On 17 August 2026, the US cut back joint military exercises with South Korea after Seoul would not help pressure Iran, and threatened to bomb Oman over the same issue, while Canadian provinces held firm against US tariff demands of up to 50%.
An analysis published this week links three unrelated stories: an oil-price shock hitting Latin American budgets, ten African countries qualifying for next year's World Cup, and Western firms like Raytheon and Lockheed Martin winning huge new weapons contracts.
President Trump said the US would bomb Oman if the Gulf country 'gets in the way' over the standoff with Iran, the BBC reports.
The European Union limits how much extra debt member countries can take on each year.
Latvia's prime minister, Andris Kulbergs, has asked the European Union for 7 billion euros to help cover costs from Russia's war against Ukraine, saying countries near Russia carry too much of that burden.
News outlets report that Russia has built about ten new drone bases along its borders with Ukraine and Belarus, which could put NATO member Poland, including its capital Warsaw, within reach of drone strikes.
Trade talks between Canada and the United States remain stalled after Washington threatened tariffs of up to 50%.
Ukraine's drones destroyed the largest warehouse of Wildberries, Russia's biggest online retailer, near Moscow overnight on 15-16 August, the biggest drone attack of 2026.
An Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo has become the deadliest in the country's history, the BBC reports.
Kaja Kallas, the European Union's top foreign policy official, has called for a big expansion of the EU's sanctions against Russia.
President Trump ordered the Pentagon to reduce planned joint military exercises with South Korea, an ally the US has long worked with to deter North Korea.
Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to US President Donald Trump, held a rare direct meeting with a Hamas leader to try to revive a stalled Gaza peace plan, a week after Israel rejected it.