Trump says U.S. shifting Africa policy "from aid to trade"

U.S. President Donald Trump met with leaders from five African nations on Wednesday, noting the United States is shifting its policy toward the continent "from aid to trade."

Meeting with the leaders of Gabon, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mauritania and Senegal at the White House, Trump said there was "great economic potential in Africa."

He said the United States was working to "forge new economic opportunities involving both the United States and many African nations."

"We're shifting from aid to trade," Trump said. "In the long run this will be far more effective and sustainable and beneficial than anything else that we could be doing together."

Trump also suggested that the five countries may be exempt from his administration's plan to impose heightened reciprocal tariffs beginning in August.

UN humanitarians say Gaza fuel shortage shuts off water pumps, threatens functioning of hospitals

The Gaza fuel blockade has cut off water from 10 wells in the north of the Gaza Strip and threatens 25 more partially functioning wells, UN humanitarians said Wednesday.

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said the Gaza Ministry of Health announced that the generator at the Nasser Medical Complex in Khan Younis was about to shut down, threatening the lives of dozens of patients, especially those on ventilators.

"Shorter pumping hours, reduced water production and limited solid waste collection provide fertile ground for diseases to spread, especially among vulnerable people, including children, older people and pregnant women," said OCHA.

Extreme heatwave triggers fires, casualties across Italy as temperatures begin to recede

A deadly heatwave that swept across Europe in recent weeks has taken a heavy toll on Italy, triggering wildfires, injuring dozens, and contributing to a surge in heat-related deaths, according to local authorities and international research data.

Multiple regions in Italy were engulfed by fires in recent days, while large parts of the country were placed under red alert for extreme heat. Although temperatures have started to return to seasonal norms since Monday, the aftermath of the heatwave continues to unfold.

Firefighters battled flames in Sicily, near Naples, and within the capital city of Rome. In one incident, a residential building in Rome caught fire, reportedly due to prolonged hot and dry conditions. Emergency services safely evacuated residents and several pets, with only minor injuries reported.

Hamas agrees to release 10 hostages during Gaza peace talks

Hamas said on Wednesday night that it has agreed to release 10 hostages, while noting that the ongoing Gaza peace talks with Israel still face "difficulty."

Hamas said in an official statement that it "has shown the necessary flexibility" and agreed to release 10 hostages, in a bid to ensure the success of the ongoing efforts.

Key points remain under negotiation, and foremost among them are the flow of aid, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, and the provision of real guarantees for a permanent ceasefire, the statement said.

But there is "the difficulty of negotiations on these issues so far due to the intransigence of the occupation (Israel)," it added.

According to Israel's state-owned Kan TV, Israel has presented a new map in Doha outlining a partial pullback from the Morag Corridor, an area between Rafah and Khan Younis, southern Gaza's largest city, which Israeli forces have seized and turned into a fortified military zone.

119 confirmed dead in U.S. Texas flooding, death toll to continue surging

The July 4 devastating flooding in central Texas has claimed at least 119 lives as of Wednesday morning, with the death toll widely expected to further climb, local authorities said.

Kerr County Sheriff Larry Leitha confirmed that at least 161 people remain missing in the hardest-hit county, including five girls and a counselor from an all-girls summer camp along the Guadalupe River.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott said Tuesday night that at least 173 people were unaccounted for across the state. He has ordered state flags to be flown at half-staff until sunrise on July 14 to honor the victims.

Meanwhile, three people died after flash floods battered the village of Ruidoso in the central southern state of New Mexico on Tuesday, according to New Mexico officials.