U.S. forces strike Iran for 2nd straight day
U.S. forces conducted strikes against Iran for a second straight day on Wednesday to "degrade" Iran's ability "to threaten freedom of navigation in the Strait of Hormuz," the U.S. Central Command said.
The United States is "holding Iran accountable for recent unjustified aggression against commercial shipping and civilian crews freely navigating a vital international waterway," the command said in a post on X.
More than 20 U.S. Navy warships were patrolling waters across the Middle East on Wednesday, the command said in an earlier post.
IMF lowers 2026 global growth forecast amid Mideast risks
The International Monetary Fund on Wednesday projected that global growth will slow to 3.0 percent in 2026 before recovering to 3.4 percent in 2027.
This is down from the average of 3.5 percent of growth in 2025, and is also slightly down from the 3.1 percent projection in the April 2026 World Economic Outlook report. The modest slowdown reflects the effects of the war in the Middle East, which are partly offset by accelerated demand-driven momentum in the global technology cycle, driven by advances in artificial intelligence and its adoption, the July report said.
Based on the projections of higher energy prices, less supportive monetary policy and elevated policy and geopolitical uncertainty through 2027, global headline inflation is expected to increase from 4.1 percent in 2025 to 4.7 percent in 2026 before declining to 3.9 percent in 2027, slightly upward from the April projection, the IMF said.
Finnish leaders reject Trump's claim over Greenland
Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Foreign Minister Elina Valtonen on Wednesday rejected U.S. President Donald Trump's renewed claim that Greenland should be controlled by the United States, saying matters concerning Greenland fall within the competence of Denmark and Greenland.
Trump said on Tuesday, ahead of a bilateral meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan during the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Ankara, that Greenland "should be controlled by the U.S., not Denmark."
Speaking to Finnish national broadcaster Yle on Wednesday, Stubb said "matters related to Greenland are only in the hands of Denmark." He made the remarks when asked by reporters about Trump's statement.
Hezbollah chief says group to remain in field, rejects Lebanon-Israel deal
Hezbollah Secretary-General Naim Qassem said Wednesday the group will remain "in the field" to confront Israel, while rejecting the U.S.-brokered framework agreement between Lebanon and Israel.
In televised remarks on Hezbollah's Al-Manar TV channel, Qassem said Hezbollah had thwarted efforts to eliminate what the group calls the "resistance" and that Israel "will not have stability until liberation."
Describing the framework agreement as "illegitimate" and "unconstitutional," Qassem said the negotiations violated Lebanon's constitutional and legal principles.
Mexico to take legal action after migrant's death in U.S.: president
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday that her government would take "legal measures" following the death of Mexican citizen Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, who was shot dead by an agent from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Houston.
Speaking at her daily press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum expressed indignation over the mistreatment of Mexican migrants in the United States and said Mexico needed to go beyond traditional diplomatic notes.
"Our goal is to go beyond diplomatic notes and what we have raised before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, because we cannot allow the mistreatment of our brothers and sisters who are in the United States, our fellow nationals. So we are considering other measures," she said.■
