The week in photos: July 18-24, 2026

MANILA, Philippines — On June 20, a Filipino soldier stationed at the BRP Sierra Madre was injured during a quick confrontation with China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. CCG personnel used a long pole the military described as a “wooden baton” to hit the soldier resulting in an open wound to his head.

The following day, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. summoned Chinese Ambassador to Manila Jing Quan. In an interview with reporters, Jing described the meeting as “constructive,” saying both sides had expressed their positions and “true feelings.” He also confirmed that Philippine Ambassador to China Jaime FlorCruz had been summoned in Beijing.

On July 22, Philippine Foreign Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro raised a long list of Manila’s grievances and concerns against China during the first foreign minister-level meeting with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Foreign Ministers Meetings and the Post-Ministerial Conferences.

On July 23, the Philippine Coast Guard said that their Chinese counterparts used water cannons and “dangerous maneuvers” against Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ships during a mission to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea.

Meanwhile, the prosecution panel in the trial of Vice President Sara Duterte finished on July 22, the presentation of the fourth impeachment article, which seeks to hold her liable for her threats against President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The prosecution waived its right to conduct a redirect examination of its third witness, National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag, saying it was “unnecessary.” The trial will move to the presentation of the article 1 of the impeachment complaint related to Duterte’s alleged misuse of confidential funds on July 29.

Catch more stories in these photos from the week that was:

A future bride poses on a pink limousine on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim bridge with the Eiffel Tower in the background in Paris, France, on July 18, 2026. PHOTO BY YARA NARDI/REUTERS

Mourners react during a funeral of Palestinians, who, according to medics, were killed in an Israeli strike in Gaza City on July 19, 2026. PHOTO BY DAWOUD ABU ALKAS/REUTERS

Spain fans celebrate their first goal as they watch the FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina in Lamine Yamal’s hometown in Rocafonda, Spain, on July 19, 2026. PHOTO BY LORENA SOPENA/REUTERS

Argentina fans watch the final match of the FIFA World Cup against Spain, in Ternate, North Maluku province, Indonesia, on July 20, 2026. STRINGER/REUTERS

Protesters kneel and raise their fists while facing a police line during a demonstration following the death of Abderrahim Fakir, in Bologna, Italy, on July 20, 2026. PHOTO BY MICHELE LAPINI/REUTERS

Personnel of the Philippine Navy and China Coast Guard engage in an oar-swinging fight near the grounded BRP Sierra Madre at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, in the West Philippine Sea on July 20, 2026. CNSPHOTO VIA REUTERS

President Marcos summons Chinese ambassador Jing Quan over maritime incident at Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal, a day after a Filipino soldier was injured in a violent confrontation with China Coast Guard personnel, at Malacanang Palace on July 21, 2026. MALACANANG PHOTO

National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag takes oath before testifying in the impeachment trial of Vice President Sara Duterte on July 21, 2026. SENATE SOCIAL MEDIA UNIT

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio gestures as he arrives for a group photo session with Cambodia’s Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn, Brunei’s Foreign Minister Prince Abdul Maseen Bolkiah, Indonesia’s Foreign Minister Sugiono, Laos Foreign Minister Thongsavanh Phomvihane, Malaysian Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamad Hasan, Myanmar’s Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Hau Khan Sum and ASEAN Secretary-General Kao Kim Hourn, during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Post Ministerial Conference with the United States on the sidelines of the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in Pasay City on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY AARON FAVILA/POOL VIA REUTERS

A protester holds a placard during a protest on the visit of US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is attending the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, at the CCP Complex in Pasay City on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY ANGIE DE SILVA/RAPPLER

Demonstrators demanding release of ousted Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores gather outside the Daniel Patrick Moynihan United States Courthouse on the day of the hearing on criminal charges, including narcoterrorism, against Maduro and Flores in New York City on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY SHANNON STAPLETON/REUTERS

Firefighting vehicles operate in Le Porge as a wildfire burns in a forest area in the Gironde department amid worsening drought conditions following a heatwave and water shortages across much of France, on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY STEPHANE MAHE/REUTERS

Jewish worshippers pray on Tisha B’Av, a day of fasting and lament, that commemorates the date in the Jewish calendar on which it is believed the First and Second Temples were destroyed, at the Western Wall in Jerusalem’s Old City on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY RONEN ZVULUM/REUTERS

Students parade at Sanaa University campus to show support for the Houthis amid an escalation with Saudi Arabia, in Sanaa, Yemen on July 22, 2026. PHOTO BY KHALED ABDULLAH/REUTERS

A statue symbolising the hand of Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei next to a billboard depicting US President Donald Trump laid in a coffin, in Tehran, Iran, on July 23, 2026. PHOTO BY MAJID ASGARIPOUR/WANA VIA REUTERS

A Chinese Coast Guard ship fires a water cannon against a Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources ship during a mission to Bajo de Masinloc (Scarborough Shoal) in the West Philippine Sea on July 23, 2026. PHILIPPINE COAST GUARD HANDOUT PHOTO

Walter Palmani, dressed as “The Mandalorian Predator Killer”, poses for a portrait in the exhibition hall during the opening day of Comic-Con International in San Diego, California, on July 23, 2026. PHOTO BY DANIEL COLE/REUTERS

Australia’s Georgia Munro-Cook takes a shot as England’s Lucy Robinson defends during the Commonwealth Games Women’s 3×3 Wheelchair Basketball at SEC Centre, in Glasgow, Scotland, on July 24, 2026. PHOTO BY ISABEL INFANTES/REUTERS

Speectators cheer Groupama-FDJ United’s Clement Braz Afonso during Stage 19 (Gap to Alpe d’Huez) of Tour de France on July 24, 2026. PHOTO BY GONZALO FUENTES/REUTERS

The Starship spacecraft and the Super Heavy v3 booster stand at Pad 2 at sunrise as preparations continue to launch its 13th test flight in Starbase, Texas, on July 24, 2026. PHOTO BY STEVE NESIUS/REUTERS

— with reports from Reuters/Rappler.com