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Yemen's Houthi rebels have declared a maritime blockade on Saudi Arabia, targeting ships carrying Saudi exports through the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The move has heightened tensions in the region, with the US warning of 'major military punishment' and experts concerned about a return to all-out war.
Russian officials and experts accuse SpaceX of ignoring Ukraine's use of Starlink terminals on strike drones, while reports suggest Elon Musk is denying Kyiv the service for deep strikes to prevent escalation. TASS covers the dispute, including a Russian diplomat's call to shut down the network and an expert's claim that SpaceX deliberately tolerates the practice.
Iran announced it had targeted US military facilities at Kuwait's Ahmad Al-Jaber airbase, describing it as retaliation for a US strike that killed three on Qeshm island. The US has not yet responded, and analysts suggest Iran aims to expand the conflict geographically while seeking a permanent end to the war.
At ChinaJoy 2026, Russia's VK and RuStore report growing Chinese investment in the Russian digital entertainment market, with Chinese advertisers spending over 2.6 bln rubles on VK platforms in 2025 and Chinese publishers accounting for 80% of foreign ad budgets on RuStore in the first half of 2026.
Rescue teams have recovered the bodies of renowned Nepali climber Nirmal Purja and several others after an avalanche on Broad Peak in Gilgit-Baltistan. The Alpine Club of Pakistan confirmed the deaths of the 10-member team, with recovery efforts ongoing.
Diana Shnaider defeated Austria's Anastasia Potapova 6:1, 6:2, while Liudmila Samsonova beat China's Wang Xinyu 6:2, 6:2, setting up an all-Russian quarterfinal at the WTA 500 tournament in Washington.
Pakistani rescuers have recovered four bodies from Broad Peak while continuing to search for six other climbers missing after an avalanche. The ten-member international team was led by renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja, whose current status remains unconfirmed.
Michelle Park Steel, the new U.S. ambassador to South Korea, arrived in Seoul on Thursday and called for a 'results oriented' and 'forward leaning' alliance, while progressive civic groups protested her appointment. Steel, the first U.S. envoy under Trump's second term, faces pending security, trade, and technology issues.
Ugandan diplomat Olara Otunnu has become the seventh candidate to seek the role of UN secretary-general, with the selection process beginning this week. Early straw polls show former Costa Rican Vice President Rebeca Grynspan as a frontrunner, while Otunnu acknowledges ongoing disagreements with Uganda's president.
The United States sanctioned six entities and individuals, including China-based Shanghai Wings International Logistics and India's Skiez Travels, for allegedly supporting Iran's Mahan Air and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. The Treasury Department said the companies acted as general sales agents for the airline, which it accused of transporting weapons and personnel for the IRGC.
The US Treasury imposed fresh sanctions on entities and individuals in China, India, Russia, and Iran tied to Mahan Air and the IRGC, while also targeting eight tankers and 10 entities in a separate round. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent described the Iranian economy as being in freefall and warned that support for the IRGC or Mahan Air sustains a terrorist enterprise.
South Korean President Lee Jae Myung announced that South Korea and Chile have agreed to reactivate a joint committee to discuss modernizing their free trade agreement, which has been in effect since 2004. The leaders also agreed to deepen cooperation in critical minerals, defense, infrastructure, and public security, while the US tariff on Chilean imports adds a geopolitical backdrop.
Sarah Rogers, nominee to lead the U.S. Agency for Global Media, told a Senate hearing that free information can transform closed societies, citing North Korean defectors. She pledged to expand USAGM into new media formats and keep Asia a top priority, while also sharpening the agency's challenge to China's propaganda.
Russian divers won silver in the Mixed Team Event at the 2026 European Aquatics Championships in Paris. The team scored 385.80 points, behind Italy's gold (410.60) and ahead of Ukraine's bronze (368.20). Russia is competing at the European Championships for the first time since 2021, under a neutral status.
The European Commission announced a call for tenders to build seven AI gigafactories with €10 billion in public funding, aiming to attract at least €20 billion in private investments. The facilities are intended to boost the EU's computing independence and close the technology gap with the US and China.
New Zealand's Foreign Minister Winston Peters is under scrutiny after telling a Chinese-born lawmaker to 'go back to your own country' during a parliamentary debate. China's ambassador to New Zealand responded on social media, and Peters has defended his comments. The incident occurred during a debate on the government's pandemic record.
Anthony Fauci, former top US infectious disease expert, declined to answer questions at a Senate hearing on COVID-19 origins, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. Senator Rand Paul accused Fauci of lying to Congress, while Fauci described Paul's campaign as 'unhinged'.
Carmakers are holding back on final investment decisions in UK factories until the government relaxes electric vehicle sales rules, according to the head of the car industry's lobby group. The business secretary has indicated the zero-emission vehicle mandate may be watered down, while production fell 7.5% in the first half of 2026. Separately, documents reveal major carmakers lobbied the government to revoke the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel cars.
As China narrows the AI gap with the US, Beijing promotes open-source models as a global public good, but its strategy is also shaped by US export controls on advanced chips. The World AI Conference in Shanghai highlighted China's push for influence in global AI governance.
Former top US health official Anthony Fauci invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination during a Senate committee hearing on the origins of COVID-19, refusing to answer questions from Republican lawmakers. The hearing, chaired by Senator Rand Paul, rekindled debates over whether the virus emerged naturally or from a lab leak, amid accusations that Fauci misled Congress.