Russian forces launch a major ballistic missile and drone attack on Kyiv, Ukraine, killing at least 20 people and injuring 98 others, and forcing more than 50,000 civilians to shelter underground.
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July 2, 2026 (Thursday)
0.8 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
Six people are killed and 22 others are injured in a bombing at a coffeehouse in Damascus, Syria. No group has claimed responsibility.
Arts and culture
The Holy See excommunicates the entire clergy of the Society of St. Pius X, barring the group from officiating marriages and hearing confessions. The Catholic laity are also warned that they will also be excommunicated if they attend SSPX masses.
Disasters and accidents
Nine monks are killed and 13 others are injured, including three critically, when an 11-year-old boy drives a pickup truck into a group of monks on a pilgrimage walk in Mukdahan province, Thailand.
At least 16 people are killed and 20 others are injured when a passenger bus overturns in Eastern Cape, South Africa.
Politics and elections
Algerians vote for 407 seats of the People's National Assembly amid a cost-of-living crisis and candidate bans upon the Hirak movement.
Albanian Police clash with demonstrators in Albania during a protest against the government and a resort project linked to U.S. envoy and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner.
July 1, 2026 (Wednesday)
3.1 minutes to read
Armed conflicts and attacks
United States vice president JD Vance says that Iran and the U.S. have held technical talks based on the recent 14-point memorandum of understanding in Doha, Qatar, to discuss the Strait of Hormuz. He also states that the U.S. will not return to military action unless necessary.
South Korea's ocean ministry says that the Panama–flagged cargo vessel HMM Namu will leave the Strait of Hormuz in mid-July once major repair is complete on the vessel after it was attacked in a explosion on May 4 while it was stranded in the waterway.
Iranian state television reports that a foreign container ship was grounded in shallow water after using an unapproved route through the strait.
The Israel Defense Forces confirms that that they have launched strikes in the northern Gaza Strip that killed four militants of the Hamas military wing Al-Qassam Brigades and destroyed several missile launchers used by the organization.
ACLED reported that more than 100,000 people have died from the civil war in Myanmar since the military took power in February 2021.
Arts and culture
Sony says it will stop releasing new PlayStation games on physical optical discs from January 2028, citing consumer preference for digital media, and will offer new titles through the PlayStation Store and other digital retailers.
The Emirate of Dubai, UAE, reopens its Catholic churches, including St. Mary's and St. Francis of Assisi in Jebel Ali, after three months of closure amidst the Iran war.
Business and economy
The International Transport Workers' Federation and the Joint Negotiating Group of shipping owners announce they will continue to designate the Strait of Hormuz as a warzone, which doubles the pay of mariners there and gives them other benefits.
Saudi Aramco and Algerian oil company Sonatrach announce that they will cut prices for liquefied petroleum gas for July, with Saudi Aramco reducing it between 24% and 27% and Sonatrach reducing it between 2% and 10%.
The World Bank classifies the Philippines as an upper-middle-income economy, up from lower-middle-income status, after its per capita gross national income exceeds the fiscal year 2026 threshold of US$4,496 to $13,935.
Ukraine approves a mechanism for exporting domestically produced weapons and military technologies to raise funds for its defense effort against Russia and attract foreign investment, while requiring that the Ukrainian military's supply needs remain the priority.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer says that the United States will not renew the USMCA trade agreement signed during U.S. President Donald Trump's first term. The U.S. will conduct annual reviews of the trade agreement and will conduct negotiations and amendments to it.
Disasters and accidents
A United States Navy aviator is reportedly missing after a Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopter carrying four crew members assigned to the USS George H. W. Bush made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea. The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. Fifth Fleet rules out hostile activities in the accident.
Venezuelan acting president Delcy Rodríguez declares seven days of national mourning for the victims of the earthquakes as the death toll rises to 2,295.
Health and environment
The African CDC confirms an isolated case of the Marburg virus in Uganda, amidst the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the country.
The Directorate General of Health Services reports that one child has died from measles symptoms in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll of the outbreak in Bangladesh to 719.
The World Health Organization reports that 120 people have been killed in cholera outbreaks in Sudan since May in isolated war zones, alongside suspected 1,102 cases of the disease.
In Canada, Ontario lowers the eligibility age for routine colorectal cancer screenings from 50 to 45, joining Prince Edward Island as the second province to do so.
Law and crime
Sweden's Market Court orders Google to pay PriceRunner about 14.3 billion kr (US$1.5 billion) in damages, Sweden's largest competition-related award, after ruling that Google unlawfully favored its own price comparison service over rivals in search results.
A firebombing on the homes of ruling New Democracy party members in Thessaloniki, Greece, kills one person and injures three others.
Four people are reportedly killed in the early morning hours of Wednesday during celebrations in Mexico City following Mexico's victory against Ecuador in the knockout round of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Politics and elections
The Verkhovna Rada has passed a law establishing the Ukrainian National Pantheon in Kyiv. Among the possible controversy honorees in pantheon are Nazi collaborator from OUN/UPA. ()
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