Al Jazeera v Associated Press

Al Jazeera

The parents and their six children were killed in Deir el-Balah in the central part of the Strip, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital said. The grandfather of the children said their mother worked for the United Nations. “My daughter, together with her husband and six children, was sleeping peacefully at home in Dier al-Balah. They were taken by surprise, an Israeli missile landed over their heads. The entire house was flattened. They were all killed,” Mohammed Awad Khattab told Al Jazeera.

Al Jazeera

Four of her children were twins and they have been lined up together in order to be buried in cemeteries here in this town.

Al Jazeera

“We have seen really heartbreaking scenes this morning with dozens of bodies lined up in the morgue outside Al-Aqsa Hospital. There has been a remarkable surge in Israeli strikes in Deir el-Balah where Palestinians were told to seek refuge,” Abu Azzoum added.

Al Jazeera

Mohammed Moghayyar, the director of operations at Gaza Civil Defence, told Al Jazeera that Israel reducing the size of the humanitarian zone has cut off crucial facilities such as hospitals and increased the risk of diseases spreading.

Associated Press

A joint statement by mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar after two days of talks said a proposal to bridge gaps was presented and they expect to work out implementation details next week in Cairo.

Associated Press

Among those killed was Sami Jawad al-Ejlah, a wholesaler who coordinated with the Israeli military to bring meat and fish to Gaza. The dead also included his two wives, 11 of their children ages 2 to 22, the children’s grandmother and three other relatives, according to a list provided by the hospital.

Associated Press

The mediation efforts aim to secure the release of scores of Israeli hostages and stop the fighting that has devastated Gaza, where the death toll has surpassed 40,000 and a possible polio outbreak is feared.

Al Jazeera

Hamas said in a statement Sunday that the group remains committed to a plan announced by US President Joe Biden in late May and called on mediators to oblige Israel to implement the proposal. However, the Palestinian group made clear that it was opposed to what it says it has briefed on about the deal under discussion at the talks held in Doha last week.

Associated Press

Late last week, the three countries mediating the proposed cease-fire reported progress on a deal under which Israel would halt most military operations in Gaza and release a number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of hostages held by Hamas.

Al Jazeera

“We hold Netanyahu fully responsible for thwarting the mediators’ efforts, obstructing reaching an agreement, and fully responsible for the lives of his prisoners who are exposed to the same danger that our people are exposed to, as a result of his continued aggression and systematic targeting of all aspects of life in the Gaza Strip.”

Associated Press

A senior official traveling with Blinken said his arrival in the region comes at a “critical time” in the cease-fire talks and the secretary would will press all parties on the importance of concluding it quickly to end civilian suffering in Gaza and prevent the conflict from engulfing the region.

Al Jazeera

The new proposal responds to [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu’s conditions and aligns with them, especially his rejection of a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and his insistence on continuing to occupy the Netzarim Junction, the Rafah Crossing, and the Philadelphi Corridor.

Associated Press

Shortly before Blinken arrived in Tel Aviv, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a Cabinet meeting there are areas where Israel can be flexible and unspecified areas where it won’t be.

Al Jazeera

Hamas’s political chief Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran.

Al Jazeera

The US-backed plan would see a multiphased effort to end the war, starting with a six-week pause in fighting that would enable the release of some Israeli captives held in Gaza and Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Al Jazeera

Hamas has said it would only agree to a deal that would lead to a permanent ceasefire, the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and a “serious” prisoner exchange.

Al Jazeera

For its part, Israel has not articulated a clear vision for ending the war. While some Israeli officials have said they back the proposed ceasefire, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly stressed that the war will go on until his country achieves “total victory”.

Associated Press

The documents show that at several points Hamas attempted to add additional guarantors — including Russia, Turkey and the United Nations — but Israel’s responses always included only the existing mediators, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Associated Press

Hamas is especially resistant to Israel’s demand that it maintain a lasting military presence in two strategic areas of Gaza after any cease-fire, conditions only made public in recent weeks.

Associated Press

The official offered the assessment on condition of anonymity in order to share information not made public. The documents show that at several points Hamas attempted to add additional guarantors — including Russia, Turkey and the United Nations — but Israel’s responses always included only the existing mediators, the U.S., Egypt and Qatar.

Associated Press

Hamdan said that CIA Director William Burns told Hamas via mediators at the time that Israel would agree to the deal. But, he said, “the Americans were unable to convince the Israelis. I think they did not pressure the Israelis.”

Al Jazeera

Officials say a new fast-spreading variant has been detected in the Democratic Republic of Congo and neighbouring countries.

Associated Press

The World Health Organization declared Wednesday that the increasing spread of mpox in Africa is a global health emergency, warning the virus might ultimately spill across international borders.

Associated Press

The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention declared mpox a public health emergency on the continent on Tuesday.

Associated Press

WHO said there have been more than 14,000 cases and 524 deaths in Africa this year, which already exceed last year’s figures. So far, more than 96% of all cases and deaths are in a single country — Congo.

Al Jazeera

He said 100 Russian soldiers had been captured in the surprise invasion, which began last week.

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said an incursion into the Russian region of Kursk has been achieving its strategic goals, with Russia swiftly pushing back on the claims.

Associated Press

Russian officials have also pushed back on the claims that Kyiv’s incursion was shifting the equation in the war, which has stretched on since Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

Associated Press

Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov described the situation there as 'extremely difficult and tense', saying attacks had destroyed homes and caused civilian casualties, unnerving locals.

Al Jazeera

The SBU said on Telegram that it had gathered information showing Russia may stage crimes that it would, in turn, blame on Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv regularly accuse each other of planning so-called false flag operations.

Associated Press

Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz said Monday that legal experts agree that “international law provides for a state that is defending itself also to defend itself on the territory of the attacker. That is clear from our point of view, too.”

