Lead Story
Trump announces deal for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
President Trump said on July 30 that an agreement had been reached for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, calling it a critical step toward the territory being governed by a new Palestinian administration working with his "Board of Peace." Under the deal, Gaza's police force is expected to hand weapons to the Board of Peace-backed administration within two weeks, though officials could not give a timeline for disarming Hamas's fighters or heavier weaponry, and the plan does not yet cover armed groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Neither Hamas nor Israel immediately confirmed acceptance of the terms, and the announcement comes roughly nine months after the original U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Analysts cautioned that significant hurdles and an uncertain timeline remain before the war is fully wound down.
Read more →Lead Story
Trump announces deal for Hamas disarmament and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
President Trump said on July 30 that an agreement had been reached for the "complete disarmament" of Hamas and a phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, calling it a critical step toward the territory being governed by a new Palestinian administration working with his "Board of Peace." Under the deal, Gaza's police force is expected to hand weapons to the Board of Peace-backed administration within two weeks, though officials could not give a timeline for disarming Hamas's fighters or heavier weaponry, and the plan does not yet cover armed groups such as Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Neither Hamas nor Israel immediately confirmed acceptance of the terms, and the announcement comes roughly nine months after the original U.S.-brokered ceasefire was signed. Analysts cautioned that significant hurdles and an uncertain timeline remain before the war is fully wound down.
Japan earthquake death toll climbs to 35 as Kumamoto rescue effort winds down
The death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on July 28 rose to 35 on the morning of July 31, prefectural officials said, with some deaths still under investigation to confirm they were quake-related. The disaster triggered a collapse and explosion at the AEON Mall in Kashima that killed at least seven people, while eight more died at a Nippon Paper Industries mill in Yatsushiro; roughly 260,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders. Other damage included partial collapses at Kumamoto Castle and Yatsushiro Shrine, a section of the Kyushu Expressway viaduct that came down, and a freight train derailment. Rescuers have continued working through aftershocks, though hope of finding further survivors is fading as the search effort enters its fourth day.
Read more →Japan earthquake death toll climbs to 35 as Kumamoto rescue effort winds down
The death toll from the magnitude 7.1 earthquake that struck Kumamoto Prefecture on Japan's southern island of Kyushu on July 28 rose to 35 on the morning of July 31, prefectural officials said, with some deaths still under investigation to confirm they were quake-related. The disaster triggered a collapse and explosion at the AEON Mall in Kashima that killed at least seven people, while eight more died at a Nippon Paper Industries mill in Yatsushiro; roughly 260,000 residents were placed under evacuation orders. Other damage included partial collapses at Kumamoto Castle and Yatsushiro Shrine, a section of the Kyushu Expressway viaduct that came down, and a freight train derailment. Rescuers have continued working through aftershocks, though hope of finding further survivors is fading as the search effort enters its fourth day.
US launches 'heavy wave' of strikes on Iran after intercepted missile attack on Jordan base
U.S. Central Command said it completed a two-hour "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran late on July 29, hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime assets. The strikes came after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan on July 28 — its first such attack since Washington had paused strikes — all of which CENTCOM said were intercepted with no American casualties. The exchange marks a sharp escalation of the on-again, off-again conflict that began in February 2026 and has centered on Iranian threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade passes. Iranian officials reported civilian casualties from the U.S. strikes, including children pulled from rubble in at least one residential area.
Read more →US launches 'heavy wave' of strikes on Iran after intercepted missile attack on Jordan base
U.S. Central Command said it completed a two-hour "heavy wave" of strikes against Iran late on July 29, hitting dozens of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps targets including military command centers, missile and drone facilities, coastal surveillance sites, and maritime assets. The strikes came after Iran fired ballistic missiles at a U.S. base in Jordan on July 28 — its first such attack since Washington had paused strikes — all of which CENTCOM said were intercepted with no American casualties. The exchange marks a sharp escalation of the on-again, off-again conflict that began in February 2026 and has centered on Iranian threats to shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, through which roughly a quarter of the world's seaborne oil trade passes. Iranian officials reported civilian casualties from the U.S. strikes, including children pulled from rubble in at least one residential area.
Russian barrage kills eight across Ukraine as missile destroys US-owned drone factory in Kyiv
A Russian ballistic missile and drone barrage overnight into July 30 killed at least eight people, including a 6-year-old girl and two teenage boys, and wounded more than 50 across Ukraine, with the heaviest toll in the Dnipropetrovsk region; the attack was large enough to trigger air raid alerts across the border in eastern Poland. Separately, a Russian ballistic missile destroyed a Kyiv factory belonging to Terminal Autonomy, a Delaware-registered American company that produced AI-guided AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet strike drones designed to resist Russian jamming — the first known Russian strike on a U.S.-owned company since the war began. No one was killed in the factory strike, according to a source familiar with the company. The attacks came as Moscow steps up near-daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, exploiting Kyiv's shortage of Western-supplied air-defense interceptors.
Read more →Russian barrage kills eight across Ukraine as missile destroys US-owned drone factory in Kyiv
A Russian ballistic missile and drone barrage overnight into July 30 killed at least eight people, including a 6-year-old girl and two teenage boys, and wounded more than 50 across Ukraine, with the heaviest toll in the Dnipropetrovsk region; the attack was large enough to trigger air raid alerts across the border in eastern Poland. Separately, a Russian ballistic missile destroyed a Kyiv factory belonging to Terminal Autonomy, a Delaware-registered American company that produced AI-guided AQ-400 Scythe and AQ-100 Bayonet strike drones designed to resist Russian jamming — the first known Russian strike on a U.S.-owned company since the war began. No one was killed in the factory strike, according to a source familiar with the company. The attacks came as Moscow steps up near-daily bombardment of Ukrainian cities, exploiting Kyiv's shortage of Western-supplied air-defense interceptors.
DRC Ebola outbreak becomes fastest-growing on record as cases top 3,300
The Ebola epidemic centered in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record, with the DRC reporting 3,360 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths as of July 28, including 50 deaths in a single 24-hour period. Driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, the outbreak — declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on May 16 — is now the third-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded and has spread internationally, with cases confirmed among healthcare and humanitarian workers in France and Germany. Neighboring Uganda, which had recorded 20 cases and two deaths, declared its own outbreak over on July 28 after 12 days without a new case. The U.N. has appointed veteran humanitarian official Julien Harneis to coordinate the international response as containment efforts continue across Central Africa.
Read more →DRC Ebola outbreak becomes fastest-growing on record as cases top 3,300
The Ebola epidemic centered in Ituri Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the fastest-growing outbreak of the disease on record, with the DRC reporting 3,360 confirmed cases and 1,487 deaths as of July 28, including 50 deaths in a single 24-hour period. Driven by the rare Bundibugyo virus strain, the outbreak — declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the World Health Organization on May 16 — is now the third-largest Ebola epidemic ever recorded and has spread internationally, with cases confirmed among healthcare and humanitarian workers in France and Germany. Neighboring Uganda, which had recorded 20 cases and two deaths, declared its own outbreak over on July 28 after 12 days without a new case. The U.N. has appointed veteran humanitarian official Julien Harneis to coordinate the international response as containment efforts continue across Central Africa.