Global Express | July 26, 2026 Berlin Pride Parade Attacked: Car Rams Crowd, 1 Dead, 16 Injured, Manhunt Underway

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📰 Berlin Pride Parade Attacked in Suspected Terror: Car Rams Crowd, 1 Dead, 16 Injured

On the evening of July 25, a severe attack unfolded near Berlin's Tiergarten park in central Germany. A white van sped into a crowd celebrating the finale of the Christopher Street Day Pride parade, killing at least one person and injuring 16 others, with several victims suffering life-threatening injuries. The incident occurred as large crowds gathered in front of the Brandenburg Gate for the parade's concluding festivities.

Police have identified a male suspect who is "known to authorities and associated with the Islamist spectrum," though he remains at large as an intensive city-wide manhunt continues. The vehicle came to a stop after hitting a tree and was later found abandoned. Following the attack, the Brandenburg Gate screen displayed a large "evacuation" warning, and the Pride event was cancelled.

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz vowed to "make sure this horrific act is fully investigated and punished." Berlin Mayor Kai Wegner called the incident "an attack on our free and open-minded society." Police have appealed to the public for information and footage to aid their investigation.

— BBC News

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📰 Wildfires in France and Spain Force Over 300,000 to Evacuate

Europe is facing its most severe wildfire crisis in recent years. As of July 26, raging wildfires across France and Spain have forced more than 300,000 people to flee their homes. The Bordeaux region in southwestern France has been hardest hit, with approximately 197,000 people evacuated, including tens of thousands of residents and tourists from the famed wine region. Around 70,000 others have been displaced from central Spain.

Firefighting crews from multiple countries are battling the blazes, with Turkey deploying two aircraft to assist Spain. The fires have claimed at least three lives, and some areas have witnessed "fire-generated whirlwinds" as flames spiral out of control. French authorities warned of a "difficult night" ahead, while Bordeaux officials considered the extreme measure of "total city evacuation if necessary."

The catastrophic fires are closely linked to Europe's prolonged summer heatwave and drought conditions. Climate experts warn that such extreme fire events are becoming more frequent and intense due to climate change. The EU has activated its Civil Protection Mechanism to coordinate cross-border firefighting resources.

— CNN

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📰 US Pauses Iran Airstrikes: First Halt in Nearly Two Weeks as Diplomacy Intensifies

The US military has gone two consecutive nights without launching new airstrikes on Iran, marking the first pause since the nightly bombing campaign began on July 11. Sources familiar with the matter indicated that the Trump administration pulled back from major escalation partly due to alarming depletion of military munitions stocks.

Both National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine raised concerns about further escalation during a White House meeting. Meanwhile, diplomatic channels remain active. A regional official described the pause in US strikes and Iranian counterstrikes on neighboring countries hosting American forces as "a positive signal that helps de-escalation efforts."

The economic toll of the war has been staggering. Iran's government spokesperson estimated the direct and indirect costs of 40 days of war at approximately $270 billion, equivalent to 90% of Iran's projected 2026 GDP. US military spending has reached $37.5 billion, with total costs exceeding $100 billion.

— CNN

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📰 Houthis Strike Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities as Middle East War Spreads to Red Sea

Yemen's Houthi forces launched missiles and drones at two of Saudi Arabia's most strategically important oil facilities on the Red Sea on July 25. Saudi air defense systems intercepted some incoming projectiles, but the Jizan refinery was struck and caught fire. Brent crude oil prices surged past $100 per barrel in response.

The attack comes amid the ongoing closure of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving Yanbu—Saudi Arabia's only remaining crude export corridor—also under threat. Saudi forces retaliated with airstrikes on Houthi-controlled Hodeidah in Yemen. The spillover effects of the Iran war are spreading rapidly across the region.

The conflict has also extended to the Caspian Sea, where Tehran accused Ukraine of a deadly attack on an Iranian cargo vessel. With multiple shipping chokepoints and energy infrastructure now engulfed in fighting, global energy markets and supply chains face their greatest uncertainty since the onset of the Russia-Ukraine war.

— Al Jazeera

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📰 Typhoon Noul Strikes Southern China and Hong Kong: Over 715,000 Evacuated

Typhoon Noul made landfall in southern China on July 26, bringing torrential rain, fierce winds, and massive waves. Preliminary reports indicate over 715,000 people have been evacuated, with hundreds of flights cancelled. The Hong Kong Observatory issued high-level tropical cyclone warnings, suspending outdoor sections of the MTR and closing schools and public offices.

Coastal areas of Guangdong and Fujian provinces bore the brunt of the storm, with widespread tree falls and power outages reported. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center noted that Noul weakened slightly after landfall but continues to bring heavy rainfall across the region, with flood control pressure mounting in the Pearl River Delta.

China's national flood control authority activated emergency response protocols, with PLA and armed police forces deployed for rescue operations. Noul is the strongest typhoon to affect China in the 2026 Pacific typhoon season so far, following Super Typhoon Bavi which struck Japan and the Northern Mariana Islands earlier in July.

— The Guardian

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📰 NYT Investigation: Trump's Rushed Air Force One Led to Ballooning Costs and Safety Trade-offs

The New York Times published a bombshell investigation revealing how President Trump's push to speed delivery of a Qatari-donated jumbo jet as a temporary Air Force One led to ballooning costs and the omission of multiple critical safety features. The report found that Trump's insistence on having the aircraft ready by July 4 for America's 250th anniversary—described as a "vanity deadline"—forced engineering teams to skip safety testing and protective equipment installation.

