Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for the 25th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
1. Ukraine and Russia exchange deadly strikes after peace talks
Ukraine and Russia attacked targets on each other's territory on Thursday after brief direct talks between the two sides failed to make any progress on steps to end nearly three-and-a-half years of war.
Russian forces staged the latest in a series of mass drone attacks on Ukraine's Black Sea port of Odesa, killing one person, injuring at least four and causing several fires as well as damage in the historic centre, a UNESCO world heritage site.
2. Gabala International Music Festival opens with tribute to Uzeyir Hajibeyli
The 14th Gabala International Music Festival opened on 24 July with a grand ceremony honouring the 140th anniversary of Azerbaijani composer Uzeyir Hajibeyli.
The event, nestled in the heart of Azerbaijan brings together global performers for a week of concerts across classical, folk, jazz, and opera genres.
Organised by the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, with support from the Ministry of Culture, the Baku Music Academy, and 'Gilan,' this year’s edition marks Hajibeyli’s 140th anniversary, to whom the festival is dedicated.
3. France to recognise Palestinian state officially in September
France will officially recognise a Palestinian state in September, according to President Emmanuel Macron. The decision will make it the first G7 nation to do so.
In a post on X, Macron said the formal announcement would be made at a session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
"The urgent need today is for the war in Gaza to end and for the civilian population to be rescued. Peace is possible. We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza," he wrote.
4. Russia says humanitarian deals reached at 3rd round of talks with Ukraine ‘positive’
Russia said it sees the humanitarian agreements reached at the third round of renewed peace talks with Ukraine in Istanbul a day earlier as “positive.”
“The continuation of the exchange and return of civilian bodies…is an extremely important humanitarian aspect that, from our point of view, should be on the agenda. But still a positive aspect,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters at a press briefing.
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United Nations aid chief Tom Fletcher has asked Israel to provide evidence backing its claim that staff with the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) are linked to Hamas.
At least 652 children have died from malnutrition in Nigeria’s Katsina state in the first six months of 2025, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said on Friday, blaming funding cuts by international donors for worsening conditions.
The world’s biggest dance music festival faces an unexpected setback as a fire destroys its main stage, prompting a last-minute response from organisers determined to keep the party alive in Boom, Belgium.
Australian researchers have created a groundbreaking “biological AI” platform that could revolutionise drug discovery by rapidly evolving molecules within mammalian cells.
Australian researchers have pioneered a low-cost and scalable plasma-based method to produce ammonia gas directly from air, offering a green alternative to the traditional fossil fuel-dependent Haber-Bosch process.
A series of earthquakes have struck Guatemala on Tuesday afternoon, leading authorities to advise residents to evacuate from buildings as a precaution against possible aftershocks.
The U.S. economy faces a 40% risk of recession in the second half of 2025, JP Morgan analysts said on Wednesday, citing rising tariffs and stagflation concerns.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Friday praised Pakistan's role in promoting regional stability and discussed deeper cooperation on counterterrorism, trade, and critical minerals during a meeting in Washington with Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday that Ukrainian forces are engaged in intense battles near the eastern city of Pokrovsk, a critical logistics center where Russian forces have been steadily advancing and claiming new territory almost daily.
President Donald Trump arrived in Scotland on Friday, combining diplomacy with business as his family prepares to open a new golf course on 13 August in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.
Cambodia has called for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire with Thailand as border clashes between the two Southeast Asian neighbors escalated for a second consecutive day, AFP reports.
Trump rejected Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN.
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