Drivers traveling eastbound on West Newport Pike should be aware of a lane restriction currently in effect due to construction activity.
The right lane is closed between Harbeson Place and First State Boulevard, and the closure is expected to remain in place until 4 p.m.
Motorists in the area are encouraged to use caution, allow for extra travel time, or consider alternate routes to avoid potential delays.
New vehicle prices are hovering near all-time highs, and monthly car payments are eating up more and more of household budgets. If you’re in the market for a vehicle, you’ll want to make every dollar count — and according to the automotive experts at Edmunds, there are five key strategies that can help you do exactly that.
First, consider broadening your search beyond brand-new models. While new cars come with the latest features and full warranty coverage, they also come with a much steeper price tag. Lightly used vehicles — especially those just a few years old — can offer many of the same features while skipping the sharpest drop in depreciation. Edmunds transaction data from June 2026 shows the average price of a 3-year-old used vehicle was $32,553, compared to $48,899 for a new one.
Second, don’t limit yourself to dealerships close to home. Shoppers who are willing to travel a bit farther often find a wider selection and more competitive prices. Costs can vary significantly from one county to the next, depending on local supply and demand.
Third, shop around for your financing before you ever set foot in a dealership. Unless you qualify for a promotional rate from the automaker’s own finance company, a credit union may be able to offer you a better interest rate than the lenders a dealership typically works with. Get pre-approved through your bank, a credit union, or an online lender, then compare that offer to whatever the dealer presents. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, comparison shopping for loans can save buyers thousands of dollars over the life of a loan.
Fourth, find out what your current vehicle is really worth before trading it in. Get multiple offers — from online appraisal tools and used vehicle retailers — so you have a solid baseline for negotiations. You might also consider selling the vehicle yourself. A private sale takes more time and effort, but it typically brings in more money than a dealer trade-in. If you go that route, gather your maintenance records, clean the vehicle thoroughly, and take care of any minor cosmetic issues that could lower its perceived value.
Fifth, don’t get distracted by the monthly payment. It’s easy to focus on lowering what you pay each month, but stretching out the loan term to do so means you’ll pay more in interest over time. Look at the full picture — down payment, trade-in value, interest rate, loan length, and total cost. A slightly higher monthly payment on a shorter loan can end up saving you a significant amount of money in the long run.
One more issue to watch out for is negative equity — when you owe more on your vehicle than it’s currently worth. According to Edmunds data, 30.9% of trade-ins toward a new vehicle purchase in the first part of 2026 involved negative equity. Rolling that debt into a new loan makes it harder to build equity in your next vehicle. Edmunds recommends waiting until you can put down 10% to 15% and, if you’re underwater on your current loan, holding onto the vehicle longer and paying down the balance before trading it in.
Finally, before signing anything, ask for a complete breakdown of all fees. If something on the paperwork is unfamiliar, ask about it. Hidden or unexpected charges can add up quickly and significantly affect the true cost of your purchase.
Salisbury, MD — The City of Salisbury’s Department of Waterworks Utilities Division has announced a temporary road closure on Martin Street as crews prepare to carry out a sewer lateral repair on Wednesday, July 15, 2026.
The work will take place in the 400 block of Martin Street, requiring the road to be shut down to through traffic between Brown Street and Baker Street. The closure begins at 7 a.m. and is expected to wrap up by approximately 3:30 p.m., barring any weather delays or unexpected complications.
Drivers and residents in the area are asked to seek out alternate routes and exercise extra caution while traveling near the work zone. Both utility locators and Central Alarm have been informed of the scheduled repairs ahead of time.
The City of Salisbury is asking for the public’s patience while crews carry out the necessary infrastructure work. Anyone with questions can reach the Department of Waterworks Utilities Division directly at 410-548-3103.
Goldey-Beacom College’s men’s soccer team has announced its schedule for the upcoming 2026 season, as the program sets its sights on returning to the top of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference.
The Lightning are looking to build on recent progress and push toward reclaiming a premier position in the CACC, a goal they will pursue against what is expected to be another demanding lineup of opponents.
Maryland state officials have announced plans to chemically treat a designated stretch of the Potomac River near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia in an effort to bring black fly populations under control.
The Maryland Department of Agriculture, working in coordination with the Department of Natural Resources, is scheduled to carry out the treatment on Thursday, July 16, 2026. The operation is expected to run from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
The targeted treatment is aimed at reducing the number of black flies in the area around the Harpers Ferry section of the river.
Wholesale inflation in the United States fell from May to June, largely thanks to a steep drop in energy costs — but escalating conflict with Iran is raising questions about what comes next.
The Labor Department announced Wednesday that its producer price index, which tracks inflation at the wholesale level before it hits consumers, declined 0.3% from May to June. That marks the steepest monthly drop since April 2025 and reverses a 0.6% increase seen the prior month. Looking at the bigger picture, wholesale prices were still 5.5% higher than they were a year ago in June, though that’s a slowdown from the 6% annual increase recorded in May.
Gasoline prices fell sharply — down 12% in June — though they remain nearly 43% higher compared to June 2025, a surge tied to the ongoing war with Iran. Food prices also saw a dip during the month.
When stripping out the more unpredictable food and energy categories, so-called core wholesale prices rose 4.7% compared to a year ago and climbed 0.2% from May.
The wholesale inflation figures came in below what economists had anticipated.
This producer price report followed Tuesday’s release of consumer price data, also from the Labor Department, which showed that consumer prices dropped 0.4% from May to June — the largest single-month decline in four years. On an annual basis, consumer prices were up 3.5% in June, easing from a 4.2% increase in May. The softer-than-expected inflation readings have taken some pressure off the Federal Reserve when it comes to raising interest rates, though inflation is still running above the Fed’s 2% goal.
In his first appearance before Congress since taking over as Fed chair on May 22, Kevin Warsh told lawmakers Tuesday that the central bank has “no tolerance for persistently elevated inflation.”
Energy prices have been climbing since President Donald Trump announced Monday a new blockade in the Strait of Hormuz — a critical waterway through which roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas supply travels. With many Americans already struggling under the weight of high living costs, the situation is seen as potentially damaging to Trump’s Republican Party heading into November’s midterm elections.
Wholesale price data can serve as an early signal for where consumer inflation may be heading. Economists pay close attention to it because certain components — particularly healthcare and financial services — feed directly into the Federal Reserve’s preferred inflation measure, known as the personal consumption expenditures, or PCE, index.
NAIROBI, Kenya — Kenya’s High Court has rejected a petition from the Rastafari community that sought to make the use of cannabis legal for religious purposes.
Justice Bahati Mwamuye ruled on Wednesday that the country’s laws banning the growing and use of marijuana do not infringe upon Rastafarians’ right to practice their religion freely. He noted that granting the community a legal exemption would require a solid constitutional and legal foundation — something the petitioners failed to provide.
Despite dismissing the case, Mwamuye called on Kenya to engage in a broader national conversation about its drug policies.
“This is not just a question for the Rastafari community but one that cuts across society,” he stated.
Under Kenya’s Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act, the cultivation, possession, and use of marijuana is prohibited. Rastafarians had brought the petition arguing that cannabis plays a central role in their religious observances and that the law should not apply to them.
Those caught smoking marijuana in Kenya can face fines of up to $2,000, up to 10 years in prison, or both. Penalties for drug trafficking are even more severe, carrying higher fines and lengthier prison sentences.
Attorney Shadrack Wambui, who represented the petitioners, announced that his clients intend to challenge the ruling before the Court of Appeal.
After the verdict was handed down, members of the Rastafari community gathered at Nairobi’s Freedom Corner, where they drummed, chanted, and smoked marijuana in protest of the decision.
Wanjiru Gakiu, a 60-year-old woman who has followed Rastafarianism for 34 years, expressed her frustration with the outcome, calling Kenya’s drug laws “satanic.”
“I’m sure if we were seeking to legalize something satanic, we would have been allowed. But when it comes to religion, the country is deaf and doesn’t want us to enjoy our religious rights,” she told reporters.
Not everyone was disappointed by the ruling. Nairobi resident Jedidah Ng’ang’a said she welcomed the court’s decision. “I am very happy about it (the judgment) because, as a Christian, I wouldn’t advocate for use of marijuana in our country,” she said.
WASHINGTON — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche took his seat before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday, telling lawmakers that he and his team are actively “restoring trust” in the Justice Department — a direct response to Democratic criticism that he has turned the nation’s top law enforcement agency into a weapon against those viewed as political enemies of President Donald Trump.
Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, has been running the Justice Department on a temporary basis since April. Wednesday’s hearing gives senators the chance to scrutinize his record and decide whether he should be confirmed to lead the department for the remainder of Trump’s term.
The hearing comes at a turbulent time for the Justice Department, which has seen sweeping firings and resignations that critics say have gutted its workforce and undermined its independence.
In prepared remarks released ahead of the hearing, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois — the committee’s leading Democrat — planned to challenge Blanche directly on his loyalties. “You take an oath to the Constitution, not to the President,” Durbin planned to say. “But you have treated DOJ like President Trump’s personal law firm.” Durbin also noted that the Trump administration’s Justice Department has been found in violation of dozens of court orders.
Blanche pushed back in his own prepared statement, framing his leadership as a necessary correction after years of what he described as politically motivated investigations targeting Trump during the Biden administration.
“In recent years, Americans watched the Justice Department turned against many of you and a former president, and it damaged the public’s faith in justice,” Blanche planned to tell the committee. “We are fixing that.”
For Blanche’s nomination to move forward, he must secure the vote of every Republican on the Judiciary Committee, as Democrats are expected to vote against him unanimously.
Two Republicans in particular are drawing close attention. Senator John Cornyn of Texas, who lost his primary election in May, has said he will withhold judgment on Blanche until after the hearing concludes. Senator Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who has chosen not to run for reelection, has been openly critical of a $1.776 billion fund the Trump administration established — and later pulled back — intended to compensate individuals who were wrongfully prosecuted by the criminal justice system.
The committee’s makeup shifted following the death of South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who had been a member of the panel. The committee now stands at 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats. A single Republican defection would be enough to derail Blanche’s confirmation.
UVALDE, Texas — Persistent, slow-moving storms are continuing to dump heavy rain across a large portion of South Texas on Wednesday, one day after severe downpours washed out roads and farmland and triggered dozens of high-water rescue operations.
Flash flood warnings remain in effect for multiple areas, with the dangerous rainfall expected to continue through Thursday evening. According to the National Weather Service, certain locations could receive between 10 and 20 inches — or 25 to 50 centimeters — of rain by the time the storm system finally clears.
As of now, no fatalities or injuries have been reported in connection with the flooding.
On Wednesday morning, flash flood warnings were issued for several counties near the Mexican border, including portions of Kerr County. That region was devastated last year when catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River claimed the lives of more than 100 people. Kerr County officials confirmed they have been in communication with summer camps and retreat centers in areas at risk of river flooding.
Uvalde County has recorded the highest rainfall amounts so far, with some spots receiving up to 16 inches — about 40 centimeters — according to the weather service.
National Weather Service meteorologist Monte Oaks explained the nature of the storm system. “This is called a typical mid-summer tropical weather pattern that happens in Texas,” Oaks said. “About once every five years, we’ll get socked in with a daily recurrence of heavy rain chances that’s generally produced by a stagnant kind of a pattern with a low-pressure center that’s just not moving very fast.”
Oaks added that tropical moisture — primarily drawn from the Gulf of Mexico, with some contribution from the Pacific Ocean — is feeding the ongoing rainfall. He identified the areas west of San Antonio and north of Route 90 as the zones of highest concern for dangerous flooding on Wednesday.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued disaster declarations covering dozens of counties across the affected region.
Video footage released by authorities on Tuesday showed rescue crews navigating flooded streets by boat and captured a vehicle being swept away in rapidly moving floodwaters. According to Texas Parks and Wildlife spokeswoman Maggie Berger, five people were pulled to safety by the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team, while a local game warden rescued four additional individuals.
The city of Uvalde has been identified by the weather service as the hardest-hit community. Local officials reported at least two dozen water rescues in the city, and an event center has been opened to provide shelter for residents displaced by the floodwaters. In nearby Sabinal, officials are also making arrangements to open a shelter.
President Trump is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep using traffic stops as an enforcement tool, appearing to directly contradict a recently announced policy that suspended the practice following two fatal incidents within a single week.
“To remove criminals from the country, ‘we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!’” the president wrote in a social media post.
The situation escalated further on Tuesday in Florida, where a third man died during an encounter with immigration officers in roughly a week’s time. The 28-year-old was fatally struck by a tractor-trailer while fleeing from immigration and other federal officers, according to authorities.
In Congress, a Senate committee convened Wednesday for a confirmation hearing where the late South Carolina Republican senator’s seat at the rostrum was marked with a vase of white roses in his memory. The senator had been set to chair the panel in the upcoming Congress before dying over the weekend from a tear in his aorta. On Tuesday, his sister, Darline Graham, was sworn in to complete the remaining months of his term, which runs through January. South Carolina Republicans are organizing a special primary election to select a new nominee for this fall’s midterm elections.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is expected to face tough questions from both parties Wednesday as he seeks Senate confirmation to remain in the role through the end of Trump’s term. Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, has been leading the Justice Department on an interim basis since April, when Pam Bondi was dismissed after failing to successfully prosecute Trump’s political opponents.
During his time heading the department, Blanche has sped up investigations targeting Trump’s adversaries, served as the public spokesperson for a widely criticized fund intended to reward the president’s allies, and drawn concern from press freedom advocates due to an aggressive crackdown on news media leaks.
Separately, Jay Clayton — Trump’s nominee to lead the nation’s intelligence agencies — is scheduled to appear before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday. The hearing comes weeks after Trump unexpectedly postponed his nomination. Clayton, who serves as U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and previously chaired the Securities and Exchange Commission, has drawn broad support from both Republicans and some Democrats who are uneasy about Trump’s interim intelligence appointee, Bill Pulte.
Pulte, who has held the position since June 19, is a former housing official with no known background in intelligence work and reportedly used his previous government role to go after individuals seen as enemies of the president.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican, expressed public frustration last month when Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination via social media, allowing Pulte to take office instead. Cotton later rescheduled the hearing three weeks after the initial postponement, reportedly with the White House’s blessing.
Drivers traveling eastbound on Crest Road should be aware of an active lane restriction currently affecting the route between Lakewood Drive and Marsh Road.
According to transportation officials, a right lane closure is in place due to ongoing construction work in the area. The restriction is expected to remain active until 5 PM.
Motorists are advised to use caution when passing through the construction zone and to allow extra travel time if the route is part of their commute.
Hybrid-electric aircraft startup Electra announced Wednesday that it has entered into a production agreement with France’s Safran Helicopter Engines to supply turbogenerators for its flagship aircraft.
The deal covers an initial order of 250 TG600 turbogenerators to power the EL9, Electra’s nine-passenger Ultra Short aircraft. The company says production can scale up as demand grows, with the EL9’s first flight anticipated sometime in late 2027 or early 2028.
The announcement comes at a time when companies in the advanced air mobility sector are moving to lock down suppliers for key aircraft components and pursue regulatory certification before launching commercial operations.
Electra, which counts Lockheed Martin Ventures and Honeywell among its backers, was selected earlier this year as part of a Trump administration pilot program alongside Archer and Joby, with the goal of accelerating the rollout of air taxis across the United States.
Wednesday’s agreement expands a relationship between Electra and Safran that was first established in 2023 and is intended to support both the development and certification process for the EL9, which is targeted to begin commercial service in 2030.
Jean-François Sauer, Executive Vice President of Programs at Safran Helicopter Engines, offered perspective on why hybrid technology is essential right now. “Fully electrical will be so limited in range over the next years that it will be for air taxiing, probably for very very short distances,” he told Reuters.
Electra CEO Marc Allen described the turbogenerator agreement as a significant milestone for the company. He noted that Electra currently has 2,200 aircraft in its order backlog, with 63 operating customers waiting on deliveries.
A turbogenerator combines a gas turbine with one or more electric generators, along with systems that regulate electrical power and voltage.
Allen also said the program would open doors for Electra to fly its aircraft in various new urban airspaces, collecting data that could prove useful to the Department of Transportation and the FAA in shaping future aviation policy.
Motorists traveling northbound on Edgemoor Road should plan for a lane restriction currently in place due to construction activity.
The right lane on Edgemoor Road northbound is closed between Governor Printz Boulevard and Philadelphia Pike. The closure is expected to lift by 5:00 PM.
Drivers in the area are encouraged to allow extra travel time or consider alternate routes until the lane reopens.
Brazil is preparing for the United States to slap a 25% tariff on thousands of its exported goods, after months of intensive negotiations between the two countries failed to produce an agreement, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.
The announcement from the Trump administration, anticipated this Wednesday, could impact more than 4,000 products shipped from Brazil to the United States — everything from sugar to pig iron — representing approximately $15 billion in yearly trade, according to figures from Brazil’s top industry lobbying group, the National Confederation of Industry.
“There were dozens of meetings, six or seven in the last month alone,” said one Brazilian official, who spoke anonymously because they were not cleared to comment publicly. “But they want the impossible.”
Brazilian officials said U.S. negotiators demanded exclusive, reduced tariff rates on certain American exports — concessions that Brazilian law does not permit the government to make unilaterally for a single trading partner.
Brazil would become the first country targeted under the Trump administration’s updated tariff approach, which leans on Section 301 of U.S. trade law — a provision that allows the government to investigate alleged unfair trade practices by other nations. This strategy rose to prominence after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the administration’s broader global tariff policy back in February.
The U.S. Trade Representative has opened nearly 80 trade investigations, and Brazil appears set to be the first country to face consequences under this new wave of tariffs, which could eventually be extended to dozens of other nations.
The probe into Brazil, which was launched last July, pointed to several alleged unfair practices — among them, illegal deforestation and Brazil’s digital payment system known as Pix, which Washington contends puts American credit card companies at a disadvantage.
Brazil has strongly pushed back against all of those claims. In a formal letter to U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, Brazil’s Foreign Affairs Minister Mauro Vieira argued that the U.S. has not substantiated its allegations and called the investigation “arbitrary” and a form of “widespread economic pressure imposed by the U.S.”
The National Confederation of Industry noted that the tariffs would hit products for which Brazil is a major supplier to the American market, including pig iron, wood moldings, cane sugar, ethanol, and tobacco. The group’s president, Ricardo Alban, said in a statement that the tariff hike “harms companies in both countries.”
Several categories of Brazilian goods are expected to be exempt from the new Section 301 tariffs, including beef, coffee, rare earths, and aircraft parts, which collectively account for the bulk of Brazil’s exports to the U.S. Those same products had previously been shielded from an earlier round of 40% tariffs the Trump administration imposed on Brazilian goods — tariffs that were politically tied to the arrest of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, a Trump ally who is currently under house arrest after being convicted of attempting to undermine democracy following his loss in the 2022 election.
Relations between the Trump administration and Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva — one of Latin America’s most prominent left-leaning leaders — have improved since that earlier period of tension.
The new tariffs are set to arrive less than three months before Brazil’s presidential election, in which Lula is expected to face off against Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of the former president.
Brazilian government sources say the country may respond with retaliatory measures once the U.S. tariffs are officially in place, depending on how severe the economic impact turns out to be.
Brazil is also caught up in a separate Section 301 investigation by the U.S. Trade Representative focused on forced labor connections within the supply chains of dozens of countries. That probe is expected to wrap up on July 24 and could result in an additional 12.5% tariff, bringing the total tariff burden on Brazilian products to 37.5%.
The escalating tension threatens to further damage a trade relationship that has already been weakening. Data from the American-Brazilian Chamber of Commerce show that the U.S. share of Brazil’s total trade dropped to 9.7% in the first half of this year, down from 12.1% during the same period in 2025 — the lowest level recorded since tracking began in 1997.
Brazilian officials say the tariffs haven’t broken the country’s economy, but they have pushed Brazilian companies to look for new partners — particularly in China.
“They are shooting themselves in the foot,” one official said of the Trump administration. “They’re pushing Brazil and other countries further and further toward Asia.”
SAO PAULO — Prosecutors in Rio de Janeiro have brought charges against 22 individuals accused of operating a complex money-laundering scheme designed to serve Brazilian criminal organizations, authorities announced Wednesday. Simultaneously, law enforcement carried out search operations across both Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo states.
The Organized Crime Special Action Group, known as GAECO, revealed that the alleged network moved millions of reais through recently formed shell companies. Investigators say the operation relied on tactics such as structured deposits and the use of recruited accountants to conceal where the illegal money was coming from.
Brazilian media outlets, including CNN Brasil and the news portal G1, reported that the group was believed to have laundered funds on behalf of three separate criminal gangs.
When reporters asked about those reports, the Public Prosecutor’s Office indicated that the investigation remains under seal as authorities continue working to identify additional suspects.
Among those charged, prosecutors noted, are Lebanese nationals.
The Salisbury University football program has released its complete schedule for the 2026 season, giving fans an early look at what’s ahead for the Sea Gulls.
The upcoming slate features six home contests at Sea Gull Stadium, along with a full lineup of New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) games throughout the year.
To kick off the season, Salisbury will take on three non-conference opponents before shifting focus to conference competition. The Sea Gulls will be aiming to capture their 11th overall conference championship and their seventh title in the NJAC.
NEW YORK (AP) — A new industry report reveals that music streaming has hit record highs both in the United States and around the world, with Latin and country music leading a wave of genre diversification that is reshaping what Americans are listening to.
Luminate, a data and analytics company that tracks the entertainment industry, released its 2026 Midyear Report on Wednesday. The report highlights shifting trends in music listening, as well as TV and film viewing habits through the first half of the year.
Globally, on-demand audio streams reached 2.8 trillion in the first six months of 2026 — a jump from 2.5 trillion during the same period in 2025 and 2.29 trillion in 2024. In the U.S. alone, on-demand audio song streams climbed to 732.7 billion, up from 696.6 billion in 2025 and 665.8 billion in 2024.
R&B and hip-hop continue to hold the top spot in American streaming, accounting for nearly one in four on-demand audio streams. However, the genre’s grip on the market is loosening. In the first half of 2026, R&B/hip-hop represented 30% of U.S. album-equivalent consumption based on Billboard 200 data — down significantly from 41% in 2023.
Jaime Marconette, Luminate’s vice president of music insights and industry relations, explained the shift in a statement to The Associated Press: “R&B/Hip-Hop remains a massive commercial force, but its historic dominance is leveling off as the streaming landscape diversifies. The genre was an early adopter of streaming, commanding nearly 30% of U.S. audio consumption by 2022, but the post-pandemic era has seen accelerated … growth from genres like Country and Latin.”
Marconette added that R&B/hip-hop’s “standalone audio volume has dipped 1.7% so far in 2026 compared to last year. We aren’t seeing a collapse in popularity, but rather a shift toward a more balanced, multi-genre ecosystem where R&B/Hip-Hop’s profound creative influence is also seen in other styles.”
The numbers still show R&B/hip-hop’s strength in raw terms. In the first half of 2026, the genre tallied nearly 180.3 billion streams in the U.S. Rock came in second with 137.2 billion, followed by pop at 87.8 billion, country at 63.8 billion and Latin at 63 billion.
Latin music’s rise in the U.S. is particularly notable. Luminate found that nearly 1 in 10 streams — 9.4% of the total — were in Spanish during the first half of 2026. Meanwhile, English-language consumption dropped to a new low of 87.1%, still the vast majority but a sign of a more diverse listening market.
“Casual U.S. listenership of Latin music has hit an all-time high, with 54% — or more than one in two music listeners — now reporting that they engage with the genre,” Marconette said. “Latin music’s cultural footprint is rapidly widening far beyond its traditional core base into the broader American mainstream.”
Worldwide, Latin music streams also set a new record, reaching 363.2 billion in the first half of 2026, compared to 335.3 billion during the same stretch the year before.
