Iran says 'no specific date' for US nuclear talks
"For now, no specific date, time or location has been determined regarding this matter," said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei of plans for a meeting between Iran's top diplomat Abbas Araghchi and US envoy Steve Witkoff.
Araghchi and Witkoff met starting in April, without concluding a deal after five rounds of talks that were the highest-level contact between their two countries since Washington in 2018 abandoned a landmark nuclear agreement. The Omani-mediated negotiations were halted as Israel launched surprise strikes on the nuclear facilities of its staunch enemy Iran on June 13, starting a 12-day war which the United States later joined. AFP
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Express Tribune
an hour ago
- Express Tribune
At least 22 Palestinians killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza today
Listen to article At least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza so far today, medical sources said. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ministry of Health in Gaza has released a 2,086‑page list of 58,380 Palestinians killed since October 7, 2023, including the names, ages, genders and ID numbers of victims, on Thursday. About 953 of those listed were infants under one year old, with nine reportedly dying on the day they were born. The ministry announced that trucks carrying medical supplies and childhood vaccinations are expected to arrive 'later today' at Gaza hospitals via the World Health Organization and UNICEF. The statement urged 'all concerned parties' to ensure safe passage for the convoy. Aid group Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said its Khan Younis distribution centre will remain closed for maintenance on Thursday. On Wednesday, 20 people were killed there—15 in a stampede and suffocation following tear gas use—according to Gaza health officials. GHF confirmed the deaths but blamed Hamas‑affiliated individuals for stirring unrest and denied firing tear gas. UN reports have criticised GHF's sites as 'death traps,' with over 870 fatalities near its aid distribution points since late May. Aftermath of Israeli attack on UNRWA-run school Photo: [Eyad Baba/AFP] Palestinians salvage items after an Israeli strike on a tent camp at the UNRWA-run Abou Helou school for girls at the Bureij refugee camp [Eyad Baba/AFP] Photo: [Eyad Baba/AFP] Photo: [Eyad Baba/AFP] Israeli strike on Catholic church Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned an Israeli strike on Gaza's only Catholic church, saying it was 'unacceptable' after at least six people, including parish priest Gabriel Romanelli, were wounded. I raid israeliani su Gaza colpiscono anche la chiesa della Sacra Famiglia. Sono inaccettabili gli attacchi contro la popolazione civile che Israele sta portando avanti da mesi. Nessuna azione militare può giustificare un tale atteggiamento. — Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) July 17, 2025 The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem confirmed the Holy Family Church was hit by a military raid this morning. 'Currently, there are no fatalities confirmed,' the Patriarchate said in a statement, adding that further details would be provided once available. Parish priest of the Church of the Holy Family, father Gabriele Romanelli, receives medical attention after he suffered light leg injuries following an Israeli strike on the church, according to medics, at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City, in this still image taken from a video on July 17, 2025. — Reuters People carry the body of Palestinian Christian Saad Salama, who was killed in an Israeli strike on the Church of the Holy Family, at Al-Ahli Arab Hospital, in Gaza City. — Reuters Disabled, elderly, children worst hit by war The UN agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA) warned Thursday that Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza is disproportionately affecting vulnerable groups, including people with disabilities, the elderly and children. In a statement posted on X, the agency said over 83 percent of individuals with disabilities have lost access to assistive devices, while 80 percent of elderly residents are in urgent need of life-saving medication. In #Gaza, older persons, persons with disabilities, and children are disproportionately impacted by the ongoing war. The collapse of essential services and protection mechanisms has left them at heightened risk. The situation is critical. #CeasefireNow also for the most… — UNRWA (@UNRWA) July 17, 2025 Meanwhile, Pakistan's permanent representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, renewed Islamabad's demand for an 'immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire' in Gaza during a UN Security Council briefing on the humanitarian situation. 'The world cannot stand by as Gaza is starved and shattered,' the ambassador said in a post on X. 'Behind each number is a life: a person with a story, a dream extinguished & a family torn apart.' On another sweltering July morning, seven-month-old Salam lay motionless in her mother's trembling arms—her tiny ribs protruding like fragile twigs beneath skin drawn thin by hunger. Her sunken eyes, too weak to cry, flickered faintly as UNRWA health workers rushed to assist her… — Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN (@PakistanUN_NY) July 17, 2025 Ahmad reiterated that a just and lasting peace requires the realisation of a two-state solution based on pre-1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as the capital of a sovereign Palestinian state. Israeli troops wounded, West Bank raids intensify Two Israeli soldiers from the elite Battalion 202 paratrooper brigade were seriously injured during combat operations in northern Gaza, the Israeli military said. The wounded soldiers were evacuated to Israel for treatment, and their families have been notified. Further details were not disclosed. Meanwhile, Israeli forces arrested at least eight Palestinians during overnight raids across the occupied West Bank, according to Al Jazeera Arabic and the Palestinian news agency Wafa. In Bethlehem, a 58-year-old man and a 23-year-old were detained in separate operations. In Tubas, a Palestinian youth was injured by Israeli troops during a raid. In Qabatiya, near Jenin, one person was arrested and the homes of two Palestinians killed in previous encounters with Israeli forces were rigged with explosives for punitive demolition, Wafa reported. Raids also occurred in Kafr Jamal and Kafr Zibad, southeast of Qalqilya. In Washington, US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas are 'going well,' according to Reuters. He did not offer specifics but indicated cautious optimism over the ongoing talks. Israel's war on Gaza The Israeli army has launched a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing at least 57,481 Palestinians, including 134,592 children. More than 111,588 people have been injured, and over 14,222 are missing and presumed dead. Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave. The proposed deal includes a pause in hostilities, increased humanitarian aid, and negotiations on the release of captives.
