Netanyahu rejects US Gaza peace plan and demands Hamas disarm first
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has rejected a 15-point US-backed peace plan for Gaza, insisting that Hamas must be fully disarmed before any Israeli withdrawal and that the Israel Defense Forces will not leave the territory until that condition is met. The proposal, unveiled last month by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace and accepted by Hamas, envisioned Hamas surrendering its weapons alongside an Israeli pullout.
In a statement, Netanyahu said he was confronting “a wave of rumours about Israeli weakness” and declared there would be no military withdrawal until Hamas is “genuinely” or “truly” disarmed, effectively scrapping the ceasefire plan. The rejection marks a rare public break with Trump, who had called the agreement “historic.”
Netanyahu also vowed to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons “with an agreement or without an agreement, as long as I am prime minister,” regardless of the course of diplomacy with Washington and Arab states.
An analysis by The New York Times portrayed the rejection as Netanyahu walking a tightrope between his right-wing coalition and Trump months before a difficult election, while an NPR discussion with former US diplomat Richard Haass examined the same tension.
Taylor Farms recalls jalapeño products across 26 US states over salmonella
Taylor Farms is voluntarily recalling fresh jalapeño-containing products distributed to major retailers in 26 US states, including Walmart and Target, after concerns that the peppers may be contaminated with salmonella. The recall covers sandwiches, sauces and dips.
The company said it was not aware of any reported illnesses linked to the recalled jalapeño products. Taylor Farms was already linked to a summer parasite outbreak associated with lettuce.
Trump backs FIFA president Infantino and warns against his removal
US President Donald Trump has publicly backed FIFA president Gianni Infantino, warning that ousting him would be a “terrible mistake.” Infantino is under pressure over a controversial, abandoned plan to sell stakes in the men’s World Cup to private investors. Trump called Infantino “fantastic” in a post on Truth Social.
The support amounts to an endorsement of Infantino’s re-election bid. According to the Daily Mail, Trump also predicted that FIFA would face financial doom if Infantino is removed.
Todd Blanche sworn in as US attorney general after narrow Senate vote
Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s former personal lawyer, has been sworn in as US attorney general after the Senate confirmed him by a single vote, 50-49. The White House persuaded several Republican holdouts to support the nomination.
Blanche had been serving as acting attorney general since April and was sworn in during a ceremony at the White House. The vote cements Trump’s installation of a loyalist at the head of the Department of Justice.
Mother and infant killed in New York Harbor boat capsizing; captain charged
A 27-year-old woman, Sara Sanchez, and her five-month-old daughter died after a speedboat capsized in New York Harbor on Saturday evening. The boat’s captain, 46-year-old Manuel Hernandez, was arrested and charged in connection with the deaths.
Hernandez faces 13 counts of reckless endangerment in state court and two federal counts of misconduct or neglect. He made an initial appearance in Manhattan federal court.
UK PM seeks to block early release for PC Harper’s killers
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has asked the justice secretary to find a way to exclude two of PC Andrew Harper’s killers from an early-release scheme designed to ease prison overcrowding. The BBC understands Burnham is confident a solution can be found.
The move follows growing pressure from Harper’s family and police representatives. One of the men convicted in the killing is Jessie Cole.
Harry Potter fans win reroute of UK-Ireland cable to spare Dobby site
A £430 million undersea power cable between the UK and Ireland has been rerouted after Harry Potter fans objected that the original path would disturb a memorial to Dobby, the fictional elf, on Freshwater West beach in Pembrokeshire, Wales.
The cable now passes near Bronze Age human burial remains instead of the film‑location site. The change followed complaints after a project manager said in a BBC interview that cables would run under the grave.