What We're Watching

Global news briefs from GZERO Media: what's happening in global politics

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With a government shutdown deadline looming on Friday, US House Speaker Mike Johnson on Saturday introduced a continuing resolution that, if passed, would effectively fund the government through September. US President Donald Trump has backed the bill. The budget battle comes as fears rise over the impact of Trump's tariff policies, and the flip-flopping nature of their implementation. On Sunday, Trump refused to rule out that his aggressive economic policies could cause a recession.

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The demolition of the border fence between Spain and Gibraltar in La Línea de la Concepción, on July 15, 2026.

Spain-Gibraltar border comes crashing down, US and Iran enter shaky equilibrium, Mexico’s Sheinbaum finally challenges an ICE killing

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

Marco Rubio’s not-so-little role in Venezuela, Millions of Sudanese reluctantly return home, Japan reopens an intelligence agency

US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

Trump grants Ukraine Patriots license, US-Iran ceasefire stumbles, Australia to fuel India’s nuclear energy ambitions

Flagbearer Sergey Tetyukhin of Russia at the Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on August 8, 2016.

Russia set for Olympics return, Hamas dissolves its government in Gaza, Estonia’s drug problem persists despite defeating fentanyl

US President Donald Trump and Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on July 7, 2026.

Side deals at the NATO summit, Farage resigns and re-runs, Indonesia’s Prabowo takes on the country’s oligarchs

Protesters hold flamingo-shaped placards and a large representation of a flamingo as they demonstrate against the government, in Tirana, Albania, on June 22, 2026.

Albania’s flamingo protests spiral, India ramps up deportations into Bangladesh, Oman and Iran plan for Hormuz tolls

Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo at the National Palace in Mexico City, on June 25, 2026.

Sheinbaum’s political headache worsens, Unrest in Lebanon over latest ceasefire deal, Pakistan-Afghanistan border tensions flare up, SCOTUS rulings due

People search for casualties under the rubble of a collapsed building in Caracas following earthquakes in Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

Earthquake tragedy tests Delcy’s leadership, A strange Pride fixture at the World Cup, Iran strikes a ship in the Strait

A building damaged by earthquakes that hit the country, in Caracas, Venezuela, on June 25, 2026.

Deadly earthquakes rock Venezuela, Iraq reportedly threatens OPEC-xit, Anthropic claims Chinese firm is stealing from its model

Egyptian pounds, a gold bar and a necklace are seen during an interview with Mohamed Abdeen, an Egyptian jeweller, in Cairo, Egypt, on February 5, 2026.

Countries and smugglers go for gold, Denmark’s center-left leader backs EU deportation centers, Humans assist AI for its soccer goals

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer stands with his wife Victoria Starmer after announcing the timeline for his resignation, outside 10 Downing Street, in London, United Kingdom, on June 22, 2026.

UK’s Burnham waits in the wings as Starmer resigns, Colombia’s “El Tigre” set to win, US-Iran talks continue

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian displays a memorandum of understanding after signing it in Tehran, Iran, on June 18, 2026.

US-Iran deal isn’t all good for Tehran, Colombians head to polls for presidential runoff, EU takes a page out of the US’s tariff book

A man holds an Iranian flag on a street while reading a newspaper

US-Iran agree to initial deal, Peru’s Fujimori expected to prevail in closest of elections, France eyes UAE as replacement defense partner

Mock up display at Paris Air Show of the FCAS aircraft

Paris and Berlin can’t agree on fighter jet plan, Venezuela’s Rodríguez meets with Turkey’s Erdoğan, Taiwan explores chip export controls to China

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinya bowing down with a hand on his heart at a campaign rally

Russia takes an L in Armenia, China’s Xi flies to North Korea, Rebel groups exacerbate Ebola crisis, and Trump to attend Knicks game

Smoke billows from southern Lebanon

Israel and Lebanon agree to renew ceasefire, US lawmakers check Trump’s war powers, and Africa’s got game (literally)

India’s Gen Z “cockroach” movement runs wild, Netanyahu orders wider Israeli control of Gaza, Brazilian crime orgs seek drone expertise from Ukraine

French President Macron shaking hand with Norway's Prime Minister of the Kingdom Jonas Gahr Støre

France to extend its nuclear umbrella to Norway, Brazil to cut work week, Japan bids to boost ties with the Philippines

Police use a water cannon during a rally to disperse supporters of Ozgur Ozel

Turkey’s democratic crisis deepens, US hits Iranian missile launchers as talks continue, Power struggle in Senegal over IMF debt

Former Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad showing his identity document with the other hand on his heart

The surprising US-Israeli plan for Iranian “regime change,” Hot air only at Russia-China summit, Baltic states on edge before NATO meeting

US President Trump arrives at Beijing Capital International Airport

Trump lands in China before Xi summit, Impeachment and a failed arrest rock Philippine politics, Ghana evacuates nationals from South Africa

UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer giving a speech at the Coin Street Neighbourhood Centre in Waterloo, London, on May 11, 2026.

