The U.S. House narrowly passed a $1.15 trillion defense bill, advancing major military spending legislation,U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth testified on the cost of the Iran war, estimating the Pentagon had spent $37.5 billion so far,and the U.S. launched fresh strikes on Iran, targeting its command centers, missile and drone launch sites and air defense systems.This comes as U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to strike Pickaxe Mountain, a buried Iranian nuclear site,as he also said he was considering a "massive attack" on Iran, but had yet to make a decision, Iran declared the U.K.'s RAF Fairford base a "legitimate target," escalating threats amid the regional conflict,and Yemen's Houthi forces claimed an attack on two Saudi oil tankersdays after declaring a naval blockade of Riyadh, broadening the conflict at sea.Meanwhile, the Trump administration announced a U.S.-Saudi nuclear agreement, expanding strategic cooperation, six people were killed in clashes near Nablus in the West Bank, Hamas elected Khalil al-Hayya as its new political bureau chief, changing the group’s leadership,and Israel confirmed that it had built a 14-mile barrier inside Gaza, altering the territory’s security landscape.In other news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismissed Ukraine’s commander-in-chief, reshaping the country’s military leadership,U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met in the Philippines for talks on bringing an end to the Ukraine war,and New Zealand and Papua New Guinea signed a defense cooperation agreement, strengthening their regional security ties.Elsewhere, Haiti’s gang-suppression force killed three people in a gunfight during an operation against armed groups,and Mali denied reports of U.S. involvement in its counterterrorism campaign, saying it had received "no confirmation and no official statement" from Washington.

The United States enacted new tariffs on dozens of trading partners, citing allegations of forced labor, Trump imposed 50% tariffs on Ottawa, affecting about $20 billion in annual Canadian imports, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun made a state trip to the U.S., marking the first visit by a Lebanese head of state to Washington since 2009,and the 33rd ASEAN Regional Forum convened in Manila, bringing together foreign ministers from Asia, Europe and North America.Meanwhile, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez visited Algeria for the first time in four years, Nigeria and Germany agreed to deepen trade relations following Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul's two-day visit to the African country,Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev confirmed that German-Russian talks had taken place in Baku, revealing a diplomatic back channel,and Gabonese President Brice Oligui Nguema visited France, seeking closer diplomatic ties.In other news, Andy Burnham appointed a new cabinetand opened a northern branch of the prime minister’s office in Manchester,after formally replacing Keir Starmer as U.K. prime minister,Bangladeshi President Mohammed Shahabuddin resigned, triggering a new political transition,and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa reshuffled the country’s security and intelligence leadership, consolidating control over key institutions.This comes as retired chess grandmaster Judit Polgár declined an offer to become Hungary’s next president, turning down a prominent political role, Hungarian prosecutors raided servers belonging to Viktor Orbán’s Fidesz party, escalating their political investigation, Nicolás Maduro’s drug-trafficking trial was scheduled for June 2027, setting a date for the high-profile case,and the U.S. granted permanent residency to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's son under the category for those with extraordinary abilities.In unrelated developments, Republican senators proposed a memorial to alleged victims of the Chinese Communist Party, thousands of Jewish visitors entered the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, heightening tensions at the holy site,Indian Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned following widespread protests from the Cockroach Janta Party over alleged exam paper leaks,and Italian police and protesters clashed after the death of a Moroccan during his arrest.

Former state Rep. Amish Shah won the Democratic nomination in Arizona’s 1st Congressional District,Rep. Andy Biggs won Arizona’s Republican gubernatorial primary, securing the party’s nomination,and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill revealed that a software glitch led to the registration of over 6,000 non-citizens, with approximately 400 of them casting ballots.Meanwhile, FBI managers allegedly received a notice that the department would no longer probe confrontations involving immigration agents, more than $1 billion in Medicaid funding was frozen for California and Minnesota amid suspected fraud and noncompliance in both states,and former President Joe Biden lost an appeal seeking to block the release of audio recordings from his memoir interviews.This comes as the Justice Department withdrew subpoenas issued to three New York Times journalists who had reported on alleged security issues related to the Qatari-gifted Air Force One jet, a member of JD Vance's protective detail was suspended over allegations of leaking sensitive information,and Elon Musk said he had become too involved in politics, distancing himself from his previous government role leading the Department of Government Efficiency.

France banned social media for children under 15, imposing one of Europe’s strictest age restrictions, MI5 and the Police Service of Northern Ireland were ordered to pay damages for spying on an Irish journalist,and GoodLife Fitness addressed concerns over religious accommodations following a dispute involving a kirpan at a Canadian gym.