Al Jazeera

Ukraine also announced it had evacuated 20,000 people from the Sumy region, which sits across the border from Kursk, as the fighting in the area intensified. Moscow and Kyiv have also accused each other of starting a fire on the grounds of Europe’s largest and now Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Station in Ukraine on Sunday with both sides reporting no sign of elevated radiation.

Associated Press

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that reinforcements sent to the area backed by air forces and artillery had fended off seven attacks by Ukrainian units near Martynovka, Borki and Korenevo during the previous 24 hours. The ministry said Russian forces also blocked an attempt by Ukrainian mobile groups to forge deep into Russian territory near Kauchuk.

Associated Press

Reem Abu Hayya, just three months old, was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip late Monday.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli attack on the school in Gaza City that killed more than 100 displaced Palestinians was ‘calculated’ to cause widespread loss of life, Al Jazeera probe finds.

Associated Press

Reem Abu Hayya, just three months old, was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip late Monday.

Al Jazeera

The investigation determined the attack was “deliberately timed to cause maximum casualties”, with a “large number of displaced people deliberately targeted,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Associated Press

Reem Abu Hayya, just three months old, was the only member of her family to survive an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip late Monday.

Al Jazeera

The investigation determined the attack was “deliberately timed to cause maximum casualties”, with a “large number of displaced people deliberately targeted,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

Al Jazeera

The SBU said on Telegram that it had gathered information showing Russia may stage crimes that it would, in turn, blame on Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv regularly accuse each other of planning so-called false flag operations.

Associated Press

Meanwhile, German Defense Ministry spokesperson Arne Collatz said Monday that legal experts agree that “international law provides for a state that is defending itself also to defend itself on the territory of the attacker. That is clear from our point of view, too.”

Associated Press

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview published Monday that the weapons provided by his country “cannot be used to attack Russia on its territory.”

Al Jazeera

The SBU said on Telegram that it had gathered information showing Russia may stage crimes that it would, in turn, blame on Ukraine. Moscow and Kyiv regularly accuse each other of planning so-called false flag operations.

Al Jazeera

Ukraine also announced it had evacuated 20,000 people from the Sumy region, which sits across the border from Kursk, as the fighting in the area intensified.

Associated Press

Russia’s Defense Ministry said Monday that reinforcements sent to the area backed by air forces and artillery had fended off seven attacks by Ukrainian units near Martynovka, Borki and Korenevo during the previous 24 hours.

Al Jazeera

A four-year-old boy and his 35-year-old father were killed in the attack on Sunday just east of Kyiv, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy claimed involved a North Korean-made missile.

Associated Press

Moscow’s overnight strike also included 57 Iranian-made attack drones that were launched across Ukraine, 53 of which were destroyed by air defences, Kyiv’s air force claimed.

Al Jazeera

A four-year-old boy and his 35-year-old father were killed in the attack on Sunday just east of Kyiv... “Three other people were injured, including a 12-year-old boy,” he said.

Associated Press

Moscow’s overnight strike also included 57 Iranian-made attack drones that were launched across Ukraine, 53 of which were destroyed by air defences, Kyiv’s air force claimed.

Associated Press

The Israeli military ordered more evacuations in southern Gaza city of Khan Younis early Sunday after a deadly airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in the north killed at least 80 Palestinians, according to local health authorities.

Associated Press

Palestinian health authorities say an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, killing more than 60 people.

Al Jazeera

The Gaza civil defence agency said more than 100 Palestinians were killed and dozens more were injured on Saturday when Israel launched an attack on al-Tabin school in Gaza City.

Al Jazeera

A deadly Israeli attack on a school in Gaza has renewed calls for the United States to stop providing staunch support for Israel, including weapons transfers that rights advocates say are fuelling atrocities in the Palestinian enclave.

Associated Press

Palestinian health authorities say an Israeli airstrike hit a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City, killing more than 60 people. The Health Ministry’s Ambulance and Emergency service said Saturday that the strike on the school also wounded at least 47 people.

Al Jazeera

“The US & allies are claiming a ceasefire is near. But all Palestinians see is more death, dislocation, & despair. The genocide continues,” James Zogby, co-founder and president of the Arab American Institute, wrote on social media.

Associated Press

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming it hit a Hamas command center within the school. It didn’t provide evidence.

Associated Press

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming it hit a Hamas command center within the school.

Associated Press

It was the latest of what the U.N. human rights office called “systematic attacks on schools” by Israel.

Associated Press

The Israeli military acknowledged it targeted the Tabeen school in central Gaza City, saying it hit a Hamas command center in a mosque in its compound and killed 19 Hamas and Islamic Jihad fighters.

Associated Press

Many of the casualties were women and children, he said.

Associated Press

The Israeli military acknowledged the strike, claiming it hit a Hamas command center within the school. It didn’t provide evidence.

Al Jazeera

Ismail al-Thawabta, the head of Gaza’s Government Media Office, told Al Jazeera that the Israeli army used three bombs weighing 2,000 pounds (907kg) each in its attack.

Al Jazeera

The Israeli military said its air forces struck a “command and control centre” that “served as a hideout for Hamas terrorists and commanders”.

Al Jazeera

Palestinian journalist Hossam Shabat reported that rescue teams were unable to help those trapped by the flames as the Israeli military cut water access to the area.

Al Jazeera

Many of the wounded rushed to the al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City were in a critical condition, said Al Jazeera’s Mahmoud, severely bleeding from shrapnel or severely burned from the fire that broke out from the bombardment. “Many are arriving either soaked in blood or already pronounced dead,” Mahmoud said, adding that the medical facility was on the brink of collapse and unable to provide adequate medical care.

Associated Press

The raid that began on Tuesday is the largest cross-border foray of the war and raises concerns about fighting spreading well beyond Ukraine. The strategic aims of the daring Ukrainian operation are unclear and there is little reliable information.

