Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Tunisia’s judiciary has reportedly opened an investigation into three political parties suspected of receiving foreign funds.
- AMERICAS: Thousands of US-bound migrants were stranded in the Gulf of Uraba in Colombia, waiting for boats to cross into neighboring Panama.
- ASIA: China’s Foreign Ministry said it told a visiting Taliban delegation it expected the insurgent group to “play an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan”.
- EUROPE: Armenia and Azerbaijan have reportedly agreed to a Russia-brokered ceasefire after an exchange of gunfire between the two countries resulted in the deaths of three Armenian soldiers.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US was being “stubborn” in stalled nuclear talks.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Russian authorities raided the home of investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov.
Top Story
- Global: US concern over China nuclear forces after new report.
- The Pentagon and US lawmakers raised fresh concerns about China’s nuclear forces build-up.
- The concerns emerged following an American Federation of Scientists (AFS) report that said satellite images showed China was building a new field of missile silos in eastern Xinjiang.
- The news comes as the United States and Russia prepare to hold arms control discussions.
- This was the second report in a month to show China’s nuclear forces build-up, as a report released last month also showed China constructing around 120 missile silos in Yumen.
- Reporting: BBC, Reuters, WSJ, CNN
Africa
- Region: The United States will ship a total of almost 10 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to Nigeria and South Africa. (Reuters)
- Region: The vital road and rail trade artery between Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa and the Port of Djibouti was reportedly blocked by protesting youngsters in Djibouti. (Reuters)
- Ivory Coast: Civil war rivals President Alassane Ouattara and ex-president Laurent Gbagbo held their first meeting in a decade. (BBC)
- Libya: The country’s interim leader Mohamed al-Menfi met with the African Union envoy to the country Congolese President Denis Sassou Nguesso and discussed plans for a December election in the country. (AFP)
- Tunisia: The judiciary has reportedly opened an investigation into three political parties suspected of receiving foreign funds. (Reuters)
Americas
- Region: Thousands of US-bound migrants were stranded in the Gulf of Uraba in Colombia, waiting for boats to cross into neighboring Panama. (AFP)
- Region: The United States suspended cooperation with Guatemalan prosecutors after Guatemala’s top anti-corruption investigator fled the country after being fired. (AFP)
- Ecuador: A court revoked the citizenship of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. (AP)
- Guatemala: President Alejandro Giammattei canceled the government’s order for a second batch of Russia’s Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccines due to delivery delays in the first order. (AFP)
- United States: President Joe Biden said Russia was already interfering in next year’s midterm election. (VOA)
Asia
- Region: China’s Foreign Ministry said it told a visiting Taliban delegation it expected the insurgent group to “play an important role in the process of peaceful reconciliation and reconstruction in Afghanistan”. (Reuters)
- India: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was meeting with senior government officials in meetings expected to be aimed at deepening Washington-New Delhi ties. (AP)
- Japan: Economy Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura said three regions around capital city Tokyo were set to ask the government to declare a coronavirus state of emergency. (Reuters)
- Taiwan: Authorities were investigating a former deputy defense minister and several other military officials over contacts with a suspected Chinese spy. (Reuters)
- Vietnam: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin began his two-day visit to the country. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Armenia and Azerbaijan have reportedly agreed to a Russia-brokered ceasefire after an exchange of gunfire between the two countries resulted in the deaths of three Armenian soldiers. (Reuters)
- Germany: Health Minister Jens Spahn said more than half of the country’s population was now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (AFP)
- Greece: A forest fire broke out just north of capital city Athens, where temperatures are now expected to exceed 100 F in the next few days. (BBC)
- Turkey: The person believed to be behind a messaging app the government claims to be linked to a 2016 coup attempt was detained by authorities. (AP)
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is reportedly discussing a travel corridor with the United States. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: Israeli gunfire led to the death of one person in the occupied West Bank, according to Palestinian authorities. (AFP)
- Iran: The country’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said the US was being “stubborn” in stalled nuclear talks. (AP)
- Israel: The government announced it will issue an additional 16,000 work permits to Palestinians from the occupied West Bank in the construction and hotel industries. (AFP)
- Saudi Arabia: Human Rights Watch accused Riyadh of imprisoning a Sudanese journalist on “bogus charges”. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: Russian authorities raided the home of investigative journalist Roman Dobrokhotov. (AP)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Nepartak
- Location: 43 nautical miles W-SW of Misawa, Japan
- Wind: 35 mph
- Movement: NW at 15 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Nepartak
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUL21)
- Confirmed cases: 195,368,552
- Deaths: 4,178,287
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUL21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (29JUL21)
- Global: The Culture Ministers of G20 countries will meet in Rome, Italy. (to 30JUL)
- Global: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta will co-host a global education summit.
- Global: The UN Security Council will hold meetings on Cyprus and the Central African Republic.
- Europe: The Czech Republic and Poland are scheduled to hold discussions on the Turow mine.
- Bulgaria: Maldives’ Foreign Minister and the President-elect of the 76th UN General Assembly, Abdulla Shahid, will visit.
- China: The Defense Ministry will hold a press conference.
- Kuwait: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit.
- Peru: Independence Day – 1821
- Vietnam: US Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III will visit.
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