In a renewed diplomatic effort to advance the stalled Gaza ceasefire, U.S. negotiator and President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner held a rare meeting with the Hamas chief on Sunday.

Kushner is slated to meet with Israel’s prime minister on Monday in discussions aimed at saving a 15-point, U.S.-backed roadmap that requires Hamas to disarm in Gaza and Israel to pull back its forces from the war-torn Palestinian territory.

At stake is the survival of approximately 2 million people in Gaza and the rebuilding of the densely populated enclave, which remains mostly under the control of Israeli forces more than 10 months after the ceasefire halted major military operations. A meeting last year between Kushner, fellow envoy Steve Witkoff, and Hamas leaders in Egypt helped secure the original ceasefire, which has since stalled over the key requirement of Hamas’ disarmament.

Confirmation of the rare meeting in Egypt with Hamas’ Khalil al-Hayya came from a regional official and a Hamas official, both speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to address reporters. Kushner belonged to a three-member envoy delegation meeting al-Hayya, alongside mediating officials from Egypt, Qatar, and Turkey.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publicly rejected the 15-point roadmap last week in a rare show of defiance toward the Trump administration, Israel’s chief ally.

Kushner, former British prime minister Tony Blair, and Nickolay Mladenov—director of the U.S.-established Board of Peace overseeing the ceasefire—are now scheduled to meet with Netanyahu on Monday, according to diplomatic and knowledgeable sources speaking on condition of anonymity.

Ahead of Monday’s talks, several regional powers, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, issued a joint statement condemning Israel’s rejection of the plan, declaring that “Israel now bears responsibility for obstructing the efforts to bring peace in Gaza.” Other signatories included Jordan, Pakistan, Indonesia, and the ceasefire mediators.

The foreign ministers’ statement also called on the U.S. and the Board of Peace to execute “immediate and concrete measures” to stop any party from blocking the implementation of the plan.

The regional official noted that Kushner’s meeting with the Hamas leader was designed to guarantee the group’s adherence to the roadmap, particularly concerning disarmament, prior to his sitting down with Netanyahu.

A Hamas official stated that the group remains committed and is awaiting mediators to initiate the 14-day negotiation window to establish an implementation schedule. That phase requires all parties to approve the roadmap before starting.

The official added that the Hamas leader insisted Israel cease its attacks on Gaza and pull back to the poorly defined “yellow line” separating the territory before implementation begins. Israeli forces have advanced past that line and currently control around 60% of Gaza.

In May, Netanyahu expressed intentions to expand control to 70%, saying Israel was “tightening the grip” on Hamas “from every direction.”

The White House referred questions regarding Kushner’s discussions to the Board of Peace, which offered no immediate comment. The Tony Blair Institute also declined to comment.

Under the roadmap, Hamas would surrender weapons to a Palestinian technocratic committee designated to oversee daily administration in the enclave. The committee has not yet entered Gaza. However, Hamas has conditioned the surrender of its heaviest arms on the creation of a Palestinian state, a condition rejected by Israel’s government.

The roadmap outlines a gradual surrender of weapons by Hamas while Israeli forces halt attacks and begin withdrawing. Yet Netanyahu maintains Israel will not pull back from any position in Gaza until Hamas is totally disarmed.

This impasse leaves other components of the ceasefire, including reconstruction and the placement of international forces to divide Israeli troops from committee-governed areas, on hold.

Netanyahu faces a challenging Oct. 27 election as he attempts to retain power with a coalition featuring hardline ministers on Gaza policy. The political timeline also overlaps with the upcoming anniversary of the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas-led attack on southern Israel that triggered the war.

On Sunday, Netanyahu’s Likud party answered the regional powers’ statement by asserting that “Arab states want to topple” Netanyahu so centrist candidate Gadi Eisenkot and center-left leader Yair Golan “will give them everything they want. That will not happen.”

Marvel fans have been given their first glimpse of Bolton School old boy returning as Magneto in the newly released trailer for Avengers: Doomsday.

The trailer offers a fresh glimpse of the clash between Robert Downey Jr’s Doctor Doom and Earth’s mightiest heroes, while also fuelling speculation over a possible Wolverine return after Hugh Jackman jokingly suggested to Marvel boss Kevin Feige that he could help “round out the cast”.

His comments came as a new trailer for the film was released showing Captain America, played by Chris Evans, cradling a baby in his arms.

It also showed Robert Downey Jr as Doctor Doom beating away the hammer of Chris Hemsworth’s Thor, and shows Sir Ian as a long-haired version of Magneto.

