The United Nations General Assembly is set to hold a crucial vote in New York next week on a new resolution addressing climate justice. The proposal urges member states to endorse the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion recognizing legal obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and control fossil fuel use. The initiative, led by Pacific island nation Vanuatu, seeks to reinforce international legal accountability in tackling the climate crisis.

The ICJ issued its advisory opinion last year after hearings in The Hague, which was supported by 132 countries without opposition. Small island states hailed the opinion as a historic victory. Vanuatu has since spearheaded efforts to translate that opinion into a binding political commitment, aiming to secure broad support before the May 20 vote.

The latest draft of the resolution has been softened under pressure, particularly from the United States. References to a rapid and just phaseout of fossil fuels have been replaced with a call for gradual transition, and plans for an international registry of climate-related losses have been dropped.

The ongoing U.S. military involvement in the Iran war is being viewed as a major strategic victory for China, according to Alex Vatanka, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute. In an interview with Al Jazeera, Vatanka said that the conflict is depleting American military resources and weakening Washington’s overall defense posture.

Vatanka noted that although the Taiwan issue was not officially on the agenda of the Trump–Xi Jinping summit, it remains an unavoidable topic. He questioned why the United States is investing so much blood and money in the Iran conflict when its long-term strategic challenge lies in a potential confrontation with China over Taiwan. He argued that the war is not strengthening but rather undermining U.S. military readiness.

According to Vatanka, while a Taiwan conflict is not imminent, Beijing is closely monitoring how the Iran war is draining U.S. capabilities. This situation, he said, represents a significant strategic win for China.

The United States and China have agreed that the Strait of Hormuz must remain open to ensure the free flow of energy. According to a White House statement released on Thursday, U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping reached this consensus during their meeting in Beijing. The statement also noted that both leaders agreed Iran should never possess nuclear weapons.

The White House said the meeting covered economic cooperation, including expanding U.S. business access in China and increasing Chinese investment in American industries. Trump emphasized progress on stopping the flow of fentanyl precursors to the U.S. and urged China to purchase more American agricultural products. Xi reportedly expressed interest in buying more U.S. oil to reduce China’s dependence on the Hormuz route.

In a separate Chinese statement, Xi warned that mishandling the Taiwan issue could lead to conflict between the two countries, calling it the most critical matter in U.S.-China relations. China has not yet made an official comment on the White House statement.

FIFA has announced that pop icons Madonna and Shakira, along with K-pop group BTS, will perform during the halftime show of the FIFA World Cup 2026 final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19. This will be the first time in World Cup history that a closing ceremony is held during the final’s halftime. The event will feature a Super Bowl–style concert, marking a new entertainment milestone for the tournament jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Shakira, who previously performed at the 2006, 2010, and 2014 World Cups, has recorded a new song titled “Dai Dai” with Nigerian artist Burna Boy, filmed at Brazil’s Maracanã Stadium. The halftime show will be curated by Coldplay’s Chris Martin. FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the event as a historic moment for the sport.

Proceeds from the halftime show will go to FIFA’s Global Citizen Education Fund, which aims to raise $100 million to support children worldwide. FIFA also plans a special festival at New York’s Times Square during the tournament’s final week.

The United States and China have maintained high tariff levels despite a one-year pause in their trade war announced after a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping in South Korea last October. The meeting temporarily eased tensions between Washington and Beijing, but most trade barriers built over the past decade remain in place.

According to the Peterson Institute for International Economics, the average US tariff on Chinese imports now stands at 47.5 percent, up from 3.1 percent before Trump’s first term. Meanwhile, China’s average tariff on US goods has risen to 31.9 percent from 8.4 percent in 2018. These figures highlight the persistent volatility in bilateral trade relations.

Analysts say the recent pause has provided short-term relief for both sides, but long-term trade barriers remain a major concern. The high tariffs continue to affect both economies, and global observers remain uncertain about the future direction of US-China economic relations.

OpenAI has introduced a new sandbox environment for its Codex coding agent on Windows, designed to improve both safety and usability. The company previously lacked a sandbox implementation for Windows, forcing users to choose between excessive command approvals or unrestricted access. The new sandbox enforces strict boundaries for file writes and network access, ensuring that Codex operates safely within user workspaces while maintaining productivity.

