1. Joe Biden reportedly arranged virtual meetings with congressional groups one day after delivering a closely watched press conference. Twenty Democrats in the House of Representatives and one senator have publicly called on him to step aside. In Thursday’s news conference Mr Biden combined verbal gaffes with a firm grasp of foreign policy. He promised to stay in the presidential race and “complete the job”. 據報導，喬·拜登在舉行備受關注的新聞發布會一天後安排了與國會小組的虛擬會議。眾議院的二十位民主黨人和一位參議員公開呼籲他退出競選。在星期四的新聞發布會上，拜登總統在出現語言失誤的同時也展現了對外交政策的堅定掌握。他承諾將繼續競選並“完成這項工作”。 2. China’s trade surplus rose to $99bn in June, an all-time high. The government is throwing cash at manufacturing firms, propelling exports. At the same time weak domestic demand has depressed imports. The figures will spook China’s trading partners, who complain that the subsidies have allowed it to flood their markets with goods, including electric cars, at cut-throat prices. In response, America and the EU are hiking up tariffs on Chinese products. 中國的貿易順差在六月升至990億美元，創下歷史新高。政府向製造企業大量投資，推動了出口。同時，國內需求疲弱壓低了進口數據。這些數字會讓中國的貿易夥伴感到恐慌，他們抱怨這些補貼使中國能以極低價格將包括電動汽車在內的商品傾銷到他們的市場。作為回應，美國和歐盟正在提高對中國產品的關稅。 3. America’s most closely-watched index of consumer sentiment, published by the University of Michigan, plunged to its lowest reading in eight months in July, according to preliminary data. Although inflation is easing, high prices are eroding living standards, weighing on consumers’ views of the economy. Meanwhile, the producer-price index, a leading indicator of inflation, rose 0.2% last month, more than analysts were expecting. 根據初步數據，美國最受關注的消費者信心指數在七月由密西根大學發布，跌至八個月以來的最低水平。儘管通脹正在緩解，但高物價正在侵蝕生活水準，影響了消費者對經濟的看法。與此同時，作為通脹主要指標的生產者價格指數上月上漲了0.2%，超過了分析師的預期。 4. Russia denied that it had conspired to assassinate Armin Papperger, the boss of Rheinmetall, Germany’s biggest arms-maker. Earlier American intelligence reportedly announced it had discovered a plan to assassinate him, according to CNN. Germany said that it would not be “intimidated by Russia”. The company has supplied the Ukrainian army since Russia’s invasion; it recently opened an armoured-vehicle factory in Ukraine. 俄羅斯否認曾密謀暗殺萊茵金屬公司（Rheinmetall）老闆阿爾明·帕佩爾格（Armin Papperger），這是德國最大的軍火製造商。根據CNN的報導，美國情報部門早些時候據稱發現了一個暗殺他的計劃。德國表示，不會被俄羅斯“威嚇”。自俄羅斯入侵以來，該公司一直向烏克蘭軍隊提供裝備，並最近在烏克蘭開設了一家裝甲車工廠。 5. Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Nepal’s prime minister, stepped down after losing a vote of confidence. A former guerilla, he had been in office since 2022 and previously served two terms. Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli, who leads the Nepal Communist Party and has ruled before, is set to take over. Amid its government shakeup, Nepal is tackling a dangerous monsoon season; earlier a landslide left more than 60 people missing. 尼泊爾總理普什帕·卡邁勒·達哈爾（Pushpa Kamal Dahal）在信任投票失敗後辭職。這位前游擊隊員自2022年起擔任總理，此前曾兩次擔任總理職務。領導尼泊爾共產黨並曾執政的卡德加·普拉薩德·沙爾馬·奧利（Khadga Prasad Sharma Oli）將接任。在政府改組之際，尼泊爾正應對危險的季風季節；早些時候的一場土石流導致超過60人失蹤。 6. A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket **malfunctioned *during a routine mission—the first failure by the model in eight years. The rocket disintegrated in orbit. The incident may impact upcoming Falcon 9 missions, including one to take four astronauts to the International Space Station in August. America’s Federal Aviation Administration will* launch** an investigation to determine the cause. 一枚SpaceX的獵鷹9號（Falcon 9）火箭在例行任務中發生故障——這是該型號火箭八年來的首次失敗。火箭在軌道上解體。這起事故可能會影響即將進行的獵鷹9號任務，其中包括在八月將四名太空員送往國際空間站的任務。美國聯邦航空管理局（Federal Aviation Administration）將展開調查以確定原因。 -- Hosting provided by SoundOn

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