Today's international story

28 nations condemn Israel's 'inhumane killing' in Gaza

What happened
Foreign ministers from 28 countries, including Australia, France, Japan and the U.K., released a joint statement yesterday condemning Israel's ongoing attacks on Palestinian targets in Gaza and its "inhumane killing of civilians". The "suffering" of the population in the densely occupied territory has "reached new depths," said the statement. It also called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of Israeli hostages in Gaza.

Who said what
The declaration is "notable for its candor" and reflects both "Western frustration at Israeli intransigence" and the "growing political pressure" to act that "many governments are feeling," said James Landale at the BBC. A "key paragraph" of the statement says signatories "support a ceasefire and political pathway to security and peace" in what is "code for recognizing a state of Palestine" — something many of the countries have done but "not all." In particular, the statement criticizes Israel's "tightly controlled aid distribution method," accusing the Israeli government of "drip feeding" aid into the beleaguered Gaza Strip, said CBS News. While both Israel and the U.S. have dismissed the international declaration, "key mediator Egypt, however, endorsed the message," said Le Monde.

What next?
Despite "international outcry" and "mounting demands" for an immediate ceasefire, there's little to suggest any "imminent breakthrough in ongoing negotiations for a truce," said CBS. Yesterday's statement was released one day after Israel "said it was again expanding its ground war in Gaza."

Today's aviation Story

Bangladesh plane crash kills at least 25 children

What happened
A Bangladesh Air Force fighter jet on a routine training mission experienced a mechanical failure and crashed into the Milestone School and College campus in the nation's capital city of Dhaka yesterday. The crash, and the resulting blaze, killed at least 27 people, 25 of whom were children. Some of the victims' bodies were charred "beyond recognition," The Associated Press said. One teacher rescued more than 20 students and later died from her injuries.

Who said what
The pilot made "every effort" to divert the plane to "a more sparsely inhabited location," the military said. This is "the deadliest plane crash in the Bangladeshi capital in recent memory," AP said. And it comes as neighboring India is "still grappling" with last month's Air India crash that killed 260 people and was "the world's worst aviation disaster in a decade," said Reuters. The losses from this accident are "irreparable," said Muhammad Yunus, the leader of Bangladesh's interim government.

What next?
The air force and the government vowed to investigate the crash. In the meantime, dozens of people remain hospitalized with burns, and worried family members are searching for their missing relatives. Today has been declared a national day of mourning.

It's not all bad

Eight "three-parent babies" have been born in the U.K., thanks to a groundbreaking IVF method developed to reduce the risk of inheriting genetic disorders. The process involves transplanting the key genetic material of mothers who are carriers of incurable diseases into the healthy donor egg of a "second mother." Doctors at Newcastle University say the babies, who now range in age from 6 months to 2 years, are all healthy and will continue to be monitored for the next several years.

Under the radar

Thailand rolls back its legal cannabis empire

When Thailand became the first country in Asia to decriminalize cannabis in 2022, it sparked a major tourism boom and launched a domestic industry now worth $1 billion. But now the government is "harshing that buzz," said Time.

Last month, it imposed rules "designed to rein in the country's 'green rush'" and reclassify cannabis as a controlled herb, said CNN. Citizens now need a doctor's prescription to buy the drug, restricting consumption to medical purposes. The public health minister also said he would "recriminalize cannabis as a narcotic," according to the broadcaster, which would be a "major reversal from Thailand's liberal approach."

The country has about 11,000 registered dispensaries. In parts of Bangkok, it's "impossible to escape the lurid green glare of their neon signs and the constant smell of people smoking," said BBC Southeast Asia correspondent Jonathan Head. This has "flooded the market and driven the price down."

Some describe the "free-wheeling" market as "out of control," said Head. A promised regulatory framework was never implemented, and the result is a "weed wild west," with foreign drug syndicates "hiding behind Thai nominees." There has also been a "flood" of cannabis smuggled out of the country, often by young people "lured" by those syndicates.

The government's big reversal has plunged the industry into a "state of confusion," said The Guardian. Shops are "scrambling" to comply with the new restrictions, and owners fear the changes will "unfairly push out smaller businesses" that can't afford to adapt to the rules. And with "stricter controls on sales and distribution" imminent, said Bloomberg, communities in the "lush northern countryside" where the plants grow are "bracing for real pain."

On this day

July 22, 1959

Considered one of the worst films ever made, Ed Wood's cult classic movie "Plan 9 from Outer Space" premiered, starring Bela Lugosi and Gregory Walcott. The science-fiction thriller is the "epitome of so-bad-it's-good cinema," said Rotten Tomatoes, and is "justly celebrated for its staggering ineptitude."

TODAY'S newspaperS

President to 'roll back gun rules'

Donald Trump is seeking to "roll back gun rules," says USA Today, with his move against the Supreme Court's efforts to "restrict who can arm themselves in public." The president's reasons for withholding billions in federal funding from Harvard University were "met with skepticism" by a federal judge, says The Boston Globe. California and a "coalition" of other "liberal-led" states have sued the government for barring undocumented immigrants from accessing some "public benefit" programs, says The Sacramento Bee.

► See the newspaper front pages

Tall tale

Lose my number

For the last year, Natasha Lavoie has been getting calls from strangers who say they found her cat, but she never lost a cat. Turns out her number was randomly printed on a T-shirt sold by Wisdumb NY. The design features a missing cat poster, with Lavoie's number listed as the contact. The company pulled the shirt from its website, but Lavoie wants more. "I feel like I deserve a T-shirt after this," she said to CBC News.

Morning Report was written and edited by Nadia Croes, Catherine Garcia, Jessica Hullinger, Harriet Marsden, Summer Meza, Chas Newkey-Burden, Rafi Schwartz and Kari Wilkin, with illustrations by Stephen Kelly and Julia Wytrazek.