Spotlight
Paris Saint-Germain thrashed Real Madrid 4-0 in their Club World Cup semi-final on Wednesday to set up a final showdown against Chelsea.
Fabian Ruiz scored twice in the first half either side of an Ousmane Dembele strike, and Goncalo Ramos sealed the stunning victory late on. PSG and Chelsea will meet in the final on Sunday.
Full Story
The UK and France will declare that the two nations' nuclear deterrents, while independent, can be coordinated and that they will jointly respond to any "extreme threat to Europe," both countries said Wednesday.
The declaration, to be signed Thursday, will state that the respective deterrents of both countries remain independent "but can be co-ordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations", the UK government and French presidency said.
Full Story
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Thursday he expressed "disappointment and frustration" to his Russian counterpart over the lack of progress on resolving the Ukraine war.
"I echoed what the president (Donald Trump) said, both a disappointment and frustration at the lack of progress," Rubio told reporters after the meeting with Sergei Lavrov on the sidelines of the ASEAN gathering in Malaysia.
Full Story
Yemen's Houthi rebels claimed responsibility on Thursday for a missile attack targeting Israel's Ben Gurion airport, after the Israeli military said it had intercepted the strike.
The Iran-backed Houthis "carried out a qualitative military operation" using a ballistic missile, military spokesman Yahya Saree said in a video statement.
Full Story
The OPEC oil cartel said Thursday that demand for crude will continue to expand through at least 2050, calling efforts to rapidly shift away from fossil fuels an unworkable fantasy.
In its latest annual report on the outlook for oil demand, OPEC sees oil demand rising by 18.6 percent from 103.7 million barrels per day in 2024 to around 123 mbd in 2050. "There is no peak oil demand on the horizon," said Haitham Al Ghais.
Full Story
The Security Service of Ukraine said Thursday that one of its members had been killed in central Kyiv, in the most recent apparent targeted attack of security personnel since Russia invaded Ukraine.
"A criminal investigation has been launched into the murder of an SBU employee in the Golosiivsky district of Kyiv," the SBU said in written comments to AFP.
Full Story
Israel's foreign minister expressed optimism on Wednesday about reaching a ceasefire and hostage-release deal in Gaza, saying that if a temporary truce was sealed, Israel would negotiate on a permanent end to the hostilities.
"Israel is serious in its will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire. I believe it's achievable. If a temporary ceasefire is achieved, we will negotiate on a permanent ceasefire," Gideon Saar told a press conference in Bratislava with his Slovakian counterpart.
Full Story
The European Union wants to strike a deal with the United States "in the coming days" to avoid sweeping tariffs, a spokesman said Wednesday.
"The United States has moved its deadline for finalizing deals with partner countries to the first of August. However, we aim to reach a deal before then, potentially even in the coming days, we have shown our readiness to reach an agreement in principle," EU trade spokesman Olof Gill said.
Full Story
U.S. President Donald Trump has lashed out at his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin over peace talks in Ukraine, as he hinted at interest in placing fresh sanctions on Moscow.
"We get a lot of bullshit thrown at us by Putin if you want to know the truth. He's very nice all the time, but it turns out to be meaningless," he told reporters Tuesday during a cabinet meeting at the White House.
Full Story
Human-caused climate change made the recent European heatwave up to 4C hotter in many cities, scientists said on Wednesday, pushing temperatures into deadly territory for thousands of vulnerable people.
Global warming "amplified this heatwave by approximately 2 to 4 degrees (Celsius) across most of the cities" studied, said Ben Clarke from Imperial College London, which led the research with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Full Story



