US theatre and opera director Bob Wilson dies aged 83 Innovative theatre auteur Bob Wilson died Thursday in New York after a short illness, his management said. His productions were hugely popular wherever they were shown, but he was best known in France, where he directed the inaugural show of the Opéra Bastille in 1989.
https://www.france24.com/en/cu....lture/20250731-us-th

Russia's Roscosmos, NASA agree to extend ISS operations until 2028 The head of Russia’s Roscosmos said Thursday he agreed with NASA to extend International Space Station (ISS) operations until 2028. The deal, struck during US talks, preserves one of the last areas of cooperation amid strained ties over Ukraine.
https://www.france24.com/en/am....ericas/20250731-russ

Exiled by war, Sudan’s women find freedom from female genital mutilation Exiled from their country by civil war, Sudanese mothers in Egypt are refusing to subject their daughters to female genital mutilation (FGM).
https://www.csmonitor.com/Worl....d/Africa/2025/0731/f

US imposes visa sanctions on Palestinian Authority, PLO officials for 'undermining' peace The US State Department on Thursday announced sanctions on officials of the Palestinian Authority and Palestine Liberation Organization for trying to "internationalise” their conflict with Israel, including by bringing cases to the International Criminal Court, and "undermining the prospects for peace". 
https://www.france24.com/en/mi....ddle-east/20250731-u

Israel is pressed on a Palestinian state. But it’s the ‘Trump card’ that matters. The world is unifying around the question of Palestinian statehood, diverging from the U.S. and Israel. Will it make a difference? Not since the mid-1950s has a U.S. president held such sway over Israel.
https://www.csmonitor.com/Worl....d/2025/0731/israel-g