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Iran War Live Updates: U.S. and Iran Trade Fresh Strikes

The fighting appeared to widen on Thursday as Jordan, which hosts some U.S. military forces, said it had intercepted Iranian missiles in its airspace. Hours earlier, Iran said it had fired at U.S. targets in the Gulf nations of Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain and threatened to expand its attacks to other American military facilities in the region.
Those attacks followed a fresh overnight wave of U.S. strikes in Iran. The flare-up of hostilities sent oil markets wobbling and mediators including Qatar scrambling yet again to prevent further escalation.
Qatar’s prime minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, spoke by phone on Thursday with regional counterparts and condemned the attacks on ships in the Strait of Hormuz, the critical waterway for global shipping that Iran has sought to control.
The U.S. military said that it had struck more than 170 targets in total in Iran over the previous 48 hours, a significant uptick in the pace and intensity of attacks compared to previous flare-ups during the cease-fire. The latest attacks were designed to degrade Iran’s ability to attack commercial ships in the strait, the military said.
Iranian authorities said that U.S. strikes overnight had hit a stretch of railway connecting Tehran to the northeastern city of Mashhad, where Iran’s slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, was expected to be buried later on Thursday. The claim could not immediately be verified, and the U.S. military did not respond to a request for comment on it.
The burial on Thursday follows days of funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Khamenei, who was killed in U.S.-Israeli strikes at the start of the war. The events have been meticulously stage-managed by Tehran across several cities to project national unity and defiance to Iran’s enemies.
Hours before the latest overnight U.S. strikes on Iran, President Trump dismissed further talks on a long-term peace deal as “a waste of time,” and Iran’s top negotiator, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, warned, “Hit, and you’ll be hit.” But as he flew back to Washington, Mr. Trump said that Iran had called him because they “want to make a deal so badly” Iran has not signaled that any new negotiations are underway.
Here’s what else to know:
Energy markets: Oil prices remained elevated after the latest round of fighting. Brent crude, the international benchmark, traded at around $78 a barrel on Thursday, down from its peak during the war but above its pre-conflict level of around $72. Read more ›
Funeral delays: The burial of Ayatollah Khamenei in the holy city of Mashhad was delayed by several hours on Thursday. The Iranian authorities said that large crowds in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala, where hundreds of thousands had gathered for the funeral procession on Wednesday, had led to the delay.
Reprieve for Syria: The Trump administration notified Congress on Wednesday of plans to rescind the designation of Syria as a state sponsor of terrorism, according to Secretary of State Marco Rubio. President Trump met with Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, on Wednesday at the NATO summit said he would lift the designation, which would open up more international trade for the country.
Kuwait said that it had intercepted three ballistic missiles, a cruise missile and 10 drones early Thursday morning and that falling debris had injured one person and caused material damage. Bahrain’s military said it had intercepted and destroyed several drones and missiles after Iran launched attacks on Thursday.
Iran also said that it had launched an attack in Qatar, a key mediator in Iran’s talks with the United States. The Qatari authorities did not confirm any strikes but did issue a public security alert early this morning that it later lifted.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said the attacks were in response to U.S. strikes in Iran overnight and warned that it would target other American bases in the region if there were more strikes on Iran.
During the war, Gulf Arab countries have faced thousands of Iranian missile and drone attacks, denting their images as safe havens in a turbulent region. The war has had far-reaching implications for all the countries, upending their sense of security, damaging their energy-rich economies and in many cases, pushing them to reconsider defense strategies.
Still, the countries remain highly dependent on the United States for defense and security, and have few viable alternatives. Most Gulf governments have denied that they are allowing their land or airspace to be used to attack Iran. But Mr. Trump has repeatedly made statements to the contrary, claiming that almost all the Gulf countries have fought alongside the United States.
Amid the attacks, there has been a flurry of diplomacy across the region. On Thursday, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed, the ruler of the United Arab Emirates, made a rare visit to Kuwait, where he met with the country’s emir and discussed strengthening ties between the countries.
Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, spoke by phone to the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Turkey.
On Wednesday, before the attacks, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman had also spoken spoke by phone with Iran’s foreign minister and condemned Iranian attacks on shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.
He “emphasized that such actions undermine confidence” and “damage efforts aimed at consolidating regional security and stability,” according to a statement released by the Qatari state news agency.
Qatar has served as a mediator in negotiations between the U.S. and Iran.
The claim could not be immediately verified and the U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Tens of thousands of mourners gathered to watch the truck carrying Ayatollah Khamenei’s coffin as it traveled through Mashhad to the sprawling Imam Reza Shrine where his body will be buried.
Many of the mourners had been there since before dawn, filling streets, mosques and the gold-domed shrine. Some waved flags bearing the ayatollah’s portrait and carried huge signs with slogans vowing to avenge his killing. Overhead sprinklers sprayed water into the air to cool the crowd in the scorching heat.
Iran has sought to present the funeral as a show of unity and defiance against the United States.
As the procession passed along the city’s packed boulevard, many mourners wept and moved to the front of the crowd to lay their hands on the side of the truck carrying the coffin.
The start of the procession was postponed by about eight hours, Iran’s state broadcaster IRIB reported, blaming the delay on large crowds on Wednesday in the Iraqi cities of Najaf and Karbala. The explanation, which was attributed to the funeral’s organizing committee, did not specify why the high number of mourners in Iraq would have caused a delay.
The United States and Iran have ratcheted up hostilities this week, trading strikes for a second consecutive night after President Trump said on Wednesday that he thought their cease-fire was “over.”
Iranian railway officials said that because of the attack on the railway line, buses would take stranded passengers to Mashhad. The authorities had previously said they expected over a million people to attend the final day of the funeral.
On Wednesday, a convoy carried Ayatollah Khamenei’s coffin through the streets in Najaf and Karbala, where hundreds of thousands of mourners prayed and weeped for the Shiite Muslim cleric. Iraq is home to the Middle East’s second-largest Shiite Muslim population after Iran.
Crowds began arriving in Mashhad late Wednesday, streaming into the holy city from across Iran and abroad. Long after midnight, the streets around the shrine were packed with people waving Iranian flags, chanting religious slogans and commemorating the life of Ayatollah Khamenei.
Inside the Imam Reza Shrine, one of the holiest sites in Shiite Islam, thousands of worshipers kept vigil through the night. Some recited verses from the Quran while others prayed quietly in groups. Families spread blankets and thin carpets across the shrine’s vast courtyards and nearby sidewalks, sleeping where they could as they waited for the funeral ceremonies to begin at daybreak.
