Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Police forces in Ethiopia’s capital city Addis Ababa have detained hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans since federal troops lost control of the Tigray region’s capital last month.
- AMERICAS: The US said it was ready to stage evacuation flights for Afghans who aided the country’s military efforts in Afghanistan.
- ASIA: China accused the United States of hurting global trade as it dismissed US allegations of forced labor in the Xinjiang region.
- EUROPE: The European Court of Justice ruled that Poland’s method of disciplining senior judges contravened European Union law.
- MIDDLE EAST: At least nine civilians, including three children, died in a government rocket strike on two villages in the last rebel stronghold in Syria’s northwest.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Hong Kong’s main journalist union said press freedoms in the city were “in tatters”, adding that it feared Beijing potentially creating “fake news” laws in the future.
Top Story
- Europe: At least nine dead in Germany, Belgium, after heavy rains and flooding.
- At least nine people died, and 30 people were missing after heavy rains and flooding in Germany.
- The Rhineland-Palatinate state, where 50 people have been left stranded on rooftops, saw the worst flooding.
- Most of the flooding was triggered by heavy rains causing the Ahr river to overflow its banks.
- Rescue operations have been hampered by downed phone and internet connections.
- Additionally, rail and road connections throughout the country’s west have been severely disrupted.
- Reporting: Reuters, AP, BBC, NYT, AFP, WaPo, DPA
Africa
- DR Congo: Health officials said the number of new COVID-19 infections in the country had dropped but added they had run out of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccines. (AFP)
- Ethiopia: Police forces in Addis Ababa have detained hundreds of ethnic Tigrayans since federal troops lost control of the Tigray region’s capital last month. (Reuters)
- Rwanda: The government placed the capital Kigali on lockdown to tackle an increase in COVID-19 infections. (AFP)
- South Africa: The government intends to deploy 25,000 troops to quell the ongoing looting and unrest in the country. (BBC)
Americas
- Argentina: The Latin American country became the latest to register more than 100,000 COVID-19 deaths. (AFP)
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro was taken to the hospital to help resolve persistent hiccupping. (DPA)
- Cuba: The government temporarily lifted food and medicine customs restrictions amid the ongoing anti-government protests. (Reuters)
- Haiti: Authorities detained the head of security at the presidential palace as part of the investigation into the assassination of President Jovenal Moïse. (WaPo)
- United States: The Biden administration said it was ready to stage evacuation flights for Afghans who aided the country’s military efforts in Afghanistan. (AP)
Asia
- Region: China will send a team to Pakistan to investigate the bus explosion that killed 13 people, including nine Chinese citizens. (Reuters)
- Afghanistan: The Taliban have proposed a three-month ceasefire in exchange for the release of around 7,000 members of the group held in prison. (AFP)
- Australia: Canberra criticized the European Union’s proposal to enact a carbon border tax. (BBC)
- China: Beijing accused the United States of hurting global trade as it dismissed US allegations of forced labor in the Xinjiang region. (AP)
- Indonesia: Parliament approved a revised autonomy law for the country’s restive Papua region. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: The European Court of Justice ruled that companies may ban employees from wearing headscarves under certain conditions. (Reuters)
- Bosnia & Herzegovina: A China-backed deal to expand utility EPBiH’s Tuzla coal-fired power plant has reportedly hit a snag after General Electric withdrew from the project. (Reuters)
- France: Thousands of people across the country held protests against the government’s new coronavirus restrictions. (AFP)
- Poland: The European Court of Justice ruled that Warsaw’s method of disciplining senior judges contravened European Union law. (AP)
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to commemorate the 5th anniversary of a failed coup with events across the country. (DPA)
Middle East
- Region: Israel arrested around 30 Palestinian students in the occupied West Bank for allegedly being Hamas “terror operatives”. (AFP)
- Iraq: Populist Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr withdrew his support from the current government and the next government and said he will not take part in October’s elections. (Reuters)
- Lebanon: Amnesty International called upon authorities to end the immunity of officials summoned in the Beirut port blast probe. (AFP)
- Syria: At least nine civilians, including three children, died in a government rocket strike on two villages in the last rebel stronghold in the country’s northwest. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: Hong Kong’s main journalist union said press freedoms in the city were “in tatters”, adding that it feared Beijing potentially creating “fake news” laws in the future. (AFP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 16JUL21)
- Confirmed cases: 188,405,729
- Deaths: 4,059,189
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 16JUL21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (16JUL21)
- Global: President Joe Biden will participate in the virtual APEC Informal Leaders’ Retreat on COVID-19 hosted by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
- Global: Uzbekistan will hold a conference on Central and South Asia regional interconnection.
- Global: UNESCO’s World Heritage Committee Annual Session will be held. (to 31JUL)
- Asia: The trade ministers of Pacific Islands Forum countries will hold a virtual meeting.
- Asia: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.
- Japan: The country’s central bank is expected to make a monetary policy announcement.
- United States: Secretary of State Antony Blinken will meet with the visiting Chilean Foreign Minister Andres Allamand and Kenyan Foreign Minister Raychelle Omamo.
- Uzbekistan: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan will visit.
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