#Trump praises Liberian leader on English - his native tongue. U.S. President Donald Trump complimented the president of Liberia Wednesday on his English-speaking skills - despite English being the official language of the West African nation.

Trump was hosting a White House lunch with African leaders Wednesday, and -- after brief remarks from President Joseph Boakai - asked the business graduate where he had picked up his linguistic know-how.

“Thank you, and such good English... Where did you learn to speak so beautifully? Where were you educated?” Trump said.

Boakai - who, like most Liberians, speaks English as a first language - indicated he had been educated in his native country.

He was facing away from the media, making his countenance hard to gauge - but his laconic, mumbled response hinted at awkwardness.

Trump, who was surrounded by French-speaking presidents from other West African nations, kept digging.

“It’s beautiful English. I have people at this table can’t speak nearly as well,” he said.

US engagement in Liberia began in the 1820s when the Congress- and slaveholder-funded American Colonization Society began sending freed slaves to its shores.

Thousands of “Americo-Liberian” settlers followed, declaring themselves independent in 1847 and setting up a government to rule over a native African majority.

The country has a diverse array of indigenous languages and a number of creolized dialects, while Kpelle-speakers are the largest single linguistic group.

Boakai himself can read and write in Mendi and Kissi but converses in Liberia’s official tongue and lingua franca -- English.

#Russia blasts #Kyiv with another missile and drone barrage, killing at least 2.

In another tense and sleepless night for Kyiv residents, with many of them dashing in the dark with children and blankets to the protection of subway stations, at least 16 people were wounded, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv Regional Administration.

The night was punctuated with the chilling whine of approaching drones that slammed into residential areas, exploded and sent balls of orange flames into the dark during the 10-hour barrage. Russia fired 397 Shahed and decoy drones as well as cruise and ballistic missiles at Kyiv and five other regions, authorities said.

“This is a clear escalation of Russian terror: hundreds of Shahed drones every night, constant missile strikes, massive attacks on Ukrainian cities,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post.
Russia aims to sap Ukrainian morale

Russia has recently sought to overwhelm Ukraine’s air defences with major attacks that include increasing numbers of decoy drones. The previous night, it fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones, topping previous nightly barrages for the third time in two weeks.

“The continued increase in the size of strike packages is likely intended to support Russian efforts to degrade Ukrainian morale in the face of constant Russian aggression,” the Institute for the Study of War, a Washington-based think tank, said late Wednesday.

In tandem with the bombardments, Russia’s army has started a new drive to break through parts of the 1,000-kilometre (620-mile) front line, where short-handed Ukrainian forces are under heavy strain at what could prove to be a pivotal period of the war.

“At present, the rate of Russian advance is accelerating and Russia’s summer offensive is likely to put the armed forces of Ukraine under intense pressure,” Jack Watling, a senior research fellow at military think tank RUSI, wrote in an assessment published Wednesday.

The pressure has caused alarm among Ukrainian officials, who are uncertain about continuing vital military aid from the United States and U.S. President Donald Trump’s policy toward Russia.

“Partners need to be faster with investments in weapons production and technology development,” Zelenskyy said Thursday. “We need to be faster with sanctions and put pressure on Russia so that it feels the consequences of its terror.”
Some Ukrainians lose almost everything

In Kyiv, Karyna Holf, 23, was in the living room near the window when she heard a whistling sound from the incoming weapon. Moments later, little was left of the room but debris.

“After such a shock, when you know from your own experience what it’s like to lose everything,” she said. “I don’t even know what comes next. All I have now is a backpack, a phone, a winter coat — that’s it. This is my whole life now.”

Holf said she was grateful to have her parents to turn to, but added, “There are people who have no one at all.”

One Kyiv subway station worker said more than 1,000 people, including 70 children, took refuge there. One of them was 32-year-old Kyiv resident Alina Kalyna.

“The drone attacks a year ago were one thing, and now they’re a completely different thing. We’re exhausted,” she said. ”I sleep poorly, I recover poorly, in fact I no longer recover, I am just somehow on a reserve of energy, of which I have a little left, I just somehow live and exist,” Kalyna said.
5,000 drones produced a month

The drone barrages are unlikely to let up. Russia is now producing more and better drones, including some using artificial intelligence technology, according to the Atlantic Council. Its factories are producing more than 5,000 drones a month, the Washington-based think tank said this week.

“For the first few years of the war following (Russia’s) 2022 invasion, Ukraine’s dynamic tech sector and vibrant startup culture helped keep the country a step ahead of Russia despite the Kremlin’s far greater resources,” the Atlantic Council said of the countries’ drone development. “In recent months, however, it has become increasingly apparent that the initiative has passed to Moscow.”

