Hong Kong imported almost 100 tons of Russian gold in the first seven months of 2026, nearly three times the year-earlier level, as western sanctions redirect Moscow’s bullion trade toward China and other eastern markets.

Trump’s approval has fallen to 33% as voters grow increasingly pessimistic about the economy, tariffs and household finances, raising fresh risks for Republicans less than two months before November’s midterm elections.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis said Greece’s upgraded F-16s, Rafales and incoming F-35s had created what he called military “superiority,” arguing that Athens could not simply leave such an advantage unused.

Ukraine’s Parliament is considering legalizing pornography as lawmakers seek to tax thousands of OnlyFans creators, with supporters estimating the change could raise up to $25 million a year for defense-related needs.

Chancellor Friedrich Merz warned that large-scale industrial job losses could put significant parts of Germany’s prosperity at risk, while conceding that his government has so far failed to do enough.

The Kremlin described Putin’s three-hour meeting with Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner as “highly useful,” but offered no evidence that Moscow had shifted its position or that the talks had narrowed the gap over ending the war.

European defense officials fear the continent lacks the public resilience, political cohesion and military capacity to sustain a prolonged conflict with Russia as Washington prepares to reduce its conventional defense role.

U.S. employers added 162,000 jobs in August, nearly triple economists’ forecast, prompting markets to raise bets on a Fed hike even as Donald Trump demanded sharply lower borrowing costs.

Gideon Sa’ar said Israel is preparing to retaliate if Britain imposes measures over illegal settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank, escalating a dispute over the E1 project and London’s wider policy toward Israeli settlements.

German industrial employers are challenging the 35-hour week as manufacturing output falls and labor costs climb, with executives arguing that longer hours without higher weekly pay could restore competitiveness.

Donald Trump said Spain was heading for destruction as he linked the country’s migrant crisis to a wider dispute with Madrid over NATO spending, while also criticizing the U.K., France, Iran policy and the war in Ukraine.

Javier Milei said Argentina would bar companies involved in unauthorized Falklands oil projects from operating in the country, putting the Sea Lion field at the center of a sharper sovereignty campaign.