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Turkish first lady urges Melania Trump to speak out on Gaza

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Turkish First Lady Emine Erdogan has written to U.S. President Donald Trump’s wife, Melania Trump, and urged her to contact Israel’s prime minister and raise the plight of children in Gaza, authorities in Ankara said on Saturday.

Emine Erdogan wrote that she had been inspired by the letter Melania Trump sent to Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier this month about children in Ukraine and Russia, Reuters reported.

“I have faith that the important sensitivity you have shown for the 648 Ukrainian children … will be extended to Gaza as well,” Emine Erdogan wrote in the letter dated Friday that was published by the Turkish presidency.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“These days, when the world is experiencing a collective awakening and the recognition of Palestine has become a global will. I believe that your call on behalf of Gaza would fulfil a historic responsibility toward the Palestinian people,” Emine Erdogan’s letter added.

A global hunger monitor determined on Friday that Gaza City and surrounding areas are officially suffering from famine, and it will likely spread, escalating pressure on Israel to allow more aid into the Palestinian territory, read the report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dismissed that report as an “outright lie”, and said Israel had a policy of preventing not causing starvation.

The Gaza war was triggered on October 7, 2023, when Hamas killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and took some 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 62,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities.

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At least 15 infants killed in Islamabad hospital fire

WATCH VIDEO: There ​were ⁠16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward ​when the fire ​broke ⁠out, one of whom was rescued.

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At least 15 infants were killed when a fire broke ​out at a state-run ​hospital in Pakistan’s capital city ⁠Islamabad, triggered by a ​fault in air conditioning ​systems, local broadcaster Geo TV reported on Wednesday.

The fire, which ​broke out at ​the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) ‌hospital, ⁠started around two hours ago, the broadcaster said, adding that “cooling operations” were ongoing, Reuters reported.

​There ​were ⁠16 newborns at the hospital’s gynaecology ward ​when the fire ​broke ⁠out, one of whom was rescued, according to Geo.

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Pakistan and Iran make significant progress in talks on Iran conflict

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Pakistan and Iran have made “significant progress” in talks focused on the U.S.-Israeli war on Iran and efforts to find a path toward peace, Pakistan’s interior minister said on Tuesday after a visit to Tehran.

The discussions focused on measures to prevent further escalation, reopening the Strait of Hormuz and accelerating an end to the conflict, according to a statement from the Pakistani military following a meeting between army chief General Asim Munir and Iranian leaders.

The two sides also discussed regional peace and possible ways to reach a negotiated settlement to the conflict, the statement said.

“Iranian President candidly shared his government’s perspective and we had a very constructive exchange on the issues involved,” Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, who accompanied Munir, said in a post on X.

Munir spoke with U.S. President Donald Trump before travelling to Tehran, Reuters reported on Monday.

Trump last week warned of economic consequences for countries providing “any type of lifeline to Iran” as Washington seeks to isolate Tehran. Iran, meanwhile, has threatened to halt all oil exports from the Gulf.

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Pakistan’s Munir spoke to Trump ahead of Tehran visit, sources say

The White House Office of the Press Secretary did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

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US President Donald Trump spoke with Pakistan’s army ​chief Asim Munir last week ahead of Munir’s trip to Tehran on ‌Monday, according to three Pakistani sources, with one saying the main US request was to use Pakistan’s influence to bring Iran back to negotiations, Reuters reported.

Trump last week warned of economic consequences against any country that ​provided “any type of lifeline to Iran” as he seeks to isolate the Islamic ​Republic. Iran has in turn vowed to shut down all oil exports ⁠from the Gulf.

Last week’s call, which has not been previously reported, was initiated ​by Trump, according to two Pakistani sources.

The White House Office of the Press Secretary did ​not immediately respond to a request for comment. It was unclear what Munir and Trump discussed in detail.

Munir arrived in Tehran on Monday accompanied by Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Pakistan’s military confirmed, saying ​it was “part of Pakistan’s efforts to promote regional peace and stability.”

Pakistan, which has played ​a key mediating role between the US and Iran this year, has remained a trading partner of ‌Iran ⁠throughout the recent fighting.

Munir was expected to meet with people close to Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Mojtaba Khamenei on Monday, one Pakistani source said.

Another Pakistani government source said while US-Iran tensions were a focus of the visit, Munir was also expected to discuss ​recent attacks by Iran-aligned ​Houthi fighters on Pakistan’s ⁠ally Saudi Arabia as well as the recently signed mutual defence agreement between Pakistan, Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Pakistan’s earlier mediation efforts ​between the U.S. and Iran resulted in an interim peace agreement ​signed in ⁠June. But the Islamabad Memorandum quickly faltered, amid new fighting between Iran and the US that has threatened to spiral into a wider regional conflict in recent weeks.

“There is a trust ⁠deficit ​on both sides,” a third Pakistani source said about ​the US and Iran, adding that Munir’s aim was to mitigate the lack of mutual trust on Monday.

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