As the sun rose, the crowds swelled. Imam Reza Boulevard, the main avenue leading to the shrine, was closed to traffic and transformed into a sea of mourners. With temperatures climbing quickly, many sought shelter beneath tents or in narrow strips of shade cast by buildings and trees. Volunteers distributed tea and bottled water as giant screens broadcast live images from inside the shrine.
Iran’s leaders hoped the funeral would serve as a show of unity to rally supporters and warn adversaries and potential dissidents of its strengths, said Ali Ansari, a professor of Iranian history at the University of St. Andrews.
But he said that the resumption of hostilities undermined the Iranian government’s narrative that it had won the war, a message it wanted to reinforce with the funeral. “They wanted to present it as resolved in their favor,” he said.
On Wednesday, Mr. Trump had told reporters at the NATO summit in Ankara, Turkey, that the Iranians authorities had requested a “time out” from the conflict during the funeral proceedings.
Earlier this week, though, the long-simmering tensions over shipping in the Strait of Hormuz boiled over. Both Iran and the United States said the strait would reopen following last month’s preliminary cease-fire deal, but Iran has sought to assert its control over the critical waterway and U.S. officials demanded that it return to its prewar status. This week Central Command accused Iranian forces of attacking commercial ships in the strait and said it hit almost 100 Iranian military targets in response.
The gatherings in Mashhad underscored both the religious and political significance of Ayatollah Khamenei’s death. Pilgrims and mourners had traveled not only from across Iran but also from countries with large Shiite populations, including Iraq, Pakistan and India, as well as Senegal and Nigeria. For many, the funeral marked the passing of one of the most influential figures in modern Shiite Islam.
Shawn McCreesh contributed reporting from Ankara, Turkey, and Sanam Mahoozi contributed reporting from London.
The basic bargain in the vaguely worded, 14-point Memorandum of Understanding was that Iran would reopen the Strait of Hormuz for commercial shipping in exchange for badly needed economic relief. Thornier issues, including the fate of Iran’s nuclear program, were kicked down the road for further negotiations. But very little changed.
“The M.O.U. increasingly looked like a mirage,” said Vali Nasr, a veteran Iran analyst and a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. “The view from Tehran is that the U.S. is engaged in a concerted effort to take control of the Strait out of Iran’s hands, to weaken its position in Lebanon and to regain its own strength in order to put even more pressure on Iran or to go back to war.”
As the 60-day clock on the agreement ticked away, Iran grew increasingly frustrated that the U.S. Navy was encouraging maritime traffic to take a southern route along the coast of Oman rather than respecting Iranian demands that all traffic register with its newly minted Hormuz transit authority, a precursor to charging fees. Traffic last weekend was about one-third of the prewar level of more than 100 ships daily, split evenly between the Iranian and Omani sides of the waterway, according to Kpler, which tracks marine traffic.
In addition, the United States was working to conclude a separate peace between Lebanon and Israel that would include the long-elusive goal of disarming Hezbollah, Iran’s main proxy force in Lebanon. Finally, in public discussions about financial aid, the scale kept shrinking.
Instead, even amid the weeklong funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader killed in the war in February, the Iranians decided to strike rather than wait for their leverage to dissipate, analysts said. Projectiles hit three tankers transiting the strait on Tuesday, although Iran did not claim responsibility.
The perception by Iran that it had bested the United States and Israel in the war earlier this year likely helped lead to the renewed confrontation, analysts said.
“Having withstood this pummeling from the U.S. and Israel, they are probably feeling quite secure,” said Suzanne Maloney, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington who has advised both Republican and Democratic administrations on Middle East policy. “I think the timing of the attacks, coinciding with these funeral ceremonies, demonstrates a bit of triumphalism on the part of the regime that they finally, essentially extricated themselves from the war. They’re able to bury their dead, and they’re still firing back. There’s a message in that for sure.”
Even if shipping had flowed freely before the war, the message from Iran was that it intended to enforce a newfound chokehold over the strait, analysts said. The United States, which had lifted oil sanctions against Iran that had been in place for decades, immediately reimposed them.
Iran professed not to care. “Revenue is subordinate to control,” Majid Shakeri, an Iranian economist and adviser to Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, the Parliament speaker and lead negotiator, said on state television. “Either we hold onto the strait, or every single one of us becomes martyrs for it.”
Still, both sides make a habit of fierce rhetoric and bluster, analysts noted, and tend to use warfare as a form of negotiation. Mr. Trump did not entirely dismiss the idea of getting negotiations back on track.
Ultra hard-liners in Iran have long assailed the very idea of negotiations, so there have been calls to withdraw from the memorandum of understanding over the situation in the strait.
“I think it is mostly posturing,” said Nate Swanson, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council who previously served as director for Iran at the National Security Council under President Joseph R. Biden Jr. “I think it is akin to what Trump is doing. He is negotiating through kinetic actions and loud threats, so in some ways they are speaking the same language.”
Iran was betting that Mr. Trump, expressing annoyance with the conflict and facing difficult midterm elections in four months, would not gamble on restarting an unpopular war, analysts suggested.
Yet Mr. Trump unleashed a tirade against the Iranians, assailing their leaders as “evil” and “scum” and suggesting that the United States would hit Iran even harder. He called the cease-fire “over.”
“They risk misreading President Trump which they have done over and over again,” said Joel Rayburn, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute who is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a former special envoy for Syria during the first Trump administration. Iran has a long habit of taking provocative actions like firing on the tankers and then acting as the aggrieved party, he said, “They are overplaying their hand.”
It would not be the first time. Right after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the new hard-line government in Tehran held onto American Embassy hostages for 444 days, far longer than they served as useful bargaining chips, and had billions of dollars of assets in Western financial institutions seized in return. In 1982, Iran declined a truce in the Iran-Iraq war, leading to six more years of brutal fighting and hundreds of thousands of casualties.
Corrected on
July 9, 2026
:
An earlier version of this article misstated when the analyst Nate Swanson worked on the White House National Security Council. He served in that role under President Joseph R. Biden Jr., not President Trump. The article also misstated the surname of the supreme leader killed in February. He was Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, not Khomeini.
We acknowledge mistakes in our reporting with corrections. If you spot an error, please let us know at corrections@nytimes.com.Learn more.
