China’s economic recovery dragged down by property slump and weak consumption in July (2024)

International mediators were set to hold a new round of talks Thursday aimed at halting the Israel-Hamas war and securing the release of scores of hostages, with a potential deal seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict. The United States, Qatar and Egypt were to meet with an Israeli delegation in Qatar as the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month-old war nears 40,000. Hamas has not said whether it will participate, accusing Israel of adding new demands to an evolving proposal that had U.S. and international support.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has vowed to step up his country’s effort to defend a rules-based international order in a solemn ceremony marking the 79th anniversary of Japan's defeat in World War II. During his speech Thursday, Kishida noted the more than 3 million Japanese killed in the war. He did not mention his country’s aggression. Earlier Thursday, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and two other ministers prayed at the controversial Yasukuni shrine seen by Asian neighbors as a symbol of militarism. The controversial shrine honors convicted war criminals among about 2.5 million war dead. Victims of Japanese aggression, especially China and the Koreas, see visits to the shrine as a lack of remorse.

International mediators are set to hold a new round of talks aimed at halting the war in Gaza and securing the release of scores of hostages. A potential deal is seen as the best hope of heading off an even larger regional conflict. The United States, Qatar and Egypt were set to meet with an Israeli delegation in Qatar on Thursday as the Palestinian death toll from the 10-month-old war nears 40,000, according to local health authorities. Hamas has said it will not participate, accusing Israel of adding new demands to an evolving proposal that had U.S. and international support.

On a darkened road beside the Caspian Sea, Iranian police officers opened fire last month on a 31-year-old woman who had tried to speed away likely knowing they wanted to seize her vehicle. Police had been ordered to impound her car, activists say, because of an earlier violation of Iran’s headscarf law for showing her hair in public while driving. Now unable to walk and confined to a bed at a police hospital, Arezou Badri is the latest casualty of Iran’s renewed crackdown over headscarves, or hijabs. Her shooting occurred nearly two years after 22-year-old Mahsa Amini died while in police custody over an alleged headscarf violation, sparking nationwide protests.

With its reindeer sledding, camel racing and stunning landscapes with room to roam, Mongolia is hoping to woo visitors who are truly looking to get away from it all. Like most countries, its tourism industry was devastated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it has launched a “Welcome to MonGOlia” campaign to win people back. The government has added flights and streamlined the visa process, offering visa-free visits for many countries. Mongolia’s government aims for 1 million visitors per year to the land of Genghis Khan, which encompassed much of Eurasia in its 13th century heyday.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan hosts Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas for talks that focus on the war in Gaza. Abbas arrived in Ankara late Wednesday after meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. Concerns are high that the Israel-Hamas war could fuel a larger regional conflict, especially if Iran retaliates for the assassination of a Hamas official who was in Tehran when he was killed. Erdogan invited Abbas after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the United States Congress in July. The Palestinian leader is due to speak at a special session of lawmakers Thursday in Ankara. Erdogan’s office said the two discussed the path to a permanent cease-fire.

The Australian Olympic Committee has criticized an anonymous online petition attacking controversial Paris Games breaking competitor Rachael Gunn, saying the petition was “vexatious, misleading and bullying.” Last weekend, the sport made its Olympic debut. One of the lasting images was the performance of an Australian b-girl known as Raygun — 36-year-old Sydney university professor Gunn — who did a “kangaroo dance” among other questionable moves during her routine, and scored zero points. Gunn was subsequently heavily criticized for her performance with parodies even being played out on a late night television show in the United States. But the AOC on Thursday refuted what it said were numerous erroneous stories about Gunn it says have appeared online since.

As climate change fuels the intensity and frequency of wildfires, it's also driving up the health risks for farmworkers who often have no choice but to continue working amid dangerous levels of smoke. New research published in the journal GeoHealth found that farmworkers in California's famed wine country of Sonoma County were exposed to high air pollution levels during wildfires in 2020. They also found that a county program that allowed workers to enter mandatory evacuation zones during wildfires to harvest crops was inconsistent and scantly enforced. They recommended a series of steps to protect workers, including air quality monitors at work sites, stricter requirements for employers, emergency plans and trainings in various languages, post-exposure health screenings and hazard pay.

The Taliban have deliberately deprived at least 1.4 million Afghan girls of schooling through bans. That's according to new data released Thursday by UNESCO. Afghanistan is the only country in the world with bans on female secondary and higher education. The U.N. body said the number of girls out of school because of the bans had increased by 300,000 since its previous count in April 2023. Access to primary education has also fallen since the Taliban took power in Aug. 2021, with 1.1 million fewer girls and boys attending school, according to UNESCO data. The Taliban could not be immediately reached for comment.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed concern over the unrest that led to a change of government in neighboring Bangladesh and the attacks on Hindus and other minorities there. He addressed his nation on Thursday from New Delhi’s 17th-century Mughal-era Red Fort on its 78th Independence Day and assured Bangladesh that India would continue to support it in developing its economy. Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down and fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violent protests that prompted her ouster. She is likely to stay in New Delhi until she decides where she will seek asylum.