Album consumption data tells a similar story about the rise of country and Latin. The top-performing albums of 2026 so far are Morgan Wallen’s “I’m the Problem” with 2.035 million album equivalent units, Ella Langley’s “Dandelion” with 1.638 million and Bad Bunny’s “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” with 1.543 million. Both Wallen’s and Bad Bunny’s albums were originally released early last year.
Marconette highlighted Langley as a clear example of country music’s broadening appeal, describing her as a leader among a growing group of younger, streaming-focused fans driving the genre’s growth.
AI-generated music is also becoming a factor in the streaming landscape. The most-streamed AI-generated song in the U.S. is country act Breaking Rust’s “Livin’ on Borrowed Time,” which racked up 19 million streams domestically and 13.4 million streams in all other countries combined.
Breaking Rust previously made headlines when a song called “Walk My Walk” reached No. 1 on Billboard’s country digital song sales chart in November 2025. That track drew from the vocal style and musical DNA of Grammy-nominated country artist Blanco Brown, who has collaborated with Britney Spears, Childish Gambino and Rihanna. Breaking Rust is among the AI acts raising concerns in the music industry about generative tools being trained on real artists’ voices and styles without their consent.
Marconette offered a measured take on AI’s current impact: “A small number of breakout tracks at the head of the curve can drive temporary conversational and streaming spikes. At this stage, generative tools are actively transforming creative and production workflows, but individual AI-generated tracks have yet to make a profound, long-term impact on consumption behavior.”
On the TV and film side, Netflix dominated U.S. streaming of original content, capturing 57% of all original content viewing time. Prime Video came in second at 11%, followed by Hulu and Paramount at 7% each, Peacock and Apple at 5% each, HBO Max at 4% and Disney+ at 2%. In total, 13.6 billion hours of original content were streamed in the U.S. during the first half of 2026, with original TV series accounting for 11.5 billion of those hours and original movies making up 2.8 billion.
The three most-streamed original films in the U.S. so far this year are all Netflix productions: “The Crash” with an estimated 39.6 million views, “The Rip” with 39.5 million and “Apex” with 37.3 million.
In original series, there’s slightly more competition. HBO Max’s “The Pitt” leads with 19.4 billion streams, followed by Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” at 16.9 billion and “Bridgerton” at 14 billion.
Despite the spotlight on originals, Americans are overwhelmingly choosing to watch older, licensed library content. Library TV totaled 42.2 billion hours streamed in the first half of 2026, and library films added another 10.8 billion — dwarfing the 11.5 billion and 2.1 billion hours logged by original TV and film, respectively. Luminate estimates that major streaming services carry nearly 19,000 library titles compared to roughly 7,000 original productions.
Delaware Farm Bureau (DEFB) President Bill Powers made his way to Washington, D.C. in early July to represent the state organization at the American Farm Bureau Federation’s (AFBF) annual Council of Presidents gathering. The meeting brings Farm Bureau presidents from all across the nation together to address national agricultural priorities, leadership matters, and the policy challenges facing farmers and ranchers throughout the country.
During the sessions, Farm Bureau leaders received briefings on a range of important topics. Those included findings from AFBF’s Women in Agriculture study and related programs, the Growing a Healthier America initiative, an agricultural economic outlook presented by USDA Chief Economist Dr. Justin Benavidez, midterm election analysis from The Russell Group, and insights shared by USDA Deputy Secretary Judge Stephen Vaden.
While in the nation’s capital, President Powers visited the offices of Senators Lisa Blunt Rochester and Chris Coons, as well as Representative Sarah McBride, to raise concerns central to Delaware’s farming community — most notably the push for an updated Farm Bill. As a gesture of goodwill, he presented each office with a photograph from the 2025 Delaware Farm Bureau Photo Contest to be displayed in their offices.
President Powers also participated in legislative and industry receptions organized by AFBF, giving him the chance to network with congressional staff, agricultural stakeholders, industry partners, and fellow Farm Bureau leaders from around the country.
The Council of Presidents wrapped up with meetings held at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where attendees heard directly from several administration officials. National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett spoke about the council’s role in shaping economic and agricultural policy, along with the administration’s work to tackle challenges confronting farmers and ranchers. Ambassador Julie Callahan, serving as Chief Agricultural Negotiator at the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, provided an update on trade priorities — including efforts to broaden market access, review the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and pursue trade policies that open meaningful doors for American agriculture.
Other presentations came from Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, who stressed the value of keeping communication lines open with the farming community and expressed a willingness to engage in dialogue with Farm Bureau leaders. Attendees also heard from Justin Schwab, General Counsel of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who outlined the council’s role in coordinating federal environmental policy and its work with agencies on implementing the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).
The annual gathering serves as a critical platform for state Farm Bureau leaders to connect with federal policymakers, stay informed on emerging issues, and make sure agriculture has a seat at the table in national conversations. By attending these meetings and sitting down directly with Delaware’s congressional delegation, President Powers worked to bring the concerns and goals of Delaware farmers into focus as ongoing policy decisions continue to shape the future of agriculture.
Local governments and organizations across Maryland now have the chance to apply for state funding aimed at protecting waterways, strengthening communities against flooding, and supporting environmental education. The Maryland Department of Natural Resources opened its Grants Gateway on July 15, 2026, for Fiscal Year 2028 applications.
The program serves as a one-stop hub connecting communities to multiple funding streams for projects that clean up local waterways, build resilience against storms and rising water levels, boost local economies, promote beneficial use of dredged material, and cultivate the next generation of environmental stewards.
Several recently completed projects show what the funding can accomplish. On Tilghman Island in Talbot County, a 665-linear-foot living shoreline was built, featuring 60 concrete oyster structures along with dune and marsh plantings. Behind it sits a nontidal wetland and meadow that support wildlife and improve water quality. The project, backed by DNR’s Resilience through Restoration program, also served as a pilot effort for Talbot County’s Green Infrastructure Plan.
Another completed effort — the Middle Branch Resiliency Initiative Demonstration Project — stabilized roughly 2,000 linear feet of eroding shoreline and restored about 8.5 acres of tidal marsh and aquatic habitat. The project expanded the amount and variety of urban aquatic habitat in the Middle Branch area while offering protection from coastal flooding and storm damage. Funding came through the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, with additional financial support from Baltimore City and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
In St. Michaels, a Community Flood Planning grant paid for a feasibility study to examine whether a tide gate could help reduce the effects of sea level rise and storm surge on San Domingo Creek, where daily flooding is expected to increase. The study also produced a concept design and identified potential funding sources for moving forward with implementation.
Grants available through the program are funded by the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays Trust Fund, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Resilience through Restoration Initiative, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Chesapeake Bay Program, and the Shore Erosion Loan Program.
Prospective applicants can browse funding options by individual program on the Grants Gateway page. A virtual webinar covering each available funding program is set for August 20, 2026 at 2 p.m. Those interested in applying are encouraged to register online through DNR’s Grants Gateway page for more details.
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Approximately a dozen people have lost their lives in Gaza over the course of just two days as a result of Israeli airstrikes, local health officials reported Wednesday. The attacks are part of a continuing Israeli military campaign in the territory, even as a ceasefire agreement with Hamas has been in place for several months.
Among those killed was a woman and six police officers who died when an Israeli airstrike struck a police station in the heavily populated Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, according to hospital officials.
Additional strikes claimed more lives on Wednesday, when three members of the same family were killed in central Gaza. A man was also killed the previous day when a tent camp in the southern city of Khan Younis was bombed. Israeli forces additionally shot and killed a child on Tuesday in the Muwasi area, located west of Rafah, the southernmost city in Gaza, hospital officials confirmed.
The Israeli military offered no immediate response regarding the strikes in central and southern Gaza. However, in a statement focused on the Jabaliya attack, the military claimed that four of the police officers killed were Hamas militants, though it did not offer any evidence showing how those individuals were connected to planning or executing any attacks.
The Hamas-run Interior Ministry identified one of the slain officers as Col. Mohamad Marwan Salem, a senior police commander who served as head of the Jabaliya police station.
Hamas, which has governed Gaza for years, operates both an armed military wing and civilian police and security forces under the supervision of its Interior Ministry. Throughout the ongoing conflict, Israel has repeatedly targeted local police, including officers assigned to protect humanitarian aid convoys.
Israel’s military has stated that it views police stations as valid military targets when they are “being used to advance military activities, or if those present are military operatives involved in advancing terrorist activities.” The military did not clarify what specific activities it believed were occurring at the Jabaliya station, nor did it present evidence that any attacks were being organized there. Hamas maintains that its police force exists solely to preserve law and order within the territory.
These latest casualties come amid a fragile ceasefire deal reached in October that was intended to bring an end to a two-year conflict between Israel and Hamas. Although the most intense fighting has decreased, Israeli forces have continued to carry out strikes and military operations in the region.
Gaza’s Health Ministry reports that at least 1,123 people have been killed in the territory since the ceasefire went into effect. The ministry, which operates under the Hamas-led government, keeps detailed records of casualties that United Nations agencies and independent experts generally consider to be reliable. The ministry does not separate its counts between civilians and combatants.
Palestinian militants have also launched shooting attacks against Israeli troops, and Israel says its strikes are a direct response to those incidents and other violations of the ceasefire. Five Israeli soldiers have died since the ceasefire began.
The conflict traces back to the Hamas-led assault on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed approximately 1,200 people and resulted in 251 individuals being taken hostage. Israel’s military response in Gaza has since killed more than 73,264 Palestinians, including those killed after the ceasefire took hold, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
Five days after a wildfire destroyed a remote expatriate community in southern Spain, judicial authorities announced late Tuesday that all 13 victims of the disaster had been identified through biological samples.
At the same time, French firefighters managed to bring a separate forest fire under control near the historic Fontainebleau area south of Paris, as dangerously high temperatures continued to grip parts of Europe.
According to a statement from judicial authorities, nearly all of the victims in the Spanish wildfire were foreign nationals — all of them adults. Among the dead were seven British citizens, including a 93-year-old woman who passed away at a hospital, three Belgian nationals, a French woman, an American, and one Spanish national. Of the 13 victims, eight were women and five were men.
Investigators had initially believed as many as 23 people were unaccounted for, but all of those individuals have since been located now that the victims have been fully identified.
The fire, known as the Los Gallardos fire, burned through approximately 70 square kilometers — about 27 square miles — of forest and agricultural land, ranking it among the deadliest wildfires Spain has experienced in recent years.
Extreme heat gripping Spain, combined with strong winds and minimal rainfall, has created dangerous conditions that allow small fires to spread rapidly and with little resistance.
According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, Europe is the fastest-warming continent on Earth, with temperatures rising at twice the global average rate since the 1980s.
In France, temperatures remained unusually high into Wednesday, with local highs reaching 39 degrees Celsius, or about 102 degrees Fahrenheit. The national weather agency Météo-France cautioned that the combination of intense heat and parched ground conditions was keeping wildfire risk dangerously elevated throughout the country.
The fire that swept through the renowned Fontainebleau forest south of Paris, which forced the evacuation of several nearby neighborhoods, has been brought under control. However, local authorities noted that firefighters were still working to extinguish smaller flare-ups across the affected region.
President Donald Trump has officially backed MyPillow founder Mike Lindell in his bid to become Minnesota’s next governor, calling him “one of America’s greatest and most hard working Patriots” in a formal endorsement. The announcement came just one day before Trump was scheduled to deliver a national address he says will center on election security.
Lindell became a nationally recognized figure largely through his extensive television advertising as the face of MyPillow, and he has been among Trump’s most vocal allies. He has repeatedly echoed Trump’s debunked claims that Trump’s 2020 presidential loss to Democrat Joe Biden was the result of widespread fraud.
“Mike will be SPECTACULAR!!! He truly loves Minnesota, as do I, and wants to bring it back from oblivion and embarrassment. He can do it!” Trump wrote Wednesday on his Truth Social platform.
Trump has been sharply critical of outgoing Gov. Tim Walz, who was the Democratic Party’s vice presidential nominee in 2024, labeling him as incompetent and accusing his administration of allowing widespread fraud in federal childcare spending. Trump has also used racially charged language targeting Minnesota’s Somali immigrant community in connection with those fraud allegations. Walz has pushed back against the Trump administration’s claims and characterizations.
CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — After more than a decade of eluding detection, a faint and distant planet has finally been spotted orbiting a young star, and the discovery came from two separate research teams who didn’t even know the other was looking.
Both groups independently identified the cold gas giant within days of each other late last year, using entirely different telescopes. Scientists announced Wednesday that it holds the record as the dimmest planet ever captured through direct imaging from Earth.
A team led by Scottish and German researchers located the planet orbiting a star called Beta Pictoris, using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile. They then searched through years of archived data to verify the planet’s orbit. The planet had gone unnoticed all that time, hidden in the glare of its much brighter host star and two other planets already known to orbit it.
“It was very much playing hide-and-seek for 11 years,” said Markus Bonse of the European Southern Observatory, who co-led the first research team.
The second team, based out of California, spotted the same planet using NASA’s Webb Space Telescope — the largest and most powerful telescope ever sent into space. It only took two observations with Webb to confirm the find. Both teams published their results in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
The discovery was largely a matter of chance. Each team had been focusing on one of Beta Pictoris’s already-known planets when they noticed something else — a less massive object, 100 times dimmer, sitting farther out in the system. To avoid influencing each other’s conclusions, the two groups deliberately kept their work separate.
The newly found planet is slightly larger than Jupiter and completes one orbit around its star every 91 years — just a bit longer than it takes Uranus to circle our own sun. The star system it belongs to is only about 20 million years old, making it extremely young compared to our 4.5-billion-year-old solar neighborhood. The planet likely resembles a much younger version of Jupiter, according to Aidan Gibbs of the University of California San Diego, who headed the second research team.
“The giant planets have formed, but smaller terrestrial planets could still be forming,” Gibbs said. He added that Beta Pictoris “is probably our best look at a planetary system just after it has formed and is still in the process of stabilizing” from the chaos of flying asteroids and comets.
Beta Pictoris sits within the southern constellation Pictor — named after a painter’s easel — and lies 63 light-years away from Earth. To put that in perspective, a single light-year equals nearly 6 trillion miles, or more than 9 trillion kilometers.
According to NASA, fewer than 100 of the more than 6,000 confirmed exoplanets — planets orbiting stars other than our sun — have been found through direct imaging. The vast majority were detected by watching them pass in front of their host star, causing a brief dimming of its light.
“We’ve now built a picture of this planet,” said Ben Sutlieff of the University of Edinburgh. “And we are very excited to see what more can be learned about it.”
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is calling on Immigration and Customs Enforcement to keep conducting traffic stops, a stance that appears to directly contradict a newly announced policy suspending the practice following several fatal shootings.
Early Wednesday, Trump posted on his social media platform that ICE is “doing a GREAT job, one that has to be done.”
The president, a Republican, argued that in order to remove individuals he claims were allowed into the country under the previous Democratic administration, authorities must remain aggressive. “We must be strong, tough and smart and we CANNOT give up one of ICE’s most important and effective Crime Fighting tools, THE TRAFFIC STOP!” Trump wrote, adding, “Once we do, we are playing right into the criminal’s hands.”
The policy shift came after an ICE officer fatally shot a Colombian driver on Monday in Maine — just one week after another officer shot and killed a motorist in Houston. Those incidents reignited criticism of the agency’s enforcement methods, which had already drawn widespread condemnation last winter following the deaths of Alex Pretti and Renee Good in Minnesota.
Then on Tuesday in Florida, a third person died in roughly a week during a confrontation with immigration officers. Authorities said a 28-year-old man was struck and killed by a tractor trailer while fleeing from immigration and other federal officers.
A troubling pattern has emerged throughout the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown: federal officers stop drivers and later report that they fired their weapons because a vehicle posed an immediate threat. This is happening despite decades of warnings from law enforcement experts that shooting at moving vehicles creates its own serious dangers and should almost always be avoided.
At least ten people have lost their lives during immigration enforcement operations since the administration’s mass deportation effort began. At least four of those deaths involved individuals in vehicles. The trend alarmed U.S. Sen. Susan Collins enough that she said Tuesday she personally urged DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin “to cease all non-urgent vehicle stops.”
John Sandweg, who served as acting director of ICE — an agency within DHS — during the Obama administration, recently estimated that approximately 18 traffic-stop shootings have occurred during the current immigration crackdown.
Todd Blanche is set to face a challenging Senate confirmation hearing as he pursues the role of the nation’s top law enforcement officer.
Blanche had already secured Senate confirmation earlier in President Trump’s second term, taking on the role of the No. 2 official at the Justice Department. Now, as he seeks to move into the department’s highest position, he is expected to face a more difficult and disputed hearing process.
SRN News offers a regular feature called “Global Landscape,” a compact two-minute audio segment designed to keep listeners informed about the most significant religion-focused news happening across the globe.
The feature covers a wide range of topics, from cultural shifts to major events that reflect the ongoing relationship between faith communities and international affairs. Each edition aims to give audiences a timely and accessible overview of how religion continues to shape events around the world.
“Global Landscape” is available through SRN News and is produced to deliver meaningful content in a concise, easy-to-follow format suited for busy listeners who want to stay connected to global religious developments.
A survivor of Jeffrey Epstein’s abuse is gaining national attention in the wake of a high-profile attorney general confirmation process.
Dani Bensky is one of a group of women who endured abuse at the hands of Epstein and have since formed a close-knit bond they describe as a “survivor sisterhood.”
The women say they navigate two distinct worlds simultaneously — one defined by advocacy and the pursuit of justice, and the other by the routines of everyday life, including raising children and maintaining personal relationships.
Bensky has emerged as a particularly vocal voice among the survivors, using her platform to keep attention focused on the victims of Epstein’s abuse even as years have passed since his death.
A newly released AP-NORC survey reveals that most Jewish adults in the United States do not feel adequately represented by their political leaders during what many describe as a deeply concerning time for their community. Sixty-three percent of respondents said that anti-Jewish prejudice is an “extremely” or “very” serious problem in America. Despite the fact that the overwhelming majority of Jewish voters identify as Democrats, only 15 percent believe the Democratic Party is doing a good job of supporting Jewish people. Few respondents had confidence in either major party on the issue. That dissatisfaction may help explain a recent trend of Jewish voters shifting toward the Republican Party, with many casting ballots for President Trump in the 2024 election.
Nicaragua’s government has expanded its ongoing crackdown on dissent — which has largely targeted clergy and religious organizations in recent years — to now include the legal profession. Authorities have revoked the licenses of numerous lawyers in recent days, a move that a United Nations expert has characterized as a purge. Since 2018, more than 5,000 organizations have been shut down by the government for speaking out against widespread corruption in the country. The majority of those organizations have been churches and faith-based ministries. An increasing number of clergy members have been arrested, and some have been forced out of the country altogether. The nation is governed by husband-and-wife co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo.
The British government has announced that an Iran-backed proxy group is responsible for a series of recent arson and vandalism attacks targeting Jewish locations across the United Kingdom. In response, the government has moved to ban the Islamic Movement of the Companions of the Right, as well as Iran’s powerful paramilitary force, the Revolutionary Guard. Supporting either organization is now illegal under British law, and anyone who carries out sabotage on their behalf could face up to a life sentence in prison. The decision to outlaw the Revolutionary Guard comes well after both the United States and the European Union had already designated it a terrorist organization. Anti-Semitic incidents have been on the rise throughout Europe.
Voters in several states will have the opportunity to weigh in on abortion rights this November. In Idaho, residents will vote on whether to roll back the state’s existing abortion ban. Virginia and Nevada — where abortion is currently legal up to at least 24 weeks of pregnancy — are both considering constitutional amendments that would formally protect the procedure. Missouri, which struck down its abortion ban in 2024, is now asking voters whether to bring that ban back. The abortion industry is investing heavily in all of these states in an effort to persuade voters to support expanded access to the procedure, even as other states continue to pursue restrictions.
For most of its 65-year history, Amnesty International built its reputation by standing up for political prisoners across the globe. Now, the internationally recognized human rights organization has turned its attention in a very different direction.
Amnesty has published a new report declaring that human rights in the United Kingdom face a threat — not from authoritarian governments, but from groups that advocate on behalf of unborn babies and those who push back against transgender ideology and the broader LGBT agenda.
In the report, Amnesty labels these organizations as “anti-rights groups,” specifically calling out 25 pro-life organizations and 49 groups it describes as “gender critical” — a term used for those who oppose certain aspects of gender identity ideology.
The report signals a notable change in direction for an organization long associated with defending individuals imprisoned for their political or religious beliefs.
Baltimore is making a significant change to the way it handles emergency calls by establishing a fourth branch of first responders.
Currently, the city relies on three traditional emergency services — fire, police, and EMS — but a new division is being created to address a different set of community needs.
This new branch will focus on responding to calls involving people who need mental health support, as well as helping residents connect with various city services.
The addition represents a major overhaul of Baltimore’s emergency response system, recognizing that not all calls for help require a traditional law enforcement or medical response.
The federal government’s top land management official says he intends to hand over control of threatened grizzly bear populations to the states that border Yellowstone National Park — but the details of how that would actually work are far from settled.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum made the announcement about transferring grizzly bear management authority to state governments, though exactly what that means in practical terms has yet to be made clear.
A bipartisan group of members of Congress has sent a formal letter to Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., calling on him to keep a closer eye on the 13 states where physician-assisted suicide is permitted by law.
The lawmakers expressed serious concern about whether patients in those states are making fully informed decisions before choosing to end their lives with a doctor’s help. In their letter, they wrote: “There are grave informed consent issues within physician-assisted suicide. Less than one percent of patients receive mental health referrals.”
The letter was written jointly by Republican Senator James Lankford and Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, reflecting rare cross-party agreement on the sensitive issue.
The destructive summer wildfire season that forecasters warned would hit Western states has arrived in full force, and officials are bracing for things to get worse before they get better.
More fires — and bigger ones — are expected to break out across the region as the season progresses. Despite the escalating threat, federal officials say they are currently equipped with the resources needed to battle the blazes.
However, with conditions continuing to deteriorate across the West, the situation remains closely watched at the federal level.
A newly released poll from the Barna Group suggests that teenagers who take part in youth group programs at their church are showing stronger signs of spiritual growth compared to peers who do not participate.
According to the survey, 74% of teens involved in youth groups reported praying and reading the Bible on a regular basis. That figure drops to 56% among teenagers who do not attend youth group.
Beyond personal faith habits, the research also found that youth group participants are more likely to share their beliefs with others, volunteer in their communities, and pursue roles or careers connected to church or Christian ministry work.
Britain’s state church narrowly avoided a major shift in its stance on same-sex relationships after a closely contested vote this week. The Church of England rejected a motion declaring that “committed, faithful, intimate same-sex relationships are entirely compatible with Christian discipleship and ministry.”
The outcome was far from one-sided, however. Both the Anglican clergy and the laity cast their votes in support of the motion — but the bishops stepped in to block it, defeating the measure by a margin of just three votes.
Religious observers are watching the situation closely, noting that the issue is likely to resurface later this year. With expected turnover within the House of Bishops, some analysts suggest the motion could find enough support to pass when it comes up again.
RIO DE JANEIRO — When a police officer shot and killed her 19-year-old son in a Rio de Janeiro favela back in 2014, Ana Paula Oliveira wasn’t sure she could go on living.
What pulled her through was connecting with other mothers who had suffered the same loss — attending court hearings, joining protests, and leaning on one another for emotional survival. Together, they formed a group that became her lifeline.
“Without any doubt, if I had been alone I wouldn’t have made it here, 12 years later,” Oliveira said at a recent gathering held at her son’s former school to mark the anniversary of his death. “We need one another to cry together, to smile together and to fight together.”
Oliveira and other Brazilian mothers have channeled their heartbreak into activism, determined that their sons will be remembered as human beings rather than numbers in a report. Now they are pushing for a nationwide government policy to support families of people killed by state forces — and they want public money to fund their work.
