International News Bulletin — July 31, 2026

Politics

• Trump announces Gaza disarmament roadmap, but Hamas sets conditions – President Trump said the “Board of Peace” reached what he called a historic agreement for the complete disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza, with Israel gradually withdrawing its forces. Israel has not publicly confirmed it accepts the plan, and Hamas officials said any weapons handover would only follow an Israeli withdrawal, an end to attacks and unrestricted humanitarian aid. Displaced Gazans voiced open scepticism that a pullout would actually happen.
• US Senate rejects Iran war powers resolution by a single vote – Senators voted 50 to 49 to defeat a resolution that would have limited President Trump’s authority to wage war against Iran. Democratic Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania sided with Republicans, while three Republicans crossed the aisle to back the measure. The outcome leaves the administration’s military latitude in the Gulf unchanged.
• Saudi Arabia builds 14-nation naval coalition for the Red Sea – Riyadh is forming a new military alliance with 13 other countries to protect commercial shipping in the Red Sea. The move follows a series of Houthi attacks on Saudi-linked vessels launched from Yemen. The coalition adds another layer of foreign naval presence to one of the world’s most contested maritime corridors.
• Iran denies Damietta drone strike, alleges a false flag – Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi rejected accusations that Tehran was behind the recent drone attack on Egypt’s Damietta Port. He suggested Israel may have staged the operation to derail regional de-escalation efforts. The exchange underscores how fragile diplomatic channels remain after months of confrontation.
• Trump thanks Morocco’s king for Western Sahara highway named after him – Morocco has named a 650-mile highway after the US president, much of it running along the coast of Western Sahara, territory Morocco has occupied since 1975. Washington recognised Morocco’s annexation of the territory six years ago, the first country to do so. The gesture is likely to irritate Algeria and the Polisario Front.

Economy

• Wall Street rallies as tariff anxiety fades – The S&P 500 climbed 1.66% to 7,437.63 while the Dow added more than 600 points to 52,208.06 and the Nasdaq jumped 2.78%. Investors rotated back into mega-cap technology names on the back of resilient US growth data and continued enthusiasm for artificial intelligence. The move capped a strong finish to July trading.
• South Korea’s Kospi posts a record 18% surge – The benchmark index led global markets after memory chipmaker SK Hynix hit its 30% daily price limit. An exchange-traded fund tracking semiconductor stocks gained 3.3% in early US trading on the read-across. The rally highlights how concentrated global equity gains have become in the AI hardware supply chain.
• Thirty-year Treasury yield hits highest level since 2007 – The long bond traded around 5.26% this week as investors questioned Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh’s resolve on inflation. Rising long-dated yields raise borrowing costs for governments and corporates worldwide. The move sits awkwardly alongside the equity rally.
• Oil majors post their biggest profits in years on war-driven prices – ExxonMobil reported more than $14.5 billion over the past three months, Chevron $12 billion and Shell nearly $10 billion. The windfall stems from higher crude and gas prices caused by the US and Israeli campaign against Iran. Renewed calls for windfall taxes are expected to follow.
• Backlash builds against FIFA’s plan to sell a World Cup stake – European football associations agreed to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if president Gianni Infantino proceeds with selling stakes to a private equity group run by Joshua Kushner. A senior FIFA adviser resigned in protest. The dispute puts billions in tournament revenue and broadcast rights at risk.

World News

• Climate change drives a “major intensification” of European wildfires – A new study in Scientific Reports links a sharp escalation in fire activity to a warming climate, as firefighters battle blazes in France, Spain, Greece, Britain and Germany during a fresh heatwave. More than a million acres have burned this year, over triple the recent historical average. Three firefighters died in Greece this week, and a large fire broke out in Suffolk near a nuclear power station.
• At least 34 migrants die crossing from Morocco into Ceuta – Most drowned as tens of thousands attempted to reach the Spanish enclave by land and sea, with as many as 49,000 crossing the border on Thursday alone. Spain has deployed military units to the territory and Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is due to visit. Humanitarian groups have condemned the lethal border crackdown.
• UK police arrest 117 outside Palestine Action court hearing – Protesters gathered at a London court to support the group, which the British government proscribed as a terrorist organisation last year, making expressions of support punishable by up to 14 years in prison. In a partial win for the campaigners, Britain’s Supreme Court ruled the group’s co-founder may challenge the ban at the country’s highest court. The case has become a flashpoint for free expression in the UK.
• US State Department apologises for a badly wrong map of Africa – A map displayed at a major AIDS conference placed Nigeria as a landlocked country in the Sahara, moved Mozambique to the Horn of Africa and put Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon on the wrong side of the continent. Uganda and Malawi were also misplaced. Reuters reported the map was likely generated using OpenAI technology.
• Search continues after the Kumamoto earthquake in Japan – Rescue teams are still working through debris in the Kumamoto region, including at a collapsed shopping mall where some of the worst damage was recorded. Authorities have not finalised a casualty count as access to affected sites remains difficult. Aftershocks continue to hamper the operation.

Bulletin automatically generated on July 31, 2026.