China and Jordan call for Strait of Hormuz to get back to normal after US-Iran conflict
SCMP

China and Jordan call for Strait of Hormuz to get back to normal after US-Iran conflict

China and Jordan have called for the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz to shipping and called for the ceasefire between the United States and Iran to be maintained in a joint statement issued during King Abdullah’s visit to Beijing. They also said they wanted to see “a comprehensive solution addressing the root causes of tension … through dialogue and negotiation, ensuring full respect for the sov...

Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon price rises in western Europe ‘highest in world’

Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon price rises in western Europe ‘highest in world’

The Guardian

World’s largest streaming services have also increased subscription costs repeatedly in US, research findsBusiness live – latest updatesSubscribers to Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video in western Europe have faced higher price increases than in any other market in recent years, according to research.Over the past four years the world’s largest subscription video streaming services have drama...

What could new US sanctions on Iran entail?

What could new US sanctions on Iran entail?

France 24

The US says it is preparing to announce new sanctions on Iran. It's been billed an economic D-day and is expected to add further pressure on the country's economy that's already been battered from previous sanctions and a US naval blockade. The renewed economic pressure would not be the first time the US has used economic tools at its disposal to corner Iran. But what could the new measures likely...

4 arrested as Kenya investigates 18 elephant deaths in Amboseli

4 arrested as Kenya investigates 18 elephant deaths in Amboseli

SCMP

Police have arrested four suspects in an investigation ⁠into the deaths ⁠of 18 elephants in Kenya’s Amboseli ⁠ecosystem, where authorities also seized assorted substances including chemicals, the tourism and wildlife ministry has said. A Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) spokesperson told Reuters on Monday that the four had since been released on bail. Preliminary laboratory ‌results pointed to the pro...

Indiana mayor calls it ‘unacceptable’ for thousands to have no power two weeks after storm

Indiana mayor calls it ‘unacceptable’ for thousands to have no power two weeks after storm

The Guardian

Gary mayor says 12 days is ‘too long’ for residents to go without power after storm downed trees on to power linesThe mayor of Gary, Indiana, has said it is “unacceptable” that thousands of residents in the city are still without power nearly two weeks after an 11 August storm known as a derecho brought 90 mph, straight-line winds, downing trees on to power lines.“We’re at day 12, and 12 days is t...

France's left fractures further as MEP launches presidential bid

France's left fractures further as MEP launches presidential bid

France 24

French centre-left politician Raphael Glucksmann announced his candidacy for France's presidential election next year, joining a crowded field of far-right figures, centrists and fellow left-wingers. Hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon is planning to stand while Greens leader Marine Tondelier is campaigning while pregnant, socialist Party (PS) leader Olivier Faure and even possibly ex-president Fr...

Ukraine showing ‘remarkable innovation’: Kyiv ‘holding front line’ while striking Russia’s economy

Ukraine showing ‘remarkable innovation’: Kyiv ‘holding front line’ while striking Russia’s economy

France 24

Genie Godula is pleased to welcome Samantha de Bendern, Associate Fellow at Chatham House, author, and political risk and financial consultant. Europe is taking increasingly consequential steps to support Ukraine, but de Bendern warns that they remain insufficient to address the country's fundamental vulnerability. The transfer of interceptor missiles and the prospect of producing Storm Shadow/SCA...

Meet Dai Zheng, the space veteran betting on China’s reusable rocket revolution

Meet Dai Zheng, the space veteran betting on China’s reusable rocket revolution

SCMP

Ten years ago, Dai Zheng made a career-defining gamble: he left his secure, prestigious engineering post in China’s state space programme to join an unproven private start-up. On August 19, that risk paid off when a rocket booster returned from orbit and landed upright for the first time in Chinese commercial space history. For Dai, now chief commander of the Zhuque-3 missions at LandSpace, the su...

EV maker Xpeng set to challenge Tesla in embodied AI after robotics unit raises US$900m

EV maker Xpeng set to challenge Tesla in embodied AI after robotics unit raises US$900m

SCMP

Chinese electric vehicle (EV) maker Xpeng has secured US$900 billion in funding from high-profile investors including Alibaba Group Holding and IDG Capital to spur its robotics unit, despite a widening second-quarter loss. Dogotix, a subsidiary of Xpeng, raised US$900 million in the latest round of financing, which valued it at US$6.3 billion, Xpeng said in a statement on Monday, adding that the f...

US unveils expanded sanctions aimed at Iran's 'economic asphyxiation'

US unveils expanded sanctions aimed at Iran's 'economic asphyxiation'

France 24

The US on Monday announced an expansion of secondary sanctions it hopes will "sever every economic lifeline" ​that sustains ‌Iran, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said at a press conference. The expanded sanctions target Iran's digital assets, technology, gold, aviation and shipping sectors.

US vows 'economic asphyxiation' of Iran with new sanctions

US vows 'economic asphyxiation' of Iran with new sanctions

France 24

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Monday laid out plans for the "economic asphyxiation" of Iran, expanding Washington's secondary sanctions threats and warning of dire consequences for countries that do not join the campaign.

Trump says Iran is ‘completely collapsing’ ahead of new sanctions announcement – live

Trump says Iran is ‘completely collapsing’ ahead of new sanctions announcement – live

The Guardian

It’s a common refrain from the president, but perhaps takes on a new meaning ahead of the fresh sanctions that we’re expecting later todaySign up for the US Breaking News emailNew Mexico will continue funding gender-affirming care for minors after a federal rule ending Medicaid support for such care goes into effect.On 13 August, the Trump administration finalized a rule – set to go into effect on...

Reno, Nevada, wildfire forces 90,000 to evacuate and destroys several homes

Reno, Nevada, wildfire forces 90,000 to evacuate and destroys several homes

The Guardian

Fast-moving, ‘human-caused’ fire in Reno leaves thousands of homes and businesses without power, officials sayAbout 90,000 residents of Reno, Nevada, and the adjacent North Valley are under evacuation orders as a fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire bears down on the city.The Hawk fire began on Saturday to the north-west of the city, and quickly grew, showing “extreme fire behavior”. It stood at a li...

At least six injured in Reno, Nevada, wildfire as 42,000 forced to evacuate

At least six injured in Reno, Nevada, wildfire as 42,000 forced to evacuate

The Guardian

Fast-moving, ‘human-caused’ fire in Reno leaves thousands of homes and businesses without power, officials sayTens of thousands of people in Nevada were urged to evacuate as a fast-moving, wind-driven wildfire bore down on the city of Reno.The Hawk fire began on Saturday to the north-west of the city, and quickly grew, showing “extreme fire behavior”. Continue reading...

Twelve people arrested over A66 crash that killed seven including two police officers

Twelve people arrested over A66 crash that killed seven including two police officers

The Guardian

Nine men and three women aged between 19 and 61 arrested as part of investigation of events leading to deadly collisionNine men and three women, aged between 19 and 61, have been arrested by officers investigating events leading to a crash on the A66 in which PC Matthew Blades and PC Tom Clough and five other people died, Cleveland police said.Some of those arrested as part of the investigation ar...