Top World News
Cuban zoo celebrates birth of Bengal tigers amid energy crisis
Arrival of endangered cats, including rare white cub, revitalises team straining under fuel and medicine shortagesFor the Cuban zookeeper Ángel Cordero, the sight of four Bengal tiger cubs playing in a cage at the Cuban national zoo is a small miracle on an island stifled by shortages of fuel, medicine and days-long power outages.The birth of these endangered big cats – including an exceedingly rare white tiger – has revitalised a team of zoo workers, he said. Continue reading...
World leaders fret they're about to run into an 'exhausted and angry' Trump buzzsaw
Donald Trump is heading to NATO's summit in Ankara, and European leaders are holding their breath.The president will touch down in Turkey on Tuesday following a grueling week of Independence Day festivities and public relations setbacks, involving his disastrous Great American State Fair. He'll meet with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan before joining other alliance leaders for dinner.According to a report from the Washington Post, Trump has already made his lack of enthusiasm obvious before even departing. He told NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte he wouldn't bother attending at all if Erdogan weren't hosting. When pressed on what he expects from NATO members, his answer was stripped of diplomatic niceties: "I just want loyalty."The president has spent recent days hammering the alliance on social media, asserting that America bankrolls the entire operation while gaining nothing in return. "The United States spends more money on NATO than any other country, by far, to protect them, without getting any benefit from so doing," he posted.According to the Post, "One senior European diplomat fretted that Trump would arrive in Turkey exhausted and angry after a week of tiring travel, including a 3:30 a.m. Saturday return from an event at Mount Rushmore and a rally on the National Mall later that day in the sweltering Washington heat."That volatile emotional state could prove consequential. "Europeans are nervous that the way [Trump] feels about NATO is that this is not fundamentally in U.S. interests," Max Bergmann of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told the Post. "Especially now as there's more domestic political pressure on European leaders to be seen as standing up to Trump."
China tests long-range missile in South Pacific in move Australia condemns as ‘destabilising to region’
Launch comes just hours after Australia and Fiji sign defence agreement as expert says timing not a coincidenceChina has conducted a long-range missile test in the South Pacific just hours after Australia signed a defence agreement with Fiji, sparking condemnation from Canberra and regional leaders.The Australian foreign minister, Penny Wong, said the missile test was “destabilising” to the region, while her New Zealand counterpart, Winston Peters, described it as “deeply concerning”. Continue reading...
Rodríguez defends Venezuela’s emergency earthquake response as number of bodies expected to soar
Interim president says unrest will not break out despite anger at official response to the 24 June disasterVenezuela’s interim president has defended her country’s emergency response to the twin earthquakes that have killed more than 3,000 people, vowing the country would not descend into social unrest.Many Venezuelans have expressed anger at what they see as the US-backed government’s inadequate response to the 24 June disaster before international teams arrived. Continue reading...
Archaeologists uncover ancient Byzantine city in Egypt’s western desert
Well-preserved fourth-century quarters reveal details of daily life, urban development and economic activitiesArchaeologists in Egypt have uncovered a well-preserved Byzantine-era city in the western desert.The fourth-century quarters had residential and religious structures, including a basilica-style church in the Dakhla oasis. Archaeologists also found coins, pottery fragments and tools. Continue reading...
‘The situation is terrible’: aid workers on life in Sudanese city pummelled by drone strikes
El Obeid becomes key battleground in war between Sudan’s armed forces and their paramilitary enemies, the RSFFatima has lost count of the number of drone attacks on the besieged city of El Obeid in Sudan, but said the attacks this past weekend were the most violent so far.The drones hit schools and fuel stations, killing more than 20 people, including students, she said. “Over the past few months, seeing 40 or 45 drones is the norm. You can literally count them,” said the aid volunteer, whose name has been changed for fear of retribution. Continue reading...
