ASEAN foreign ministers said progress had been made toward a long-delayed South China Sea Code of Conduct and set an end-2026 target for completing it, amid a new maritime confrontation and joint exercises involving the United States, Japan and the Philippines.
FIFA is consulting its 211 member associations and the FIFA Council on a proposed subsidiary that would consolidate commercial rights and event operations for all FIFA-owned competitions.
China’s Ministry of Public Security says criminal cases fell 16.5% in the first half of 2026, while authorities reported thousands of environmental cases and increased enforcement against AI-enabled crime.
A WHO guideline-development group will review evidence on calcium supplementation before and during pregnancy at an August 11–12, 2026 meeting. No revised recommendation has been issued.
The FAO Food Price Index averaged 130.3 points in June 2026, down 0.3% from May, as lower wheat prices offset higher poultry quotations.
The 17th session of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification is scheduled to open August 17, 2026, in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, with a focus on drought resilience, land degradation and sustainable land management.
A Pristina court has issued an arrest warrant for Kosovo Serb political figure Milan Radoičić and 19 others over alleged crimes against civilians during the 1998–99 Kosovo war.
The International Civil Aviation Organization says airlines carried nearly 5 billion passengers in 2025 while recording fewer accidents than the previous year, but total fatalities increased.
After renewed strikes and counterstrikes involving Iran and the United States, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called for an immediate halt to attacks, maximum restraint and restored freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz.
UNESCO’s 48th World Heritage Committee session took place in Busan, South Korea, from July 19 to 29, 2026, examining new nominations and the conservation of listed sites.
Abelardo de la Espriella took office as Colombia’s president on August 7, 2026, bringing a conservative government to a country facing drug gangs, contested ports and trafficking routes.
A United Nations fact-finding probe said Rapid Support Forces fighters and allied groups carried out mass killings, abductions, sexual violence and starvation during the siege and capture of al-Fashir in Sudan’s Darfur region.
China conducted military drills near disputed Scarborough Shoal on Aug. 1 as ASEAN officials said negotiations with Beijing on a South China Sea code of conduct had made significant progress and could conclude by the end of 2026.
Iran said on Aug. 4 that it and Oman were in the final stage of drafting an agreement concerning the Strait of Hormuz, while violence continued across the region.
Russian missile and drone attacks killed four people, including a child, in Kyiv and the surrounding region on Aug. 8. Ukraine also struck another Russian oil refinery as its long-range campaign against energy and military targets continued.
A United Nations review of the New Urban Agenda linked housing costs, displacement, climate shocks and strained urban services, while calling for stronger action by governments before 2030.
UNESCO’s 2026 Global Education Monitoring Report documents continuing worldwide exclusion from education and expands the data available for tracking progress toward 2030.
The IMF projects approximately 3% global growth in 2026, with war-related energy disruption weighing on activity while artificial-intelligence investment provides a partial counterforce.
The International Olympic Committee rejected a human-rights group’s complaint concerning FIFA President Gianni Infantino, saying the matter fell outside the jurisdiction of its Ethics Commission.
UN agencies say expanding Israeli-controlled areas in Gaza are increasing civilian risks, limiting relief operations and worsening displacement, water and funding pressures.
A company’s proposed restructuring would proceed through voluntary Chapter 11 cases, but still needs bankruptcy-court approval and regulatory clearances across the United States, Europe and Asia.
Nestlé reported CHF 3.5 billion in first-half net profit and continued sales growth, but said a global infant-formula recall was still affecting consumer demand.
