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Thursday, July 2nd, 2026 

Palaeontologists identify a fossil vertebra collected on James Ross Island in 1985 as the earliest-known dinosaur bone collected in Antarctica, which was identified to be a tail bone from a titanosaur. (The Independent) 

Former Indonesian education minister Nadiem Makarim, who co-founded the super app Gojek, is sentenced to 10 years in prison for corruption. (BBC News) 

Four people are reportedly killed in the early morning hours of Wednesday during celebrations in Mexico City following Mexico‘s victory against Ecuador in the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.  (Reuters) 

The U.S. treasury department announces sanctions on two men and nine companies accused of being involved in transportation, financial services, and real estate for the Jalisco New Generation Cartel. (AFP via France 24) 

Nine children are killed when a motorized tricycle plunges into a canal in Abu Tig, Asyut Governorate, Egypt. (AP) 

At least 17 people are killed and 86 others are injured in a Russian ballistic missiles and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine (Kyiv Independent) 

Eight monks are killed and 14 others are injured, including four critically, when an 11-year-old boy drives a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in Mukdahan province, Thailand. (AP) 

A United States Navy aviator is reportedly missing after a Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter carrying four crew members assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet rules out hostile activities in the accident. (Navy Times) 

Sweden’s Market Court orders Google to pay PriceRunner about 14.3 billion kr (US$1.5 billion) in damages, Sweden’s largest competition-related award, after ruling that Google unlawfully favored its own price comparison service over rivals in search results. (AFP via France 24) 

Wednesday, July 1st, 2026 

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says that the United States will not renew the USMCA trade agreement signed during U.S. President Donald Trump’s first term. The U.S. will conduct annual reviews of the trade agreement and will conduct negotiations and amendments to it.  (Mexico News Daily) 

The Qatari foreign ministry confirms that United States envoys Jared Kushner and Steve Witkoff have arrived in Doha for technical indirect talks with Iran and talks with mediators regarding negotiations with Iran. However, they also state that no high-level talks have occurred. (BBC News) 

Saudi Aramco and Algerian oil company Sonatrach announce that they will cut prices for liquefied petroleum gas for July, with Saudi Aramco reducing it between 24% and 27% and Sonatrach reducing it between 2% and 10%. (Reuters) 

United States vice president JD Vance says that Iran and the U.S. have held technical talks based on the recent 14-point memorandum of understanding in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. He also states that the U.S. will not return to military action unless necessary. (Haaretz) 

The Emirate of Dubai, UAE, reopens its Catholic churches, including St. Mary’s and St. Francis of Assisi in Jebel Ali, after three months of closure amidst the Iran war. (Gulf News) 

Iranian state television reports that a foreign container ship was grounded in shallow water after using an unapproved route through the strait. (MS Now) 

South Korea’s ocean ministry says that the Panama–flagged cargo vessel HMM Namu will leave the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July once major repair is complete on the vessel after it was attacked in a explosion on May 4 while it was stranded in the waterway. (Reuters) 

The Israel Defense Forces confirms that that they have launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip that killed four militants of the Hamas military wing Al-Qassam Brigades and destroyed several missile launchers used by the organization. (The Jerusalem Post) 

ACLED reported that more than 100,000 people have died from the civil war in Myanmar since the military took power in February 2021.  (SBS News) 

Ukraine approves a mechanism for exporting domestically produced weapons and military technologies to raise funds for its defense effort against Russia and attract foreign investment, while requiring that the Ukrainian military’s supply needs remain the priority. (AFP via The Straits Times) 

Sony says it will stop releasing new PlayStation games on physical optical discs from January 2028, citing consumer preference for digital media, and will offer new titles through the PlayStation Store and other digital retailers. (AFP via France 24) 

The International Transport Workers’ Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group of shipping owners announce they will continue to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a warzone, which doubles the pay of mariners there and gives them other benefits. (Al Jazeera) 

The World Bank classifies the Philippines as an upper-middle-income economy, up from lower-middle-income status, after its per capita gross national income exceeds the fiscal year 2026 threshold of US$4,496 to $13,935. (Agenzia Nova) 

Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez declares seven days of national mourning for the victims of the earthquakes as the death toll rises to 2,295. (AFP via The Standard) 

The Directorate General of Health Services reports that one child has died from measles symptoms in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll of the outbreak in Bangladesh to 719. (Dhaka Tribune) 

The United States announces a pandemic response team amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak. (Bloomberg) 

The World Health Organization reports that 120 people have been killed in cholera outbreaks in Sudan since May in isolated war zones, alongside suspected 1,102 cases of the disease. (MENA via The New Arab) 

The African CDC confirms an isolated case of the Marburg virus in Uganda, amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country. (CNBC Africa) 

In Canada, Ontario lowers the eligibility age for routine colorectal cancer screenings from 50 to 45, joining Prince Edward Island as the second province to do so. (CBC News) 

A firebombing on the homes of ruling New Democracy party members in Thessaloniki, Greece, kills one person and injures three others. (AP) 

Paraguayan president Santiago Peña declares a national holiday after Paraguay defeated Germany 4–3 on penalties, following a 1–1 draw, in the FIFA World Cup round of 32. (Tanzania Insight) 

The End