'Classless' Markwayne Mullin flattened over ugly World Cup comments
With the country engrossed by the unexpected success of the US men's team’s performance in the 2026 World Cup, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin refused to take the high road when the team from Iran was eliminated.In a column for MS NOW, political analyst Zeeshan Aleem called out the former Oklahoma plumber-turned-US senator for gloating in the Iran team elimination after the US government made their appearance a nightmare with travel restrictions and continued harassment by government officials."I'm just glad they're done, and they're not coming back," Mullin boasted, according to Politico. "I was so happy when we were able to pull their visas and said they could leave U.S. soil, and I might have sung a song or two, or maybe danced a happy dance."According to Aleem, what Mullin glossed over was the fact that the U.S. government had spent weeks making life hell for Iran's team. The administration didn't just deny visas to support staff—it forced Iran to move its training base from Arizona to Mexico, sabotaged their preparation time, and treated elite athletes like criminals rather than competitors in an international sporting event.And yet Iran nearly made it to the knockout stage anyway—three draws despite the handicaps the Trump administration imposed.Calling the Donald Trump appointee "classless," Aleem added, "After all this, Mullin had the opportunity to wish Iran’s team well or stay silent. Instead he gloried in their loss and underscored the narrative that the team should be viewed purely as a proxy for the Iranian government."He added that had Mullin been gracious or, better yet, said nothing, it would have been a boon to Trump negotiators who have been spinning their wheels attempting to negotiate an end to the war with Iran that has help put the US economy into a tailspin. "It’s a reminder of how Mullin’s comments are not just unsportsmanlike, they’re bad diplomacy. The U.S. is in negotiations with Iran to wind down a war in which the U.S. has faced a humiliating loss and lacks the leverage to extract good terms. Why would a prominent Trump official bask in Iran being ousted from the World Cup, a globally watched opportunity to use soft power?" he asked. "A long-term thinker might have used the tournament to show Iran that the U.S. could be fair-minded. Instead, the Trump administration confirmed countless Iranians’ suspicions that the U.S. is treacherous and untrustworthy, as if hawks in Iran needed more ammunition."
CNN anchor shuts down MAGA columnist's head-scratching warning about 'Chinese babies'
A fiery debate broke out between a CNN anchor and a MAGA-defending correspondent who warned about "Chinese babies." CNN anchor Abby Phillip hosted a panel discussion about calls from MAGA to stop immigrants from having children in the United States. The MAGA line comes after the Supreme Court blocked Trump's effort to end birthright citizenship.She had the panel react to a line from Trump legal adviser Mike Davis, where he called on the administration to shift its focus from mass deportations to "going to get these pregnant women the hell out of our country, women and women who could be pregnant."Phillip called suggestions of changing birthright citizenship via an executive order "bad politics, bad optics, maybe both," when New York Post correspondent Lydia Moynihan stepped in to defend the MAGA point of view."We already know that foreign adversaries are exploiting this," Moynihan said. "There's been 1.5 million Chinese CCP babies who have been born on U.S. soil.""I've never seen the number be that high," Phillip said. "Are you talking about Chinese nationals who have come here?""Yes," Moynihan said. "That's an issue that we know our foreign adversaries are exploiting.""Do you realize that not all of them are here to give birth?" Phillip responded.Moynihan continued on about how Chinese immigrants "exploit" birth tourism, and talked over Phillip, whom she accused of trying to "argue the numbers.""You're saying all of the 1.5 million people of Chinese heritage are coming for the sole purpose of utilizing our social services?" Phillip asked, having to talk over Moynihan as she demanded, "Do you want people whose parents are CCP citizens, who grew up in China, to come here and vote?""There are plenty of people who have parents of foreign citizenship, who are American citizens and do in fact have the right to vote," Phillip responded. "They might be from China, they might be from Russia, they might be from England, they might be from anywhere in the world. That is not illegal, to have parents from another country."
Ex-GOP operative appalled as Trump builds 'barrier of corruption' for donor's payout
A former Republican operative flagged how badly President Donald Trump damaged a relationship with a close U.S. ally to help a donor.Steve Schmidt focused on Canada for his Wednesday episode of The Warning to mark July 1, which is Canada Day. He talked in particular about the Gordie Howe International Bridge connecting Windsor, Ontario, with Detroit."Look at this bridge. It's brand new, paid for by Canada, though the American side gets to keep half the revenue," Schmidt explained. "It is a vital pipeline, an artery for commerce that flows back and forth, a trillion dollars a year."The bridge also "sustains jobs" and "creates opportunity across both sides of the border," Schmidt continued. However, Schmidt was only talking about the bridge's potential because Trump "will now not allow the Gordie Howe Bridge to open," he said.Schmidt noted that Matthew T. Moroun, a Detroit billionaire, owns the nearby Ambassador Bridge. He claimed that Moroun "donated $1 million to Donald Trump," and blamed that connection for the reason the Gordie Howe Bridge has yet to open."The Ambassador Bridge is jam-packed. It's a toll bridge," Schmidt explained. "When the new bridge opens, it will diminish the traffic and decrease the profit for the ownership group on the [Ambassador] bridge."Schmidt blasted the refusal by Trump to open the bridge, and noted the soured relationship between the U.S. and Canada is even "killing the bourbon industry."He said, "The next president has an absolute moral obligation to repair this relationship." He called on Americans to "look north and think this thought: we're sorry," for Canada Day."Donald Trump has erected a barrier of corruption as if he's generalissimo of some banana republic, and it's appalling," Schmidt said. "He has vandalized a relationship that is steeped in friendship that goes back beyond the moment of his birth, and it is appalling."
