China-Taiwan Crisis Reaches Dangerous New Heights
US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Taiwan triggered China's largest-ever military exercises around the island. The crisis escalated when China's People's Liberation Army fired ballistic missiles over Taiwan for the first time, with some landing in Japan's exclusive economic zone, raising fears of military miscalculation between the superpowers.
Ukraine Nuclear Plant Becomes Flashpoint
The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant became a major international crisis as Russian rockets damaged the facility. Both Russia and Ukraine blamed each other for shelling attacks that hit the plant multiple times, with international atomic energy inspectors warning of a potential nuclear catastrophe.
Pakistan Faces Climate Catastrophe
Pakistan declared a "climate catastrophe" as devastating floods killed more than 1,000 people and caused an estimated \$30 billion in damage. The flooding was the world's deadliest since 2017, with houses, crops, and key infrastructure swept away across the country.
FBI Searches Trump's Mar-a-Lago Residence
The FBI executed an unprecedented search warrant at Mar-a-Lago, former President Trump's Florida residence, as part of a Justice Department investigation into classified documents. The search marked the first time in US history that federal agents had searched a former president's home, triggering intense political controversy.
Mikhail Gorbachev Dies at 91
Mikhail Gorbachev, the final leader of the Soviet Union, died at age 91. His death marked the end of an era, as Gorbachev had presided over the Soviet Union's peaceful dissolution and helped end the Cold War through his policies of glasnost and perestroika.
Regional Conflicts and Economic Warfare
Multiple terrorist attacks struck Kabul and Mogadishu. Russia's Gazprom announced a shutdown of the Nord Stream 1 pipeline for "unscheduled maintenance," demonstrating Moscow's use of energy as a geopolitical weapon. Author Salman Rushdie was stabbed multiple times while giving a lecture in New York.