Wildfires in Ontario make Toronto air quality worst in world

• Author Peter Haenseler argues that the ongoing conflict is not merely between Ukraine and Russia, but is a war waged by Europe with active U.S. support. • The piece claims that European involvement, which was previously covert, is now being openly displayed.

• President Donald Trump's second administration is implementing a sweeping overhaul of the U.S. State Department, marking one of the most significant upheavals in American diplomacy in a century. • The transformation involves extensive personnel changes and a restructuring of the diplomatic establishment to align with the administration's specific policy goals.

• President Trump has ordered an additional round of military strikes against Iran while reiterating the U.S. blockade of Iranian ports. • In a significant policy shift, Trump has reversed his previous announcement regarding a 20-percent tariff.

• In an article published July 14, 2026, author Colin Todhunter explores how individuals can reclaim sovereignty from the combined influence of state and corporate power. • The piece highlights the rise of an "emerging digital control grid" as the primary mechanism used by these entities to shape and monitor modern life.

• The UN human Rights Office (OHCHR) reports that Sudan's war economy is creating a "self-perpetuating" cycle of conflict, where the exploitation of resources fuels ongoing violence. • The OHCHR is calling on warring parties and international corporations involved in the Sudanese commodity value chain to strictly comply with international law.

• The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is a long-standing territorial dispute dating back to the end of the nineteenth century. • Tensions escalated into a cycle of violence between Hamas and Israel, resulting in deteriorating humanitarian conditions within the Gaza Strip.

• The European Union has banned the import of gold from Sudan to disrupt the financing of the ongoing conflict between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF). • To further cripple mining operations, the EU is also restricting the export of cyanide and mercury, chemicals essential for gold extraction.

• The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) is scaling up containment efforts to combat an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. • The disease has expanded into two additional provinces, Haut-Uele and Tshopo, with specific cases reported in Kisangani.

Five months of U-turns and false boasts leave Donald Trump in worse position than when he startedDonald Trump has taken the war with Iran into a new, murkier phase as the two sides move further and further from the vague memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed on 17 June.And as during the opening phase of the conflict, the US leader’s objectives and methods are clouded in confusion, daily U-turns and boasts that within hours are revealed to be false. Continue reading...

One person dead after pontoon boat involved in memorial service capsized in San Francisco Bay on TuesdayRescuers were still searching for three missing people on Wednesday after a boat involved in a memorial service sank in the cold, fast-moving waters of San Francisco Bay near Alcatraz Island, authorities said.At least one person died and 16 people were rescued after the boat capsized on Tuesday afternoon in what witnesses described as “rough seas”, San Francisco fire chief Dean Crispen said at a news conference. Continue reading...

US defense secretary unveils plan that will work to ensure service members have the ‘right testosterone levels’Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that the Department of Defense will offer testosterone deficiency screening for soldiers 30 and older.The US defense secretary unveiled plans for a new screening program for testosterone deficiency among troops that will work to ensure service members have the “right testosterone levels” to perform at their optimal conditions in a video posted to X. Continue reading...

In interviews and social posts, the loyalty-obsessed president couldn’t help but weave criticism into his praiseThis was originally published in This Week in Trumpland. Sign up to receive it in your inbox every WednesdayNormal procedure in the immediate aftermath of an unexpected death is to shower the deceased with praise, irrespective of whether it is deserved.Donald Trump, commemorating Lindsey Graham in recent days, has taken a different tack, sometimes extolling the South Carolina senator’s virtues but at other times rather diminishing the newly deceased 71-year-old. Continue reading...