In a statement, Steven Cheung, the White House communications director, said that “the new Air Force One is a state-of-the-art aircraft that has been fitted with high-level security protocols that ensure the safety of the president and his staff.”
“As the president has said recently, there are many enemies of America who have their sights on him, and we use every tool at our disposal — including distraction and misdirection — to address those threats,” he added.
But people briefed on the new plane’s capabilities, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive security issues, said the new plane does not have all the features of the older plane. The switch in the president’s aircraft when he departed Turkey was a precautionary measure made at the advice of the Secret Service and not because of a specific threat, they said.
Mr. Trump, who has marveled at the luxury touches of his new jet, flew on it on Monday night to go to Turkey for a NATO summit. After his arrival, the conflict with Iran reignited, and the United States launched a series of strikes against that country while Mr. Trump and NATO leaders were about 1,000 miles away in Ankara.
The president on Wednesday denied that the change in his aircraft was made because of security concerns. Instead, he asserted that the swap was so the new jet could leave early and make stops at U.S. military bases to show it off to the troops because the aircraft is “magnificent.”
But when pressed by reporters in Ankara about the reason for the change, Mr. Trump also repeatedly noted that he was Iran’s No. 1 target, and referred at one point to having seen or been briefed on a list of Tehran’s targets in recent days.
Earlier Wednesday, Mr. Trump wrote in a social media post that he would fly aboard the older aircraft “for old time’s sake” out of Ankara so that the newer plane could be shown off at Mildenhall Air Force Base in England to give U.S. troops a “chance to tour the Aircraft.”
The Secret Service declined to comment, referring to the president’s post as the explanation for the change.
When Mr. Trump departed Ankara, he boarded the old aircraft unusually quickly, before the journalists traveling with him could watch or photograph him ascending the steps, as they typically do. Passengers on board were also instructed to pull their window shades down before takeoff.
The plane landed at Mildenhall late Wednesday night, and then the president switched to the new jet to return to Washington.
After Mr. Trump departed, he told reporters that they had probably been instructed to close their blinds when leaving Ankara because they were “on a dangerous plane” due to the threat from Iran.
The older plane has been widely reported to be equipped with a system designed to blind an incoming antiaircraft missile, along with “chaff” that could be deployed to mislead a missile and force it off course.
It is unclear how many, if any, of those capabilities have been installed on the newer plane that was donated from Qatar, which Mr. Trump has been eager to get into service.
Industry and Pentagon officials have said such an extensive upgrade could cost as much as $1 billion and take up to two years to complete. But in testimony before Congress, Troy E. Meink, the Air Force secretary, estimated that the modifications would run “probably less than $400 million.”
The Air Force started upgrading the 747 jetliner in the United States last summer.
Air Force officials said at the time that they were modifying the jet for “executive airlift” support, on orders of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, but that all other details about the upgrade were classified.
The plan immediately drew criticism from some members of Congress. The lawmakers expressed concern that Mr. Trump would pressure the Air Force to do the work so fast that sufficient security measures would not be built into the plane, including missile defense systems or even systems to protect it from the electromagnetic effects of a nuclear blast.
Much of the retrofitting and refurbishing that the Air Force described took place at a Texas facility known for secret technology projects.
Andrew P. Hunter, the former Air Force assistant secretary who was in charge of the Air Force One program during the Biden administration, said that a true retrofit of a 747 jet to prepare it to become Air Force One would require more than a year of work.
That is because the base plane, even if it has a luxurious interior, needs significant modifications to its physical structure to accommodate special security upgrades — work that would have taken longer than the Air Force had to retrofit the donated Qatari jet.
Mr. Hunter would not name the more complicated security upgrades individually because they are considered classified. But other government officials have told The New York Times that this more complex work includes advanced missile defense systems and hardening of the plane’s wiring to protect it from an electromagnetic pulse, in case there is a nuclear strike. It is unclear whether such work was done to the Qatari jet.
“In that time they had, they would be able to accommodate communications upgrades,” Mr. Hunter said, referring to vital security equipment that allows a president to be in contact at all times. “But not anything that would require significant structural work.”
Mr. Hunter added: “To do a full Air Force One equivalent upgrade does require structural modifications.”
The Times asked the Air Force earlier this year whether these kinds of measures had been included in the updates to the Qatari jet. The Air Force declined to respond to the questions.
Doug Mills and David E. Sanger contributed reporting.
American forces struck around 90 Iranian military targets, including air defense systems, drone and missile storage sites, and logistics infrastructure along the coast, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement. The United States has hit about 170 targets in the past two days, 15 times the number the U.S. struck in the most recent round of retaliatory strikes in late June.
Earlier on Wednesday, Central Command said the strikes were intended to undermine Iran’s ability to threaten ships in the Strait of Hormuz, a critical waterway for global energy supplies that has become a central issue in the conflict.
Central Command called the attacks retaliation for “recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews.”
Mr. Trump said earlier on Wednesday that while the United States would probably hit Iran “hard,” he did not expect a return to all-out war. “I don’t think it’s going to start again,” he told reporters at a NATO summit in Turkey. “I think it’s going to go very quickly.”
But later in the day, he said in a social media post that if Iran attacked ships again, “it will get much worse!”
Speaking aboard Air Force One while on his way back to the United States from the summit, the president maintained that Iran still wanted to make a deal despite the renewed and intense hostilities.
“They called a little while ago. They want to make a deal so badly,” he said. “I just don’t know if they’re worthy of making a deal. I don’t know that they’re going to honor the deal.”
The Iranians have said nothing about new negotiations.
Even before the strikes, the temporary truce in the four-month conflict between the United States and Iran had appeared on the brink of collapse, with each side accusing the other of repeatedly violating the terms of the agreement.
On Tuesday, the United States carried out airstrikes against more than 80 targets in Iran in retaliation for what the Pentagon said were Iranian strikes against three commercial ships, including a Saudi oil tanker and a Qatari vessel carrying liquefied natural gas.
The American strikes targeted Iranian air defense systems, command and control networks, coastal radar sites, anti-ship missile capabilities and more than 60 Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps small boats, Central Command said.
The strikes on Tuesday came hours after the Trump administration revoked a waiver allowing the sale of Iranian oil around the world.
Tehran has not claimed responsibility for the ship attacks. After the U.S. strikes and re-imposition of sanctions on oil sales, Iranian officials announced in a series of statements that the United States had violated the June 18 agreement intended to end the war.