The security concerns were underscored when Trump was forced to switch back to the old Air Force One during a NATO summit trip after a "credible threat" from Iran was detected. More disturbingly, after The Times published its initial report on the plane's vulnerabilities, the Justice Department issued subpoenas to Times journalists within just two days—a measure typically reserved as a last resort in leak investigations.

The DOJ not only demanded grand jury testimony from journalists but also sought their phone records and those of their relatives. The move has drawn fierce condemnation from press freedom organizations and legal experts, who view it as a serious assault on First Amendment protections.

— The New York Times

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📰 Federal Reserve July Meeting Looms: Markets Bet on Rate Hikes as Inflation Angst Returns

The Federal Reserve will convene its seventh policy meeting of 2026 on July 28-29, the second under new Chairman Kevin Warsh. While markets widely expect the Fed to hold the federal funds rate steady at 3.50% to 3.75%, surging energy prices and the ongoing Iran war are fueling growing concerns about resurgent inflation.

Surging global bond yields are one clear symptom of investor anxiety. Analysts note that oil price spikes driven by the Iran conflict—with Brent crude surpassing $100 per barrel—are pushing inflation expectations higher. This could prompt the Fed to signal a more hawkish stance at this meeting, or potentially force renewed rate hikes at subsequent gatherings.

Throughout 2026, the Fed has kept rates unchanged, attempting to strike a delicate balance between controlling inflation and avoiding a more significant economic slowdown. But with energy-driven inflationary pressures returning, Wall Street sentiment is markedly more nervous than in previous cycles, and "no one can predict" the outcome of next week's meeting.

— The Motley Fool

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📰 Chinese AI Model Kimi K3 Shakes Silicon Valley: Open-Source, Cheaper, and More Powerful

Chinese AI startup Moonshot's open-source large language model Kimi K3, released on July 16, is sending shockwaves through Silicon Valley. Multiple public benchmarks show K3 outperforming both Anthropic's most powerful Claude Fable 5 and rivaling OpenAI's GPT-5.6 Sol, all at a fraction of the cost of its American competitors.

The breakthrough carries profound technological and geopolitical implications. Mozilla CTO Raffi Krikorian said he switched many of his daily workflows to the Chinese AI model within days of its launch, describing it as "snappier" than the acclaimed Claude Fable chatbot. The open-source nature of K3—allowing anyone to inspect and modify its internal architecture—makes it a formidable rival to proprietary models from Google, Microsoft, and others.

The rise of K3 underscores the rapid advancement of China's AI industry. Its model weights are scheduled for public release on July 27. This development further blurs the US-China AI competitive landscape, triggering renewed debate in Washington about technological competitiveness and supply chain security.

— El País

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📰 Russia-Ukraine War: Russian Airstrikes Ignite Fires Across Kyiv, Frontline Casualties Mount

Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight airstrike on Ukraine's capital Kyiv between July 25-26, with missiles and drones sparking fires in at least three districts. While Ukrainian air defenses intercepted most incoming targets, some missiles struck infrastructure. Meanwhile, Russia announced the extension of its gasoline export ban through the end of 2026.

On the eastern front, Russian troops carried out a coordinated offensive early on July 26 involving three formations and dozens of armored and military vehicles. Ukrainian forces, including the Azov Corps, halted the advancing columns using minefields, explosive barriers, and tactical drones. According to Ukrainian military estimates, total Russian combat losses have reached approximately 1,437,550 personnel since the full-scale invasion began, with 1,330 casualties in the past day alone.

Ukrainian President Zelenskyy faces domestic political pressure following the dismissal of a minister that triggered internal crisis. Meanwhile, discussions are growing about the possibility of European financial support for Ukraine being interrupted in 2027 due to key elections in EU countries, raising concerns in Kyiv.

— RBC-Ukraine

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📰 Bank of Russia Cautiously Cuts Rate to 14%: Caught Between War Inflation and Economic Stagnation

The Bank of Russia announced a smaller-than-usual interest rate cut on July 24, trimming its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 14%. This extends the cutting cycle from last June's record high of 21%, but the central bank warned that inflation—fueled by Ukrainian drone strikes on major oil refineries—remains elevated, requiring monetary conditions to stay "moderately tight."

Analysts describe the Russian economy as trapped in a paradox: war-driven military production fuels certain growth, while the civilian economy stagnates under sanctions, labor shortages, and high interest rates. The central bank's cautious cut is seen as a compromise with business leaders who have been vocal in their complaints that high borrowing costs are strangling investment and consumer spending.

With the war in Ukraine now in its fifth year and cumulative Russian combat losses exceeding 1.43 million personnel, the economy faces unprecedented strain. The central bank must walk a tightrope between containing inflation and supporting growth, with the trajectory of the war remaining the single greatest variable.

— AP News

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📰 Saudi Military Strikes Houthi Targets as Red Sea Shipping Security Deteriorates

The Saudi military launched airstrikes on Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen on July 25, responding to the Iran-backed militia's missile and drone attacks on Saudi oil facilities along the Red Sea. Saudi authorities reported intercepting two ballistic missiles from Yemen targeting the Yanbu oil refinery, condemning the Houthis' "reckless and cowardly act of targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea."

Since the Houthis announced a blockade of Saudi ports on July 20, Red Sea shipping security has deteriorated sharply. The militia has also attacked commercial vessels transiting the Red Sea, further constricting the critical trade corridor connecting Asia to Europe. Global shipping companies have been forced to reroute vessels around Africa's Cape of Good Hope, dramatically increasing transportation costs and delivery times.

This conflict is a direct spillover effect of the broader US-Iran war. Analysts warn that if the confrontation between Saudi Arabia and the Houthis continues to escalate, it could draw more Gulf nations into the conflict, dealing an incalculable shock to global energy markets.

— CNBC