After making a rare trip to the besieged territory on July 18, the late Patriarch of Jerusalem, Pierattista Pizzaballa, and Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III, criticized Israel’s bombardment and blockade of Gaza as “morally unacceptable.” Three people were killed when Israel attacked Gaza’s only Catholic church during their trip.
In response to President Donald Trump’s ongoing scrutiny of the case, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that one of its top officials requested a meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell, the imprisoned associate of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
Attorney General Pam Bondi released a statement from her deputy, Todd Blanche, on Tuesday, stating that Maxwell and he would be meeting to ensure the government’s Epstein investigation was transparent.
According to Blanche, “This Department of Justice does not shy away from uncomfortable truths or from the duty to pursue justice wherever the circumstances may lead.”
“President Trump has ordered us to release all credible information.” The FBI and the DOJ will hear what Ghislane Maxwell has to say if she has information on anyone who has committed crimes against victims.
The Epstein scandal has caused the Trump administration to face backlash from his base, according to Blanche’s statement.
A review of Epstein’s case resulted in no new evidence, according to a memo from the Justice Department and the FBI on July 7.
However, the Make America Great Again (MAGA) base, which claimed Bondi herself had mentioned a client list that was “sitting on my desk right now” earlier this year, became outraged.
Members of Trump’s base have long supported conspiracies involving ringed sex offenders in the most powerful levels of government, and some have questioned the circumstances surrounding Epstein’s death, speculating that it was an orchestrated cover-up.
The billionaire financier, who had a powerful social circle, committed suicide in a Manhattan jail cell in 2019 as he waited for his sex-trafficking trial.
Since her 2021 conviction on five federal counts related to her role in the sexual abuse of underage girls, Maxwell, a close friend and former girlfriend of Epstein’s, has been imprisoned.
Blanche claimed to have “dialed with Ms. Maxwell’s attorney to see if she would be interested in speaking with departmental prosecutors.”
He continued, “I look forward to meeting with Ms. Maxwell in the near future.”
David Oscar Markus, a Maxwell’s attorney, confirmed that Ghislaine would continue to represent her legal team in court with the government.
“We applaud President Trump for his determination to find the truth in this case.” He added, “We don’t have any other comments at this time.”
Following Trump’s request last week to request that the grand jury’s transcripts be unsealed, Bondi and Blanche are now asking the federal court to do so.
Trump backed the FBI and Justice Department’s earlier assessment, which turned out to be inconclusive of any new information about any prominent politicians and businesspeople in Epstein’s orbit.
Although the July memo spewed cold water on the claim, one of the conspiracy theories that are currently floating about the case is that Epstein used his sex-trafficking ring to blackmail powerful figures.
No corroborating “client list” was found during this thorough review, according to the memo. Additionally, Epstein’s actions were not supported by any conclusive proof that he blackmailed well-known people.
Trump’s own years-long relationship with Epstein have recently been subject to renewed scrutiny as a result of prominent MAGA base members’ disapproval of the memo’s conclusions.
The president has made an effort to dispel the outcry, calling the controversy the “Epstein hoax” and denouncing his supporters as “weaklings” for continuing it.
Some of the most powerful members of the MAGA movement, who have demanded Bondi’s resignation, were disappointed by that.
Bondi pledged earlier this year that the Justice Department would release additional documents involving Epstein’s clients, including “a lot of names” and “a lot of flight logs.”
However, the department’s information hasn’t been updated since Trump’s assassination.
Trump has been subject to conflicting reports in the media regarding his ties to Epstein. After the paper covered a “bawdy” letter Trump allegedly wrote to Epstein for his 50th birthday, he recently sued The Wall Street Journal.
A government committee tasked with investigating the attacks has discovered that more than 1,400 people, mostly civilians, were killed in sectarian violence in Syria’s coastal regions earlier this year.
The committee reported that it had located 298 suspects in connection with the deadly violence in the Alawite heartland of the country that resulted in the deaths of at least 1, 426 people from minority communities in March.
Following a recent wave of violence involving the nation’s Druze population, the findings of Tuesday raise further questions about how well-equipped is the new administration to manage sectarian tensions and maintain security following Bashar al-Assad’s, who is also an Alawite, overthrow.
More than 1,700 people were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in a region of Syria’s coast where government forces and allies were accused of carrying out summary executions, mostly against Alawite civilians.
No evidence was presented in the committee’s report that Syria’s military leadership had ordered attacks on the Alawite community, according to the report.
