World News Roundup — July 28, 2026 (PM)

A magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck Kumamoto in southern Japan late Tuesday, collapsing part of a shopping mall and triggering tsunami warnings along the coast. On the other side of the world, France and Spain are racing to contain wildfires that have already burned through nearly 300,000 acres as a punishing heatwave settles over Europe. In Washington, Federal Reserve Chair Kevin Warsh is being tested by an AI capex binge and elevated energy prices that have pushed single-stock volatility higher. Earnings season brought fresh updates from Boeing, Coca-Cola, Johnson & Johnson and UPS; in parallel, Meta and BlackRock unveiled a $14 billion partnership for an El Paso data center, Apple launched a $17.99/month iPhone lease via Klarna, and DR Congo’s Ebola outbreak was confirmed as the fastest on record.

Asia-Pacific

• Magnitude 6.8 earthquake strikes Kumamoto in southern Japan; mall collapse feared. Emergency workers were racing to find people and extinguish fires after the 6.8 magnitude quake struck the southwestern prefecture of Kumamoto. NYT NYT NYT NYT CNBC Sky News Al Jazeera Al Jazeera

• India’s Gen Z protests test Modi; government moves to demolish Muslim-founded university. As India’s huge youth population surges, the government faces pressure to fix an education system that leaves many ill prepared for university, let alone for the workplace. NYT NYT Al Jazeera

• Pakistani Kashmir election day clashes as authorities open fire. Dozens have died in recent weeks ahead of a weekslong regional election, officials said. A banned civil rights group said supporters died in conflicts with the police. NYT Al Jazeera

Europe

• Heat wave fuels France/Spain wildfires burning ~300,000 acres; Bordeaux vintners hit. Faced with unprecedented blazes, firefighters in both countries are using a brief window of opportunity to bring the flames under control before temperatures spike. NYT CNBC NYT NYT

Americas

• Tate brothers to remain in US jail as bail bid reviewed. The conditions faced by the brothers in prison in Miami are a far cry from the luxury lifestyle they once flaunted. Al Jazeera Al Jazeera

• ICE shooting fatality; Texas detention lease extended after migrant deaths. Trump’s ICE crackdown grows with new funding and hires as deaths and abuse claims draw review. Al Jazeera Al Jazeera

Africa

• DR Congo Ebola outbreak fastest on record. Ebola cases in DR Congo have reached 3,262 - making it the ‘fastest outbreak on record’, according to officials. Sky News

Economy

• Equity volatility rising; Warsh faces energy and AI capex pressure at the Fed. Fed Chairman Kevin Warsh and many of his devotees have argued that some short-term price pain can be tolerated in anticipation of AI eventually suppressing inflation. CNBC CNBC CNBC

• Microsoft and CrowdStrike pitch AI agents as cybersecurity cost-savers. Microsoft says that when integrated with OpenAI’s GPT-5.4, its new cybersecurity model can beat Anthropic’s new Mythos 5. CNBC CNBC

• Coca-Cola tops Q2 earnings, hikes full-year outlook as demand climbs. Coca-Cola said demand for its drinks rose in every market in the second quarter, helped in part by the World Cup. CNBC CNBC

• Apple plans $17.99/month iPhone lease via Klarna. Apple is announcing an iPhone lease option weeks after raising iPad and Mac prices due to the global memory shortage. CNBC

• Boeing posts wider loss; Air Force One costs weigh. Boeing took a $280 million charge on its long-delayed Air Force One program. CNBC

Sport

• Roberto Mancini returns as Italy coach; Zidane named France coach after World Cup 2026. Mancini coached the national side in 2018-2023 and reportedly returns to the job with Italy having missed the World Cup. Al Jazeera Al Jazeera