According to the nonprofit Crossfire Institute, 460 people died during police operations in Rio last year, the highest figure since 2016 and a 52% jump compared to the year before.
Drawing comparisons to the Mothers of Plaza de Mayo — the Argentine human rights organization formed by women whose children were abducted during the military dictatorship that governed Argentina from 1976 to 1983 — Oliveira’s group works to highlight the human cost of police killings and push for legal accountability, sometimes with success.
Last year, the mothers traveled to the capital, Brasilia, where they met with representatives from the judicial, legislative, and executive branches of government to present their proposal. The project was developed with backing from Raave, a network of organizations that supports people impacted by police killings in Rio.
“Raave is negotiating with the federal government to implement a pilot project … developed by the mothers, so that we can provide care and guarantee the rights of this population,” said Guilherme Pimental, a coordinator for Raave.
Crime is shaping up to be a central issue in Brazil’s October elections, as it is in other Latin American nations such as Peru and Colombia. Supporters of presidential hopeful Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, argue that police need full backing as they confront heavily armed gangs operating in favelas — densely populated, low-income urban communities.
However, grieving mothers and advocacy groups counter that Brazilian police frequently resort to excessive force, with deadly results.
Oliveira’s son, Johnatha, was shot in the back while walking through a street in Rio’s Manguinhos favela after visiting his grandmother, she said. He died from his wounds.
“Police officers allege that they shot him to disperse a crowd” that was protesting at the time, Oliveira said. She wants the officer who fired the fatal shot convicted of intentional homicide. In 2024, a jury found the officer guilty of manslaughter without intent to kill. Prosecutors appealed that verdict successfully, but a date for a new trial has not yet been scheduled.
Monica Cunha followed a similar path, turning grief into public action. After police killed her 20-year-old son in 2006, she ran for office and became a councilwoman. This month, she is set to formally announce her candidacy for state lawmaker ahead of the October elections.
“I fight for memory, truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of nonrepetition — not only for myself, but so that no other family has to endure this pain,” Cunha wrote in an Instagram post marking the 18th anniversary of her son’s death. “The racism that kills our children and loved ones is not an isolated problem, and it must be confronted through state policies. I will keep going, turning grief into struggle.”
Brazilian police have taken more than 6,000 lives every year since 2018, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Safety, a well-known nonprofit organization. The group’s 2025 annual report on violence in Brazil found that the largest share of victims are between the ages of 18 and 24, and that 82% of those killed by police are Black.
Police tactics in Rio’s favelas were thrust back into the spotlight last year when officers killed 117 suspected gang members in the deadliest raid in the state’s history. The operation targeted members of the criminal organization known as Red Command across two favelas. Five officers also lost their lives. Police reported arresting 113 people, seizing 118 weapons, and confiscating more than a ton of drugs during the raid.
The then-governor of Rio, Cláudio Castro, a political ally of former President Bolsonaro, defended the operation, describing its targets as “narco-terrorists” — language that echoed U.S. President Donald Trump. Last month, the Trump administration officially designated the Red Command, along with its rival First Command Capital, as foreign terrorist organizations.
Nadia dos Santos lost two sons to police violence: Cleyton, who was 18 when he was killed in 2015, and Cleyverson, who was 17 at the time of his death in 2022. Her sister, Glaucia dos Santos, also lost her son Fabricio, who was 17 when police killed him in 2014. A large mural honoring all three young men covers the front of the family’s home in Rio’s Chapadao favela complex.
The two sisters established support groups and began painstakingly investigating the circumstances surrounding each death, seeking justice through the legal system.
In 2023, the officers responsible for Fabricio’s death were sentenced to nine years in prison — a ruling that brought celebration and renewed hope to other grieving mothers, Glaucia dos Santos said.
“We want others to stay alive, so we have to stay upright” even under the crushing weight of grief, she said.
Her sister Nadia stressed the need for a national public policy on reparations, which she traveled to Brasilia to advocate for in person.
“The state should have the obligation to give us mothers who lose our sons because of the state’s violence reparations. … We fight, we work, but we become ill. We need solutions,” she said.
Oliveira offered concrete ideas for what reparations might look like, including placing victims’ names in public spaces and naming schools, hospitals, and daycare centers after them.
“There are other forms of reparation as well, such as building other public policies of nonrepetition that would help prevent new cases. … Many things need to be done, repaired, so that this barbarity does not continue,” she said.
A lead American negotiator who worked to secure the release of hostages taken during the Hamas attacks on Israel will publish a behind-the-scenes account of those efforts this coming fall.
Crown, an imprint of Penguin Random House, has announced Brett McGurk’s upcoming book, titled “Brink: Inside the Race to Free the October 7 Hostages,” will hit shelves on October 6 — nearly three years to the day after the Hamas assault that killed more than 1,000 people and resulted in over 200 individuals being taken captive.
McGurk, 53, is a veteran Middle East diplomat and adviser who had already served under three presidents before President Joe Biden tapped him in 2023 to lead hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Crown says McGurk will recount his intense efforts to bridge the deeply divided demands of both sides, traveling across the globe in search of a deal.
“On October 7, Hamas unleashed a devastating war and the largest hostage crisis in modern history,” McGurk said in a statement released Wednesday by Crown. “I wrote ‘Brink’ to bring readers inside the rooms as events unfolded in real time — from the Situation Room with hundreds of missiles in the air, to compounds across the Middle East where diplomacy teetered between breakthrough and collapse.”
The publisher also says McGurk will reveal details about a near-agreement prior to October 7 that could have normalized diplomatic relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia. He will also reflect on his unexpected working partnership with Steve Witkoff, an appointee of President Donald Trump, as the two navigated hostage talks during the transition between the Biden and Trump administrations. The last surviving hostages were ultimately freed in October 2025.
“‘Brink’ details the bipartisan front they forged when it mattered most, ultimately securing a deal that would save lives,” the publisher’s announcement states.
WASHINGTON — Two human rights organizations are taking the Trump administration to court, arguing that sanctions placed on the International Criminal Court over its investigations into Israel’s military campaign against Hamas in Gaza have unlawfully restricted their ability to speak out on behalf of Palestinians.
In a lawsuit filed Wednesday in federal court in Manhattan, the groups say they have been compelled to pull back on their own advocacy efforts out of fear of White House retaliation. An executive order issued last year not only took aim at the Hague-based court but also barred Americans from providing or receiving services to or from any sanctioned entities.
The two organizations — DAWN and Taxpayers Alliance Against Genocide — are suing top administration officials and asking the court to strike down the restrictions that have limited their advocacy and their ability to work alongside Palestinian human rights groups and other parties that have been sanctioned.
“The Trump administration is using the blunt instrument of economic sanctions not only to punish human rights defenders but to police the political expressions of millions of Americans,” said Omar Shakir, the executive director of DAWN, a U.S.-based group that promotes democracy and human rights in the Arab world. DAWN was founded by Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who was killed in 2018.
“The government is violating the constitutional rights of American citizens in order to shield officials of a foreign government who have committed a genocide,” Shakir added in a statement.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.
The ICC has been examining allegations of war crimes in Gaza stemming from the conflict that erupted after Hamas launched an attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. In 2024, a panel of judges issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant. Netanyahu has dismissed the warrants as “absurd.”
Neither the United States nor Israel is a member of the court, and both countries reject its authority over them.
Following the issuance of those warrants, President Donald Trump signed an executive order accusing the ICC of “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and warning of “tangible and significant consequences” for those behind the court’s “transgressions.”
Over the past year, the U.S. has imposed sanctions on Palestinian human rights organizations, several ICC judges and staff members — including the court’s former chief prosecutor — and Francesca Albanese, the United Nations special rapporteur for the West Bank and Gaza. Albanese’s family filed their own lawsuit in February, claiming the sanctions violated First Amendment protections.
According to the new lawsuit, DAWN has already stopped submitting materials to the ICC regarding Israel’s conduct during the war, ceased sharing evidence and legal analysis with sanctioned non-governmental organizations, and ended collaboration with those groups on advocacy efforts. The organization has also been forced to “discontinue its professional engagements” with Albanese.
“The chilling effect on Plaintiffs has been profound,” the lawsuit states. “They now face prison terms and ruinous fines if, in their interactions with the designated parties, they provide or receive anything that Defendants could plausibly characterize as a ‘service’ — an extraordinarily capacious term that potentially reaches any act that confers a benefit on its recipient. Fearing liability, Plaintiffs — and countless others like them — have turned to self-censorship.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, one of the named defendants in the case, has continued to speak out forcefully against the court. In a recent Wall Street Journal opinion piece, he pledged that the administration would “dismantle the ICC — brick by brick, if necessary,” warning that the court’s “overreach” could eventually bring U.S. Border Patrol agents, federal prosecutors, and Marines under the tribunal’s jurisdiction.
“The ICC’s interfering with American military and law enforcement operations isn’t only a grave overreach of its purported authorities. It would mean the death of the U.S. as a sovereign and independent nation,” Rubio wrote. “Our decision and our people would be at the mercy of the ICC and its collaborators in the ‘international community.’ To accept the ICC is to surrender control of our national destiny.”
The State Department indicated the administration’s campaign against the court could involve additional sanctions, visa revocations, travel bans targeting ICC employees, and heightened scrutiny of countries that do not reject the court’s authority.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche is set to face tough questions Wednesday at a Senate confirmation hearing that will put President Donald Trump’s hold on Republican lawmakers to the test. Blanche needs those votes to secure a permanent role leading the Justice Department.
Blanche, who previously served as Trump’s personal attorney, has been running the department on a temporary basis since April. During that time, he ramped up investigations targeting Trump’s political opponents, became the public face of a controversial fund designed to compensate the president’s allies, and drew criticism from press freedom advocates for aggressively pursuing news media leaks.
All of those decisions will come under the microscope at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, where Blanche is seeking confirmation to serve through the remainder of Trump’s term.
The confirmation battle carries significant weight. Mass firings and resignations have gutted the department’s workforce, and Democrats and other critics argue the Justice Department has been turned into a political weapon against the president’s enemies. More than 1,200 former department employees have publicly come out against Blanche’s nomination.
Democrats on the committee are widely expected to vote unanimously against Blanche, meaning he must secure support from every Republican on the panel for his nomination to move forward.
Two Republican senators are drawing particular attention: Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who lost his primary in May and has said he will wait until after the hearing before deciding on Blanche, and Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina, who chose not to seek reelection. Tillis has been a vocal critic of a $1.776 billion fund the Trump administration created to compensate people who believe they were unjustly targeted by the criminal justice system — a fund that was later pulled.
Tillis previously stated he would not back any attorney general nominee who hedges on the January 6, 2021 Capitol riot, when supporters of Trump stormed the building in an attempt to stop Congress from certifying Trump’s election loss to Democrat Joe Biden. However, Tillis recently indicated he has no concerns about Blanche’s record on that day.
With the death of South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, who sat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, the panel now stands at 11 Republicans and 10 Democrats. A single Republican defection could sink Blanche’s nomination.
The $1.776 billion Anti-Weaponization Fund has been a particularly thorny issue for Blanche. He initially defended the fund during congressional appearances, only to later announce it was being abandoned — all while resisting pressure to put that assurance in writing. The reversal came after strong bipartisan pushback that boiled over during a heated private meeting with lawmakers.
The fund came out of a settlement of Trump’s $10 billion lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over his leaked tax returns. The Florida judge overseeing the case issued a sharp ruling, saying Trump and his attorneys had manipulated the court system by filing the lawsuit. Judge Kathleen Williams said Monday she was troubled by Blanche’s role in the settlement, particularly given his prior work as Trump’s personal lawyer.
A federal food safety agency has announced plans to seek renewal of an existing data collection program tied to Salmonella oversight efforts.
The Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) stated it intends to request renewal of the approved information collection associated with the Salmonella Initiative Program, known as SIP. The agency made the announcement in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 and regulations set by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
Officials noted that no changes are being made to the information collection as part of this renewal request. The current authorization for the program is scheduled to expire on January 31, 2027.
BANGKOK — Survivors and relatives of those killed in a catastrophic bar fire in Bangkok made their way to a nearby police station on Wednesday, hoping to give statements, collect belongings, and begin the process of seeking financial compensation from the bar’s owners.
The blaze erupted on Sunday night at the Rong Beer Na Ladprao bar and has now claimed at least 32 lives, with two additional victims dying in the hospital since the fire. More than 70 people were hurt, and 24 of them remain in critical condition, according to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration.
Investigators are still working to determine what caused the fire.
According to police, many of those who perished were discovered trapped inside windowless bathrooms, locations where they had apparently sought refuge from the spreading flames.
The chief of the Institute of Forensic Medicine, Wiroon Supasingsiripreecha, told reporters Wednesday that the majority of victims died from inhaling smoke, while a smaller number succumbed to burn injuries.
One survivor, 26-year-old Natthaphong Lakhorn, was inside the bar that night with four friends. He had been seated close to the stage when the fire started. He recalled noticing white smoke drifting from the stage area, which he initially mistook for a dry ice effect used as a visual effect — until he realized it was the beginning of a fire.
Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps is threatening to shut down “all other export corridors that benefit the U.S. and its allies,” according to Iranian state media, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz and the reimposition of a U.S. naval blockade around Iranian ports.
“Regional energy exports are either shared by all, or denied to all,” the IRGC declared in a statement carried by Iran’s IRNA state news agency on Wednesday.
Analysts believe Iran may be signaling that it could use its Houthi allies in Yemen to close the Bab el-Mandeb strait — a narrow waterway connecting the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden — potentially putting two of the globe’s most critical energy shipping routes at risk simultaneously. Saudi oil exports and a large portion of worldwide shipping pass through that gateway.
A senior Houthi official warned on Monday that the group was ready to seal off the Bab el-Mandeb strait, a move he said could drive oil prices to $200 per barrel, if Saudi Arabia continued military operations against Yemen. That warning came after Houthi forces launched missiles at Saudi Arabia, accusing the kingdom of bombing an airport under their control — a development that shattered a four-year ceasefire between the two sides.
The Houthis have demonstrated before that they can disrupt global trade through the Bab el-Mandeb. Following the outbreak of the Gaza conflict in October 2023, the Iran-backed group attacked commercial vessels in the Red Sea, claiming it was targeting ships connected to Israel in solidarity with Palestinians.
The current wave of threats follows U.S. military strikes launched to “continue degrading Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” according to a U.S. military statement. American officials say Iran attacked seven commercial ships over the past week, leaving nearly a dozen crew members dead, missing, or hurt.
Late Tuesday, the U.S. military reported it had hit dozens of military targets near the Strait of Hormuz and along Iran’s coastline. According to U.S. Central Command, that wave of strikes lasted seven hours.
The IRGC announced Wednesday that the Strait of Hormuz would stay closed until what it called “the end of America’s evils.” Prior to the conflict’s outbreak in February, roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and gas shipments moved through Hormuz.
The Revolutionary Guards also said they struck what they described as command-and-control, logistics, fuel, and military equipment facilities belonging to the U.S. Fifth Fleet in Bahrain. They additionally claimed to have set fire to and destroyed a U.S. logistics facility in Kuwait’s Mina Abdullah, and said their air force targeted a U.S. base at Azraq in Jordan, striking aircraft hangars. The IRGC said some of the U.S. attacks had originated from bases on Jordanian soil.
Kuwait’s state news agency reported earlier Wednesday that a fire at a targeted site had been brought under control, though it was not immediately clear if this was the same location mentioned by the IRGC. Jordan’s air defense forces intercepted and shot down three ballistic missiles that crossed into the country’s airspace from Iranian territory early Wednesday.
The renewed hostilities between Iran and the U.S. flared up last week, unraveling a fragile truce that had been reached in June following months of fighting that has claimed thousands of lives.
President Trump on Tuesday threatened to strike Iranian power plants and bridges as early as next week if Tehran does not return to negotiations. “I’ll save the energy targets for last, but ultimately we’ll hit energy targets,” Trump said in a Fox News interview with Trey Yingst. He also said U.S. negotiators had contacted their Iranian counterparts to tell them “you better make a deal.”
As tensions continued to build, Trump on Monday floated the idea of imposing a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait — a proposal that drew strong criticism from the United Nations shipping agency and others. By Tuesday, he had abandoned that idea, saying instead that he would pursue investment agreements with Gulf states, though he offered no specifics.
Oil prices climbed further Wednesday after closing up 2% to a one-month high on Tuesday, as the ongoing conflict continues to disrupt supply through the Strait of Hormuz. Both Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate posted their highest closing prices since mid-June for the second consecutive session, with both contracts climbing again in early Wednesday trading.
New Zealand has confirmed its first detection of the deadly H5N1 strain of bird flu, after a brown skua seabird found on a beach near the capital city of Wellington tested positive for the virus, Biosecurity Minister Andrew Hoggard announced Wednesday.
The discovery follows last month’s detection of the virus in Australia, which had been the final continent to report the illness. The highly aggressive H5 strain has been moving through wild bird and mammal populations around the world since 2021, causing millions of deaths and spreading into poultry flocks, dairy farms, and even some farmworkers.
Hoggard sought to reassure the public, stating: “There is no evidence of any mass mortality in wildlife or transmission between wild birds in New Zealand. There has been no detection in poultry.”
New Zealand authorities had been anticipating the virus’s arrival and have been working alongside the poultry industry to put biosecurity and resilience plans in place.
The minister noted that the country could follow a trajectory similar to neighboring Australia, where 14 confirmed or presumed positive detections of H5 bird flu had been recorded as of Wednesday.
In response to the threat, health officials have launched a vaccination effort targeting 300 core breeding birds from five of the nation’s most endangered species, Hoggard said.
H5 bird flu was first confirmed on Heard Island, a sub-Antarctic territory belonging to Australia, in late 2025.
NEW DELHI — Documents filed in court reveal that India’s aircraft accident investigation agency has completed a psychological autopsy and evaluation as part of its ongoing inquiry into last year’s catastrophic Air India crash, with the psychologist’s final report already in hand.
The court filing did not specify whose psychological autopsy was performed, nor did it reveal any conclusions about the crash of the Boeing 787 that claimed 260 lives shortly after the aircraft departed from Ahmedabad, India.
India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau disclosed that investigators have put together a transcript of the cockpit voice recorder. However, analysis of data pulled in late May from an engine monitoring unit is still pending, and an examination of organizational factors connected to the crash remains underway. The agency offered no additional details beyond those disclosures.
A Stockholm-based health technology company called Neko Health announced Wednesday that it has secured $700 million in a Series C funding round, setting the stage for the opening of its first clinic in the United States later this year.
The funding round was led by U.S. venture capital firm Lightspeed Venture Partners and co-led by O.G. Venture Partners, according to a company statement. Existing investors Atomico, General Catalyst, and Lakestar also took part in the round, joined by new backers including Liberty City Ventures, Positive Sum, and BDT & MSD, a merchant bank backed by Michael Dell.
Neko Health’s clinics provide a comprehensive scan that evaluates a range of health indicators, including skin conditions such as moles and marks, blood sugar levels to flag pre-diabetes risk, blood abnormalities, and risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, stroke, and heart attack.
The full assessment takes approximately 60 minutes and captures millions of individual health data points. The service is currently priced at £299 (roughly $400) in Britain and 2,750 Swedish crowns (approximately $286) in Sweden.
Neko Health was co-founded in 2018 by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Spotify boss Daniel Ek.
A powerful Cambodian gambling mogul’s business empire served as the landlord for a compound that became the base of a massive scamming and human trafficking operation, a Reuters investigation has revealed.
Documents reviewed by the news agency — including a rental agreement dated March 2024 — show that Lim Heng Group leased buildings on grounds it shares with one of its casinos on the border between Thailand and Cambodia, charging above-market rental rates.
Inside those buildings, rooms had been converted to resemble police stations and bank offices from various countries, serving as the staging grounds for impersonation scams targeting victims around the world. That finding comes from interviews with the Thai military, individuals who worked inside the buildings, and two separate visits Reuters made to the property this year.
Reuters is the first news organization to reveal the commercial relationship between Lim Heng Group and the buildings where the scams took place — located just tens of meters from its Royal Hill casino.
The news agency found no direct evidence that Lim Heng Group participated in the trafficking or fraud activity at the location.
Royal Hill casino did not respond to phone calls or emails seeking comment on the cyberscam and trafficking activities. Questions sent to Lim Heng Group by registered post were delivered but never answered.
According to the independent Cambodian Human Rights Action Coalition and a Phnom Penh-based attorney specializing in business and human rights law, Piseth Duch, prosecutors can pursue charges against property landlords if it can be shown that they were aware criminal activity was taking place and allowed it to continue.
Lim Heng Group had been alerted to possible trafficking activity at Royal Hill as early as September 2024, when a company representative filed a legal complaint against two Cambodian publishers whose news outlets had reported that foreign nationals were being held against their will inside the casino compound.
Court summonses tied to those “incitement to discrimination” complaints — both dated September 16 and reviewed by Reuters — did not spell out which specific claims in the articles Lim Heng disputed.
One of the publishers, Penn Nuon, confirmed that a legal complaint had been filed in connection with his reporting on foreign nationals held at Royal Hill. He said his reporting was accurate but that he had taken down the article to resolve the matter after consulting with his attorney.
Reuters was unable to confirm whether the complaint was ultimately dropped. The Phnom Penh court where the complaints were filed did not respond to questions.
Gen. Thatchai Pitaneelaboot of the Royal Thai Police, which is heading the investigation into alleged cyberfraud at the compound, told visiting reporters that Chinese criminal groups had run scams at the Royal Hill location, though he did not provide specifics about their identities.
Thailand has confirmed Lim Heng’s ownership of the site, according to two Thai security agency reports on Cambodian cyberfraud prepared this year and reviewed by Reuters.
Southeast Asia has become home to numerous large-scale fraud operations, where mostly Chinese-led criminal organizations hold trafficked victims and force them to carry out romance scams and police-impersonation schemes. The U.S. government has estimated that Americans lost $10 billion to fraudsters operating in the region during 2024.
Jason Tower of the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime nonprofit noted that many Chinese-affiliated scam syndicate operators also have ties to casinos, which give them a way to conceal illegal profits.
An Amnesty International investigation, drawing on gambling regulator records and witness accounts, found that casino owners in Cambodia were “in direct control” of at least a dozen scam centers. Reuters has not independently verified those figures.
Sophal Ear, a professor at Arizona State University who studies Cambodian politics, noted that casinos in the country are frequently controlled by individuals with political connections.
Lim Heng fits that description: he has been photographed alongside senior military generals at social events, holds a royal title equivalent to a duke, and donated $20,000 to Cambodia’s military last year, according to a business association that lists him as a member.
While the Cambodian government has pledged to shut down scam centers, it has consistently described Royal Hill as simply a hotel — even as images of fake police stations and bank offices found inside the compound were broadcast by media outlets across the globe this year.
As part of a broader crackdown, Cambodia has extradited casino owner and alleged scamming kingpin Chen Zhi to China and passed new laws directly targeting scam operations.
Chhay Sinarith, a senior Cambodian minister assigned to combat online fraud, responded to Reuters’ questions by saying the government is dedicated to working with international partners to address scam activity. He also said Cambodia is investigating alleged fraud in the area surrounding Royal Hill, but called on Thai security forces to return control of the locations they have seized in order to allow those investigations to proceed.
The Cambodian military did not respond to questions about its relationship with Lim Heng.
The Royal Hill casino itself is a weathered structure featuring neoclassical columns and gold-trimmed spires positioned just meters from the Thai border.
It sits next to two buildings where Reuters uncovered evidence of scam operations. Those structures were part of a cluster of buildings surrounded by a tall fence topped with razor wire. Thai security officials and a Thai woman named Pornpen Aimhun — who said she was trafficked to Royal Hill — indicated that at least four of the enclosed buildings were used for criminal purposes.