Business Recorder
6 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Syria troops quit Druze heartland province after deadly clashes: monitor
SWEIDA: Syrian government forces have withdrawn from the whole of Sweida province after days of sectarian bloodshed in the heartland of the Druze minority, a war monitor and witnesses said Thursday. The pullout came after Islamist interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a televised address that 'responsibility' for security in Sweida would be handed to religious elders and some local factions 'based on the supreme national interest'. 'The Syrian authorities have withdrawn their military forces from the city of Sweida and the the whole province, and Druze fighters have deployed' in their place, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights head Rami Abdel Rahman told AFP. Government troops who had pulled out of the province told AFP that the order to withdraw came shortly before midnight (2100 GMT Wednesday) and they completed their pullout at dawn. 'The city of Sweida seems devoid of any government forces presence,' the editor in chief of the Suwayda 24 news website, Rayan Maarouf, told AFP. Government forces had deployed to the city on Tuesday with the stated aim of overseeing a truce, following days of deadly clashes between Druze fighters and Sunni Bedouin tribes. But witnesses said government forces had instead joined the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians. Neighbouring Israel responded with strikes on the Syrian military, including its headquarters in Damascus, which it warned would intensify until the Islamist-led government withdrew its forces from the south. Israel, which is home to around 150,000 Druze citizens, has repeatedly stated its intention to defend the Druze of Syria in bouts of sectarian violence that have broken out since the Islamist now in power in Damascus toppled longtime leader Bashar al-Assad in December. Israel army says struck 'military target' in area of Syrian presidential palace The Israeli military, which has taken control of the UN-monitored demilitarised zone on the Golan Heights and conducted hundreds of strikes on military targets in Syria, also says it will not allow any Syrian military presence on its border. Despite having initiated contact, Israel remains extremely wary of Syria's new rulers, including Sharaa whose Hayat Tahrir al-Sham movement was once linked to Al-Qaeda.
Express Tribune
11 hours ago
- Express Tribune
UK PM suspends several Labour rebels
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer suspended several lawmakers on Wednesday as he tried to reassert his authority over his ruling Labour party following a rebellion over welfare reforms. Starmer was forced to backtrack on plans to slash disability and sickness benefits earlier this month after dozens of his own MPs threatened to vote against the proposals. MPs Brian Leishman, Neil Duncan-Jordan, and Rachael Maskell said they had been suspended while the Times newspaper reported that Chris Hinchliff had suffered the same fate. All four voted against the welfare reforms on July 1 after Starmer made his authority-sapping climbdown to avoid a humiliating defeat in parliament. Leishman's office confirmed to AFP that the Scottish MP had been temporarily suspended from the party. Duncan-Jordan, the representative for Poole in southern England, said he understood that voting against the government "could come at a cost, but I couldn't support making disabled people poorer". Starmer has endured a difficult first year in power and has made several damaging U-turns in recent weeks. Political scientist Steven Fielding said the purge was a bid by Starmer to reinforce party discipline. "He wants to send a signal to all the others that rebelled over the welfare bill and have rebelled on other things that, 'Okay, you've got away with this one, but if you keep going, this is going to be your fate,'" Fielding told AFP. But the University of Nottingham politics professor added it was a risky strategy considering the large numbers of lawmakers who had opposed the welfare reforms.
