Putin says there is no point meeting Zelensky, Hezbollah rejected truce, US shot down 4 Iranian drones, John Bolton to plead guilty, UK rebuked JD Vance on Nowak death

Strong aftershock rattled Venezuela, Chinese billionaire Guo Wengui sentenced to 30 years, Weidel vowed to end Germany's boycott of Russian oil and gas, parcel bomb injured Yermolaiev family in Monaco

A strong 4.6-magnitude aftershock rattled northern Venezuela on June 29, 2026, sending terrified residents fleeing into the streets. The tremor struck five days after a devastating pair of 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude "twin" earthquakes decimated the country's central coast. US and Iranian officials are due to meet in Qatar’s capital on Tuesday. A powerful parcel bomb explosion in Monaco on June 29, 2026, severely injured sanctioned Ukrainian tycoon Vadym Yermolaiev and his family. Alice Weidel, the leader of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, has vowed to end Germany's boycott of Russian oil and gas and restore economic relations with Moscow. Self-exiled Chinese billionaire and tycoon Guo Wengui was sentenced to 30 years in a U.S. prison on Monday, June 29, 2026. Argentina President Javier Milei's administration grapples with a major political crisis following the June 27, 2026 resignation of Cabinet Chief Manuel Adorni amidst a corruption investigation. The European Union is eliminating its "de minimis" customs duty exemption and introducing a temporary €3 flat-rate duty per item category for low-value parcels entering the bloc from July 1, 2026. Russian President Vladimir Putin publicly admitted that Ukrainian long-range strikes on energy infrastructure have caused "problems" and "a certain shortage" of fuel, noting miles-long queues at petrol stations across the country. On Monday, June 29, 2026, a 45-year-old Turkish national born in Germany opened fire at a mother-and-child youth welfare facility in Stade, Germany, killing six adults following a severe child custody dispute. Severe, sudden thunderstorms following a record-breaking heatwave knocked out power for tens of thousands of households across northern and central France. High tension mounts as an unofficial June 30 deadline set by anti-immigration protesters demands undocumented foreigners leave South Africa. On June 29, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court issued two landmark rulings that blocked President Donald Trump from immediately firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook, while simultaneously vastly expanding presidential power to terminate the heads of dozens of other independent regulatory agencies.

Aircraft crashed into Beijing's tallest building, Venezuela earthquakes death toll surpassed 1450, Australian man charged with murder of a Thai girl, heatwave moves to Central Europe and the Balkans

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) launched retaliatory ballistic missiles and drones targeting U.S. military sites in Bahrain and Kuwait, severely straining a fragile bilateral ceasefire. The death toll from the devastating twin earthquakes in Venezuela has surpassed 1,450; over 3,150 are injured, and nearly 200 buildings have completely collapsed. The Bolivian government's decision to end its 15-year-old currency peg to the U.S. dollar on June 26, 2026. An Australian man has been arrested and charged with intentional murder in Thailand after the body of a 17-year-old Thai girl was discovered stuffed inside a suitcase near a railway line. Colombia's President-elect Abelardo De La Espriella has officially chosen former senator and congressman Rodrigo Lara Restrepo as his upcoming Interior Minister. On Friday, June 26, 2026, at 5:55 p.m. local time, a single-engine, two-seat Sunward SA 60L Aurora light sport aircraft crashed into the CITIC Tower (also known as China Zun). Russian forces are mounting a slow, grinding offensive into Kostiantynivka. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) has secured a massive multi-year supply contract with Tencent Holdings worth over 20 billion yuan (roughly $2.94 to $3 billion) to deliver server dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips. Pakistani security forces launched an intelligence-based ground operation and subsequent airstrikes along the Afghanistan border, killing 29 fighters. The record-breaking heatwave will move deeper into Central Europe and the Balkans this week. Burkina Faso formally severed diplomatic relations with France on June 26, 2026.

235 killed in Venezuela earthquakes, UN suspended Hormuz ship evacuation, US General Christopher Donahue to step down, Xi hosts "middle powers" visits, Germany pension overhaul

The two Venezuela earthquakes killed at least 235 people, injured over 4,300 others, and triggered a national state of emergency. The U.N. International Maritime Organization (IMO) has temporarily suspended its evacuation operation to escort stranded merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz. This decision followed a projectile attack on a cargo vessel on June 25, 2026. Xi Jinping has indeed hosted more than a dozen world leaders in 2026, and this surge in high‑level visits reflects a broader geopolitical shift: many so‑called “middle powers” are exploring diplomatic space beyond the United States. Gen. Christopher Donahue, the commander of U.S. Army Europe and Africa and NATO’s Allied Land Command, is unexpectedly stepping down from his post on July 2, 2026. Germany is planning a sweeping overhaul of its creaking pension system to stave off collapse as 13.3 million baby boomers approach retirement by 2040. On June 25, 2026, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6–3 to allow the Trump administration to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,100 Syrians. The U.S. government has banned Swedish electric vehicle maker Polestar from selling its new vehicles in the United States starting with the 2027 model year. Samsung Group plans to unveil a sweeping, 10-year 1,000 trillion won ($648 billion) investment plan on Monday to solidify South Korea's role in the global artificial intelligence boom. South Sudan faces a significant risk of Ebola spillover due to an active, expanding outbreak of the Bundibugyo ebolavirus strain originating in the northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and neighboring Uganda. The Zimbabwe Senate has passed Constitutional Amendment Bill 3, allowing Parliament to elect the president and extending President Mnangagwa’s term in office until 2030. Saudi Aramco resumed crude oil loadings at the Ras Tanura terminal in the Persian Gulf after a near four-month halt. The European Union co-chaired a closed-door, "technical-level" meeting with a Taliban delegation in Brussels on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, to discuss the return and deportation of Afghan migrants.

Powerful earthquakes hit Venezuela and Japan, 4.7 million Americans lost access to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, Ladakh protest against New Delhi, Micron Q3 financials boost AI stocks

Two powerful, back-to-back earthquakes struck northern Venezuela on June 24, 2026, causing widespread destruction across the capital city of Caracas. More than 4.7 million Americans nationwide have lost access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Micron Technology has shattered Wall Street expectations for its fiscal third quarter, driven by an insatiable global demand for artificial intelligence memory chips. The White House formally requested $87.6 billion from Congress on Wednesday. The Himalayan region of Ladakh observed a complete, widespread business shutdown and massive public rallies on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, over a deepening "trust deficit" and stalled negotiations with the Indian central government in New Delhi. Kenya police have set up roadblocks across the capital to prevent demonstrations marking the two-year anniversary of the historic 2024 anti-government protests that resulted in dozens of deaths. A powerful 7.2-magnitude earthquake struck off the northeastern coast of Japan on Thursday morning, June 25, 2026. International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi confirmed that inspections of Iran's nuclear sites are "going to happen". Iraq will be forced to evaluate all choices—including a potential departure—if its production quota is not substantially increased. Mexico, Switzerland, and Brazil won their respective groups on the dramatic final day of group stage action for Groups A, B, and C.

500 trapped ships to pass Strait of Hormuz, Keiko Fujimori won Peru’s election, 8 sentenced to 450 years for a violent ICE protest in Texas, US House and Senate rebuke Trump for end to Iran war

Oman has established a temporary maritime corridor through the Strait of Hormuz in coordination with the International Maritime Organization (IMO) to secure the safe passage of 500 trapped ships and evacuate more than 11,000 stranded seafarers. On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Senate voted 50–48 to pass a war powers resolution instructing President Donald Trump to halt the war in Iran or seek explicit congressional authorization, following House approval (215–208) on June 3. All three candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani achieved a clean sweep in the New York Democratic primaries, with each of his endorsed progressive contenders winning their respective congressional races. President Donald Trump stated on Tuesday, June 23, 2026, that U.S. recovered the cost of Venezuelan military operation 28 times over through oil extraction. Keiko Fujimori currently holds an unbeatable lead in Peru’s presidential runoff, but the electoral authority has not yet officially declared a winner. The deepening dispute between Poland and Ukraine stems from a severe diplomatic row over Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has officially announced $17.5 billion in conditional loans to rebuild the domestic commercial nuclear supply chain and fast-track the construction of 10 new large-scale nuclear reactors. On June 23, 2026, eight defendants were sentenced to a collective 450 years in federal prison for their roles in a violent July 4, 2025, protest outside an ICE facility in Texas. At least 40 people have drowned in France over recent days as a severe early summer heatwave sweeps across Europe. Cristiano Ronaldo has officially made history as the first player (male or female) to score in six different FIFA World Cup tournaments.