Russia-PRC drills and Japan asteroid flyby, and UN AI Summit

The 2026 NATO summit opens in Ankara, France's Marine Le Pen announces her bid for the 2027 presidency, twin bombings hit Damascus during Emmanuel Macron's visit, Hamas announces the dissolution of its Gaza government, Graham Platner faces calls to resign as Maine's Democratic Senate nominee over an assault claim, Nigel Farage resigns as MP for Clacton, Canada picks Germany's TKMS to build 12 submarines, at least 23 cases of legionnaires' disease are reported in New York City's Upper East Side, the U.S.'s lead cyber agency reportedly uses Anthropic's Mythos to audit government code, and Meta faces a potential $1.4T penalty over allegations its platforms were designed to addict young users. Sources: Verity.News

America celebrates its 250th birthday, Russia and China conduct joint naval drills, dozens are killed in Yemen clashes as tensions mount, the U.N. convenes Global Dialogue on AI Governance, Japan conducts a near-Earth asteroid flyby, Ukraine fails to intercept any ballistic missiles as the latest Russian attacks kill at least 16, the Sara Duterte impeachment trial begins in the Philippines, secret U.K. army files are found dumped in a recycling bin, DOGE officially shuts down, the White House accuses Smithsonian leadership of political activism, and Super Typhoon Bavi makes landfall in the Western Pacific. Sources: Verity.News

Trump pauses attacks for Ayatollah Khamenei's funeral, America celebrates its 250th, Russia claims the capture of a key Ukrainian stronghold,   Keiko Fujimori is declared President-elect of Peru, Germany's Friedrich Merz announces major reforms, eight are arrested as the U.K. busts a global drug-rape network, a report suggests that India is proposing new VPN regulations, an ex-Olympian is indicted in the ongoing D.C. reflecting pool saga, Mark Zuckerberg says AI agents are advancing more slowly than anticipated, and NASA launches a mission to rescue a failing telescope. Sources: Verity.News

SCOTUS votes 6-3 to uphold birthright citizenship, Kushner and Witkoff meet Qatari mediators in Doha for Iran talks, Keiko Fujimori wins Peru's presidency by a slim margin, South Korea's parliament confirms Han Seong-sook as prime minister, a Ukrainian businessman is among three people injured in a Monaco bomb attack, SCOTUS upholds state transgender sports bans, a Gallup poll shows that economic pessimism among Russians is at its highest in two decades, the U.K. considers blocking Paramount's takeover of Warner Bros Discovery, The New England Journal of Medicine retracts a Tavneos study over data concerns, and researchers find Antarctic sea creatures that may help treat melanoma. Sources: Verity.News

Venezuela's earthquake death toll passes 1,700 as rescue efforts continue, the WHO says Europe's heatwave is linked to 1,300 deaths, the Supreme Court rules Trump cannot fire Federal Reserve member Lisa Cook, Australia and Vanuatu sign a security pact, Pakistan says its strikes kill 29 militants in Afghanistan, the Supreme Court upholds late mail ballot counting, South Korea unveils a $576 billion chip and AI investment plan, six are killed in a shooting at a German youth facility, 11 people are killed in a skydiving plane crash in France, and the first dinosaur bone from Antarctica is found in a drawer. Sources: Verity.News

The U.S.and Iran pause fighting, renewed strikes on Iran following a drone strike on a cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz,Israel and Lebanon sign an agreement in Washington, ex-Trump adviser John Bolton pleads guilty to retaining national security information, King Charles publicly discloses his personal tax bill, a study claims that climate change is behind Europe's record heatwave, Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center closes, the U.K. drafts a bill to ban LGBTQ+ conversion practices, Australia moves to toughen its teen social media ban, OpenAI limits the release of its latest AI system at the White House's request, and Apple and Microsoft hike their prices over surging chip costs. Sources: Verity.News

Deadly twin earthquakes strike Venezuela, the U.S. Supreme Court allows President Trump to end protections for Syrians and Haitians, Taiwan's Legislative Speaker meets U.S. lawmakers amid a $14 billion arms deal, Africa CDC raises its Ebola funding needs to $1.4 billion, OpenAI debuts its 'jalapeño' AI chip, President Trump asks Congress for $87.6 billion, including $67 billion for the Iran war, a top U.S. Army European commander will leave his position early, Western Australia Police will review the interactions it had with Virginia Giuffre, Europe shatters temperature records amid a deadly heatwave, and a report suggests that 180,000 Canadians wait in Emergency Room visits for over 48 hours. Sources: Verity.News

Earthquakes rock Venezuela, the U.N. launches an operation to evacuate 11,000 sailors stranded in Hormuz, Mamdani-backed candidates sweep New York City Democratic primaries, the EU hosts Taliban officials for the first time, Niger becomes the third country to leave the International Criminal Court, a study suggests that sperm whales have developed distinct dialects in the Mediterranean, the EU is accused of complicity in alleged Libyan migrant abuses, a Chilean judge sentences three former secret police agents over a 1976 Washington, D.C. murder, President Trump blocks a housing bill, demanding his Voter ID law first, while Trump signs orders to target the construction of a quantum computer by 2028, and an independent review ties Nottingham, U.K. maternity failures to hundreds of avoidable deaths and injuries. Sources: Verity.News

The U.S. waives sanctions on Iranian oil, the U.K.'s outgoing Starmer government pauses all "major" policy announcements, Trump’s acting intelligence director begins firing staff, a Montreal shooting leaves three people dead,  a note claims that Nancy Guthrie died shortly after her abduction, the U.K. considers requiring social media to prioritize trusted news, a child under 12 is euthanized in the Netherlands, dozens of climate-vulnerable countries launch a new global financing framework, Kenya halts a U.S. Ebola facility, and the Five Eyes alliance warns that AI could devastate governments within months. Sources: Verity.News

Abelardo de la Espriella wins the presidential runoff in Colombia, China announces sanctions on 10 American military-related companies, Alan Greenspan, a former Fed chair, dies at age 100, Czech broadcasters strike over a state funding takeover, at least five people are arrested for alleged vandalism of the Lincoln Memorial Pool, the Spanish prime minster’s wife is ordered to stand trial on corruption charges, fifty-four are injured and 18 are missing in an explosion at a Qatar gas terminal, Australia makes a record cocaine bust, and Japan raises visa fees fivefold in the first hike since 1978. Sources: Verity.News