Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov floats a “new concept” to halt Ukraine conflict at meeting with counterpart Rubio in Asia

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told his counterpart Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov of his disappointment and frustration" at the lack of progress to ending the Ukraine conflict, but said his counterpart had floated a “new concept".

Scientists find ocean and atmosphere equally responsible for Atlantic cold blob

A patch of the Atlantic Ocean just south of Greenland is cooling while much of the world warms, and scientists have found that both ocean and atmospheric factors contribute equally to this "cold blob" phenomenon.

URC2025: Ukraine to spend $50bn on defence in 2025, but needs more outside help

Ukraine will allocate nearly $50bn to defence and security in 2025, amounting to 26% of the country's GDP, but it’s going to need more outside help, Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said as the annual Ukraine Recovery Conference (URC25) kicks off.

Slovakia blocks latest round of EU sanctions against Russia

Slovakia nearly eradicated Russian gas imports during the winter of 2022-23, but imports spiked following the return of the Fico-led government.

Utility tariffs expectedly spike Russian weekly inflation

Russian consumer prices jumped to 0.79% growth week-on-week in the week ending July 7, up from 0.07% seen in the previous week.

Hopes for a prosperous European future fading as a majority of Ukrainians now see only a bleak outlook for the country

Ukrainians' confidence in a prosperous European future has turned negative, according to recent polling data by Kyiv International Institute of Sociology (KIIS).

Russian broadcaster RTVI launches in Mali

COMMENT: Trump at his most pro-Ukraine yet, but still no sanctions action

US President Donald Trump made his most pro-Ukraine, anti-Russia comments on his presidency to date this week, but he has yet to impose any new sanctions on Russia whatsoever, or follow through on his promises to restart weapons deliveries to Kyiv.

Global sea temperatures reach 21°C to set new all-time record high in June

According to the European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, the global average sea surface temperature reached 20.96°C in June, the highest for the month since records began.

Just 111 of the world’s biggest companies are causing $28 trillion worth of climate damage, says study

Just 111 of the world’s largest fossil fuel companies are collectively responsible for an estimated $28 trillion in climate-related economic damage, and just ten of those companies are responsible for half of that total.

Russia’s June budget deficit widens sharply as military spending and oil revenues diverge

President Putin has lost his luck with oil prices and the budget deficit has widened sharply as budget revenues in June have fallen, but expenditure widened. Russia’s federal budget deficit surged to nearly RUB3.7tn ($41.4bn), or 1.7% of GDP.

Thirteen top officials and executives have died in suspicious circumstances since the start of the war in Ukraine

The death of Roman Starovoit, who killed himself only hours after being fired by Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russia’s transport minister, has spurred fresh talk of the life-threatening dangers of working for the Russian government.

Sergei Lavrov lauds Hungarian government’s policy in interview with pro-Orban media

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has lauded the Hungarian government's foreign policy as "balanced and pragmatic", in an interview granted to pro-Orban daily Magyar Nemzet.

Trump to restart weapons deliveries to Ukraine

“We have to,” said US President Donald Trump, announcing that his administration would restart weapons supplies to Ukraine, which is facing intensifying bombardment by Russian missiles.

Russian air travel collapses and transport minister commits suicide in one weekend

As Ukrainian drone attacks caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled and thousands delayed, Transport Minister Roman Starovoit was found dead.

Global South unity on display at BRICS summit, leaders avoid criticising Russia

The BRICS leaders gathered in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 6 for the annual meeting, where they condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza, the US airstrikes on Iran and Ukraine’s drone strikes on trains, but not Russia's war in Ukraine.

China overtakes US to become world’s R&D research leader on the back Trump’s academic research cuts

China’s lead over the United States in global scientific output has leapt, as new data shows that the gap between the two powers has more than quadrupled in the space of a year, according to Nature’s 2025 index of research papers leaders.

Experts warn of “cascading” climate tipping points that will kill the climate without immediate global action

World leaders must act with “immediate, unprecedented” urgency to prevent cascading climate tipping points that could have catastrophic consequences for billions of people, according to the Global Tipping Points Conferenrence delegates.

COMMENT: How close to a crisis is Russia's banking sector?

The Russian banking sector, once buoyed by record profits and wartime stimulus, is now showing growing signs of financial strain, leading some to ask if a crisis is looming?

Melting polar ice is measurably slowing the earth’s rotation

Melting polar ice is slowing the Earth’s rotation, but not enough to offset an even greater acceleration caused by changes in Earth’s molten core. As a result, the planet is spinning faster, but not as fast as it should be.