Below posted monday 12:30pm 

Sunday, July 28th, 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 ancient Roman Appian Way, the oldest Roman road which began construction in 312 B.C., is added to the UNESCO World Heritage List. (AP) 

NASA’s Perseverance rover on Mars finds a rock containing spotted features which are possible fossilized records of microbes, though non-biological processes cannot yet be ruled out. (Space.com) 

Hackers from the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine escalate “massive” cyberattacks on Russia’s largest banks, prohibiting any cash or credit transactions. Cyberattacks also target Russian public transport systems, internet and mobile providers, and social networks. (Kyiv Post) 

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) 

A former top United States official states that the Department of Defense covertly admits to conducting a mass disinformation campaign targeting the Philippines using social media bots and fake accounts to discredit the safety of Chinese CoronaVac vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, following public denial of involvement in June. (Reuters) 

The South Korean women’s archery team wins its tenth consecutive Olympic gold medal after beating the Chinese team in a tiebreaker that required a magnifying glass to determine the final score. (AP) 

Several nations, including the United States, Australia, and multiple European nations release travel advisories urging all their citizens not to travel to Lebanon, and for those residing there to leave as soon as possible in anticipation of an Israeli attack against Hezbollah. (Anadolu Ajansı) 

Malaysia formally applies to become a member of the BRICS economic bloc and geopolitical organization. (Anandolu Ajansi) 

Fifteen people are killed and six others are injured by a landslide caused by remnants of Typhoon Gaemi in Hengyang, Hunan, China. (AP) 

The Park Fire in California, United States, spreads to more than 350,000 acres, with at least 134 structures being destroyed by the wildfires. (NBC News) 

The Philippine coast guard finds and seals diesel fuel cargo leaks from the MTKR Jason Bradley, the second vessel to sink in the Manila Bay in one week, following the MT Terra Nova‘s sinking. (Philippine Daily Inquirer) 

At least twelve people are killed by extensive flooding throughout Kassala State in eastern Sudan that submerged several internal displacement camps. (ILKHA) 

Russian President Vladimir Putin threatens to position long-range missiles that could strike throughout Europe following the United States’s announcement of plans to set up long-range missiles in Germany beginning in 2026. (Reuters) 

Venezuelans vote to elect their president. Incumbent Nicolás Maduro is standing for reelection for a third consecutive term. (BBC News) 

Incumbent President Nicolás Maduro is declared the winner of the Venezuelan 2024 presidential election by the National Electoral Council. Opposition parties claim that there are irregularities in the election results. (AP) 

The National Electoral Council announces, at a point where 20% of ballots were yet to be counted, that Maduro’s 7-point lead is “irreversible”, a mathematically impossible claim. (BBC) 

Eleanor Harvey wins a bronze medal in fencing at the 2024 Olympics, making it the first medal Canada has ever won in fencing. (TSN) 

Denis Vieru wins the bronze medal in Judo, making it the first medal Moldova has ever won in Judo. (HotNews) 

In Gaelic football, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship concludes with Armagh defeating Galway in the final. (The Irish Times) 

Saturday, July 27th, 2024 

Iran orders all government offices and commercial institutions to close tomorrow due to ongoing country-wide heatwaves. (ABC)

Mali’s Tuareg coalition CSP-PSD claimed to have killed and wounded dozens of Malian Armed Forces soldiers and Wagner Group mercenaries on the outskirts of Tinzaouaten. Russian sources said the head of the Wagner-affiliated Grey Zone Telegram channel, which has 560,000 subscribers, died in the battle. The status of Wagner Group leader Anton Yelizarov is currently unknown. (Voice of America) 

Twelve people, all children, are killed in rocket strikes on the Druze village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights. Israel claims that Hezbollah is responsible for the attack, but Hezbollah denies any involvement. (Reuters) 

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vows that Hezbollah will “pay a heavy price” which “it has not paid so far” in response to the attack. (Barron’s) 

Russian forces capture the village of Lozovatske in Donetsk Oblast. (Anadolu Agency) 

More than fifty people, including fifteen children, are killed in Israeli attacks on a school used to shelter displaced people in Deir al-Balah in the Gaza Strip. (Al Jazeera) 

At least 22 people are killed and 75 others are injured in a Rapid Support Forces attack on Al-Fashir, North Darfur, Sudan. (Reuters) 

Seven people are killed and others injured after a stampede during a concert at the Stade des Martyrs stadium in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. (AP) 

Eight people are killed and five others are injured when a vehicle hits pedestrians in Changsha, Hunan, China. The perpetrator is arrested. (AP) 

In response to the spying incident involving the Canada women’s national soccer team coaching staff using drones to spy on the New Zealand team, FIFA deducts six points from Canada in the Paris Olympics women’s football tournament and bans three coaches for one year, including head coach Bev Priestman. (Al Jazeera) 

Friday,  July 26th, 2024 

A German man who is sentenced to death in Belarus for photographing Belarusian military sites in Ukraine urges Belarusian president Alexander Lukashenko to pardon him in a television appearance. (DW) 

The Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, an ethnic armed organization, claims to have captured Lashio, the location of an important regional military base, and Mogok, the center of the country’s gem-mining industry. The country’s ruling military junta denies the claims. (AP) 

A plane crashes in Campbell County, Wyoming, United States, just north of Gillette, starting a wildfire and killing all seven people onboard, including three members of the gospel group The Nelons. (WSB-TV) 

China and India agree to cooperate in withdrawing all their troops from their disputed border, with aims of peacefully achieving “complete disengagement” from the border conflict as quickly as possible. (AP) 

The United Kingdom drops its challenge to the International Criminal Court’s issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. (Reuters) 

U.S. President Joe Biden adds Lebanon to the Deferred Enforced Departure list, temporarily protecting Lebanese citizens residing in the United States from deportation for 18 months, in response to growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. (Detroit Free Press) 

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) 

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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) 

The End