Ukraine urgently needs more interceptor drones to take down Russia’s Shaheds as well as Patriot missile systems to counter Russian missiles.

The U.S. has resumed deliveries of certain weapons, including 155 mm munitions and precision-guided rockets known as GMLRS, two U.S. officials told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity so that they could provide details that hadn’t been announced publicly. It’s unclear exactly when the weapons started moving.

___

Tara Copp contributed to this report from Washington.

Vasilisa Stepanenko And Hanna Arhirova, The Associated Press

King Charles III and Emmanuel Macron both hailed a new era in UK-France relations as the French president began a three-day formal visit to Britain.

Sean “Diddy” Combs will be sentenced on 3 October for his conviction on prostitution-related charges, following a split verdict that saw him acquitted for crimes that carried more serious punishment.

Man scales Paris building to save children from fire in daring rescue.

A man is being hailed a hero after risking his life to save six people — including two infants — from a burning apartment in the northern district of Paris last week.

In a video shared by a TikTok user, 39-year-old Fousseynou Cissé was seen standing on a narrow ledge of a sixth-floor window as smoke billowed.

Cissé went to the neighbouring apartment, climbed out of the window and stood 20 metres high on a railing linking the two units.

As panic erupted, Cissé calmly urged two families trapped inside to pass their children out the window.

The footage, reportedly taken July 4, showed him helping two babies to safety through a nearby window before assisting four other people from the smoke-filled apartment.

According to Cissé, the evacuated children were handed over through a window by their mothers and passed to the neighbour in an adjacent apartment. Cissé then helped the two mothers to safety.

“I didn’t ask myself the question. There were lives at stake, I didn’t calculate,” Cissé told French news outlet Le Parisien.

His bravery didn’t go unnoticed, as he received a personal call of praise from French President Emmanuel Macron, who commended him for his heroic actions, according to Le Parisien.

Paris police chief Laurent Nunez said on Monday that he would be awarding Cissé a medal “in recognition of his courage and dedication.”

His is also expected to be formally honoured by the city of Paris.

With files from The Associated Press

#Netanyahu says he nominated Trump for a Nobel Peace Prize. From there, it’s a secretive process.

U.S. President Donald Trump has been nominated again for the Nobel Peace Prize.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Trump on Monday that he recommended him for the prestigious award, handing the American leader the letter he said he sent the Nobel committee.

Trump has been nominated several times by people within the U.S. as well as politicians abroad — but that’s only one small step in the secretive process.
Trump’s previous nominations

Trump’s nominators have included a group of U.S. House Republicans and two Norwegian lawmakers. The groups separately nominated him in 2018 for his work to ease nuclear tensions with North Korea. One of the Norwegians nominated him again for the 2021 prize for his efforts in the Middle East, as did a Swedish lawmaker.

Not all of the nominations have been valid: The Norwegian Nobel Committee, which selects the prize winners, said in 2018 that someone using a stolen identity had nominated Trump at least twice.

Nominations can be made by a select group of people and organizations, including heads of state or politicians serving at a national level, university professors, directors of foreign policy institutes, past Nobel Prize recipients and members of the Norwegian Nobel Committee itself.
Secret process

Once all nominations have come in, the committee — made up of five members appointed by the Norwegian parliament — sifts through them and ensures they were made by an eligible nominator.

A person cannot nominate themselves, according to the committee.

The nominations aren’t announced by the committee, and the Nobel statutes prohibit the judges from discussing their deliberations for 50 years. But those doing the nominating may choose to make their recommendations public.

Nominations must be submitted before Feb. 1 each year — meaning any recent Netanyahu nomination would be for the 2026 prize. The winners are announced every October, with award ceremonies taking place on Dec. 10, the anniversary of Nobel’s death.

The prizes in medicine, physics, chemistry, literature and peace were established by the will of Alfred Nobel, a wealthy Swedish industrialist and the inventor of dynamite. An economics prize was later established by Sweden’s central bank and is presented at the same time.
How to win the peace prize

According to Nobel’s wishes, the peace prize should go to “the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between nations, for the abolition or reduction of standing armies and for the holding and promotion of peace congresses.”

The peace prize committee is the only one that regularly rewards achievements made in the previous year — and the prize is the only one awarded in Oslo, Norway. For the science-related prizes, scientists often have to wait decades to have their work recognized by the Nobel judges, who want to make sure that any breakthrough stands the test of time, in Stockholm.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama won the peace prize in 2009, barely nine months into his first term. It was met with fierce criticism in the U.S., where many argued Obama had not been in office long enough to have an impact worthy of the Nobel.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for work he did after leaving the White House.

Israel is preparing for potential military action if Iran revives its nuclear program, per Axios.