The trailer opens with a voiceover which says: “Victor was always the smartest guy in every room, he used to be different, he used to be kind, he used to be caring, and then, everything he loved was taken from him.

“I knew he was lost, but I did not realise that he was broken.”

A fight scene between Doctor Doom and Thor is then shown, which ends with Downey Jr’s character saying “hell answers to me, for I am Doom”.

The upcoming film serves as a sequel to 2019’s Avengers: Endgame and is the 39th movie in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU).

The blockbuster features an ensemble cast as the Avengers, X-Men, Fantastic Four, Wakandans and New Avengers converge from different universes to face Doctor Doom.

Marvel’s synopsis for Avengers: Doomsday reads: “Universes collide and the Multiverse Saga begins its final chapter in Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Doomsday.

“Beloved heroes from three distinct universes will be set on a deadly collision course and ultimately face an existential threat unlike anything they’ve ever encountered.

“This epic film will lay the foundation for the future of the Marvel Cinematic Universe.”

Avengers: Doomsday will be released in cinemas on December 18.

But Marvel fans aren’t the only ones with Sir Ian to look forward to.

Before returning to the big screen as Magneto, the Bolton School alumnus will appear as Jacob Marley opposite Johnny Depp’s Ebenezer Scrooge in Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol, one of the year’s most anticipated festive films.

And later this month, audiences will get to see a more personal side of the actor when he joins longtime friend Dame Judi Dench for an episode of Tea With Judi Dench.

In a preview clip, Sir Ian, who was burn in Burnley, recalls being in the “depths of stage fright” while working with the Oscar-winning actress, telling her: “What magic empathy you had.”

The programme will also see him reflect on coming out as gay, campaigning against Section 28 and one of his greatest regrets: never sharing the truth about his sexuality with his parents.

Whether he’s haunting Johnny Depp’s Scrooge as Jacob Marley, sharing memories with Dame Judi Dench or returning as Magneto in one of Marvel’s biggest ever films, Sir Ian is giving audiences plenty to look forward to over the coming months.

Tommy John, who won 288 games during a 26-year big league career and became the first pitcher to successfully return following groundbreaking elbow surgery that later was named after him, has died at the age of 83.

He died at his home in Bradenton, Florida, on Saturday night, agent Mike Maguire said Sunday. He had been in hospice care.

On August 8, the New York Yankees released a social media post in which John wrote that he wanted to say goodbye to everyone, including friends and fans who followed him throughout his career, saying, ‘I will never forget you.’

The Yankees called John ‘a bedrock of our rotation during his time in pinstripes and a longtime favorite of Yankees fans.’

John was a four-time All-Star with a record of 288-231 and a 3.34 ERA during a career that stretched from 1963 to 1989. He pitched for Cleveland, the Chicago White Sox, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Yankees, the California Angels and the Oakland Athletics.

‘Tommy was an exceptional pitcher throughout his career in Major League Baseball, and his courageous role in becoming the first to have surgery that would go on to bear his name can´t be overstated,’ Stan Kasten, Dodgers president and CEO, said in a statement. ‘His impact both on and off the field has been felt by ballplayers of all ages and will be for generations to come.’

The left-hander was 31 years old when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow in 1974, a death knell for pitchers’ careers to that point.

John allowed Dr. Frank Jobe, the Dodgers´ team physician, to replace the ligament with a tendon from his right forearm. Jobe gave the surgery 100-to-1 odds of being successful.

The procedure had been done on others before, although it was usually performed on wrists and hands. John was the first pitcher to have it done on his elbow.

More than 2,600 big leaguers and thousands more amateurs have since had UCL reconstructions, better known as Tommy John surgery. It´s been a godsend for many of baseball´s greatest stars, including two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani, three-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander and even Philadelphia Phillies slugger Bryce Harper.

‘If you put it in dollars and cents, I think there´s no question that Tommy John is the most valuable reconstructive procedure there is,’ Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache told The Associated Press in 2024.

John recorded 2,245 strikeouts but never led either league in wins or strikeouts. He had the second-most wins of any pitcher since 1900 not to be elected to the Hall of Fame.

From 1995 through 2009, John was on the Hall of Fame ballot, but he never received more than 31.7 per cent of the votes, falling well short of the 75 per cent required for election.

Known for his longevity, John was the opening day starter for both the 1966 Chicago White Sox and the 1989 New York Yankees. He won 124 games before his UCL repair and 164 after. His final appearance came days after his 46th birthday. 

