Following are the top foreign stories at 2000 hours

     FGN48: POPE-LD-JOURNALISTS
     *World needs free, rigorous & objective information: Pope Leo
     Vatican City: The world needs free, rigorous and objective journalism, otherwise people will be unable to distinguish between "fact and fiction" and "true and false", as in totalitarian rules, Pope Leo said on Thursday.

     FGN50: CHINA-RARE EARTHS
     China clamps down more curbs on export of rare-earth technologies
     Beijing: China, which virtually holds a monopoly over rare earth materials, on Thursday announced further export controls for mining and processing the minerals, alleging that unnamed foreign firms are using its supplies for military purposes.

     FGN55: CHINA-INDIA-LD FLIGHTS
     China says resumption of direct flights with India positive move to improve ties
     Beijing: China on Thursday described the resumption of direct flights with India after a five-year hiatus as a positive step, saying it demonstrated that both countries are "faithfully acting" on the understandings reached between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Xi Jinping to strengthen bilateral ties.

     FGN41: US-TRUMP-INDOPAK
     Trump again claims he pushed India, Pakistan to peace through trade pressure, tariff threats
     Washington: US President Donald Trump has again claimed that he played a key role in defusing tensions between India and Pakistan by threatening to impose massive tariffs on both countries, saying the move "stopped the fighting" between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.
         
     FGN66: NEPAL-PROTEST
     ‘Gen Z’ protesters arrested in Nepal for demanding ousted PM Oli's arrest
     Kathmandu: Nepal Police on Thursday arrested 18 activists belonging to the ‘Gen Z’ group, including Dr Nicholous Bhusal, who were protesting at Maitighar here demanding the arrest of deposed prime minister K P Sharma Oli and then home minister Ramesh Lekhak.

     FGN65: UK-INDIA-JOBS
     UK celebrates 6,900 new jobs from Indian cross-sector investments
     London: Britain on Thursday highlighted the job creation benefits accruing from 64 Indian investment projects worth 1.3 billion pounds announced during Prime Minister Keir Starmer's visit to Mumbai, which are expected to generate 6,900 new jobs across diverse sectors.

     FGN60: UN-INDIA-TANKHA
     India upholds rule of law as cornerstone of its national governance, enshrined in Constitution: Tankha
     United Nations: India has said that it upholds the rule of law as a cornerstone of its national governance, enshrined in its Constitution, as it underlined its commitment to safeguarding national security and contributing meaningfully to global peace and security.
         
     FGN43: UK-GAZA-REAX
     UK welcomes ‘moment of profound relief’ with Gaza peace plan
     London: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, who is on an India visit, welcomed an agreement on the first phase of the Gaza peace plan to halt Israel-Hamas hostilities on Thursday as a “moment of profound relief”.

     FGN26: LANKA-INDIAN-FISHERMEN
     Sri Lankan Navy arrests 47 Indian fishermen
     Colombo: As many as 47 Indian fishermen were arrested and their five trawlers seized on Thursday at Talaimannar in northern Sri Lanka for alleged illegal fishing in the island nation’s waters, the Navy here said.
    
     FGN63: WASIA-WARS-2NDLD GAZA
     Israel, Hamas will exchange hostages, prisoners after agreeing to pause in war in Gaza
     Cairo: Israel and Hamas have agreed to a pause in their devastating two-year war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners - a breakthrough greeted with joy and relief Thursday but also caution.

     FGN62: NOBEL-2NDLD LITERATURE
     Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai wins Nobel Prize in literature
     Stockholm: Hungarian writer László Krasznahorkai, whose philosophical, bleakly funny novels often unfold in single sentences, won the Nobel Prize in literature Thursday for his "compelling and visionary oeuvre that, in the midst of apocalyptic terror, reaffirms the power of art.”(AP)*

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)