Reuters examined the rental agreement between Royal Hill and a Chinese national at an office inside one of the buildings, which the Thai military said appeared to have been used by scam organizers. The contract showed Royal Hill agreed to rent three buildings within its compound to the Chinese national for two years at a rate of $200,000 per month. It was signed by the tenant and by Seng Chanthy, who was at the time an employee of Royal Hill. Seng Chanthy did not respond to a request for comment on the contract.
Reuters is not publishing the name of the tenant because the news agency could not independently verify his identity or confirm his involvement in the scam activity.
That rental price was extraordinarily high for three buildings in a quiet border town. For comparison, a mixed-use building of similar size in an upscale Phnom Penh neighborhood was listed for $25,000 a month in May.
Reuters visited the casino compound in February and March at the invitation of the Thai military, which had bombed Royal Hill during a brief armed conflict with Cambodia in December. The military, which now controls the site, said it wanted to present evidence that Royal Hill had functioned as a scam facility. Thailand said it targeted Royal Hill because its troops had reported that buildings in the area had been taken over by Cambodian forces and used for drone and sniper attacks.
Cambodian information minister Neth Pheaktra told Reuters that those claims were false and that Thailand had struck civilian infrastructure.
The lease described the dimensions of two of the buildings and noted that the third contained 252 rooms, without providing additional identifying information.
Bangladesh-based architect Rizvi Hassan, who analyzed satellite imagery of the buildings on Google Earth at Reuters’ request, found that the dimensions of three of the enclosed structures matched the measurements listed in the contract. The Thai military also told Reuters that its initial survey of the site suggested two of the structures contained approximately 250 rooms.
The U.S. State Department’s 2024 human trafficking report stated that abuses within scam operations remained “widespread” in Cambodia because elites in the country owned properties used by scammers and profited financially from those crimes.
“Scam centers require physical infrastructure, access to land, and a degree of protection to operate at scale,” said Ear, the Arizona State professor.
The scam operations in the border region were among the largest in Southeast Asia: Thai security forces say the enclosed structures at Royal Hill held roughly 3,000 people and were part of a larger 200-acre scam complex.
Pornpen told Reuters she was drawn to Royal Hill in 2022 by a Facebook advertisement promising a web administrator position. She was instead forced to take part in a police-impersonation scheme before managing to escape. She described guards armed with truncheons monitoring workers, with those who fell short of quotas facing punishment.
A spokesperson for Meta, the parent company of Facebook, said the platform has built warning messages that appear when users search for keywords that may be linked to fraudulent job listings.
Reuters verified Pornpen’s account through another individual who said they were also trafficked to Royal Hill and encountered Pornpen there, as well as through the Thai police, who confirmed she is a witness in a court case related to fraud carried out at the compound.
That court has since convicted a Thai national of voluntarily working as a low-level scammer at Royal Hill, sentencing him to five years in prison, according to a police statement on the verdict, which did not name his employers or his attorney.
The Boston Red Sox made a roster move Tuesday, acquiring outfielder Jahmai Jones from the Detroit Tigers in exchange for a player to be named later, adding a right-handed bat to their outfield rotation.
To clear a spot on the roster, Boston sent outfielder Nate Eaton down to Triple-A Worcester.
Jones, 28, had been designated for assignment by Detroit last Thursday following a tough stretch at the plate. He batted just .137, going 13-for-95 with two home runs and seven RBIs across 57 games with the Tigers this season.
Over his big league career, Jones carries a .214 batting average with 10 home runs and 41 RBIs in 198 regular-season games. He has suited up for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020, the Baltimore Orioles in 2021, the Milwaukee Brewers in 2023, the New York Yankees in 2024, and the Tigers spanning 2025 and 2026. The Angels originally drafted him in the second round of the 2015 MLB Draft.
In Boston, Jones will join an outfield group that includes left-handed hitters Jarren Duran, Wilyer Abreu, and Masataka Yoshida, who have been rotating through both outfield spots and the designated hitter role.
Eaton, 29, struggled in his time with the Red Sox this season, hitting .125 — just 4-for-32 — with one home run and five RBIs in 14 games. For his career, he holds a .221 average with three home runs and 22 RBIs in 127 games split between the Kansas City Royals from 2022 to 2023 and the Red Sox. At Worcester this season, the right-handed hitter has been far more productive, batting .283 with five home runs, 22 RBIs, a .348 on-base percentage, and a .450 slugging percentage in 48 games.
A blood test could one day tell apparently healthy older adults whether they are likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease within the next five to ten years, according to new research released Wednesday.
While that kind of information could bring either comfort or anxiety, scientists say the most immediate value of the test is in helping researchers identify and recruit high-risk individuals into clinical trials for potential Alzheimer’s treatments and prevention strategies.
Large-scale clinical trials are already underway to determine whether certain medications can prevent or delay the onset of Alzheimer’s — and if those efforts succeed, doctors will need a reliable, easy-to-use tool to determine who might benefit from treatment.
However, the researchers behind the new study are urging healthy individuals not to seek out the test just yet. The test — known as the p-tau217 test — is currently used to help determine whether people already experiencing memory or cognitive problems have Alzheimer’s or a different condition.
“Wait and get tested when you can potentially do something about it,” said Dr. Reisa Sperling of the Mass General Brigham Neuroscience Institute, the study’s senior author. “At this point it wouldn’t change what I would tell someone to do. I’d still tell them to eat well, sleep well, exercise a lot and stay engaged.”
The study found that symptom-free older adults with very high p-tau217 levels faced a 38% chance of developing cognitive impairment within five years. That figure climbed to 78% over a ten-year period. Those with very low levels of the protein had a correspondingly low risk over the same timeframes.
The research was published in the journal JAMA and presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London.
While the exact cause of Alzheimer’s remains unknown, the disease is characterized by amyloid plaques that clog the brain and tau tangles that destroy neurons. The p-tau217 test measures a specific form of tau that reflects how much plaque has accumulated and also provides clues about tau tangle formation, according to Sperling.
The Mass General Brigham research team examined data from 2,684 older adults who were cognitively healthy when they enrolled in several long-running Alzheimer’s studies. Participants received the p-tau217 blood test at the time of enrollment and underwent yearly cognitive evaluations. From the earliest enrollment in 2004 through last year, approximately 478 participants went on to develop cognitive impairment.
A well-known puzzle in Alzheimer’s research is that many people have high levels of amyloid plaques in their brains but never develop dementia. A leading theory holds that at a certain point, amyloid buildup triggers an abnormal form of tau to form tangles, which then leads to symptoms.
Sperling said the blood test data offers new insight into that process. While varying intermediate levels of p-tau217 indicated increasing risk, only the very highest levels appeared to correspond with other evidence pointing to that critical tipping point.
“This is a gradual process where amyloid and tau build up in the brain and this blood-based biomarker is telling you how far you are in that process,” she said.
Outside scientists praised the study while also urging some caution. They noted that only a small portion of participants had been followed for a full decade, meaning the ten-year risk estimate carries less certainty than the five-year figure.
Additionally, Drs. Suzanne Schindler of Washington University in St. Louis and David Wolk of the University of Pennsylvania wrote in a commentary published alongside the study in JAMA that predictions could be complicated by other factors — including the possibility that older adults may die from unrelated causes, or that heart-related conditions could lead to vascular dementia rather than Alzheimer’s.
The blood tests “are not yet precise enough to guide individualized prognosis,” Schindler and Wolk wrote, though they acknowledged the new research has “provided a crucial piece of the puzzle.”
Jessica Langbaum of the Banner Alzheimer’s Institute in Phoenix said her team is already fielding requests from people who want the test due to family histories of the disease — something she strongly discourages for now.
“These findings are quite strong,” Langbaum said, adding that a predictive blood test would be “really important” — but only once ongoing research identifies a drug that can help people before symptoms ever begin.
TOKYO — Stock markets across Asia largely moved higher Wednesday, following Wall Street’s lead after a new report showed U.S. inflation came in lower than analysts had predicted last month.
South Korea’s Kospi index surged 7.1%, reaching 7,343.37, as semiconductor stocks bounced back from a recent downturn. Japan’s Nikkei 225 climbed 0.9% to close at 68,353.91, while Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 edged up 0.2% to 8,830.00.
Hong Kong’s Hang Seng index gained 1.6%, finishing at 24,721.10. China’s Shanghai Composite slipped 0.4% to 3,952.04. China’s government also reported that its economy grew at a 4.3% annualized rate during the April-June period, a significant slowdown from the 5% growth recorded in the first quarter.
Despite the positive inflation news, overall stock gains were held back by growing concerns that the United States and Iran could be heading toward a full-scale military conflict. Those fears have pushed oil prices upward. Investors are also awaiting spring earnings reports from a range of companies.
Renewed military exchanges between the two countries have heightened the risk of disruptions to oil and gas shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
Tim Waterer, chief market analyst at KCM Trade, offered this assessment: “The U.S.-Iran Memorandum of Understanding signed last month has proved to be anything but. The two sides are once again exchanging military strikes, and they hold completely different views on the state of affairs in the Strait of Hormuz.”
Waterer added, “With shipping around the Gulf becoming increasingly fraught with danger, traffic flows are declining once more.”
In energy markets, benchmark U.S. crude oil rose 86 cents to $80.20 per barrel. Brent crude, the global benchmark, increased $1.15 to $85.88 per barrel.
Back on Wall Street, the S&P 500 gained 0.4%, closing at 7,543.59 and recovering part of the 0.8% drop it suffered the day before. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up less than 0.1% to 52,508.27, and the Nasdaq composite rose 0.9% to 26,107.01.
Stocks received a boost from falling bond yields, which declined after the inflation report revealed that American consumers paid 3.5% more for everyday goods — including gasoline and food — last month compared to a year ago.
Cooling inflation can reduce pressure on the Federal Reserve to raise interest rates. While higher rates are a tool to fight inflation, they also slow economic growth and drag down investment values across the board.
In the wake of the inflation report, traders placed less than a 17% chance on the Fed raising its benchmark interest rate at its upcoming meeting in a couple of weeks. A rebound in major technology stocks also helped stabilize the market. Micron Technology jumped 4.9% and Nvidia rose 4.1% — a turnaround after both stocks had been among the biggest drags on the S&P 500 the previous day, falling 4.4% and 3.5%, respectively.
In the bond market, the yield on the 10-year Treasury note fell to 4.58% from 4.62% the prior day, pausing a climb that had started from 3.97% before the conflict with Iran began.
In currency markets, the U.S. dollar slipped slightly to 162.16 Japanese yen from 162.19 yen. The euro rose to $1.1436 from $1.1425.
Dangerous smoke from large wildfires burning in Canada and Minnesota is expected to blanket wide portions of the Midwest and Northeast United States this week, putting millions of people at risk from hazardous air pollution.
Minnesota officials have issued an air quality alert running from Tuesday through Friday for several areas, including the Twin Cities metro area, Alexandria, and Two Harbors. The northeastern corner of the state is expected to see especially heavy smoke as the fires continue to grow. Air quality in Two Harbors, the Tribal Nation of Grand Portage, and other parts of northeastern Minnesota is forecast to reach hazardous levels — conditions considered unsafe for everyone, not just those with health vulnerabilities.
Dan Westervelt, an associate professor at Columbia University’s Climate School, described the situation as “a perfect storm for really dry conditions to provide a lot of fuel for these wildfires to burn.” He noted that severe drought combined with intense heat across Canada and the U.S. has created ideal conditions for fire spread. Scientific research indicates that rising temperatures driven by the burning of coal, oil, and gas are making wildfires both more frequent and more destructive.
Tyler Hasenstein, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Chanhassen, Minnesota, is advising people to stay inside as much as possible to avoid both the extreme heat and the incoming smoke. “Those two things coinciding with each other is not good from a health perspective,” he warned.
Officials in Michigan and Wisconsin also cautioned residents Tuesday that air quality problems could persist for several days. Fine particulate matter carried by wildfire smoke poses the greatest danger to sensitive populations, including children and individuals with heart or lung conditions.
In parts of Maine, residents reported an unusual yellowish and brownish tint to the sky. The National Weather Service office in Gray, Maine, posted on social media Tuesday that “there is plenty of smoke upstream, so expect periods of hazy skies over the next day before the cold front pushes through.”
According to Hasenstein, by Wednesday afternoon the heaviest smoke will push into the East Coast and Midwest, affecting areas including parts of the New England coastline, northern Pennsylvania, Detroit, and Milwaukee. Several counties in western and central New York were placed under an air quality advisory Wednesday lasting until midnight. Hasenstein added that the most intense smoke could push as far south as Washington, D.C. by midday Thursday.
Breathing in fine particle pollution from wildfire smoke can trigger shortness of breath, coughing, dizziness, and fatigue, while also worsening existing heart and lung diseases and other long-term health conditions. Health experts recommend cutting back or canceling outdoor activities, wearing an N95 mask when going outside is unavoidable, and keeping indoor air clean by shutting windows and running an air purifier or air conditioner. Over the long term, repeated exposure to fine particulate matter from wildfire smoke is recognized as one of the leading contributors to premature death.
WASHINGTON (AP) — Kathryn Ruemmler, who once held the top legal position at Goldman Sachs and previously served as White House counsel under President Barack Obama, is scheduled to answer questions Wednesday before a House committee regarding her ties to Jeffrey Epstein.
Ruemmler joins a growing list of high-profile individuals called before the House Oversight Committee as part of a bipartisan investigation into the web of influential people connected to Epstein. More than a dozen prominent witnesses have already appeared, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and former President Bill Clinton. Lawmakers are looking into whether Epstein’s wealth and influence helped protect him from accountability.
Thousands of documents released by the Justice Department revealed that Ruemmler and Epstein shared an extensive personal relationship. The records included private emails, social arrangements, and gifts that went well beyond any formal legal business between them.
Ruemmler held the White House counsel position under Obama from 2011 to 2014 and was briefly considered as a candidate for attorney general. She spent the past six years as Goldman Sachs’ general counsel before announcing in February that she planned to resign following backlash over her communications with Epstein.
The documents showed the two maintained a close relationship years after Epstein’s 2008 conviction on sex crimes, which made him a registered sex offender. While Ruemmler has more recently tried to distance herself from him, referring to him as a “monster,” the released records tell a different story — showing she had addressed him as “Uncle Jeffrey” in emails and written that she adored him.
Despite announcing her departure effective June 30, Ruemmler remains on Goldman Sachs’ payroll.
She is the 17th witness to testify in the investigation. Billionaire investor Leon Black was subpoenaed last month after lawmakers said he declined to fully answer questions about his lengthy relationship with Epstein. A committee spokesperson confirmed that Black’s attorneys have agreed to a formal deposition on September 3, and that Black’s nondisclosure agreements will be turned over by the end of next week.
The committee has also signaled interest in questioning acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, whose nomination to permanently lead the Justice Department is still pending before the Senate. Former Attorney General Pam Bondi identified Blanche as the department’s lead contact on the release of the Epstein documents — a process that has drawn criticism from both parties.
WASHINGTON — Jay Clayton, President Donald Trump’s choice to lead the country’s intelligence agencies, is set to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Wednesday — a confirmation hearing that was delayed for weeks after Trump abruptly put the brakes on the nomination process.
Both Republicans and a number of Democrats have been pushing to get Clayton confirmed without delay. Clayton currently serves as the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York and previously led the Securities and Exchange Commission. Their urgency stems in part from concerns about who has been filling the role in the meantime: interim appointee Bill Pulte, who took office on June 19. Pulte is a former housing official with no known background in intelligence, and he reportedly used his previous government position to go after individuals seen as opponents of the president.
Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas, made no secret of his frustration when Trump delayed Clayton’s nomination through a social media post last month, effectively handing the job to Pulte. Cotton noted at the time that Clayton had been told not to show up for his originally scheduled hearing. Three weeks later, Cotton rescheduled the hearing, apparently with the White House’s blessing.
“Mr. Clayton is a patriot and a highly qualified nominee, as the president has said repeatedly,” Cotton stated.
Although Clayton has drawn praise from members of both parties, Democrats are widely expected to push him hard on how he plans to handle the issue of election interference. That scrutiny is heightened by the fact that Trump has announced he will deliver a primetime address on Thursday centered on elections — raising concerns that he may revisit thoroughly discredited theories about his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden.
“Trump made it clear that he expects whomever is Director of National Intelligence to promote his baseless election conspiracy theories,” said Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democratic member of the intelligence panel, when the nomination was first delayed last month.
Virginia Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in June that he has “known and respected Jay Clayton for many years and believe he is a capable public servant.” However, he has not committed to casting a vote in Clayton’s favor.
Connecticut Rep. Jim Himes, the leading Democrat on the House intelligence panel, noted that he worked alongside Clayton during his time heading the Securities and Exchange Commission. “During that time, he had the independence of mind and respect for the law that are necessary for any Director of National Intelligence,” Himes said.
Despite those kind words, most Democrats are still anticipated to vote against confirming Clayton. Connecticut Sen. Richard Blumenthal said Tuesday that he plans to oppose the nomination — but added that he and fellow Democrats might not stand in the way if Republicans want to fast-track the confirmation vote to remove Pulte from the position.
“I’m not going to vote for him,” Blumenthal said. “But I wouldn’t object to an accelerated vote.”
As U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York — widely regarded as the most prominent federal prosecution office in the country — Clayton has handled a broad range of cases, from terrorism and espionage to securities fraud and public corruption.
Democrats are also expected to question Clayton about his office’s recent decision to subpoena four New York Times journalists who reported on security concerns surrounding the new Air Force One, which was gifted by Qatar. The Committee to Protect Journalists described the subpoenas as “an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country.”
Additionally, Clayton’s office oversaw the release of thousands of pages of sealed court documents tied to the prosecutions of Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell, made public as part of a broader Justice Department records release. His office has also been handling the prosecution of former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on drug trafficking charges.
Clayton’s confirmation could also help break a legislative logjam over Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA. That renewal effort stalled last month after Democrats said they would withhold the votes needed to pass the bill unless Pulte’s temporary appointment was pulled. The law, which is designed to help prevent terrorist attacks by allowing surveillance of targeted foreign nationals outside the U.S., expired in June.
Even if Democrats drop their opposition to the FISA renewal, it remains uncertain whether Trump would sign it. In the same social media post in which he delayed Clayton’s nomination, Trump said he would refuse to sign the FISA renewal unless it was paired with legislation requiring proof of citizenship for all voters — a measure that currently lacks the Senate votes to pass.
South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, a member of the intelligence panel, said getting Clayton confirmed “would be a good first step” toward reviving the FISA renewal effort. He added that Republicans are hoping to move the nomination through the process quickly, provided Democrats do not block it.
“We’re looking forward to getting him into that position as quickly as possible,” Rounds said.
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump took center stage Wednesday at a defense summit held at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, where he promoted major investments in battlefield technology. The event comes at a critical moment, as ongoing military operations against Iran have significantly drawn down American stockpiles of Tomahawk cruise missiles, as well as Patriot and THAAD interceptor systems.
The summit was organized by Republican Sen. David McCormick and drew a high-profile lineup of participants, including Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Gen. Dan Caine — chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff — Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Mike Waltz, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.
Pennsylvania has become a frequent destination for Trump, who visited a Mack Trucks facility in Macungie, near Allentown, last month in a move seen as supporting Republican Rep. Ryan Mackenzie’s reelection bid. Trump won Pennsylvania in both 2016 and 2024. While McCormick is not facing reelection this cycle, Republicans are growing anxious about the ongoing war, stubbornly high living costs, and the president’s low approval numbers as they work to hold onto congressional majorities in November’s midterm elections.
According to the White House, the summit was designed to unite key defense leaders with some of the world’s largest investors to underscore the value of national security and pinpoint opportunities for investment.
Among those attending were JPMorgan’s Jamie Dimon, Blackstone President Jon Gray, Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, General Dynamics CEO Phebe Novakovic, Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg, SpaceX director Antonio Gracias, and Palantir Chief Technology Officer Shyam Sankar, according to McCormick’s office. Palantir is an analytics and artificial intelligence company.
Trump participated in a similar McCormick-organized event last year in Pittsburgh, which aimed to position that city as a hub for energy technology and robotics. At that summit, the senator announced $90 billion in pledged investments across those sectors in Pennsylvania.
This year’s summit kicked off Tuesday, before Trump’s arrival. ZeroEyes, a multi-analytics threat detection company headquartered in Conshohocken near Philadelphia, announced a planned $10 million investment in artificial intelligence and machine learning research and development. Pittsburgh-based Gecko Robotics also announced plans to open a new 10,000-square-foot manufacturing facility aimed at integrating robotics into defense production and strengthening the nation’s defense industrial base.
A May analysis found that U.S. military contractors will require a minimum of three years to rebuild stockpiles of Tomahawk missiles — used to strike deep into enemy territory — along with Patriot and THAAD interceptors, which are designed to neutralize incoming missiles and drones. Those reserves have shrunk as the U.S. has carried out repeated strikes on Iran, raising alarm about American firepower in any future conflict with China.
China has publicly stated its goal of having the military capability to take Taiwan by force if needed by 2027, though experts consider that more of an aspiration than a firm deadline. Chinese President Xi Jinping warned during Trump’s recent trip to Beijing that if Washington mismanages its relationship with the self-governing island, the two nations could end up in direct conflict.
Trump has also recently pledged to allow Ukraine to manufacture Patriot air-defense systems — a potentially significant development in its ongoing war with Russia — though converting that commitment into actual weapons production is expected to take years.
To address the weapons shortfall, Trump has pushed for a record $1.5 trillion defense budget for 2027. However, legislation to authorize that level of spending remains stalled in Congress, and even if it advances, expanding production capacity for such weapons systems will require considerable additional time.
Jake Loosararian, co-founder and CEO of Gecko Robotics, stressed the urgency of the situation, saying U.S. defense companies have “got to supercharge supply chains” to shorten the time it takes to move new technology into full-scale production.
“President Trump uniquely understands the importance of pragmatic impact today,” Loosararian said. “He also understands big, beautiful things for tomorrow.”
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — American military forces reinstated a blockade on Iranian ports in the early hours of Wednesday, responding to Tehran’s repeated attacks on vessels attempting to navigate the Strait of Hormuz — a critical waterway that carries roughly one-fifth of the world’s oil and natural gas trade during normal times.
The move has triggered fresh retaliatory strikes across the Middle East and pushed an already fragile interim peace agreement closer to collapse. Both countries have been locked in a struggle for control of the strait, and experts warn the escalating conflict could drag the entire region back into open warfare.
The blockade was first put in place in mid-April, then lifted in mid-June — one day after the two sides signed a temporary agreement establishing a 60-day window for negotiations on issues including Iran’s nuclear program. However, those talks have largely stalled as clashes over the strait have grown more intense.
Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard issued a stark warning Wednesday in response to the renewed blockade, threatening to shut down all energy exports from the region. “The export of oil and gas from the region will be either for everyone or for no one,” the Guard declared.
President Donald Trump announced the return of the blockade on Monday and initially said he would impose a 20% fee on ships passing through the strait. He walked back that plan just hours before the blockade went back into effect, saying Gulf allies had asked him to reconsider. Trump said Tuesday that leaders from the region — describing them as “kings and emirs” — reached out and proposed a different approach.
“They said we’d love to do it a different way. We’d love to invest in the United States with billions and billions of dollars,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday. He said he preferred that arrangement over charging tolls, adding, “I don’t think anybody should be able to charge a fee for the strait.” It remains unclear whether these investment commitments would be new or tied to deals previously announced following Trump’s visit to the Middle East last year.
Alongside reimposing the blockade, U.S. forces conducted another round of strikes, hitting dozens of targets over a seven-hour period, according to U.S. Central Command.
Missile alert warnings sounded in Bahrain and Kuwait early Wednesday as both countries faced incoming fire from Iran — a situation that has become a daily occurrence and is further straining any remaining ceasefire. Jordan reported shooting down three Iranian missiles. Iran claimed responsibility for attacks on all three nations.
