While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 1, 2025
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US President Donald Trump welcomes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the entrance of the White House in Washington, on April 7.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Trump to host Netanyahu at the White House on July 7 as Gaza truce pressure mounts
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit the White House next week for talks with President Donald Trump, a US official said on June 30, as Washington ramps up the pressure for a ceasefire in Gaza.
The July 7 visit – Mr Netanyahu’s third since Mr Trump returned to power in January – comes after Mr Trump said that he hoped for a truce in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory within a week.
A Trump administration official confirmed the visit to AFP on condition of anonymity.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said earlier that Mr Netanyahu had “expressed interest” in a meeting with Mr Trump and that both sides were “working on a date.
Trump administration sues Los Angeles over immigration enforcement
PHOTO: REUTERS
President Donald Trump’s administration sued Los Angeles on June 30 over policies limiting city cooperation with federal immigration authorities, continuing a confrontation over the Republican’s deportation efforts in a largely Democratic city.
The lawsuit, filed by the US Justice Department, alleges that policies barring city resources from aiding in immigration enforcement operations or collecting information about individuals’ citizenship status violate federal law.
“We will keep enforcing federal immigration law in Los Angeles, whether or not the city’s government or residents agree with it,” Mr Chad Mizelle, a senior Justice Department official, said on social media. “And we will not tolerate any interference with the federal government’s duty to enforce the law.”
Israel acknowledges Palestinian civilians harmed at Gaza aid sites, says ‘lessons learned’
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
The Israeli military acknowledged on June 30 that Palestinian civilians were harmed at aid distribution centres in the Gaza Strip, saying that new instructions had been issued to Israeli forces following “lessons learned”.
Since Israel lifted an 11-week aid blockade on Gaza on May 19, allowing limited UN deliveries to resume, the United Nations says more than 400 Palestinians have been killed while seeking handouts of aid.
“Following incidents in which harm to civilians who arrived at distribution facilities was reported, thorough examinations were conducted in the Southern Command and instructions were issued to forces in the field following lessons learned,” the Israeli military said in a statement.
Zuckerberg debuts Meta ‘superintelligence’ group, more hires
PHOTO: REUTERS
Meta Platforms Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg announced a major restructuring of the company’s artificial intelligence group, including a commitment to developing AI “superintelligence,” or systems that can complete tasks as well as or even better than humans.
Mr Zuckerberg wrote on June 30 to employees that Meta’s AI efforts will fall under a new group called Meta Superintelligence Labs, or MSL, which will be led by Mr Alexandr Wang, the former CEO of data-labeling startup Scale AI, according to an internal memo reviewed by Bloomberg. Mr Wang, whom Mr Zuckerberg called the “most impressive founder of his generation,” will serve as chief AI officer.
Mr Nat Friedman, the former CEO of Github, will “partner with Alex to lead” the group, Mr Zuckerberg continued, and head Meta’s work on AI products and applied research. Bloomberg previously reported on Mr Zuckerberg’s effort to recruit a new superintelligence group.
Alcaraz survives, Sabalenka cruises on Wimbledon’s hottest opening day
Carlos Alcaraz survived a major scare in his Wimbledon opener on June 30 while Aryna Sabalenka kept her cool to progress on the hottest opening day in the tournament’s history.
Temperatures at the All England Club on June 30 topped 32 deg C, surpassing the previous record for the start of the tournament of 29.3 deg C set in 2001.
Alcaraz dug dip for a 7-5, 6-7 (5/7), 7-5, 2-6, 6-1 win over 38-year-old Fabio Fognini in a gruelling clash lasting four hours and 37 minutes on Centre Court.