UK’s Starmer clings onto power, American with Hantavirus returns to US, Thailand to assess its conscription lottery

US-Iran ceasefire in doubt, Venezuelans adjust to a new normal, EU blocks funding for Chinese solar tech

US-Iran ceasefire in doubt, Venezuelans adjust to a new normal, EU blocks funding for Chinese solar tech

Vessels in the Strait of Hormuz, Musandam, Oman, May 6, 2026.

Trump does a U-turn on “Project Freedom,” US may refresh ties with Eritrea, Solomon Islands face a political showdown

Participants and protesters hold posters opposing Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration and her policies on constitutional revision and military expansion during a Constitution Memorial Day rally in Tokyo, Japan, May 3, 2026.

Japan weighs revising pacifist constitution, Europe talks collective security in Armenia, US to “help free up” ships in Hormuz

Assimi Goita, the leader of Mali's military government, meets with Russian officials, according to Mali's presidency, at Koulouba Palace in Bamako, Mali, in this handout photo released April 28, 2026.

Russian influence at risk across Africa, US puts Mexico’s Sheinbaum in another pickle, US considers taking troops out of Germany

US President Donald Trump speaks during a state dinner at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on April 28, 2026.

US readying for extended Hormuz blockade, Philippine VP’s impeachment case advances, Hungary’s Magyar comes to Brussels

UAE's Oil Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei arrives at the OPEC headquarters in Vienna, Austria, on June 4, 2023.

UAE to exit OPEC, EU-China relations on edge again, Violence erupts in Colombia ahead of election

Malian soldiers stand near a truck during a patrol following the attack on Mali's main military base in Kati, Mali, on April 27, 2026.

Mali’s wretched security crisis gets worse, Israel’s opposition leaders join forces in bid to oust Netanyahu, Romania’s PM on the brink

Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez attends a meeting with Colombia's Defense Minister Pedro Sanchez and Colombia's Foreign Minister Rosa Villavicencio at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 13, 2026.

Colombia’s Petro to finally meet Venezuela’s Rodríguez, Iran’s foreign minister wants more talks, The US reportedly mulls gift for Argentina

A view of Iranian-flagged cargo ship Touska from USS Spruance (DDG 111) in a location given as the north Arabian Sea, in this screen capture from a video released on April 19, 2026.

US expands its blockade, Argentina’s Milei seeks electoral reforms, EU finally greenlights massive loan to Ukraine

US President Donald Trump in the State Dining Room at the White House in Washington, D.C., USA, on April 21, 2026.

US extends Iran ceasefire, Ukraine explores Donbas name change, Evidence emerges of possible UAE support for Sudanese rebels

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi at the National Diet in Tokyo on April 17, 2026.

Japan loosens arms export restrictions, Hungary’s Magyar shows nationalist streak, Trump looks for new friends in Europe

Armed security personnel stand guard near the Serena Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan, on April 19, 2026.

Hormuz feud escalates ahead of ceasefire deadline, Saudi halts weapons shipment for Sudanese army, Venezuela’s Machado reiterates election call while in Spain

A crowd celebrates after a 10-day ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel went into effect, in Sidon, Lebanon, on April 17, 2026.

US-Iran ceasefire talks gain steam, Leading leftists meet in Barcelona, The EU may have a new Russia ally

Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, on April 14, 2026.

Putin makes big gamble, Israel and Lebanon agree to ceasefire, Riyadh reportedly plans to halt funds for golf tour

Houthi solders gather in front of a digital billboard in Sanaa, Yemen, on July 11, 2025.

Iran threatens another waterway, Guyana sees economic boom, IMF warns of economic impact from Middle East conflict

Cargo ships in the Gulf, near the Strait of Hormuz, as seen from northern Ras al-Khaimah, in the United Arab Emirates, on March 11, 2026.

Tehran tests Washington’s naval blockade, Spain’s leader visits China again, Ukrainian robots take back land

Caracas, Venezuela ? In the photos, Venezuelan interim president Delcy Rodríguez (center) met with US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum (center, left) at Miraflores Palace in Caracas, Venezuela, on March 4, 2026. Rodríguez discussed a bilateral agenda in sectors such as energy and reiterated that her government is "ready" to cooperate with the United States.

US lifts sanctions on Venezuelan leader, Gulf countries caught in Iran's crossfire, Moscow fuels Madagascar’s military government

US President Donald Trump aboard Air Force One en route to Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, USA, on March 29, 2026.

Trump mulls next move in Iran, US allows Russian tanker to reach Cuba, Myanmar’s military coup leader set to become president

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