Friday,  July 26th, 2024 

A study by the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation finds thirteen Brazilian sharpnose sharks off the coast of Brazil with high levels of cocaine in their muscles and livers. Experts believe that the cocaine is making its way into the waters via illegal labs where the drug is manufactured or through the excrement of drug users. (BBC News) 

The European Union sends its first transfer of €1.5 billion (US$1.63 billion) in proceeds from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for military and infrastructure support. The Kremlin denounces the transfer as “illegal” under international law and pledges legal retaliation.  (Reuters) 

Finland reports that a Russian Navy vessel from its Baltic Sea fleet trespassed on Finnish territorial waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland. (Reuters) 

Italy appoints an ambassador to Syria after 12 years, becoming the first G7 country to do so. (Reuters) 

Arson attacks on TGV infrastructure disrupts rail services in France. (The Guardian) 

The opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics take place on the bank of the River Seine and the Jardins du Trocadéro in Paris, France. (NBC News) 

Thursday, July 25th, 2024 

Researchers from the Scottish Association for Marine Science report evidence of dark oxygen being produced from metals on the seafloor. It was previously assumed that almost all the free oxygen (O ₂) on Earth was created through photosynthesis, which requires sunlight. (NPR) 

United States Secret Service director Kimberly Cheatle resigns, citing security lapses that led to former president Donald Trump’s attempted assassination.  (The New York Times) 

The White House and U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris issue statements strongly condemning vandalism and American flag burning during pro-Palestinian and anti-Benjamin Netanyahu protests in Washington, D.C., yesterday, with Harris calling the protests “despicable acts” by “unpatriotic protesters”.  (Politico) 

In the United States, California Governor Gavin Newsom delivers an executive order directing state agencies to remove homeless encampments throughout the state. (AP) 

A Palestinian governmental body announces that senior Hamas leader Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara has died in Israeli prison after being arrested in October 2023. (Reuters) 

At least 21 people are killed during a heat wave in Beni Mellal, Morocco. (NDTV) 

Myanmar’s military junta and the ethnic resistance group Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army both claim to capture Lashio, which houses the major military headquarters, and Mogok, the center of the country’s gem-mining industry. (AP) (Voice of America) 

Fitch Ratings downgrades Ukraine’s credit rating from “CC” to “C” due to the country’s need to restructure US$20 billion in international bonds to foreign investors, increasing the country’s risk of default. (Al Jazeera) 

Southwest Airlines announces the end to its 53-year open seating policy, starting in 2025. (Reuters) 

An oil tanker capsizes off the coast of Limay, Bataan, Philippines, killing one person and spilling oil into Manila Bay. (CNBC) 

The Brazilian Ministry of Health reports the world’s first Oropouche virus deaths from two women in Bahia. (The Telegraph) 

U.S. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris hold separate meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the White House on the Israel–Hamas war and plans following the conclusion of the war. (NBC News) 

Candlelight Party President Teav Vannol is fined 6 billion riel (US$1.5 million) for “defamation” of the current Cambodian government to foreign media following his party being barred from the 2023 general election, which saw the incumbent People’s Party win 120 of 125 National Assembly seats. (Reuters) 

Between 16 and 18 July, at least 26 people, including 16 children, were killed in mass shootings by armed gangs over land disputes in Angoram District, East Sepik Province, Papua New Guinea. (BBC News) 

Sinaloa Cartel leaders Ismael “El Mayo” Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López are arrested by agents of the United States Department of Justice in El Paso, Texas. (BBC News) 

The Canada Revenue Agency announces it will revoke the charity status of the Jewish National Fund, stating that the use of its donations to fund the IDF’s military infrastructure violates Canadian tax laws. (National Post) 

Wednesday, July 24th, 2024 

The Nasdaq Composite drops 654.94 points (-3.64%) on 24 July, marking its third-largest one-day point loss. The S&P 500 drops 128.61 points (-2.31%) on the same day, marking its fifteenth-largest one-day point loss.  (CNBC) 

German Interior Minister Nancy Faeser closes the Islamic Centre Hamburg for allegedly propagating extremism and being a direct representative of Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. The Iranian Foreign Ministry summons the German ambassador following the closure. (DW) 

Polish Defense Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz states that Poland will block Ukraine’s bid to join the European Union if it doesn’t resolve issues regarding Ukrainian nationalists’ massacre of Poles during WWII, including finding and burying all victims killed on current Ukrainian territory. (The Kyiv Independent) 