U.S. Navy Admiral Brad Cooper, who commands Central Command, stated that Iran had launched dozens of missiles and drones at neighboring Gulf Arab nations. “U.S. forces are holding Iran accountable for unwarranted aggression that continues to endanger innocent lives,” Cooper said.
The U.S. currently has at least 19 warships in the Arabian Sea, including two aircraft carriers and an amphibious assault ship carrying more than 1,000 Marines. Central Command also noted on social media that “hundreds of military aircraft” are currently operating throughout the Middle East.
The conflict traces back to February 28, when the U.S. and Israel launched military operations against Iran, prompting Tehran to effectively close the Strait of Hormuz by attacking and threatening ships — sending oil, fertilizer, and other commodity prices sharply higher. More recently, Iran has been targeting vessels on a route near Oman that falls outside Tehran’s control but is overseen by U.S. forces, sparking the latest round of violence. While the U.S. has threatened to reopen the strait by force, analysts say doing so would require a significantly larger military force, potentially including tens of thousands of ground troops.
Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, pushed back against the U.S. military campaign in a letter to the head of the world body, as reported by Iran’s state-run IRNA news agency. “The U.S. is the aggressor, not the victim,” he wrote.
Trump warned Tuesday night on Fox News Channel that additional U.S. strikes against Iran were planned for the following two days, and suggested bridges and power plants could become targets by next week if negotiations do not resume. At least one bridge has already been struck. “You better make a deal, or you’re not going to have anything left,” Trump warned.
U.S. Central Command confirmed strikes on multiple locations inside Iran on Tuesday. Tehran acknowledged the attacks but did not release figures on casualties or damage. Hours after the U.S. announced it had concluded its strikes, explosions were reported in at least four locations in the Iranian city of Bushehr on the Persian Gulf, according to IRNA. Iranian state media also reported blasts in the southwestern city of Ahvaz and the southern port city of Bandar Abbas, raising questions about whether Gulf Arab nations may be conducting their own retaliatory strikes without making public statements.
Kuwait reported separately that an Iranian attack on Tuesday wounded four of its navy personnel and set a building ablaze.
Under the terms of the interim agreement, Iran had agreed to allow free passage through the strait for 60 days, but the deal left unresolved what would happen afterward. Iran maintains it has the authority to manage traffic through the waterway and potentially charge fees — a position the U.S. has rejected.
On the energy markets, a barrel of Brent crude oil — the international benchmark — briefly climbed above $87 early Tuesday, though that remains well below the nearly $120 per barrel seen at the peak of the conflict. Prices dipped back to around $78 after Trump announced he was abandoning the toll plan.
Regional mediators continue their efforts to bring the United States and Iran back to the negotiating table.
BEIJING — China’s economy lost significant momentum in the second quarter of 2026, growing at its slowest annual pace in more than three years and falling short of both analyst expectations and the government’s own targets.
Official data released Wednesday showed gross domestic product in the world’s second-largest economy climbed 4.3% compared to the same period last year. That came in below the 4.5% growth analysts had predicted and represented a notable step down from the 5.0% expansion recorded in the first quarter.
The last time China posted weaker annual growth was in the fourth quarter of 2022, when strict COVID-era lockdown policies were suppressing economic activity. The latest figure also dipped below the bottom end of Beijing’s full-year growth target range of 4.5% to 5%, putting added pressure on policymakers to find ways to reinvigorate the economy.
On a quarter-over-quarter basis, the economy grew 0.9% — in line with forecasts but slower than the 1.3% gain recorded in the prior quarter. For the first six months of the year combined, GDP growth came in at 4.7%.
The underlying story of China’s economy is one of growing imbalance: industrial production remains strong, buoyed in part by AI-related exports, while consumer spending and investment continue to struggle under the strain of a prolonged housing market downturn and the ripple effects of a global oil price shock.
Hao Zhou, a Hong Kong-based analyst at Guotai Haitong Securities, said the focus has now shifted to how China’s leadership plans to hit its annual growth goal. “The policy debate now shifts toward how Beijing intends to secure its annual growth target. We expect policymakers to maintain a strong focus on supporting domestic demand, particularly consumption and infrastructure investment,” he said.
Zhou did not anticipate sweeping economic stimulus, however. “As long as external demand continues to provide a meaningful cushion to growth, authorities are likely to prefer targeted and incremental policy support rather than deploying large-scale stimulus measures,” he added.
Market watchers are now looking ahead to an anticipated late-July Politburo meeting, where new policy signals could shape economic strategy for the remainder of the year.
Activity data for June showed a mixed picture. Industrial output climbed 5.3% year-over-year, picking up from 4.5% growth in May and hitting its fastest pace in three months. Retail sales rebounded 1.0% in June after falling 0.6% in May — the best performance in three months and well above the 0.1% decline analysts had expected. Sales of communication devices, cultural and office products, tobacco, alcohol, and cosmetics all contributed to the rebound.
Over the first half of the year, services sales grew 5.3%, far outpacing the 1.1% increase in goods sales.
Investment, however, remained a weak point. Fixed-asset investment contracted 5.7% in the first six months of 2026, worse than the expected 4.9% decline and steeper than the 4.1% drop recorded through May. Private investment fell 8.5%, and even state-sector investment declined 2.3%. Infrastructure spending shrank 2.4% as government fiscal outlays lagged behind.
Andi Ji, an analyst at ITC Markets, described the situation bluntly: “A high-tech-driven industrial engine running alongside cratering domestic consumption and investment firmly highlights the economy’s deeply uneven growth momentum.”
China’s property sector continued to weigh heavily on the overall economy. Real estate investment dropped 18% in the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2025, widening from a 16.2% decline through May. New home prices fell again in June, though the pace of decline eased slightly, as weak nationwide demand overshadowed modest improvements in some major cities.
On Monday, Premier Li Qiang called for “a comprehensive and objective understanding” of current economic conditions and urged stronger counter-cyclical policy action, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
Also on Monday, China unveiled its first five-year plan centered on boosting consumption, setting a target of approximately 60 trillion yuan in annual retail sales by 2030.
Analysts widely expect Beijing to turn increasingly to fiscal tools to buffer any further economic softening, as the central bank faces limitations in deploying aggressive monetary easing even amid declining oil prices.
Minxiong Liao, senior economist at GlobalData.TS Lombard APAC, welcomed the policy direction but cautioned that more will be needed. “The recent policy focus on boosting consumption suggests Beijing is increasingly aware of this imbalance, but meaningful rebalancing will require more than trade-in subsidies and consumer incentives,” Liao said. “Unless stronger fiscal support reaches households through higher social transfers and a more robust healthcare and pension system, precautionary saving is likely to remain elevated and any improvement in consumption will probably prove gradual rather than self-sustaining.”
They are plump, fragrant, and bursting with flavor — and until now, tasting a genuine Taiwanese mango meant booking a flight to the island. That is changing in 2025, as Taiwan begins shipping its prized mangoes to Europe for the first time, with France and Britain serving as the initial destinations.
Europe has traditionally sourced its mangoes from countries like India and Pakistan, but David Chen, the CEO of fruit export company Natural House Taiwan, believes Taiwan’s mangoes can compete on taste alone — even at a higher price point. Speaking to Reuters at a fruit packing facility in the central city of Taichung, Chen noted that demand has held strong despite the steep costs involved.
“Exporting mangoes has really become extremely, extremely expensive,” Chen said. “It turned out that even though the price was so high this year, people still bought them.”
While Taiwan is perhaps best known globally for its dominance in advanced semiconductor manufacturing — chips that power everything from smartphones to artificial intelligence — it was actually agriculture that first brought the island international recognition. During the Japanese colonial period, which lasted from 1895 to 1945, Taiwan shipped products including pineapples and bananas to overseas markets.
Mangoes have been cultivated in Taiwan for generations, but it was not until the 1960s that the much sweeter Irwin variety, originally imported from the United States, was introduced. That variety has since become the one most closely associated with Taiwanese mango culture. Last year, Taiwan produced more than 100,000 metric tons of mangoes, though only a small fraction was exported — primarily to Japan, Hong Kong, and South Korea.
In the eastern county of Taitung, farmer You Tsang-fu has spent the past 15 years cultivating hybrid Summer Snow mangoes. This year, he sent what he described as a trial shipment of five boxes to Europe — all of which had to meet strict European Union standards, including regulations on pesticide residue levels.
“In terms of fruit selection, and also in terms of field management, the EU is stricter than for the domestic market,” You said.
The push into European markets is also being driven by political pressures closer to home. The Taiwanese government has encouraged farmers to diversify their export destinations amid ongoing friction with China, which considers the democratically governed island part of its own territory. President Lai Ching-te said last month that China had “weaponised” fruit by imposing import bans targeting pineapples, custard apples, wax apples, and mangoes. Chinese authorities have maintained that such bans are based on plant health and safety concerns.
Despite the challenges, You expressed full confidence that European consumers would embrace Taiwan’s mangoes once they had a chance to try them.
“The best mangoes in Taiwan are Snow Mangoes. Snow Mangoes are the Louis Vuitton of the mango world,” You said.
Payments company Stripe and private equity firm Advent International have jointly proposed acquiring PayPal Holdings Inc, offering $60.50 per share in a deal that would place PayPal’s total value at more than $53 billion, according to two individuals with knowledge of the situation.
The offer, which was submitted earlier this month, carries approximately $50 billion in committed bank financing and amounts to a premium of roughly 28% above PayPal’s closing share price as of Tuesday, the sources indicated.
Both sources requested anonymity because the discussions remain confidential. Advent International declined to offer any comment on the matter, while PayPal and Stripe had not responded to requests for comment at the time of reporting.
The current proposal builds on an initial approach that was first made back in early April, the sources noted. Stripe and Advent have yet to receive any reply from PayPal and are hoping to move the conversation forward in the weeks ahead, according to those familiar with the matter.
If the deal were to proceed, Stripe and Advent would each hold an equal ownership stake in PayPal rather than dividing or breaking up the company, the sources said. However, they cautioned that there is no guarantee the proposal will ultimately result in a completed transaction.
PayPal was established in the late 1990s and was one of the earliest companies to stake out territory in digital payments. In recent years, however, it has struggled to keep pace as consumers have shifted toward newer payment options and competitors such as Apple Pay and Google Pay have captured growing portions of the market.
The company has spent several years dealing with slowing revenue growth and mounting competition, which has erased much of the dramatic value it accumulated during the pandemic years. PayPal’s market capitalization hit a high of roughly $360 billion in 2021 before tumbling to as low as approximately $36 billion this year — a decline of more than 40% in market value over the past 12 months alone.
PayPal CEO Enrique Lores took the helm in March and quickly launched a broad restructuring effort aimed at streamlining the company and redirecting its focus toward growth. In April, the company reorganized into three distinct business units — one covering checkout services, one focused on consumer financial services including Venmo, and a third handling payments and cryptocurrency — alongside a series of leadership changes.
Shipping data revealed a noticeable uptick in vessel traffic through the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, with the majority of those ships connected to Iranian trade — all moving through before a U.S. naval blockade went into effect the following day.
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump reinstated a naval blockade on all Iranian ports and warned that power plants and bridges could be targeted as early as next week if Iran does not return to the negotiating table. The move marks another significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between the United States and Iran.
According to ship-tracking data from Kpler, nine of the 11 vessels that moved through the strait on Tuesday traveled along the Iranian route. Among those were three empty oil tankers — one Aframax-class ship and two Very Large Crude Carriers — that entered the waterway.
Ships leaving the strait carrying Iranian exports included one Very Large Crude Carrier loaded with 2 million barrels of crude oil, a medium-range tanker transporting refined petroleum products, and two tankers hauling liquefied petroleum gas. A methanol tanker and a dry bulk vessel carrying iron ore also exited the Gulf that day, the data showed.
No tanker traffic was recorded entering or leaving the strait to load oil and gas from other Gulf-region producers on Tuesday.
Military strikes between the U.S. and Iran have intensified throughout the week, bringing shipping through the Strait of Hormuz to a near standstill. Before the war broke out in February, roughly one-fifth of the world’s daily oil and liquefied natural gas shipments passed through the strait.
U.S. officials reported late Tuesday that Iran had attacked seven commercial vessels over the past week, resulting in nearly a dozen crew members killed, missing, or injured.
Attacks targeting Emirati supertankers have pushed Middle East spot crude prices higher this week. Prices for the nearest delivery month are now above those for future months — a market signal that supplies are running tight.
Investment bank Goldman Sachs warned in a Wednesday note that a recovery in Gulf shipping flows may be slow to materialize. Analysts noted a steep decline in traffic along Omani and international shipping lanes following the recent tanker attacks, writing that the data showed “shippers using the non-Iranian Hormuz lane remain risk-averse.”
A district court in Kathmandu, Nepal, has handed down prison sentences to two former government ministers found guilty of falsifying documents to allow Nepali citizens to be resettled in the United States under a Bhutanese refugee program, according to court documents and attorneys who spoke Wednesday.
The Kathmandu district court sentenced former Deputy Prime Minister and Energy Minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi to four years behind bars on charges that included offenses against the state, fraud, and participation in organized crime. Former Home Minister Bal Krishna Khand received a two-year sentence as an accomplice. Both rulings were issued late Tuesday.
Rayamajhi remains in custody, while Khand has been released on bail. Neither man was reachable for comment. Both have previously denied any wrongdoing in connection with the scheme.
Dharma Raj Regmi, an attorney representing Rayamajhi, insisted his client was “never involved in policy making for the refugees” and confirmed plans to challenge the verdict through an appeal.
Khand’s attorney, Pankaj Karna, also announced intentions to appeal the ruling.
An additional 14 individuals were convicted alongside the two former ministers, including a former senior official from the home ministry and a former leader among the Bhutanese refugee community. Those individuals received sentences of up to four years, the court document indicated.
It remains unclear whether any Nepali nationals were actually relocated to the United States under false pretenses as Bhutanese refugees. The fraudulent scheme came to light in 2023, by which time both former ministers had already departed from their government roles.
The case stems from a long-running refugee situation involving approximately 120,000 Bhutanese nationals of Nepali descent who fled the neighboring Himalayan nation of Bhutan beginning in the early 1990s. Those individuals sought greater political freedoms in Bhutan, a majority Buddhist country with a population of fewer than 800,000 people.
Close to 113,000 of those refugees have since been resettled in Western nations — including the United States, Canada, and Australia — through an international third-country resettlement program, after Nepal and Bhutan were unable to reach an agreement on the refugees returning home. The United States alone has accepted roughly 100,000 of those individuals from Nepal.
Thousands of Bhutanese refugees remain in camps in eastern Nepal, still hoping to one day return to Bhutan.
The convictions come amid a broader push against corruption in Nepal. Last September, 76 people lost their lives during youth-led anti-corruption demonstrations that ultimately brought down the country’s government. A new administration backed by the Gen Z movement, led by former rapper-turned-politician Balendra Shah, 36, took power in March. Shah has vowed to pursue accountability for alleged corruption under previous governments.
The NFL announced Tuesday that Dallas Cowboys defensive end Charles Snowden will be suspended for the opening three games of the 2026 regular season.
According to NFL Network, the suspension stems from a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.
The 28-year-old Snowden was arrested back in December 2024 while playing for the Las Vegas Raiders. He faced a misdemeanor driving under the influence charge as a first-time offender. Las Vegas police reported that his blood-alcohol level was more than double the legal limit when officers discovered him asleep inside his SUV.
Snowden initially entered a not guilty plea, but changed course in January, entering a no-contest plea instead. A judge ordered him to pay a $1,000 fine and complete both coroner’s and DUI courses. If he fulfills the terms of his plea agreement, the DUI charge will be reduced to reckless driving.
During the 2024 season, Snowden appeared in 15 games for the Raiders, making nine starts at defensive end. He finished with 28 tackles, three sacks, five tackles for loss, two passes defended, and one interception.
Across his NFL career, Snowden has totaled 67 tackles, 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss, six passes defended, and one interception over 33 games and 18 starts. He previously played two games with the Chicago Bears in 2021 and spent time on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice squad in 2022 before joining the Raiders for the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
The Raiders released Snowden in May, and he inked a one-year deal worth $1.1 million with the Cowboys on June 18.
Snowden is permitted to participate in all preseason activities, including training camp and exhibition games. The suspension will take effect once rosters are trimmed to 53 players.
The Cowboys kick off their 2026 season on September 13 with a road trip to face the New York Giants. They follow that with a home matchup against the Washington Commanders on September 20 and then travel to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to take on the Baltimore Ravens on September 27 — the three games Snowden will miss.
Two of the nation’s top judges went before Congress on Tuesday to make the case for better security and resources for the Supreme Court — and their testimony painted a troubling picture of the dangers they face.
Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett appeared before the House Appropriations Committee on July 14, 2026, in Washington, D.C., where they discussed funding priorities and described the serious threats that have been directed at members of the court.
The justices’ accounts of those threats were described as chilling, underscoring what has become an increasingly urgent concern about the safety of the men and women who serve on the nation’s highest court.
The hearing covered the court’s financial needs, but the personal security testimony drew significant attention as the two justices spoke candidly about the risks they and their colleagues face.
LAS VEGAS — The NBA is moving closer to launching a new league in Europe, with Commissioner Adam Silver and Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum planning to meet with potential team ownership groups in the coming days, including some who will be attending Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final in the New York area.
Silver, speaking following Tuesday night’s Board of Governors meeting, said interest in the new European league has been strong from multiple cities across the continent — including some that weren’t even asked to submit bids.
“We’ve had tremendous interest from multiple cities in Europe, including cities that we didn’t ask for bids from,” Silver said. “And we discussed with our board today that we’re in the process of finalizing those bids for an initial group of cities.”
The NBA and FIBA, basketball’s global governing body, announced plans last year to create the new European league, putting an end to years of speculation. The target launch remains the fall of 2027.
“Things are where I hope they would be,” Silver said.
The investigation into whether the Los Angeles Clippers violated salary cap rules through an endorsement deal between Kawhi Leonard and a now-bankrupt, California-based digital bank — one that marketed itself as environmentally friendly — remains active. Silver said he hopes the probe wraps up sometime this summer.
The situation has grown more complicated following a trade agreement that would send Leonard from the Clippers to the Toronto Raptors. Both franchises agreed to pause the deal last week while the investigation plays out, a process that could take several more weeks.
Silver noted the teams were aware of the situation before agreeing to the trade.
“They chose not to live with that uncertainty,” Silver said.
The league brought in outside legal counsel — New York-based firm Wachtell Lipton — to handle the investigation. Silver said he receives regular updates from the league’s general counsel on certain aspects of the case.
“The investigation needs to run its course,” Silver said.
Under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement, potential penalties for deliberate cap circumvention could include a significant fine, the loss of draft picks, or even the voiding of a player’s contract.
The question of whether the NBA will expand to Seattle, Las Vegas, or both also came up during this week’s meetings. Silver repeated his position that he expects a decision by the end of 2026. If expansion does happen, the new teams would likely begin play in the 2028-29 season. While some potential ownership groups have made their interest public, Silver noted that most have not.
“Some groups have been public,” Silver said. “The majority of groups have not been public.”
Silver also stood behind the league’s current collective bargaining agreement, including the “second apron” — a salary threshold that, when exceeded, significantly limits what teams can do in terms of player movement and roster building.
“Every collective bargaining agreement is a result of a series of compromises,” Silver said. “And that’s what this one is as well, but certainly from my standpoint, from a competitor’s standpoint, this is working very well.”
The second apron has faced pushback in recent days from newly appointed National Basketball Players Association executive director David Kelly, who said the union will push back against it when the next CBA is negotiated.
“We are not fans of the second apron,” Kelly said last week. “We did not propose the second apron. We should have done a better job of fighting back against the second apron, and in the future, we will have a much more unified union, and we will do a better of fighting it back against a second apron.”
Kelly’s comments came in response to questions about remarks NBA veteran Kyle Kuzma posted on social media earlier this month, in which Kuzma argued that “the first and second apron are starting to function like a hard cap on player value, team continuity, and player movement.”
Not all players share that frustration. Houston star Kevin Durant expressed a different view during the regular season, crediting the apron rules with contributing to the league’s recent parity — eight different franchises have won championships over the last eight seasons.
“Thank God for second aprons and the first aprons,” Durant said.
The current CBA is set to remain in effect through at least the 2028-29 season.
In other business, Miami Heat managing general partner and Basketball Hall of Famer Micky Arison was unanimously chosen to serve as the board’s next chairman. He will officially take over at the league’s September board meeting, succeeding Toronto governor Larry Tanenbaum, who has held the role since September 2017 and has served as a Raptors governor for nearly three decades.
“I am grateful for Larry’s nearly three decades of stewardship of the Raptors and his commitment to helping guide our league as NBA Board Chairman over the past nine years,” Silver said. “Micky’s long record of service on the Board, his strong relationships with his fellow team owners and his deep understanding of our game and business make him an exceptional choice to assume this important leadership role.”
Arison, who has the second-longest tenure of any current NBA team governor at 31 years and also serves as longtime chair of the board of directors of Carnival Corporation, expressed enthusiasm about the new role.
“I look forward to working closely in this new capacity with Adam, the league office and my fellow team governors to champion our teams and players, ensuring we continue to deliver exciting and unforgettable experiences for our fans,” Arison said.
Tanenbaum thanked team owners for their support and said he wishes Arison well in the position.
Finally, Silver said he hopes to announce a decision on the All-Star Game format before the regular season begins. The league experimented with a U.S. vs. World mini-tournament this past season, which was generally well-received, and discussions with players about potential adjustments are continuing.
“I think we’re off to a good start,” Silver said.
Atlanta United added experienced Chilean defender Paulo Diaz to their roster on Tuesday, securing the former River Plate standout on a free transfer after his contract with the Argentine club came to an end.
Although the financial specifics of the agreement were not released, the deal is set to run through the 2027-28 MLS season, with club options available for each of the two seasons that follow.
Diaz’s previous club, River Plate, is one of Argentina’s premier teams and took part in last year’s FIFA Club World Cup. Because his contract there had expired, Atlanta was able to bring him on board at no transfer cost.
Across his club career, Diaz has appeared in 364 matches in all competitions, contributing 27 goals and 11 assists. His professional journey has also included stints with Al-Ahli of the Saudi Pro League from 2018 to 2019, and Argentina’s San Lorenzo from 2016 to 2018.
On the international stage, Diaz has represented Chile 56 times and has one international goal to his name.
Atlanta’s chief soccer officer and sporting director Chris Henderson expressed enthusiasm about the signing. “Paulo is a player who will bring toughness, competition and a winning mentality to our group,” Henderson said in a statement.
Henderson continued: “He’s a center back who has a good feel for the game and understands the moments to be aggressive or hold the line defensively. He brings great experience at the club and international level and fits the style that we want to play at Atlanta United. We’re excited to welcome him to Atlanta.”
The move comes during the same transfer window in which Atlanta United also brought in Paraguayan defender Junior Alonso. The club currently holds a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, and 2 draws, good for 11 points on the season.
Kylian Mbappe delivered a harsh verdict on France’s World Cup campaign Tuesday, saying his team’s technical sloppiness and tactical breakdowns allowed Spain to cruise to a 2-0 semifinal victory in Arlington, Texas.
The French captain acknowledged that Les Bleus fell short in both strategy and execution, ending their bid for a third straight appearance in the World Cup final. Spain repeatedly created numerical advantages in midfield, giving Rodri and Fabian Ruiz the freedom to control possession throughout the match.
“We were three against two in midfield and against Spain, that’s hard,” Mbappe said. “Fabian and Rodri had plenty of time to play. There was a lack of communication on the press. I think we should have done man-to-man press and force them to run with us.”