John won 288 games for the Indians, White Sox, Dodgers, Angels, Athletics and Yankees

John pictured with his wife, Sally; daughter, Tami; and son, Tommy Jr. back in 1984

After his pitching career ended, John worked as a broadcaster for the Minnesota Twins and Yankees in the 1990s. He managed the Bridgeport Bluefish from 2007-09.

John was hospitalized in December 2020 because of COVID-19 and later had Guillain-Barré syndrome, in which a person´s immune system attacks their nerves. 

John told the New York Post in May 2022 that he was paralyzed in his lower extremities for several months.

John and his wife Sally Simmons had four children: Tamara, Tommy III, Travis and Taylor, who died of a prescription drug overdose at 28 in 2010. The couple divorced in 2013.

Besides his children, he is survived by his second wife, Cheryl, and son-in-law Patrick Mannelly, a retired NFL long snapper who played 16 years for the Chicago Bears.

A fifth person has died following the M9 horror crash, it has emerged.

The Irish Mirror has confirmed that the remains of another young male were found at the scene of the accident on Sunday afternoon.

It had initially been suspected that the crash – at around 3am – had cost the lives of four young males, but sources have confirmed that officers this afternoon found the body of another victim in the wreckage of one of the cars.

All the victims were young males, it is understood.

And we also understand all of the deceased were from the car that was travelling the wrong way down the northbound carriageway of the M9 near Athy in Co Kildare when the tragedy happened.

The car, a BMW, was heading southbound against traffic when it collided with a car carrying four members of the extended family.

Three women in the car, one in her 20s and two in their 30s, were injured, as was a seven-year-old child.

The child is understood to have suffered a broken leg and is being treated at the Children’s Health Ireland Hospital in south Dublin.

The female in her 20s was seriously injured and is being treated in St Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny. The two other women are being treated in Tallaght Hospital in south Co Dublin.

Speaking today, Garda Commissioner Justin Kelly said: “My thoughts are with those injured in this morning’s collision on the M9. These family members were travelling innocently when they were struck by a vehicle being driven the wrong way down the motorway.

“This horrific incident, following the recent collision on the M50, shows how irresponsible and dangerous driving on the wrong-side of the motorway is. That, of course, should be self-evident, but what makes this reckless behaviour even more appalling is that in some cases it is being done for social media likes regardless of the potentially devastating impact it might have on innocent people and themselves.

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“As this particular incident has been referred to Fiosrú, the Police Ombudsman, I am constrained in what I can say in detail about this incident, but I know that Gardaí do what they can to stop such vehicles while also taking into consideration all other road users. Gardaí are put in a really challenging situation dealing with such incidents. As always, An Garda Síochána will fully cooperate with the Police Ombudsman investigation which I hope is completed as expeditiously as possible.

“My thoughts are also with all members of An Garda Síochána and the emergency services who had to deal with this awful incident this morning. Such incidents show the difficult work we ask our Gardaí to undertake every day to keep our communities safe.”

For all the latest news, visit the Belfast Live homepage here and sign up to our daily newsletter here.

Gabby Logan’s husband Kenny has candidly spoken about using a penis pump during his prostate cancer recovery, with the former Scottish rugby union player joking he’d leave her if she ever caught him.

Gabby Logan, who returns to our screens this evening for the European Athletics Championships: Birmingham 2026, has previously featured on television for an entirely different matter, separate from her presenting duties. Back in 2022, her husband, former rugby international Kenny Logan, disclosed that he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer despite showing no symptoms.

The startling revelation came following a Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) test, which showed the 54-year-old’s PSA levels were elevated beyond normal range. This led to additional examinations, eventually resulting in a diagnosis that stunned both him and Gabby.

Kenny, who is father to 21-year-old twins Reuben and Lois with his wife, subsequently had surgery to remove his prostate and received the all-clear in February 2023.

Following his decision to speak openly about his cancer diagnosis, Gabby appeared on television programmes with him in solidarity and has also supported his efforts to promote awareness about the vital importance of screening.

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Throughout his treatment, Kenny was informed that he might experience erectile dysfunction for approximately three months post-surgery, which could impact his intimate life. To assist with blood flow and help achieve or sustain an erection, the hospital provided him with a penis pump.

“That’s a huge deal for any man,” he told The Telegraph. “But don’t let fear or stigma get in the way. As I said to Gabby, ‘Let’s just deal with me getting cancer-free. Then we can deal with the sex part’.”

Kenny also recalled telling his wife that he would divorce her if she ever caught him using the device.

