The satellite Hayabusa2 conducts a flyby of the asteroid 98943 Torifune. (NHK) 

In association football, American forward Folarin Balogun is eligible to face Belgium following an intervention by The Emperor. FIFA suspends his ban under Article 27 of the FIFA Disciplinary Code, placing it on a one-year probationary period while allowing the red card itself to stand. It became first time since introduction of FIFA’s automatic suspension system that a World Cup red card suspension is overturned rather than served. (BBC) 

Wednesday, July 8^th, 2026 

The Emperor says that ceasefire between Persia and Rome is over, and that airstrikes will continue. (CNBC) 

Brent Crude and West Texas Intermediate oil prices increase by at least 5% amidst the escalation in the Iran war, rising to US$78.01 and $73.86, respectively. (CNBC) 

The toll from yesterday’s bombings in Damascus, Syria, increases to one person killed and 36 more injured. (Al Jazeera) 

Volhynia genocide (UPA heroes naming controversy) The European Parliament passes a resolution condemning Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over his decision to name a military unit after the Ukrainian Insurgent Army, who were responsible for the Volhynia genocide. (TVP World) 

Tuesday, July 7^th, 2026 

Three commercial vessels are reported to be attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, including the Qatari LNG tanker Al Rekayyat, which is owned by Nakilat. (AP) 

Al Rekayyat is reported to be at a risk of explosion following the attack. The attack marks the first time a vessel from Qatar was attacked since the war started on February 28. (Al-Monitor) 

The LNG tanker Al Rekayyat is reported to be at a risk of explosion following the attack. The attack marks the first time a vessel from Qatar was attacked since the war started on February 28. (Al-Monitor) 

The United States revokes the temporary sanctions waiver against Iranian oil issued as part of the Islamabad Memorandum after the attacks on the three vessels.  (Axios) 

U.S. forces strike Iranian air-defence, coastal surveillance, and missile sites after attacks hit three commercial vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, with explosions heard in Bandar Abbas, Bandar Sirik, and Qeshm Island. Iran accuses the U.S. of violating their memorandum of understanding and warns of retaliation. (AFP via CNA) 

Human rights groups say that 15 people have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan’s North Kordofan state. (AFP via Al-Arabiya) 

Rights groups say that 15 people have been killed in drone strikes in Sudan‘s North Kordofan state. (Al-Arabiya) 

Three vessels are reported to be attacked near the Strait of Hormuz, including the Qatar LNG tanker Al Rekayyat, which is owned by Nakilat. (AP) 

The Sudanese Army says that it has shot down a Chinese-made FH-95 drone in North Kordofan, the third model shot down by the army. (AA) 

At least 18 people are injured in two explosions near Four Seasons Hotel Damascus, Syria, where French president Emmanuel Macron stayed during his state visit to the country. Macron was not at the hotel during the explosions. (AP) 

At least six people are killed and 22 others are injured in two explosions near Four Seasons Hotel Damascus, Syria, during the state visit of French president Emmanuel Macron to the country, the first of a Western leader since Ahmed al-Sharaa became president in January 2025. (AP) 

A K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft goes missing off the coast of Pakistan with five people on board. (The Independent) 

Two people are killed and 14 others are injured after a bus veered off a road and struck pedestrians in Amadora, Portugal. (Xinhua) 

Two people are killed and seven others are missing after a massive landslide triggered by heavy rains hit a bridge in Wayanad District, Kerala, India. (Xinhua) 

At the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, The Emperor renews his calls for Rome to control The Vikings, and says that the U.S. could remove troops from Europe over the dispute. (CNBC) 

Trump says that the U.S. will lift sanctions against Turkey that were imposed in 2020 over its purchase of Russian defense missiles. (Defense News) 

The Emperor says that the U.S. will lift sanctions against Turkey that were imposed in 2020 over its purchase of Russian defense missiles. (‘Defense News) 

Iraqi state television says that former Iranian supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s remains has arrived in Iraq’s Shi’ite holy city of Najaf for viewing following funeral ceremonies in Tehran and Qom, Iran. (Reuters) 

Iraqi state TV says that the coffin of former Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei has arrived at the international airport in Iraq’s Shi’ite Islam city of Najaf for viewing following funeral ceremonies in Iran’s capital Tehran and Qom. (Reuters) 

