France's recent heatwaves, with temperatures nearing 30C, have exposed and exacerbated social inequalities, particularly in deprived areas like Saint-Denis. Residents struggle to cool off due to inadequate infrastructure and housing, leading to increased deaths and criticism of government response.
Venezuela's interim president defended the nation's emergency response to twin earthquakes that killed over 3,000, amid public anger over perceived inadequate aid. Thousands of officials and rescue teams were deployed, but morgues are overflowing, leading to fears of mass graves.
A US congressional advisory committee heard experts testify that China has built a state-driven campaign to harvest American data and weaponize it as a strategic asset for potential conflict with the US, including over Taiwan. Experts told the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission that Washington was falling short in countering Beijing's data-collection drive, warning that China treats data as a strategic resource and has assembled an ecosystem enabling industrial-scale cyber operations.
