Iran formally closed the Strait of Hormuz to foreign shipping on July 12, demanding toll payments and regime-approved routing as U.S. gas prices hit $3.87 per gallon and diplomatic options narrowed.
Category: World
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Fire kills 27 at Bangkok pub as electrical fault suspected
A fire engulfed the Na Ladprao pub in northern Bangkok early Sunday, killing 27 people and injuring 63 more in one of Thailand’s deadliest entertainment venue fires in recent memory.
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Le Pen cleared to run for French presidency after appeals court trims her ban
An appeals court upheld Marine Le Pen’s embezzlement conviction on July 7 but cut her electoral ban enough to clear her path to the 2027 French presidential race.
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Fire kills 28 at Jinjiang shoe factory after blocked stairwells trap workers
A fire at the Huiteng shoe factory in Jinjiang, China’s shoe capital, killed 28 workers on July 9 after goods piled in stairwells hampered their escape.
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Australia and Fiji seal the Ocean of Peace Alliance in Pacific security push
Australia and Fiji signed a mutual defense pact and a A$1 billion economic treaty on July 6, the same day China test-fired a submarine-launched ballistic missile in the Pacific.
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Farage quits his Commons seat to force Clacton by-election amid funding probe
Nigel Farage resigned as MP for Clacton-on-Sea on 7 July 2026 to trigger a by-election he will contest himself, while a parliamentary investigation into his undisclosed funding is put on hold.
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Trump arrives in Ankara to enforce NATO’s 5% defence pledge
NATO heads of state convene in Ankara on 7–8 July as Trump presses allies to prove their 5% of GDP defence spending commitment made at The Hague summit a year ago.
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Cape Verde’s Blue Sharks push Argentina to the brink at their first World Cup
Cape Verde’s debut World Cup ends 3-2 to Argentina after extra time, but a 40-year-old goalkeeper and three group-stage draws have redrawn African football’s ceiling.
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Xi Jinping promotes two generals to rebuild China’s hollowed-out military leadership
Xi Jinping promoted Zhang Shuguang and Wang Gang to full general on July 3, filling the senior PLA roles left vacant by a sweeping corruption purge that gutted the Central Military Commission.
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Netanyahu visits occupied south Lebanon and links pullout to Hezbollah disarmament
Netanyahu toured occupied southern Lebanon on July 1, vowing Israel will not withdraw while Hezbollah remains armed, four days after a US-brokered pilot-zone deal.