Al Jazeera

Ukraine is bracing for more Russian attacks in retaliation for its cross-border incursion into the Kursk region as Russia was moving in reinforcements, including troops, extra tanks, artillery and rocket systems, the authorities said.

Associated Press

In one video posted late Friday, soldiers purported to be from the 61st Brigade hold a Ukrainian flag appear to be standing outside a local Gazprom facility in Sudzha based on sign in the background.

Al Jazeera

On Friday, a Russian missile struck a supermarket in the Ukrainian town of Kostiantynivka in the front-line Donetsk region, killing at least 14 people and injuring 43 others, Ukrainian officials said.

Al Jazeera

Ukraine is bracing for more Russian attacks in retaliation for its cross-border incursion into the Kursk region as Russia was moving in reinforcements, including troops, extra tanks, artillery and rocket systems, the authorities said.

Al Jazeera

“Russian terrorists hit an ordinary supermarket and a post office. There are people under the rubble,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on X.

Associated Press

The Russian Defense Ministry on Saturday released footage it says shows military personnel and equipment deploying in the Kursk region intended to snuff out the Ukrainian forces that crossed over into Russia earlier this week.

Associated Press

Ukraine’s surprise cross-border incursion seen as a tactical reply to Russia’s grinding gains

Al Jazeera

Putin accuses Ukraine of major provocation in attack on Russia’s Kursk

Al Jazeera

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States was seeking an understanding from Ukraine on the incursion, and said it had had no advance knowledge of it. US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby stressed that Washington had not changed its policy on Ukraine’s use of US-supplied weaponry, which could be used only 'to target imminent threats just across the border'.

Al Jazeera

Witnesses interviewed on Russian television said they had fled border areas in cars under drone fire. A priest in Sudzha, Evgeny Shestopalov, said in a video shared by Russian media, that the town was 'on fire' and that residents unable to evacuate had taken shelter in his church.

Al Jazeera

Pro-Ukrainian forces, including units of Russians fighting on Ukraine’s side, such as the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, have made several brief incursions into Russia since then.

Associated Press

Former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont returned to the country on Thursday despite a pending arrest warrant. Puigdemont fled Spain after organizing an independence referendum in the wealthy Spanish region nearly seven years ago that was declared illegal.

Al Jazeera

Hopes that interim government under Muhammad Yunus can restore stability and address country’s inequalities. The student protests that have rocked Bangladesh since July 1 and led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee in the middle of the night in a helicopter to New Delhi have battered the domestic economy, with losses estimated at billions of dollars.

Associated Press

Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Muhammad Yunus appealed for calm Wednesday and urged all parties to help the country rebuild after weeks of violence that killed hundreds and prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Associated Press

Ailing opposition leader and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia urged people not to follow the path of destruction in Bangladesh as she addressed her supporters from a hospital bed at a rally in Dhaka. It was her first public speech since 2018, when she was convicted of corruption charges and jailed.

Al Jazeera

This level of political turmoil will have economic ramifications, Nadjibulla said. Even before the events of last weekend and the bloodshed, Zaved Akhtar, president of the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), was reported saying that the Bangladeshi economy had suffered losses of $10bn due to the student protests and the curfews and communication blackouts.

Associated Press

Bangladesh’s incoming interim leader Muhammad Yunus appealed for calm Wednesday and urged all parties to help the country rebuild after weeks of violence that killed hundreds and prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.

Al Jazeera

Ukrainian sources said the attack was a 'pre-emptive strike' ahead of a planned Russian invasion of the northern Ukrainian region of Sumy, which borders Kursk.

Associated Press

Kyiv has not commented on the incursion. In a video address to the nation late Thursday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not mention the fighting in the Kursk region but emphasized that 'Russia brought the war to our land, and it should feel what it has done.'

Al Jazeera

'On a tactical level, Russian resources, reserves will be distracted, are being distracted already,' he told Al Jazeera. Another observer said that despite heavy losses, the attack may pave the way for a larger strike in the forested, swampy region.

Associated Press

Kursk regional authorities reported Wednesday that at least five civilians, including two ambulance workers, were killed. Russia’s Health Ministry said 66 civilians, including nine children, have been wounded in the Kursk region in the three days of fighting.

Associated Press

The Kursk region’s acting governor, Alexei Smirnov, briefed Russian President Vladimir Putin on conditions there by video link Thursday. Smirnov said the region plans to equip gas stations with electronic warfare units and to provide them with unspecified armored defense.

Associated Press

The Israeli Supreme Court considered a petition Wednesday to shutter a desert military prison where soldiers have been accused of abusing Palestinians, as a new video emerged purporting to show the sexual assault of a Palestinian detainee. Rights groups have been engaged in a legal battle since June to shut down the detention facility, known as Sde Teiman, where Israel has held many Palestinians detained in Gaza during the 10-month war with Hamas.

Associated Press

A video purporting to reveal the assault shows a group of masked soldiers wresting a detainee from the ground, where he and other Palestinians appear to be lying face down in a fenced-in pen, their arms cuffed above their heads. The soldiers take the detainee to an area of the pen they appear to cordon off using shields. Footage then shows about eight soldiers and a dog with the detainee, largely hidden from view by shields held up by some of the soldiers.

Associated Press

The soldiers’ detention triggered angry protests by supporters, and at least two government ministers demanded their release. The response underscored tensions between the military command and hard-line nationalists in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government who advocate even harsher treatment of Palestinians detained from Gaza.

Associated Press

Most of the damage shown “appears to be the result of routine Ukrainian shelling and does not indicate that there was ground activity in the area,” it said in its daily report. Russian officials have not confirmed the gains.

Al Jazeera

Russia reports that fighting is continuing for a second day in the country’s Kursk border region following an incursion by Ukrainian forces. The Russian defence ministry said on Wednesday that its troops had prevented the pro-Kyiv forces from advancing deep into the country, while reporting it repelled aerial attacks overnight.