France had looked unstoppable heading into the semifinal, winning all six of its previous matches and putting up 16 goals. But the attack never found its footing against Spain. Mikel Oyarzabal converted a penalty kick in the 22nd minute after Lucas Digne fouled Lamine Yamal, and Pedro Porro added a second goal just before the hour mark to seal the result.
Mbappe said France’s original plan was to press aggressively and keep Spain from settling into its possession-based style. That approach backfired, as Spain repeatedly broke through the pressure and quickly won the ball back whenever France managed to grab it.
“We didn’t play the game we wanted, technically, tactically,” Mbappe said. “When you don’t do what you have to do in a World Cup semifinal, you don’t win.”
The Real Madrid forward also took aim at his team’s ball-handling, saying poor first touches and squandered chances kept France from threatening Spain even when openings presented themselves.
“We were too sloppy technically,” Mbappe said. “We could not hurt them when we could have.”
Coach Didier Deschamps attempted to shake things up by pulling Adrien Rabiot at halftime and bringing on Desire Doue and Rayan Cherki later in the match. None of the substitutions managed to loosen Spain’s grip on the game. Mbappe himself finished without a goal despite entering the match as the tournament’s leading scorer with eight goals to his name.
He is currently tied with Argentina’s Lionel Messi for the Golden Boot award. Mbappe also scored eight goals at the 2022 World Cup, a tournament that ended in heartbreak for France when Argentina defeated them in the final on penalty kicks.
“As the captain, I have to take all the responsibility and I have no problem with that,” Mbappe said. “We wanted to go to the final. We didn’t go.”
France will face the loser of Wednesday’s semifinal between Argentina and England in a third-place match scheduled for Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger, the celebrated airline captain who pulled off what many called the “Miracle on the Hudson” by safely landing a crippled Airbus A320 on New York’s Hudson River in 2009, has publicly revealed that he has been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer’s disease.
Sullenberger, who is 75 years old, shared the news through a statement posted on his personal website, noting that he is already receiving treatment for the condition. Describing what the diagnosis currently means for his daily life, he wrote: “For now, this means a name may not come easily to me, I forget a story I have recently told, or I don’t sleep as well, but I am in the beginning of this long journey.”
The veteran pilot became a household name after he successfully guided a distressed US Airways aircraft onto the Hudson River on January 15, 2009, rescuing all 155 people on board. Aviation experts praised his performance under extreme pressure as nothing short of extraordinary. His story later reached global audiences through the 2016 film “Sully,” in which actor Tom Hanks portrayed him under the direction of Clint Eastwood.
Since that historic landing, Sullenberger has been a tireless voice for aviation safety. In 2022, he briefly took on the role of U.S. ambassador to the International Civil Aviation Organization, which is headquartered in Montreal. Before concluding that assignment, he raised alarms about efforts by regional airlines to roll back pilot qualification requirements, warning that such moves would put air travel safety at risk.
At the time, he stated: “I am deeply committed to aviation safety and security – to the safety and wellbeing of all who fly,” adding that this dedication existed long before the famous Hudson River flight and would remain his focus as he returned to private life.
In 2019, Sullenberger appeared before the U.S. Congress to advocate for mandatory new simulator training for pilots before Boeing 737 MAX aircraft could return to service, following two deadly crashes involving that model. During that testimony, he delivered a pointed assessment of the aviation system, saying: “Our current system of aircraft design and certification has failed us.” Congress responded in 2020 by passing sweeping reforms to how the Federal Aviation Administration certifies new aircraft.
Alzheimer’s disease is a significant public health concern across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an estimated 6.9 million Americans aged 65 and older were living with Alzheimer’s as of 2024, making it the sixth-leading cause of death among that age group.
Taiwan-based contract drugmaker Bora Pharmaceuticals has entered into a major partnership with drug discovery company Insilico Medicine, with the collaboration potentially worth more than $2.5 billion if fully carried out, Insilico announced Wednesday.
According to Insilico, the two companies plan to explore ways to introduce automation across several areas, including pharmaceutical development, process optimization, and quality systems. The partnership is also expected to put Insilico’s technology to work improving efficiency in manufacturing, supply chain management, distribution, and corporate operations.
Bora CEO Bobby Sheng described the vision behind the deal in a statement: “Together, we aim to build a scalable and repeatable model that can advance promising drug candidates more efficiently, positioning Bora at the forefront of AI-enabled pharmaceutical development and manufacturing, and establish a long-term growth platform through the development and commercialisation of high-value proprietary assets.”
Insilico Medicine has been active in forming partnerships across Asia. The company has previously announced agreements with China Medical System and Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical, among other drugmakers in the region.
China’s economy grew at an annual rate of 4.3% in the second quarter, according to official figures released Wednesday — a notable slowdown that fell short of what analysts had anticipated and marked the weakest growth pace since late 2022, when the country was still battling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Economists surveyed by Reuters had projected the April-through-June period would show GDP growth of 4.5% compared to a year ago, following a 5.0% gain in the first quarter. Instead, the numbers came in below that bar, driven down by sluggish domestic demand and the energy price shock connected to the war in Iran.
Key data points from the report included: second-quarter GDP up 4.3% year-over-year (forecast was 4.5%, Q1 was 5.0%); second-quarter GDP up 0.9% compared to the previous quarter (in line with forecasts, but down from 1.3% in Q1); June industrial output up 5.3% year-over-year (forecast 4.7%, May was 4.5%); June retail sales up 1.0% year-over-year (forecast was actually negative at -0.1%, May was -0.6%); first-half fixed asset investment down 5.7% year-over-year (forecast -4.9%, Jan-May was -4.1%); and first-half property investment down 18.0% year-over-year (Jan-May was -16.2%).
Tony Sycamore, an analyst with IG in Sydney, called the result a significant disappointment. “This is a big miss, but what I do think it will do is it will likely see the July politburo meeting signal an acceleration of fiscal rollout for quarter three because they’re now well below their target. I think the focus will be on the strategic infrastructure under the six networks initiative… but yes, to me it doesn’t look like things are getting any better over three,” he said. He added: “I would be concerned about it. I mean, if you were in Australia and you saw 36 months of housing prices decline, that’s three years; we’d be rioting on the streets.”
Woei Chen Ho, an economist at UOB in Singapore, pointed to some bright spots in the data. “The encouraging thing is that retail sales and industrial production actually rebounded quite strongly and more than expected… but the overall outlook is still not very good at this point,” he said. He expects targeted — rather than sweeping — government action: “I don’t think they will be worried enough to announce any big stimulus, but it is going to be targeted, since they are aware that growth is only for the tech areas whereas the broader economy is continuing to underperform. So, it is likely that the measures will be looking more at the consumption side.”
Gary Ng, senior economist for Asia Pacific at Natixis in Hong Kong, painted a cautious picture of the broader economic landscape. “There is no question about the tough macro outlook. Consumers are less willing to spend money unless it is for basic goods. There is also a reduction in investment as the rebound in the property sector remains unclear, and more manufacturing firms are rolling back operations to cope with overcapacity. Still, AI-related sectors are the exceptions with strong demand and growth,” he said. Ng added that even if growth holds flat at 4.3% through the second half of 2026, China could still land within the lower end of its full-year target, and that major policy shifts are unlikely — just fine-tuning.
Shier Lee Lim, lead FX and macro strategist for APAC at Convera in Singapore, said the miss makes a stronger case for policy action. “China’s Q2 GDP miss… strengthens the case for additional policy support at the July Politburo meeting. The composition tells the real story: consumption and industrial output surprised positively, but fixed asset investment is contracting at an accelerating pace, and property investment falling 18% shows the sector remains the structural drag,” Lim said. “Markets will now price in a more forceful policy response — the question is whether support targets demand or, once again, supply.”
Fabien Yip, a market analyst with IG in Sydney, noted that the government’s earlier goal of boosting consumer spending has not materialized. “Growth is still very much powered by manufacturing. What the government wanted to achieve earlier this year, when it set the GDP target, it actually wanted to improve consumption… That story hasn’t really played out yet,” Yip said. He also flagged the absence of interest rate cuts from China’s central bank as a factor to watch: “So far, we’ve not had any rate cuts from the central bank. While they talked about being nimble and there is flexibility to cut rates, we haven’t really seen significant moves from the central bank, so I think that will also come into focus later in the year.”
Andy Ji, an Asian FX and rates analyst at ITC Markets in Shanghai, described the economy as deeply uneven. “The primary drag on the headline growth figure stems from a deepening downturn in domestic investment activity,” he said. “A high-tech-driven industrial engine running alongside cratering domestic consumption and investment firmly highlights the economy’s deeply uneven growth momentum. For policymakers, this imbalance delivers an imperative to pivot away from purely supply-side stimulus.”
Junyu Tan, North Asia economist at Coface in Hong Kong, highlighted the split between China’s export performance and its domestic struggles. “Overall, Q2 data highlights a deepening divergence between domestic and external demand. Export outperformance was still underpinned by AI hardware and green-tech demand, while domestic demand is being weighed down by the prolonged property slump,” Tan said. He added that June showed some stabilization signs, but cautioned: “This rebound cannot be sustained without swifter policy action.”
Zhiwei Zhang, chief economist at Pinpoint Asset Management in Hong Kong, offered a more measured take, suggesting the slowdown may not dramatically shift Beijing’s approach. “The economic growth slowed in Q2, but I am not sure it would push the government to change policy stance significantly in the coming months. We need to keep in mind that the Q1 GDP growth was strong at 5%. This means the government is still on track to deliver growth in line with the official target set at 4.5%-5%,” Zhang said. He noted that the Politburo meeting scheduled for the final week of July would offer clearer signals on the government’s direction.
In the broader context, China’s economy has been losing momentum after a stronger-than-anticipated start to the year. Analysts have pointed to a widening gap between robust factory output and exports on one side, and weak household spending and private investment on the other — with a prolonged downturn in the property sector continuing to drag on consumer confidence. China has managed to absorb much of the oil price shock through large energy reserves and state-controlled fuel prices, but a prolonged rise in energy costs could squeeze factory profits and limit Beijing’s ability to support growth. A Reuters poll projects China’s economic growth will ease to 4.6% in 2026 from 5.0% last year, and slow further to 4.4% in 2027.
Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett made their way to Capitol Hill on Tuesday to take part in a routine budget hearing with members of Congress.
The two justices addressed the topic of security funding during the scheduled meeting, which is a standard part of the court’s annual budget process with lawmakers.
A crash on Interstate 95 southbound has resulted in the closure of the left lane near the Glenrock Drive overpass, according to traffic officials.
Motorists traveling through the area are advised to slow down and allow extra time for their commute, as the lane closure may cause backups in the vicinity.
Drivers are encouraged to stay alert, follow any posted signs or traffic control instructions, and consider alternate routes if possible until the roadway is fully cleared.
China’s economy lost some momentum in the second quarter of this year, with the government reporting Wednesday that growth came in at an annualized rate of 4.3%.
That figure marks a step down from the 5% expansion recorded during the January through March period. The April-June slowdown came even as Chinese exports performed strongly, fueled in part by global demand tied to artificial intelligence technology and continued international appetite for Chinese electric vehicles.
China has largely avoided the broader economic fallout from the Iran war. Customs figures show exports climbed 17.6% during the first half of the year compared to the same period a year ago.
However, spending by consumers at home and domestic investment have both been sluggish, which has limited the overall economic benefit of China’s booming export sector.
For the full year 2026, Chinese leadership has established a growth target ranging from 4.5% to 5% — a more modest goal than the 5% growth the country achieved last year.
The International Monetary Fund recently adjusted its outlook for China upward by 0.2 percentage points, now projecting 4.6% annual growth. Even so, the IMF cautioned that it expects China’s economy to slow further, expanding by just 4.1% in 2027.
DBS Group, Singapore’s largest bank, has set its sights on a major milestone — growing its wealth management assets to more than S$1 trillion, or approximately $774 billion, by the year 2030, according to the head of the bank’s wealth unit.
The goal covers both the bank’s retail and wealth divisions and would represent an increase of roughly S$400 billion from the S$632 billion in wealth assets the bank held at the close of 2025.
Shee Tse Koon, DBS’s group executive and group head of consumer banking and wealth management, explained the ambition at a media briefing. “From full year 2015 to 2025, in 10 years, we grew our AUM by S$400 billion. Looking at the traction, our ambition now is to grow the same S$400 billion by half the time,” he said.
He also pointed to broader economic forces working in the bank’s favor. “Many of the macro trends that we see, for example the rise of wealth in Asia, and also the shift of wealth into Asia, I think these macro trends are what will be tailwinds,” Shee added.
Banks around the world have been expanding their wealth services throughout Asia, eager to tap into the region’s rapidly growing population of affluent clients. Singapore has emerged as a major destination for that wealth, drawing steady inflows thanks to its reputation as a safe and stable financial center amid global uncertainty — a trend that has benefited the city-state’s three largest banks.
As of May, DBS reported a 20% year-over-year increase in newly enrolled high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients. The bank currently serves more than a third of all single-family offices established in Singapore.
To keep pace with that growth, DBS plans to bring on more than 600 relationship managers, frontline advisers, and platform engineers before the end of 2028. The hiring push will focus primarily on the bank’s key markets: Singapore, Hong Kong, China, India, Indonesia, and Taiwan.
“It’s not just about the frontliners. We need the engineers, the tech people, the platform people to create that capability and the capacity,” Shee said. He also emphasized the bank’s broad approach to serving clients across different financial levels, saying, “Our wealth continuum is about really winning in every segment… it’s about serving them most appropriately in that segment, because as I said, customers are not homogeneous.”
Last month, DBS announced plans to open 18 new wealth centers across Asia by the end of 2027 and upgrade 36 existing locations over the following 18 months — the most extensive physical expansion the bank’s wealth division has ever undertaken.
(Note: $1 = 1.2924 Singapore dollars)
The International Olympic Committee is facing a formal complaint accusing FIFA president Gianni Infantino of repeatedly violating political neutrality rules through his public support of President Donald Trump.
The complaint was filed by FairSquare, a nonprofit advocacy organization, which is calling on the IOC to look into several alleged violations — including Infantino’s possible role in overturning a one-game suspension for U.S. men’s national team striker Folarin Balogun. That suspension had been set to keep Balogun out of the United States’ round of 16 contest against Belgium on July 6.
Infantino confirmed that he received a phone call from Trump, who had publicly pushed for Balogun to be allowed to play. However, the FIFA president maintained that he played no part in the actual decision-making process.
Balogun did ultimately take the field, but the U.S. was knocked out of the tournament with a 4-1 loss to Belgium. The suspension stemmed from a direct red card Balogun received in the 64th minute of a July 1 match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, after he was called for a foul on player Tarik Muharemovic. The United States went on to win that game 2-0 despite playing with ten men, and Balogun was automatically suspended for the following match.
Under FIFA rules, red cards and the suspensions that follow cannot be appealed. Despite that, FIFA quietly posted a message on its website on July 5 offering no detailed explanation: “By operation of Article 27 FDC, the implementation of the automatic match suspension for USA player Folarin Balogun is suspended for a probationary period of one (1) year.”
Trump addressed the situation on the day of the Belgium match, saying he simply requested a review because he disagreed with the original call. “All I did was ask for a review because I didn’t think it was a foul,” Trump said. “And, you know, again, I’m good at this stuff. I didn’t think it was a foul. I thought it was two great athletes that crashed into each other and got entangled.”
Trump continued: “I think they made a really brilliant decision. I think the referee’s call was horrible and nobody talks about that. They talk about the red card like it’s fine, nobody talks the referee’s decision to red card.”
In response, Infantino issued a statement through FIFA’s website asserting that the organization’s judicial committees operate independently. “Their independence is essential to the credibility and integrity of football, and this must always be respected,” the statement said.
FairSquare, however, is challenging that credibility. The group pointed out that Infantino has also been an IOC member since 2020 and is therefore bound by the Olympic Charter and the IOC Code of Ethics, both of which require strict political neutrality. The organization noted that the IOC has the authority to remove members who fail to meet those standards.
“As outlined in the FairSquare complaint, there is compelling evidence that Infantino has committed five clear breaches of IOC rules on political neutrality through statements or other clear expressions of support for the US President,” FairSquare wrote on its website.
Beyond the Balogun situation, the complaint identifies four other alleged violations. One involves Infantino promoting a FIFA fan website for the 2026 World Cup that FairSquare described as appearing to be “part of a data-harvesting campaign run by entities linked to President Trump.” Another centers on a supportive post Infantino made on Instagram after attending an event connected to Trump’s presidential inauguration in January 2025.
Additionally, Infantino publicly endorsed Trump for the Nobel Prize in October 2025 and made further supportive comments in November. In December, he presented Trump with the inaugural FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw held at the Kennedy Center.
FairSquare had previously filed a separate complaint with FIFA’s own ethics committee in December. That effort drew support from the Norwegian football federation, and 50 members of the European Parliament submitted their own letter on June 29 echoing similar concerns.
Neither the IOC nor FIFA responded to requests for comment from multiple news organizations.
Tampa Bay Rays slugger Junior Caminero was forced to exit the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night after taking a tailing sinker off his left hand in the third inning. The pitch came from St. Louis Cardinals right-hander Riley O’Brien on a 1-0 count.
The impact dropped Caminero to the ground immediately, though he was able to get back on his feet and make his way off the field under his own power, heading into the American League dugout. Chicago White Sox infielder Miguel Vargas entered the game as a pinch runner in his place.
Caminero underwent X-rays following the incident, and according to the Fox broadcast, the results came back negative — meaning no fracture was detected.
The 23-year-old was appearing in his second All-Star Game and has been one of the standout performers in the major leagues this season. Through 94 games with Tampa Bay, he has clubbed 28 home runs, driven in 59 runs, and is hitting .279 with an on-base percentage of .372 and a slugging percentage of .555.
Just the night before, Caminero competed in the Home Run Derby, advancing all the way to the semifinals before being eliminated by eventual champion Jordan Walker of the Cardinals. During the competition, Caminero launched the longest home run of the entire event — a massive 491-foot shot to left-center field.
The U.S. dollar extended its slide Wednesday, retreating further after falling from a two-week high, as a cooler-than-anticipated inflation report led traders to scale back their expectations for a Federal Reserve interest rate hike in the coming weeks.
The greenback dropped 0.1% against the Japanese yen, trading at 162.08. Meanwhile, both the euro and the British pound each climbed 0.1%, reaching $1.1433 and $1.3401, respectively.
The New Zealand dollar held firm at $0.5819, hovering near its best level in a month, while the Australian dollar remained steady at $0.6983.
The U.S. dollar index, which tracks the dollar against a group of six major currencies, dipped slightly to 100.81. The index had dropped 0.35% in the prior session — its steepest single-day decline in nearly two weeks — pulling it back from its highest point since July 2.
June consumer inflation came in at 3.5% on a year-over-year basis, slower than markets had anticipated. The headline consumer price index fell 0.4% for the month, marking the first monthly drop since April 2020, driven largely by a retreat in energy costs.
Bond yields also fell following the unexpectedly mild inflation data, with two-year U.S. Treasury yields retreating nine basis points from a 16-month peak, as investors dialed back bets on an imminent rate increase from the Fed.
“The sizeable downside surprise gives the Fed greater scope to remain on hold for longer,” said Sim Moh Siong, FX strategist at OCBC, pointing out that central bank officials had indicated their July decision would depend heavily on the June inflation figures. “While we continue to expect modest USD appreciation by year-end, near-term upside momentum may remain constrained in the absence of fresh catalysts,” he added.
Traders now widely anticipate the Fed will hold off on a July rate hike as inflation cools. According to Fed funds futures prices tracked by CME Group, the probability of a July rate increase was cut in half, falling to just 16% following the inflation reports.
Still, some of that optimism was tempered by remarks from Fed Chair Kevin Warsh, who testified before the House Financial Services Committee that the central bank has “no tolerance” for persistently high inflation and pledged to “do my job” if challenged by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Adding to inflation concerns, escalating hostilities involving Iran in the Gulf pushed oil prices back to one-month highs. Trump reimposed a naval blockade of all Iranian ports on Tuesday, and the U.S. military announced a new round of strikes aimed at “continuing to degrade Iranian capabilities used to attack commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz.”
“One month of softer-than-expected CPI data will not close the door to interest rate hikes,” CBA economist Samara Hammoud wrote in a note, adding that markets are closely watching producer prices data due later in the day.
Asian financial markets moved higher on Wednesday following a surprising slowdown in U.S. inflation that led investors to scale back their expectations for future interest rate increases. Oil prices also leveled off after the United States abandoned a proposal to charge a fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
Strong earnings reports from major Wall Street banks added to the positive mood. However, a sharp 25% drop in IBM’s share price — after the technology company’s revenue outlook fell short of what analysts had predicted — highlighted just how fragile the recent rally in artificial intelligence-related stocks has become.
South Korea’s KOSPI, which is heavily weighted with chipmakers, surged 6% in early trading. Japan’s Nikkei gained 0.4%, and MSCI’s broad index tracking Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan climbed 1.7%.
The U.S. dollar fell against most currencies, though it remained relatively strong against the Japanese yen. Short-term bond prices rose, pushing two-year Treasury yields down 11 basis points to 4.19%, retreating from Tuesday’s 17-month high of nearly 4.3%.
The U.S. headline consumer price index fell 0.4% in June — its first decline since the COVID-19 pandemic. Core inflation on an annualized basis came in at 2.6%, below the 2.8% that economists had anticipated.
Analysts at J.P. Morgan described the data in glowing terms in a note sent to clients: “For market bulls this is even better than Goldilocks could have imagined.”
The analysts added: “Inflation (is) lower with positive earnings growth. This print should remove any fears over a July rate hike and may assuage fears on September, too. This sets up the market to move higher and to broaden as it does so.”
Following the inflation report, market expectations for a U.S. interest rate increase in July dropped by half, falling to just 16%.
The euro held steady above $1.14, while the Australian dollar clung to a 0.8% gain and was testing the $0.70 level.
Brent crude oil futures hovered around $85.50 per barrel, having already gained more than 12% this week amid renewed fighting in the Middle East.
U.S. President Donald Trump reinstated a naval blockade of Iranian ports on Tuesday and threatened strikes against power plants and bridges the following week unless Iran returned to negotiations to resolve the ongoing conflict. He did, however, drop the earlier proposal for a 20% fee on vessels transiting the Strait of Hormuz.
On Wall Street overnight, the Nasdaq rose 0.9% and the S&P 500 gained 0.4%. U.S. futures were pointing slightly higher heading into Wednesday’s session.
Investors in Asia were also watching for Chinese economic data, including gross domestic product figures, industrial production numbers, and retail sales results. Attention was also focused on upcoming earnings from ASML, Europe’s most valuable company and the world’s largest supplier of equipment used to manufacture AI chips.
In the United States, BNY, Johnson & Johnson, and BlackRock were scheduled to release earnings before markets opened Wednesday morning, with United Airlines set to report after the closing bell.
BARUIPUR, India — One Saturday evening earlier this month, an 11-year-old girl stepped out of her home in a small eastern Indian town, headed to celebrate a friend’s birthday. She never came back.
According to a local police investigator, the girl was abducted, raped, stuffed into a sack and thrown — still alive — into a nearby pond by a group of men. Her lifeless body, covered in bite marks and bruises, was pulled from the trash-filled pond the following morning, July 5, as horrified residents and her 46-year-old father looked on.
“My mind is not working. I have not been able to think straight in days,” the girl’s father told Reuters. Under Indian law, the identities of the victim and her family are being withheld because disclosure of identifying details in such cases is prohibited.
The murder is the latest in a long string of brutal sexual assaults that advocates say reflect a deeply rooted crisis across India. Government data from the National Crime Records Bureau shows more than 80 rapes are reported to police each day, and activists warn that many more go unreported due to victim blaming and social stigma.
