Key Storylines
- AFRICA: African leaders will meet US President Joe Biden in Washington in mid-December for the first major summit organized by the US for the continent.
- AMERICAS: Latin America’s largest airline LATAM has ordered 17 Airbus A321 passenger jets worth more than $1.8 billion.
- ASIA: The US and Japan will hold their first economic “two-plus-two” dialogue, involving their foreign and industry ministers on July 29 in Washington.
- EUROPE: Russian Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that all difficulties with supply of Russian natural gas to Europe are caused by Western restrictions.
- MIDDLE EAST: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is rejecting accusations that the Turkish military carried out deadly artillery strikes against tourists in northern Iraq.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Wall Street is bracing for the slowest global revenue growth in the history of the social media sector, as competition from TikTok and Apple in advertising threaten to compound economic woes in the second quarter.
Top Story
- Italy: Prime Minister Mario Draghi Resigns as Coalition Government Collapses.
- Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi resigned after his national unity government fell apart, setting the country on course for an early election.
- Draghi said he was going to speak to President Sergio Mattarella and inform him of his intentions after failing to unite his fragile coalition government.
- Draghi’s government of national unity imploded after members of his coalition rebuffed his appeal to finish the Italian Parliament’s term and ensure implementation of a European Union-funded pandemic recovery program.
- The center-right Forza Italia and League parties and the populist 5-Star Movement boycotted a confidence vote in the Senate, a clear sign they were done as partners in the 17-month government.
- In a brief statement, Draghi submitted “his resignation and that of the government he heads;” the president “took note of this” and the government remained in place to “conduct current business.”
- Draghi’s resignation comes at a time when Italy is dealing with soaring inflation and energy costs, Russia’s war against Ukraine, and outstanding reforms needed to clinch the remainder of the EU’s 200 billion euros in recovery funds.
- Reuters, AP, Corriere Della Sera, La Stampa, AFP, CNBC
Africa
- Region: African leaders will meet US President Joe Biden in Washington in mid-December for the first major summit organized by the US for the continent. (BBC)
- Ethiopia: The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Tigrayan rebels to release five journalists working for a local broadcaster in the war-torn north. (AFP)
- Kenya: Meta took down thousands of posts targeting users on its social media platform Facebook for violating its policies ahead of the August elections. (BBC)
- Rwanda: The UK High Commissioner, Omar Daair, disowned a memo sent to the Home Office advising against any asylum deal with the country. (BBC)
- Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni signed a cooperation agreement with the leader of an opposition party and former challenger Nobert Mao. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: Latin America’s largest airline LATAM has ordered 17 Airbus A321 passenger jets worth more than $1.8 billion. (AFP)
- Brazil: Former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will be nominated by his Workers Party (PT) to run on Oct. 2 against far-right incumbent President Jair Bolsonaro in the most polarized election in decades. (Reuters)
- Canada: Pope Francis’s upcoming visit to the country, where he is expected to apologize to Indigenous peoples for more than a century of abuses at state schools run by the Church, has provoked hope but also wariness. (AFP)
- Mexico: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador pushed back against a US complaint over his energy policy, stating his government had done nothing wrong. (Reuters)
- United States: The House Jan 6 Committee will hold its final hearing of the summer making the case that Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen election fueled the attack on the US Capitol. (AP)
Asia
- India: Investigators summoned Sonia Gandhi for questioning on money laundering accusations that her allies have blamed on an abuse of government power. (AFP)
- Japan: The US and Japan will hold their first economic “two-plus-two” dialogue, involving their foreign and industry ministers on July 29 in Washington. (Japan Times)
- Myanmar: A regional envoy tasked with kickstarting dialogue between the junta and anti-coup fighters warned there was no “magic wand” to end the country’s bloody crisis. (AFP)
- Sri Lanka: Prime minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was sworn in as president of the crisis-hit island nation, with plans to form a unity government to manage the turmoil. (AFP)
- Taiwan: President Joe Biden said that US military officials believe it is “not a good idea” for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taipei. (AP)
Europe
- Belgium: MPs voted to ratify a fiercely-criticized treaty allowing prisoner exchanges with Iran, potentially opening the way for an Iranian diplomat jailed on terrorism charges to return home. (AFP)
- Germany: State-owned rail company Deutsche Bahn said it planned to transport grain by freight train from Ukraine to the country’s ports. (Reuters)
- Russia: Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that all difficulties with supply of Russian natural gas to Europe are caused by Western restrictions. (Reuters)
- Spain: Firefighting crews made progress in their battle to contain dozens of wildfires as most of the country went back on alert for feverish temperatures. (AFP)
- Türkiye: The country said a new “permanent committee” would meet Finnish and Swedish officials in August to assess if the two nations are complying with Ankara’s conditions to ratify their NATO membership bids. (AFP)
Middle East
- Egypt: The economy will grow fairly steadily over the coming three years, with inflation gradually declining from double digits and the pound weakening in the near-term. (Reuters)
- Iran: The country’s foreign ministry recalled its ambassador from Sweden after a citizen was sentenced to life by a Swedish court for committing war crimes and murder during the Iran-Iraq war. (AP)
- Iraq: Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu is rejecting accusations that the Turkish military carried out deadly artillery strikes against tourists in the country’s north. (AP)
- Israel: Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu testified that he was not to blame for the events that led to a deadly stampede at a holy site in the north last year, the worst civilian disaster in the country’s history. (AP)
- Syria: Russian forces shot down two drones that fired at its military base at Hmeimim, Syria, according to a defense official. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Wall Street is bracing for the slowest global revenue growth in the history of the social media sector, as competition from TikTok and Apple in advertising threaten to compound economic woes in the second quarter. (Reuters)
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 21JUL22)
- Confirmed cases: 566,846,895
- Deaths: 6,380,970
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 21JUL22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (22JUL22)
- Egypt: Revolution Day
- Japan: UN global climate change conference begins its final day. (to 21JUL)
- Myanmar: International Court of Justice (ICJ) to rule on the country’s objections to Rohingya ‘genocide’ case.
- Papua New Guinea: General elections scheduled to conclude.
- Sudan: International Criminal Court (ICC) to hold briefing on Sudan.
- Taiwan: Former U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper leads an Atlantic Council delegation during a four-day visit to the island to meet with Taiwanese officials. (to 21JUL)
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