World

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with key negotiators Thursday to discuss a Mideast cease-fire during a stop in the negotiating hub of Qatar. The parties have spent months trying to broker an end to hostilities in Gaza and Lebanon and bring home about 100 hostages believed to still be held in Gaza. VOA White House correspondent Anita Powell has the story.

Human rights groups are praising an opera that celebrates the life of gay freedom fighter Simon Nkoli. October is South Africa’s Pride Month, and the production, which is the brainchild of internationally acclaimed composer Philip Miller, who authored the work, was staged at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town to mark the occasion. VOA Correspondent Vicky Stark reports.