Associated Press

Responsibility for previous incursions into Russia’s Belgorod and Bryansk regions has been claimed by two murky groups: the Russian Volunteer Corps and the Freedom of Russia Legion, which are made up of Russian citizens and have fought alongside Ukrainian forces.

Al Jazeera

Russia reports fierce battles against invading Ukrainian forces

Associated Press

Neither claim could be independently verified.

Al Jazeera

Walz has previously attacked Trump and Vance as 'weird', a catchy insult that has been picked up by the Harris campaign, social media and Democratic activists.

Al Jazeera

A veteran of the US Army National Guard, Walz serves as co-chair of the Democratic National Convention’s rules committee.

Al Jazeera

Walz has long advocated for women’s reproductive rights and oversaw state approval of the right to abortion and protected gender-affirming care.

Associated Press

Former President Barack Obama and former first lady Michelle Obama have endorsed Kamala Harris in her White House bid, giving the vice president the expected but still crucial backing of the nation’s two most popular Democrats.

Associated Press

In his first public comments since his general election foe was set, JD Vance on Tuesday called Walz a choice that “highlights how radical Kamala Harris is.”

Associated Press

“Great choice,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer. “Having served for years with Tim in the House of Representatives, I can say without reservation: there’s no better person Vice President Harris could have picked to run and then govern alongside her,” said Sen. Chris Van Hollen, D-Md.

Associated Press

About 9 in 10 U.S. adults say they have a favorable opinion of military veterans, generally, according to an Ipsos poll conducted in 2024. About 8 in 10 say that about school teachers.

Associated Press

The students’ protests last month began with the demand for an end to a quota system for government jobs that they said was discriminatory.

Associated Press

The Supreme Court cut the veterans’ quota to 5% on July 21, but protests have continued to spread amid outrage over the violence. Authorities closed schools and universities across the country, blocked internet access and imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew.

Associated Press

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday offered to talk with student leaders, but a coordinator refused in a Facebook post.

Associated Press

Nahid Islam, a leading protest coordinator, wrote: “One cannot ask a killer government for justice or sit for talks with them. The time to ask forgiveness has passed. When there was still time, the government conducted block raids to arrest and torture students.”

Associated Press

Internet service has been restored and banks and offices have reopened, but tensions remain high.

Associated Press

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign declared Friday that she had secured enough votes from party delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

Al Jazeera

Kamala Harris has range. She can grill nominees for the Supreme Court or meet with foreign dignitaries, then pivot to hosting a Diwali celebration or dancing enthusiastically alongside an HBCU-styled marching band. It is a dexterity that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, developed as a person of color to navigate the corridors of power or Main Street in a nation where race and identity influence how one is received or embraced.

Associated Press

The announcement came after the campaign said earlier that it raised $310 million last month, an eyepopping sum showing that donors who once seemed spooked about the prospects for November’s election with President Joe Biden are now offering mountains of cash to boost his former No. 2. The haul by Harris, the Democratic National Committee and affiliated entities far outpaced Republican former President Donald Trump, whose campaign and assorted committees said they took in $138.7 million for July.

Al Jazeera

Kamala Harris has range. She can grill nominees for the Supreme Court or meet with foreign dignitaries, then pivot to hosting a Diwali celebration or dancing enthusiastically alongside an HBCU-styled marching band. It is a dexterity that Harris, the first Black woman and Asian American to serve as vice president, developed as a person of color to navigate the corridors of power or Main Street in a nation where race and identity influence how one is received or embraced.

Al Jazeera

Kyle Rittenhouse, who was embraced by Trump after shooting three men during a 2020 protest against police brutality in Wisconsin, won’t be returning the favor with his vote this fall. The 21-year-old, who was acquitted of all charges in the Kenosha shootings, said he plans to write in a libertarian candidate instead — former U.S. Rep.

Associated Press

Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign declared Friday that she had secured enough votes from party delegates to become the Democratic presidential nominee.

Al Jazeera

Southport stabbing: Why are knife crimes on the rise in the UK?

Associated Press

UK police brace for more far-right protests as government warns of tough response

Al Jazeera

Bebe King, six, and Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, passed on Monday. A third girl, Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine, succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday. Eight other children, five of whom are in critical condition, were also injured.

Associated Press

Several suspects arrested in violent protests that erupted after the fatal stabbing of three children in northwest England made court appearances Friday as officials braced for more clashes that Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned and blamed on “far-right hatred.”

Associated Press

A violent demonstration in Southport on Tuesday was followed by others around the country — fueled in part by online misinformation that said the attacker was Muslim and an immigrant. Rudakubana was born in Britain to Rwandan parents and lived close to the scene of the attack.

Associated Press

The conversation comes as U.S., Egyptian and Qatari mediators are scrambling to salvage talks in the wake of back-to-back killings of Hamas’ top political leader in Iran and a Hezbollah commander in Lebanon.

Associated Press

Israel’s military has claimed a Palestinian reporter for Al Jazeera killed in an airstrike targeting his vehicle in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday was a Hamas militant, without providing evidence.

Associated Press

The region is bracing for a potential conflagration following the two killings.

Al Jazeera

From ‘Bridge of Spies’ at height of Cold War to last year’s US-Iran deal, our recap of the most significant exchanges. This week’s prisoner exchange between Russia and the West was a historic moment, the largest swap in post-Soviet times, involving 24 prisoners.

Associated Press

This photo combination shows, clockwise from top left: Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, corporate security executive Paul Whelan, former head of Open Russia movement Andrei Pivovarov, Russian opposition activist Vladimir Kara-Murza, Prague-based editor for the U.S. government-funded Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty’s Tatar-Bashkir service Alsu Kurmasheva, and Lilia Chanysheva, former coordinator of regional offices of the late opposition figure Alexei Navalny.

