The European Union has agreed on its 21st package of sanctions against Russia following several weeks of tough negotiations. EU countries have maintained key restrictions against Moscow but made a concession to Greece, which secured the right to continue transporting Russian liquefied natural gas (LNG) outside the European Union.
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a $1.15 trillion defense budget despite sharp disagreements between Republicans and Democrats. The bill, which sets Pentagon funding for the next fiscal year, passed by a narrow margin of 216 to 212. Six Democrats supported the measure, while seven Republicans voted against it.
The death toll from the two devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24 has risen to 5,398.
Following the pandemic, the flow of international tourists has shifted toward new destinations. The number of foreign visitors has grown most significantly in Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Egypt, while a number of popular tourist destinations, including the United States, Thailand, and Italy, have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels.
The ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace in the presence of President Maia Sandu and Parliament Speaker Igor Grosu. The new cabinet retained virtually all of its previous members. Tofan replaced only four ministers—those of finance, health, culture, and agriculture.
The Moldovan Parliament approved the new government headed by Vasile Tofan. At the July 21 session, 53 deputies from the “Action and Solidarity” (PAS) party voted in favor of the cabinet’s composition.
The new Cabinet of Ministers intends to conduct a large-scale review of state property and put assets that are not of strategic importance up for privatization. Prior to this, state-owned enterprises will undergo an audit, and their assets will be subject to an independent valuation. Prime Ministerial candidate Vasily Tofan presented these plans on Tuesday in parliament while outlining the future government’s program.
The number of bankruptcies in Romania is rising rapidly. In the first five months of 2026, 3,146 companies and self-employed individuals (PFAs) filed for insolvency. This is 13.6% more than a year earlier, according to data from the National Trade Registry Office (ONRC).
Russia has intensified its attacks on the Odesa region, using missiles and new types of drones. Behind this tactic is an effort to strike a region that is crucial to Ukraine’s maritime logistics.
The Cabinet of Ministers is preparing to expand the list of excise-taxable goods, citing public health concerns and a desire to bring the tax system in line with European standards. However, the new package of amendments reveals a mixed approach to potentially harmful products: some goods are subject to excise taxes, while others are completely removed from the legal market.
Russian sellers operating on the Wildberries marketplace are reporting significant losses following Ukrainian drone strikes on the company’s logistics centers on the night of July 20. The changes to the terms of service, which took effect shortly before the attacks, have caused the greatest discontent among sellers. Under the new terms, the marketplace is exempt from liability for goods destroyed or damaged as a result of hostilities, including drone attacks.
PayPal, which just a few years ago was considered one of the main winners of the digital payments boom, has found itself at the center of sale negotiations. Stripe, in partnership with the investment firm Advent International, has offered to buy the payment service for $53 billion. However, the board of directors considers the price of $60.50 per share too low.
The European Commission has fined the Chinese marketplace AliExpress €550 million ($629 million) for failing to stop the sale of illegal, unsafe, and counterfeit goods on its platform. This is the largest fine imposed under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA).
The World Cup, which was hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the course of a month, drew mixed reviews in the international press. While the American media calls the tournament a historic success that has changed the country’s attitude toward soccer, Mexican publications note that the festivities in the stadiums ultimately failed to translate into an economic breakthrough. RBC has compiled a selection of the most notable media reactions.
It will become more difficult to book an apartment in Cyprus through Airbnb or Booking.com. The island’s authorities are preparing a major reform of the short-term rental market following the tragedy in Limassol, where people died when a residential building collapsed. As the investigation revealed, several apartments in the building—which had been declared unsafe—were officially registered for tourist accommodation.
ChatGPT users in several countries have reported widespread outages affecting the OpenAI service. Complaints have come from Russia, the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries, according to data from outage monitoring services Detector404 and Downdetector.
Most state-owned companies in Moldova do not disclose how effectively they use state-owned assets. An audit by the Court of Auditors revealed a low level of transparency and problems in the management of state-owned enterprises.
The heat that accompanied the World Cup in the United States brought to light the issue of whether sports infrastructure is prepared for climate change. After the tournament, experts urged stadium owners to move away from relying on air conditioning and focus on modernizing the venues to make them safer for players and fans.
The English national team won the bronze medal at the 2026 World Cup, defeating France 6–4 in the third-place match. For England, this medal was their first at the World Cup since their championship victory in 1966.
Arenas in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico were required to remove commercial names and local advertising for the duration of the tournament to preserve the exclusivity of the World Cup’s official partners.
