." It talks to Lauren Sánchez, fiancée of Jeff Bezos, about space exploration and life in the spotlight. If you're listening in the Podcasts app, follow Apple News+ Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.
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