A restart of a war, a possible end to another war, natural disasters and a landmark settlement. The world has seen it all this week.

This week, the brief pause in the US-Iran war came to an end. US President Trump launched new “powerful” strikes at Iran in response to new attacks on a US base in Jordan. The war also appears have spread this week, with a new explosion reported in Egypt, and joint US-Saudi strikes in Iraq.

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While Trump renewed fighting against Tehran, he declared a breakthrough on the Gaza war. The US president announced on Truth Social that the Board of Peace reached an agreement for the “complete disarmament” of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. This sparked speculation that the fighting in Gaza would finally end, providing Gazans much-needed relief.

The other big story of the week was the mass migration that took place from Morocco to Ceuta, a Spanish enclave in North Africa. Thousands of people were seen swimming and climbing over fences to gain access to the territory. The surge of people also resulted in 18 deaths.

Meanwhile, parts of Europe have also had to contend with deadly wildfires. Ferocious flames continue to rage in parts of France and Spain, reducing everything in their path to ash.

We discuss all of this and even more in our weekly wrap of the news from around the globe.

1) We start with the ongoing Iran-US war. On Tuesday, the fragile pause in fighting unravelled when Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles toward a US military base in Jordan. This led to the US to retaliate by striking various cities in the Islamic Republic.

Moreover, the war widened when Egyptian leaders said that a drone sparked a fire on two gas vessels in the port of Damietta. While no one has claimed responsibility, the incident has fuelled concerns about a widening war. And Saudi Arabia teamed up with the U.S. on Tuesday night to launch joint strikes on Iranian proxy militias in Iraq.

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But the question still remains: Why did Iran choose to launch missiles amid the pause? Our
explainer has the answer.

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu meeting with US President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington DC. AFP

2) This week, Israel President Benjamin Netanyahu met with US President Donald Trump at the White House. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since they launched joint strikes at Iran, initiating the war.

What did the two discuss during their 90-minute meeting? Iran was the main topic of discussion with Israeli officials noting that Netanyahu presented Trump with three options for the future of the war.

The first possibility was to reach a deal with Iran. However, that seems more impossible than ever. The other is to continue the naval blockade on Iran while increasing economic pressure. And the third was to resuming and intensify military strikes.

Read our
explainer to know more on this.

3) While Trump has been unable to achieve a breakthrough in the Iran war, he announced a significant development in the Gaza war. The US president announced on Thursday (July 30) announced what he described as a historic agreement to secure the disarmament of Hamas and all other armed groups in Gaza.
“This agreement is a critical step towards Gaza finally being governed by a new Palestinian government that will work closely with the Board of Peace to help the Palestinian people,” Trump said in a social media post.

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However, Israel hasn’t responded yet, raising doubts if the deal will actually bring an
end to the war in Gaza.

4) This week, Pakistan made some major moves too. Islamabad signed a defence deal with Kuwait for five years. This agreement comes less than a year after Saudi Arabia signed its landmark Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement (SMDA) with Islamabad in September 2025. Kuwait’s ratification points to a broader, shifting security architecture across the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC).

But what’s in the deal?People gather at Bab Sebta, on the Morocco-Spain border near Spain’s enclave of Ceuta and the Moroccan town of Fnideq. AFP

5) Until this week, not many were aware of the tiny Spanish territory of Ceuta in North Africa. However, this Spanish enclave became a trending topic when thousands of migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco, overwhelming local authorities, prompting Madrid to deploy troops and leaving at least 57 people dead.

Over 60,000 migrants had crossed into ⁠the enclave of ⁠Ceuta, as they rushed by sea ⁠and land from Morocco.

But what led to this sudden surge?
Click here to know more.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS ADA firefighter works to put out a wildfire burning through vegetation on the hills of Montfort-sur-Argens, southeastern France. AFP

6) In Europe, firefighters having been trying to douse blazing infernos as wildfires continue to reduce everything in their path to ash. As of July 29, a whopping 434 976 hectares of land have been burnt in France, Spain and Portugal as wildfires continue to rage.

The wildfires in France also generated the country’s first recorded
pyrocumulonimbus fire cloud. Officials in the badly-impacted Gironde region, near Bordeaux, confirmed the formation of the fire cloud, noting that it makes efforts to douse the flames even more difficult.

Additionally, the wildfire have caused many to rethink their travel plans. While some tourists have had to abandon their holiday mid-way, others have had to rethink their plans.

7) This week, Japan’s
Kumamoto prefecture was hit by a powerful quake, killing at least 34 people and causing widespread destruction. Rescue crews continued searching for survivors as authorities warned that strong aftershocks could continue over the coming days.

Amid this situation, Japan also passed a bill allowing for a second capital in the country. The reason, officials said was that this would allow for easy governance if Tokyo was hit by an earthquake.

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But which cities are in contention to be
Japan’s second capital? Here’s more on this.

8) After receiving much flak for proposing to raise up to $20 billion through private investment by selling equity in the world’s biggest sporting tournament, FIFA president Gianni Infantino dropped his plan.

Interestingly at the heart of this deal was one man —
Joshua Kushner. He’s the brother of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

A billboard in support of the Chinese stray killed displayed in Toronto, Canada. Image Courtesy: avivi000/Instagram

9) Dissent is not known in China. It is often crushed. However, The brutal killing of a stray dog named Wang Wang triggered an unusual public campaign across China, with animal lovers demanding stronger anti-cruelty laws and justice for the animal.

Interestingly, when Chinese authorities began to scrub social media posts, memorials and public displays dedicated to Wang Wang, supporters expanded the
campaign beyond China’s borders, putting up billboards in cities such as New York and Milan.

We conclude with this. We hope you have a rested weekend. And if you are in the mood to read more such stories,
here’s where you can find them.

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P.S: Read our explainer on the
Johnson & Johnson’s offer to pay as much as $5.5 billion to resolve tens of thousands of lawsuits in the US alleging that its baby powder and other products containing talcum cause ovarian cancer.