July 26, 2024 (Friday)

Italy appoints an ambassador to Syria after 12 years, becoming the first G7 country to do so.

The European Union sends its first transfer of €1.5 billion (US$1.63 billion) in proceeds from frozen Russian assets to Ukraine for military and infrastructure support. The Kremlin denounces the transfer as "illegal" under international law and pledges legal retaliation.

A former top United States official states that the U.S. Department of Defense covertly admits to conducting a mass disinformation campaign targeting the Philippines using social media bots and fake accounts to discredit the safety of Chinese CoronaVac COVID-19 vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic, following public denial of involvement in June.

Finland reports that a Russian Navy Baltic Sea fleet vessel trespassed on Finnish territorial waters in the eastern Gulf of Finland.

China and India agree to cooperate in withdrawing all their troops from their disputed border, with aims of peacefully achieving "complete disengagement" from the border conflict as quickly as possible.

Arson attacks on TGV infrastructure disrupt rail services in France.

The United Kingdom drops its challenge to the International Criminal Court's issuance of arrest warrants against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

U.S. President Joe Biden adds Lebanon to the Deferred Enforced Departure list, temporarily protecting Lebanese citizens residing in the United States from deportation for 18 months, in response to growing tensions between Israel and Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.

The opening ceremonies of the 2024 Summer Olympics take place on the banks of the River Seine and the Jardins du Trocadéro in Paris, France.