Briefly

GERMANY

Pentagon to withdraw nearly 12,000 troops

The United States will slash its military presence in Germany by 11,900 troops in what the Pentagon on Wednesday called a "strategic" repositioning but US President Donald Trump said was to punish Berlin for its weak military spending. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the Pentagon will be sending home about 6,400 of its military personnel in Germany, and move nearly 5,600 to other NATO countries,including Italy and Belgium. Some could also be relocated to Poland and the Baltic countries if Washington can reach agreements with them, he said. The move, which will cost the US government several billion dollars, will cut the presence of US military personnel in Germany to around 24,000. At the White House, Trump said Germany had not paid its fair share for the military spending of Europe.

UNITED STATES

Economy collapsed 32.9 percent in Q2

The US economy contracted at its steepest pace since the Great Depression in the second quarter as the COVID-19 pandemic shattered consumer and business spending. GDP collapsed at a 32.9 percent annualized rate last quarter, the deepest decline in output since the government started keeping records in 1947, the US Commerce Department said on Thursday. The drop in GDP was more than triple the previous all-time decline of 10 percent in the second quarter of 1958. On Wednesday, the country marked a grim milestone when its coronavirus deaths topped 150,000- far exceeding the toll in any other nation. Even with efforts in place to contain the virus, COVID-19 has killed more than 661,000 people around the world.

Agencies - Xinhua