Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Tigrayan rebels have established a team to negotiate with government leaders after nearly 20 months of war in northern Ethiopia.
- AMERICAS: Ecuadorian officials said a riot in a prison left at least 13 inmates dead, more than two months after a clash between rival gangs left 44 dead in the same lockup.
- ASIA: Main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa withdrew from Sri Lanka’s presidential election in favor of ruling party dissident Dullas Alahapperuma.
- EUROPE: Albania and North Macedonia took a step forward on their long road towards European Union membership, joining Balkan neighbors Serbia and Montenegro in formal negotiations with Brussels.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that A military strike on Syria would destabilize the region.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: A judge will weigh Twitter’s bid for a fast-tracked trial which it needs to ensure deal financing does not come unraveled.
Top Story
- Iran: Russian President Vladimir Putin heads to Tehran for talks with Iranian and Turkish leaders.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Tehran for talks with Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the Kremlin leader’s first trip outside the former Soviet Union since Moscow’s Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.
- Putin will meet with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to discuss regional issues, including the conflict in Syria and a UN proposal to resume exports of Ukrainian grain to ease the global food crisis.
- Russia is seeking to bolster ties with Tehran, a fellow target of US sanctions and a potential military and trade partner.
- Tehran also offers Putin a chance for a high-stakes meeting with Erdogan, who helped broker talks on a peaceful settlement of the Ukraine conflict, as well as help negotiations to unblock Ukrainian grain through the Black Sea.
- Putin’s foreign affairs adviser Yuri Ushakov called Iran “an important partner for Russia” saying the countries shared “a desire to take their relations to a new level of strategic partnership.”
- The focus of the talks among the three presidents will be the conflict in Syria, where Iran and Russia have backed President Bashar Assad’s government, while Turkey has supported armed opposition factions.
- Reuters, AP, AFP, FP, BBC, Bloomberg
Africa
- Ethiopia: Tigrayan rebels have established a team to negotiate with government leaders after nearly 20 months of war in the northern region of the country. (AFP)
- Mozambique: The country’s Communications Regulatory Authority head announced that US company Starlink is expected to launch satellite internet services in Mozambique next October. (PanAfricanVisions)
- South Africa: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres marked Nelson Mandela International Day by describing the former South African president as a “moral compass” for others to follow in building a better future for all. (Xinhua)
- Somalia: The US military carried out an airstrike in a remote area of the south that killed two fighters from Al-Shabaab. (AFP)
- Sudan: Thousands of Hausa people protested in several cities demanding justice for comrades killed in a land dispute with a rival ethnic group in the country’s south. (AFP)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro invited dozens of diplomats to the presidential palace to present claims supposed vulnerabilities of the country’s electronic voting system. (WaPo)
- Ecuador: Officials said a riot in a prison left at least 13 inmates dead, more than two months after a clash between rival gangs left 44 dead in the same lockup. (AP)
- Mexico: The extradition of drug trafficker Rafael Caro Quintero, captured in the mountains of northwest Mexico, will not happen quickly, according to a judge’s ruling published Monday. (AP)
- United States: US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said Washington will impose harsh consequences on countries that abuse or break international economic order. (Reuters)
- United States: The House is set to vote to protect same-sex and interracial marriages. (AP)
Asia
- China: A gas explosion after a partial building collapse in the northern port city of Tianjin left three people missing and 11 injured. (AP)
- Indonesia: Rescuers are searching for 13 passengers from a boat that sank in bad weather and high waves while traveling between islands. (AP)
- Myanmar: The military-ruled government and its opponents marked the 75th anniversary of the assassination of independence hero Gen. Aung San, the father of the country’s ousted leader, Aung San Suu Kyi. (AP)
- Sri Lanka: Main opposition leader Sajith Premadasa withdrew from the country’s presidential election in favor of ruling party dissident Dullas Alahapperuma. (AFP)
- Thailand: Lawmakers began debating on a final no-confidence debate targeting Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-och’s government before its four-year term ends next year. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Albania and North Macedonia took a step forward on their long road towards European Union membership, joining Balkan neighbors Serbia and Montenegro in formal negotiations with Brussels. (AFP)
- Armenia: The country will withdraw all troops from the Nagorno-Karabakh region by September. (AFP)
- Cyprus: President Nicos Anastasiades tested positive for COVID-19 but has mild symptoms. (AP)
- Denmark: Bavarian Nordic said an “undisclosed European country” ordered 1.5 million doses. (AFP)
- Italy: The country secured additional gas supplies from Algeria on Monday as it seeks gas independence from Moscow following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AFP)
Middle East
- Egypt: Authorities say at least 22 people were killed and 33 injured in a car crash near the southern province of Minya. (AP)
- Iran: Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan that A military strike on Syria would destabilize the region. (Reuters)
- Israel: The chief of the armed forces held meetings with senior Moroccan defense officials in the highest-profile engagement between both countries following a normalization of ties. (AFP)
- Qatar: The head of Qatar Airways confirmed that a provisional deal to buy 25 Boeing 737 MAX planes lapsed but added the airline could expand a separate order for larger 777x jets. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: Foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al-Saud said that there is no shortage of oil in the market, but a lack of oil refining capacity. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: A judge will weigh Twitter’s bid for a fast-tracked trial which it needs to ensure deal financing does not come unraveled. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Estelle
- Location: 18.6 N, 114.7 W
- Wind: 65 mph
- Movement: W 13 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Estelle
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 19JUL22)
- Confirmed cases: 562,475,410
- Deaths: 6,369,631
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 19JUL22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (20JUL22)
- Event: Stimson Center discussion on the legacy of Former Japan Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on Biden’s trip to the Middle East.
- Region: The European Commission to issue guidelines for reduction in consumption of natural gas.
- Colombia: The country’s new Congress to take office.
- Europe: European Commission expected to present emergency plan on energy.
- Indonesia: Ride-hailing drivers to hold their final day of protests in Riau Islands province’s city of Batam to push for better work conditions.
- Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi to address the country’s political crisis before Parliament.
- Japan: UN global climate change conference begins. (to 21JUL)
- Paraguay: Mercosur Meeting of Economy Ministers.
- Peru: UN High Commissioner for Human Rights holds press conference on visit.
- South Korea: South Korean Foreign Minister Park Jin to conclude his 3-day trip to Japan.
- South Korea: US Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen in Seoul attending meetings and events.
- Sri Lanka: Parliament to vote on a new president.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on Accountability for Atrocity Crimes Committed by Russia in Ukraine.
- United States: Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Global Food Security Crisis And The US Response.
- United States: Defense Secretary Austin holds Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on ‘Russia’s malign influence in Latin America and the Caribbean’.
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