Navy searches for missing crew member after helicopter makes emergency Arabian Sea landing
The U.S. Navy was searching for a missing crew member after a helicopter made an emergency landing in the Arabian Sea, CNN reported on Wednesday.Three of the four crew members were reportedly rescued, and searchers were trying to find one more person, according to CNN.U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet shared the following information in a post on X. "On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication that the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew members have been recovered and are in stable condition aboard George H. W. Bush. U.S. Navy assets in the region are currently searching for other aircrewmen still missing. The cause of [the] incident is under investigation."Additional details around the search are developing. On July 1 at 3:30 a.m. ET, the aircrew of an MH-60S Sea Hawk helicopter assigned to USS George H.W. Bush (CVN 77) conducted an emergency water landing in the Arabian Sea. There is no indication the emergency was caused by hostile action. Three of the helicopter’s four crew…— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) July 1, 2026
Onlookers astonished by JD Vance's latest attempt to dunk on Pope Leo: 'Excommunicate him'
Vice President JD Vance's most recent jab at the pope backfired as onlookers shot back at him.During an appearance on Fox News, Vance questioned decisions by the American Pope Leo, who has emerged as a vocal advocate for immigrants and directly challenged the Trump administration's sweeping immigration crackdowns."I don't see Pope Leo as an anti-capitalist. I do think some of the things that have come out of the Vatican on the immigration issue, in particular, have been troubling," Vance said. "What I would hope the Catholic leadership has learned from some of the things that me and Marco [Rubio] and the president have said about immigration is, it's not just about the dignity of the immigrant, it's about the dignity of the native born."Vance has criticized Pope Leo's comments about immigration before, but this time, online critics were ready to respond and share their unhappiness with Vance's comments."You have to have some deep, unregistered pretentiousness to try to dunk on the pope," wrote political commentator Juan Escalante on Bluesky."Come on, Pope Leo," pleaded journalist Thor Benson. "Excommunicate him. Do it for me.""I hope the scholars at the large hadron collider have learned from my many assorted thoughts on particles," joked political scientist Anjali Dayal, summing up Vance's argument."More Catholic than the Pope, eh?" asked progressive political commentator Wajahat Ali.Journalist Patrick A. Reed wrote that Vance gave off the "same energy as all those dudes who think they could win a point against Serena," referring to tennis champ Serena Williams.You have to have some deep, unregistered pretentiousness to try to dunk on the pope[image or embed]— Juan Escalante (@juanescalante.com) June 30, 2026 at 6:05 PM
'It's incredible': CNN analysts stunned by 'enormous implications' of Trump crypto profits
CNN analysts stressed the gravity of revelations of Trump's major profits from cryptocurrency.According to a New York Times report, the Trump family profited to the tune of $1.4 billion through their cryptocurrency business. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper described the revelations as "incredible" and "stunning" as he spoke with other analysts. According to the Times report, Trump reeled in more than $2.2 billion in total revenue in 2025."It really is hard to overstate just how unusual and how historic this is," New York Times investigative reporter Eric Lipton told Cooper.According to Lipton, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar bought half of the Trump family's crypto business. Lipton pointed out that the sons of Steve Witkoff, who was involved in negotiations with Iran, were also invested."We're talking about billions of dollars of financial ties between the UAE and the Trump family, at the same time as he is negotiating, sharing some of the most advanced technologies humans have ever created, and these AI chips with the UAE," Lipton explained. "There are enormous implications in foreign policy that are mixed up with the personal financial interests of the president."Veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher said the Trump administration is "a coin-operated presidency, really. You just put money in to give to him, and then he gives you other things, and this is exactly what's happening with the crypto stuff."She described the news of Trump's crypto profits as "astonishing," and mentioned that Trump's family is also profiting from a recent mining deal with Kazakhstan."It's a vig," Swisher said, using a loansharking term. "They go around from country to country shaking people down."
