IKEA unveils LGBTQ-themed sofas -- and the internet has thoughts on its 'bisexual couch'

IKEA Canada has unveiled a series of colorful couches inspired by different Pride flags, including those representing the transgender, nonbinary and asexual communities.
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Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim to rebuild collapsed Mexico City overpass at no cost

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim will pay for all the costs needed to rebuild Mexico City's subway overpass-stretch, which left 26 dead after it collapsed last month, according to Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
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Putin says US sanctions on Russia 'even did us good'

Russian President Vladimir Putin put a positive spin on the sanctions that the United States has imposed on his country in recent years on Wednesday. There are, he claimed, positive sides to them.
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See ecstatic fans celebrate England's historic win over Germany

English football fans celebrated wildly after England beat Germany in their Euro 2020 last-16 match to finally end its decades-long inferiority complex against its old, historic rival. Germany hadn't lost a knockout match to England in a major international competition since the 1966 World Cup final.
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International law enforcement take down DoubleVPN service allegedly used by ransomware gangs

A group of international law enforcement agencies have taken down DoubleVPN, a virtual private networking service allegedly used by ransomware gangs to hide their online tracks, in a coordinated operation aimed at disrupting cyber criminals.
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Pushback against Canada Day celebrations grows after the discoveries of unmarked graves

Canada Day is typically a time of national pride, patriotism and parades.
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Analysis: The Chinese Communist Party is about to turn 100 but Xi will be the real star

Editor's note: CNN has launched the Meanwhile in China newsletter, a three-times-a-week update exploring what you need to know about the country's rise and how it impacts the world. Sign up here.
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Tibet's first bullet train line enters service

For the first time, travelers in Tibet can enjoy the area's mountainous views at high-speed.
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Britain thinks it can out-vaccinate the Delta variant. The world isn't so sure

When the United Kingdom emerged from one of the world's longest and most stringent coronavirus lockdowns in April, it did so believing that the worst of the pandemic was over.
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Elon Musk touts SpaceX internet growth, says goal is to avoid bankruptcy

SpaceX has put more than 1,500 internet-beaming satellites into orbit, signed up more than 69,000 customers, installed ground stations in 12 countries and has plans to expand its one-of-a-kind network's coverage all over the world — except the North and South pole — by next month. Still, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday, not running out of money is top of mind.
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First-year analysts at JPMorgan will now make $100,000

Inflation has arrived on Wall Street, and it's bringing smiles to the faces of junior bankers — in the form of much fatter paychecks.
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Starbucks is testing out selling these popular drinks on Facebook and Instagram

Starbucks knows that certain off-menu drinks dreamed up by its customers have become popular. So it's trying out a way to let people order them more easily.
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One year after Hong Kong's national security law, residents feel Beijing's tightening grip

It was approaching midnight on June 30, 2020, when news broke that Beijing had promulgated a national security law in Hong Kong, effective immediately.
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Cramped conditions and dark corridors: What it's like to be one of South Africa's 'underground astronauts'

If you are lucky enough to be in the company of South African archaeologist and biological anthropologist Keneiloe Molopyane and you would like to get her attention, your best bet is to not use her birth name.
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China's latest mega-airport is officially open

China's long-awaited Chengdu Tianfu International Airport has officially begun operations, offering travelers a new gateway to the home of giant pandas.
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US days from completing formal Afghanistan withdrawal but 1,000 troops could remain

The US could complete its troop withdrawal from Afghanistan within days, according to multiple US officials, making this a critical week in President Joe Biden's campaign to end America's longest war even as US military officials warn the country could devolve into civil war.
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Half a ton of cocaine found floating in ocean

Algerian authorities have seized half a ton of cocaine floating off the country's coast, after fishermen in the area raised the alarm.
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Haiti delays constitutional referendum to September

Haiti will hold a constitutional referendum on Sept. 26, the same date as presidential and legislative elections, authorities said, after postponing the date twice in part because of the pandemic, an official calendar showed Monday.
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New footage appears to show Taliban gaining ground in Afghanistan

The Taliban claim to have opened the border between Afghanistan and Tajikistan, which comes as President Joe Biden says the partnership between the US and Afghanistan will be sustained after ordering the withdrawal of all US troops from the country. CNN's Nic Robertson reports.
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Rebels in Tigray reject calls for ceasefire

Rebel forces in the war-torn Ethiopian region of Tigray have rejected a ceasefire offer from the central government, raising fears of further violence a day after the fighters retook the regional capital Mekelle.
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Highly educated Black and Asian Brits are disadvantaged at work

The children of immigrants from minority ethnic groups in the United Kingdom are better educated than their White British peers but less likely to be employed, according to new research published Tuesday.
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The junta overthrew the government they represented. What happens next for Myanmar's diplomats in limbo?

