Haiti Begins Voter Registration on July 30 as Gangs Threaten Planned August Election
Haiti has begun registering voters in Port-au-Prince and other areas, but gang violence threatens participation and the country’s planned August 30 election.
World
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Ebola Response in Congo Expands as U.S. Announces $242 Million in New Aid
The United States announced an additional $242 million for Ebola response in the Democratic Republic of Congo on August 5, as humanitarian agencies face a major funding shortfall.
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China holds military drills near Scarborough Shoal as Philippines, U.S. and Japan confront rising South China Sea tensions
China conducted military drills near disputed Scarborough Shoal on August 1, 2026, as territorial tensions with the Philippines intensified and ASEAN-China talks on a maritime code of conduct continued.
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IOC Defends July 15 Provisional Reinstatement of Russian Olympic Committee After EU Backlash
The IOC defended its July 15, 2026, decision to provisionally lift the Russian Olympic Committee’s suspension after nine EU member states urged Brussels to cut funding to sports bodies that readmit Russian and Belarusian athletes.
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Pakistan Rejects U.N. Finding of Nearly 500 Afghan Civilian Deaths on July 31, 2026
Pakistan’s military rejected a U.N. assessment that cross-border operations killed nearly 500 Afghan civilians and wounded more than 1,000.
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U.S., Japan and South Korea Link North Korea and Taiwan Strait Security in Manila
The foreign ministers of South Korea, the United States and Japan met in Manila on July 22 to strengthen security and economic cooperation and coordinate on North Korea and Taiwan Strait stability.
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Israel Raises Objections to Hamas Disarmament Proposal as Gaza Strikes Continue
Israel said on August 2 it had serious concerns about a reported Hamas disarmament arrangement as mediators pursued Gaza’s postwar transition and regional ceasefire diplomacy.
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Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru Report Hundreds of Arrests in Amazon Crime Crackdown
Operation Green Shield 2026 deployed more than 3,600 officers across five Amazon countries from July 15 through July 31, targeting illegal mining, logging, trafficking and land grabbing.
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Iran-Oman Strait of Hormuz Plan Emerges as Israel-Hezbollah Ceasefire Frays in Lebanon
Iran and Oman are reportedly working on a possible plan to reopen the Strait of Hormuz as Israel strikes southern Lebanon and warns civilians to evacuate another village.
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Ukraine Reports New Strikes on Russia as Moscow’s Attacks on Kyiv Intensify
Ukraine said it struck additional Russian oil facilities on Aug. 6, one day after a Russian missile and drone barrage around Kyiv killed 17 people, according to Ukrainian authorities cited by the Associated Press.
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UN agencies warn strikes and funding pressure are worsening Lebanon’s humanitarian crisis
A July 24 UN briefing reported further strikes affecting Lebanese hospitals, a fourfold rise in demand for gender-based-violence services and mounting funding and access constraints on aid operations.
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European Commission Publishes EU AI Act Transparency Guidance as Rules Begin Applying Aug. 2
The European Commission has issued guidance for providers and deployers of certain AI systems as the EU AI Act’s transparency obligations began applying on Aug. 2, 2026.
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Russia’s Bank of Russia Publishes Rate Discussion After Cutting Key Rate to 14%
The Bank of Russia’s Aug. 5 policy materials follow its July 24 decision to cut the key rate by 25 basis points to 14%, while the central bank continues to flag inflation expectations, wage growth and geopolitical pressures.
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UK fibre-network deal enters deeper competition inquiry
The CMA is examining nexfibre’s proposed acquisition of Substantial over wholesale access, local network overlap, investment claims and consumer choice.
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Ukraine and Partners Set Framework for European Missile Defense
Ukraine and nine European countries agreed in Paris to build a defensive ballistic-missile coalition, but systems, funding and deployment timing remain unresolved.
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Philippines Impeachment Trial Turns to Sara Duterte’s Confidential Funds
The Philippine Senate is examining alleged irregularities in PHP612.5 million in confidential funds as testimony, subpoenas and financial-record orders advance.
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Astronomers confirm a faint third planet in the Beta Pictoris system
Independent imaging and James Webb spectroscopy confirmed Beta Pictoris d, a faint young gas giant hidden in archival data for more than a decade.
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Conflict and Energy Shocks Threaten Farm Inputs and Global Hunger Gains
Global hunger fell for a third year in 2025, but UN scenarios warn that conflict-driven energy, fertilizer and shipping shocks could reverse gains.
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Climate change raised 2026 Spain, France fire-weather odds
A rapid attribution analysis found human-caused warming sharply increased the odds of extreme fire weather in Spain and France as EU burned area surpassed 2025.
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Lebanon’s Aid Access Is Improving. Safe Return Still Is Not.
UN aid movements into southern Lebanon are increasing, but damaged homes, unreliable services, unexploded ordnance and underfunding still block recovery.
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Crises are disrupting education for 258 million children worldwide
A new Education Cannot Wait estimate says 258 million children in 87 countries face crisis-related education disruption, including 93 million out of school.
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Global Growth Holds at 3% as IMF Warns of Uneven Risks
The IMF kept its global growth projections steady but raised its inflation outlook, warning that energy, trade and financial risks remain unevenly distributed.