Bridge collapse in Gujarat kills 10

The bridge in Mujpur near the Vadodara district in Gujarat was built in 1985. (AP)

At least ten people were killed after a bridge over a river collapsed in India's western Gujarat state, news agency Press Trust of India reported while quoting police officials.

Gujarat's Health Minister Rushikesh Patel said several vehicles were on the bridge when a portion of it collapsed, sending many into the river.

He said at least five people were rescued.

The incident occurred in Gujarat's Vadodara district, which has witnessed heavy rains over the past few days.

The bridge was constructed in 1985, Mr Patel said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the accident was "deeply saddening" and offered condolences to those who died.

India's infrastructure has long been marred by safety concerns, sometimes leading to major disasters on its highways and bridges.

In 2022, a century-old cable suspension bridge collapsed into a river in Gujarat, sending hundreds plunging into the water and killing at least 132.

"A portion of the bridge collapsed suddenly. Three vehicles that were passing from that stretch fell into the river below. We have initiated rescue operations and 10 have been pulled out of the river," said a fire brigade officer.

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The collapsed bridge is located around 25km from Vadodara city and serves as a vital route for transport vehicles travelling towards Saurashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the PM National Relief Fund for the next of kin of the deceased in the Vadodara bridge collapse. The injured would be given Rs 50,000.

PM Modi paid condolences to the families of the deceased. PMO wrote in an X post, "The loss of lives due to the collapse of a bridge in Vadodara district, Gujarat, is deeply saddening. Condolences to those who have lost their loved ones. May the injured recover soon."

Carlson teases interview with Iranian president

Tucker Carlson will be dropping an interview with Iran President Masoud Pezeshkian this week, releasing a video ahead of what he expects to be blowback against the chat.

Carlson released a video on Saturday revealing he had just wrapped an interview with Pezeshkian and he expects it to drop in the next couple of days. The former Fox News host argued Americans should be hearing as many perspectives as they can when it comes to increased tensions in places like Iran.

In a short video on X, Carlson said the conversation, which was conducted remotely through a translator, will be released “in a day or two.” He acknowledged that he will be criticized for the interview, saying: “Why did we do it anyway? Well, we did it because we were just at war with Iran 10 days ago and maybe again.”

President Donald Trump split some MAGA commentators by bombing Iranian nuclear sites following Iran and Israel carrying out strikes against one another. The extent of the damage of the United States’ strike remains not fully clear, but the president claimed it set back the country’s nuclear programs by years.

Carlson has gotten into heated spats with Republicans like Mark Levin and Sen. Ted Cruz (R) as he’s argued for diplomacy over the United States getting dragged into another war in the Middle East. Commentators like Levin have meanwhile argued for more aggressive actions to be taken against Iran to ensure they never possess a nuclear weapon.

Carlson acknowledged that viewers will not be able to fully trust everything Iran’s president says, but argued the conversation is still worth having as people can decide what they do and do not believe. Carlson said he’s also reached out for an interview with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Carlson said he avoided questions about the extent of the damage from the United States’ strike, knowing he would not get an honest or accurate answer.

“I asked him very simple questions, such as, what is your goal? Do you seek war with the United States? Do you seek war with Israel, etc, etc,” he said. “Again, the purpose of this was not to get to the absolute truth. That’s impossible in an interview like this. The purpose of the interview was to add to the corpus of knowledge from which Americans can derive their own opinion. Learn everything you can, and then you decide.”

Russia ‘will not back down’ on Ukraine war goals, Putin tells Trump - Full Statement, Kremlin discloses content of Putin-Trump conversation

US President Donald Trump, left, and Russian President Vladimir Putin had a one-hour phone conversation on July 3, 2025 - their sixth since Trump began his second term in January [File: AP Photo]

Russian President Vladimir Putin has told his United States counterpart, Donald Trump, that Moscow will not give up on its goal of eliminating the “root causes” of the war in Ukraine.

“Russia will not back down,” Kremlin aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters although he added that Putin had also expressed a “readiness” to “seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict” during his one-hour phone conversation with Trump on Thursday.

The phrase “root causes” is shorthand for the Kremlin’s argument that it was compelled to launch a full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 to prevent the country from joining NATO and being used by the Western alliance as a launchpad to attack Russia – arguments rejected by Kyiv and its allies but supported in part by Trump.