A man was charged with murdering former British politician Ann Widdecombe,with a U.K. court hearing details of the case, including allegations that the suspect struck her on the head with a hammer 21 times,and Ukrainian prosecutors released footage connected to the recent Monaco bombing that injured Ukrainian businessman Vadym Yermolaiev and his family.Meanwhile, a suspected recruiter of models for Jeffrey Epstein was found dead at a Paris residence, with a probe ordered into the cause of death, the Gates Foundation was revealed to have held 30 meetings with Epstein after his conviction, intensifying scrutiny of the relationship, possible bloodstains were detected at singer D4vd’s home as investigators examined the property in connection with the murder of 14-year-old Celeste Rivas Hernandez,and social media personalities Andrew and Tristan Tate appeared in a U.S. court over a British extradition request.This comes as 19 people were convicted of trafficking babies in Indonesia and Singapore,Sinaloa cartel co-founder Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada was sentenced to life in a U.S. court after pleading guilty to racketeering conspiracy and criminal enterprise charges,and a journalist was shot and killed in Mexico’s Oaxaca state, prompting another investigation into violence against the press.In other news, a car bomb was intercepted at the Northern Ireland border, a man was arrested in connection with a firebomb attack outside an immigration office in New York City,former Australian cricketer David Warner pleaded guilty to drunk driving, with sentencing scheduled for next month,and the owner of a Michelin-starred South Korean restaurant faced prison over ant-topped desserts, which are not approved for human consumption in the country.

A U.S. judge paused the Paramount-Warner merger over concerns it could stifle competition, Google was fined 890 million ($1.01 billion) for allegedly violating the EU's Digital Markets Act,and TikTok’s U.S. security chief was scheduled to testify before the House in September amid ongoing scrutiny of the platform.Meanwhile, Samsung Biologics launched a $1.8 billion bid for PolyPeptide, seeking to expand its pharmaceutical manufacturing business,and Emirates Airline President Sir Tim Clark said the airline would reject the delivery of 10 Boeing 777X jets over concerns that the aircraft had undergone too many design changes.

U.S. gasoline prices returned to over $4 per gallon, increasing pressure on consumers, the U.N. estimated that nearly one-third of the world’s population could not afford a healthy diet last year, while finding that global hunger had declined for a third consecutive year,and Burnham cut value-added tax on household electricity bills in a move that's estimated will save a typical household about £45 a year,and announced plans to cut business rates for pubs, bars and music venues.

The Democratic Republic of Congo's Ebola death toll surpassed 1,000, marking the fastest-growing such outbreak on record, a British aid worker was evacuated from the DRC after possible exposure to Ebola,and a report warned that U.S. funding cuts were disrupting global HIV treatment, with more than 1,700 clinics closed across 46 countries.Meanwhile, Trump announced a 200% tariff on imported generic drugs in an effort to encourage drugmakers to move production back to the U.S., the U.S. reported 2,318 confirmed measles cases as of late July, marking the highest total since 1991,and U.S. Sen. Rand Paul released private discussions in which COVID researchers debated the lab-leak theory.This comes as a U.S. advisory panel recommended easing restrictions on widely used peptides, potentially expanding access to the treatments, a study linked weight-loss drugs to a higher risk of hair loss, identifying a possible side effect,and research suggested that chronic traffic noise may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, pointing to a potential environmental health factor.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated across France and Spain as the two countries battled wildfires, France recorded 5,764 excess deaths during its June heatwave, representing a 36% excess mortality rate — the highest since 2003 —and a study linked declining air pollution to European heatwaves, concluding that the trend allows more solar radiation to reach the surface.Meanwhile, a report found that 3.1 million hectares burned in Brazil's Amazon in 2025, the smallest area since records began in 1985,and monsoon-related floods killed dozens across India, Nepal, and Afghanistan, as heavy rains triggered widespread destruction.

U.S. lawmakers proposed an AI “kill switch,” seeking emergency control over advanced systems, the head of Trump’s AI security agency resigned, creating a leadership vacancy,and over 20 American tech companies signed an open letter in opposition to proposed restrictions on open-weight AI models.This comes as the U.S. accused China’s Moonshot AI of stealing Anthropic’s intellectual property, escalating technology tensions, a study found that AI chatbots gave inaccurate voting advice during Hungary’s 2026 election, raising concerns about election misinformation,and Texas-based Alpha Schools announced plans to open AI-driven schools in the Boston area, expanding an education model centered on AI learning.Meanwhile, Amazon cut jobs in its artificial general intelligence unit, restructuring its AI operations, Jeff Bezos and the U.K. government backed AI startup CuspAI at a $2.6 billion valuation,and Musk said Grok would create a “historically accurate” adaptation of The Odyssey, promoting the model’s media ambitions.

SpaceX launched 24 Starlink satellites into orbit after technical issues had forced an earlier attempt to be aborted,and research suggested that the Milky Way tilted by 90 degrees after an ancient collision with another galaxy, reshaping theories about its formation.

FIFA opened an investigation into violence following clashes between players and coaches at the World Cup final, the U.S. announced the shutdown of over 1,000 websites for illegally streaming World Cup matches,and South America's CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez pushed for a 64-team World Cup in 2030, advocating a major expansion.In other news, LeBron James signed with the Philadelphia 76ers, making a major late-career move within the NBA.

The wreckage of the Pan Am Clipper Endeavor was found after more than 70 years, a tunnel collapse at an Indian hydropower project killed at least 11 workers, prompting a safety investigation,and 27 bodies were recovered from a ferry in Guyana after it capsized with at least 133 people on board.