Headlines: 13-19 July 2026

Saturday, 18 July 2026

Iran threatens 'full-scale' offensive if US keeps bombing (LINK) — 18 July 2026

— Kuwait says major damage at oil facility after 'repeated' Iranian attacks. Kuwait reports Iranian attacks on civilian infrastructure. Iran says it attacked US-used air base in Bahrain. Jordan says 10 Iranian missiles shot down.

Friday, 17 July 2026

Russian attacks kill 7, injure 67 across Ukraine over past day as Odesa targeted again amid tourist season (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Ukraine disables 11 Russian 'shadow fleet' vessels in Black Sea and Sea of Azov in a single day (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Pro-Kremlin blogger who turned on Putin is arrested as Russia steps up crackdown (LINK) — 17 July 2026

US launches seventh straight night of strikes on Iran: the US military says it is degrading Iran's military but has been accused by Tehran of targeting civilian infrastructure (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Israeli ministers announce plans for new illegal settlements in Gaza and West Bank (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Xi pitches China as AI partner to developing world, warns against risks and security overreach: China will provide developing countries with 5,000 AI training and seminar opportunities over the next five years (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Google DeepMind boss Demis Hassabis issues call to action on AI safety standards (LINK) — 17 July 2026

— Hassabis says only the United States is up to the task of keeping AI safe — but it's unclear why technology rivals, notably China, would heed an American standards body. Hassabis' comments come after Anthropic's Mythos and Fable models were hit with a temporary export ban by the White House amidst security concerns. Beyond being US-managed, Hassabis described a standards body that was federally overseen, such as a public-private partnership or self-regulatory organization, pointing to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Petition to kick Argentina out of 2026 FIFA World Cup receives more than 17 million signatures from fans ahead of final vs Spain (LINK) — 17 July 2026

U.S. going stronger after the International Criminal Court (LINK) — 17 July 2026

AI made up a science term — now it's in dozens of papers: a scanning mistake and a translation error created scientific nonsense that AI models learned to repeat: "vegetative electron microscopy": has now appeared in at least 22 different papers. Some have been corrected or retracted. Even El País, one of Spain's leading newspapers, quoted it in a story in 2023 (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Global Autonomous Vehicle Industry Report: growth of 20.2% by 2023 expected. Emerging industry trend: software-defined vehicles (SDVs), e.g. Hyundai Motor Group's "Pleos" (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Geneva still most costly city to build in, with two UK cities in top 10 (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Oracle's stock crash embarrassing for billionaire founder Larry Ellison: stock has now plunged 64% from its September 2025 all-time high, a brutal total market cap loss of almost $600 billion. The shares are down 50% over the past year (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Twp U.S. Forest Service employees zip-tied, held hostage in Shasta-Trinity National Forest: a father and son were arrested after surrendering: motive remains under investigation (LINK) — 17 July 2026

Thursday, 16 July 2026

UN report offers roadmap for sustainable blue economies (LINK) — 16 July 2026

— The report warns that current approaches to managing the ocean are often fragmented, with sectors such as fisheries, shipping and tourism operating independently despite sharing many of the same natural resources. Combined with overfishing, pollution and climate change, this fragmented approach is accelerating the decline of ecosystems that regulate the climate, support biodiversity, provide food security and sustain livelihoods around the world.

— Rather than offering a "one-size-fits-all" solution, the framework helps countries develop sustainable blue economy pathways that reflect their own priorities, governance systems and stage of development. It outlines a three-phase approach that helps governments understand their existing systems, establish a shared vision for change and embed sustainability into everyday planning, decision-making and investment. Nature-based solutions are central to the framework.

