World
NATO Opens Ankara Summit Focused on 5% Spending Target and $80 Billion Ukraine Aid Pledge
Leaders of NATO's 32 members, joined by Ukraine's Zelensky, gathered in Turkey as Washington pressed for faster defense-spending increases and Europe restated an $80 billion aid figure that critics note contains no new money.
NATO and Gulf Arab Ministers Discuss French-British Naval Plan for Strait of Hormuz; Iran Objects
On the sidelines of the Ankara NATO summit, ministers from four Gulf states met NATO counterparts about a Franco-British proposal to escort and de-mine shipping near Hormuz, a plan Iran says foreign powers have no right to run.
China Test-Fires Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile Into South Pacific; Australia, New Zealand and Japan Object
A Chinese nuclear submarine fired a dummy-warhead strategic missile into the South Pacific on July 6, 2026; Beijing calls it routine annual training, while regional governments call it destabilizing.
China Promotes Two Officers to General as Anti-Corruption Purge Leaves Top Military Body Depleted
Xi Jinping presented promotion orders to Zhang Shuguang and air force chief Wang Gang on July 3, the first move to rebuild a Central Military Commission cut down by years of purges.
Canada and Alberta Advance Government-Backed Pacific Pipeline to Route Crude to Asia
Ottawa and Alberta agreed to develop a roughly one-million-barrel-per-day oil pipeline from Alberta to British Columbia's coast, paired with a carbon-capture project, amid disputes over cost, emissions, and who bears the financial risk.
Trump Calls U.S.-NATO Relationship 'Ridiculous' Days Before Ankara Summit
President Trump attacked NATO burden-sharing as one-sided as reports circulated that Washington has briefed allies on trimming forces committed to the alliance, ahead of the July 7-8 summit in Turkey.
U.S. Envoy in Taiwan Urges Mass Drone Buildup Days After China Warns Washington on Taiwan
The de facto U.S. ambassador said Taiwan should become a 'hornet's nest' of low-cost drones to deter China, as Beijing pressed Washington to move with 'utmost caution' and Taiwan's own legislature fights over how to pay for it.
U.S. Declines to Renew USMCA in Current Form, Triggering a Decade of Annual Reviews
Washington let the July 1 joint-review deadline pass without agreeing to a 16-year extension, keeping the North American trade pact alive but placing it on a yearly review cycle that runs until 2036.
U.S. Sends About 900 Troops Into Venezuela for Earthquake Relief; Death Toll Surpasses 1,900
The deployment aids rescue efforts after twin June 24 quakes and also enlarges the U.S. military footprint in a country whose government Washington helped install in January.
Pakistan Strikes Sites in Eastern Afghanistan After Karachi Attack; Casualty Counts Disputed
Pakistan says it hit militant hideouts and killed 29 fighters; Afghan officials and the UN report dozens of civilians dead, amid a conflict that has run since February 2026.
Pentagon's Section 1260H Ban on Direct Defense Contracts With Listed Chinese Firms Takes Effect June 30
A statutory prohibition bars the U.S. Defense Department from signing new contracts with companies on its expanded "Chinese military companies" list, including Alibaba, Tencent and BYD, all of which deny military ties.
EU Finalizes U.S. Trade Deal Days Before Trump's July 4 Tariff Deadline
The European Union gave final approval on June 25 to the tariff commitments President Trump demanded by July 4, capping most U.S. tariffs on EU goods at 15% while sides still dispute whether the underlying deal is balanced.