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 6. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has arrived in Rio de Janeiro for a #BRICS summit, according to a TASS reporter.

The minister will lead the Russian delegation at the event from July 6-7. Russian President Vladimir Putin will participate via video link.

On the sidelines of the summit, Lavrov is scheduled to participate in multilateral meetings, where the heads of delegations will talk about BRICS work in three main areas: politics and security; economy and finance; and cultural and humanitarian issues.

The minister will also hold a series of bilateral meetings.

BRICS plans to hold a summit under Brazil’s presidency from July 6-7 in Rio de Janeiro. The main topics of discussion will include health care, trade, investment, finance, climate change, artificial intelligence management, peace and security.

BRICS was founded in 2006 by Brazil, Russia, India, and China, with South Africa joining it in 2011. On January 1, 2024, Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates also became members, and so did Indonesia on January 6, 2025.

A boy with a brain injury fights for his life in Gaza’s decimated health system.

Now the boy is lying in a hospital bed, unable to speak, unable to move, losing weight, while doctors don’t have the supplies to treat his brain damage or help in his rehabilitation after a weekslong blockade and constant bombardment.

Recently out of intensive care, Amr’s frail body twists in visible pain. His wide eyes dart around the room. His aunt is convinced he’s looking for his mother. He can’t speak, but she believes he is trying to say “mom.”

“I am trying as much as I can. It is difficult,” said his aunt Nour al-Hams, his main caregiver, sitting next to him on the bed in Khan Younis’ Nasser Hospital in southern Gaza. “What he is living through is not easy.”

To reassure him, his aunt sometimes says his mother will be back soon. Other times, she tries to distract him, handing him a small ball.
The war has decimated the health system

The war began Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel and killed some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and took 251 people captive. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which says women and children make up most of the dead but does not specify how many were fighters or civilians.

Nearly 21 months into the conflict that displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million people, it is nearly impossible for the critically wounded to get the care they need, doctors and aid workers say.

The health care sector has been decimated: Nearly half of the territory’s 36 hospitals have been put out of service. Daily bombings and strikes overwhelm the remaining facilities, which are operating only partially. They struggle with shortages of anything from fuel, gauze and sutures to respirators or scanners that have broken down and can’t be replaced.

Israeli forces have raided and besieged medical facilities, claiming Hamas militants have used them as command centers. Doctors have been killed or were displaced, unable to reach hospitals because of continued military operations.

For more than 2 1/2 months, Israel blocked all food, medicine and other supplies from entering Gaza, accusing Hamas of siphoning off aid to fund its military activities, though the UN said there was no systematic diversion. The population was pushed toward famine.

Since mid-May, Israel has allowed in a trickle of aid, including medical supplies.

Gaza’s Health Ministry estimates that 33,000 children have been injured during the war, including 5,000 requiring long-term rehabilitation and critical care. Over 1,000 children, like Amr, are suffering from brain or spinal injuries or amputated limbs.

“Gaza will be dealing with future generations of kids living with all sorts of disabilities, not just brain, but limb disabilities that are consequences of amputation that could have been prevented if the health system was not under the pressures it is under, wasn’t systematically targeted and destroyed as it was,” said Tanya Haj-Hassan, a pediatric intensive care specialist who has volunteered multiple times in Gaza with international medical organizations.
A fateful journey north

In April, one week before her due date, Amr’s mother, Inas, persuaded her husband to visit her parents in northern Gaza. They trekked from the tent they lived in on Gaza’s southern coast to the tent where her parents live.

They were having an evening meal when the strike hit. Amr’s mother and her unborn baby, his grandfather and his brother and sister were killed.

Amr was rushed to the ICU at Indonesian Hospital, the largest in northern Gaza. A scan confirmed shrapnel in his brain and reduced brain function. A breathing tube was inserted into his throat.

“He is three. Why should he bear the weight of a rocket?” his aunt asked.

His father, Mohammed, was too stunned to even visit the ICU. His wife had been the love of his life since childhood, the aunt said. He barely spoke.

Doctors said Amr needed advanced rehabilitation. But while he was at the hospital, Israeli forces attacked the facility — encircling its premises and causing damage to its communication towers, water supplies and one of its wards. Evacuation orders were issued for the area, and patients were transferred to Shifa Hospital in Gaza City.
Another treacherous journey

But Shifa was overwhelmed with mass casualties, and staff asked the family to take Amr south, even though no ambulances or oxygen tanks could be spared.

The father and aunt had to take Amr, fresh out of ICU with the tube in his throat, in a motorized rickshaw for the 25-kilometre (15-mile) drive to Nasser Hospital.

Amr was in pain, his oxygen levels dropped. He was in and out of consciousness. “We were reading the Quran all along the road,” said his aunt, praying they would survive the bombings and Amr the bumpy trip without medical care.

