China's largest property developer, Country Garden, has posted a net loss of 48.9 billion yuan, or about 6.7 billion dollars, for the January-to-June period, compared with a reported net profit of 612 million yuan a year earlier.
US and Chinese officials are making efforts to mend their frayed ties. US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said they are working toward more "stable" relations. But she said US officials would not compromise on issues of national security.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered volunteer soldiers and other personnel involved in the invasion of Ukraine to take an oath of allegiance to the Russian state.
Former US President Donald Trump has traveled to Georgia to surrender to authorities on charges of trying to overturn his loss in the 2020 presidential election.
North Korea has announced through its state-run media that its second attempt to launch a military reconnaissance satellite ended in failure early Thursday.
President Joe Biden is visiting the US state of Hawaii to inspect the massive damage caused by wildfires in Maui two weeks ago. He interrupted his summer vacation to go there.
The United States and South Korea are set to begin regular military drills on Monday amid fears that North Korea may launch what it calls an intercontinental ballistic missile, or ICBM.
A senior US official has stressed that the upcoming three-way summit involving the United States, Japan and South Korea will serve as an important opportunity to enhance their trilateral relationship.
US Ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield spoke to NHK on Thursday after the UN Security Council held an open debate about the human rights situation in North Korea. She said she hopes council's message is being heard.
Many in Hawaii are waiting hour after hour to learn whether their family and friends are safe. At least 96 people on the island of Maui have died in the deadliest wildfires in the US in more than a century. State authorities fear every day could bring another 10 to 20 victims.
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