Negotiations between Iran and the United States have been paused until after the multiday funeral ceremonies for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the supreme leader who was killed on the first day of the war.
Although the United States and Iran have agreed to restore access to the strait — with Mr. Trump declaring the waterway open to unrestricted navigation — the preliminary accord does not stipulate exactly how that should happen, and assigns to Iran the task of allowing the long-blocked traffic to get through. Iran has insisted that commercial ships sail near its shore, in a channel under Iran’s control, but many vessels are using American help to take a route near the Omani coast.
“What we’re seeing now is Iran, and more specifically the I.R.G.C., trying to exert control over the strait and declaring that this control is their sovereign right,” said Kevin Donegan, a retired Navy vice admiral who is a former top Navy commander in the Middle East.
“That’s the main card they have to play, and as a result we can expect they will continue to try to disrupt any ship traffic that uses routes different from the ones they have published,” Admiral Donegan said.
Erica L. Green contributed reporting.
The faction that favors talks has at the same time accused the United States of violating the terms of the truce agreement. These officials include President Masoud Pezeshkian, who on Wednesday said Washington was “bullying rivals, creating obstacles and cheating.”
The rival group, drawn from a minority of hard-liners, has directed its anger at the Iranian president and negotiating team.
The rising tensions inside and outside of Iran have unfolded against the backdrop of Iran’s weeklong funeral for its slain supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with ceremonies taking place in five cities in Iran and Iraq. Mr. Khamenei’s body had reached Najaf, Iraq, when the American airstrikes began and was scheduled to return to Iran for burial in Mashhad on Thursday.
All week, as the funeral has progressed, the hard-line faction in Iran has targeted government officials.
Mr. Pezeshkian was attacked on Monday by a crowd of hard-line supporters, who tried to tackle him while shouting “death to the appeaser,” as he attended the funeral procession, according to videos on social media and shared by his office. Mr. Pezeshkian swayed, looking dazed, as his security detail dragged him and pushed away the crowd.
Another government official in his camp, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, was assaulted with a rock on Monday as he was chased down an alley during the funeral. His attackers, waving flags, cursed him and called for his death, video of the incident posted on social media showed.
Government officials and supporters called for the arrest of the people who attacked the president and foreign minister, and urged the judiciary to hold the hard-liners accountable.
Not long after those incidents, hostilities over the Strait of Hormuz had begun again. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps targeted several commercial ships passing through the critical waterway this week. Early Wednesday, the United States carried out intense airstrikes on dozens of targets along Iran’s southern shores. Iran retaliated by launching ballistic missiles and drones targeting American military bases in Kuwait and Bahrain.
By Wednesday night, the United States was striking Iran again. Two senior Iranian officials, with knowledge of internal leadership deliberations, described the situation inside Iran’s political circles as being in disarray. The officials spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss government security matters. They said no decision has been made about how to proceed — whether to resume conflict or continue diplomatic engagement — and that a blame game was in full swing within Iran.
But the officials said Iran would retaliate forcefully to new attacks, echoing statements made this week by the Revolutionary Guards.
“What shall be done in response to someone who has no commitment to their own word or signature?,” Mehdi Tabatabaie, the deputy communication chief for the president’s office, asked on social media on Wednesday, in an apparent reference to Mr. Trump’s comments about the cease-fire.
Yousef Pezeshkian, the son and adviser of the president, wrote a long defense of the policy of engagement with the United States on social media. He condemned the attacks on his father and other officials by hard-liners. “If this anger is directed at our own officials and targets domestic unity and larger Islamic unity, it means it has become a tool for the enemy,” he said.

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Ukraine-Russia war live: Three Chinese nationals among 10 injured in Ukrainian drone swarm attack on Moscow

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Chinese state-run media reported this morning that at least three Chinese citizens were injured in an attack by a Ukrainian drone on Moscow.
These attacks, which included 400 drones and targeted the Russian capital as well as its surroundings, were conducted over the course of Sunday night and early Monday morning.
India confirmed separately that four of its citizens were killed in the Russian assault on a vessel leaving Odesa, a southern Ukrainian port city.
Ukraine said Russia hit the Golden Leo – a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria – with three cruise missiles on Sunday.
Volodymyr Zelensky has said that he had a conversation with Andy Burnham shortly after the British Prime Minister took up his office in London yesterday.
Burnham promised Zelensky, hours after replacing Sir Keirstarmer at No 10, that Britain would continue to support Ukraine under his leadership.
North Korean and Russian Foreign Ministers Hold Strategic Talks in Moscow
North Korea’s state-run media KCNA reported today that Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister and Choe Son Hui, North Korea’s Foreign Minister held their third strategy dialogue on Monday in Moscow.
According to the report, the two sides had “reached consensus” on the topics that were discussed. The focus of the talks was on the implementation of the comprehensive strategic partnership agreement signed by the two parties in June 2024.
Russia has expressed its full support to North Korean actions to combat what KCNA called hostile acts that threaten its right to develop, its sovereignty rights and its security interests.
North Korea has consistently expressed its support for Russian policy aimed at eliminating the “root causes” of conflict in Ukraine, and protecting Russia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Analysts are looking for any signs that Choe’s trip could be a precursor to another visit by Kim Jong Un. Kim Jong Un last visited Russia in 2023 for a meeting with Putin.
Putin invited Kim Kim to return during the June 2024 Pyongyang summit.
North Korea also strengthened ties with China this month, marking 65 years of friendship and mutual defense between the two countries.
Arpan Rai21, July 2026 07 :55
Chinese injured by drone strike on Moscow
Chinese state-run media reported this morning that at least three Chinese citizens were injured in a drone attack by Ukraine on Moscow.
Two people are receiving treatment in a hospital in Russia and their condition is stable. They do not have any life-threatening injuries. Another person has asked to go back to China for further treatment.
The Chinese embassy immediately activated their emergency response system and requested that the Russian authorities take the necessary steps to protect Chinese nationals and treat those injured.
Ten people were injured during an attack that took place between Sunday and Monday night.
Arpan Rai21, July 20, 2026 07:35
Four Indian sailors killed by a ‘Russian attack’ on a ship departing Ukraine
Ten people were killed, including four Indians in an apparent Russian cruise missile attack on a ship departing the southern Ukrainian port of Odesa at the weekend.
India’s Foreign Ministry said Monday that the vessel MV Golden Leo was attacked Sunday evening as it left Odesa, with 17 crewmembers, including five Indians.