In association football, Argentine forward and captain Lionel Messi becomes the first player to score in nine consecutive World Cup matches (including the previous edition), after scoring in the team’s 3–2 victory against Egypt in the round of 16. (ABC News) 

Switzerland advances to the quarterfinals of the FIFA World Cup for the first time since 1954 after beating Colombia in a penalty shootout in the round of 16. (CBS Sports) 

The International Olympic Committee lifts its ban on Russian athletes, allowing them to take part in the upcoming Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, United States, after previously being banned from competing under its own flag for doping and the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. (The Guardian) 

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Monday, July 6th, 2026 

Microsoft cuts roughly 4,800 jobs, primarily within its Xbox and commercial sales divisions, while divesting game studios Compulsion Games, Double Fine, Ninja Theory, and Undead Labs. (Reuters) (The Verge) 

Iranian state television reports that Khamenei’s body arrives in Qom, where he studied, ahead of a planned procession. (AFP via Al-Ahram) 

The Israeli military states that they have killed five Hamas militants who allegedly attempted to restore underground infrastructure in the northern Gaza Strip, west of the Yellow Line, including Hudhayfah Hussein Abdullah al-Hawajri, a Nukhba militant from the East Jabalia Battalion command, despite the ongoing ceasefire. (Israel National News) 

According to shipping data from LSEG, around 10 Japan-linked ships, mostly managed by Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, are reported to have transited through the Strait of Hormuz using the route proposed by Iran. Data also show that a supertanker carrying Saudi crude oil headed for South Korea left over the weekend. (Gulf Today) (Japan Times) 

The United Nations Human Rights Council orders an inquiry into alleged human rights violations around El-Obeid, North Kordofan, Sudan, warning that civilians face a risk of mass atrocities as the Rapid Support Forces encircles the city amid Sudan’s civil war. (AFP via Macau Business) 

UNICEF reports that over 330 children have been killed in Sudan’s civil war in the first six months of 2026. (AP) (UCICEF) 

Cuba experiences its third nationwide power outage of the year, with state utility Unión Eléctrica de Cuba reporting a total grid disconnection as the country faces severe fuel shortages and chronic failures in its electricity system. (AFP via The Guardian) 

Five people are killed and one injured after a fire at a residential building in Zhengzhou, Henan, China. (PTI via The Hindu) (Xinhua) 

The total number of deaths from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo exceeds 500. (ModernGhana) 

Anastasiia Berezovska, the suspect in a bombing targeting Ukrainian oligarch Vadym Iermolaiev and his family in Monaco on June 29, is found dead near Kyiv, Ukraine, with gunshot wounds to the head. (Pravda) (BBC News) 

A crude bomb explodes during a post-march rally in Savar, Dhaka District, Bangladesh, while National Citizen Party convener Nabila Tasnid was giving a speech, injuring three. (The Business Standard) 

News outlet Telex.hu publishes the text of arrested Hungarian Socialist Party (MSZP) politician Gergő Czeglédy’s 2024 testimony alleging the existence of a large corruption network involving members of the MSZP and Fidesz since 2006.  (Daily News Hungary) 

Former Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad attends former supreme leader Ali Khamenei’s funeral amidst questions surrounding his fate in the aftermath of an Israeli–U.S. airstrike on his home during the early stages of the war. (Iran International) 

Samsung Electronics announces that Samsung Messages is being discontinued in the US on July 6 and directs users who have Android 12 or above to switch to Google Messages. (9to5Google) 

The End Tuesday 

Below posted Mon 10:00pm Cancel

The impeachment trial of Philippine vice president Sara Duterte begins in the Senate. (AP) (BBC News) 

The third edition of the Esports World Cup opens in Paris, France. (TNT Sports) 

Monday, July 6th, 2026 

Amidst ongoing controversies surrounding U.S. Senate nominee Graham Platner (D–ME) including a recent sexual assault allegation, Platner says that he will consider “taking the time” to consider his next steps in the race. (Axios) 

Riots between inmates from rival drug gangs at a prison in Negombo, Sri Lanka, kill 25 people, including four officers, and injure more than 100 others. (AFP via NDTV) 

Hamas announces that its government will step down to facilitate the transition of a technocratic administration in the Gaza Strip, as stipulated in the Gaza peace plan of October 2025. In response, the Board of Peace states that it will judge the implementation of these steps rather than mere statements. (Al Jazeera) 

Ukraine’s General Staff reports that drones have struck Russia’s Omsk refinery in Omsk, Omsk Oblast in the Siberia region. (Reuters) 