Trump said after the call that he had made “no progress” with Putin on moving towards a ceasefire, adding that he was “not happy” about the war in Ukraine.

The phone call, their sixth since Trump started his second term in January, came the day after the Pentagon confirmed it was halting some weapons deliveries to Kyiv, including air defence missiles and precision-guided artillery. They were promised under President Joe Biden’s administration. The announcement was made as Russia has intensified its attacks on Ukraine

Trump and Putin did not broach the subject of the paused weapons deliveries, according to the Kremlin aide, who said the US president had raised the issue of bringing about a swift end to the war.

While the prospect of a face-to-face meeting was not discussed, the two leaders agreed to keep talking.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and his US counterpart, Donald Trump, have held a lengthy telephone conversation on Thursday, Kremlin aide Yury Ushakov has announced.

The two leaders discussed ongoing Ukraine peace talks, the volatile state of affairs in the Middle East, and Russia-US cooperation, he stated.

Below is the full text of Ushakov’s statement as published on the Kremlin website.

Dear colleagues,

Another almost hour-long telephone conversation between President of Russia Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin and President of the United States Donald Trump has just concluded.

Donald Trump began the conversation by announcing that the US Congress passed his administration’s flagship bill envisaging reforms in taxation, immigration, and the energy sector. President Trump himself calls it the ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’.

Vladimir Putin wished Donald Trump success in implementing the changes he envisioned and, naturally, offered greetings for Independence Day, the national day of the United States, which will be celebrated tomorrow.

At the same time, it was noted by our side that Russia had played a significant part in the establishment of the United States as a nation, including during the War of Independence, fought 250 years ago, and later during the Civil War, which ended 160 years ago. It was stated that our countries are bound not only by their alliance during World Wars One and Two, but also by deeper historical ties.

Incidentally, Vladimir Putin mentioned that just before speaking with Donald Trump, he had a conversation with representatives of Russia’s business community. One of the ideas suggested during that meeting was holding an exchange of motion pictures promoting traditional values, which both we and the Trump administration hold dear. President Trump reacted immediately and said he liked this idea.

There was a detailed discussion of the situation surrounding Iran, and the state of affairs in the Middle East in general. The Russian side emphasized it was crucial to settle any and all contentious issues, differences, and conflicts exclusively via political and diplomatic means. The two leaders agreed to maintain contact on the issue between the respective foreign services, defense ministries, and presidential aides.

The latest developments in Syria were addressed as well. Similarly, the Russian and US sides intend to continue the dialogue on the matter.

Naturally, the issues surrounding Ukraine were also discussed. Donald Trump has once again raised the issue of ending the hostilities as soon as possible. In turn, Vladimir Putin noted that we still continued the search for a political, negotiated solution to the conflict. He informed his counterpart on the progress in implementing the humanitarian agreements reached during the second round of direct Russian-Ukrainian talks held in Istanbul. He also noted Russia was willing to pursue negotiations. Additionally, the President of Russia said that Russia would strive to achieve its goals, namely the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, the bitter confrontation that we are seeing now. Russia will not back down from these goals.

While exchanging views on bilateral matters, the two sides confirmed their mutual interest in implementing a number of promising projects in economy, notably the energy sector and space exploration.

Overall, I would like to point out that the conversation between the two presidents has, as always, shown that they are on the same page. It was candid, business-minded, and concrete. The two presidents will naturally continue communicating and will have another conversation soon.

Thank you.

Kiev ablaze after reported overnight missile and drone barrage - Video

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Ukrainian officials have claimed that the Russian military launched a wave of missile and drone strikes targeting the capital early Friday. The Russian Ministry of Defense has yet to comment.

The first strikes in Kiev were reported shortly after midnight, with Mayor Vitaly Klitschko urging residents to seek shelter as the capital’s air defenses engaged incoming targets. Officials confirmed that by 4am, several mostly “non-residential” facilities in multiple districts had been hit in successive waves.

There were no immediate reports of fatalities, but Klitschko said at least 14 people were injured after falling debris from intercepted missiles and drones triggered fires in residential areas and private yards.

🇷🇺🇺🇦 Kiev's Zhuliany International Airport is reportedly on fire following multiple ballistic missile and drone strikes this evening.

US-supplied Patroit and other air defense batteries has been known to be stationed at the airport.