Experts point to entrenched patriarchy and misogyny, chronically understaffed police departments, and a judiciary plagued by severe backlogs as factors that embolden perpetrators. That sense of escaping consequences, activists argue, is fueling a relentless cycle of violence.
India recorded 29,536 rape cases in 2024, a number that has remained largely stagnant in recent years. Meanwhile, sexual crimes against children have climbed sharply over the past decade, with cases filed under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act reaching a record 69,191.
The Baruipur case has placed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party under scrutiny, as the party recently took power in West Bengal state — where Baruipur is located — with women’s safety as one of its central campaign pledges.
The incident is not isolated. In the past month alone, at least two other cases have captured national attention. In the northwestern state of Rajasthan, a 12-year-old girl was abducted, drugged and raped by multiple men across four days at various hotels before being rescued. Police said 22 people have been arrested in that case. Separately, the Times of India reported Monday that a 7-year-old girl was raped and killed, her body discarded in an empty shaft at an under-construction shopping mall in Ghaziabad, roughly 30 kilometers from India’s parliament.
Karuna Nundy, an attorney who helped craft India’s anti-rape legislation, said no government has made a serious effort to “uproot the misogyny and patriarchy” at the heart of the problem. “There needs to be a sustained effort towards changing behaviour at the community level,” she said. “It is crucial to recruit the right kind of police personnel and appoint judges who have a gender progressive understanding of these issues.”
A sweeping legal overhaul followed the 2012 gang rape and murder of a woman on a moving bus in Delhi — a case that shocked the nation and sparked massive public protests. Tougher sentencing and fast-track courts were introduced. Yet advocates say little has changed in practice.
“Nothing is going to change simply because the regime changes. This is a deep-rooted problem embedded in our patriarchal culture, not just in West Bengal but across India,” said Satabdi Das, a gender rights activist based in Kolkata.
The government had originally planned to establish 2,600 fast-track courts dedicated to sexual crimes by 2026, but the latest official data shows only 755 have been set up, including 410 courts exclusively handling child sexual abuse cases.
India’s National Commission for Women, a government-appointed oversight body, said the Rajasthan case exposed “serious administrative lapses, policing gaps and inadequate monitoring mechanisms that allowed such criminal activities to continue.” A senior Rajasthan police officer, Hari Shankar Yadav, countered that the department acted quickly to arrest the primary suspect and rescue the child.
In the Baruipur case, the girl’s family believes a faster police response to their missing-person report that night could have saved her life. “Apart from asking a few locals about her whereabouts, the police did not do much,” a close family friend told Reuters. Community members ultimately took it upon themselves to review footage from two nearby security cameras. Police officer Arvind Kumar Anand said the department is reviewing internal reports “to see who made what mistake.”
Public frustration over slow-moving trials has also fueled support for so-called “encounter” killings — cases in which police shoot suspects under disputed circumstances. In the Baruipur case, one suspect was shot and killed after officers said he grabbed a weapon from a police team. West Bengal BJP state minister Agnimitra Paul confirmed four suspects had been arrested and one “killed in an encounter,” declaring: “The message is very clear from our government that we are not going to tolerate any kind of nonsense.”
Human rights advocates and opposition figures, however, warn that such extrajudicial killings undermine the legal system. “The police shooting of suspects is a spectacle designed to assuage the anxiety of society; that instant justice will make the crime disappear,” said Vrinda Grover, a lawyer and rights activist. “Far from deterring crime, it gives impetus to the arbitrary powers of the police and the state over the lives of citizens.”
Shares of SK Hynix surged more than 11.8% during Wednesday morning trading in Seoul, boosted by a strong overnight performance in U.S. technology stocks following a U.S. inflation report that came in below expectations.
Adding to the upward momentum, Barclays initiated research coverage on the company, assigning an “overweight” rating and setting a price target of $330 per share on SK Hynix’s newly listed American Depositary Receipts. Those ADRs had already posted a dramatic gain of nearly 28% on the Nasdaq on Tuesday, closing at $193.92.
South Korea’s benchmark KOSPI index was also on the rise, trading up 6.9% as of 0023 GMT on Wednesday.
Motorists traveling eastbound on US 40 are facing a lane restriction due to ongoing construction activity in the area.
The right lane between Wilton Boulevard and US 13 is currently closed, and drivers should plan for potential delays along that stretch.
The lane closure is expected to remain in place until 2 a.m. Drivers are encouraged to allow extra travel time or consider an alternate route if possible.
Spain shut out France 2-0 in Arlington, Texas, booking a spot in the World Cup final for the first time since the team’s championship run in 2010. Mikel Oyarzabal converted from the penalty spot after a clever play by teenage sensation Lamine Yamal set up the opportunity. Pedro Porro added a second goal in the 58th minute on a give-and-go with Dani Olmo. Yamal nearly added a goal of his own, but was ruled offside in a close call. Spain will now await the winner of Wednesday’s semifinal in Atlanta between defending champion Argentina and England, with the final set for Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
France’s Kylian Mbappé has been denied a third straight trip to the World Cup final after his team’s 2-0 loss to Spain. The French striker struggled to create chances throughout the match. Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi are neck and neck in the race for the Golden Boot, each with eight goals. Mbappé holds an edge in assists with three, compared to Messi’s two. France will now play the loser of Wednesday’s Argentina-England match in the third-place game on Saturday in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The head of baseball’s players’ union is pushing back hard against Major League Baseball’s campaign promoting a salary cap. Bruce Meyer argued that the sport is actually doing well and accused MLB of trying to convince fans that the game is in trouble. Attendance figures have gone up this season. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has defended the cap proposal, saying it addresses fan concerns about competitive balance and gives smaller-market teams a better shot at success. Popular recent changes such as expanded playoffs and a pitch clock have been well received. The current labor agreement expires December 1, and a work stoppage is widely anticipated. Meyer contends that a salary cap would hurt players over the long haul.
Major League Baseball and its players’ union are in the early stages of discussing whether big-league players will participate in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Players are seeking guarantees regarding accommodations and quality of life. MLB is envisioning an 11-day All-Star break with the Olympic baseball tournament held at Dodger Stadium from July 13-19. Five parties are currently involved in the negotiations, including the International Olympic Committee. Commissioner Rob Manfred called it a rare chance to grow the sport’s profile. MLB is pushing for player participation to be required, while the union continues to weigh in on player welfare concerns.
Atlanta Falcons running back Bijan Robinson has been named the top running back in the NFL by an Associated Press panel. Robinson entered the league in 2023 as the first running back selected in the top 10 of the draft in five years and quickly made his presence felt. Last season, he led the entire NFL in yards from scrimmage and earned All-Pro honors. Christian McCaffrey, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Jahmyr Gibbs round out the top five at the position.
Wednesday’s World Cup semifinal in Atlanta between England and Argentina is shaping up to be as much about individual star power as it is about team tactics. The matchup between Argentina’s Lionel Messi and England’s Jude Bellingham — both wearing the No. 10 — could be the deciding factor in the contest. England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford acknowledged the challenge ahead, saying of the 39-year-old Messi, “We know how good Messi is.” Both players have been driving forces in their teams’ runs to the final four, and whoever makes the bigger impact on the day may well determine who advances.
World No. 1 golfer Scottie Scheffler is using a rare missed cut as an opportunity to regroup ahead of the British Open at Royal Birkdale in Southport, England. Scheffler missed the cut at the Scottish Open for the first time in four years, but has made the most of the extra time by getting familiar with the Royal Birkdale course. He described the links layout as fast and firm with a yellowish tone. Both Scheffler and Justin Rose believe that reading the fairway bounces correctly will be a critical factor in claiming the silver claret jug.
Scottie Scheffler and Rory McIlroy are both in pursuit of a second British Open title at Royal Birkdale, though neither seems particularly focused on what that might mean for their long-term legacies. McIlroy offered a philosophical take when asked about how his career will be remembered a century from now, saying simply, “I’ll be long gone. I’ll be dead.” Scheffler echoed that sentiment, stating, “I’m going to live my life and it’s going to end. When it ends, I’m going somewhere else.” Despite their relaxed attitudes toward history, the two remain the favorites to win the tournament.
Roch Cholowsky, the No. 1 overall pick in last weekend’s amateur baseball draft, has agreed to a contract with the Chicago White Sox that includes a record $10.35 million signing bonus, according to a source familiar with the deal who spoke to the Associated Press before the team made an official announcement. The slot value for the top pick this year was set at $11,350,600. Cholowsky’s bonus surpasses the previous record of $9.25 million, which had been shared by two players selected among the top three picks in the 2024 draft.
Hilton Grand Vacations has terminated an employee who sent a racial slur through social media to Las Vegas Aces guard Chelsea Gray following the team’s 109-75 loss to the Indiana Fever on Sunday. Gray, who is 33 years old, shared the offensive message on her Instagram story on Monday. Hilton Grand Vacations confirmed to the Associated Press on Tuesday that the person responsible for sending the message is no longer with the company.
ATLANTA — England manager Thomas Tuchel says his players are keeping their eyes on the present, not the past, as the team gears up for a high-stakes World Cup semi-final showdown against Argentina on Wednesday.
The match pits two of soccer’s most legendary nations against each other in a fixture that has delivered some of the most unforgettable moments in World Cup history. But Tuchel made clear that his team’s preparation has been about what lies ahead, not what came before.
“I would say it’s irrelevant, but I’m not sure about it,” Tuchel told reporters on the eve of the semi-final. “I think the players are very aware of both countries, what it means to them. If a fixture provides so many iconic moments, I think you cannot just say it’s just another football match.”
He added, “But as a coach, we do exactly that: focus on what we can influence. We don’t actually speak about the historic events. We don’t speak about the iconic moments. It’s in itself iconic enough, and attention is big enough.”
With the pressure mounting, Tuchel said his coaching staff is working to keep things as straightforward as possible for the players.
“The bigger the stage gets, the bigger the tension grows,” he said. “So hopefully, we can simplify the messages enough that they can execute it.”
England is chasing a spot in their first World Cup final in 60 years — the last time they lifted the trophy was on home soil. But Tuchel pushed back on the idea that the weight of that history has become a burden on the squad.
“I don’t feel a burden,” he said. “I will feel the nerves and the tension tomorrow. That just comes normal in these matches.”
What the German coach has noticed instead is a group of players ready and eager for the challenge.
“What I really like in the last days is that the players are very competitive, they are very excited, they are hungry to play this match,” he said. “The two shirts are just iconic. The historic matches are iconic. There are iconic moments, but everyone recognises these shirts. Straight away, everyone recognises the players. It is an absolute beauty in the magnitude of a match, in the magnitude of an occasion.”
Tuchel also dismissed the notion of making personal history as the first foreign coach to lead any nation to a World Cup title.
“It just doesn’t work like this for me,” he said. “I don’t have these kind of goals and don’t set these goals. I just love what I do, and I’m grateful for the opportunity.”
He spoke passionately about what the World Cup means beyond the sport itself.
“I think that’s essentially what the World Cup is for — to excite the country, to excite fans and to transmit energy and make people forget their worries, make people’s lives better for 90, 120 minutes and be united and represented by a team,” he said. “There’s so much to love about this England squad and I’m very glad that people feel it.”
While Tuchel expects an emotionally charged atmosphere on Wednesday, he stressed that England won’t be leaning on historical rivalry as a motivational tool.
“We know why we’re here. We know what we want,” he said. “We are in the semi-finals. We arrived very hungry in the semi-finals. We want to have the next win. We respect our opponent, but we don’t dip into historic events and we don’t make it bigger than it is. It’s a big football match, a big occasion.”
Argentina star Lionel Messi has been the dominant talking point in the buildup, and Tuchel offered praise for Argentina’s captain while making clear England intends to play its own game.
“Once Leo Messi has the ball, the movement starts, and just the technical execution of the delivery and of the supply of Messi is on the absolutely highest level,” Tuchel said. “So there’s a lot to take care of, but we are here to impose our style, to impose our strengths.”
YAOUNDE, Cameroon — Despite muddy, rain-soaked roads, Mabel Djoumessi pressed on with her 9-month-old son Kenfack secured to her back, determined not to miss his malaria vaccination appointment at a clinic in central Cameroon. For her, the trip was non-negotiable.
For generations, malaria has been one of the most devastating diseases facing young children across Africa. But Kenfack has never contracted the illness — something his mother credits entirely to the newly available malaria vaccine.
“My other children who have never taken the vaccine frequently fall ill,” Djoumessi said while seated with other mothers at Soa District Hospital, each cradling their young children.
Cameroon was the first country in the world to add the RTS,S malaria vaccine to its standard immunization schedule, a milestone reached more than two years ago. Health workers on the ground say they are witnessing a clear reduction in severe illness as a result.
Even so, a serious concern has emerged: not enough children are returning for the fourth and final booster shot. The World Health Organization considers that final dose essential to extend immunity, but because it comes months after the first three, many families don’t follow through.
This challenge is part of a broader pattern seen with multi-dose vaccines across the African continent. According to the WHO and the United Nations children’s agency, malaria kills nearly one child under the age of 5 every minute worldwide, with the overwhelming majority of those deaths occurring in Africa.
A study published last year in the peer-reviewed Malaria Journal examined a malaria vaccine pilot program spanning 158 districts across Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi. It found that roughly 80% of eligible children received the first dose at around six months of age. By the time the fourth dose was due — between 22 and 24 months — that figure had dropped to just 46%.
Djoumessi said she intends to be different. “When my son turns 2, I will make sure I come for the fourth dose,” she said. “I don’t want him to suffer like the others.”
Malaria is still the number one reason children are admitted to hospitals in Cameroon, which is among 11 countries that together account for roughly 70% of the world’s malaria burden, according to the WHO. In 2024 alone, Cameroon recorded an estimated 7.6 million malaria cases and 11,700 deaths.
Early data from Cameroon’s National Malaria Control Program offers some hope: health facilities logged 33,000 fewer cases in 2025 compared to the year before. But officials caution against giving the vaccine sole credit for the decline.
“Isolating the specific impact of malaria interventions requires modeling, and we do not yet have a model to quantify the vaccine’s sole contribution,” said Dr. Bomba Amougou, head of prevention at the National Malaria Control Program. “Therefore, it is accurate to say that the vaccine has contributed to the reduction in cases and deaths, rather than being the exclusive cause.”
The WHO formally recommended the RTS,S vaccine for broader use in 2021, after pilot studies in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi showed it reduced deaths among eligible children by 13%. Separate clinical trials conducted across several African countries found that both RTS,S and the newer R21 vaccine cut clinical malaria cases by more than 50% during the first year following three doses.
To date, more than 52 million doses have been delivered to 25 high-risk African countries with support from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. However, Gavi has acknowledged a “stark constraint” in the rollout, largely due to sweeping foreign aid cuts by the Trump administration and other donors. The organization says it is working to guarantee vaccine supply for up to 70% of eligible children in the lowest-income countries.
At Soa District Hospital, nursing staff say the difference is visible. “Our pediatric wards have become empty,” said Alice Tchuenmegne, a senior nurse overseeing vaccinations at the facility.
After rolling out the vaccine across 42 high-burden districts, Cameroon has seen gradual improvements in coverage for the first three doses — given at six, seven, and nine months of age. First-dose coverage climbed from 66% to 68% between 2024 and 2025, second-dose coverage rose from 53% to 58%, and third-dose coverage jumped from 48% to 59%, according to Amougou.
Despite that progress, coverage for the fourth dose — given around a child’s second birthday — stood at only 25% as of 2025.
“Parents and even health workers sometimes forget the fourth dose, particularly as it is administered long after the third, and because this is a relatively new vaccine,” Amougou said. He emphasized that completing all four doses “makes the protection more potent” and that the vaccine must be used alongside bed nets, timely treatment, and proper sanitation.
Research from the early rollout in Ghana, Kenya, and Malawi found that parents broadly accepted the malaria vaccine. The main reasons children missed later doses were transportation costs, a lack of reminder systems, poor follow-up from health facilities, and competing demands from work and childcare.
Gavi’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Sania Nishtar, acknowledged the lower completion rates but pushed back on the idea that they overshadow the vaccine’s value. “The lower vaccination rates are initial teething problems that I don’t think should take the spotlight away from the value of this vaccine,” she said in an interview.
Nishtar also noted that the malaria vaccine faces less hesitancy from parents than almost any other vaccine, which she attributed to how desperate families are to protect their children. That desperation has created “huge demand” from both governments and communities, she said.
Cameroon and other African nations have since launched “Big Catch-up” campaigns aimed at encouraging both parents and health workers to prioritize getting children fully vaccinated. Nishtar added that researchers are continuing to work toward a single-dose malaria vaccine. “The fewer the doses of a vaccine to be administered, the higher the uptake and the easier the administration,” she said.
For many families, the stakes go beyond health — malaria also brings crushing financial strain. Georgette Caroline Mengbwa, a mother of three waiting at the hospital for her youngest daughter’s third dose, said her two older children were born before the vaccine was available.
“They fall ill every two or three months, and I have to spend between $53 and $107 each time one or all of them fall ill,” she said. “It’s a lot of money.”
Those costs are especially burdensome in Cameroon, where the monthly minimum wage is approximately $76 and nearly 40% of the population lives in poverty, according to official figures.
BEIJING (AP) — Every morning at one of Beijing’s most storied landmarks, hundreds of people raise and lower their arms in flowing, bird-like motions — a centuries-old practice that remains deeply woven into Chinese daily life.
The Temple of Heaven serves as the backdrop for these daily tai chi sessions, where practitioners of all experience levels gather to exercise both body and mind. Tai chi is a physical and philosophical discipline that took shape more than 300 years ago and continues to hold strong relevance in China today.
“The environment is great and the air is good too,” said Ye Guirong, 64. “You can see we’re surrounded by trees.”
The majority of those who show up each morning are retirees in their 60s or older. Some work through their routines in groups, accompanied by soothing music playing from a speaker nearby. Others prefer to practice alone in silence.
Ye first came across tai chi in 2010. Having just retired, she was exploring the city on foot when she stumbled upon the group she now leads.
“I thought it looked good, so I started practicing,” she said.
When someone new joins a group, the leader takes them through the foundational movements. The newcomer’s form is regularly reviewed and adjusted until they advance to the next level.
Among the fundamental movements in tai chi are “White Crane Spreads Its Wings,” in which one arm lifts while the other drops, and “Part the Wild Horse’s Mane,” a sweeping, flowing sequence where the body shifts its weight forward as the arms open softly in front of the chest.
“The movements have been passed down from one instructor to another,” Ye said.
Ye leads a group called Cypress Grove, which has roughly 30 members and recently added its newest participant. Zu Hong, 59, managed to learn a 24-movement routine in approximately one month. Ye says she is now prepared to move on to the second set of movements.
“I thought tai chi looked very beautiful,” Zu said. “I wanted to exercise, so I came here to the Temple of Heaven.”
The Temple of Heaven itself has a rich history. It was established in the 15th century by a Ming dynasty emperor and functions as a complex of religious structures representing the connection between heaven and earth. Its most recognized building, the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, once served as the ceremonial location where emperors acted as go-betweens for humanity and the heavens, presenting offerings and prayers for successful harvests. Today the site draws tourists, and its gardens remain open to the public.
In China, tai chi carries a dual meaning. It refers to the martial art form known as Taijiquan, as well as to the philosophical framework behind it, called Taiji. Central to both is the concept of qi — often described as vital energy or a life force that moves through the body.
In traditional Chinese medicine, good health depends on qi flowing freely through a system of pathways called meridians, which are thought to link the body’s organs, limbs, and other parts. Practices like acupuncture are intended to help regulate that flow.
“Practices like tai chi and qigong are all about activating, regulating or improving the flow of qi in the body,” said James Miller, a professor of Humanities at Duke Kunshan University in China’s Jiangsu province. “That’s something very key to Daoism (Taoism), but it’s also part of the broader Chinese conception of the body and of the world.”
Qi is also believed to exist beyond the human body, flowing through the natural world — through mountains and rivers alike.
“This is also why it’s traditional to establish temples on mountains,” Miller said. “They’re understood not just as beautiful or remote places, but because they’re closer to nature.”
Tai chi comes in several styles, each featuring its own set of forms. Ye’s Cypress Grove group meets every morning at 7:40 a.m. to practice Yang-style tai chi for roughly an hour and a half. The group cycles through different routines — some involving 24, 42, or 48 movements, and others incorporating swords or fans.
“Through exercising, everyone’s health has improved,” Ye said. “Our spirits are especially good.”
The oldest recognized form of tai chi is Chen-style, which dates back to the 17th century. It was created by Chen Wangting, a military commander who later turned toward a spiritual path.
“He practiced Daoist (Taoist) methods of self-cultivation including meditation,” said Tai Chi master Chen Haitao. “Then one day he experienced a sudden awakening: the meridians throughout his body all opened, his mind became enlightened, and wisdom suddenly emerged.”
That experience transformed Chen Wangting’s life, according to Chen Haitao. Driven by a desire to share that awakening with others, he found that movement was the vehicle to do so.
The martial art and the philosophy it rests on are designed to complement one another, Chen explained. The physical movements provide the method, while the philosophy gives those movements their deeper purpose.
“One of the great benefits of Taijiquan is that it is suitable for everyone,” Chen said. “As long as you learn the basic principles correctly and maintain proper alignment, whoever practices it will benefit from it.”
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A federal appeals court has brought an end to more than 60 years of federal oversight over a Louisiana school district that was once ordered to eliminate racial segregation.
The 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted the long-standing desegregation order against the Concordia Parish School Board on Tuesday, delivering a win to President Donald Trump’s administration. The White House has made dismantling such court-ordered plans a priority, and the Concordia Parish case has become a central example in that effort to close out legal cases rooted in the Civil Rights era.
For decades, the U.S. Justice Department fought to uphold these types of desegregation orders — but that stance reversed under the Trump administration. Officials now characterize the remaining orders as the federal government overstepping into matters that should be handled at the local level. Louisiana officials have echoed that view, calling the orders outdated remnants of a time when Black students were barred from attending certain schools.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced the ruling with a pointed statement: “The good people of Concordia Parish elected their school board to govern their schools — not unelected federal judges. Today’s decision puts that authority back where it belongs.”
The Concordia Parish School Board did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday. The families who originally filed the lawsuit are no longer part of the case.
The legal battle began in 1965, when Concordia Parish was a segregated community and home to a violent splinter group of the Ku Klux Klan. Black families living in Ferriday — a town along the central-eastern edge of Louisiana — filed suit demanding access to all-white schools, prompting the federal government to step in. As the district began integrating, many white families left Ferriday.
Over time, the district’s schools began to mirror the demographics of their surrounding communities. Ferriday remains predominantly Black and low-income, while the neighboring town of Vidalia is mostly white and benefits from tax revenue generated by a hydroelectric plant.
Some parents and civil rights organizations have maintained that desegregation orders are still valuable tools for addressing the lasting effects of segregation, including racial gaps in student discipline, academic offerings, and teacher hiring practices.
The Concordia Parish order had previously been used to require a predominantly white charter school — which opened in 2013 — to give enrollment preference to Black students in order to build a more racially integrated student body.
SAN FRANCISCO — A deadly boating accident unfolded Tuesday afternoon in the waters off San Francisco, leaving one person dead and two others unaccounted for after a pontoon boat capsized near Alcatraz Island, authorities reported.
San Francisco Fire Chief Dean Crispen said emergency crews arrived to find a three-story pontoon vessel that had been carrying 19 people largely submerged beneath the surface. “It was a vessel that was capsized and mostly under the water,” Crispen said.
The incident was initially called in as a boat fire, but Crispen noted that turned out not to be the case. “But we now don’t have any evidence of that,” he said. Injuries among those rescued were linked to the impact of falling into the water, with no burn injuries reported.
The individual who later died had been pulled from the water along with the 16 survivors. All 16 rescued were transported to Gashouse Cove Marina, a small boat harbor in San Francisco.