According to spokesman Yasser al-Farhan, the committee’s investigation found “serious violations against civilians on March 7, 8 and 9 including murder, premeditated murder, looting, destruction and burning of homes, torture, and sectarian insults,” according to spokesman Yasser al-Farhan at a press conference in Damascus.
According to him, the committee confirmed the names of “1, 426 dead, of which 90 women are mostly civilians,” adding that an undetermined number of additional dead had not been determined.
According to al-Farhan, the investigation also “identified 298 individuals by name” who were suspected of being involved in the crimes, he continued.
According to officials, these have been subjected to legal proceedings, and 37 people have been detained.
How many suspects were security forces members, they didn’t say.
Authorities have charged al-Assad’s loyal gunmen with starting the conflict and carrying out deadly attacks that resulted in the deaths of dozens of security personnel.
According to the committee, 238 army and security forces members were killed in the Tartous, Latakia, and Hama provinces’ attacks.
Al-Farhan claims that about 200, 000 pro-government military reinforcements then converged on the area.
Jana Mustafa, a 24-year-old Baniyas student whose father was killed in the violence, stated that the report had not been in her hands because the “truth was clear to me.”
She complained that the committee’s announcements appeared to include “justifications for everything that happened,” saying that “the number of bodies, the mass graves, and the victims’ screams were sufficient to clarify what happened.”
“The problem extends beyond just violations,” he says. She continued, “It was directed at a whole sect.”
The committee said its findings were based on testimony from hundreds of witnesses and victims as well as more than 30 on-site visits, meetings with dozens of people in the towns and villages where violations took place. Additionally, it heard from government representatives.
Al-Farhan claimed that the committee had identified individuals among those responsible for the violence who were “linked to particular military organizations and factions” and that they had “violated military orders and are suspected of committing violations against civilians.”
Rama Hussein, 22, said she was “sad, disappointed, and frustrated” with the committee despite the fact that her three sisters, two cousins, and grandfather were all killed in the Jableh region.
No one observed my testimony or visited us; she claimed, “I don’t know who this committee met or who they saw.”
She urged compensation for the victims’ families and said, “I hope we see real accountability, not just reports and press conferences.”
According to human rights organizations and international organizations, women, children, and the elderly were among the victims.
Before killing or sparing them, gunmen allegedly entered homes and inquired whether they were Sunni or Alawite.
Jumaa al-Anzi, the committee’s chairman, claimed that some of the suspects had been identified after being vetted by authorities for their involvement in the investigation into those who posted videos of violations on social media.
The judiciary was given two lists of people “suspposed to being involved in attacks or violations,” according to the body.
The committee’s chair, Al-Anzi, stated that “we have no proof that the]military] leaders gave orders to commit violations.”
The committee’s report was received on July 13th, the same day as sectarian violence broke out in Suwayda, the presidency had claimed.
Sunni Muslim Bedouin clans and Druze armed groups, as well as government security forces who intervened, engaged in bloodshed.
In retaliation against Bedouin communities, Druze-backed groups attacked them.
More than 128, 500 people have been displaced, according to the UN, and hundreds have been killed. As a result of a ceasefire, the violence has largely subsided.
The committee chair claimed that the violence in Suwayda was “painful for all Syrians” but “belongs to the purview of his committee.”
In Bangladesh, hundreds of protesters have gathered to demand accountability after a fighter jet of the Air Force crashed into a Dhaka school, killing 31 people, including 25 students.
The Bangladesh Air Force jet crashed into their school and blew up on them on Monday, when the children, many under 12, were about to leave for class. The aircraft’s mechanical malfunction, according to the military.
As two government officials visited the crash site on Tuesday, students from the school and nearby colleges protested, yelling, “Why did our brothers die? ” and demanding an accurate death toll. We demand solutions”!
Local TV footage shows hundreds of protesting students breaking through the main gate of the federal government secretariat in the capital, some of whom were waving sticks. They were also requesting the resignation of the education adviser.
The protesting students demanded that those who had died and were injured be named, that their families be compensated, that outdated and risky jets be decommissioned, and that changes be made to the air force training procedures.
About 80 students were hurt when police used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the crowd, according to Jamuna TV, a station in Bangladesh.
Talebur Rahman, the deputy commissioner of the Bangladesh Metropolitan Police, claimed that the Reuters news agency had not received any information about the number of injured.
According to Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, the students have a number of demands from the crash site at Milestone School and College.