The development followed an evaluation of existing Windows isolation tools such as AppContainer, Windows Sandbox, and Mandatory Integrity Control labeling, all of which proved unsuitable for Codex’s open-ended workflows. OpenAI first built an unelevated prototype using Windows security identifiers (SIDs) and write-restricted tokens to control file access, but this version offered only weak network protection. To address that limitation, the team created an elevated sandbox that uses dedicated Windows user accounts and firewall rules to enforce stronger network restrictions.

The elevated sandbox requires administrative setup but provides more robust isolation and control. This implementation aims to make Codex as secure and efficient on Windows as it is on macOS and Linux, offering developers a safer environment for AI-assisted coding.

Analysts believe that the ongoing discussions between the United States and China are unlikely to produce any major breakthroughs. However, limited, pragmatic, and transaction-based agreements may emerge from the talks. According to Professor Nick Bisley of La Trobe University, China’s main interest lies in reducing tariffs on its exports to the U.S., though it remains uncertain whether such concessions will be achieved.

Bisley told Al Jazeera that purchase-related agreements could receive the most attention. China may announce large-scale soybean purchases from the U.S., offering relief to American farmers affected by the Iran war’s economic impact. Additionally, Beijing might place new aircraft orders with Boeing. The formation of a joint trade board between the two nations is also reportedly under discussion.

Despite these possibilities, Bisley cautioned that expectations for major success are low. He described the meeting as a face-saving effort, allowing both sides to present the outcome domestically as a diplomatic achievement, while significant tariff reductions remain unlikely.

A bilateral summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping has drawn mixed expectations about its potential success. According to Leiden University associate professor Salvador Santino Regilme, the outcome will depend on each leader’s priorities and how the results are presented to their domestic audiences.

For Trump, success would mean a visible and positive outcome that can be showcased to the American public. This could include Chinese commitments to purchase US goods, tariff flexibility, cooperation on Iran, or concessions on rare earth exports. For Xi, success would involve maintaining China’s internal stability, ensuring economic predictability, and reinforcing its position as a global power without appearing to yield to Washington.

Experts cited in the report believe that a broad trade deal is unlikely due to unresolved structural rivalries between the two nations. However, limited agreements—such as temporary tariff suspensions, purchase pledges, or frameworks for future talks—remain possible, potentially easing tensions without addressing deeper issues.

Talks between the United States and China may take on new dimensions as the Iran conflict becomes a key topic. A potential meeting between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leaders is expected to include the Iran crisis among the long list of mutual interests and disagreements. US officials have suggested that China should play a more active role in pressuring Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz.

Analysts believe that in exchange for helping to resolve the crisis, Beijing may seek significant diplomatic concessions from Washington. Experts suggest that China could bring the Taiwan issue to the center of the discussions, pressing the US to take a clearer stance against Taiwan’s independence. According to Inderjeet Parmar, professor of international politics at City, University of London, China may use its influence over Iran as leverage in this negotiation.

Observers note that the Middle East’s instability has evolved beyond a regional issue, becoming a new arena for US–China geopolitical bargaining. The future of the Iran conflict and the Strait of Hormuz may thus depend not only on Tehran and Washington but also on Beijing’s strategic calculations.

Israel has been identified as the most negatively viewed country in the 2026 Global Country Perception Ranking, according to a new international survey. The study, conducted by research organization Nira Data, analyzed opinions from 46,667 respondents across 129 countries and three international organizations. North Korea, Afghanistan, and Iran followed Israel on the list of least positively perceived nations.

The survey attributes Israel’s declining global image to the ongoing war in Gaza, large-scale displacement of Palestinians, food shortages, and rising violence in the occupied West Bank. Allegations of international law violations by human rights groups, UN experts, and international courts have further worsened perceptions of the country. In contrast, Switzerland topped the list of most positively viewed nations, followed by Canada, Japan, Sweden, and Italy.