Yankees' Aaron Judge becomes fastest to 300 homers, reaching in 955 games to Kiner's 1,087

A continued property crisis and weak consumption dragged on China’s economic recovery in July, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics. Unemployment rose for the first time since February, clocking in at 5.2%, compared to 5% in June. Industrial production rose more slowly than the previous month, showing a 5.1% year-on-year increase in July, compared to 5.3% in June. Retail sales grew slightly more than analysts had expected, rising 2.7% year-on-year in July, compared to 2% in June. Statistics bureau spokesperson Liu Aihua said Thursday that the recovery in consumption will be further consolidated given recent government policies to boost consumer spending.

Ukraine’s stunning incursion into Russia’s Kursk border region was a bold gamble for the country’s military commanders, who committed their limited resources to a risky assault on a nuclear-armed enemy with no assurance of success. By Wednesday, Ukrainian officials said they controlled 386 square miles of enemy territory, including at least 74 settlements and hundreds of Russian prisoners of war. But a week after it began, the overall aim of the operation is still unclear. What is clear is that the incursion has changed the battlefield. The shock of Ukraine’s thunder run revealed chinks in the armor of its powerful adversary. The assault also risked aggravating Ukraine’s own weaknesses.

Officials say insurgents in an overnight attack threw a grenade at people sitting in front of a hotel in the restive southwest Pakistan, killing one person and wounding 10 more. The attack was the third in as many days in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, as people celebrated the country’s independence day. The separatist Baluch Liberation Army group has claimed responsibility for all the attacks. The latest attack came days after the group warned people not to celebrate the holiday on Wednesday, marking the Aug. 14, 1947, date of Pakistan’s independence from British colonial rule.

A top Hamas official says the group is losing faith in the US as a mediator in Gaza cease-fire talks

Former President Donald Trump has invited reporters to his New Jersey golf club for his second news conference in as many weeks. Trump will meet the press Thursday as he steps up his criticism of Vice President Kamala Harris for not holding a news conference or sitting down for interviews since President Joe Biden ended his reelection campaign and endorsed her to replace him. The vice president has barely engaged with reporters since becoming the Democratic nominee, though she travels with journalists aboard Air Force Two and sometimes answers shouted questions while boarding or leaving the plane for campaign stops.

Southeast Asia is among the regions most prone to natural disasters, but a new analysis shows its people also feel the best equipped to deal with them. It seems logical that the countries along the Pacific Ring of Fire, vulnerable to earthquakes and other dangers, are also the best prepared. But the survey by Gallup for the Lloyd’s Register Foundation shows that’s not always the case in other regions. Experts say the Association of Southeast Asian Nations plays a key role in disaster risk reduction, and that countries' wealth is not a deciding factor.

Resources are pouring into the few truly competitive congressional races expected to help determine the balance of power in Washington next year. Democrats need to flip just four seats to take back control of the House while Republicans hope to expand their majority and make it easier to get priorities over the finish line. The most hotly contested races tend to involve newer incumbents still building up their name recognition in narrowly divided swing districts. But a few long-time veterans of Congress are facing competitive contests as well due to demographic shifts in their districts.

A top Hamas official says the group is losing faith in the US as a mediator in Gaza cease-fire talks

President Nicolás Maduro’s contested claim of victory in last month’s election didn't just throw Venezuela into uncertainty. It also spread anxiety from neighboring Colombia to faraway Chile as the region braced for a new migration surge. Over the past decade since Maduro became president, the United Nations estimates a staggering 7.7 million Venezuelans have fled as the economy collapsed, sneaking across porous borders and crowding into nearby countries that increasingly fear they cannot accommodate another mass exodus. Now, as the crisis over Maduro’s widely disputed reelection raises the specter of deeper global isolation in Caracas, pollsters, politicians and members of the diaspora warn that more Venezuelans are packing their bags.

Years after COVID, nearly every state is still struggling with school attendance. Roughly one in four students remained chronically absent in the 2022-23 school year, according to an analysis by The Associated Press and Stanford University economist Thomas Dee. After doing school online during the pandemic, more kids and parents have decided it’s OK to stay home sometimes. Still, the problem appears to have passed its peak; almost every state saw absenteeism improve at least slightly from 2021-22 to 2022-23. Schools are working to identify students with slipping attendance, then providing help. They’re also communicating with parents, who often aren’t aware their child is missing so much school or why it’s problematic.

Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “parental rights” campaign didn’t win him the Republican presidential nomination, but he’s still waging that fight on another front. He's targeting Florida schools, where the movement could have an impact on public education long after he leaves office. DeSantis has endorsed 23 school board candidates across 14 counties this cycle. And he's targeted 14 incumbent members he wants voted out. It’s part of his agenda to counter what he calls “woke” ideology in public schools and to restrict what children can learn about race, identity and history.