About halfway, an ambulance arrived. Amr made it to Nasser Hospital with oxygen blood levels so low he was again admitted to ICU.
Unable to get the care he needs

Still, Nasser Hospital could not provide Amr with everything he needed. Intravenous nutrients are not available, Nasser’s head of pediatrics, Dr. Ahmed al-Farra, said. The fortified milk Amr needed disappeared from the market and the hospital after weeks of Israel’s blockade. He has lost about half his weight.

When he came out of the ICU, Nour shared his bed with him at night and administered his medication. She grinds rice or lentils into a paste to feed him through a syringe connected to his stomach.

“We have starvation in Gaza. There is nothing to eat,” said his aunt, who is a trained nurse. “There is nothing left.”

The care Amr has missed is likely to have long-term effects. Immediate care for brain injuries is critical, Haj-Hassan said, as is follow-up physical and speech therapy.

Since the Israeli blockade on Gaza began in March, 317 patients, including 216 children, have left the territory for medical treatment alongside nearly 500 of their companions, according to the World Health Organization.

Over 10,000 people, including 2,500 children, await evacuation.

Amr is one of them.

COGAT, the Israeli military body in charge of civilian affairs in Gaza, coordinates medical evacuations after receiving requests from countries that will take the patients and security screenings. In recent weeks, over 2,000 patients and their companions have left for treatment, COGAT said, without specifying the time period.

Tess Ingram, spokesperson for the UN children’s agency, said the only hope for many critically injured who remain in Gaza is to get out. Countries need to “open their hearts, open their doors and open their hospitals to children who survived the unimaginable and are now languishing in pain,” she said.

Amr’s aunt reads his every move. He is unhappy with his diapers, she said. He outgrew them long ago. He was a smart kid, now he cries “feeling sorry for himself,” said Nour. He gets seizures and needs tranquilizers to sleep.

“His brain is still developing. What can they do for him? Will he be able to walk again?” Nour asked. “So long as he is in Gaza, there is no recovery for him.”

Sarah El Deeb, The Associated Press

#Israeli airstrikes kill 38 Palestinians in Gaza.

— Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials said on Sunday, as Israel was sending a ceasefire negotiating team to Qatar ahead of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ‘s White House visit for talks toward a deal.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who will meet with Netanyahu on Monday, has floated a plan for an initial 60-day ceasefire that would include a partial release of hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an increase in humanitarian supplies allowed into Gaza. The proposed truce calls for talks on ending the 21-month war altogether.

Separately, an Israeli official said the security Cabinet late Saturday approved sending aid into northern Gaza, where civilians suffer from acute food shortages. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the decision with the media, declined to give more details.

Northern Gaza has seen just a trickle of aid enter since Israel ended the latest ceasefire in March. The Israel-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation ‘s closest aid distribution site is near the Netzarim corridor south of Gaza City that separates the territory’s north and south.

In Yemen, a spokesperson for the Iran-backed Houthi rebels announced in a prerecorded message that the group had launched ballistic missiles targeting Israel’s Ben Gurion airport overnight. Israel’s military said they were intercepted.
Israel hits 130 targets across Gaza

Israeli strikes hit two houses in Gaza City, killing 20 Palestinians and wounding 25 others, according to Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of Shifa Hospital, which serves the area.

In southern Gaza, Israeli strikes killed 18 Palestinians in Muwasi, an area on the Mediterranean coast where thousands of displaced people live in tents, officials at Nasser Hospital in the nearby city of Khan Younis told The Associated Press. It said two families were among the dead.

“My brother, his wife, his four children, my cousin’s son and his daughter. ... Eight people are gone,” said Saqer Abu Al-Kheir as people gathered on the sand for prayers and burials.

Israel’s military had no immediate comment on the individual strikes but said it struck 130 targets across Gaza in the past 24 hours. It claimed its strikes targeted Hamas command and control structures, storage facilities, weapons and launchers, and that they killed a number of militants in northern Gaza.
Rift over ending the war

Ahead of the indirect talks with Hamas in Qatar, Netanyahu’s office asserted that the militant group was seeking “unacceptable” changes to the ceasefire proposal.

Hamas, which gave a “positive” response late Friday to the latest U.S. proposal, has sought guarantees that the initial truce would lead to a total end to the war and withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Previous negotiations have stalled over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would lead to the war’s end, while Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume fighting to ensure the group’s destruction.

The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people and taking 251 others hostage. Israel responded with an offensive that has killed over 57,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

The ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas government, does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

Chehayeb reported from Beirut. Associated Press reporter Tia Goldenberg contributed from Tel Aviv.

Wafaa Shurafa And Kareem Chehayeb, The Associated Press