The United States also saw a sharp drop in its global standing, now ranking among the five most negatively viewed countries. Analysts linked this decline to President Donald Trump’s foreign policies, strained NATO relations, trade disputes, and Washington’s role in the Iran-Israel conflict.

TikTok has introduced its Model Context Protocol (MCP) server and developer toolkit, allowing marketers to connect their own AI agents directly to the TikTok ads platform. Announced by global head of product marketing Jose Villalobos during TikTok World, the company’s sixth annual global ad product summit, the new system enables AI agents to plan, launch, and optimize ad campaigns without manual input. The MCP automates tasks such as setting up creatives, adjusting bids, and managing budgets, aiming to improve performance through a combination of automation and AI.

The initiative continues TikTok’s broader 2024 strategy to automate advertising operations. Similar developments have been seen across the industry, with Google, Meta, and Amazon each launching their own MCP servers to let AI models interact directly with their ad systems. According to adtech expert Shirley Marschall, a major motivation behind these proprietary MCPs is data sovereignty, as platforms seek to retain control over how AI agents access and use their data.

The announcement came alongside other product updates at TikTok World, which also marked leadership changes within the company’s marketing division following the resolution of its U.S.-China deal earlier in the year.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has forecast that global oil supply will decline by 3.9 million barrels per day throughout 2026 due to disruptions caused by the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. In its latest report, the agency said the stalemate in the region, particularly around the Strait of Hormuz, has led to a rapid depletion of global oil inventories.

According to the IEA, global oil demand is also expected to fall by 420,000 barrels per day this year. The agency noted that more than ten weeks after the start of the Middle East conflict, the continuing supply shortfall through the Hormuz Strait is driving inventories down at a record rate.

The report added that the ongoing deadlock and fast-declining reserves could signal a potential rise in oil prices in the near future.

Scientists have warned that a 'super El Niño' could develop in 2026, intensifying global heat and wildfire risks. According to data compiled by World Weather Attribution, from January to April this year, more than 150 million hectares of land have already burned worldwide, 20 percent higher than previous records. The phenomenon, which warms the surface waters of the central and eastern Pacific Ocean, is expected to disrupt global weather patterns as the Northern Hemisphere enters summer.

Imperial College London wildfire expert Theodore Kipping said the wildfire season has started unusually early, with Africa losing about 85 million hectares and Asia around 44 million hectares to fires so far. He warned that the risk of wildfires could increase later this year as El Niño heightens the likelihood of heatwaves and droughts in Australia, Canada, the United States, and the Amazon rainforest.

The World Meteorological Organization stated last month that El Niño conditions are expected to begin in May, potentially bringing drought to parts of Australia, Indonesia, and South Asia, while causing floods and rising temperatures elsewhere.

The United Nations has warned that around 45 million people could face severe hunger and famine if fertilizer shipments through the Hormuz Strait are not restored soon. Jorge Moreira da Silva, Executive Director of the UN Office for Project Services (UNOPS) and head of a task force addressing the crisis, told AFP that the world has only a few weeks to prevent a major humanitarian disaster.

According to Silva, about one-third of the world’s fertilizer supply passes through the Hormuz Strait. The ongoing disruption has already affected global fertilizer distribution, threatening food production worldwide. The UN fears that the prolonged blockade of this vital trade route could trigger a collapse in agricultural output, worsening global food insecurity.

The organization cautioned that failure to stabilize the situation could escalate into a massive humanitarian crisis, as millions more people are pushed into hunger and deprivation.

The United States and the United Kingdom have held high-level discussions focused on reopening the Hormuz Strait. According to the US State Department, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and British Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper emphasized the importance of restoring normal maritime traffic through the strategic waterway.

A separate defense conference involving defense ministers from 40 countries is scheduled to take place today to discuss plans for securing navigation in the Hormuz Strait. The meeting will be co-chaired by UK Defense Minister John Healey and French representative Catherine Vautrin. They are expected to outline possible military contributions from various nations to ensure the strait’s safety following the end of the recent conflict.

The discussions highlight ongoing international efforts to stabilize maritime operations in the region and coordinate post-war security measures through multilateral defense cooperation.