Key Storylines
- AFRICA: M23 rebels said talks between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his Congolese counterpart Félix Tshisekedi will not stop the fighting in the east.
- AMERICAS: The Biden administration said it will spend nearly $1 billion to upgrade airports across the United States.
- ASIA: Two drug traffickers have been hanged in Singapore, bringing the number of executions this year in the city-state to four.
- EUROPE: The first bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermín festival in three years took place after previous events were canceled due to the pandemic.
- MIDDLE EAST: The United Nations Security Council will vote on extending its authorization of aid transfers across Syria without approval from Damascus, with Russia seeking a six-month prolongation while Western nations want a full year.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Court documents show that Elon Musk fathered two children in 2021 with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk’s company Neuralink
Top Story
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson Resigns.
- Boris Johnson will resign as British Prime Minister paving the way for a successor to replace him after dozens of his ministers quit the government.
- Johnson intends to stay in Downing Street until a new Tory leader has been elected to replace him in October.
- However, some Tory MPs are urging him to leave as soon as possible to avoid government paralysis.
- Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the prime minister’s resignation was “good news for the country” but “should have happened long ago”.
- The endless stream of scandals beginning last fall compounded by the Johnson government’s inconsistent explanations saw him ousted in disgrace in less than three years.
- The resignation followed a dramatic 48 hours which saw dozens of ministers including chancellor Rishi Sunak and health minister Sajid Javid resigning in protest of his leadership.
- AFP, WSJ, BBC, AlJazeera, Axios, NYT
Africa
- DR Congo: M23 rebels said talks between Rwandan President Paul Kagame and his counterpart Félix Tshisekedi will not stop the fighting in the east. (BBC)
- Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed says his government is “deeply sorry” that it could not protect civilians killed in recent attacks. (BBC)
- Kenya: A court froze bank accounts run by a Nigerian online payments’ company amid allegations they are linked to fraud and money-laundering. (BBC)
- Mozambique: President Filipe Nyusi and his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky held a phone conversation to discuss the situation in Ukraine. (BBC)
- Nigeria: The Islamic State claimed an attack on a prison near Abuja where nearly 900 inmates were freed. (UPI)
Americas
- Argentina: 19 former military officers were sentenced for crimes against humanity committed during the country’s “Dirty War” from 1976-83. (BBC)
- Brazil: Elections chief Edson Fachin warned that his country could face unrest even more serious than the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. (Reuters)
- Dominican Republic: Health minister Daniel Rivera announced the country’s first confirmed case of monkeypox in a man recently arrived from the United States. (Reuters)
- Haiti: A year has passed since President Jovenel Moïse was assassinated at his private home in Port au-Prince. (AP)
- United States: The Biden administration said it will spend nearly $1 billion to upgrade airports around the country. (AP)
Asia
- Australia: The new government dropped the prosecution of a lawyer over his attempt to help East Timor prove that the country spied on the then-fledgling nation’s government in 2004 during multibillion-dollar oil and gas negotiations. (AP)
- China: Macau shut down the popular One Central shopping mall in an attempt to contain an outbreak of COVID-19. (Reuters)
- Hong Kong: The city is shelving a COVID-19 measure that has resulted in dozens of canceled flights in recent months and thwarted travel plans for thousands. (AP)
- Singapore: Two drug traffickers have been hanged, bringing the number of executions this year in the city-state to four. (AP)
- South Korea: The country’s new cases of COVID-19 remained above 18,000 for the third straight day. (Yonhap)
Europe
- Greece: Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis promised pension increases for the first time in more than a decade next year after three international bailouts. (Reuters)
- Italy: Nearly 60 defendants went on trial in Genoa accused of manslaughter and undermining transport safety over the collapse of a bridge in the Italian city that killed 43 people four years ago. (AFP)
- Russia: The defense ministry said a warplane killed an unspecified number of Ukrainian troops on Snake Island in the Black Sea. (Reuters)
- Spain: The first bull run at Pamplona’s San Fermín festival in three years took place after previous events were canceled due to the pandemic. (AP)
- Ukraine: The foreign ministry will summon Turkey’s ambassador to seek clarification a day after a Russian-flagged cargo ship suspected of carrying stolen grain left the Turkish port of Karasu. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: Israel and Turkey will expand bilateral airline traffic under a new aviation deal, their first since 1951. (Reuters)
- Iran: The United Kingdom denied state media reports that one of their diplomats had been arrested in Tehran. (WaPo)
- Saudi Arabia: Thousands of hajj pilgrims began streaming out of Mecca attracting huge crowds despite the continuing pandemic and unforgiving heat. (Al-Monitor)
- Syria: The United Nations Security Council will vote on extending its authorization of aid transfers across the country without approval from Damascus, with Russia seeking a six-month prolongation while Western nations want a full year. (Al-Monitor)
- Yemen: A delegation will visit India next week in a bid to secure wheat for the war-ravaged country where strategic food stockpiles are running out. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Court documents show that Elon Musk fathered two children in 2021 with Shivon Zilis, an executive at Musk’s company Neuralink. (The Guardian)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Bonnie
- Location: 17.1 N, 112,5 W
- Wind: 90 mph
- Movement: WNW 14 mph
- Map
- Hurricane Bonnie
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 07JUL22)
- Confirmed cases: 552,561,382
- Deaths: 6,344,981
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 07JUL22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (08JUL22)
- Event: Atlantic Council hosts discussion on China’s role in Russian energy.
- Belgium: OECD Global Forum on Productivity Annual Conference in Brussels.
- China: National Health Commission reportedly holds press conference on COVID-19.
- France: Aix-en-Provence Economic Forum. (to 10JUL)
- Indonesia: G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Bali.
- Saudi Arabia: Islamic Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca. (to 12JUL)
- Switzerland: Verdict expected in corruption trial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and former UEFA president Michel Platini.
- United States: President Biden visits CIA headquarters.
- United States: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visit to Long Island, New York.
END