Associated Press

Gershkovich was arrested March 29, 2023, while on a reporting trip to the Ural Mountains city of Yekaterinburg. Authorities claimed, without offering any evidence, that he was gathering secret information for the U.S. The son of Soviet emigres who settled in New Jersey, he moved to Russia in 2017 to work for The Moscow Times newspaper before being hired by the Journal in 2022. Gershkovich was designated as wrongfully detained, as was Whelan, who was detained in December 2018 after traveling to Russia for a wedding.

Al Jazeera

US President Joe Biden called the Ankara-brokered deal a “feat of diplomacy”. Does the swap augur a thawing of relations between Russia and the West, in particular over the former’s war on Ukraine?

Associated Press

Speculation had mounted for weeks that a swap was near because of a confluence of unusual developments, including a startlingly quick trial for Gershkovich, which Washington regarded as a sham. He was sentenced to 16 years in a maximum-security prison.

Al Jazeera

Prosecutors in the United Kingdom have charged a 17-year-old with murder and attempted murder over a knife attack that left three girls dead and wounded 10 others in the seaside town of Southport in northwest England. The charges on Thursday came as Southport cleaned up after a bout of far-right violence that included clashes at a mosque, and agitators – fired up by false claims the assailant was an asylum-seeker – confronted the police near the prime minister’s residence in London.

Associated Press

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, died from their injuries, police said. “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our princess,” Aguiar’s parents said in a statement released by police. “Like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that.”

Associated Press

An emotional crowd that gathered in Southport outside The Atkinson theater and museum in the early evening held a minute of silence for the victims.

Al Jazeera

More than 100 people were arrested for offences including violent disorder and assault on an emergency worker, London’s Metropolitan Police force said.

Associated Press

Witnesses described hearing screams and seeing children covered in blood in the mayhem outside the Hart Space, a community center that hosts everything from pregnancy workshops to women’s boot camps. Joel Verite, a window cleaner riding in a van on his lunch break, said his colleague slammed on the brakes and reversed to where a woman was hanging on the side of a car covered in blood. “She just screamed at me: ‘He’s killing kids over there. He’s killing kids over there,’” Verite told Sky News.

Al Jazeera

“It’s horrendous what those hooligans have done last night,” he said. “But none of those people were the people of Southport,” he added. “The people of Southport are the ones here today cleaning the mess up.”

Associated Press

The prime minister was jeered by some as he visited the crime scene and lay a wreath of pink and white flowers with a handwritten note that said: “Our hearts are broken, there are no words for such profound loss. The nation’s thoughts are with you.”

Al Jazeera

As the spectre of all-out war continues to creep over the region, some in Iran are also concerned about the conflict expanding. “I hope it won’t escalate much further and I believe we’re still not at the point of direct war, but a lot of it could depend on Iran’s response as well,” said a 24-year-old woman in Tehran who asked not to be named.

Associated Press

Haniyeh’s killing could also prompt Hamas to pull out of negotiations for a cease-fire and hostage release deal in the 10-month-old war in Gaza, which U.S. mediators had said were making progress.

Al Jazeera

The stock market experienced a fall on Wednesday, with the benchmark index of the Tehran exchange finishing 2 percent lower than a day earlier as Iran headed into the weekend. The national currency, the rial, also slipped by about 3 percent to stand above the 600,000-mark for each US dollar.

Al Jazeera

Thousands poured into the streets of Tehran to join the funeral procession of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh as Iran weighs its options having promised to avenge his assassination.

Associated Press

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was killed by a predawn airstrike in the Iranian capital Wednesday, Iran and the militant group said, blaming Israel for a shock assassination that risks escalating the conflict even as the U.S. and other nations were scrambling to prevent an all-out regional war.

Associated Press

The strike came just after Haniyeh had attended the inauguration of Iran’s new president in Tehran — and only hours after Israel targeted a top commander in Iran’s ally Hezbollah in the Lebanese capital Beirut.

Associated Press

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today as the U.N.’s top leader presses for international action to keep Mideast tensions from boiling over. Secretary-General António Guterres sees the airstrikes in Tehran and Beirut as 'a dangerous escalation,' spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says. Iran requested the emergency meeting. It pressed the U.N.’s most powerful body to address 'Israeli aggression and terrorist attacks.'

Associated Press

The U.N. Security Council will hold an emergency meeting today as the U.N.’s top leader presses for international action to keep Mideast tensions from boiling over. Secretary-General António Guterres sees the airstrikes in Tehran and Beirut as 'a dangerous escalation,' spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric says.

Associated Press

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh was assassinated in Tehran, Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard said early Wednesday, and Hamas blamed Israel for the attack.

Associated Press

Donald Trump falsely questioned Kamala Harris’ race during an appearance with the National Association of Black Journalists in Chicago that quickly turned hostile.

Al Jazeera

Former United States President Donald Trump has questioned whether his Democratic rival Kamala Harris is 'Indian or Black', as the 2024 Republican presidential nominee made a contentious appearance at a Black journalists’ convention.

Associated Press

Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother, both immigrants to the U.S. As an undergraduate, Harris attended Howard University, one of the nation’s most prominent historically Black colleges and universities, where she also pledged the historically Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. As a U.S. senator, Harris was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, supporting her colleagues’ legislation to strengthen voting rights and reform policing.

Al Jazeera

Since launching her White House campaign earlier this month after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race, Harris has faced a barrage of sexist and racist attacks online. Trump’s remarks on Wednesday were quickly condemned, with White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre labelling them 'repulsive' and 'insulting'. In a social media post, Stacey Plaskett, who represents the US Virgin Islands in the US House of Representatives, summed up Trump’s address as, 'Lies, Disrespectful, Lies, Ranting Lies, Race-baiting, Misinformation, Bigotry, Lies, Ignorance, Meandering Lies'. The exchange came a day after a series of opinion polls showed Harris had erased Trump’s lead in the race for the White House, closing the gap nationwide and in several key swing states as the November 5 vote nears.

