Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 7th July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Death toll from Texas floods reaches at least 82; Trump plans visit
The death toll from catastrophic floods in Texas reached at least 82 on Sunday, including 28 children, as the search for girls missing from a summer camp continued and fears of more flooding prompted evacuations of volunteer responders.
Larry Leitha, sheriff of Kerr County in Texas Hill Country, said 68 people had died in flooding in his county, the epicenter of the flooding, among them 28 children. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, speaking at a press conference on Sunday afternoon, said another 10 had died elsewhere in Texas and confirmed 41 were missing.
2. Trump says Gaza ceasefire deal could be reached this week
U.S. President Donald Trump said Sunday that a Gaza ceasefire deal could be reached with the Palestinian group Hamas this week.
"I think there's a good chance we have a deal with Hamas during the week pertaining to quite a few of the hostages … We've gotten a lot of the hostages out, but pertaining to the remaining hostages, quite a few of them will be coming out. We think we'll have that done this week," Trump told reporters in Morristown, New Jersey.
His remarks came ahead of his meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at The White House on Monday.
3. BRICS summit condemns military strikes against Iran
The BRICS summit on Sunday condemned recent Israeli and US military strikes against Iran, calling them a violation of international law and the United Nations Charter.
“We condemn the military strikes against the Islamic Republic of Iran since 13 June, 2025, which constitute a violation of international law and the Charter of the United Nations, and express grave concern over the subsequent escalation of the security situation in the Middle East,” the joint declaration read.
The statement also emphasized the necessity to uphold nuclear safeguards and security to protect people and the environment, expressing concern over the attacks against “civilian infrastructure and peaceful nuclear facilities under full safeguards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).”
4. Economic Cooperation Organization sets new goals for regional cooperation
The 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization concluded with setting new goals for regional cooperation.
Held in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, the summit adopted a joint statement, praising Azerbaijan’s large-scale reconstruction and development efforts in the liberated Karabakh and East Zangezur economic regions.
The statement said that the ECO members agreed that economic sustainability and climate resilience should be placed at the centre of the future agenda, and that joint steps should be taken on issues such as increasing renewable energy capacity, climate-friendly agriculture, water management, and biodiversity conservation.
5. Trump calls Musk's formation of new party "ridiculous" and criticizes his own NASA pick
President Donald Trump on Sunday called Elon Musk's plans to form a new political party "ridiculous," launching new barbs at the tech billionaire and saying the Musk ally he once named to lead NASA would have presented a conflict of interest given Musk's business interests in space.
A day after Musk escalated his feud with Trump and announced the formation of a new U.S. political party, the Republican president was asked about it before boarding Air Force One in Morristown, New Jersey, as he returned to Washington upon visiting his nearby golf club.
6. European Union holds back on climate pledge with China
The European Union is holding back on signing a joint climate action pledge with China at a summit this month to mark a half-century of diplomatic ties, a top climate official told the Financial Times in remarks published on Monday.
The EU's climate targets are among the world's most ambitious, but they have been based entirely on domestic emissions cuts. Now it faces a mid-September deadline to submit a new 2035 climate target to the United Nations.
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies...
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tourna...
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev a...
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported...
Uzbekistan will open an embassy in Georgia, the Central Asian country’s presidency has said. The announcement follows talks between Uzbekistan’s P...
President Donald Trump said Iran is keen to reach a deal with the United States, claiming Washington had paused engagement to allow funeral ceremonies for late Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
Morocco booked their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a convincing 3-0 victory over Canada, ending the co-host's historic run in the tournament.
Kyrgyzstan’s ex-second in command, Kamchybek Tashiev, has been convicted of plotting to overthrow the country’s President Sadyr Japarov. Tashiev and Japarov had ruled the Central Asian nation in tandem since 2020, until the former was unexpectedly ousted in February.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has raised its forecast for the rapid emergence of a strong El Niño, warning the climate pattern is likely to drive higher global temperatures and intensify extreme weather in the months ahead.
India is investigating a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed sensitive documents linked to Apple's unreleased iPhone 18 Pro, marking the government's first public comments on the incident.
Iran and the U.S. have concluded indirect talks in Doha without a major breakthrough, with discussions focused on maritime traffic in the Strait of Hormuz and frozen Iranian funds. Both sides are expected to meet again after the funeral of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
International politicians and religious leaders have paid respects to Iran's late Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei throughout the day, ahead of his six day funeral ceremony which begins on Saturday. His casket is currently on display at the Iman Khomeini Grand Mosalla in Tehran.
Germany has requested urgent talks with China's ambassador following reports that Chinese authorities trained Russian soldiers, adding fresh strain to relations between Beijing and Europe amid the war in Ukraine.
Russia's Defence Ministry has said its forces are clearing the town of Lyman in Donetsk of Ukrainian forces, Moscow's state news agency Tass reported. Meanwhile, Russian attacks killed at least six people across three Ukrainian regions on Friday, regional officials said.
French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to use next week's NATO summit in Ankara to advance his push for greater European responsibility in security, with a bilateral meeting planned with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan as Paris seeks closer coordination with key allies.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on the 250th anniversary of American independence, saying Russia and the United States share a special responsibility for maintaining global security as the world's two largest nuclear powers.
China said on Saturday it had launched a coast guard patrol east of Taiwan, prompting a strong protest from Taipei, which accused Beijing of illegally expanding its authority and undermining regional stability.
Start your day informed with the AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top stories for 4 July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
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