World
RSF Forces Encircle Sudan's El Obeid as UN, U.S. and European Governments Warn of Possible Mass Atrocities
About 500,000 civilians are trapped in the North Kordofan capital as the paramilitary RSF besieges an army-held city, drawing warnings, disputed casualty numbers, and scrutiny of U.S. and UAE policy.
Ukrainian Drones Strike Two Warehouses and an Oil Depot Deep Inside Russia, Killing at Least Eight
Overnight strikes on July 18 hit logistics sites in the Tambov and Moscow regions and an oil depot near Moscow; Ukraine calls the sites military supply hubs, Russia calls them civilian retail warehouses.
China Denies Trump's Claim That Beijing Interfered in the 2020 U.S. Election
President Trump released declassified documents alleging China obtained U.S. voter data; Beijing called the accusations fabricated as both governments proceed with a planned September summit.
China Launches 29-Nation World AI Cooperation Organization in Shanghai, Setting Up a Rival to the US-Led AI Framework
Xi Jinping unveiled a new intergovernmental AI governance body headquartered in Shanghai, formalizing a parallel track to Washington's Pax Silica coalition as the two powers compete to write the rules for artificial intelligence.
US Imposes New Sanctions on Sudan and Demands Chemical-Weapons Inspections; Sudan Denies the Allegation
Washington, having determined that Sudan's army used chemical weapons in 2024, has expanded sanctions and demanded OPCW inspections; Sudan's military government rejects the finding as unproven and politically motivated.
IEA Report Estimates $6.5 Trillion in Non-China Industry Exposed to Rare-Earth Supply Disruption
An intergovernmental energy agency's July 2026 assessment quantifies the downstream production at risk if China fully enforces its rare-earth export controls, weeks after Beijing blacklisted two U.S. mining firms in a tit-for-tat with Washington.
U.S. Imposes 25% Section 301 Tariff on Brazil, Advances Separate Forced-Labor Duties on About 60 Countries
The Trump administration finalized a 25% tariff on many Brazilian imports effective July 22 and is moving toward a broader forced-labor tariff regime; Brazil and several trading partners dispute the legal and factual basis.
UK Designates Iran's Revolutionary Guard as a Hostile-State Threat Under New Law; Parliamentary Approval Pending
Britain has moved to outlaw support for the IRGC, an Iran-backed group, and a Russian GRU unit under its new state-threats regime, drawing condemnation from Tehran.
Houthis Fire Missiles and Drones at Saudi Arabia's Abha Airport After Strike on Sanaa Airport
The Iran-aligned group launched the attack in retaliation for a strike on Yemen's Sanaa airport and warned it could widen the conflict to Red Sea shipping, amid an ongoing U.S.-Iran war.
Trump and Iraqi PM al-Zaidi Announce U.S. Energy Deals and September 30 Target for Full Troop Withdrawal
At a White House meeting, the two leaders paired new U.S. oil-and-pipeline agreements with a plan to end the 23-year American military mission in Iraq by September 30, 2026.
Putin Aide Says Russia's Sea-Based Nuclear Forces Are at 'Full Combat Readiness' as Missiles Again Hit Kyiv
A statement by Kremlin adviser Nikolai Patrushev about Russia's naval nuclear posture, delivered the same week as fresh strikes on Ukraine's capital, is being read by different audiences as either a new escalation or a routine restatement of standing policy.
Zelensky Removes Ukraine's Defense Minister and Prime Minister in Wartime Cabinet Reshuffle
President Volodymyr Zelensky ousted popular Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov and replaced Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, drawing street protests in Kyiv over a war effort backed by U.S. arms and a new missile co-production license.