“I used it for 10 minutes a day or so – several times in that first month. [I was] grateful that Gabby was away working on the Commonwealth Games,” he added.

“I warned her that if she ever walked in on me using it and didn’t back straight out the door, I’d never speak to her again,” he joked.

Gabby has also discussed Kenny’s requirement to use the pump and the lighthearted warning he issued to her.

During an appearance on The Romesh Ranganathan Show, she revealed: “They gave him at the hospital, a penis pump. And he said he’d leave me if I ever walked in when he was using the penis pump. He said, ‘If you ever saw me doing this, I’m leaving’.

“He didn’t think it was going to be the sexiest thing in the world,” she added. “He’d like it to be known that he didn’t need it for too long. I didn’t even know such a thing existed.”

Commending Kenny for his openness regarding his cancer diagnosis and its effects, Gabby also told Romesh: “I’ve got huge admiration for him for doing that and talking about it and being so candid.”

She further explained that her husband believed he had a responsibility to speak out, as it helps the discussion and prompts others to seek medical checks.

The fire service says that two bodies have been found by crews tackling two wildfires across the island of Salamina.

So far they have not been indentified.

The fire department’s command centre was informed of the wildfire at 2.43pm today and it states that within seven minutes it had spread quickly due to the strong winds.

Thodoris Zannis, deputy mayor of Salamina, speaking to ERT said: “I am on the other front of the fire in Salamina, we are trying to stop the fire.

“It has taken over the entire mountain and is spreading, but the firefighting forces are being reinforced. People had to leave because there was no way out, so the messages started early.

“I have been informed that for the other fire in Peristeria, the ferries have also gone to evacuate by sea. The fire broke out at the same time and that was the strange thing.”

It seems there really is no extreme some influencers won’t go to for the sake of their content – even if it puts their lives at risk.

Those swimming with sharks are upping the stakes to perfect their shot, sometimes getting too close for comfort and sustaining serious injuries.

A rise in social media content creators swimming with the sea creatures has worried experts, who are seeing videos ‘every single week now’ of people swimming dangerously close, touching sharks, and even riding them.

Scientists are issuing warnings as a result, reminding influencers that safety instructions exist for a reason – and they’ll only disobey them once.

In less than a year, at least three influencers have been bitten by sharks in on-camera incidents.

Tayane Dalazen almost lost her leg in an encounter after a 7ft nurse shark clamped its jaws around her thigh and held her underwater for several seconds.

Recalling the shark-diving trip on the Brazilian coast, the 37-year-old lawyer told BBC News: ‘There were a lot of them. Later, I discovered [the tour organisers] were feeding the sharks so that they would interact with the tourists.’

When in the water, Dalazen, from Sao Paulo, felt ‘strong pain’ from pressure on her leg but knew she had to ‘stay calm’ as she wouldn’t be able to fight off the animal.

After being released by the shark and escaping, Dalazen was left with lacerations to her thigh, describing the whole thing as ‘very frightening’.

Footage of her near-miss has been viewed millions of times online, and she’s admitted that she should’ve kept a safer distance, despite not being there with the intention of getting social content.

That happened in April, and just last month, another influencer faced losing his leg after an attack by a reef shark while spearfishing.

These incidents followed a Chinese content creator getting bitten in December while in the Maldives.

Also last year, a holidaymaker in the Caribbean had both hands bitten off when she tried to take a photo of a bull shark.

While only in hip-deep water at the time on her trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands, the woman, in her fifties, was circled by the shark, which bit her leg and cut off both her hands when she tried to protect herself, one at mid-forearm and the other at the wrist.

Her husband managed to ‘wrestle away’ the shark, but the incident was described as a ‘living nightmare’.

Merely two months after that, a 40-year-old snorkeller in Israel was killed by sharks after using a GoPro to ‘fend them off’.

The father-of-four had hoped to feed the sharks from a distance but was then dragged out to sea as an eyewitness cried, ‘They’re eating him!’

Experts have said that photographers and influencers are most likely to ignore safety guidelines.

Kristian Parton, a shark scientist and host of the Shark Bytes YouTube channel, said she’s seeing such cases ‘way more’ than ever before.

‘We’re going to see people ending up in really serious incidents with sharks,’ she predicted.

‘We’re talking about a true apex predator, a very large wild animal.

‘You wouldn’t walk into the Serengeti and try and put your hand on the face of a lion.’

She added that if sharks become ‘stressed out’, whether it be in a nursery habitat, breeding ground, or feeding area, they’re being ‘deprived of an area that’s important for them to survive’.