Three Ukrainian soldiers are killed and four others are injured in a mass shooting after a dispute in Kharkiv Oblast, Ukraine. (Al Arabiya) 

Polish divers announce that they have discovered a 19th-century shipwreck in the Baltic Sea off the coast of Sweden, containing crates of champagne and porcelain. (France 24) 

A series of protests occur across Washington, D.C., to protest a speech given by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint session of the United States Congress. (Reuters) 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addresses a joint session of the United States Congress amid protests over Israel’s conduct of the war in Gaza.  (Reuters) 

Metro Manila, Philippines, is placed under a state of calamity due to flash floods caused by Typhoon Gaemi. (Bloomberg) 

Two people are killed and 266 others are injured by Typhoon Gaemi in northern Taiwan as the typhoon passes through Fujian province, China, and heads inland. (Reuters) 

Two wildfires burning in Jasper National Park reach the Jasper townsite in Alberta, causing several structure fires, with over 25,000 residents evacuating their homes since Monday. (Edmonton Journal) 

Air quality in Calgary and the surrounding areas are raised to “high risk” as winds blow smoke into the region. (CBC News) 

Fifteen people are killed and more than 195 others are missing after a boat carrying migrants capsizes near Nouakchott, Mauritania. (CNN) 

A Bombardier CRJ-200 crashes during takeoff at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, Nepal, killing eighteen people on board, with only the captain surviving. (Reuters) 

Ten migrants are found drowned in a river near the Colombia–Panama border, according to Panamanian border police. (Al Jazeera) 

The North American Aerospace Defense Command intercepts two Russian and two Chinese bomber aircraft flying together near Alaska, marking the first record of Chinese H-6 aircraft entering Alaska’s Air Defense Identification Zone, and marking the first time both countries were intercepted operating together. (CNN) 

A formal inquiry by the New Zealand government concludes that since 1950, about 200,000 people in state and religious care were abused, experiencing abuses such as rape, sterilization, and electric shocks. (Reuters) 

At the International Olympic Committee‘s meeting in Paris, France, it is announced that the French Alps region has been conditionally approved to host the 2030 Winter Olympics and that Salt Lake City, Utah, United States, will host the 2034 Winter Olympics. (Fox News)  

The Canadian Olympic Committee expels two members of the women’s soccer team coaching staff from the Olympics following a spying incident involving a drone disrupting New Zealand‘s training session. FIFA initiates disciplinary proceedings. (Al Jazeera) 

Tuesday,  July 23rd, 2024 

The Copernicus Climate Change Service reports that July 21 was the hottest day in recorded history, and also estimates it to be the hottest day in the past 100,000 years with a global average surface air temperature of 17.09 °C (62.76 °F). (Reuters) 

Colombian president Gustavo Petro signs a bill into law outlawing bullfighting in the country. The bill also orders all bullrings to be converted into cultural and alternative sporting venues by 2027. (AP) 

At least 89 Palestinians are killed and over 263 others are injured in an Israeli surprise attack on a previously designated “safe zone” in Khan Younis, Gaza. (AA) 

Various factions in the Palestinian government, including rivals Fatah and Hamas, sign a declaration in Beijing, China, to end their divisions and form a unity government. (Reuters) 

The Yemeni government and the Houthis sign an agreement to de-escalate tensions, which will include relaxing banking restrictions on both sides and allowing flag carrier Yemenia to resume flights to Jordan. (Middle East Eye) 

The European Union deprives Hungary of its ability to host the next set of foreign and defense ministry meetings as a “symbolic signal” against Viktor Orbán‘s uncoordinated meetings in Russia and China, moving the ministry meetings from Budapest, Hungary, to Brussels, Belgium. (BBC News) 

Kristen Michal is appointed as the new prime minister of Estonia, succeeding Kaja Kallas. (AP) 

At least 17 civilians are killed in an attack by suspected Allied Democratic Forces rebels in fields near Oicha, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (Reuters) 

Two people are killed and 13 more injured after the collapse of a balcony in Naples, Italy. (Rai News)

At least 229 people are killed after landslides bury two villages in Gofa Zuria, Ethiopia. (Al Arabiya) 