Associated Press

Trump has repeatedly attacked his opponents and critics on the basis of race. He rose to prominence in Republican politics by propagating false theories that President Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, was not born in the United States. 'Birtherism,' as it became known, was just the start of Trump’s history of questioning the credentials and qualifications of Black politicians. During this year’s Republican primary, he once referred to former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, the daughter of Indian immigrants, as 'Nimbra.'

Associated Press

Throughout the latest Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, now in its tenth month, the openly pro-Palestinian Al-Jazeera has accused Israel of targeting its journalists. In December, Samer Abudaqa, one of the network’s cameramen was killed in a strike. Wael Dahdouh, the outlet’s bureau chief in Gaza, was reporting in late October when he received word on air that his wife, daughter, a son and grandchild were killed in an Israeli airstrike. In January, a strike killed another of his sons, who was also working for Al-Jazeera.

Al Jazeera

Jodie Ginsberg, the president of the CPJ, said the killing of al-Ghoul and al-Refee is the latest example of the risks of documenting the war in Gaza, which is the deadliest conflict for journalists the organisation has documented in 30 years. Ginsberg told Al Jazeera the organisation has found at least three journalists have been directly targeted by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began. She said CPJ is investigating an additional 10 cases, while noting the difficulty of determining the full details without access to Gaza. “That’s not just a pattern we’ve seen in this conflict, it appears to be part of a broader [Israeli] strategy that aims to stifle the information coming out of Gaza,” Ginsberg said, citing the ban on Al Jazeera from reporting in Israel as part of this trend.

Associated Press

United Nations spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric called for a full investigation and accountability for the killings of the Al-Jazeera journalists and others, saying that journalists everywhere need to be protected.

Al Jazeera

Jodie Ginsberg, the president of the CPJ, said the killing of al-Ghoul and al-Refee is the latest example of the risks of documenting the war in Gaza, which is the deadliest conflict for journalists the organisation has documented in 30 years. Ginsberg told Al Jazeera the organisation has found at least three journalists have been directly targeted by Israeli forces in Gaza since the war began. She said CPJ is investigating an additional 10 cases, while noting the difficulty of determining the full details without access to Gaza. “That’s not just a pattern we’ve seen in this conflict, it appears to be part of a broader [Israeli] strategy that aims to stifle the information coming out of Gaza,” Ginsberg said, citing the ban on Al Jazeera from reporting in Israel as part of this trend.

Al Jazeera

Merseyside Police said that 22 officers were injured in Tuesday night’s violence, eight of them seriously.

Associated Press

Far-right protesters fueled by anger and false online rumors hurled bottles and stones at police, wounding more than 20 officers Tuesday outside a northwest England mosque near where three girls were fatally stabbed a day earlier.

Associated Press

Police previously said a suspect’s name circulating on social media was incorrect and the boy was born in Britain, contrary to online claims he was an asylum seeker.

Associated Press

Far-right protesters fueled by anger and false online rumors hurled bottles and stones at police, wounding more than 20 officers Tuesday outside a northwest England mosque near where three girls were fatally stabbed a day earlier.

Associated Press

Prime Minister Keir Starmer condemned the “thuggery” and said the crowd had hijacked what had earlier been a peaceful vigil attended by hundreds in the center of Southport to mourn the dead and 10 surviving stabbing victims, seven of whom were in critical condition.

Al Jazeera

A large crowd of far-right, anti-Muslim protesters has clashed with police in Southport in the northwest of England, hours after the town held a vigil for those killed and injured in a knife attack on a Taylor Swift-themed children’s dance and yoga class.

Associated Press

The Liverpool Region Mosque Network posted a statement decrying the “heinous” stabbing as an attack against society that was unconnected to Islam.

Al Jazeera

The blast was heard in Beirut’s southern suburbs at approximately 19:40 local time (16:40 GMT) on Tuesday evening.

Al Jazeera

a nearby hospital suffered minor damages.

Al Jazeera

the search for missing persons under the rubble continues.

Al Jazeera

It hit the Haret Hreik neighbourhood near Hezbollah’s Shura Council, its central decision-making authority.

Al Jazeera

Hezbollah has denied involvement in the attack.

Associated Press

Alice Dasilva Aguiar, 9, Elsie Dot Stancombe, 7, and Bebe King, 6, died from their injuries, police said. “Keep smiling and dancing like you love to do our princess,” Aguiar’s parents said in a statement released by police. “Like we said before to you, you’re always our princess and no one would change that.”

Associated Press

“It’s difficult to comprehend or put into words the horror of what happened,” Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said while briefing members of Parliament. “What should have been a joyful start to the summer turned into an unspeakable tragedy.”

Associated Press

Three young girls killed in a stabbing rampage at a dance class on the first day of summer vacation were mourned Tuesday as hundreds held a vigil in northwest England to support their families and 10 wounded survivors. A day earlier, the girls had taken part in a Taylor Swift-themed dance and yoga workshop when a person armed with a knife entered the studio and began a vicious attack, police said.

Associated Press

An emotional crowd that gathered in Southport outside the Atkinson theater and museum in the early evening held a minute of silence for the victims. June Burns, the mayor of neighboring Sefton, called for calm and respect and urged people to be good to one another. She said she was overcome with emotion when she visited the scene of the tragedy earlier.

Associated Press

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, third from left, observes floral tributes near the scene in Hart Street, where three children died and eight were injured in a knife attack during a Taylor Swift event at a dance school on Monday, in Southport, England, Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Al Jazeera

The attacks come amid growing worries over the threat that the war in Gaza could spark a regional conflict. Foreign intermediaries have reportedly pleaded with Hezbollah for restraint “so the conflict can be contained and not spiral out of control,” our correspondent said.