‘And that’s definitely a problem.’

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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MORE: Will the vile ‘brown challenge’ pool pooing trend affect your holiday to Spain?

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Police say the collision likely took place after the driver fell asleep.

Twelve people have died with dozens more injured after a tourist bus crashed in Hungary.

The bus, from Poland, crashed on the M3 motorway 87 miles east of Hungary’s capital, Budapest, at around 1am on Sunday. Police say the collision likely took place after the driver fell asleep.

The vehicle had been travelling eastbound near the town of Mezokeresztes when it overturned. Emergency services tried to lift the rear axle of the 24-tonne bus to remove passengers trapped underneath before cranes arrived to move the whole vehicle, according to local reports.

The driver has since been taken into custody. A total of 35 people were rescued from the coach, however, it is understood there were others who were trapped underneath.

Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar confirmed that at least 12 people had died in the accident. As reported in the Mirror, he offered his condolences to the families of the victims and thanked rescue workers who were dispatched to the scene.

He wrote: “12 people lost their lives and at least ten were seriously injured during the night, when a Polish coach overturned into a ditch on the M3 motorway.”

There were 47 people travelling on the bus according to Hungarian Interior Minister Gábor Pósfai, with some of those people who had been rescued seriously injured.

“It is difficult to find words that could adequately express what Taylor and his family mean to our club.”

A GAA club has led tributes to their much loved former player following his death.

Taylor Hill passed away in hospital on Saturday, August 15, bringing much sadness to his family, friends and teammates in the Banbridge area. He has been described as a talented gaelic football player with his club saying they were “incredibly fortunate” to have him as a player.

A notice on Funeral Times said: “Treasured son of Anna and Rory, adored brother of Cathal, Conál and Ollie also a cherished grandson of Kenny and Patricia McGrath and George and Geraldine Hill. Funeral arrangements later.

“Family flowers only please, donations for the benefit of the Intensive Care Unit, Craigavon Area Hospital via www.milnefuneralservices.co.uk/donate 028 406 24999.“Very deeply regretted and sadly missed by his Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Friends and the entire family circle. St. Padre Pio pray for him.”

A book of condolences was opened at Clann na Banna CLG in memory or Taylor, with the Co Down club paying tribute to the “much loved” former player saying that club activities would be suspended.

It paid tribute to Taylor on social media saying: “It is with profound sadness and the heaviest of hearts that Clann na Banna mourns the passing of our much loved senior player and clubman, Taylor Hill.

“It is difficult to find words that could adequately express what Taylor and his family mean to our club.

“Taylor was a valued member of our Senior Men’s team, a teammate and a friend, and a kind and much loved young man who was so well thought of by everyone who knew him. We feel incredibly fortunate to have had him as part of the Clann.”

It continued: “Our hearts are with Rory and Anna, Cathal, Conál and Ollie, his grandparents Patricia and Kenny McGrath, Geordie and Geraldine Hill, all his aunts, uncles and cousins, the entire McGrath and Hill families, Taylor’s teammates and friends, and everyone who was fortunate enough to know and love him.

“At times like this, football becomes completely insignificant and what matters is being there for one another. In the days, weeks and months ahead, we ask our members to keep Taylor’s family close, to look after his teammates and friends, and above all, to look after each other.

“Taylor was deeply loved, and he will always have his place in the story of our club. Rest easy, Taylor. Always one of our own. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.”

Taylor’s place of work, Alternative Heat LTD paid tribute to the young man saying: “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share the very sad news of the passing of our colleague and friend, Taylor Hill.

“Taylor was a much-loved member of the Alternative Heat family. He was kind, funny, unassuming and simply a pleasure to be around. He had a quiet nature, but a wonderful sense of humour, and those who worked alongside him will remember the laughter and the good times shared with him.

“Taylor made a lasting impression on so many people. He was a talented GAA player and had a passion for the things he loved, but to us, he was first and foremost a valued colleague and a friend. His absence will be felt deeply across our team.

“Our thoughts, love and deepest condolences are with Taylor’s parents, Rory and Anna, his brothers Cathal, Conál and Ollie, and all of his wider family, friends and Clann na Banna teammates. We cannot begin to imagine the heartbreak they are experiencing. We hope, in some small way, that knowing how loved Taylor was, how highly regarded he was by those around him, and how many happy memories he leaves behind will bring them some comfort in the days ahead.

“Rest easy, Taylor. You will always be remembered with great affection by everyone at Alternative Heat, we feel incredibly fortunate to have known you.”

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