40: A week after Italian PM Mario Draghi's official resignation, a far-right coalition is on track to win the Sept. 25 parliamentary election. A Politico Europe poll says the Brothers of Italy, Lega, and Forza Italia parties will together scoop up 40% of the vote.
148 billion: China's central bank wants to mobilize $148 billion to help banks issue low-interest loans to heavily indebted real-estate developers so they can finish countless unfinished projects nationwide. Some Chinese homebuyers recently stopped paying their mortgages on these unfinished projects.
26: Argentina’s Economy Minister Silvina Batakis is reportedly getting fired after only 26 days in office. The president and the VP are too busy fighting each other to come up with a solution to the country’s deepening economic crisis, including an ongoing run on the peso and sky-high inflation.
500: A Ukrainian computer programmer bought an empty missile tube used against a Russian armed personnel carrier for $500. The charity auction in Lviv put a spotlight on the perhaps macabre but very real rising demand for war souvenirs.In his latest Quick Take, Ian Bremmer reacts to the sudden death of Sen. Lindsey Graham and reflects on a complicated political legacy.
Two years ago, Donald Trump picked the then-Ohio senator to be his running mate, putting him in pole position to be the next Republican presidential nominee. Since entering office, though, Vance has stumbled, possibly opening the door to challengers.
In a scene straight out of Looney Tunes, China on Friday maneuvered a gigantic floating net out into the Pacific Ocean, and used it to catch a rocket booster as it gently descended from the sky after launching a satellite into space.
At the 2026 AI for Good Global Summit in Geneva, ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin says the future of artificial intelligence depends on putting the right guardrails in place to ensure AI is developed safely, responsibly, and equitably.