In a beige stone townhouse on a leafy New York street, a political coup thousands of miles away has split an office in two.
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The pageant queen and the bloodied flag, how a Nigerian model used a Russian catwalk to protest police brutality

As Victoria Chiamaka Udeh strutted confidently down the runway during a beauty pageant in Russia, brandishing her country's red-stained flag, she thought only of one thing -- the young people who lost their lives during the #EndSars protests in Nigeria last year.
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CNN's Richard Quest puzzled over Hungary's LGBTQ restriction

CNN's Richard Quest talks with the Hungarian member of the European Parliament, Katalin Cseh, about the country's new law that bans LGBTQ content in schools.
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Ethiopian forces withdraw from Tigray regional capital Mekelle

Less than a week into an intense offensive by Tigrayan forces, the Ethiopian military has withdrawn from the war-torn regional Tigrayan capital of Mekelle on Monday, a UN official told CNN. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal from the Ethiopian government.
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European Union enshrines net zero and emissions targets into law

The European Council adopted a package of climate change laws Monday that legally obliges its 27 nations to collectively slash greenhouse emissions by 55% by 2030 -- from 1990 levels -- and to become a net-zero-emissions economy by 2050.
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'Sexist' Marilyn Monroe statue installed in Palm Springs

Multiple protests, a popular petition, a legal action and a small fire have not been enough to stop the city of Palm Springs from installing a supersized and "hyper-sexualized" Marilyn Monroe sculpture on a public site next to the Palm Springs Art Museum.
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Obama portraits now on display at the site of their first date

Three years after Barack and Michelle Obama's official portraits were unveiled at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, the paintings have arrived at the Art Institute of Chicago, where the former President and First Lady had their very first date.
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New video shows Ethiopian troops filming an execution that officials dismissed

A few scattered human bones lay on the rocky ground, along with a broken skull and several half-burned identification cards.
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Swedish Prime Minister resigns

Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Lofven said on Monday he had handed in his notice of resignation, giving parliament's speaker the job of finding a new premier after the Social Democrat leader lost a vote of no-confidence last week.
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Czech President calls transgender people 'disgusting'

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North Koreans 'heartbroken' by Kim's weight loss, resident tells state media

North Korean state television aired an unusual interview Friday in which a Pyongyang resident said he and others living in the capital were "heartbroken" to see how much weight the country's leader Kim Jong Un had lost.
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'F9' nabs the biggest box office opening since 2019

The latest Fast & Furious film has our heroes rocket a Pontiac Fiero into outer space. But that was merely the second most impressive feat the film pulled off this weekend. The first was opening to the biggest box office numbers since the pandemic began.
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Silicon Valley gave Asia's richest man billions. Things aren't going to plan

Last year, Google and Facebook collectively bet more than $10 billion on Asia's richest man and his plan to bring hundreds of millions of Indians online.
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Tesla recalls nearly 300,000 cars in China over cruise control safety issue

Tesla began recalling more than 285,000 vehicles in China on Saturday over a safety risk concerning the vehicle's cruise control feature.
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Ferrari's new supercar is fast and powerful, but mostly about having fun

Ferrari's newest supercar will be an 818-horsepower plug-in hybrid with a V6 engine that can go from zero to 60 miles an hour in under three seconds. But, even with all that power and speed, Ferrari says this car is mostly about fun.
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Rare tornado sweeps through villages in Europe

At least five people have been killed and dozens injured after a tornado hit several villages in southeast Czech Republic, according to local police and emergency services.
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Max Verstappen leads from start to finish at Styrian Grand Prix to extend F1 title race advantage

Red Bull's Max Verstappen put in a dominant performance at the Styrian Grand Prix to extend his lead at the top of the Formula One drivers' championship.
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Investigation launched after 'sensitive' UK defense documents reportedly found at bus stop

Defense officials are investigating after an employee from the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) lost several "sensitive" documents that were later found by a member of the public, a ministry spokesperson said.
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5 people are dead after a hot-air balloon crashes in New Mexico

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In this Chinese tower block, residents pay to take the lift home

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Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun dies aged 24

Qatari sprinter Abdalelah Haroun, who won bronze in the 400m at the 2017 World Athletic Championships, has died aged 24, according to the Qatar Olympic Committee.
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Britain's beleaguered health secretary resigns after being caught kissing aide

Matt Hancock resigned as Britain's Health Secretary Saturday, one day after he apologized for breaching Covid regulations.
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The UK should be having a racial reckoning. Instead, Black Lives Matter activists say they fear for their safety

Aima, 19, is one of Britain's most prominent Black Lives Matter (BLM) activists, but at a protest in London she is nervous. She has her hood up and, while a pandemic-mandated mask covers most of her face, she keeps her head down for fear of being recognized. Her eyes constantly dart to check the location of the police.
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A look inside Buckingham Palace's $500 million refurbishment

The Queen has a whopping £369 million ($514 million) budget to refurbish her London pad -- a figure that may seem excessive when she spends most of her time at Windsor Castle these days. This week, the Queen's royal accounts for the past financial year were published, revealing £31.6 million ($44 million) had been spent on the renovation in the past 12 months, up from £16.4 million ($23 million) the year before.
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A GB News anchor is taking a break -- just two weeks after the channel's debut

An anchor for GB News, a newly-launched TV channel in Britain that has been compared to Fox News in the US, said he is taking a break after just two weeks on the job.
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Palestinians demand end to Abbas presidency after activist dies during 'brutal beating and arrest'

Large demonstrations are being held across the West Bank calling for an end to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Presidency of Mahmoud Abbas, after the funeral of Palestinian activist Nizar Banat, who died while in the custody of PA security forces on Thursday morning.
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Cubans are risking everything to enter the US

The four Cuban migrants stepped off the US Coast Guard cutter blinking and looking dazed under the blazing Caribbean sun. They risked their lives to cross the Florida Straits to go to the United States, only to be stopped at sea and returned to Cuba.
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