Global Roundup: China Exports Surge, Trump Signs New Orders, Israel Coalition Strains

China's export engine continued to power economic growth in July, with figures beating expectations. The global boom in artificial intelligence infrastructure has fueled demand for high-tech goods, while exporters also rushed shipments ahead of higher US tariffs.

In the United States, President Donald Trump signed two new executive orders on Thursday in a fresh attempt to curtail birthright citizenship. This move comes despite the Supreme Court having previously rejected his earlier effort, and it once again challenges a provision of the US Constitution.

Meanwhile, Republican Senator Rand Paul has asked the Justice Department to prosecute Dr. Anthony Fauci. This follows a Senate committee vote to hold the former top infectious disease official in contempt of Congress for refusing to answer questions about the COVID-19 pandemic.

The White House also announced new trade actions on Thursday, imposing price floors and a 15% tariff on products made from polysilicon, a key raw material for semiconductors and solar panels that is primarily produced by China.

In the Middle East, Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich is facing a fight for political survival ahead of October elections. He has angered fellow West Bank settlers by voting against punishing ultra-Orthodox Jews who refuse military service, exposing a faultline in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition.

In other news, Chinese tech giant Alibaba plans to charge major users of its next open-source AI model a share of their revenue, according to sources. North Korean state media is touting dog-meat soup and chicken broth as ways to cope with a heat wave. And scientists are exploring why no tiny dinosaurs, like the size of a mouse, ever existed, with mammals potentially to blame.