China

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban presents the "Orban Plan" for peace talks to EU leaders after visiting Ukraine, Russia, and China on a "peacekeeping mission.

Italy plans to restore nuclear power by adopting a law that will allow investment in small modular nuclear reactors that can be commissioned within 10 years, so that by 2050 nuclear energy will account for at least 11% of the country's total electricity consumption.

NATO and Japan have agreed to conduct joint exercises in Euro-Atlantic waters and to increase intelligence sharing out of concern that events similar to the war in Ukraine could occur in Asia.

China imposes sanctions on six U. S. companies and freezes the assets of their top officials over arms sales to Taiwan.

In Japan, more than 200 defense officials, including top military commanders, were disciplined for mishandling classified information and other incidents.

Several EU countries, including Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, and Finland, will boycott ministerial meetings organized by Hungary during its presidency of the EU Council to protest Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's meetings with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping.

In 2024, international travel spending in Europe reached a record 800 billion euros, up 37% from before the pandemic, driven by increased demand from American and East Asian travelers.

Taiwan's Ministry of Defense is closely monitoring China's intensified military exercises near the Shandong aircraft carrier amid rising tensions between the two countries.

Due to the US sanctions, the Chinese company Wison New Energies ceased its operations in Russia and refused to supply modules for Novatek's Arctic LNG 2 project, which forced the project to delay gas exports from the first production line.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's "peacekeeping mission" visits to Moscow and Beijing during Hungary's EU presidency have angered the EU, which may strip Hungary of its presidency within weeks because Orbán's diplomacy undermines the bloc's unity against Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

On July 9, many countries celebrate International Gazelle Day to draw attention to the problem of the decline in the population of these graceful antelopes due to human activity, war and poaching.

Ukrainian tennis player Elina Svitolina wears a mourning ribbon and wins her quarterfinal match at Wimbledon, honoring the memory of Ukrainians killed by Russian missile attacks.

During a meeting between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, they discussed strengthening cooperation between China and the EU.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban called China a key power in creating conditions for peace in Russia's war against Ukraine during his visit to Beijing, where he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

After visiting Kyiv and Moscow, the Hungarian leader arrived in China on a "peace mission. " Before that, he announced "unexpected visits".

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's plane flew over Russia toward China, indicating that he is headed to China after recent visits to Kyiv, Moscow, and Azerbaijan.

Chinese troops arrived in Belarus to conduct joint anti-terrorism exercises with Belarusian forces from July 8-19.

China has announced a crackdown on financial fraud, promising severe punishment for violators of the law in the stock markets.

China has tightened export controls on products that can be used in the military industry and dual-use goods, which has led to delays and increased costs for Russian importers due to increased inspections and licensing requirements.

Ukrainian swimmers Maryna Alekseeva and Vladyslava Alekseeva won gold in the Super Final of the World Cup in Rhythmic Swimming held in Budapest.

Germany has blocked the sale of Volkswagen's subsidiary MAN Energy Solutions to a Chinese company on national security grounds, deepening tensions with its trading partner.

Next week, NATO plans to release a document on expanding cooperation with Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea to respond to threats such as cybersecurity and disinformation from China and Russia.

President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko at a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the SCO summit in Astana expressed support for China's initiative to settle the war between Russia and Ukraine.

The new EU tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles do not apply to hybrid cars, allowing Chinese automakers to continue selling partially electric hybrids in Europe at lower tariffs, although they face competition from European manufacturers in this segment.

At the SCO summit, Chinese President Xi Jinping reaffirmed China's support for Russia and its stance on Ukraine, deepening ties that are likely to further irritate Western powers demanding that China stop supporting Russia's war against Ukraine.

The European Commission has imposed temporary countervailing duties on imports of battery electric vehicles from China ranging from 17. 4% to 37.6%, while negotiations with China are ongoing.

Belarus officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), expanding the organization to 10 member states.

According to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, 14 brigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine have not been provided with the promised weapons due to slow deliveries from partners, which prevents counteroffensive actions.

China faces the risk of lower cotton and rice yields due to prolonged high temperatures and heat waves in the eastern, central, and southern regions.

Zelenskyy said that Ukraine has no absolute proof that Chinese weapons are reaching Russia, although some dual-use drones or parts for them come from China and Europe, and if China is developing weapons together with Russia for use in Ukraine, sanctions will need to be imposed.