UN Chief Heads to Damascus After 14-Year Gap

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres starts his visit to Syria, the first such trip since before the 2011 war. The Secretary will meet President Ahmed al-Sharaa and address the parliament as Damascus rebuilds global ties.

READ MORE

Trump's tariffs are becoming a permanent feature of U.S. trade policy.

After the Supreme Court struck down his emergency tariffs, the administration is rebuilding them using more legally durable trade laws, with more tariffs expected on industries and countries in the coming months.

Businesses now expect a lasting 10–15% baseline tariff, while critics warn higher costs and unpredictable new duties will continue disrupting global trade.

Source: Reuters

Zelensky: "I Am Ready" to Sign Peace Deal at Oval Office

Pro-Trump influencer Laura Loomer asked President Zelensky about signing a peace deal in the Oval Office; he said he is "ready," pending Trump's decision.

READ MORE

Trump administration warned Ukraine not to hit non-Russian vessels in the Black Sea after Chevron and other industry players raised concerns.

The trigger: a July 7 drone strike (unclaimed by Kyiv) hit four tankers near the CPC terminal off Novorossiysk, including the empty, Chevron-chartered Yasa Polaris.

CPC handles ~80% of Kazakh oil exports and ~2% of global supply.

Chevron owns 50% of Tengizchevroil.

CEO Mike Wirth spoke with the White House this week; the warning to Ukraine followed.

Source: WSJ

Win for the Cockroaches: India's Education Minister Resigns

India's education minister Dharmendra Pradhan resigned after youth-led "Cockroach" movement protests over an exam leak scandal linked to student suicides, marking a rare defeat for Modi's government.

READ MORE

China is using film diplomacy across Africa to improve its image and expand its soft power.

Through film festivals, screenings, cultural exchanges, and co-productions in countries like Burundi, Kenya, and Morocco, Beijing aims to build goodwill and strengthen long-term cultural ties.

Source: SCMP

Iranian state media circulates a video captioned “People of Bandar Jask, weapons in hand, are waiting for the arrival of American forces,” showing armed locals or militia in the Gulf of Oman town.

Bandar Jask and nearby areas (Sirik, Qeshm, Bandar Abbas) have been hit repeatedly in U.S. strikes.

Türk Wins Second Term Despite US, Israel, Russia Opposition as UN High Commissioner

The UN General Assembly voted to reappoint Volker Türk as human rights chief for a second term, despite fierce opposition from the US, Russia and Israel.

READ MORE

Iran's IRGC is using Channel migrant-smuggling routes to plant operatives in the UK alongside regular small-boat crossings, with unnamed Iranian officials boasting they already have "revolutionary people" in London awaiting orders.

Smugglers said Iran owns parts of some routes and migrants sometimes owe Tehran favours for cheaper passage.

MI5's chief is cited saying he's tracked 20+ potentially lethal Iran-backed plots in the UK over the past year.

Source: The Telegraph

Wildfires Force 200,000 to Flee France and Spain

Wildfires in France and Spain have deepened with blazes near Madrid declared beyond control and 141,000 people evacuated across France's Gironde and Landes regions alone.

READ MORE

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani:

The continued Israeli military operations and the illegal occupation of our territory, extending beyond the 1974 disengagement line, constitute a direct threat to the security of the region and a drain on our national resources.

Therefore, we value the United Nations' commitment to international law, and we renew our call for a firm United Nations position that will lead to an immediate and unconditional withdrawal, while reaffirming our support for the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in carrying out its full mandate without any restrictions.

UN Secretary-General Guterres:

The United Nations recognizes, without any ambiguity, that the Golan belongs to Syria.

Time and again, we have condemned the violations committed by Israel.

UN Secretary-General Guterres:

Within the United Nations, we will continue to strongly advocate the recognition that what belongs to the Syrians belongs to the Syrians—and cannot be taken from them.

That is what we can do.

Yemen's Houthis say they launched missile and drone attacks targeting Aramco-linked facilities in Jizan and Yanbu in response to overnight Saudi airstrikes on Hodeidah, its port, and Kamaran Island.

The group says its naval blockade on Saudi Arabia remains in effect and warns it will escalate further if Saudi airstrikes continue.

Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shibani:

What does Syria truly want at this stage?

It wants support from the entire international community—not only from the United Nations, but from the European Union and all those who wish to see a successful model in this region.

Those who fell short in the past and failed the Syrian people now have an opportunity to participate in this new phase that Syrians are living through as they rebuild their country.

Belgian authorities arrested a Canadian intern of Chinese origin working at NATO's military headquarters (SHAPE) on suspicion of espionage for an undisclosed third country and membership in a criminal organization.

NATO says there is no indication the case affected its operations or military readiness.

Source: Reuters

Chevron Lobbies Washington to Shield Kazakhstan Oil Assets

Executives are urging Trump administration to protect the company's critical pipeline infrastructure in Kazakhstan after Ukrainian drone strikes in the Black Sea threatened crude oil exports.

READ MORE

Kazakh President Tokayev to Putin on the Russia–Ukraine war:

Young people are dying. This is the gene pool of the brotherly peoples of Russia and Ukraine. And all this must be stopped, because what is happening, in my convinced view, plays into the hands and brings joy to the enemies of both Russia and the Ukrainian state.

As for Kazakhstan's position regarding Russia, do not doubt—we have always considered and consider Russia a great state, as I have already said.

We are committed to strategic cooperation with Russia and to allied relations, however difficult it may be.

Iran is increasingly using its Kheibar Shekan ballistic missile in coordinated attacks, combining different flight paths, speeds, and drones to complicate U.S. air defenses.

U.S. officials say most are intercepted, but some have penetrated defenses, highlighting the missile's growing effectiveness and Iran's evolving tactics.

Source: WSJ

Greek-operated Patriot air defenses in Saudi Arabia intercepted two ballistic missiles launched from Yemen toward Aramco oil facilities in Yanbu.

The interception marks the second known combat use of the system by Greek military personnel since their deployment in 2021.

Source: Reuters

How OpenAI Failed to Spot Its Own Agent Hacking Another Company

OpenAI failed to detect for over a week that one of its autonomous AI agents escaped containment and carried out a dayslong cyberattack against tech repository Hugging Face.

READ MORE