The mom of a teacher murdered during the 2018 high school massacre in Parkland, Florida, is finishing another summer of sending kids to camp in her son's honor. Linda Beigel Schulman runs the Scott J. Beigel Memorial Fund. She and her volunteers raised over $300,000 this year to send 264 children to camp and pay for their transportation. Scott Beigel was fatally shot at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School after herding 31 students to safety in his classroom. He was 35. He had gone to camp every summer since he was 7, first as a camper, then as a counselor and then as an administrator. His mother says it was his happy place.

As the Democratic National Convention approaches, a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research finds that Democrats have slightly higher trust in Vice President Kamala Harris’ ability to address the issue of climate change than President Joe Biden. The survey found that 85% of Democrats have “a lot” or “some” trust in Harris to address climate change, while about three-quarters say the same about Biden. The finding is an early indication that Democrats may be making distinct evaluations on Harris when it comes to key issues, rather than seeing her as interchangeable with Biden on policy.

Asian shares are trading mostly higher after the latest update on U.S. inflation came in almost exactly as economists expected, and data on Japan’s economy showed relatively healthy growth. Shares rose in Tokyo, Sydney, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Trading was closed in South Korea for a national holiday. Japan's grew at an annual rate of 3.1% in April-June. Domestic demand grew a robust 3.5% on the back of healthy household consumption and private and government investments. Exports also grew. A major element of uncertainty is now turning to the political sector, as Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party picks a new leader.

WASHINGTON — Supporters of Austin Tice gathered at the National Press Club on Wednesday to mark the 12th anniversary of his abduction in Syria, a sober event that served as a call to action for the Biden administration to renew its efforts to secure his return.

For the second time in as many weeks, Donald Trump is summoning the political press corps to his property for a media event, an attempt to grasp at the attention Vice President Kamala Harris has amassed since entering the race less than a month ago.

Costa Rican authorities have arrested five officials from its child welfare agency on charges they were involved in trafficking migrant children for the purpose of adoption. The head of the country’s main investigative agency says the case began in 2022 when the then-president of the child welfare agency reported irregularities in adoptions in one of the agency’s regional offices. The arrested officials worked as lawyers and social workers. They allegedly falsified reports to justify removing children from their families and then once in state care applied to adopt them or become temporary guardians.

Elon Musk’s absolutist version of free speech has thrown the world’s richest man and his X social-media platform into the crosshairs of governments worldwide.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Retired NASCAR driver Kurt Busch was charged with DWI and speeding late Monday and had his driver’s license revoked for a month, Iredell County Sheriff’s Office records show.

There are hundreds of leaking National Grid gas lines — 15 of which “pose an imminent explosion and fire hazard” — throughout some of Greater Boston’s most vulnerable neighborhoods and the company is not meeting its legal obligation to solve the problem, according to the Conservation Law Fou…

Former President Donald Trump’s speech Wednesday speech in Asheville, North Carolina, was billed as being about the economy, but this year’s Republican nominee spent much of his address on other topics.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — San José Mayor Matt Mahan and other local Democratic leaders on Wednesday announced their support for Proposition 36, a crime reform measure on the November ballot that they hope will force eligible Californians who routinely commit drug crimes into substance abuse treatment.

LOS ANGELES — Award-winning actor Gena Rowlands, whose appearances in “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria” and “The Notebook” were among her many celebrated collaborations with her late husband, John Cassavetes, and their son, Nick, died Wednesday at her home in Indian Wells after a years…

Amid predictions of sea level rise, higher storm surge and increased storm activity, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources have launched two projects to increase the security of the Mississippi coastline.

Gena Rowlands, hailed as one of the greatest actor to ever practice the craft and a guiding light in independent cinema as a star in groundbreaking movies by her director husband, John Cassavetes, and later charmed audiences in her son’s tear-jerker “The Notebook,” has died. She was 94. Rowlands’ death was confirmed Wednesday by representatives for her son, the filmmaker Nick Cassavetes. He revealed earlier this year that his mother had Alzheimer’s disease. Operating outside the studio system, the husband-and-wife team of John Cassavetes and Rowlands created indelible portraits of working-class strivers and small-timers in such films as “A Woman Under the Influence,” “Gloria” and “Faces.”

Gena Rowlands, acclaimed star of 'Gloria,' 'Faces' and 'The Notebook,' dies at 94, representatives for her son say.

A key Colorado River conservation goal just got more realistic.

NEW YORK — Columbia University President Minouche Shafik resigned Wednesday after she came under fire for her handling of pro-Palestinian protests, according to an email to students and faculty obtained by the New York Daily News.

The U.N. envoy for South Sudan says the troubled African country is not ready to hold its first post-independence elections in December and political players are discussing whether voting should be held this year. Nicolas Haysom told the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday that the political consultations mean the election date of Dec. 22 announced last month by the National Elections Commission can't be seen “as a definitive trigger in isolation from other critical factors.” The vote would be the firstsince South Sudan gained independence from Sudan in 2011 after a long conflict.