Associated Press

Thousands of mourners laid to rest on Monday the 12th victim of the strike. The body of 11-year-old Guevara Ibrahim was carried through the streets of Majdal Shams in a procession of black-clad mourners.

Al Jazeera

On Tuesday, Hezbollah claimed that its air defence units had repelled Israeli warplanes that broke the sound barrier over Lebanese airspace. The group said on Telegram that the aircraft were forced by fire “to retreat behind the borders inside occupied Palestine”.

Associated Press

Israel’s military says Hezbollah fired an Iranian-made Falaq rocket with a 53-kilogram (117-pound) warhead. More than 500 people, including 90 civilians, have been killed in Lebanon, as have 22 soldiers and 25 civilians on the Israeli side.

Al Jazeera

Pushed by his nationalist coalition partners, Netanyahu has employed hardline rhetoric over the attack in the Golan Heights. However, it’s widely thought that Israel is eager to avoid opening up another front as it continues to fight Hamas in Gaza and bombard the enclave.

Associated Press

Nearby, around 300 friends, supporters and relatives of the slain children protested against Netanyahu’s visit, shouting that he was exploiting the bloodshed for political gain and calling for an end to the violence. Some held up pictures of the children, saying they wanted no more deaths.

Associated Press

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said Israel “has the right to defend itself against the terrorist organization,” referring to Hezbollah, but added, “We still must work on a diplomatic solution to end these attacks, and we will continue to do that work.”

Associated Press

The strike hit an apartment building near to a hospital, collapsing half of the targeted building and severely damaging one next to it. The hospital sustained minor damages, while the surrounding streets were littered with debris and broken glass.

Associated Press

Hassan Noureddine said he was riding his motorcycle near the building when he heard the sound of two explosions. “It looked like a strike from a drone and not a jet,” Noureddine told the AP near the site of the attack.

Associated Press

Talal Hatoum, a local official with the Shiite Amal Movement, Hezbollah’s key political ally in Lebanon, said Tuesday’s attack marked a shift in the rules of engagement in the conflict because it caused a significant number of civilian casualties.

Associated Press

The Taylor Swift-themed workshop was held on the first week of school vacation for children aged about 6 to 11. An advertisement for the two-hour session promised yoga, dance and bracelet making.

Associated Press

Witnesses described hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing children covered in blood. “They were in the road, running from the nursery,” said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. “They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” indicating neck, back and chest.

Associated Press

Prime Minister Keir Starmer called the attack “horrendous and deeply shocking.”

Associated Press

“We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.

Associated Press

A teenage boy with a knife attacked a children’s dance and yoga class in northwest England on Monday, killing two children and wounding 11 other people in a “ferocious” rampage that sent bloodied children running into a street to escape the horror, police and witnesses said.

Associated Press

“We believe the adults who were injured were bravely trying to protect the children who were being attacked,” Police Chief Constable Serena Kennedy said.

Associated Press

A teenage boy with a knife attacked a children’s dance and yoga class in northwest England on Monday, killing two children and wounding 11 other people in a “ferocious” rampage that sent bloodied children running into a street to escape the horror, police and witnesses said.

Associated Press

Witnesses described hearing blood-curdling screams and seeing children covered in blood. “They were in the road, running from the nursery,” said Bare Varathan, who owns a shop nearby. “They had been stabbed, here, here, here, everywhere,” indicating neck, back and chest.

Associated Press

A rocket strike on Saturday which hit a soccer field in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights killed at least 11 children and teens, Israeli authorities said.

Al Jazeera

Israeli jets strike southern Lebanon after rocket attack kills 12 children in Golan Heights

Associated Press

A rocket strike Saturday at a soccer field killed at least 12 children and teens, Israeli authorities said, in the deadliest strike on an Israeli target along the country’s northern border since the fighting between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah began.

Al Jazeera

It’s cost far too many lives. We want to see Israelis, we want to see Palestinians, we want to see Lebanese live free from the threat of conflict and violence,” Blinken said, adding that the US is maintaining contact with the Israeli government. Reporting from Beirut in Lebanon, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr said the latest Israeli attacks were a message to Hezbollah, not the response it has promised.

Al Jazeera

In a video message from the site of the attack on Sunday morning, Israeli military chief Herzi Halevi reiterated the claim that an Iranian-made Falaq rocket – which has been employed by Hezbollah since the start of border fighting last October – carrying a 53kg (116 pounds) warhead hit the football field.

Associated Press

Israeli analysts said they doubted that Harris would present a dramatic shift in policies toward their country. Chuck Freilich, a former Israeli deputy national security adviser and senior fellow at the Institute for National Security Studies, a Tel Aviv think tank, said Harris was from a generation of American politicians who felt they could both support Israel and publicly criticize its policies. “The question is as president, what would she do?” Freilich said. “I think she would put considerably more pressure on Israel on the Palestinian issue overall.”

Associated Press

Two trains carrying Olympic athletes to Paris on the western Atlantique line were stopped hours before the opening ceremony, rail company SNCF said. One train was canceled, and authorities hope the other will become operational.

Associated Press

The 2024 Olympics are getting off to a rough start in Paris, with suspected acts of sabotage targeting France’s flagship high-speed rail network and cloudy skies and forecast rains ahead of its sprawling, ambitious opening ceremony.

Al Jazeera

Harris says she won’t be ‘silent’ on Gaza suffering after Netanyahu meeting

Associated Press

The parade starts at the Austerlitz Bridge beside the Jardin des Plantes and follows the course of the Seine from east to west. It makes its way around two islands in the center of the city before passing under several bridges and gateways.

