Global Express | August 24, 2026

1. US cancels joint marine drills with South Korea over Iran war

Source: The Straits Times

On Aug. 24, the United States cancelled a joint amphibious landing drill with South Korea that had been scheduled for September. Seoul's Marine Corps said Washington cited constraints on the availability of US forces due to the war in Iran.

A South Korean Marine Corps spokesperson told a press briefing that the US Marine Corps had formally notified its counterpart in June that force availability would be constrained for the division-level exercise, known as Ssangyong, and that the allies remain in close consultations on resuming it. The cancellation follows President Donald Trump's surprise order to scale back a separate annual exercise that ended on Aug. 21, citing the cost and Seoul's refusal to take part in the Iran war. Despite the reduction, Pyongyang fired 10 short-range ballistic missiles last week.

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2. European leaders join Zelenskyy in Kyiv for Ukraine's Independence Day

Source: AP News

On Aug. 24, European leaders joined President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in Kyiv for official celebrations marking Ukraine's Independence Day, as Russia's invasion of the country enters its fourth year.

British Prime Minister Andy Burnham, on his first overseas trip since taking office last month, arrived alongside nearly a dozen other European leaders and European Council President Antonio Costa. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said on social media: “For Ukraine, independence is not an abstract idea. We defended it against all odds.” Burnham is expected to announce that the UK has agreed to let defense company MBDA release classified information on British components in the SCALP long-range missile, paving the way for France and Ukraine to produce the weapon locally.

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3. Syria's former grand mufti sentenced to life for civil war crimes

Source: Al Jazeera

Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, a top Muslim religious official under ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has been sentenced to life in prison for crimes committed during the country's nearly 14-year civil war. The Fourth Criminal Court in Damascus issued the ruling on Aug. 24, finding him guilty of inciting violence, justifying killings and abusing his office.

Hassoun, who served as Syria's grand mufti from 2005 to 2021, was arrested at Damascus airport in March 2025 and his trial began on June 25. Judge Fakhr al-Din al-Aryan said Hassoun and the religious institution he headed were used to provide religious cover for military and security operations under al-Assad, and that his teachings justified barrel bombs targeting civilian areas. The court barred him from any amnesty and ordered his money and property confiscated.

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4. Seoul says North Korea still preparing more troop deployments to Russia

Source: Asharq Al-Awsat

South Korea's Defense Ministry said North Korea was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but had detected no signs that such a deployment was imminent. The assessment came after Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, last week denied President Volodymyr Zelensky's claim that Pyongyang planned to send up to 50,000 more troops.

The ministry said in a statement to lawmaker Yu Yong-weon that North Korea had continued to supply Russia with weapons systems including short-range ballistic missiles, and that the North is estimated to have supplied more than 15 million rounds of artillery ammunition. It added that the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range ballistic missile, capable of reaching the US territory of Guam, was being prepared for operational deployment.

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5. Canadian dollar slides as Ottawa and Washington head for trade war

Source: CNBC

The Canadian dollar fell on Monday morning after trade talks between Ottawa and Washington fell apart, leaving both sides facing higher prices on imported goods. The US on Saturday slapped 50% tariffs on around $20 billion worth of imports from Canada, spanning dairy, wine, wood products, furniture, ceramics and more.

Prime Minister Mark Carney said Canada would retaliate “dollar for dollar” starting Sept. 8, targeting steel, dairy, agricultural equipment, paper and electronics. Economists warned that 50% tariffs could cause around 90,000 job losses. Carney said the US had “asked too much and offered too little,” adding: “Because we got attacked. You're at war when you get attacked. We got attacked.”

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6. California AG cancels Paramount settlement talks over Warner Bros. deal

Source: Variety

California Attorney General Rob Bonta has cancelled planned settlement talks with Paramount over the state's lawsuit seeking to block David Ellison's proposed $111 billion acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Bonta is leading a coalition of 12 states, arguing the merger would give the company too much power across movie production.

The two sides had been due to meet Aug. 24, but Bonta called off the meeting late Sunday, accusing Paramount of misrepresenting details of an earlier meeting held Friday. “Not only did Paramount leak the alleged substance of settlement discussions, but they misrepresented these discussions, demonstrating a lack of good faith,” Bonta said. The antitrust trial is scheduled for March.

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7. Guinea rubbish landfill collapse kills 31 in Conakry

Source: BBC

At least 31 people have been killed after a mound of rubbish at a major waste site collapsed onto nearby homes in Guinea's capital Conakry, the government said. Another 22 people were injured, including six seriously, in the Dar-es-Salam area. The collapse happened at about 02:00 local time following heavy rain overnight.

The government deployed significant resources, including the military, to search for survivors. Eyewitness Robert Kamano Sâa said that after the first section collapsed and people rushed onto the refuse, a second section gave way in three successive stages, pouring onto the people. Prime Minister Mamadou Oury Bah visited the scene, and the health minister said the injured would receive free medical care.

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8. Australian shark attack survivor grateful for 'second chance at life'

Source: BBC

An Australian woman bitten by a shark at a popular Sydney beach earlier this year says she has been given a “second chance at life.” Leah Stewart, 34, was mauled during a morning swim at Coogee Beach in June, suffering multiple bites to her arms and legs, and was placed in an induced coma before undergoing several surgeries including the amputation of one arm.

The mother-of-one thanked supporters in an online post on Monday, after they raised more than AU$550,000 (US$394,000) for her. “After what has been an incredibly difficult few months, I'm so happy that I've progressed enough to build some independence,” she wrote. “I feel like I've been given a second chance at life, and I'm not going to waste it.”

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9. OpenAI wants California to strengthen its AI safety law

Source: Mashable

OpenAI wants California to toughen up the AI safety law it helped get across the finish line less than a year ago. In a LinkedIn post, the company made its case for amending SB 53, the Transparency in Frontier Artificial Intelligence Act, calling for frontier AI models to be monitored during training or evaluation for signs they could bypass a third party's security controls or obtain confidential information.

SB 53, signed into law by Governor Gavin Newsom in Sept. 2025, requires large frontier AI developers to publish safety frameworks, establishes a channel for reporting safety incidents, protects whistleblowers and lets the state Attorney General levy civil penalties. OpenAI calls its strategy “reverse federalism” — with Congress unable to pass federal AI policy, states can move first on compatible safety standards.

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10. Japan's Takaichi cabinet approval falls to record-low 50.2%

Source: 共同网

A Kyodo News nationwide telephone survey conducted Aug. 22-23 found the approval rating for Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's cabinet at 50.2%, down 3.5 percentage points from July and the lowest since she took office. On the consumption tax cut, a combined 71.7% of respondents said they were worried about the fiscal situation.

Some 73.8% opposed appointing lawmakers disciplined over the party slush fund scandal to important posts. On cutting the food and beverage consumption tax rate to 1%, 52.7% were in favor and 43.1% opposed. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party's support stood at 34.9%, while the cabinet disapproval rate was 33.9%.

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