Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Europe

Hard Numbers: Iraqi parliament occupied, Chinese manufacturing slows, El Salvador to buy back debt, Spain going tieless

Hard Numbers: Iraqi parliament occupied, Chinese manufacturing slows, El Salvador to buy back debt, Spain going tieless

Supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr inside the Iraqi parliament in Baghdad.

REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani
Make us preferred on Google

125: At least 125 people were injured over the weekend after supporters of Iraqi cleric Muqtada al-Sadr stormed parliament for a second time in three days to reject a pro-Iran candidate for PM. The protesters now say they'll camp out there until further notice, raising the stakes for the stalled formation of a new government.


49: China's manufacturing activity index fell unexpectedly to 49 in June (below 50 indicates contraction). Zero-COVID and weak global demand are doing a number on the Chinese economy, to the point that the ruling Communist Party has stopped talking about its growth target for the year.

1.6 billion: El Salvador wants to buy back $1.6 billion worth of its sovereign debt at much lower market prices to avoid default. Well played by President Nayib Bukele if he’s already secured the cash; otherwise, it's a recipe for accumulating even more debt.

27: In a nod to making casual Fridays an environmental policy option, Spain's PM Pedro Sánchez is ditching his necktie, and asking office workers to follow his example to save energy. They'll certainly need to do so at the Environmental Transition Ministry, which is now running the AC at a warmer-than-usual 27 C (80.6 F).

More For You

The demolition of the border fence between Spain and Gibraltar in La Línea de la Concepción, on July 15, 2026.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares and Gibraltar Chief Minister Fabian Picardo attend a ceremony marking the demolition of the border fence between Spain and Gibraltar in La Línea de la Concepción, on July 15, 2026.

Samuel Vega/JNA Press/Sipa USA
A physical border falls, a digital one risesSome 118 years after it was installed, the border fence between Spain and the British overseas territory of Gibraltar fell on Tuesday, after the European Union and the United Kingdom clinched a long-awaited deal last year over how to manage the border in the wake of Brexit. But while one wall falls, [...]
Europe has one last spree of Russian gas
Will Fitzpatrick
Months before an EU ban on Russian gas imports goes into effect, European countries are filling up their proverbial cups. The massive purchase of liquified natural gas, mostly from France, Belgium and Spain, highlights just how reliant Europe has been on Russian energy, even as it has sought to wean itself off since the beginning of Moscow’s [...]
US President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO leaders summit in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.​

US President Donald Trump holds a bilateral meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky alongside the NATO leaders summit at the Bestepe Presidential Compound in Ankara, Turkey, on July 8, 2026.

REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
Trump gives Ukraine another boostUS President Donald Trump said he would grant Ukraine a license to manufacture Patriot air-defense missiles during the NATO meeting in Turkey on Wednesday, fulfilling a longstanding request from Kyiv. These interceptors can protect Ukraine from Russia’s ballistic missiles – Kyiv is struggling to block such attacks. [...]
The day after announcing her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, Marine Le Pen visits La Fleche, in the Sarthe department, on July 8, 2026.​

The day after announcing her candidacy for the 2027 presidential election, Marine Le Pen (National Rally – RN), accompanied by Jordan Bardella, made her first campaign appearance during a visit to the market in La Fleche, in the Sarthe department, on July 8, 2026.

Frederic Petry / Hans Lucas
Yesterday, a French appeals court shortened a ban on far-right leader Marine Le Pen seeking public office, effectively allowing her to stand in the 2027 presidential election. Hours after the verdict was announced, Le Pen officially announced her fourth bid for the Elysée Palace, despite judges upholding her embezzlement conviction and sentencing [...]