China’s Imports Unexpectedly Fell In June, But Exports Beat Forecasts

China’s imports fell in June, missing expectations for a slight rise, while exports rose more than expected, customs data showed on Friday.

KEY DATA

China’s imports fell 2.3% in June from a year earlier in US dollar terms. That contrasted with a forecast for growth of 2.8 percent, according to a Reuters poll.
Exports denominated in US dollars for June rose 8.6% year-on-year, beating expectations for growth of 8%.
Those numbers boosted year-to-date imports by 2% and exports by 3.6% in the first six months compared to the same period a year earlier.
China’s trade with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations grew 7.1 percent in the first half of the year, cementing the bloc’s position as the country’s largest trading partner by region, followed by the European Union.

ACCENT

China’s imports of rare earth elements, meat, cosmetics and machinery fell sharply in the first half of the year, customs data showed. During this time, however, imports of iron ore and oil increased.

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Amid slower domestic growth, Beijing has sought to shore up its supplies of food and essential minerals to bolster national security.

In the first half of the year, China’s exports of furniture, home appliances, ships and automobiles rose. Exports of rare earths fell in value but rose in volume, the data showed.

China’s car exports rose 18 percent in volume last month from the same period last year, customs data showed.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR

China’s exports rose 7.6% in May from a year ago in US dollar terms, but imports rose just 1.8% during that time.

Domestic demand remains weak. Consumer prices in China rose 0.2 percent in June from a year earlier, beating expectations, while producer prices met expectations, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Wednesday.

The core consumer price index, which strips out more volatile food and energy prices, rose 0.6% year-on-year in June, slightly slower than the 0.7% increase in the first six months of the year.

China’s National Bureau of Statistics is due to release second-quarter gross domestic product data and economic indicators for June on Monday.

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Europe’s Deadly Summer Heat Exposed The Cost Of A Warming Continent

by THEFUTURE.TEAM

October 23, 2026

Europe experienced its deadliest summer for heat-related deaths on record in 2026, with an estimated 24,400 excess deaths linked to extreme temperatures across 30 countries. Researchers estimate that human-induced climate change was responsible for around 32,000 of the deaths attributed to heat in the study’s broader analysis, accounting for 65% of the total.

The findings highlight the growing public-health consequences of global warming, largely driven by fossil fuel use, as extreme heat becomes more frequent and severe.

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A Summer Of Dangerous Heat

Between June and August, heatwaves pushed temperatures in Western Europe to an average of 2.9°C above the 1991–2020 norm, with some days reaching 12°C above average. Nearly a third of estimated heat-related deaths occurred during a particularly intense heatwave between 17 June and 1 July.

“These numbers are a stark reminder that our hotter, more extreme summers are having an increasingly severe impact on public health,” said Dr Clair Barnes, a researcher at Imperial College London and co-author of the study.

The estimated toll exceeded previous peaks of around 29,000 deaths in summer 2022 and 28,000 in 2003 across the region studied.

How Researchers Estimated The Toll

Researchers modelled the relationship between temperature and mortality across 854 urban areas in the EU, UK, Norway and Switzerland, covering around 40% of the population in the 30 countries studied.

The analysis incorporated temperature records, age, socioeconomic conditions, environmental factors and access to healthcare. By comparing actual temperatures with those expected without human-induced warming, the team estimated the additional deaths attributable to climate change.

Final official mortality figures for summer 2026 are not yet available in many countries, and heat-related deaths are often underreported because their effects can be difficult to identify directly.

Older People Face The Greatest Risk

People aged 85 and over accounted for roughly half of the estimated deaths. However, the impact extended across age groups, with around 800 excess deaths among adults aged 20–44 and approximately 6,000 among people under 65.

Southern Europe experienced the highest mortality burden, reflecting hotter temperatures and other vulnerabilities, including air pollution, limited green space and unequal access to healthcare and heat-alert systems.

Italy, France And Spain Record Highest Toll

Italy recorded an estimated 13,303 heat-related excess deaths, followed by France with 7,268 and Spain with 6,824. Germany recorded around 6,340, while the UK saw an estimated 4,354 deaths.

In the UK, the heat also placed significant pressure on healthcare services. Andrew Hartle, Professor of Practice of Anaesthesia at Imperial College Healthcare, said demand during the summer resembled that of a severe winter virus season.

Cities Urged To Strengthen Heat Protection

Researchers say cities can reduce the risks through climate shelters, external shading and building retrofits, alongside measures to help residents avoid exposure during the hottest hours. Checking on vulnerable people, staying hydrated and following heat alerts are also important.

The researchers stress that adaptation must go hand in hand with reducing fossil fuel use to limit further warming. The findings underline that extreme heat is already a major public-health threat across Europe, with thousands of lives at risk each summer.

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