“Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said Wednesday he no longer has confidence in FIFA President Gianni Infantino, adding to growing pressure on the soccer leader after his abandoned plan to sell stakes in the World Cup sparked a global backlash. Carney said Infantino committed a ‘fatal’ governance failure by not consulting senior advisers, including FIFA’s chief operating officer and board members. … UEFA’s 55 member associations had agreed to boycott the World Cup and other FIFA competitions if the plan moved forward, while the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football and the Asian Football Confederation also opposed it.” (08/05/26)
“The administration of United States President Donald Trump has announced it will offer up to $102m in rewards for information leading to the arrest or conviction of leaders from the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), a criminal organisation based in Mexico. … The largest reward in Wednesday’s announcement was offered for information leading to the capture of the CJNG’s new leader, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, also known as ‘Pelon’. Gonzalez, a dual Mexican and US citizen, is believed to have taken control of the cartel after the death of its former leader, Nemesio Ruben Oseguera Cervantes, also known as ‘El Mencho’. Gonzalez is his stepson.” (08/05/26)
“Cameroon President Paul Biya on Thursday reached two months since the last time he was inside the borders of his country, a prolonged absence that has raised concerns for his health and criticisms about a possible power vacuum in the Central African nation. The world’s oldest president, who has led Cameroon since 1982, began his eighth term in office in November after winning a widely disputed election in October. But the 93-year-old left the country on June 7 for what Biya’s office described as ‘a brief private stay in Europe’ that has become one of his longest trips overseas. His government later confirmed he was in Switzerland. The health of the president has long been a topic of speculation as he spends significant time in Europe, including France and Switzerland, where he often spends weeks while leaving governance to key party officials and family members.” (08/06/26)
“The U.S. Senate voted Wednesday to confirm Dr. Erica Schwartz as the leader of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, finally installing a new director for the agency after nearly a year. Schwartz was deputy surgeon general during President Donald Trump’s first term. She is a retired U.S. Coast Guard officer and Navy physician. The vote Wednesday was 51-44, mostly along party lines, NBC News reported. Sen.Tim Kaine, D-Va., voted with Republicans to approve Schwartz.” (08/05/26)
“Rescuers worked on Thursday to douse fires and clear debris in Ukraine’s eastern city of Balakliia after Russian strikes on homes killed three overnight, authorities said on the Telegram messaging app. Three people were also killed overnight and at least 19 wounded in Russian attacks on settlements in the northern region of Sumy. … Both Russia and Ukraine deny targeting civilians in the war triggered by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.” (08/06/26)
“Iran says it has reached an agreement with Oman on a route for shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei did not give any further details on the agreement, which he said was ‘in the final stages’. Baqaei warned, however, that a deal with Oman would not guarantee safe navigation through the strait, arguing security remained impacted by the US blockade of Iran’s ports. The US and Oman have not commented on the proposal. … His comments came after senior US officials said talks had progressed to allow shipments to potentially resume later this week, though Iran has maintained that it is not negotiating with the US and has no plans to do so.” (08/06/26)
“Bitcoin held above $64,600 on Thursday, up marginally on the day and 0.5% on the week, while the rest of the majors offered little in the way of direction. Attention is also on Elon Musk-owned SpaceX, where roughly $101 billion of stock becomes tradable Thursday as the first lockup expires. The company holds 18,712 BTC, worth about $1.1 billion at the end of June. Ether rose over 1% to $1,904 but remains down 0.7% over seven days.” (08/06/26)
“Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier said Wednesday that his office is joining two other states in issuing a subpoena to Dr. Anthony Fauci, alleging that he ‘profited’ from the recommendations he gave during the handling of the Covid pandemic. Uthmeier, joined by West Virginia Attorney General John McCuskey and Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, said in a news release that he was issuing an investigative subpoena to Fauci for ‘an official investigation into awards, professional opportunities, financial incentives, grants, and Covid-19 guidance that impacted Florida businesses and consumers.’ … Uthmeier said Fauci’s entries detail ‘substantial awards,’ including grants, book deals and board positions, linked to his public recommendations as director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases that affected Florida.” (08/05/26)
“The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage rose to 6.81% last week, the Mortgage Bankers Association said Wednesday morning, the highest in a year. Mortgage applications fell 2.9%. It reflects a surge in global bond yields. Longer-term rates moved higher after Federal Reserve chairman Kevin Warsh offered little guidance as to whether or when the Fed may raise rates to combat elevated inflation. That has particularly cut into refinancing activity, the MBA said, with its Refinance Index falling 1.9%. … Mortgage News Daily, which updates an average rate each day, put the 30-year rate at 6.75% Tuesday, down from 6.82% at the start of the week.” (08/05/26)
“The White House on Wednesday released declassified information claiming the FBI opened an investigation into whether President Trump was acting as an asset for Russia when he fired FBI Director James Comey, a theory an administration official said was not backed up by evidence. The official said the investigation, known as Oxferd Comma, was a subcomponent of Crossfire Hurricane, the FBI probe into potential collusion between the 2016 Trump campaign and the Russian government — an investigation that has long drawn Mr. Trump’s ire. The predicate of Oxferd Comma was the newly elected president’s decision to fire Comey in 2017.” (08/05/26)
