FIFA President Gianni Infantino has withdrawn his controversial plan to sell a stake in World Cup rights to private investors. Following fierce opposition from the European soccer community, threats of a boycott, and resignations among his own leadership, the FIFA president admitted: “The project has caused divisions that are no longer in the interest of the original goal.”
Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez blames human traffickers following the sudden arrival of 60,000 migrants in Ceuta.
At least nine people were killed and 28 others were injured, including four children, in a massive Russian missile attack on Kyiv during the night of July 31 to August 1. It was the second large-scale attack on Ukraine in 48 hours. Ballistic missiles gave residents only a few minutes’ warning; many were trapped under the rubble. “We heard explosions almost immediately after the air raid siren. How were we supposed to take cover?” says Lidiia Synovska (38) in a statement to NV from the Solomianskyi district.
Within 24 hours, an estimated 50,000–60,000 people entered the Spanish exclave of Ceuta, either by swimming or across the land border. Less than a day later, at least 48,300 of them turned back to Morocco. “We were lied to—we were told we could easily get to Europe. But there’s nothing here. Not even food,” 18-year-old Mohamed told El País. “It’s as if we were animals. There’s no food, no water. People threw stones at us,” 17-year-old Hamza told El Diario.
It is reported that 14 times more Russian soldiers have been killed than Ukrainian forces in the war that Vladimir Putin started against Ukraine.
A 52-year-old Belgian woman died on Thursday afternoon in an accident during a canyoning trip in Claro, in the Swiss canton of Ticino. The victim was part of a group navigating the Censo River Gorge when she fell approximately ten meters. Fellow participants immediately called for help and attempted to resuscitate her.
It was supposed to be a dream week for Leopold Aschenbrenner (24), the young Wall Street prodigy who, with his AI fund Situational Awareness, posted a whopping 439 percent return in just six months. Instead of celebrating, a financial bloodbath unfolded this week: his fund lost an estimated tens of billions and was forced to sell nearly all of its public equity positions.
Greek police have released new information regarding the death of 38-year-old British woman Elizabeth Jane Ross, whose body was found inside a suitcase in an abandoned building in the Kypseli neighborhood of Athens last month. Her remains were found on July 18 by a homeless man. Her identity was later confirmed through fingerprints in a U.S. database with the help of Interpol.
Spain is deploying troops to restore order in the North African exclave of Ceuta after thousands of migrants crossed the border from Morocco on Thursday—swimming, using rubber tubes, and in some cases via the land border. According to local media, at least 19 people lost their lives during the crossing. The Spanish government describes the situation as “chaotic” and accuses human trafficking networks of exploiting the situation. More than 40,000 migrants are reported to have crossed the border in recent days.
A Russian ballistic missile killed at least six members of a single family in the Ukrainian village of Radushne (Dnipropetrovsk region) when their home was completely destroyed during a large-scale Russian missile attack on the night of July 30. Among the victims are the parents, Olena and Artem Voronov, and several of their children. Rescue workers were still searching Friday for the remains of other family members, according to Meduza.