U.S. Marines board tanker amid blockade of Iranian ports as US expands strikes with attacks on bridges (LINK) — 16 July 2026

U.S. hits Iranian oil tanker; Tehran attacks Kuwait, Jordan (LINK) — 16 July 2026

3 Russian regions report deaths, injuries after another night of Ukrainian drone attacks (LINK) — 16 July 2026

Two killed in Russian missile fire on Kyiv after Ukraine-EU drone deal (LINK) — 16 July 2026

The Hill: Five takeaways from Trump's big elections speech (LINK) — 16 July 2026

• Many documents released, no smoking gun about 2020
• TV coverage was sparser than Trump wanted
• Democratic reaction: "a whole series of falsehoods, accusations [...] aimed at trying to undermine America's confidence in our system"
• Trump renews demands to pass controversial election legislation

U.S. imposing a 25% tariff on some Brazilian imports starting July 22, citing unfair trade practices (LINK) — 16 July 2026

U.S.: Lawmakers debate how to regulate government use of AI: draft bill would restrict systems from making consequential decisions on their own and require agencies to keep a record of which employees use these automated systems (LINK) — 16 July 2026

As AI surges, so do threats against execs (LINK) — 16 July 2026

Largest landlord in the US accused of civil rights violations: Fair housing complaints accuse Greystar of refusing to take tenants who use federal rent vouchers (LINK) — 16 July 2026

France: Volunteer firefighter suspected of starting devastating Fontainebleau forest fire (LINK) — 16 July 2026

U.K.: Two teenage hackers who livestreamed £29,000,000 attack on Transport for London jailed for 5.5 years (LINK) — 16 July 2026

— Had the hack continued, the damage to the economy could have cost nearly £60 billion. They stopped all contactless and Oyster payments, prevented live Tube info on TfL's apps and website, and even viewed celebrities' accounts. One, who lived with his grandma in Walsall, and the other, of Bow, east London, were 'leading members' of the cyberhacking gang Scattered Spider.

DW: Fact check: Claims linking statins to dementia are false (LINK) — 16 July 2026

Wednesday, 15 July 2026

Iran launches strikes on neighbours as Trump threatens to hit power plants (LINK) — 15 July 2026

'Utterly baffling': Ukrainians outraged, call for protest after Zelensky ousts popular Defence Minister Fedorov: aides resign (LINK) — 15 July 2026

Sweden commits $145m to new World Bank facility supporting Ukraine (LINK) — 15 July 2026

Sierra Leone drops treason charges against ex-President Koroma, arrested following an alleged coup attempt in 2023 (ground news LINK) — 15 July 2026

Brazilian mothers of police killings seek justice and reparations (ground news LINK) — 15 July 2026

— Brazilian police have killed more than 6,000 people annually since 2018, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, with 82% of victims being Black and disproportionately aged 18 to 24 in favelas.

Trump immediately fires the new court-appointed top prosecutor in Seattle (LINK) — 15 July 2026

Software team Slopfix charges $10,000 a week for three seasoned developers to remove all AI-generated code from your systems — and uses AI to do it (LINK) — 15 July 2026

ConlangCrafter: this AI doesn't just translate languages, it invents brand-new ones (LINK) — 15 July 2026

— digitaltrends: Morris Alper, soon-to-be assistant professor at the University of Miami, explained that the goal was to create languages with features you don't normally find in the ones we already speak. The researchers have already used ConlangCrafter to whip up more than 60 languages, such as ibe a with zero consonant sounds and even one designed for an alien squid-like species that communicates through color and gesture instead of speech.

UK must end IPP (Imprisonment for Public Protection) sentences as psychological harm continues: UN experts (LINK) — 15 July 2026

— "Thousands of people remain trapped in prisons under a scheme that Parliament itself abolished more than a decade ago," the human rights experts said.

U.S.: Four children and their grandmother died after being exposed to carbon monoxide while inside a vehicle with a flat tire in Toledo, Ohio (LINK) — 15 July 2026

Tuesday, 14 July 2026

Devastating Russian attacks make June deadliest month for Ukraine's civilians since 2022 (LINK) — 14 July 2026

US, Iran exchange attacks around Strait of Hormuz (LINK) — 14 July 2026

US-Russian crew arrives at the International Space Station for 8-month mission (LINK) — 14 July 2026

Caribbean leaders press for slavery reparations, end of islands' territorial status (ground news LINK) — 14 July 2026

Fifty migrants feared lost off eastern Libya in Mediterranean, 10 survive after boat capsizes, security sources say (ground news LINK) — 14 July 2026

Russian army executed hundreds of Ukrainian POWs since 2022, Kyiv says (LINK) — 14 July 2026