Fire Lt. Mariano Elias described the vessel as a “ponton pleasure boat” located roughly 600 yards — about 550 meters — from Alcatraz Island. The emergency call came in just after 3:30 p.m., he said.
Chief Crispen indicated the boat was believed to have set out from near the St. Francis Yacht Club in San Francisco. As the search for the two missing persons continued, crews deployed divers, helicopters, and 11 vessels to comb the area. “Right now we are in full rescue mode,” Crispen said.
Video from a local Fox television station captured Fire Department boats working to pull survivors from the water near the mostly submerged wreckage, with debris floating in the surrounding area. Live footage from the scene also showed a man and a woman, both wrapped in blankets, seated near an ambulance.
In addition to the San Francisco Fire Department, the Coast Guard and Oakland police also assisted in the rescue effort, Lt. Elias said.
ATLANTA — England’s players say they are tuning out the outside chatter and focusing on the task at hand as the team prepares to face Argentina in a World Cup semi-final on Wednesday.
Defender Ezri Konsa addressed reporters Tuesday, pushing back on the narrative that friction within the squad could be a distraction. His teammate Marc Guehi echoed that sentiment, saying the group has never been more unified.
The attention on England’s internal dynamics picked up after their narrow victory over Norway, which sent them to the semi-finals. Manager Thomas Tuchel expressed frustration with the team’s performance, while Jude Bellingham — who scored both goals in the 2-1 extra-time win — publicly questioned whether the coach truly understood what it felt like to play in those conditions against high-level opponents.
Despite the headlines, Konsa said the squad isn’t rattled. “I think for us, outside noise is always going to happen,” he said. “But you have to be able to block it out. We’ve been in the game a long time now and we know what comes with it. We have a great group, we’re all together, there’s been no issues.”
Guehi had warm words for Tuchel, crediting the German manager with fostering a strong sense of belief throughout the squad. “He’s brought a lot in terms of his energy on and off the field,” Guehi said. “I think he’s created a squad where there’s a big togetherness and real belief in what we’re doing at the moment, and everyone’s behind him.”
“There’s never been more of a time where we were together, to be honest,” Guehi added. “After that game, I think it just brought everyone together.”
In a separate press conference held in the same Atlanta Stadium, Tuchel was informed of his players’ glowing remarks about the team’s cohesion. He embraced the message wholeheartedly.
“I have just reinforced the belief that deep down football is still about being together and it’s a team effort,” Tuchel said. “It’s not only us, I think the whole World Cup showed all superstars committed to the team idea, committed to the team spirit, committed to the idea to play for their country.”
“It’s just outstanding mentality, mostly behind closed doors,” he continued. “The team is absolutely ready to give everything every single time, and they simply don’t give in. This is the key attribute of our team, which makes me very proud.”
Should England defeat defending champion Argentina, they would advance to face Spain in the final — a rematch of the Euro 2024 championship, which Spain won. Spain secured their spot in the final with a 2-0 victory over France on Tuesday, while England was in the air traveling to Atlanta from their base in Kansas.
When Guehi was asked whether he caught the Spain-France match, he kept it simple. “No, I didn’t watch it,” he said. “I was sleeping on the plane.”
A man has been arrested in Utah after allegedly stabbing a Muslim man multiple times inside a shopping mall and telling investigators he specifically targeted the victim because of his faith, according to court records released Tuesday.
The attack occurred Monday at the Valley Fair Mall in West Valley City, Utah. Officers found the male victim suffering from what police described in an affidavit as “multiple stab wounds all over his body” with severe bleeding.
Before police arrived, bystanders at the scene stepped in and physically restrained the attacker, pinning him to the ground until officers could respond.
The suspect, identified as Peter Michael Larsen, 48, was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on charges of attempted murder and prohibited dangerous weapon conduct, according to jail records. Court documents indicate Larsen told authorities he “intends to kill Muslims” and was described as posing “a substantial danger to the public if released based on his violent actions … ideologies and pre-planned mass casualty events.”
According to the police booking affidavit, the suspect stated “he had targeted the victim with intent to kill him because of his religion (Muslim).”
The Salt Lake Tribune reported, citing Imam Shuaib Din — who leads the Utah Islamic Center and had been in contact with the victim’s family — that the suspect first approached the Muslim man and asked for his name and religion before claiming he wanted a bottle of water. As the victim turned around to retrieve the water, the attacker began stabbing him, Din said.
The victim, who worked at a kiosk inside the mall, was transported to a hospital and remained in critical condition. A friend launched a GoFundMe fundraising page on his behalf, stating the man had been stabbed 15 times and required multiple surgeries.
Larsen was also taken to a hospital for injuries he sustained when bystanders subdued him, before being transferred to the Salt Lake County jail.
U.S. rights advocates have pointed to a steady increase in Islamophobia over the past two decades, tracing it back to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and citing more recent factors including anti-immigration policies, white supremacy movements, and tensions stemming from Israel’s war in Gaza.
Recent deadly incidents include a 2023 stabbing of a 6-year-old Muslim child in Illinois — the attacker was sentenced to 53 years in prison and later died in custody — and a 2026 shooting at a San Diego mosque that left five people dead, including two teenage suspects.
The U.S. Coast Guard launched an emergency search-and-rescue operation Tuesday in San Francisco Bay after a boat carrying 19 people caught fire near Alcatraz Island.
Video footage from local television stations showed the vessel nearly fully submerged, with only the top of the cabin still visible above the waterline. KGO television reported that at least one person was killed and one other person remained unaccounted for.
According to KGO, citing San Francisco fire officials, 17 of the 19 people on board were pulled from the water. KTVU television, also citing the San Francisco Fire Department, reported that at least one person required cardiopulmonary resuscitation.
The Coast Guard confirmed the rescue effort was still active and that a triage area had been set up on shore. “Search and rescue efforts are ongoing, and a triage area has been established ashore,” the agency posted on X, noting that multiple other agencies were assisting. “We will provide updates as more information becomes available.”
The San Francisco Fire Department did not immediately respond when contacted for additional details.
Spanish tennis star Paula Badosa made a strong statement at the UniCredit Iasi Open in Romania on Tuesday, knocking out fourth-seeded Ukrainian Anhelina Kalinina with a commanding 6-3, 6-1 victory to advance to the second round.
Kalinina had a difficult outing, racking up eight double faults and managing to hold her serve on just two occasions throughout the entire match. Romanian hometown hope Elena-Gabriela Ruse also fell short, as Spain’s Kaitlin Quevedo eliminated the sixth seed by the same 6-3, 6-1 scoreline. Quevedo was particularly strong under pressure, saving 12 of the 14 break points she faced while breaking Ruse’s serve six times.
Ukraine’s third-seeded Oleksandra Oliynykova had to work harder for her win, needing two tiebreakers to get past Turkish lucky loser Ipek Oz 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5). Hungary’s fifth seed Panna Udvardy also advanced, outlasting Spain’s Leyre Romero Gormaz in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 6-3. France’s eighth-seeded Elsa Jacquemot and ninth-seeded Yulia Putintseva of Kazakhstan both moved through in straight sets as well.
Additional first-round winners included Slovenia’s Tamara Zidansek, Armenia’s Elina Avanesyan, Egypt’s Mayar Sherif, Russia’s Alevtina Ibragimova and Elena Pridankina, and Poland’s Katarzyna Kawa.
At the Athens Open in Greece, top-seeded Clara Tauson of Denmark overcame an early deficit to defeat Japanese qualifier Nao Hibino 7-5, 6-4. Tauson dropped a break early in the first set but fought back, ultimately converting four break points in the match while holding Hibino to just two.
Second-seeded Ann Li had a much smoother day, rolling past Maria Timofeeva of Uzbekistan 6-2, 6-1 in just 79 minutes. Third-seeded Czech player Barbora Krejcikova also wrapped up her match in 79 minutes, defeating Bulgaria’s Viktoriya Tomova 6-3, 6-3. Seventh-seeded Czech Tereza Valentova cruised to a 6-1, 6-2 win over Belgium’s Sofia Costoulas.
Italian lucky loser Miriana Tona celebrated her first-ever WTA main-draw victory after a marathon three-hour, eight-minute battle against Greek wild card Sapfo Sakellaridi, winning 7-6 (2), 5-7, 6-2. France’s Carole Monnet, Russia’s Alina Korneeva, and Belarus’ Aliaksandra Sasnovich also claimed victories in Athens.
In what is expected to be his last appearance on clay in his home country, Swiss tennis icon Stan Wawrinka lost a three-set battle to Portugal’s Jaime Faria on Tuesday in the opening round of the EFG Swiss Open Gstaad. Faria came away with a 6-7 (8), 6-4, 6-4 victory in a match that lasted just under two hours and 40 minutes.
Wawrinka, who is 41 years old and has announced plans to step away from professional tennis at the end of this season, served up 16 aces during the contest but was unable to convert any of his six break-point opportunities. Tournament organizers marked the occasion by presenting the three-time Grand Slam champion with a pair of new skis as a farewell tribute.
Elsewhere at the Gstaad event, Greek veteran Stefanos Tsitsipas defeated Peru’s Ignacio Buse, the No. 5 seed, by a score of 6-4, 6-4, winning 37 of 48 service points in the process. No. 6 seed Juan Manuel Cerundolo came back from a set down to beat Czech Republic’s Zdenek Kolar 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Frenchman Quentin Halys, Germany’s Yannick Hanfmann, Kazakhstan’s Aleksandr Shevchenko, and Swiss wild card Jerome Kym also moved on to the next round.
At the Nordea Open in Bastad, Sweden, No. 8 seed Sebastian Baez dropped the opening set before recovering to defeat Swedish hopeful Max Dahlin 4-6, 6-4, 6-1. The other seeded competitors all came through their matches, including No. 5 seed Nuno Borges of Portugal over French wild card Moise Kouame 6-4, 6-2; No. 6 seed Botic van de Zandschulp of the Netherlands over Japanese qualifier Taro Daniel 7-6 (0), 6-4; and No. 7 seed Thiago Agustin Tirante of Argentina over Austria’s Sebastian Ofner 6-3, 6-4. Additional winners included Germany’s Daniel Altmaier, Georgia’s Nikoloz Basilashvili, Bulgarian wild card Grigor Dimitrov, Argentina’s Lautaro Midon, Paraguay’s Adolfo Daniel Vallejo, and Italians Andrea Pellegrino and Stefano Travaglia.
At the Plava Laguna Croatia Open Umag in Croatia, France’s Titouan Droguet put together a dominant finish, winning 11 of the last 12 games to defeat No. 5 seed Alexander Blockx of Belgium 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Argentina’s No. 7 seed Camilo Ugo Carabelli avoided a similar collapse, rallying from a break down in the second set to outlast German qualifier Marko Topo 6-7 (2), 7-6 (3), 6-3. Spain’s Pablo Carreno Busta and Daniel Merida, Argentina’s Roman Andres Burruchaga and Federico Agustin Gomez, Slovakia’s Alex Molcan, and Bolivia’s Juan Carlos Prado Angelo also advanced.
Drivers heading through the intersection of Walther Road and US Route 40 should be prepared for intermittent lane closures as construction work continues in the area.
The lane restrictions are expected to remain in place until 6AM, according to traffic officials. Motorists are encouraged to use caution when passing through the work zone and to allow extra travel time.
No additional details about the nature of the construction project were immediately available. Drivers may want to consider alternate routes to avoid potential delays in the area.
Drivers traveling eastbound on Kirkwood Highway, also known as Delaware Route 2, are facing a right lane closure overnight.
The closure is in effect between Dillwyn Road and Melrose Place and is expected to remain until 6 AM.
Motorists in the area should allow extra travel time and remain alert for any traffic control personnel or equipment near the work zone.
Motorists traveling along Valley Road should be prepared for intermittent lane closures currently in effect between Lancaster Pike (Delaware Route 41) and Evenson Road.
The lane restrictions are the result of construction work being conducted in the area. Drivers are advised to use caution and allow for extra travel time if their route takes them through this stretch of road.
The closures are expected to remain in place until 6 a.m. No further details about the nature of the construction were provided.
Powerful rainstorms slammed South Texas on Tuesday, flooding highways and leaving motorists stranded as weather forecasters cautioned that additional rounds of severe weather could trigger dangerous flooding in already waterlogged counties along the Mexican border.
Some rural parts of Texas received up to 12 inches of rain, sparking dozens of high-water rescues throughout the region. Officials were forced to close sections of a heavily traveled highway near Uvalde — located roughly 80 miles west of San Antonio — for several hours. A flood watch was also extended to Kerr County, the same area where devastating flooding along the Guadalupe River claimed more than 100 lives last year.
As of Tuesday, no fatalities or injuries had been reported.
The National Weather Service cautioned that overnight storms could drop an additional foot or more of rain in certain locations through Wednesday, raising the risk of catastrophic flash flooding west of San Antonio. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in dozens of counties in response to the threat.
“Intense rain rates and compounding effects from multiple rounds of storms will result in a dangerous flash flooding threat through Thursday,” the National Weather Service stated.
Rescue teams were captured on video navigating flooded streets by boat, and footage showed at least one vehicle being carried away by rapidly moving floodwaters. According to Maggie Berger, a spokesperson for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, five people were pulled to safety by the Texas Game Warden Search and Rescue Team, while a local game warden rescued four additional individuals.
In Uvalde, local officials reported at least two dozen water rescues had taken place. A local event center was opened to provide shelter for residents displaced by the flooding.
A lane closure is currently in effect on Kirkwood Highway, also known as Delaware Route 2, affecting eastbound traffic in the area.
The right lane heading eastbound is closed between Dillwyn Road and Melrose Place. The closure is expected to remain in place until 6 a.m.
Drivers traveling through that stretch should allow extra time or consider using an alternate route until the lane reopens.
After more than two decades, the United States military is set to leave Iraq by September 30, according to both American and Iraqi officials who spoke publicly on the matter Tuesday.
President Donald Trump stood beside Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi at the White House to deliver the news, saying the military presence is no longer considered necessary. Trump pointed to Iraq’s expanding ties with oil companies as part of a broader relationship between the two nations.
“The relationship is a whole big relationship where we don’t need the military,” Trump said. “We’re there to help them. We’re there to protect them if need be. But we don’t think that’s going to be necessary.”
Speaking through an interpreter, Prime Minister al-Zaidi offered a clear summary of the arrangement: “U.S. forces will be out of Iraq” by Sept. 30, “while U.S. companies will be inside Iraq.”
The Pentagon followed up with a statement confirming it was reaffirming a 2024 agreement — reached during the Biden administration — to formally end its combat mission against Islamic State fighters in Iraq. A significant number of U.S. troops covered under that deal have already left the country.
Over time, the U.S. has been transferring responsibility for fighting the Islamic State from American and coalition forces to Iraqi military units that were trained with American assistance. U.S. forces have gradually reduced their presence, pulling back from various locations and consolidating what remained.
The American military first entered Iraq in March 2003 with a massive air assault campaign known as “shock and awe,” which caused widespread destruction and opened the path for ground forces to advance on Baghdad. That invasion was launched on the premise that Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein had concealed weapons of mass destruction — a claim that was ultimately proven false, as no such weapons were ever found.
At the height of counterinsurgency efforts in 2007, more than 170,000 U.S. troops were stationed in Iraq. The Obama administration negotiated a reduction in forces, and by December 2011, the last combat troops had departed, leaving only a small number of personnel to support a security assistance office and protect the embassy.
The situation changed again in 2014 when the Islamic State rapidly seized large portions of Iraq and Syria. The Iraqi government invited U.S. and allied forces back to help rebuild and retrain its military and police units, which had collapsed under the pressure of the militant group’s advance.
Once the Islamic State lost control of the territory it had claimed, coalition military operations officially wrapped up in 2021. The U.S. kept roughly 2,500 troops in Iraq for training purposes and joint counter-IS operations. Most have since departed following the 2024 agreement, with only a small group of military advisers and support personnel still on the ground.
Childhood vaccination rates around the world ticked upward in 2025, yet a staggering number of children are still vulnerable to diseases that vaccines could prevent, as wars, budget cuts, and spreading outbreaks chip away at global immunization efforts.
New estimates released Wednesday by the World Health Organization and UNICEF show that 90% of infants worldwide — roughly 116 million babies — received at least one dose of the vaccine protecting against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough, commonly referred to as DTP. Meanwhile, 85% of infants completed the full three-dose series.
Despite the progress, officials struck a cautious tone. “The gains that we are celebrating now at this moment are quite fragile,” said UNICEF’s global immunization chief, Ephrem Lemango, adding that they “can be eroded very easily.”
The number of children who have received no vaccines at all dropped from 14.2 million in 2024 to 13.5 million in 2025. However, that figure remains nearly 4 million above the benchmark needed to stay on course toward halving the 2019 total by the year 2030.
Lemango noted that more than half of the world’s unvaccinated children reside in countries torn apart by conflict — including Syria, Yemen, Sudan, and Palestine — even though those nations account for only about one-third of births worldwide.
The WHO cautioned that sweeping global funding cuts that began in early 2025 have not yet been reflected in the current data, but officials say they are deeply worried about what the numbers will look like in 2026.
“We are seeing real cracks in the system now for immunization, and we are previewing big risks that are yet to come,” said the WHO’s director of the Department of Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals, Kate O’Brien.
O’Brien added that the WHO is already witnessing the consequences of those cracks through a rise in outbreaks of measles, diphtheria, and cholera around the globe.
An international team of approximately 80 scientists and crew members departed Britain this week aboard the polar research ship RSS David Attenborough, bound for Greenland on a mission to determine whether the island’s rapidly melting glaciers pose a threat to a critical Atlantic Ocean current system — and by extension, Europe’s climate.
The voyage, lasting between five and six weeks, comes just after Britain and Western Europe experienced their hottest June months ever recorded, a stretch of extreme heat that strained power grids, forced school closures, and contributed to excess deaths across the region.
Kelly Hogan, a marine geophysicist at the British Antarctic Survey, which is leading the expedition, reflected on the urgency of the mission. “The heat waves in the UK and in Europe the last few months have really driven home that it’s difficult for us to adapt to even quite small changes in our climate,” she told Reuters during an interview on board the ship.
The expedition is part of a £20 million initiative known as GIANT — which stands for Greenland Ice sheet to AtlaNtic Tipping points. The project aims to better understand how glaciers break apart and flow into the ocean, and what consequences that process carries for the broader environment.
Researchers are particularly worried that an influx of freshwater from melting glaciers could interfere with a rotating ocean current system that plays a key role in keeping Europe’s climate stable. Disruption to that system could trigger more severe weather events and contribute to rising sea levels.
Ship Captain Matt Neill, who first traveled to Antarctica as a cadet with the British Antarctic Survey back in 2011, said he has personally witnessed the accelerating pace of climate change. “Lots of the glaciers are all receding very very quickly, and much more than you would think… So it’s even more important than ever during these very dynamic times that we are out there and gathering the data and improving the models,” he said.
While the vessel is officially named after the celebrated naturalist David Attenborough, many in Britain know it by a different name — “Boaty McBoatface,” the winning suggestion from a public naming poll held in 2016. That name was ultimately given to a sophisticated submersible aboard the ship, which will dive 1,500 meters beneath the glacier mélange — a dense mixture of sea ice and snow that forms where the glacier meets the ocean — to map its shape and study how it affects glacier behavior.
“It’s going to be collecting a lot of data that’s never really been collected before,” said Sam Smith, an operations engineer at the National Oceanography Centre.
Information gathered throughout the mission will be channeled into the development of next-generation climate models and an early-warning system designed to detect the risk of glacier collapse before it occurs.
Newly released records from a Bank of Japan policy meeting have revealed the deep divisions that erupted inside the central bank when its then-chief pushed through a landmark decision to introduce negative interest rates back in 2016.
The full account of the January 2016 deliberations, made public Wednesday, shows that former BOJ governor Haruhiko Kuroda’s proposal to charge a 0.1% fee on a portion of financial institutions’ deposits held at the central bank was met with fierce pushback from within his own board. The measure narrowly passed with a 5-4 vote.
Kuroda had moved to cut a key benchmark rate below zero after an aggressive asset-buying campaign failed to stoke inflation. The goal was to stimulate economic growth and push back against a rising yen that was squeezing Japan’s export-driven economy.
The announcement rattled global markets — stocks surged, the yen dropped sharply, and government bonds rallied — as Japan followed the path already taken by the European Central Bank.
But inside the BOJ boardroom, the reaction was far more hostile. Board member Takehiro Sato raised alarms that the move could drag Japan into a race-to-the-bottom currency devaluation contest with Europe. “It’s wise to avoid falling into such a futile game,” Sato said, also warning about the damage negative rates could do to Japan’s banking sector.
Another board member, Koji Ishida, who had a background in commercial banking, argued that pushing already-low rates even further into negative territory would do little to encourage more lending or business investment.
The minutes made clear that most board members had been left out of the loop while Kuroda and his staff quietly developed the plan. Board member Sayuri Shirai did not hold back in her assessment. “It appears to be half-baked and prepared in a hurry,” she said, adding that economic conditions at the time did not justify such an extreme measure.
Board member Takahide Kiuchi said he was “extremely doubtful” that the policy could be responsibly implemented without a thorough examination of its potential economic consequences. “Markets would be very surprised and could move quite a bit temporarily. But that’s not the purpose of what we do,” Kiuchi said. “The purpose of our policy is to improve medium- and long-term economic and price conditions.”
The announcement came as an even greater shock to financial markets because Kuroda had told Japan’s parliament just days earlier that negative rates were not being considered as an option.
The BOJ ultimately brought the negative rate era to a close in 2024, dismantling that and other elements of Kuroda’s unconventional stimulus program. Current BOJ chief Kazuo Ueda has since raised interest rates on multiple occasions.
Ueda has faced his own challenges in building consensus among board members. Uncertainty stemming from an energy price shock tied to the Middle East conflict has complicated the bank’s economic outlook and its path forward on rate hikes. In April, two board members pushed for a rate increase when the BOJ chose to hold steady. Then in June, when the bank did raise rates to 1%, one member dissented in the other direction, preferring to keep rates lower.
Under BOJ practice, a condensed version of meeting minutes is released within weeks of each policy session, while the complete record of discussions is not made available until roughly a decade later.
AI cloud computing company CoreWeave is considering the use of financial derivatives to shield itself from a possible future decline in memory and storage chip prices, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
The unconventional strategy highlights just how closely cloud computing companies have become tied to the unpredictable chip market. To secure a steady supply of chips during a period of surging demand — driven largely by a massive wave of AI infrastructure investment — cloud operators including CoreWeave have entered into long-term contracts with memory and storage chip manufacturers such as Micron and SanDisk.
Many of those agreements guarantee chipmakers a minimum price for dynamic random access memory, known as DRAM, as well as storage chips.
While that setup offers protection for the chip suppliers, it creates a risk for cloud companies like CoreWeave. If chip prices fall in the future, CoreWeave could find itself locked into contracts that require it to pay significantly more than the current market rate.
Because of that risk, CoreWeave executives have been discussing ways to hedge against a drop in memory chip stocks that could follow a decline in prices, the source said.
Those conversations are still in the early stages, and the company has not yet taken any action, the source added. Options being considered include put options — financial contracts that give the holder the right, but not the requirement, to sell an asset at a set price at a future date — along with potentially other types of financial instruments.
Memory and flash storage chip prices have climbed sharply in recent months. The memory chip industry has historically gone through boom-and-bust cycles, and prices often fall once new manufacturing capacity comes online.
Major memory chip producers SK Hynix and Micron have both signaled they expect new manufacturing facilities to be fully operational by early 2028.
Hedging against price swings is not a new concept in business. Industries like energy and airlines have long used similar strategies to limit the impact of oil price volatility. However, U.S. airlines have at times suffered losses from such hedging efforts. Many businesses also use derivatives to protect against fluctuations in currency exchange rates.
