Earlier this year, the foundation opened an external review into its engagement with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein

International News via Reuters:

An external review conducted by the Gates Foundation has found no evidence of payments made or participation in criminal activities linked to late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, the philanthropic group said on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the foundation opened an external review into its engagement with the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

Reporting by Kanjyik Ghosh in Barcelona;

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and many scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms

International News via Reuters:

Firefighters struggled to control Spain’s biggest wildfire of the year on Tuesday and two firefighters were killed in a blaze in southwestern France as extreme heat persisted in Europe, with increasingly volatile conditions bringing drought and forecasts of severe hailstorms.

The fatalities occurred near an airport in the Gironde region, which was on high alert for wildfires, Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said, two weeks after the death of another firefighter in the Savoie region in the French Alps.

In Spain’s central Guadalajara province, a forest blaze raged out of control for the sixth day, forcing the evacuation of more than 1,200 people.

Emergency crews worked to contain the flames as temperatures above 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) pushed fire danger to extreme levels, less than two weeks after Spain’s deadliest wildfire in decades killed 13 people near Bedar, in the southern Almeria province.

Europe is the world’s fastest-warming continent and many scientists say human-driven climate change is increasing the intensity of heatwaves, droughts and wildfires, while also creating conditions for sudden, destructive storms.

The continent has endured three stifling almost  back-to back heatwaves so far this year. Intense heat  has also been blamed for thousands of excess deaths in the May to June period.

PARTS OF ENGLAND PARCHED, HAIL IN BALKANS

In Britain, Thames Water said it would introduce usage restrictions for the 10 million customers it provides with drinking water in and around London, banning the use of outdoor hoses, sprinklers and pressure washers to conserve supplies.

England had received only 3% of its long-term average July rainfall, with the south and east of the country receiving nothing at all so far – the longest spell without rain since the mid-1990s, the British government’s National Drought Group said.

In Europe’s southeast, Greek authorities advised residents to stay indoors as the country endured its first major heatwave of the peak summer season with temperatures set to hit 40 C.

In central Athens, residents and tourists on the Acropolis Hill shielded from the heat with hats and umbrellas, while restaurants and cafes deployed fans blowing water mist to keep their customers cool.

The Reuters Climate Monitor, an interactive tool giving real-time data, showed the average high temperature across Western Europe at 26.3 C, 2.7 degrees higher than the seasonal average high for July 21 recorded between 1961 and 1990.

Greece’s temperatures were 5.8 degrees above normal. Spain’s average high of 33.2 C, was 5.3 degrees above what was typical in the past decades.

In Albania, residents and tourists alike sought the cool of street water fountains.

“I swear to God, the temperature is very high today. Today it is 42 degrees. You can’t fight that without cold water,” said Tirana resident Ferid Salihu.

In Serbia, the water level of the Danube fell to its lowest since 1946, forcing barges and ships to take on smaller loads to navigate Serbian stretches of the Danube and Sava rivers, river port authorities said. 

Authorities across the Western Balkans have warned of a shift from heatwaves to hailstorms. 

Several people were slightly injured in a hailstorm in Croatia’s northern Adriatic resort of Rovinj, Croatian media reported. The storms will continue to spread to Slovenia in the north, across Bosnia and Herzegovina and southern Serbia to North Macedonia, according to local weather forecasts. 

Reporting by Elena Rodriguez in Eljuve, Spain, Deborah Kyvrikosaios and Lefteris Papadimas in Athens, William James in London, Aleksandar Vasovic in Belgrade, Fatos Bytyci in Tirana and Daria Sito-Sucic in Sarajevo; Writing by Renee Maltezou and Michele Kambas

President Emmanuel Macron, who in April urged young people to switch off their phones and read in order to become better citizens, wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year

International News via Reuters:

French Senators approved on Tuesday a ban on social media access for children under the age of 15, as concerns grow around ​the world over the impact social media have on the health and safety of minors.

If the lower house of parliament, as expected, also adopts the draft legislation later on Tuesday, France would follow Australia, where the world’s first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, ​Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December.

“France opens the way by being the first country in Europe to adopt a digital majority,” Anne Le Hénanff, junior minister for AI, told senators.

President Emmanuel Macron, who in April urged young people to switch off their phones and read in order to become better citizens, wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year.    

With the new legislation, children younger than 15 would not be allowed to open a social media account from September 1. Social media platforms would have another four months to close accounts already open. The platforms would also need to use age verification approved by the French privacy regulator.

Social media platforms generally oppose blanket bans and stress they already have measures to protect younger users, including age restrictions. But they have also pledged to comply where governments enact bans.