Footage was recorded from coordinates:… pic.twitter.com/UoszbukZIN

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) July 4, 2025

Meanwhile, multiple blurred-out videos shared on Ukrainian social media appeared to show the aftermath of the strikes, with numerous fires lighting up the city skyline.

Officials confirmed at least 13 impacts in different parts of the capital.

🇷🇺 Russia is ROCKING Kiev tonight. At least 10 explosions in one minute (video). pic.twitter.com/Moq4C36pwR

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) July 4, 2025

The exact locations and types of facilities hit were difficult to verify, as Ukrainian authorities heavily censor the flow of information and punish those who share footage of the impacts – unless a civilian facility is affected.

The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet issued a statement on the incident. Moscow regularly conducts drone and missile strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure, maintaining that its operations do not target civilians and blaming Kiev for placing air defense systems in densely populated areas.

The reported strikes came just hours after President Vladimir Putin held a phone conversation with his US counterpart, during which Donald Trump reportedly urged Russia to cease hostilities in Ukraine “as soon as possible.” Putin, in turn, reaffirmed Moscow’s openness to a negotiated solution but reportedly stated that Russia would not back down until the “well-known root causes” of the conflict are addressed.

Despite several rounds of direct negotiations in Istanbul in recent months, Kiev has continued long-range attacks on Russian territory, including nightly drone raids. On Friday Morning, a woman was killed when a drone crashed into an apartment building in the Rostov Region. On Tuesday, a Ukrainian drone strike caused multiple fatalities and serious injuries at an industrial plant in the city of Izhevsk, located about 1,000 kilometers (620 miles) east of Moscow. On Monday, a woman was killed and three others injured in a missile strike on the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR).

Israel kills dozens of Gaza aid seekers in ‘unprovoked gunfire‘

At least 33 aid seekers are among 73 Palestinians killed in Gaza since dawn, medical sources have told Al Jazeera, with witnesses describing “horror scenes” after “unprovoked gunfire” at the controversial Israeli and US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites.

More than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which says Israel has “committed 26 bloody massacres” in that period.

At least 73 people have been killed by Israel since dawn on Thursday, including 33 desperate aid seekers at the controversial Israeli and United States-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) aid sites.

Thirteen people were killed when Israeli forces attacked a tent in al-Mawasi in the south, while 16 were killed and many wounded in an attack on Mustafa Hafez School, sheltering displaced people west of Gaza City, medical sources told Al Jazeera

The Government Media Office statement on Thursday said the attacks over the last 48 hours had targeted civilians in shelters and displacement centres overcrowded with tens of thousands of displaced people, public rest areas, Palestinian families inside their homes, popular markets and vital civilian facilities, and starving civilians searching for food.

This video may contain light patterns or images that could trigger seizures or cause discomfort for people with visual sensitivities

Reporting from Deir el-Balah on the latest killings of Palestinians near GHF aid centres, Al Jazeera’s Tareq Abu Azzoum said, “People described scenes of horror as they wait for hours just hoping to get their hands on basic food supplies, only to be met with sudden and unprovoked gunfire … I’ve been speaking to a number of survivors this morning, and they told me such heartbreaking testimonies and they shared the horrific scenes that unfolded near the GHF-run aid centres.

“They told me that there was no prior warning, no prior indication – just gunfire ripping through the crowd, desperate Palestinians scattered for cover as bullets flew. They told me that emergency services and medical teams were not able to access the area due to the intensity of the gunfire … This absolutely reflects the collapse of the humanitarian landscape here in Gaza,” he added.

GFH’s US contractors reportedly using live fire

US contractors ostensibly guarding aid distribution sites in Gaza have been using live ammunition and stun grenades as hungry Palestinians scramble for food, according to accounts and videos obtained by The Associated Press news agency.

Two US contractors, speaking to the AP on condition of anonymity, said they were speaking out because they were disturbed by what they considered dangerous practices. They said the security staff hired were often unqualified, unvetted, heavily armed and seemed to have an open licence to do whatever they wished.

Al Jazeera’s Nour Odeh, reporting from Amman, said an Israeli statement on a recent Haaretz report that detailed Israeli troops shooting Palestinians at aid sites stated “that the Israeli army does not deliberately target civilians and that media reports are exaggerated about the number of casualties. Of course, this is a template, if you will, of Israeli reaction that we see every time something is uncovered about the conduct of the Israeli army. This particular report talks about the [US] contractors as well.”