Foreign ministry adds that the Indian crewmember who survived was severely injured.
According to the Ukrainian Navy, the Russians fired three cruise missiles at the vessel flying the Guinea-Bissau Flag and owned by the Turkish Company.
Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority announced that ten people, including a Ukrainian, were killed after it launched a search-and-rescue operation.
Four Indian sailors killed by a ‘Russian attack’ on a ship departing Ukraine
The Ukrainian Navy alleges that Russian forces have hit a cargo ship with 3 cruise missiles, killing 10 of the 17 crew members
Arpan Rai21, July 20, 2026, 07:17
Russia expels two Italian diplomats, foreign ministry says
Russia declared that it has made two Italian diplomats Persona Non Grata. It called it a revenge measure for the expulsion by Italy of two Russian staffers.
Antonio Tajani, the Italian Foreign Minister said that Rome expelled on 9th July two Russian military attachés at its Italian embassy who had been accused of espionage.
In a press release, the Russian Foreign Ministry said that Vittorio D’Aprile and Davide Parrella were both persona non-grata. They must depart Russia within 3 days with their families.
In connection with expulsions of Russian Embassy staff, the ministry said that it has summoned Giovanni Scopa, Italian interim Charged d’Affaires.
The Russian Federation expelled the Italian Military Attache to Moscow and one of his colleagues without any reason. It is a blatant act of retaliation against the two Russian military attachments who had been expelled from Italy for espionage to our detriment. Tajani, writing on X Monday wrote: “This is an act that screams vengeance.
Arpan Rai21, July 20,26 06:53
Andy Burnham promises to ‘be present’ at Zelensky’s first meeting as Prime Minister
Andy Burnham said he would “be there” for Ukraine’s Volodymyr Zelensky, and that the UK support will remain “resolute”.
After replacing Sir Keir starmer, the new PM said that the president of Ukraine was one of his first contacts with foreign leaders.
Also, he indicated that a phone call would be made with US President Donald Trump.
Burnham’s time as a government official has not given him much experience in foreign affairs, although he did say that he worked with Ukrainian Mayors when he ran Greater Manchester.
The UK will offer its support to Ukraine and Zelensky.
Burnham said to broadcasters that he would be calling Zelensky first and would make it clear, later in the day, “There is no change.”
Andy Burnham promises to ‘be present’ at Zelensky’s first meeting as Prime Minister
Volodymyr Zelensky was one of the foreign leaders that Volodymyr Zaleensky said he intended to call first.
Arpan Rai21, July 20, 2026 at 06:31
Burnham makes first call after taking office to Zelensky, Trump and Burnham
Andy Burnham spoke with Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian president of Ukraine and Donald Trump in his first phone call as Prime Minister.
Burnham said that Britain’s support for Ukraine will remain unchanged in his hands, only hours after replacing Sir Keirs Starmer at No. 10.
Zelensky acknowledged the phone call via his Telegram account. He said that the two parties reaffirmed the unwavering commitment to Ukraine, and they agreed to discuss bilateral cooperation within the Anti-Ballistic Coalition in the very near future.
I was delighted to talk with Andy Burnham, and congratulated him for becoming Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. “I am grateful that support will continue to be given for Ukraine and its people,” said Burnham.
Zelensky expressed his gratitude to Burnham “for your warm words of respect towards the Ukrainian people, and for sending condolences and love to those who were killed by Russia in recent attacks”.
Trump claimed on Truth Social to have spoken with Burnham during one of his very first telephone calls as Prime Minister. Trump said that the call went well.
Burnham has had little experience in foreign policy, but he has stated that Britain is a strong ally of the United States.
Arpan Rai21, July 20,26 06:05
IMF approves $690m for Ukraine after review
According to the International Monetary Fund, its board has completed an assessment of Ukraine’s financial arrangement. This will allow immediate access to $690m.
IMF managing Director Kristalina Georgiaieva stated on Monday that Ukraine’s priority was to maintain macroeconomic stability. She called for fiscal and monetary policy measures as well as steps to ensure the financial sector is resilient.
A $8.1 billion IMF loan program is supporting the war-torn country.
IMF released a press release saying that the latest funding brought the total amount of disbursements made under this programme to $2.2bn.
This review will be a major test for Ukraine, which is struggling to maintain economic stability, advance reforms and combat intensified Russian attacks against its infrastructure.
IMF stated that Ukraine maintained its macroeconomic and financial stability despite Russia’s war.
It said that the outlook for the economy had been weakened due to the intensified attacks against critical infrastructure, and the spillovers from the Middle East war.
IMF stated in June that to keep the program on track, IMF personnel and Ukrainian authorities had agreed to a revised schedule for reforms. They also approved corrective measures to deal with slippages as well as additional commitments.
Arpan Rai21, July 2026, 05:44
Watch Zelensky’s threat to increase pressure against Russia as he attacks Moscow
Arpan Rai21, July 2026, 05:25
The young Ukrainians on the street want to see a wartime general removed
The largest demonstrations in the conflict-torn nation since Russia invaded in 2022 were triggered by thousands of protesters angry with the government.
These protesters defy martial law for several days now to protest the removal last week of Mykhailo Federorov, a young reformer who was appointed defence minister. They also demand that Commander-in Chief Oleksandr Szyrsky be dismissed.
As the overall war momentum has moved in Kyiv’s favor, the protests exposed the deep divisions within the Ukrainian defence leadership about how to stop Russia’s battlefield advancements.
Gradus Research Company conducted a poll that showed 61 percent of Ukrainians opposed Fedorov’s dismissal.
Zelensky stated that he had spoken with Fedorov “at length” at the weekend, as tensions between the two parties intensified. The young former defence minister refused to rejoin the government.
A source close Fedorov said to Reuters that he and Zelensky had talked about other roles, but that he only wanted to be back as the defence minister.
Ukrainian media has reported that Fedorov was offered a role overseeing the military technology and innovations.
Dmytro Kozoyatynskyi (a veteran of war and an organizer of the protests) called for supporters to start a “general and indefinite protest” unless Syrskyi was removed from office and Fedorov was reappointed by the 24th of July.
Syrskyi is 60 years old and has been criticized by civil society and politicians for the Soviet style of his command and its high level of casualties.
Arpan Rai21, July 2026 04 :52
New Delhi confirms four Indians dead in an attack on a ship leaving Ukraine Port
India’s Foreign Ministry said late Monday that an attack on a vessel leaving Ukraine’s southern city of Odesa, on Sunday, killed four Indians. Another was in critical condition at the hospital.
Russia hit the Golden Leo – a Guinea-Bissau-flagged ship manned by a crew from India and Syria – with three cruise missiles on Sunday, Ukraine’s navy wrote on the Telegram messaging app.
Arpan Rai21, July 2026 at 04:35

Tech

Zelensky Faces Pressure to Remove Ukraine’s Top General

On Monday, President Volodymyr Zelensky was under increasing pressure to fire Ukraine’s top military commander. A growing number of veterans and active duty soldiers joined the protesters in the streets who are calling for an overhaul of the Ukrainian military.
On Monday, Mr. Zelensky held a meeting with the top officials of security in Kyiv. Rumors were rife that Oleksandr Sryskyi, General, would soon have his fate sealed.
Zelensky dismissed Mykhailo Federorov as Defense Minister last week. This sparked a bitter feud between the advocates of technology driven reforms in the military and the established military establishment headed by General Syrskyi.
Only the second mass protest since Russia invaded in full force 2022 has thousands of people joined to press Mr. Zelensky into changing course, and to reaffirm that Mr. Fedorov’s vision for warfare is increasingly being dominated by robots and drones. Last summer’s first protests were a result of Mr. Zelensky pushing against the anti-corruption agency.
The anger of the public threatens to undermine Ukraine’s national unity, which has kept it going through four-and-ahalf years of war. The anger comes as Ukraine has just achieved success with its drone campaign.
In the last three days Ukraine attacked the commercial infrastructure of the Moscow Region twice. Andrei Vorobyov, the governor of the region, reported that 10 people, three of them Chinese, were injured when Ukrainian forces attacked a warehouse at Domodedovo in a suburb to the capital on Monday. Eight people died in a drone attack on warehouses of Wildberries, an online marketplace that is similar to Amazon, which took place Saturday.
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Tech

Judge puts temporary pause on Paramount-Warner merger

Paramount Skydance’s takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery hit a roadblock Monday after a federal judge temporarily paused the proposed merger, granting a request from a coalition of 12 state attorneys general who sued to thwart the $110 billion deal.
U.S. District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín of the Northern District of California issued a temporary restraining order barring Paramount from closing the transaction, a corporate tie-up that would unite two movie studios, two streaming platforms and two news organizations under the control of David Ellison, the son of billionaire technology tycoon Larry Ellison.
Martínez-Olguín’s order said the restraining order will remain in effect for 14 days. She scheduled an Aug. 3 hearing on the states’ motion for a preliminary injunction, which would freeze the transaction while the legal process plays out.
The plaintiffs, led by California Attorney General Rob Bonta, sued to block the merger July 13, arguing in a 38-page complaint that it would “extinguish competition” in Hollywood.
“The unlawful merger of these two entertainment behemoths would lead to higher prices, lower quality, and less content for film and television, harming movie theaters, basic cable distributors, and ultimately, audiences on every sofa and movie theater seat in the U.S.,” Bonta said in a statement accompanying the court filing.
Bonta and his fellow Democratic attorneys general contend that the transaction violates Section 7 of the Clayton Antitrust Act of 1914, a federal law that bars mergers likely to substantially lessen competition.
01:30
Paramount-Warner merger could impact entertainment options
00:0000:00
The states argue the deal would reduce competition in three areas: wide-release theatrical film distribution, anticipated top-grossing movie distribution, and the market for distributing basic cable channels to cable and satellite providers.
Paramount has forcefully pushed back on those claims, arguing that the states’ crusade is “wrong on both the facts and the law” and blasting the restraining order bid as “one of the weakest merger challenges in modern antitrust history.”
The company has already received regulatory clearance from the Justice Department, and it has touted similar approvals from other countries, including Australia and China.
“We will vigorously defend the transaction and demonstrate that this challenge is inconsistent with sound competition policy and the competitive realities of the media marketplace,” Paramount said in a statement.
Paramount executives are motivated to close the deal soon. That’s partly because the company agreed to pay Warner Bros. shareholders a “ticking fee” of 25 cents a share each quarter if the transaction isn’t wrapped up by Sept. 30.
The potential penalty is worth more than $600 million per quarter.
Paramount owns a 114-year-old film studio, the Paramount+ streaming service, the CBS broadcast network, and a suite of cable assets that includes MTV and Nickelodeon. Warner Bros. owns a 116-year-old film studio, the cable brands CNN and HBO, and popular intellectual property such as the Batman and Superman franchises.
The state-driven lawsuit is the most significant threat to the deal since it was inked, though it is not the only hurdle standing in Paramount’s way. The European Union’s antitrust arm is reviewing the transaction, and the British culture secretary recently said she was “minded to intervene” in the deal, citing concerns about concentrated ownership of media enterprises.
The merger has also drawn opposition from organized labor and a group of consumers.
The Writers Guild of America filed its own antitrust suit, arguing that the deal would suppress members’ wages and shrink the number of available jobs. Separately, a group of consumers filed an antitrust suit focused on the harms of combining Paramount+ and HBO Max. (Martínez-Olguín denied the consumer plaintiffs’ request for a preliminary injunction to freeze the merger.)
In the states’ antitrust case, California’s Bonta was joined by the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico and Oregon. New York Attorney General Letitia James has said the merger “threatens to raise costs for consumers and put jobs and businesses nationwide at risk.”
The proposed deal has a political dimension. Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is an ally of President Donald Trump. Trump has praised the Ellison family and publicly called for new ownership of CNN. “We’re trying to have CNN go in a normal path,” Trump recently told the network’s Jake Tapper in an on-air phone interview.
The younger Ellison has already embarked on sweeping changes at CBS News, hiring opinion journalist Bari Weiss to overhaul “60 Minutes” and the network’s evening news broadcast.

Tech

Ukraine fires 400 drones toward Moscow as Zelenskyy grapples with protests

The mayor of the Russian capital said that Ukraine launched more than 400 drones at Moscow, in the latest attack it has made on Moscow.
This blitz followed a series of ballistic missile attacks on Kyiv, and other Ukrainian cities. The relentless attacks are making a resolution to Moscow’s four-year long all-out war seem a remote possibility.
The Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that he will hold “key discussions” on Monday to try to diffuse a political crisis at home. Last week, the government reshuffle revealed a deep divide between military old guards and the young innovators about how to wage war.
