Official data released on Wednesday shows China’s GDP grew 4.3% in the second quarter, compared to a year prior. The last time quarterly growth was that weak was in late 2022, when China was feeling the impact of the Covid pandemic. Slow consumer demand, despite a surge in exports, helps explain the slowdown. Also in … Read more
Although no African teams remain in the World Cup, football fever continues to grip the continent, including among a group of grandmothers in rural Kenya. Across Africa, a growing number of older women are taking up the sport, finding a new path to fitness while challenging stereotypes about aging in the process. Source link
Hundreds of French firefighters on Tuesday managed to contain two fires that burned over 2,000 hectares of the historic Fontainebleau forest near Paris over the last two days. But the local prefect warned that the fires were not extinguished and firefighters will need to remain on the scene for days, if not weeks. Source link
World Cup holders Argentina are to face England in the 2026 World Cup semi-finals in Atlanta – a match that will take place against the backdrop of a deep history between the two countries. In April 1982, the unpopular General Leopoldo Galtieri, who then led Argentina under a military junta, ordered the invasion of the … Read more
Spain fans celebrated long into the night Tuesday after their side beat France 2-0 in the semi-final of the World Cup. After Mikel Oyarzabal’s penalty in the 22nd minute, Pedro Porro doubled Spain’s lead in the 58th, dumping out a team many had tipped to win the tournament. Source link
Lebanon and Israel summarized talks on Tuesday in the Italian capital, with Beirut hoping for progress towards securing an Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon under a US-brokered agreement, although expectations for swift progress were low. Source link
Ukraine’s parliament accepted the resignation on Tuesday of Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, who stepped down after just a year in office at the request of President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, in a reshuffle for which he offered little explanation. The motion to accept the 40-year-old economist’s resignation passed in parliament, although some lawmakers expressed unease about such … Read more
The European Union and Britain targeted Russia Monday with coordinated sanctions over cyber attacks in Europe, accusing Moscow’s FSB intelligence agency over involvement in digital strikes. Russia in response slammed the accusations as “baseless”. Source link
After closing the Strait of Hormuz, Tehran on Wednesday threatened to shut additional energy export routes including the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, a major global shipping route through which Saudi Arabia exports its oil. The warning comes after the US launched a fresh round of strikes on Iran. Source link
Thank you for joining us as we bring you the latest developments in Russia’s war against Ukraine. First, let’s take a look at what happened on Tuesday, when Russia launched another major attack on Kiev, firing ballistic missiles and drones at the Ukrainian capital. Air defense intercepted five ballistic missiles, but other weapons struck the … Read more