They want an exact figure – the hospital’s capacity to house the names of the people who died and those who are injured. Additionally, Chowdhury argued, “They want compensation and a public apology.”
They also want the air force to alter its training procedures and depart from its outdated aircraft.
In a statement from the military, 165 people were admitted to hospitals in the city and 31 had died. 68 people were still receiving care, according to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and 10 were in critical condition.
The interim administrator of the nation, Muhammad Yunus, said in a press release that the government, the military, school, and hospital authorities were working together to publish a list of the named victims.
Additionally, it stated that the air force would be instructed not to fly training aircraft over densely populated areas.
As depressed locals watched as rescue workers searched the burned-out buildings for debris on Tuesday.
The entire world is in mourning, the statement read. This is something that [this country] has never experienced,” said Al Jazeera’s Chowdhury.
Some parents had no control over their children.
Abul Hossain shook his head as he described Nusrat Jahan Anika, his nine-year-old daughter, who was killed in the collision.
“I went to school with her yesterday morning, like I always do. Hossain told Reuters, “I had no idea this would be my last encounter with her.” On Monday night, she was laid to rest.
Rubina Akter claimed Raiyan Toufiq, who had escaped after his shirt caught fire while he was climbing a staircase, miraculously made it out.
Akter told Reuters, “He sprinted to the ground floor and jumped on the grass to obuse it.”
He was saved from severe burns by torn his shirt and vest inside.
When the plane crashed, Smriti, a student in 11th grade, said she felt her eardrums were “about to burst.”
Some children lay on their limbs, some of their lifeless bodies dispersed around, I saw. Can they be saved? Tell me, “When will they ever have access to their parents’ arms again?” she inquired.
According to the military, the jet was taking off from a nearby airbase for a routine training mission. The pilot attempted to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas after experiencing mechanical failure, but it crashed into the school campus.
Flight lieutenant Mohammed Toukir Islam, one of the victims, was the pilot. He was finishing his training and making his first solo flight.
Although GM’s results on Tuesday still exceeded analyst expectations, the US automaker expressed concern that profits will be lower than they were in the first half of 2025.
The business noted the company’s focus on North American sales growth, which included strong pricing for new and updated trucks and sport utility vehicles. Among the automakers, GM was one of those who saw a rise in consumer demand for cars this spring in opposition to US tariffs and their higher prices.
Overall, revenues decreased by 1.8 percent to $ 47.1 billion, while profits overall decreased by 35.4 percent to $ 1.9 billion, year over year.
Early in April, the US imposed 25% tariffs on imported finished cars, which had an impact on major GM manufacturing plants in Mexico, Canada, and South Korea. Additionally, imported steel, aluminum, and auto parts have been subject to tariffs by automakers.
According to GM, the second quarter’s tariff hit showed “minimal mitigation offsets,” according to a slide presentation.
The Detroit-based company’s outlook for a weaker second half of 2025 is influenced by “seasonally lower” volumes, increased spending on vehicle launches, and the presence of two quarters with tariff hits in comparison to just one in the first half of the year.
After generating $6.5 billion in the first half of the year, GM anticipated annual operating income of $ 10 billion to $ 12.0 billion.
According to CNBC, CFO Paul Jacobson referred to the first quarter’s decline as “the peak of the tariff impact for us,” adding that mitigation efforts should result in a partial recovery in profit margins in the coming year.
According to a slide, GM said it would use “manufacturing adjustments, targeted cost initiatives, and consistent pricing” to at least at 30% of the tariff hit.
According to Jacobson, adjusting GM’s manufacturing footprint would take 18 to 24 months to complete.
Making use of unused capacity in its home market as President Donald Trump’s tariffs impose a fine on imported finished goods, GM announced in June that it would spend $4 billion over the course of two years to expand production in plants in Michigan, Kansas, and Tennessee.
The US production of the Chevrolet Equinox and Chevrolet Blazer was a part of the June announcement. In Mexico, the two vehicles are currently being assembled.
Manufacturing for the Chevrolet Trax, a well-known compact SUV that is reasonably priced, has not yet been moved from South Korea to its current home country.
Jacobson claimed on CNBC that the Trax remained profitable despite the importation’s impact.
There is a lot of uncertainty surrounding Korea, Jacobson said, “but we haven’t made any long-term decisions about it yet.”
Trump has set a deadline of August 1 for broad trade agreements with numerous nations, including South Korea, which is subject to a 25% tariff if no deal is reached.
