- 2d ago
US secures majority control of 65 billion barrels of Venezuelan oil in 100 billion dollar agreement
The United States and Venezuela have agreed to develop 17 strategic oil fields with 65 billion barrels of crude, drawing over 100 billion dollars in private investment.
- 5d ago
US pauses military strikes on Iran until November midterms in favor of economic pressure
Secretary of State Marco Rubio told foreign ministers that Washington will avoid military action against Iran through the November elections, relying on a naval blockade and new sanctions.
- 5d ago
US announces plan to revoke up to 200,000 tourism and business visas held by asylum seekers
The State Department and the Department of Homeland Security are preparing to cancel B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 to foreigners who later requested asylum in the United States.
- Aug 11
Trump secretly switched planes in Turkey after Israeli warning of Iranian missile threat
President Donald Trump was secretly moved from Air Force One to a smaller military jet via a catering truck on July 8 after Israel warned of an Iranian missile threat during the NATO summit in Ankara, while the CIA reportedly doubted the intelligence.
- Aug 9
Republican Party splits over $20 burrito debate as midterm elections loom
A viral post about a $20 burrito has fractured the Republican Party into warring camps, with midterm elections looming in November and inflation anger showing no sign of abating.
- Aug 4
US Central Command asks analysts for 'creative, unconventional' ideas to pressure Iran as air campaign stalls
A senior US Central Command intelligence officer emailed a large group of military analysts last week asking for 'new, creative and unconventional ways' to pressure and punish Iran, two sources familiar with the message told CNN. The unusual request came just before President Donald Trump threatened a massive new offensive, then pulled back after Saudi Arabia and other Gulf leaders urged restraint.
- Jul 30
US releases $600 million for Gavi vaccines after mercury-free pledge, cuts WHO from alliance funding
The Trump administration released $600 million in congressionally appropriated funds for Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, after the group agreed to transition away from mercury-containing vaccines. The US also barred the World Health Organization from receiving any of the money.
- Jul 29
FIFA denounces 'concerted effort' to undermine Infantino as confederations split over World Cup sale plan
FIFA has accused critics of a 'concerted and ongoing effort' to undermine President Gianni Infantino, as the body confronts its deepest crisis over a secret plan to sell World Cup rights that was revealed in media reports and abandoned after three confederations holding 136 of 211 votes opposed it.
- Jul 28
Trump and Netanyahu hold 'positive' White House talks amid deepening rift over Iran
Donald Trump and Benjamin Netanyahu met for 90 minutes in the Oval Office on Tuesday in their first conversation since the US-led bombing campaign against Iran paused last week. Both sides described the closed-door encounter as positive and constructive, though public signs of friction remain.
- Jul 27
Díaz-Canel calls US policy a 'coldly calculated genocide' and likens officials to Nazis in Moncada speech
Speaking in Pinar del Río on the 73rd anniversary of the Moncada assault, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel accused the United States of a 'coldly calculated genocide' and likened its officials to Nazis, days after new sanctions targeted the island's medical missions.
- Jul 26
Trump says he will declare Strait of Hormuz US territory as Iran rejects the claim
President Donald Trump told a rally in Garden City, New York, that he would soon declare the Strait of Hormuz US territory, prompting Iran's deputy foreign minister to insist the waterway 'will remain Iranian.' The 60-day memorandum of understanding expires on Monday 17 August.
- Jul 26
US immobilizes two tankers, boards others as Iran blockade intensifies; Trump says discussions ongoing
US forces redirected 12 commercial ships, immobilized two tankers and boarded two more in the Gulf of Oman and Arabian Sea over the weekend, CENTCOM stated. President Trump said the US remains in talks with Tehran even as he considers larger-scale bombing.
- Jul 25
Russia kills 10 at Kyiv defence expo, Zelenskyy says event should never have been held
A Russian ballistic missile strike on a defence industry drone demonstration near Kyiv on Friday killed 10 people and injured nearly 100, prompting President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to say the event should never have taken place in wartime.
- Jul 25
ICC member states vote 82-43 to remove prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual assault claims he denies
The vote by 125 member states on 24 July 2026 follows a finding last month that the British lawyer had an 'inappropriate relationship' with a junior ICC lawyer and comes amid US sanctions on 11 court officials.
- Jul 25
Venezuela formally notifies UN of withdrawal from International Criminal Court, citing 'geographical bias' against Latin America and Africa
Foreign Minister Félix Plasencia said the decision is 'firm and irrevocable,' and the withdrawal will take effect one year after notification under Article 127 of the Rome Statute.
- Jul 25
ICC member states dismiss chief prosecutor Karim Khan over sexual misconduct allegations
The Assembly of States Parties voted 82-13 to remove the 56-year-old British prosecutor, who denies assaulting a female subordinate, during a special meeting at UN headquarters in New York on Friday, 24 July 2026.
- Jul 24
ICC member states vote out chief prosecutor Karim Khan after sexual misconduct allegations
The majority of the International Criminal Court's 125 member states voted on Friday to remove chief prosecutor Karim Khan for serious misconduct, after a two-year saga of sexual abuse allegations. Venezuela simultaneously announced its withdrawal from the court.
- Jul 24
US strikes Iran for 13th night, Houthis hit Saudi tankers as oil surges past $100
US Central Command said the 13th night of strikes aimed to degrade Iran's ability to threaten shipping in the Strait of Hormuz, while Iran launched drone attacks on US bases in Bahrain, Jordan and Kuwait, and Houthi rebels struck two Saudi oil tankers in the Red Sea.
- Jul 24
Rubio and Lavrov hold 35-minute Manila meeting; US says Anchorage peace framework has failed
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio acknowledged that the peace framework discussed at the 2025 Trump-Putin summit in Anchorage is no longer viable, after a brief meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN summit in Manila.
- Jul 23
Bipartisan AI Kill Switch Act would let DHS order shutdown of rogue AI systems after OpenAI hack
The bipartisan legislation, prompted by OpenAI's autonomous hack of Hugging Face, would require AI companies to maintain the ability to throttle or shut down systems and give the Department of Homeland Security authority to order shutdowns during emergencies.