Zelenskyy must reassure Ukrainians by appointing 60-year old Oleksandr Syrskyi, a Soviet trained general and a 35-year old Mykhailo Federorov to the position of defense minister.
Zelenskyy’s decision was followed by days of protests against Syrskyi and in support of Fedorov.
Ukraine strikes another Russian oil storage depot
Sergei Sobyanin, the Moscow mayor, said that over 400 Ukrainian drones had been sent towards the Russian capital between late Sunday and early Monday. Most of them were downed away from the city while 85 others were intercepted close to it.
Moscow Regional Gov. Andrei Vorobyov stated that 10 people have been injured by Ukrainian drones. Several residential buildings as well as civilian infrastructure were also damaged.
According to Yevgeniya Krustaleva of Domodedovo, the Moscow Region’s head, an attack caused a fire in the Yuzhnye Vrata Industrial Park, located about 30 km (18 miles) from Moscow.
Astra, a Russian news agency, reported that the attack also resulted in a fire breaking out at Podolsk oil depot, located about 20 km (12 miles) from Moscow. However, the official confirmation for the strike was not available.
Zelenskyy reported that Ukrainian forces had hit a logistics facility and oil depot located in the Moscow area. He also said Kyiv forces struck two ships belonging to Russia’s shadow fleet, which transports sanctioned crude oil, and four dry-cargo vessels in the Black Sea.
According to the acting governor, a drone hit a bus carrying passengers in Shebekino, a Russian region near Ukraine called Belgorod. Five people were killed, including four women and one boy, and 23 more injured. Alexander Shuvayev.
The claims of both sides could not be independently verified.
Ukraine’s drone technology, which can fly long distances, has developed during the conflict, and poses a challenge to Russia, who is unable to fully protect its vast landmass. Kyiv has targeted Russian oil installations, which caused fuel shortages as well as embarrassing Russian president Vladimir Putin.
The Russian Defense Ministry reported that in May 1,054 Ukrainian UAVs were shot down by air defenses within a 24 hour period.
Russia is using ballistic missiles at a higher frequency
Moscow has taken advantage of Ukraine’s weak air defenses as Kyiv begs foreign partners for sophisticated interceptors to counter Russian missiles. These are harder to defeat than drones and cruise missiles.
Air defenses have little time to respond and civilians can take cover.
Recent Russian missile launches have increased. Officials in Ukraine said that the bombardment by Moscow killed six and injured dozens of people.
The Institute for the Study of War in Washington, which is a Washington think-tank, reported late on Sunday that “Russian forces launched more ballistic rockets against Ukraine so far this month than Russia produces each and every month.”
It noted that “Russia seems to be increasing its number of ballistic rockets launched against Ukraine as they have a greater success rate than cruise missiles or drones.”
Ukraine’s Air Force said that Russia had fired two long-range missiles as well as 94 drones overnight at Ukraine. Air defenses were able to jam or intercept 81 drones. Nine drones and one missile also caused damage in nine different locations.
The Russian Defense Ministry announced Monday that its forces had struck overnight fuel tanks at Odesa, a southern Ukrainian port.
According to Oleksandr Hansha, the head of military administration in Ukraine’s central Dnipropetrovsk Region, a Russian attack on Pavlohrad injured 13 people. He said that 11 people, including a girl aged 13 years, were taken to hospital.
Ten sailors were killed in an attack on a cargo ship off Odesa
Ukraine’s Sea Ports Authority reported that a cargo ship under the West African flag of Guinea Bissau, which had just left Odesa port, was attacked by Russian forces, killing 10 crew members, five of whom were Syrian sailors. The ship was also carrying Ukrainian corn. Eight people have been rescued.
The General Authority for Borders and Customs of Syria said that it strongly condemned the attacks against commercial vessels in Ukrainian ports and maritime areas near the Black Sea with Syrian crews and sailors aboard, and deaths and injuries suffered by Syrian sailors.
In the statement from Syria, Russia was not mentioned. Since former president Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December 2024 by a rebel attack led now-interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, Moscow has developed relations with the newly formed Syrian government.
Abby Sewell, a reporter for AP in Beirut, contributed.

Tech

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026 launch live: Z Fold 8 Ultra, Z Fold 8, Z Flip 8, Galaxy Glasses, and all the news

The Galaxy Glasses look similar to Meta Ray-Ban sunglasses, which have a round lens and a camera at the top left. On the right, there is a LED display. One of the most interesting things about these glasses is their One UI XR software, a Samsung-designed derivative Android XR. This is just a theory, but a leaked image suggests that the Galaxy Glasses can be operated with the Galaxy Ring. I’m excited about this, as it is one of the reasons why I love my Even Realities G2 controller ring. If Samsung can replicate this feature, the Galaxy Glasses will stand out even more. Gemini will be the focus of all smart glasses. We should expect to see the latest avatar of Gemini Live.
Samsung should show us their take on display glass. Waveguides were used effectively in the MemoMind One, Even Realities G2, and they are a great addition to daily life. These glasses go beyond just mirroring notifications. MemoMind One automatically records audio and transcribes it. This is a great feature to have when you are attending meetings. Although this technology is in its early stages, it should continue to make huge strides every year. Full-color waveguides will become available as soon as 2027. It’ll be fascinating to see what they can do. Samsung must first get a foothold in the market. We’ll have to wait to see the results of Korea.
Samsung’s Galaxy Glasses are still a mystery, but the Snapdragon AR1 appears to be used. They will be similar to Meta’s Ray-Ban sunglasses, with the camera being closer to eye-level. Gemini integration is also available right out of the package, with these glasses relying on bone conduction technology to provide sound. Samsung’s interest in the Galaxy Glasses is understandable. They would pair well with Galaxy smartphones, and Meta has been gaining ground with their smart glasses. Samsung wants to be first with these Galaxy Glasses. Samsung is known for sharing early previews, and it’s possible that we will see the Galaxy Glasses this week.
Samsung smart glasses have been talked about for some time, but we still don’t own them. In May, we got “Intelligent Eyewear,” a Google, Gentle Monster and Warby Parker collaboration. This isn’t what I am looking forward to personally. Samsung is currently developing two glasses, codenamed Jinju and Haen. Samsung’s version of the Meta Ray-Ban should be interesting.
A recent report revealed Samsung has started to display the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in Samsung stores across Korea. Reddit users reported that they visited a Samsung Store where new foldables had already been displayed. Although the showcase did not include the official names of the devices, the handsets on display looked almost identical to leaked renders. This gave us an actual look at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in real life. It’s possible that this is the first time Samsung publicly displays a product ahead of their own launch.
It’s possible that the biggest improvement to the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Series is not the new design. I think it’s the new crease-free screen that comes with this device. Samsung unveiled its Flex Titanium Technology just before Galaxy Unpacked. Samsung says that it has improved the folding display by adding a titanium plate underneath the OLED screen. This is to improve the structural durability of the device and reduce the visibility of the center crease. Is it a coincidence that the iPhone foldable will be released later in this year? No, I do not think so.
The Galaxy Z Fold battery’s capacity increase is one of the upgrades that I am looking forward to in 2018. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra has been using the same 4,400mAh battery for five years. According to leaks this year, Samsung will finally upgrade to the 5,000mAh. This still doesn’t put it on par with Chinese rivals like Oppo Find N6 and Honor Magic V6, however, it will make Z Fold 8 ultra buyers feel more secure. It’s a mystery why it took Samsung so long to release this, but I won’t complain if the battery is bigger and we get the same design as last time.
If you are in the market to buy a phone, and have been considering the folding phones this year, we’ve got some bad news for you. Samsung is not an exception. The rising costs of RAM and components have forced nearly all hardware makers to raise their prices. The Galaxy Z Fold 8 is expected to start at $1,900, and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, the actual successor of the Galaxy Z Fold 7, will be $2,100. This is a $100 price increase on last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7. It might be a shock to potential customers, but it’s something we can see happening.
Samsung will also introduce the latest Galaxy smartwatches including the Galaxy Watch 9 Series and the Galaxy Watch Ultra. Samsung is undergoing a visual revamp of its Wearables App to prepare for launch. Recent leaks revealed that Samsung is reworking its Wearables app, making it cleaner and more aligned with One UI. Galaxy AI, which will be available in the Galaxy AI app when it is opened, can reportedly generate customized info tiles on your watch. Users simply need to describe what they would like to see. Samsung also has a new Vitals Tool that uses five different health metrics in order to improve the Energy Score.
Samsung’s Flex Titanium Technology aims to create a generation of foldables that are truly free of creases. I’m excited to see how well it will hold up to a lifetime’s worth of folding. It’s fun to watch companies experiment with new ways to get rid of that crease. The fact that glass can be folded is impressive enough, but to see it without the worn-down crease would be even more amazing.
Samsung has reportedly boosted the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra with features that were previously only available on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I would prefer the smaller Z Fold 8, but Samsung will rename it Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra as a result. Samsung has been trying to explain what the word “Ultra”, which is used on the phone, means. However, the firm will probably bring the most advanced hardware from the S26 Ultra.
I hope that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra will get the S26 Ultra camera hardware. I would love to see a camera with the same 200MP primary camera as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and a 5x ALoP telephoto camera. These were my favorite features of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Z Fold hasn’t been known for its camera performance, but this year Ultra could finally make a difference.
One thing that I don’t look forward to is the reported downgrade of camera hardware with the Galaxy Z Fold 8 due to its smaller size. Samsung will reportedly equip the Z Fold 8’s wider version with only two cameras at the rear. It’s actually a main 50MP camera, and an ultrawide 50MP camera. It’s not exactly a stellar list of specs for a flagship 2026.
This means that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will not have a telephoto lens, one of my favourite ways to take great pictures. A 50MP sensor, while not exactly the latest technology, is likely to be just a repeat of what Samsung uses on its Z Fold series. The official announcement could make me pleasantly surprised, as this is the only negative on the Z Fold 8 spec sheet.
As I recalled the design of the Pixel Fold, I was interested in how the apps reacted to the wider aspect ratio. Apps were wider and shorter on the outside screen than they are in a standard Android device. It was a bit funny, but it made everything easier to reach with one hand.
The phone opened apps in tablet landscape orientation. It’s a big deal, because many apps, even on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and other modern foldables with a book style, still appear as a large phone application, rather than as a tablet app.
Google has done a great job in Android 12L fixing this issue, but I think a tablet-shaped foldable that looks like an iPad works best, as it does not require any app level code. The Z Fold 8 is supposed to have a wide aspect ratio, so I’m hoping it works that way.
Blood Pressure Trends is something we should expect to see on Samsung’s next watches. Samsung finally brings blood pressure monitoring features to the U.S. after years of not having them. It’s also taking it a step farther by launching Blood Pressure Trends, which will replace Vascular Load. The Blood Pressure Trends will periodically check your blood pressure to give you an overview of the trend. You will get tips on how to maintain healthy habits.
Samsung claims that the new Galaxy Watch has “all-new components” which could mean the BioActive sensor is upgraded. It could be a sign of improved health tracking and monitoring, or it could mean that a new chipet is being used. Samsung will likely use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon Wear Elite to improve AI on the device and deliver better performance. We’re eager to learn how the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 perform with the new chips!
Samsung’s Galaxy Watches will feature “AI-driven insight in real time” and other features. I am curious to see what Samsung plans for its Watch 9 or Ultra 2 models. Galaxy AI may act like Google Health’s AI Personal Health coach. There is already an AI Running Coach. This doesn’t necessarily mean that we will need to subscribe.
The specs for the Galaxy Z Fold 8 standard have been leaked along with the renders. According to reports, the passport-style folding phone will have a cover display measuring 5.5 inches or 5.4 inches. The inner screen is 7.6 inch. It’ll be reportedly only 5.5mm thin when opened and 9.7mm thick when closed. You can expect the Snapdragon Elite Gen 5 Galaxy chipset with 12GB RAM and 256GB starting storage. Samsung hasn’t scrimped on battery capacity, as the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is reportedly equipped with a 4,800mAh unit, larger than the Galaxy Z Fold 7 from last year. You can expect Cream and Graphite colors as well as Lavender. A Pistachio color option is also expected to be a Samsung.com-exclusive.
Samsung’s latest foldable phone renders have leaked out ahead of launch to give us an idea what we can expect. Leaked pictures suggest that it will look quite different than the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. It will, of course, be smaller and wider than a mini-tablet when it is opened. There are also a couple of other things worth noting. Samsung hasn’t changed its design, but we’re not sure if the wider display cover will dig too deeply into your hands. On the rear, it has only two cameras compared with the Z Fold 8 Ultra which is rumored to have a triple camera module.