Eight people are killed and five others are missing after their fishing vessel encountered severe weather near the Falkland Islands. (Daily Tribune) 

The United States invites Sudan’s military and the Rapid Support Forces to ceasefire talks in Switzerland on August 14. (TRT Afrika) 

The leftist La France Insoumise party introduces legislation to reverse pension changes and revert the legal retirement age to 62 years, with the far-right National Rally party offering support for the advancement of the legislation. (Reuters) 

The Woolwich Crown Court finds British Pakistani Islamist preacher Anjem Choudary guilty of directing the proscribed terrorist network Al-Muhajiroun. (The Guardian) 

Thousands of anti-war protestors led by Jewish Voice for Peace stage a sit-in at a congressional office building in Washington D.C., U.S., ahead of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit, with over 400 people, including rabbis, being arrested by Capitol Police. (AP) 

The Ukrainian parliament agrees to extend martial law and nationwide military mobilization for an additional 90 days beginning on August 12. (RFE/RL) 

At least 45 Ugandans are detained and some are charged while participating in anti-corruption protests in the capital city Kampala. (Al Jazeera) 

Israel orders mandatory evacuations across the Gaza Strip, including in sections of the heavily populated Al-Mawasi humanitarian zone. (AP) 

The Israeli parliament votes in favor of classifying UNRWA as a terrorist organization, allowing the motion to undergo supplementary deliberation regarding Israel severing relations with the agency. (Reuters) 

Monday,  July 22nd, 2024 

A court in Russia sentences Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva to six and a half years in prison in a secret trial. (DW) 

Belarusian foreign minister Maxim Ryzhenkov is invited to and will make Belarus’s first foreign ministry visit to North Korea regarding cooperation with Russia against conflicts with Western nations. (AP) 

The U.S. Air Force delivers the first of 14 F-16 Fighting Falcons to the Slovak Air Force as part of a $1.6 billion deal signed in 2018. (Reuters) 

More than 35 Somali soldiers and more than 80 al-Shabaab militants are killed after al-Shabaab attempts to overrun three army bases near Kismayo, Jubaland. (Reuters) 

Philippine president Bongbong Marcos announces a ban on offshore gaming operations in his State of the Nation Address. (Reuters) 

A court in the United Arab Emirates sentences 57 Bangladeshis to prison, including three to life sentences, for holding protests against the Bangladesh government in the United Arab Emirates, where protesting is illegal. (BBC News) 

Burmese military commander-in-chief Min Aung Hlaing is named acting president of Myanmar after current acting president Myint Swe goes on medical leave. (Al Jazeera) 

Russian forces capture the villages of Andriivka in Luhansk Oblast and Pishchane in Kharkiv Oblast. (Anadolu Agency) 

Sunday, July 21st, 2024 

Incumbent U.S. President Joe Biden announces that he will not seek a second term in office and ends his presidential campaign, while endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. (NBC News) 

French president Emmanuel Macron opens the 142nd IOC Session in Paris. (Francs Jeux) 

In cycle sport, Tadej Pogačar wins the Tour de France for the third time in his career. (TSN) 

Wildfires continue to spread in northern Alberta, Canada, prompting emergency evacuations in John D’Or Prairie 215, Fox Lake and Garden River. At least 55 of the 158 active wildfires are reported as “out of control”. (Reuters) 

In auto racing, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri wins his first Formula One race at the Hungarian Grand Prix, becoming the first driver born in the 2000s to win a Formula One race. (AP) 

Israel begins issuing call-up notices for military conscription to Haredi Jews amid mass protests in Jerusalem. (Reuters) 

The death toll from yesterday’s Israeli airstrikes on Al Hudaydah, Yemen, increases to six. (Al Jazeera) 

The Houthis target Eilat, Israel, with multiple ballistic missiles, in response to yesterday’s airstrikes in Yemen. (Sky News) 

The Supreme Court of Bangladesh reduces the government job quota reserved for families of veterans who fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War from 30% to 5%, leaving 93% of jobs to be allocated on merit and 2% set aside for ethnic minorities, transgender, and disabled people. (AP) 

Thousands of people protest in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, against overtourism in the country. (Reuters) 

In response to the prior day’s Houthi drone attack on Tel Aviv, Israeli airstrikes hit oil refineries and power stations in the Yemeni port of Al Hudaydah, killing six people and injuring over eighty others. (Al Jazeera) 

The End