GHF, she added, is “not just to replace the humanitarian mechanism run by international organisations for decades in Gaza, but it’s also to apply maximum pressure on the civilian population”. Odeh also noted that Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has said this week that too much aid is going to Gaza and that none should enter to ensure an Israeli victory.

Dr Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian emergency medicine doctor and professor who has provided healthcare in Gaza for more than 30 years, told Al Jazeera the GFH operation “is part of the Israeli occupation forces’ and the Israeli government plan to ethnically cleanse and to fulfil their goal of genocide in Gaza”.

ATTACKED BY ISRAEL, DIRECTOR OF INDONESIAN HOSPITAL IN GAZA KILLED WITH HIS WIFE AND CHILD

Marwan al-Sultan, a renowned cardiologist and director of the Indonesian hospital, is the 70th healthcare worker to be killed by Israeli attacks in the past 50 days, says Palestinian medical organisation

Killed: Dr Marwan al-Sultan, head of the Indonesian hospital in Gaza. Photograph: X

An Israeli airstrike has killed one of Gaza’s most senior doctors in a “catastrophic” loss to the already decimated healthcare system. A number of family members were reported to have been killed alongside him.

Dr Marwan al-Sultan, a renowned and highly experienced cardiologist and director of the Indonesian hospital in the Gaza Strip, is the 70th healthcare worker to be killed by Israeli attacks in the last 50 days, according to Healthcare Workers Watch (HWW), a Palestinian medical organisation.

“The killing of Dr Marwan al-Sultan by the Israeli military is a catastrophic loss to Gaza and the entire medical community, and will have a devastating impact on Gaza’s healthcare system,” said Muath Alser, director of HWW.

“This is part of a much longer and systematic atrocious targeting of healthcare workers sanctioned by impunity. This is a tragic loss of life, but also an obliteration of their decades of lifesaving medical expertise and care at a time when the situation facing Palestinian civilians is unfathomably catastrophic,” Alser added.

“We are in great shock and grief. He cannot be replaced,” said Dr Mohammed Abu Selmia, director of al-Shifa hospital in Gaza.

“He was a prominent scholar and one of the two remaining cardiologists left in Gaza. Thousands of heart patients will suffer as a result of his killing. His only fault was that he was a doctor. We have no option but to be steadfast, but the sense of loss is devastating.”

Earlier this month, al-Sultan spoke to the Guardian about the critical situation he and other staff at the Indonesian hospital were facing as they struggled to cope with the number of civilian casualties after the escalation of Israeli attacks in May.

Among the healthcare workers killed in the past 50 days were three other doctors, the chief nurses of the Indonesian hospital and al-Nasser children’s hospital, one of Gaza’s most senior midwives, a senior radiology technician and dozens of young medical graduates and trainee nurses.

On 6 June, the first day of Eid, nine healthcare workers were killed in one day in airstrikes in the north of Gaza, where they were sheltering with their families, according to HWW.

Fares Afana, who leads ambulance services in northern Gaza, lost his son in June. Bara’a, who was also working as a paramedic, was at an apartment block in Gaza City’s al-Tuffah neighbourhood on 9 June treating people injured in an Israeli airstrike when the building was hit for a second time by Israeli artillery, killing everyone inside.

“They were directly targeted,” said Afana, who says that Bara’a died alongside two other paramedics.

“When I went to the place, it was a horrible sight and cruel to see their bodies torn to pieces. If there had been some reaction from the world when healthcare workers were first targeted by the Israeli forces, they would have not dared to commit more of these attacks.”

He said his son had dedicated his life to the medical profession and had dreams of being a doctor. “He was kind and loved by everyone who knew him.”

The total number of healthcare workers who have lost their lives in military attacks since the war began in October 2023 now exceeds 1,400 according to UN figures.

Insecurity Insight, a conflict data NGO, says it has verified the deaths of hundreds of healthcare workers who have been killed inside health facilities, while attempting to reach wounded civilians, by Israeli sniper fire, when travelling in ambulances, while evacuating patients, at checkpoints and inside schools and refugee camps used as temporary shelters since October 2023.

