⚡ BREAKING: Senate confirms Erica Schwartz as CDC director 51-44 along partisan lines, ending nearly year-long vacancy at the public health agency. Schwartz, former deputy surgeon general in Trump's first term, becomes Trump's third CDC nominee in two years. #Politics #Government

Talks on acquiring Bosnia's largest steel plant collapse as management and Federation government fail to agree, leaving 1,500 jobs in limbo. #Politics #Government

Uruguay's FM calls Argentina-Brazil diplomatic crisis 'bad news' for Mercosur, urges both governments to resume dialogue #Mercosur #Uruguay

⚡ BREAKING: Federal judge in Washington D.C. allows Trump administration to terminate Temporary Protected Status for approximately 350,000 Haitians, reversing her earlier block. #TPS #Haiti

Russian Geran-2 drone wreckage found near the village of Văleni in Moldova's southern Cahul district. #Geopolitics #Defense

Scientists capture unprecedented detailed images of the Sun's surface, revealing ubiquitous Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities driving plasma mixing. #Science #Space

⚡ BREAKING: White House declassifies info on secret FBI probe into whether Trump fired Comey at Russia's behest, an official says

⚡ BREAKING: Russian drone factory director badly injured in car explosion, according to reports. No further details immediately available on the incident or location. #Geopolitics #Defense

Greenpeace warns Portugal that 40% of beaches could vanish due to climate change and decades of coastal urban pressure, per a new report. #Climate #ExtremeWeather

⚡ BREAKING: Iran's president says communication with Supreme Leader Mojtaba is 'very difficult at moment,' — Xinhua #Iran #MiddleEast #Geopolitics

⚡ BREAKING: 🚨 Houthis claim ballistic missile strike on Saudi oil tanker in Gulf of Aden off Yemen's southern coast; UKMTO reports nearby explosion, all crew safe #Houthis #Yemen #MiddleEast #Geopolitics

First Kuwait-Syria commercial flight in over a decade lands at Deir al-Zour airport, restoring international air service suspended in 2013. Operated by Syrian Airlines. #MiddleEast #Geopolitics

Georgia posts 7.9% economic growth in H1 2026, PM Kobakhidze says, with June alone hitting 8.6% YoY and foreign reserves climbing 52% to a record $7.1 billion. #Georgia

⚡ BREAKING: Iran threatens to strike Gulf states if the US launches new strikes against Iran, escalating tensions in the Persian Gulf. #MiddleEast #Geopolitics

⚡ BREAKING: Trump declined Zelenskyy's request for additional Patriot air defense missiles, the FT reports, a setback for Kyiv's efforts to counter Russian strikes. #Geopolitics #Defense

North Korean missile unit begins deploying to western Russia 1. BREAKING: North Korean missile unit begins deploying to western Russia, 2. EU receives €1.4B ($1.6B) in windfall profits from frozen Russian assets #Ukraine #Russia #Geopolitics

Poland launches official preparations for Pope Leo XIV's first pilgrimage to the country following an invitation from state leaders and the Polish Church. A date has yet to be confirmed. #PopeLeoXIV #Poland

Intervision contest to be held in 2026 in Saudi Arabia, organizers tell TASS. Exact venue still under discussion. #Intervision

Russia authorizes production, import and sale of Euro-2 through Euro-4 gasoline until July 1, 2027, the Energy Ministry says. Move eases fuel quality standards amid ongoing supply pressures. #Russia #Energy #Geopolitics #Defense

⚡ BREAKING: New Mexico sues the Justice Department and Todd Blanche, alleging they obstructed the state's Epstein probe. #NewMexico #DOJ

Demi Vollering wins stage five of Tour de France Femmes in three-way sprint as Marlen Reusser retains overall lead by 12 seconds. #TourdeFranceFemmes #Cycling

5.8-magnitude earthquake jolts Halmahera, Indonesia at 1650 GMT, GFZ German Research Centre reports. Epicenter at 1.77°N, 127.49°E, depth 127.1 km. #Climate #ExtremeWeather

⚡ BREAKING: Head of Ukrainian search unit killed during exhumation of fallen soldiers in Ukraine. The death occurred during a body recovery operation. #Ukraine #Geopolitics #Defense

Landslide kills 3 in Cameroon's Limbe on Wednesday as heavy rains trigger house collapse and flooding in Southwest Region #Cameroon #Landslide

Iceland orders deportation of all 21 crew of anti-whaling ship Bandero, seized in Reykjavik after confrontation with whaling vessel Hvalur 9 #Iceland #Whaling

⚡ BREAKING: Hong Kong's LegCo will fully back the HKSAR government in drafting the city's first five-year plan, Starry Lee says. Lawmakers held ~100 consultation sessions in a month, meeting ~4,000 representatives and gathering ~600 written submissions. #HongKong #Politics #Government

South Africa's Lamola calls for AU to convene a continental conference on migration, urging a collective response beyond single-country focus as the bloc's executive council deferred the issue. #AfricanUnion #SouthAfrica

Russia's FSB Border Service reports foreign trips to Russia fell to 7.1 million in H1 2026 from 7.8 million in H1 2025. Work entries led at 2.4 million, with Uzbekistan accounting for 1.1 million. #Russia #Migration #Geopolitics #Defense

LNG shipping costs hit 2022 highs as Strait of Hormuz disruptions strand ~160 carriers, forcing Cape of Good Hope rerouting that adds 15-20 days to voyages from Qatar and UAE. #LNG #Energy #Oil #Oil #Energy

⚡ BREAKING: US deploys additional intelligence personnel to Cuba in recent months, Politico reports citing anonymous sources who described the buildup as potentially paving the way for military intervention. #Geopolitics #Defense