The main events by the morning: July 31

• The Israeli Armed Forces struck Beirut in response to the shelling of the Golan Heights by Hezbollah.

• Iran has demanded that the UN Security Council hold Israel accountable for the attack on Beirut. Iran has sent a corresponding letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, as well as to Russia, which holds the presidency of the UN Security Council. The letter calls for the immediate condemnation of this act and the adoption of measures to prevent similar acts of aggression in the future.

• President Joe Biden may become the record holder for increasing the US national debt. Under his leadership, the debt has reached $35 trillion, and the Biden administration has already raised $8.6 trillion. It is expected that this figure will increase by another $1.3 trillion before the change of the president. At the moment, the record belongs to Barack Obama, who borrowed $9.3 trillion over eight years.

• According to Roscongress forecasts, global spending on cybersecurity in 2024 could reach $200 billion. The global shortage of specialists in this field is approaching 4 million people, and the number of cybercrimes continues to grow annually. The researchers note that the largest number of attacks occur on US information systems, although this country has the largest cybersecurity market.

• Donald Trump said that Kamala Harris, becoming president, would become «a toy in the hands of US rivals.» In an interview with Fox News, the Republican candidate noted that he would not like to see Harris representing the United States at meetings with world leaders, especially with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In his opinion, such people will «trample on her and her unreasonable administration.»

• Russian oil exports have fallen to their lowest level in 11 months. Shipments from Baltic ports have reached a minimum since December 2022.