AI boom Japan approves election rules requiring AI-generated images and videos on social media to be labeled and prohibiting false or distorted information about candidates, with the measures taking effect in March.
International Criminal Court investigation in Darfur A prosecutor at the International Criminal Court drop charges against former rebel leader Abdallah Banda over his role in a 2007 attack on African Union peacekeepers during Sudan's Darfur conflict.
Shootings by U.S. immigration agents in the second Trump administration The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement suspends vehicle stops related to immigration enforcement following the recent fatal shootings of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo in Houston, Texas, and Joan Sebastian Guerrero in Biddeford, Maine.
2026 United States cyclosporiasis outbreak The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reports 3,300 cases in the state, up from 2,640 the previous day.
The U.S. CDC reports 7,000 cases nationwide of cyclosporiasis, which is caused by "cyclospora cayetanensis".
2026 Ebola epidemic The World Health Organization reports that 80% of cases of Ebola in eastern DRC are from unknown chains of transmission. Additionally, the death toll from Ebola reaches 700.
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) announces that it will test the Gilead Sciences antiviral for the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus.
2026 Bangladesh measles outbreak The Directorate General of Health Services reports that seven more children have died from measles in Bangladesh in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll from the disease in the country to 766.
Kogi State Six people are killed after a gas-laden truck caught fire and exploded at a checkpoint along a federal highway in Kogi State, Nigeria.
Collided head-on Seven people are killed and three others are injured after two vehicles collided head-on just outside Ramadi, Iraq.
2024–2026 Cuba blackouts Cuba suffers its third nationwide blackout in less than 10 days and fifth of 2026, as the state utility reports a complete grid failure amid fuel shortages caused by the ongoing U.S. imposed blockade, that complicate power restoration.
Tyrannosaurus rex A "Tyrannosaurus rex" skeleton nicknamed Gus sells for US$50.1 million at Sotheby’s in New York City, United States, setting an auction record for a dinosaur fossil.
Colombian conflict Colombia's military says it has rescued 39 civilians kidnapped by the National Liberation Army on a highway in Chocó Department, with two soldiers killed during the operation.
Sudanese civil war The Sudanese Armed Forces say that the 4th Infantry Division's 13th Brigade have taken control of the Blue Nile town of Fashfoun following days of clashes with the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement–North.
Iraqi conflict Iraqi prime minister Ali al-Zaidi and the U.S. defense department says that all remaining American troops will withdraw from Iraq by September 30, ending a 23-year presence in the country that started with the 2003 U.S. invasion.
Middle Eastern crisis The Israeli military strikes a police station in Gaza, killing eight people, according to Gaza's civil defence agency and Al-Shifa Hospital, violating the ongoing ceasefire.
The first day of direct negotiations and the sixth round of peace talks between Israel and Lebanon begins at the U.S. embassy in Rome, Italy.
Explosions are reported in the Iranian cities of Ahvaz and Bandar Abbas, and the islands of Kish and Qeshm.
Kuwait's military says that Iran struck a navy vessel, injuring four personnel, while its air defences intercept one ballistic missile, five cruise missiles, and 33 drones aimed at civilian facilities.
U.S. president Donald Trump cancels a proposal to implement a 20% fee on cargo ships transiting through the strait.
Iran fires projectiles at two tankers in the Strait of Hormuz associated with the United Arab Emirates, killing two mariners and injuring 14 others.
The United States military reimposes the naval blockade of Iran that ended on June 17 last month in response to ship attacks.
The United States Central Command launches a new round of strikes against Iran in an effort to degrade capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz ahead of the naval blockade.