It is believed that hundreds more healthcare workers from Gaza remain in Israeli detention, where they have reported being tortured, beaten and held without charge.

Medglobal, a medical NGO based in the US that provides medical services and care in Gaza, says it believes more than 300 medical staff are in Israeli prisons, among them senior physicians including Dr Hussam Abu Safiya, the director of the Kamal Adwan hospital who has been held in detention since December 2024.

Over 30 Palestinians killed as Trump says Israel agrees to Gaza truce

Israeli forces have killed more than 30 Palestinians across Gaza as they target aid seekers and displaced people sheltering in tents.

More than 600 Palestinians have been killed in just five weeks while waiting for food parcels at the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) sites.

US President Donald Trump says Israel has agreed to “the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza, and urges Hamas to accept the proposal.

Officials at al-Shifa, the largest medical centre in northern Gaza, say hundreds of patients are “facing death” as the hospital runs out of fuel amid Israel’s blockade.

At least 74 killed as Israeli forces strike a Gaza cafe and fire on people seeking food, health officials say

A day earlier Israeli forces killed at least 74 people in Gaza on Monday with airstrikes that left 30 dead at a seaside cafe and gunfire that left 23 dead as Palestinians tried to get desperately needed food aid, witnesses and health officials said.

One airstrike hit Al-Baqa Cafe in Gaza City when it was crowded with women and children, said Ali Abu Ateila, who was inside.

"Without a warning, all of a sudden, a warplane hit the place, shaking it like an earthquake," he said.

Dozens were wounded, many critically, alongside at least 30 people killed, said Fares Awad, head of the Health Ministry's emergency and ambulance service in northern Gaza.

Two other strikes on a Gaza City street killed 15 people, according to Shifa Hospital, which received the casualties. A strike on a building killed six people near the town of Zawaida, according to Al-Aqsa hospital.

The cafe, one of the few businesses to continue operating during the 20-month war, was a gathering spot for residents seeking internet access and a place to charge their phones. Videos circulating on social media showed bloodied and disfigured bodies on the ground and the wounded being carried away in blankets.

The mother of the Palestinian journalist Ismail Abu Hatab, who was killed in an Israeli strike on a café, on Monday.Jehad Alshrafi/AP

Meanwhile, Israeli forces killed 11 people who had been seeking food in southern Gaza, according to witnesses, hospitals, and Gaza's Health Ministry.

Nasser Hospital in the southern city of Khan Younis said it received the bodies of people shot while returning from an aid site associated with the Israeli and U.S.-backed Gaza Humanitarian Fund. It was part of a deadly pattern that has killed more than 500 Palestinians around the chaotic and controversial aid distribution program over the past month.

The shootings happened around 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) from the GHF site in Khan Younis, as Palestinians returned from the site along the only accessible route. Palestinians are often forced to travel long distances to access the GHF hubs in hopes of obtaining aid.

Nasser Hospital said an additional person was killed near a GHF hub in the southern city of Rafah. Another person was killed while waiting to receive aid near the Netzarim corridor, which separates northern and southern Gaza, according to Al-Awda hospital.

Ten other people were killed at a United Nations aid warehouse in northern Gaza, according to the Health Ministry's ambulance and emergency service.

Witnesses describe Israeli gunfire

One witness, Monzer Hisham Ismail said troops attacked the crowds returning from the GHF hub in Khan Younis.

"We were targeted by (the Israeli) artillery," he said.

Yousef Mahmoud Mokheimar was walking with dozens of others when he saw troops in tanks and other vehicles racing toward them. They fired warning shots before firing at the crowds, he said.

GHF may be liable for criminal prosecution over aid site killings in Gaza

British international human rights lawyer Toby Cadman says the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) may be liable for criminal prosecution over the daily killings of Palestinians by Israeli forces near aid sites it operates in Gaza.

“As we’ve seen, the targeting of civilians, particularly those who are seeking aid, is relentless,” he sai. “We have seen hundreds of casualties so far.”

He said the question of criminal liability would “come down to the circumstances and the evidence surrounding each individual attack”.

“But what we are seeing very clearly is that they are not taking sufficient steps [to ensure the safety of Palestinian aid seekers] – if not being directly involved.”

There were “very real risks that they are not providing sufficient care, which imposes a form of criminal liability”, he said.

Watch our interview with Toby Cadman here: