GLOBAL NEWS

BEIJING/TAIPEI, July 4 (Reuters): After a task force off the island's coast last month alarmed several Western capitals, China announced on Saturday that it had established a new coast guard patrol east of Taiwan. Taipei reacted sharply. Beijing considers Taiwan to be its own territory, and the Chinese military conducts operations there virtually every day. However, China has started employing its coast guard to uphold its territorial claims in what Taiwan refers to as "lawfare" in order to justify Chinese activities. According to a statement from China's Coast Guard, the fleet will carry out "law enforcement patrols" in the region and will bolster these operations in what it refers to as China's jurisdictional waters. It further stated that the coast guard will "firmly safeguard China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests." TIWAN CALLS THE NEW MOVE DISRUPTIVE AND ILLEGAL The new patrol was denounced by Taiwan's go...

Before the Grand Mosalla religious complex opened to the public on Saturday morning, hundreds of Islamic Republic supporters had already gathered outside on Friday night. On Saturday, July 4, 2026, Iran started a multi-day burial for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the country's late Supreme Leader, who was killed by an airstrike during the beginning of the conflict. He was eighty-six. At the Grand Mosalla in Tehran, Iran's capital, authorities unveiled the casket holding Khamenei's body in a glass case. Some of the mourners chanted, "Our word is one! Revenge! Revenge!" as they sobbed at what they saw. Some had flags and banners, while Khamenei's picture was displayed on billboards all throughout the city. At Shiite funerals, it is customary for crowds of men to beat their chests rhythmically in sadness. The ceremonies will be closely watched for any indications of Khamenei's son and successor, Mojtaba Khamenei, who was appointed Supreme Leader a week after his fa...

Critics claim it could accelerate minorities' forced integration and result in the targeting of critics outside of China. Beijing, however, denies these charges. Rights organizations and foreign officials have cautioned that China's new ethnic unification law may hasten ethnic minorities' forced assimilation. 55 ethnic minority groups, together making up 8.9% of the population of mainland China, are officially recognized by the second most populous country in the world. Beijing also declared that the new rule, which went into effect on Wednesday, might apply to those outside the nation's borders. This has further alarmed human rights organizations, who fear it could be used to target foreign opponents of China. The Chinese government, however, said Western media outlets “misinterpreted” the foreign povision that the country wishes just to exercise its right to resist separatist movements abroad. More information regarding China's new law and its potential effects...

Thursday, July 2, marked the 15th day since Washington and Tehran signed a memorandum of understanding and the 125th day since the commencement of the war, as Iran warned the United States and Israel against launching any attack during the state funeral of late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran's armed forces were ready to react forcefully to any threat or attack, according to Ali Abdollahi, commander of Khatam al-Anbiya Central Headquarters, who cautioned the US and Israel against any "miscalculation," according to Reuters. Authorities issued the warning as they finalized preparations for the six-day burial festivities, which are anticipated to attract millions of mourners and international dignitaries from dozens of nations. According to Ayatollah Hakim Elahi, the Supreme Leader's envoy in India, Mojtaba Khamenei is unlikely to attend his father's funeral due to increased security concerns. Speaking in a special interview with India Today before depa...

Due to overpopulation and a lack of access to sanitary facilities and clean water, aid workers are concerned about disease outbreaks in makeshift shelters. Medical professionals worry that the impact of the terrible twin earthquakes in Venezuela could lead to an expanding health catastrophe characterized by infectious infections, untreated injuries, and a healthcare system that is already in danger of collapsing. Following the June 24 earthquakes, which officials claimed on Wednesday killed at least 2,295 people and injured over 11,000, thousands of displaced Venezuelans are sleeping in cramped temporary shelters or outside without access to clean water in unhygienic conditions. Eugenio Cova, the chief of the trauma unit at Hospital Jose Gregorio Hernandez in Caracas, stated, "The problem we anticipate just around the corner is the infections that patients who have been exposed to the disaster for the longest time might bring." "We've already experienced a period o...

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko posted on Telegram that "ballistic missiles and UAVs are attacking Kyiv," adding that explosions could be heard throughout the city. Following President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's warning that Moscow was planning a "massive attack," Russia conducted a huge attack on the capital of Ukraine overnight into Thursday, July 2, 2026, resulting in at least eight fatalities and numerous injuries as deafening explosions shook Kyiv for hours. According to Tymur Tkachenko, commander of the Kyiv City Military Administration, eight persons were murdered in the incident. He said that 28 areas throughout the city had damage, primarily to residential structures and civilian infrastructure. According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, 34 individuals were hurt.