Associated Press

A major disruption of train traffic plunged Paris into uncertainty only hours before the scheduled start of the ceremony. There were no immediate indication that what a government official was calling a series of “criminal fires” near the tracks would impact the start.

Associated Press

Light showers hit Paris on Friday morning with more forecasted for about the time the ceremony starts. It means there’s a good chance onlookers and athletes will get wet since there is no roof over the Seine.

Al Jazeera

The opening ceremony is being billed as the most sprawling and elaborate Olympic opening ever — a gala spectacular Friday evening on the River Seine that even French President Emmanuel Macron says initially felt like “a crazy and not very serious idea,” kicks off 16 days of competition that promise to be ground-breaking, with nearly every corner of the city hosting some aspect of competition.

Associated Press

Police deployed pepper spray Wednesday as a large crowd protesting Israel’s war in Gaza marched toward the U.S. Capitol, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s was speaking to Congress. Thousands of protesters descended on Washington, chanting “Free, Free Palestine” as some tried to block streets ahead of Netanyahu’s speech.

Al Jazeera

Outside the Capitol building, thousands of protesters rallied as Netanyahu spoke, denouncing what they called a “genocide” unfolding in Gaza. US Capitol Police issued a statement that, after some protesters became “violent”, its officers were forced to use pepper spray.

Al Jazeera

Outside the Capitol building, thousands of protesters rallied as Netanyahu spoke, denouncing what they called a “genocide” unfolding in Gaza.

Associated Press

Police deployed pepper spray Wednesday as a large crowd protesting Israel’s war in Gaza marched toward the U.S. Capitol, where Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s was speaking to Congress.

Associated Press

Freed former hostages of Hamas and families of hostages listened in the House chamber as Netanyahu spoke.

Al Jazeera

US President Joe Biden has held talks at the White House with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a day after thousands protested against the Israeli leader’s visit to the United States capital amid the Gaza war.

Associated Press

Harris said in remarks after what she called a “frank and constructive meeting” with the Israeli leader that she supports Israel’s right to defend itself, but said, “how it does so matters.” She expressed concern over the “devastating” humanitarian situation in Gaza and images of civilians killed in the conflict, saying, “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies.” She echoed Biden in calling for a swift cease-fire to end the fighting, at least for a time, to boost humanitarian aid to Gaza and release some of the most vulnerable hostages from Hamas captivity.

Al Jazeera

The talks come after the Israeli prime minister delivered a fiery defence of Israel’s war on Gaza, which has killed more than 39,000 Palestinians and created a humanitarian catastrophe.

Associated Press

She expressed concern over the “devastating” humanitarian situation in Gaza and images of civilians killed in the conflict, saying, “We cannot look away in the face of these tragedies.”

Associated Press

For Harris, the meeting with Netanyahu is an opportunity to demonstrate that she has the mettle to serve as commander in chief. She’s being scrutinized by those on the political left who say Biden hasn’t done enough to force Netanyahu to end the war and by Republicans looking to brand her as insufficient in her support for Israel.

Associated Press

Netanyahu is trying to navigate his own delicate political moment. He faces pressure from the families of hostages demanding a cease-fire agreement to bring their loved ones home and from far-right members of his governing coalition who demand he resist any deal that could keep Israeli forces from eliminating Hamas.

Associated Press

Typhoon Gaemi had swept up the western Pacific, intensifying seasonal rains earlier in the week in the Philippines, where the death toll climbed to 22.

Al Jazeera

Gaemi did not make landfall in the Philippines, but enhanced its seasonal monsoon rains and triggered flooding and landslides, killing at least 12 people by Wednesday, according to the national disaster management agency (NDRRMC) and local media reports.

Associated Press

In China’s coastal Fujian province, flights, trains and ferry services were canceled, and more than 240,000 residents were evacuated as the typhoon approached, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

Al Jazeera

Almost all domestic flights were cancelled as well as more than 200 international flights, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications.

Al Jazeera

The bodies of four people dug out from a landslide were recovered on Wednesday in Batangas province just south of the capital, Manila, according to ABS-CBN News. It reported that a child was electrocuted in central Cebu province during heavy rain.

Associated Press

Typhoon Gaemi struck Taiwan early Thursday, resulting in the deaths of three people and causing widespread disruption and damage. The storm brought powerful winds and heavy rain, prompting the cancellation of both domestic and international flights.

Associated Press

Demonstrators stage mass protest against Netanyahu visit and US military aid to Israel

Al Jazeera

Hundreds of advocates rallied at Capitol Hill on the eve of Netanyahu’s speech to urge an end to weapons transfers to Israel. Washington, DC – The rotunda of an office building in the United States Capitol complex filled in minutes with hundreds of people who appeared as if from nowhere, as part of a surprise protest against Israel’s war in Gaza.

Al Jazeera

The rotunda of an office building in the United States Capitol complex filled in minutes with hundreds of people who appeared as if from nowhere, as part of a surprise protest against Israel’s war in Gaza. “Let Gaza live,” they chanted in unison inside the Cannon House Office Building, removing their outer garments to reveal matching red T-shirts. One side of the shirt read, “Jews say stop arming Israel.” The other side: “Not in our name.”

Associated Press

Demonstrators stage mass protest against Netanyahu visit and US military aid to Israel

Al Jazeera

“Let Gaza live,” they chanted in unison inside the Cannon House Office Building, removing their outer garments to reveal matching red T-shirts. One side of the shirt read, “Jews say stop arming Israel.” The other side: “Not in our name.”

Associated Press

Demonstrators stage mass protest against Netanyahu visit and US military aid to Israel

Associated Press

The arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has touched off a flurry of protests in the nation’s capital, including a sit-in at a congressional office building that ended with multiple arrests. Some of the demonstrations have condemned Israel but others have expressed support while pressuring Netanyahu to strike a cease-fire deal and bring home the hostages still being held by Hamas.