The European Commission is working on its own regulations to rein in social media across Europe to protect young people, and it will have a say on whether France’s bill respects existing European legislation.

“We left you in this jungle and it robbed you of your attention,” Macron told teenagers at an event in April, speaking of the lack of rules ​on social media. “We need to slow down and help you become adults, and above all citizens.”

“That’s why what we want to do is say that ​before 15 years old, no more social media,” he said.

Writing by Ingrid Melander;Editing by Alison Williams and Hugh Lawson

Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and major partners have meetings in Manila this week against a backdrop of instability since the U.S. and Iran resumed open conflict

International News via Reuters:

The Middle East crisis cast a shadow over a diplomatic gathering in Southeast Asia on Tuesday, where foreign ministers voiced serious concern over renewed hostilities that add to uncertainty in a region grappling to manage tensions and conflicts of its own. 

Foreign ministers from the 11-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations and major partners have meetings in Manila this week against a backdrop of instability since the U.S. and Iran resumed open conflict, raising fears about energy supplies through the Strait of Hormuz, as well as inflation and global growth. 

Risks have increased in recent days, with Yemen’s Iran-aligned Houthis announcing a naval blockade on Saudi Arabia, opening a potential new front in the conflict and raising the threat to global energy supplies and trade beyond the Gulf.

“We are deeply concerned that these developments severely undermine the ongoing efforts of key mediators and diminish the prospects for a peaceful resolution through dialogue and diplomacy,” the ministers said in a statement after a closed-door meeting.

Southeast Asia, a major oil importer with a combined gross domestic product of $3.8 trillion, is highly exposed to the supply crunch and has sought to fast-track an ASEAN oil-sharing mechanism to mitigate the impact.

ASEAN has no shortage of challenges closer to home and will on Tuesday hold a consultation on the conflict in Myanmar, as the bloc’s peace initiative falters, five years after a military coup that plunged the country into a civil war that has killed an estimated 100,000 people.

RUBIO TAKES AIM AT BEIJING

Officials are also likely to discuss tensions in the South China Sea, with ASEAN and China still trying to conclude a code of conduct to prevent disputes from escalating after nearly 10 years. 

Tensions between Manila and Beijing have intensified ahead of an expected meeting between Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on the sidelines of Wednesday’s ASEAN meetings.

A fresh war of words erupted after the Philippine military accused China’s Coast Guard personnel of aggressively striking one of its navy personnel on the head with a baton near the disputed Second Thomas Shoal in the South China Sea on Monday, prompting accusations of provocation and dangerous manoeuvres from both governments. 

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr will summon China’s ambassador in Manila, his office said on Tuesday, hours after Manila’s envoy in Beijing was similarly summoned.

As the diplomatic standoff deepened, the Chinese foreign ministry told a media briefing on Tuesday ASEAN was not a forum for discussing bilateral maritime disputes.

“The Philippines should earnestly fulfil its duties as ASEAN’s rotating chair, promote dialogue and cooperation, rather than placing its own political interests above regional peace and stability,” it said. 

The U.S. State Department condemned what it described as China’s “dangerous and aggressive” actions, in what it called “China’s troubling pattern of provocation against lawful Philippine maritime operations”. 

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Wang will join the ASEAN-led meeting in the coming days and could meet on the sidelines. Also attending will be India, Japan, Australia, South Korea, Russia, Britain and the European Union, among others.

Without naming China, Rubio took a swipe at Beijing in an opinion piece published in Philippine newspapers on his arrival in Manila on Tuesday, reaffirming U.S. commitment to freedom of navigation, but warning such freedom was “by no means guaranteed”. 

“If those waters fall under the control of a power willing to use commerce as a geopolitical weapon, both the United States and the ASEAN states would face dire new threats to their sovereignty, security and economic futures,” Rubio said in the piece.

Rubio reiterated a 2016 arbitral ruling that invalidated China’s sweeping sovereignty claims in the South China Sea was final and binding and said the U.S. would honour its obligations to the Philippines and other allies “as they confront new and coercive threats to our shared interests.”

China does not recognise the arbitration ruling, which went in favour of the Philippines. 

Reporting by Karen Lema, Nestor Corrales and Mikhail Flores; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus, Martin Petty and Kate Mayberry

Around 645 million people, or 7.8% of the world’s population, experienced hunger last year, down from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022

International News via Reuters:

Global hunger declined for a third consecutive year in 2025, with improvements recorded across every continent, although mounting risks from climate shocks and trade disruption could threaten further progress, a United Nations report said.

