Egypt’s president told a summit of world leaders yesterday that U.S. President Donald Trump’s Mideast proposal represents the “last chance” for peace in the region. The summit in the Egyptian town of Sharm el-Sheikh was aimed at supporting the ceasefire reached in Gaza, ending the Israel-Hamas war, and developing a long-term vision for governing and rebuilding the devastated Palestinian territory. In his address, Mr. Trump called for a new era of harmony in the Middle East. – The Associated Press

News outlets from both sides of the political aisle, including the New York Times and Newsmax, have rejected the Pentagon’s new press rules. Reporters have until today to sign a document agreeing to be escorted in unclassified areas and allowing their credentials to be revoked if they publish any information not approved for release. Many say the restrictions violate constitutional freedoms and hinder reporting on the U.S. military, which risks troops’ lives and is funded by some $1 trillion in taxpayer dollars. – Staff

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy will begin serving a five-year prison sentence at Paris’ La Santé Prison on Oct. 21, prosecutors announced yesterday. Last month, a court found him guilty of criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain campaign financing from late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi. Mr. Sarkozy becomes the first postwar leader and former head of a European Union country to go to prison. He has said he plans to appeal the judge’s ruling. – Staff

Washington and Beijing began charging additional port fees today on ocean shipping firms that move everything from holiday toys to crude oil. That makes the high seas a key front in the trade war between the world’s two largest economies. In a reprisal against China curbing exports of critical minerals, President Trump on Friday threatened to levy additional 100% tariffs on goods from China and put new export controls on “any and all critical software” by Nov. 1. – Reuters

Youth-led protests in Madagascar escalated over the weekend when military units defected and joined the demonstrators. In a speech broadcast on social media late yesterday, President Andry Rajoelina said he had fled the country for his safety. Protests began on Sept. 25 over water and power cuts and spread amid frustration over corruption and poor economic conditions. So-called Gen Z protests demanding accountability have shaken countries from Nepal to Morocco in recent weeks. – Staff

Rescue teams in Alaska brought dozens of people to safety on Sunday after the remnants of Typhoon Halong swept through coastal villages. Crews used small planes and helicopters to reach the towns of Kipnuk and Kwigillingok, where they rescued more than 50 people and two dogs. One person had died and two remained missing on Monday. “Seeing Alaskans care for one another in this storm gives me hope,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. – Staff

Cape Verde qualified for its first ever FIFA World Cup yesterday, becoming the world’s second-smallest country to reach the soccer tournament. The achievement owes much to the far-flung Cabo Verdean diaspora, with players reconnecting with their roots to represent the African island nation. “We’re all over the world,” defender Pico Lopes, born and raised in Ireland, told the BBC. “It’s great what we can achieve when we’re together.” – Staff

The long-awaited day that saw the return of surviving Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners included an early indication of the tough challenges that await Donald Trump’s Gaza plan. Yet on a whirlwind trip to Israel and Egypt, the U.S. president said the time for peace is now.

The repercussions of government shutdowns affect all Americans. But for military families, who sacrifice to serve the country, the risk of losing pay over politics seems an unnecessary source of stress.

The winner of this year’s Nobel Peace Prize, Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado, has many striking similarities to two previous winners: Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi and Iran’s Narges Mohammadi. Yes, all three are women. Yes, all are champions for democracy inside dictatorships. And all are either in prison or in hiding.

On those aspects alone, they are worthy of a Nobel and inspiring to millions of followers. Yet what really links them in a meaningful way is how they describe a mental strength that helps them stand for civic virtues such as individual freedom and democratic equality.

Perhaps Ms. Suu Kyi best describes how pro-democracy dissidents rely on each other for what she calls a spiritual freedom from fear. In 2011, she spoke of what helps sustain her during long confinements: “I felt almost as a physical force the strong bond that linked those of us who had only our inner resources to fall back on when we were most in need of strength and endurance.”

She tells the people of Myanmar to “live like free people in an unfree nation.” The winner of the 1991 Peace Prize said she has “always been free” in her own mind and finds no need to forgive the rulers who arrested her because, “I don’t think they really did anything to me.”

In Iran, Ms. Mohammadi wrote a two-part book on how women dissidents endure torture and other cruelties in prison. She found they turn humiliation into a “spiritual experience” to make themselves stronger. Some find “certainty in the ultimate victory of truth.”

“The Islamic regime cannot separate a woman from her love for her family, her fellow citizens, or her God,” she wrote.

In Venezuela, as the Nobel committee put it, Ms. Machado has kept “the flame of democracy burning against a growing darkness” under the 12-year rule of President Nicolás Maduro. She describes her efforts as a spiritual struggle that endures “because truth persists until it prevails.” In the face of a regime that relies on fear and division, she says she does not divide people into friends or enemies. “They are all citizens,” she told Forbes.

“This country is not polarized, it is profoundly united. In the pain that it feels, but also in hope. Our hope is certain, it is growing, and they will not stop it.”

Add humility to Ms. Machado’s traits. When told of winning the Nobel, she said it was the achievement of a whole society. “I am just one person. I certainly do not deserve this,” she said in a video message.