“We’re optimistic that the US and Korea can come to a common ground,” Jacobson said. “We are aware that both sides’ positions are important to the auto industry,” he said.
The disappointing earnings report caused GM’s stock to decline. It is down 6.6 percent for the day as of 11: 30am in New York (15: 30 GMT).
The GM’s most recent hit comes one day after Stellantis announced it anticipated a $2.7 billion loss in the first six months of the year as a result of Trump’s tariffs. On July 29th, Stellantis, the maker of Fiat and Jeep, will release its year-end results.
The administration of President Donald Trump has announced that the United States will end its involvement with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) over its decision to admit the State of Palestine as a member.
The decision to leave the agency, announced on Tuesday, is to take effect in December 2026.
In a statement, State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce argued that membership in UNESCO was not in the US’s “national interest” and called the agency’s mission “divisive”.
She then pointed to several points of discord, including Palestine’s participation in UNESCO and alleged “anti-Israel” sentiment in its ranks. Palestine has been a member since 2011, but the US does not recognise it as a sovereign state.
“To admit the ‘State of Palestine’ as a Member State is highly problematic, contrary to US policy, and contributed to the proliferation of anti-Israel rhetoric within the organisation,” Bruce said.
Bruce also denounced UNESCO’s commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, which include calls to reduce poverty, increase gender equity and fight climate change. Those goals, she said, were evidence of “a globalist, ideological agenda”.
This is the second time that Trump has withdrawn the US from UNESCO.
In 2018, during his first term, the US likewise left the agency. Then, as now, the Trump administration cited alleged bias against Israel as a motivation.
In 2023, under then-President Joe Biden, the US rejoined UNESCO. But since taking office for a second term in January, Trump has sought to peel back Biden-era initiatives and limit US support for several international organisations.
Already, he has withdrawn US support for the World Health Organization (WHO), and in February, he issued an executive order that severed funding for the UN Human Rights Council, accusing it of protecting “human rights abusers”.
That same order announced a review of US membership in UNESCO, to be completed in 90 days, with an emphasis on whether the agency had engaged in “anti-Semitism or anti-Israel sentiment”.
Trump has pursued an “America First” agenda in his second term, and White House spokesperson Anna Kelly framed the latest withdrawal from UNESCO as advancing that cause.
“President Trump has decided to withdraw from UNESCO – which supports woke, divisive cultural and social causes,” Kelly wrote on social media.
“The President will always put America First. Our membership in all international organizations must align with our national interests.”
The foreign minister of Israel, Gideon Saar, responded on social media that the US decision to exit UNESCO was yet another indication that his country has been treated unfairly on the international stage.
“This is a necessary step, designed to promote justice and Israel’s right for fair treatment in the UN system, a right which has often been trampled due to politicization in this arena,” Saar wrote. “Singling out Israel and politicization by member states must end, in this and all professional UN agencies.”
He thanked the US for its “moral support and leadership” and called on the UN to undertake “fundamental reforms”.
But UNESCO disputed the accusation that it had treated any of its members unfairly.
“UNESCO’s purpose is to welcome all the nations of the world, and the United States of America is and always will be welcome,” UNESCO Director General Audrey Azoulay said.
She added that the US government’s decision to withdraw was not unexpected — but that Trump’s decision would not end UNESCO’s engagement with other organisations in the US.
“We will continue to work hand in hand with all our American partners in the private sector, academia and non-profit organizations, and will pursue our political dialogue with the US administration and Congress,” Azoulay said.
She estimated that only about 8 percent of the agency’s budget relies on the US. Staff cuts are not anticipated as a result of the US withdrawal.
The US has acted as Israel’s primary diplomatic defender for decades, exerting pressure on international bodies that it perceives as critical towards its Middle East ally.
But the US itself has faced heightened scrutiny for that support since the start of Israel’s war in Gaza in October 2023.
That war has killed more than 59,000 Palestinians, and UN experts have called Israel’s tactics “consistent with genocide”.
Israel’s continued blockade of essential supplies into Gaza has prompted fears of famine among UN leaders as well.
“We do not need to wait for a declaration of famine in Gaza to know that people are already starving, sick and dying, while food and medicines are minutes away across the border,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization, said in May.
In a 24-hour span on Tuesday, Palestinian health officials estimated that 15 people have died of starvation, among them an infant.
But the US has been unwavering in its support of the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, despite ongoing humanitarian concerns.