North Korean leader Kim Jong Un reacts with scientists and technicians of the DPRK Academy of Defence Science after the test-launch of the intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-14 in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) in Pyongyang July, 5, 2017. KCNA/via Reuters

North Korea

Not everybody asserts as confidently as the Pentagon that the U.S. military can defend the United States from the growing threat posed by North Korea's intercontinental ballistic missile capability. Pyongyang's first test of an ICBM with a potential to strike Alaska has raised the question: How capable is the U.S. military of knocking down an incoming missile or barrage of missiles?

Trump again demands more NATO spending, mulls 'severe things' on North Korea

U.S. prepared to use force on North Korea 'if we must': U.N. envoy

China urges calm

G20 summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying sanctions imposed against Moscow are a "covert form" of protectionism, ahead of a G20 summit in Germany.

"Welcome to Hell". That's the greeting for U.S. President Donald Trump and other world leaders from anti-capitalist protesters in Hamburg, who have vowed to disrupt the G20 summit in the German port city.

U.S.

U.S. Representative Steve Scalise, shot and wounded during a baseball practice last month, developed an infection and was readmitted to an intensive care unit, MedStar Washington Hospital Center said on Wednesday.

A Virginia inmate convicted of killing two men during a 2006 escape from custody is set to be put to death today in an execution that has drawn international pleas for clemency on grounds that he is severely mentally ill. William Morva's lawyers are asking Governor Terry McAuliffe to commute his sentence, arguing he suffers from delusional disorder, an illness akin to schizophrenia. They say the jury that convicted him was given incorrect information about his ailment and its severity.

Business

One of the investors former drug company executive Martin Shkreli is accused of defrauding testified that Shkreli lied to him repeatedly, although he eventually made millions of dollars from the investment.

Breakingviews: Volvo’s electric shift gives Tesla a shock

The West's three biggest energy corporations are lobbying Qatar to take part in a huge expansion of its gas production, handing Doha an unintended but timely boost in its bitter dispute with Gulf Arab neighbors.

Even in fintech, some legacy players have the upper hand

Honour of Kings, a fantasy multiplayer role-playing battle game, is the most popular mobile game in China with around 55 million daily active users, more than Pokemon Go at its peak, and it's the highest-grossing mobile game in China. Its massive success, however, has drawn scrutiny from China's official media - which described it as "poison" - as well as parents and teachers amid concerns that children are becoming addicted to the game. 

A woman views Miquel Barcelo's sculpture "Gran Elefandret" at the Frieze Sculpture exhibition in London, Britain, July 5, 2017. REUTERS/Hannah McKay

Venezuela

At least 123 members of Venezuela's armed forces have been detained since anti-government unrest began in April on charges ranging from treason and rebellion to theft and desertion, according to military documents seen by Reuters.

EU

The European Parliament asked for Turkey's European Union accession talks to be suspended if Ankara implements a constitutional overhaul, backed by a referendum in April, which expands the powers of President Tayyip Erdogan.

UK financial services regulator calls for post-Brexit transition period

Commentary

In the nine days since Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reneged on a decision that would have allowed men and women to pray together at Jerusalem’s holy Western Wall, the outrage among American Jews is only getting worse.