Around 645 million people, or 7.8% of the world’s population, experienced hunger last year, down from 8.1% in 2024 and 8.6% in 2022, according to the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, jointly prepared by five U.N. agencies.

Progress was driven largely by gains in Asia, particularly India, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean. Some African countries also began to reverse years of deterioration, though the continent had the world’s largest undernourished population in 2025, with 309 million people affected, one in five Africans.

Global hunger is projected to keep falling by 2030, according to the U.N. experts.

“The big difference to previous years is that this year the rate of hunger has declined in all continents, including Africa, although very, very slightly,” Máximo Torero, chief economist at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), told Reuters in an interview.

Torero said the trend offered grounds for optimism but warned that geopolitical tensions and weather disruptions posed significant threats to global food systems.

Among the most immediate concerns are issues with shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, a key route for energy and agricultural inputs. The interruption is driving up prices for fuel, fertilizers and transportation, increasing food production costs worldwide.

A potentially strong El Nino weather pattern could add further pressure by disrupting agricultural production in vulnerable regions.

“We hope the trend won’t change, but there are several risks affecting us right now,” Torero said.

INDIA DRIVES ASIA’S IMPROVEMENT

Much of the improvement in Asia has been concentrated in India, home to nearly one-fifth of the world’s population, where hunger has fallen below 10%, helped by a combination of targeted welfare programmes and rising agricultural productivity.

Elsewhere, several African countries including Ethiopia, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, Senegal and Zambia have also shown signs of progress, while the Dominican Republic is no longer classified on the global hunger map.

Torero said the war in Gaza had not materially altered the global hunger figures because the report tracks chronic, long-term undernourishment rather than acute food insecurity caused by conflicts or disasters.

Food deliveries into Gaza have increased recently, helping to stabilise conditions, but rebuilding the territory’s devastated agricultural sector will take years, he added.

“Our job is to help re-establish agricultural production because a significant part of the infrastructure for agriculture was destroyed,” Torero said.

HEALTHY DIETS STILL OUT OF REACH

Despite progress against hunger, child malnutrition remains stubbornly high and anaemia among women is worsening, the report said, highlighting that adult obesity has also risen steadily. 

Access to nutritious food remains a major challenge.

The report estimates that 2.69 billion people cannot afford a healthy diet, which it calculated would cost an average of $4.28 a day in purchasing-power-parity terms.

The affordability gap was particularly stark in Africa, where 66.1% of people could not afford a healthy diet, more than double the levels recorded in Asia and Latin America.

Torero said Africa faces particular challenges because weak infrastructure, limited cold-storage facilities and poor transport networks raise the cost of highly perishable foods such as fruit, vegetables, milk and meat.

The continent is also hindered by fragmented regulations and non-tariff barriers that restrict food trade between neighbouring countries, he added.

Reporting by Giselda Vagnoni and Oriana BoselliEditing by Keith Weir

If it is adopted, France would follow Australia, where the world’s first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, ​Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December

International News via Reuters:

French lawmakers vote on Tuesday on a law that aims to ban social media access for children under the age of 15, joining countries around ​the world in considering a move unpopular with many teenagers but supported by some ‌parents and teachers.

If it is adopted, France would follow Australia, where the world’s first ban for under-16s on platforms including Facebook, ​Snapchat, TikTok and YouTube came into force in December, as concerns grow over the impact social media has on the health and safety of minors.

President Emmanuel Macron, who in April urged young people to switch off their phones and read in order to become better citizens, wants the law in place in time for the start of the next academic year.    

France’s draft legislation, which senators and deputies agreed on at committee level late on Monday, requires social media platforms to set up systems of age verification approved by the French privacy regulator.

The vote in parliament is due in the mid- to late afternoon.

With the proposed legislation, children younger than 15 would not be allowed to open a social media account from September 1. Social media platforms would have another four months to close accounts already open.

Online encyclopaedias and educational websites would remain available to children and teenagers.

Social media platforms generally oppose blanket bans and stress they already have measures to protect younger users, including age restrictions. But they have also pledged to comply where governments enact bans.

Countries across Europe and beyond are considering ​ways to restrict social media after becoming increasingly aware of the risks to children. 

The European Commission is working on its own regulations to rein in social media’s business models to protect young people, and it will have a say on whether France’s bill respects existing European legislation.

“We left you in this jungle and it robbed you of your attention,” Macron told teenagers at a high school in April, speaking of the lack of rules ​on social media. “We need to slow down and help you become adults, and above all citizens.”

“That’s why what we want to do is say that ​before 15 years old, no more social media,” he said.

Writing by Ingrid Melander;Editing by Alison Williams