AFP UK

Doha (AFP) – Mediator Qatar blames Israel for delays in implementing a Gaza peace plan, as US President Donald Trump says militant group Hamas had agreed to disarm while Israel refuses to leave the territory. “It is clear to the international community who is obstructing the implementation of the agreement,” Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari tells reporters. “The full responsibility lies on the Israeli side,” he adds.

Madrid (AFP) – Spanish Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska says that “the Schengen Area has in no way been compromised” by the migrant influx seen in the country’s north African enclave of Ceuta. “There has been no secondary movement, nor any possibility of such movement”, he adds during a press conference days after tens of thousands of people arrived into Ceuta from Morocco, pitting the Spanish government against many of its EU partners.

Beirut (Lebanon) (AFP) – Lebanon’s Information Minister Paul Morcos says Prime Minister Nawaf Salam is seeking “successive Israeli withdrawals from Lebanese territory, leading to a full withdrawal”, a day before a new round of direct talks with Israel in Rome.

London (AFP) – In a London hospital, surgeon Sasha Stamenkovic leads a robotic-assisted lung cancer operation using the new da Vinci 5 robotic-assisted surgical system. The UK government has set a target for robotic assistance to be used in nine out of 10 keyhole surgeries carried out in England by 2035. “The benefits are shorter length of stay, less pain for the patient, patient going home day one, day two,” says Ali Ansaripour, a senior cardiothoracic trainee completing a robotic fellowship.

Kryo Pigádi (Greece) (AFP) – Helicopters dump water to fight a wildfire in Kryo Pigadi, about fifty kilometres west of Athens, while Greek firefighters, aided by a lull in the wind, continue battling multiple blazes that have already left atleast five people dead across the country.

Tehran (AFP) – Iran’s foreign ministry says there were currently no negotiations with the United States but there were talks with Oman over the management of the Strait of Hormuz. This comes after US President Donald Trump said negotiations between the two sides were commencing on Monday August 3.

Khan Yunis (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Palestinian roller skaters lace up and practise their moves amidst the rubble of destroyed buildings in Khan Yunis, where they say the sport offers release from displacement and daily hardship. “After the war ended we continued with skating and we tell the whole world that there is talent in Gaza and we have huge potential,” says skater Mohamed Saad El-Din, who retrieved his skates from under a collapsed building.

Vatican City (AFP) – Pope Leo XIV says he is “following with concern the alarmnig situation in Ceuta,” and prays to God for a solution of “peace, stability and justice”. At least 72 people died during a mass influx of migrants into Spain’s Ceuta enclave in recent days, when tens of thousands of people mostly swam around the border post from Morocco.

Vienna (AFP) – More than 600 beer enthusiasts gather at Vienna’s Ottakringer Brewery in a bid to break the world record for the largest number of people pouring a beer at the same time. “It was spectacular, it was brilliant,” says Patricia Hasch.

New York (AFP) – Laughing and taking pictures, New Yorkers stop by a mysterious 10-foot-tall golden trophy awarded to Donald Trump for his “enthusiastic involvement in the Iran war”, designed by the anonymous art collective Secret Handshake.

Rotterdam (Netherlands) (AFP) – Dutchwoman Joke had more than 250 tattoos scrawled all over her body and face by her abusive partner, anywhere he believed another man had touched her. She is now one of hundreds helped by Rotterdam-based foundation Spijt van Tattoo (“Tattoo Regret”), which offers victims free laser treatment and is poised to expand internationally.

Deir el-Balah (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – In central Gaza’s Deir el-Balah, displaced Palestinians question whether a deal announced by US President Donald Trump for Hamas to hand over its weapons and Israeli forces to withdraw will be implemented, after previous agreements failed to end the strikes or allow displaced people to return home. “We are not optimistic about this decision,” says Younes Al Tatar, displaced from Gaza City.