In Brief

• China’s reported chip breakthrough comes with big caveats. China is reportedly producing a key chip tool in a market dominated by ASML. But analysts questioned China’s ability to compete with the Dutch giant. CNBC
• Germany’s AfD opposes Pride flags, may attract support after LGBTQ attack. Analysts say a recent attack on a Pride celebration is likely to focus fall elections on issues favoring the far-right Alternative for Germany party. NYT
• US walks out on France at UN over North Korea-Russia comparison. US diplomats walked out of France’s UN Security Council address after France’s UN Mission compared the US to North Korea Al Jazeera
• London’s Hackney Council moves to repeal ’twin’ status with Haifa. Green Party, which took over control of the council from the Labour Party, is opposed to Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza. Al Jazeera
• Six European canal cities beyond Amsterdam and Venice. From culture in Hamburg to sweet confections in Aveiro, the charms of these places are revealed as you drift down uncrowded waterways. NYT
• Lawmakers renew push to axe crypto wash-sale tax loophole. Crypto investors have largely been exempt from the “wash sale” rules that apply to stocks and other traditional assets. Congress is trying to clamp down. CNBC
• Meta and BlackRock partner on $14B El Paso data center. Meta and BlackRock partner on $14B El Paso data center. CNBC
• Republicans slam Democrats opposing Trump tariffs in new ad blitz. As the 2026 midterm elections approach, the National Republican Congressional Committee is knocking Democrats who have opposed President Donald Trump’s tariffs. CNBC
• SpaceX stock purchases by Congress members fuel conflict-of-interest concerns. Five of the Congress members serve on committees whose work touches SpaceX’s federal contracts, defense programs, AI, telecommunications or securities markets. CNBC
• Canadian politician accidentally reads AI prompt during speech. ‘Here’s a more natural flowing version of that section…’ Al Jazeera
• Cubans endure sweltering blackouts, unable to sleep. Our reporter Jack Nicas visits a sweltering Cuba where, six months into the Trump administration’s oil blockade, people struggle to sleep with no electricity for fans or air-conditioning. NYT
• Mamdani tackles NYC cost-of-living crisis with 30% discounts. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a new plan to sell discounted grocery baskets at city-run stores. Al Jazeera
• Supreme Court approval hits record low as Republican support declines. Supreme Court approval hits record low as Republican support declines. CNBC
• Big Tech investors brace after Google report sparks sell-off. Alphabet’s free cash flow has turned negative, and the company lifted its capital spending forecast. Slower-growing cloud rivals report this week. CNBC
• J&J reaches sweeping talc deal that could end decade of litigation. Johnson & Johnson said Monday it would pay an estimated $5.5 billion to resolve lawsuits alleging its baby powder and other talc products ​cause ovarian cancer. CNBC
• Tuesday’s biggest analyst calls: SpaceX, Apple, Tesla, Berkshire, Amazon. Here are the biggest calls on Wall Street on Tuesday. CNBC
• UPS raises full-year guidance but expects flat domestic Q3 revenue. UPS beat Wall Street expectations and raised its full-year guidance in its second-quarter earnings report Tuesday. CNBC
• Wells Fargo shifts to sidelines on apparel stock; says good news priced in. The bank downgraded the apparel stock to equal weight from overweight. CNBC
• Jim Cramer warns investors trading on borrowed money. “If you’re borrowing money to buy something related to the data center, then tomorrow morning, 9:30 a.m., sell it no matter what,” said CNBC’s Jim Cramer. CNBC
• Police say Binance is making it harder to fight crime. Investigators in Europe said that the cryptocurrency giant Binance had made it more difficult to track down scammers and solve other crimes. NYT
• Beluga whales moved with cranes, planes, and anti-anxiety medicine. Relocating the whales from a closed marine attraction in Canada to aquariums in the United States and Spain requires coordination, permits and a police escort. NYT
• Justin Greaves sets cricket record with five-wicket maiden. Greaves, a West Indies paceman, becomes the first player in Test history to bowl five straight wicket maidens. Al Jazeera

Roundup compiled from the TTRSS NEWS feed. 200 articles fetched, 144 excluded as Iran-conflict material, 55 non-Iran articles organized into 35 clusters.