JERUSALEM, July 29 – Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar delivered a formal reprimand to the ambassador of the Netherlands on Tuesday in response to Dutch criticism over the treatment of Palestinians and a travel ban against two members of the Israeli cabinet.
Saar said in a post on X that the Dutch government “chose to convert a long-standing friendship with Israel into open hostility towards it, precisely during its difficult time, probably out of political interests”.
The Dutch government, operating in a caretaker capacity after the coalition collapsed in June, said in a letter late on Monday that it would summon Israel’s ambassador to the Netherlands to denounce the “unbearable and indefensible” situation in Gaza.
It also imposed travel bans against two far-right Israeli cabinet ministers on accusations of repeated incitement against Palestinians. That follows similar moves last month against the two ministers, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, by Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Norway.
SUVA, July 29 – A young mother of two was mourned by her loved ones following her tragic death in what police believe to be a case of domestic violence.
Makelesi Balekana, 25, died after a violent altercation at her home in Lautoka.
“We just heard them arguing. Then it became a fight. Things happened so fast,” her sister-in-law recalled.
Family members rushed to the scene and transported Makelesi to Lautoka Hospital. Tragically, doctors pronounced her dead on arrival, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation reported on Tuesday.
According to police, her husband fled the scene after the incident but later returned and was taken into custody. A full investigation was underway, and police were treating the case as a suspected domestic violence-related homicide.
Domestic violence in Fiji is pervasive, one of the highest rates globally.
According to the Fiji Women’s Crisis Center, an estimated 64 percent of women in intimate relationships in Fiji have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of a partner.
TRIPOLI, July 29 – At least 18 migrants died in a shipwreck off the city of Tobruk in eastern Libya over the weekend, and 50 are still missing, the International Organization for Migration said on Tuesday, citing reports.
Ten survivors have been accounted for so far, the IOM said.
Tobruk is a coastal city near the border with Egypt. Since the toppling of Muammar Gaddafi in a NATO-backed uprising in 2011, Libya has become a transit country for migrants fleeing conflict and poverty to Europe across the desert and over the Mediterranean.
“This latest tragedy is a stark reminder of the deadly risks people are forced to take in search of safety and opportunity. Libya remains a major transit point for migrants and refugees, many of whom face exploitation, abuse, and life-threatening journeys,” the IOM said.
KAMPALA, July 29 – Four people were killed and 13 others injured after a passenger taxi plunged into a river in Uganda’s eastern district of Busia on Tuesday, police said.
According to a police statement, a commuter taxi traveling from Busia District to Tororo plunged into River Malaba at Amunguru bridge after knocking a pedestrian dead.
“Preliminary investigations indicate that the driver of the vehicle, while traveling at high speed, knocked down and killed a pedestrian who was attempting to cross the road,” the statement said.
“The driver lost control, veered off the road, struck the bridge, and plunged into River Malaba below the bridge, killing three passengers and injuring 13 others, including the driver,” police added.
GAZA, July 29, 2025 – Eight citizens were killed and others injured a short while ago when Israeli warplanes bombed a house in the Zeitoun neighborhood, south of Gaza City.
Medical sources reported that eight citizens from the Dahdouh family were killed in the Israeli bombing of a house in the Zeitoun neighborhood.
According to the same sources, the death toll in the Gaza Strip since dawn today has risen to 62 citizens, including 19 aid recipients.
SHIJIAZHUANG, July 29 – Rescuers have recovered eight bodies and are continuing the search for four others still missing after a landslide struck a village in north China’s Hebei Province early Monday, local authorities said on Tuesday.
The landslide, triggered by heavy rainfall, hit the village located in Luanping County, Chengde City. Rescue efforts are still underway.
The local meteorological service has forecast more rain for Tuesday evening in the already waterlogged area, which heightens the risk of landslides and debris flows.
Local authorities have announced plans to relocate all village residents as a precaution.
Media members walk past an emergency services vehicle near the scene of a reported shooter situation in the Manhattan borough of New York City, U.S. July 28, 2025. REUTERS
NEW YORK, July 28 – A gunman armed with an assault-style rifle killed four people inside a Manhattan skyscraper that houses the headquarters of the NFL and offices of several major financial firms and then shot himself dead, New York City officials said on Monday.
One of the four victims slain in the gun violence was a 36-year-old New York Police Department officer who immigrated to the U.S. from Bangladesh. Mayor Eric Adams described the officer, who had been on the force for about 3 1/2 years, as a “true blue” hero.
Authorities offered few details about the three other victims killed by the suspect – two men and a woman. A third male was gravely wounded by the gunfire and was “fighting for his life” in a nearby hospital, the mayor said.
New York Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch said the gunman, identified as Shane Tamura, 27-year-old Las Vegas resident with a history of mental illness, had driven cross-country to New York in recent days. The gunman was believed to have acted alone, and investigators had yet to determine a possible motive for the shooting, Tisch told reporters at a late-night news briefing.
“Pure evil came to the heart of our city and struck innocent people and one of our police officers who were protecting those people,” Patrick Hendry, president of the Police Benevolent Association, said at the press conference.
The slain policeman, Didarul Islam, a father of two whose wife is pregnant with a third child, was working at the time as part of an NYPD program that allows its uniformed patrol officers to be assigned as security detail in commercial establishments.
The shooting spree in the evening rush hour began in the lobby of the Park Avenue tower in Midtown Manhattan, then shifted to the upper-story offices of a management company as the suspect took the elevator to the 33rd floor. The bloodshed came to an end when the gunman fatally shot himself in the chest, Tisch told reporters.
TEHRAN, Jul. 29 – A stabbing attack at a London business on Monday (July 28, 2025) killed two people and sent two more to the hospital, including the suspect who was in grave condition, police said.
A 58-year-old man was killed at the scene in the Southwark section of central London, the Metropolitan police said. A 27-year-old man died from his injuries at the hospital.
The attack was not believed to be terror related, Detective Chief Superintendent Emma Bond said.
A man in his 30s was arrested in connection with the incident but was in life-threatening condition, police said. Another man was hospitalised but expected to survive.
Police did not reveal any details about the business where the crime occurred or a possible motive. None of the victims or the suspect was named.
ANKARA – At least 30 people have died in China’s capital as heavy rainfall pounded Beijing, causing widespread flooding, infrastructure damage and mass evacuations, officials confirmed Tuesday.
Among the dead, 28 were reported in the suburban Miyun District, the hardest-hit area, while two fatalities occurred in Yanqing District, the state-run China Global Television Network (CGTN) reported, citing local officials.
The heavy rain, which began days earlier, has damaged 31 roads and caused power outages across 136 villages, hitting multiple base stations and disrupting essential services.
Beijing recorded an average of 165.9 millimeters (6.53 inches) of rainfall, but Miyun bore the brunt with an extraordinary 543.4 millimeters (21.39 inches), the highest in the region.
So far, 80,332 people have been relocated, with Miyun, Huairou and Fangshan districts having the highest evacuation numbers.
Authorities have launched flood control and emergency relief operations as drones are being deployed to deliver vital supplies to isolated areas.
In Liulimiao Town in Huairou District, rescue teams airdropped over 3,000 items, including bottled water, bread and sausages.
BANGKOK, July 29 – The Thai-Cambodian border is now calm following small clashes after the ceasefire came into effect as agreed by the two governments, Thailand’s acting Prime Minister Phumtham Wechayachai said on Tuesday.
In response to reports of continued exchange of fire at the borders after the ceasefire, Phumtham said it could be caused by undisciplined Cambodian soldiers and that the Thai side has responded proportionately, and the situation “is calm now.”