E. Jean Carroll receives $5 million payment from Trump for civil suit (LINK) — 14 July 2026

Generative AI is an engineering disaster: tech companies may be purchasing 70 percent of the world's supply of high-end computer memory, causing a shortage — prices of computer memory and storage are skyrocketing (LINK limited) — 14 July 2026

Monday, 13 July 2026

Trump reverses threat of a 20% fee on all Strait of Hormuz cargo shipping but resumes blockading Iranian ports (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Trump says US will reinstate Strait of Hormuz blockade and impose 20% charge on cargo (ground news LINK) — 13 July 2026

U.S. military renews strikes on Iran while tankers come under attack in Strait of Hormuz (LINK) — 13 July 2026

US and Iran trade strikes as ceasefire comes under growing strain: Iran's IRGC says it attacked sites linked to the US military in Kuwait, Bahrain and Oman after latest US bombardment (LINK) — 13 July 2026

— US Central Command (CENTCOM) said US forces struck "military air-defense systems, coastal radar sites and missile and drone capabilities and small boats" using fighter aircraft, naval vessels, one-way attack aerial drones and, for the first time, one-way attack sea drones. Iranian officials said US strikes hit eight cities in Khuzestan province, killing one security guard and injuring four people at a water station in Mahshahr.

— The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said it had targeted a long-range FPS air surveillance radar in Bahrain, a vessel detection radar system in Oman and a US Army surface-to-surface missile base in Kuwait. The IRGC claimed the strike in Kuwait destroyed two missile launchers and nearby storage facilities, causing significant damage.

US refunds $81bn in Trump tariffs after supreme court ruled them illegal (LINK) — 13 July 2026

EU sanctions nine people and four entities over alleged Russian cyber-spying campaign (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Swiss mountain tops set record temperatures (LINK) — 13 July 2026

U.S. expands Cuba sanctions, targets tourism, paramilitary groups: economist Ricardo Torres of American University estimates tourism revenue could decline by more than 60% this year (LINK) — 13 July 2026

UK-Switzerland deal to scrap roaming charges and allow Britons to use e-gates (LINK) — 13 July 2026

— The government says UK passport holders will be allowed to use e-gates at Zurich airport from as soon as the end of this year — with Geneva and Basel airports set to announce a timetable for adoption shortly. The government says the deal is estimated to increase UK exports to Switzerland by £5.2bn annually "in the long run". A services mobility deal, allowing businesses to provide services for up to 90 days without a work permit, was due to expire in 2029, but the new deal puts this on a permanent footing.

15 Nobel Laureates sound the alarm on an AI 'tsunami' for jobs — we're not ready: 350 experts warn that AI could change the economy more than the Industrial Revolution did, saying 'We Must Act Now' (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Judge sanctions Trump's lawyers for IRS settlement, anti-weaponization fund: "judicial cover for a deal granting Trump audit immunity and creating his controversial anti-weaponization fund" (LINK) — 13 July 2026

— She referred one lawyer to the Florida Bar and sent her order to the New York and D.C. bars where acting Attorney General Todd Blanche and Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward Jr. are members, respectively.

Apple vs OpenAI lawsuit: 8 bombshell accusations (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Hungary parliament passes law to oust president in Magyar's power shake-up (LINK) — 13 July 2026

U.S. appeals court revives lawsuits claiming link between acetaminophen (Tylenol), ADHD and autism (LINK) — 13 July 2026

— The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said a lower court improperly threw out testimony from scientific experts that provided evidence of a link between the pain killer and pregnancy related issues. Pharmacies including Walgreens, CVS, Walmart and Target were named as defendants in addition to Kenvue, the manufacturer of Tylenol.

Argentina court recognizes two goldfish as sentient beings with rights because restaurant's glass display case exposed them to the sun and street noise (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Trump asks Senate to pass crypto bill in 'honor' of Lindsey Graham (LINK) — 13 July 2026

U.S. health officials identify 'potential source' of cyclosporiasis parasite outbreak: salad greens and lettuce (LINK) — 13 July 2026

Meta expands Richland, Louisiana data center in $50B AI push, boosting rural community (LINK) — 13 July 2026

— Once operational, the data center is expected to support more than 1,000 jobs. Meta said Louisiana businesses have already received more than $1.6 billion in contracts from the company since it broke ground on the site in December 2024.