The UNICEF reports that over 330 children have been killed in Sudan’s civil war over the past six months of 2026. (AP) (UCICEF) 

Fifteen miners are killed and another is injured when part of a decommissioned gold mine collapses in Wadi Halfa, Northern State, Sudan, after miners entered the closed site. (AFP via Asharq Al-Awsat) 

Australia and Fiji sign a defence pact, making Fiji one of Australia’s treaty-bound allies and committing both countries to consult on security threats and support mutual defence in the Pacific. (AFP via France 24) 

Pakistani president Asif Ali Zardari begins a four-day visit to Kyrgyzstan after an invitation from Kyrgyz president Sadyr Japarov, making it the first official visit by a Pakistani president to the country in 21 years. (Pakistan Observer) 

The total number of deaths from the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo exceeds 500. (ModernGhana) 

Philippine police ⁠separately arrests senator Rodante Marcoleta and three co-accused, including former representative Mike Defensor, after an anti-graft court orders their arrest in relation to a plunder case filed by the Ombudsman. (AP) 

Prime Minister Péter Magyar condemns Fidesz and the MSZP for the involvement of members of their parties in the scandal, accusing them of forming a “grand coalition” to engage in corruption. (Telex.hu) 

Sunday, July 5th , 2026 

Netanyahu says some Christian-majority villages in southern Lebanon asked to be annexed by Israel for protection from Hezbollah, while villages in the Marjayoun District deny seeking annexation. (AFP via Arab News) 

Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that there will be no reconstruction in the Gaza Strip until Hamas is disarmed and the strip is demilitarized. (Ynetnews) 

Medics say that two Palestinians have been killed in airstrikes at the Omar Al-Mokhtar street in Gaza City. (Reuters) 

The Israeli military says that the Commando Brigade targeted Hezbollah operatives riding motorcycles near Nabatieh. (The Times of Israel) 

The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations and British military’s Royal Navy reports that a cargo ship was attacked by “unknown armed assailants” off the coast of Yemen’s port city Hodeidah at the Red Sea. (Euronews) 

Seven OPEC+ members agree to raise oil production quotas by 188,000 barrels per day in August, as oil exports through the Strait of Hormuz gradually resume after disruptions linked to the Iran war. (AFP via France 24) 

Qatar resumes all maritime activities, reversing a June 29 advisory suspending sailing and fishing boats following the death of a Qatari national from shrapnel linked to regional military operations. (Reuters) 

The Venezuelan information ministry reports that the death toll from the earthquakes in Venezuela has risen to 3,342. (Reuters) 

Six people are killed and one injured after a three-story residential building collapses due to heavy rains in Mumbai, India. (Xinhua) 

Seven more children are reported to have died from measles, bringing the death toll from the disease in Bangladesh to 738. (The Business Standard) 

A complaint is filed in a Dhaka court against former interim Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, former health adviser Nur Jahan Begum, and two other health officials from the Yunus ministry over their roles in the measles epidemic in the country including child deaths. (Dhaka Tribune) 

Around 25 deaths are reported in heat waves in the United States, with 40 million people under heat alerts across the East Coast, Southeast, and Southwest regions of the country. (NBC News) 

The Dar Hamar Emergency Room reports 800 cases of cholera, including 30 deaths, in the West Kordofan communities of Wad Banda and Al-Nahud in western Sudan. (Middle East Monitor) 

The Sudan Doctors Network reports 200,000 people in the North Kordofan town of Bara are facing a cholera outbreak alongside measles, including 100 cases of measles in children at health care facilities in Bara. (AA) 

Puntland government issued a statement saying exclusive control over its marine resources, citing its constitution and Somalia’s federal framework to block SOMTURK. a joint venture between Somalia’s fisheries ministry and Turkey’s OYAK fund, from operating without approval. The firm holds a federal licence for fishing permits across Somalia’s economic zone, signed in Ankara last December to regulate fishing and curb illegal activities, following as leverage in stalled political talks as rich tuna grounds remain underdeveloped. (Garowe Online) (Horseed Media) (Hiiraan Online) 

Norway advances to the quarterfinals of a FIFA World Cup for the first time after defeating Brazil 2–1 in the round of 16. Brazil’s loss also marks the team’s earliest elimination from the tournament since 1990. (AFP via RFI) 

The End

Above posted Mon 10:00pm