10 Things Global News - 26th June 2026
US Supreme Court delivers wins to Trump and to business, Middle East remains on edge and China doing better than US on sustainability | Succinct, unbiased global news
Hormuz Attack Jolts Shipping Recovery (Conflict)
Rubio Moves To Calm Gulf Fears Over Iran Deal (Middle East)
Venezuela Reels After Deadly Earthquake Doublet (South America)
Scientists Tie Europe Heat Wave To Climate Change (Climate)
Supreme Court Backs Border Asylum Turnbacks (US)
Supreme Court Curbs Roundup Cancer Claims (US)
Ukraine Drones Push Russia To Defend Moscow (Conflict)
E5 Pushes Stronger European Role In NATO (Europe)
US Methane Warning Deepens EU Energy Rift (Europe)
China Closes On US In UN Development Rankings (China)
A succinct daily briefing delivered each weekday to help you stay on top of the stories shaping the world.
Iran attacked a cargo ship on Thursday as it tried to pass through the Strait of Hormuz along a new route promoted by a United Nations maritime agency, dealing a blow to hopes that shipping might have found a passage through the blockade.
Two U.S. officials said the Singaporean-flagged vessel was attacked by Iran, with one saying it was hit by an Iranian drone, while the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations centre said the ship suffered damage to its bridge and no one was injured.
The attack came after a rise in traffic along a temporary corridor set up by the U.N.’s International Maritime Organization and Omani officials. On Wednesday, nearly 50 cargo-carrying vessels passed through the strait, and the U.N. maritime agency said Thursday’s attack had led it to pause its evacuation plan for more than 11,000 seafarers still stranded aboard ships in the region. Brent crude rose as much as 4 percent following the attack.
Sources: Washington Post, Al Jazeera
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Gulf allies on Thursday that any deal with Iran would take their interests into account, as he sought to reassure regional partners with deep reservations about the preliminary accord.
Speaking at a meeting of Gulf Arab foreign ministers in Bahrain, Rubio said Washington was seeking an enduring peace with Iran that would not come at the expense of allies’ security.
In a joint statement, the United States and the Gulf Cooperation Council said lasting peace would require addressing Iran’s ballistic missiles, drones and support for proxy groups. The statement also stressed the importance of reopening the Strait of Hormuz, said free, unconditional and unrestricted navigation remained essential to regional and global security, and rejected any tolls, fees or attempts to assert control over the strait.
Sources: Reuters, US Dept. of State
Venezuelans searched for survivors on Thursday after two major earthquakes rocked the region surrounding Caracas, flattening buildings, causing widespread casualties and damaging the main airport. Acting president Delcy Rodríguez said at least 164 people were confirmed dead and 971 injured, declared a state of emergency late on Wednesday, and said rescuers from other countries would arrive in the coming hours. The U.S. Geological Survey said high casualties and damage were probable and the disaster was likely widespread.
The first earthquake, magnitude 7.2, hit near the coastal town of Morón at 6.04pm, according to the U.S. Geological Survey, and a magnitude 7.5 shock followed 39 seconds later. La Guaira appeared to be among the worst-hit areas.
Rodríguez said the country’s main international airport would remain closed until further notice, while electricity and telecommunications networks were down in parts of Caracas as aftershocks continued into Thursday morning.
Sources: FT, Associated Press
Human-caused climate change made this month’s heat in Western Europe much more likely than it would have been even just two decades ago, scientists said Friday, after analysing decades of temperature records. A report prepared by scientists affiliated with World Weather Attribution concluded that a hot spell as intense as this week’s over such a large stretch of Europe was still rare for June in today’s climate, with less than a 1 percent chance of appearing in any given year.
The researchers said such an event would have been even rarer in the 2000s and virtually impossible half a century ago. Lead author Theodore Keeping of Imperial College London said the event would not have been possible in June without climate change.
The study found the heat would be 200 times more likely today than it would have been 20 years ago, as temperatures topped 40C in many places and high nighttime temperatures made it harder to cool down and recover.
Sources: New York Times, Associated Press
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that migrants seeking asylum may be turned away before they reach the U.S.-Mexico border, handing President Donald Trump a victory on one of his signature immigration policies.
In a 6-3 ruling, the court said the Refugee Act of 1980 offers a right to seek asylum to migrants who arrive in the United States, but not those who are turned back when they approach a border crossing or port of entry.
Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. wrote that an alien arrives in the United States only when he crosses the border. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, in dissent, said the court’s interpretation blesses the executive branch’s decision to slam the door shut on people fleeing persecution. The ruling validates the policy known as metering as legal should it be reinstated.
Sources: LA Times, Le Monde
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The U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday handed Bayer a major legal victory by reining in thousands of lawsuits accusing the company of failing to warn users that Roundup’s active ingredient causes cancer.
In a 7-2 decision, the court overturned a Missouri jury verdict awarding $1.25 million to John Durnell, who said he developed non-Hodgkin lymphoma after years of exposure to glyphosate in Roundup.
Justice Brett Kavanaugh wrote that federal law governing pesticides precludes state-law failure-to-warn claims from moving forward because the Environmental Protection Agency has concluded glyphosate does not cause cancer and has not required a cancer warning on Roundup.
Bayer said the ruling should help significantly contain the litigation. Shares in the German company rose about 16 percent after the decision. Bayer has also proposed a $7.25 billion settlement to resolve many remaining claims.
Sources: Reuters, PBS
Ukraine’s drone campaign is forcing Russia to shift air defenses toward Moscow and other prime targets, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as Kyiv widened strikes deep inside Russian territory. Zelenskyy said Kyiv’s forces hit two oil refineries in Ufa, 1,500 kilometres from the front line, and an oil depot in the Krasnodar region, while Russia was moving more air defenses to Moscow, Valdai and the Kerch Bridge.
Zelenskyy said Russia had amassed hundreds of launchers in the Moscow region alone and redeployed nearly 90 launchers to Valdai from other regions. He suggested the changes would leave other parts of Russia more vulnerable to Ukraine’s long-range drones, which can now fly more than 1,500 kilometres.
Ukrainian drones this month have hit Moscow and St Petersburg, and residents in the capital have sheltered in basements as attacks brought the war closer to the city.
Sources: Associated Press, FT
The leaders of Germany, France, Italy, the U.K. and Poland pledged in Berlin to strengthen NATO’s European pillar ahead of next month’s alliance summit in Ankara and a meeting between NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte and U.S. President Donald Trump. In a joint statement, the E5 affirmed their unwavering commitment to Euro-Atlantic security and the transatlantic bond, while committing to a stronger European role within NATO and increased European defense cooperation.
The group also pushed support for Ukraine higher up the agenda. Outgoing British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the NATO summit should put more sanctions on Russia and more military support for Ukraine first, then building a more European NATO second.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz said Europeans and Americans were growing closer again, while French President Emmanuel Macron said Europe was committed with determination and increasing budgets and capabilities.
Sources: Politico Europe, DW
U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright warned that American gas would flow outside Europe if the European Union refused to ease methane rules, sharpening a dispute over climate regulation and energy security.
Wright said the bloc would face serious pain without meaningful reform, while EU Energy Commissioner Dan Jorgensen vowed to resist pressure from the United States and other liquefied natural gas exporters to revise rules designed to curb methane emissions.
The clash comes as the EU has become increasingly reliant on U.S. supplies after moving to replace Russian gas following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. At least 12 member countries are now backing calls to delay the law, which requires companies to monitor and report methane emissions beginning in January. Critics say the rules could jeopardize energy supplies, while the European Commission has defended the law and ruled out reopening it, even as it considers temporary workarounds.
Sources: Politico Europe, Bloomberg
A new Sustainable Development Report said China is on track to surpass the United States in the coming years after a faster pace of progress on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals from 2015 to 2025. The report said China rose from 63rd to 49th place over the decade, while the United States fell from 40th to 45th, leaving a gap of just 0.63 points between them. Among major economies, China and India recorded the biggest gains.
The same report said global progress remains significantly off track, with only 16 percent of targets projected to be achieved by 2030. It also said the United States ranked last on its index of support for UN-based multilateralism, while China was deemed to have achieved no poverty and quality education.
The report added that none of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals is expected to be reached by the 2030 deadline on present trends.
Sources: South China Morning Post, SDG Transformation Center
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On this day …
On this day in 1963, US President John F. Kennedy visited West Berlin and delivered his famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” speech before a large crowd.
Speaking less than two years after the construction of the Berlin Wall, Kennedy reaffirmed American support for West Berlin and framed the city’s survival as a symbol of the broader contest between democracy and communism.
The speech became one of the defining moments of the Cold War and strengthened transatlantic solidarity during a period of heightened tension.
Words can sometimes become instruments of strategy as much as symbols of unity.