The world will be less peaceful in 2026 than it was a year earlier, but a small group of countries remain remarkably stable. According to the Global Peace Index, the peace situation deteriorated in 99 countries, though Iceland, New Zealand, Switzerland, Slovenia, and Ireland in particular remain at the top of the rankings. This is according to the 2026 Global Peace Index.
Perhaps the biggest secret surrounding North Korean leader Kim Jong-un is his mother. During his fifteen years in power, he has never publicly mentioned her by name. That is certainly no coincidence. After all, her background clashes head-on with the narrative cherished by Pyongyang of the sacred “Paektu bloodline,” the dynastic myth upon which the regime’s legitimacy rests.
U.S. President Donald Trump has once again lashed out at Iran following new U.S. attacks on Iranian targets and reciprocal shelling in the region around the Strait of Hormuz. On his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote that the U.S. may reach a point where it will be “forced” to “finish the job militarily,” which he claims has already begun successfully. “If that happens, the Islamic Republic of Iran will no longer exist,” he warned.
Tens of thousands of people took part in the Pride parade in Budapest on Saturday, the first since the departure of former Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. The parade crossed the Elizabeth Bridge over the Danube, among other locations, and took place amid a scorching heat wave. According to an AFP journalist, turnout was lower than in 2025 but higher than in previous years, when approximately 35,000 people participated.
A video of a Russian veteran threatening Putin with mutiny has already been viewed millions of times on social media.
Is Russia the promised land for those who are frustrated by the blurring of moral standards and want to return to traditional values? BBC World investigated and sought out Westerners who are openly anti-woke and have moved to Russia.
Russia is relocating a significant portion of its air defense systems to strategic targets around Moscow, Valdai, and the Crimean Bridge, according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. According to him, the redeployment shows that the Kremlin is primarily seeking to protect its most important symbolic and military locations, while other parts of Russia are becoming more vulnerable to Ukrainian drone attacks.
Following Friday’s U.S. strikes, U.S. Vice President JD Vance has warned Iran. “Violence will be met with violence,” he wrote on X late on Friday night. According to Vance, Iran signed the ceasefire and Washington has abided by it.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 100 percent import tariff on goods from countries that introduce a digital tax on U.S. technology companies. With the warning, he is primarily targeting European countries that, according to him, are on the verge of implementing such taxes.
The U.S. Supreme Court has allowed the Trump administration to terminate the protected status of hundreds of thousands of Haitian and Syrian migrants. The 6-3 ruling paves the way for the potential deportation of people who have been allowed to live and work legally in the U.S. for years under TPS status.