While You Were Sleeping: 5 stories you might have missed, July 6, 2025
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Smoke rises in Gaza, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, on July 5.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Israel to send delegation to Qatar for Gaza ceasefire talks
Israel will send a delegation to Qatar on July 6 for talks on a possible Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, although Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said the changes requested by Hamas to a ceasefire proposal were unacceptable.
Palestinian group Hamas said on July 4 it had responded to a US-backed Gaza ceasefire proposal in a “positive spirit”, a few days after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day truce.
But in a sign of the potential challenges still facing the two sides, a Palestinian official from a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remained over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing in southern Israel to Egypt and clarity over a timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
“The changes that Hamas seeks to make to the Qatari proposal were conveyed to us last night and are not acceptable to Israel,” Mr Netanyahu’s office said in a statement late on July 5.
Death toll from Texas floods reaches 32; many still missing
PHOTO: AFP
Some 32 people, including 14 children, have been confirmed dead following flash floods in central Texas, authorities said on July 5 as rescuers continued a frantic search for campers, vacationers and residents who were still missing.
Officials said more than 850 people had been rescued, including some who were clinging to trees, after a sudden storm dumped up to 15 inches of rain in an area around the Guadalupe River, about 137km north-west of San Antonio.
Among the missing were dozens of people from the Camp Mystic summer camp, most of them reported to be young girls, after river waters rapidly rose 29 feet.
Iran’s Khamenei makes first public appearance since war with Israel
PHOTO: REUTERS
Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on July 5 made his first public appearance since the outbreak of his country’s recent 12-day war with Israel, taking part in a religious ceremony in Tehran, state media reported.
The octogenarian leader was shown in a video broadcast by state television greeting people and being cheered at a mosque as worshippers marked the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein, an important date for Shia Muslims.
Mr Khamenei, 86, can be seen on stage dressed in black as the crowd before him, fists in the air, chants “The blood in our veins for our leader!”
Brics agree to joint statement ahead of Rio leaders summit
PHOTO: REUTERS
Diplomats from the Brics group of developing nations have agreed on a joint declaration of their leaders at a summit in Rio de Janeiro this week, three people familiar with the talks said on July 5.
The shared statement, which a gathering of their foreign ministers failed to achieve in April, underscores the group’s commitment to consensus despite its quickly expanding ranks.
The group of major emerging economies expanded last year beyond Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa to include Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Elon Musk says he has created a new US political party
PHOTO: REUTERS
Mr Elon Musk, an ex-ally of US President Donald Trump, said July 5 he had launched a new political party in the United States to challenge what the tech billionaire described as the country’s “one-party system.”
Mr Musk, the world’s richest person and Mr Trump’s biggest political donor in the 2024 election, had a bitter falling out with the president after leading the Republican’s effort to slash spending and cut federal jobs as head of the so-called Department of Government Efficiency.
“When it comes to bankrupting our country with waste & graft, we live in a one-party system, not a democracy,” the Space X and Tesla boss posted on X, the social media platform that he owns.
