Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The city of Beni woke up to a curfew after three bombs rocked the conflict-plagued city in the eastern DRC, with authorities warning they had reports of more attacks being planned.
- AMERICAS: Eight more suspects were arrested for possible involvement in gun attacks earlier this month that killed 19 people in the northern Mexican border city of Reynosa, nearly all of whom appeared to be civilians.
- ASIA: The Hong Kong police arrested the lead opinion writer of Apple Daily for national security reasons as he tried to fly out of the city, days after the pro-democracy newspaper was forced to shut down.
- EUROPE: Sajid Javid is expected to say that July 19 remains the target date for reopening, after the new health secretary said that he wants England to return to normal life “as quickly as possible.”
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran has not decided whether to extend an agreement with the U.N. atomic watchdog to share surveillance footage at its nuclear sites.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Denmark’s media industry is pioneering a new bargaining strategy for Google and Facebook’s overpayments of news, with newspapers, broadcasters, and internet start-ups cooperating to negotiate with the tech groups as a copyright collective.
Top Story
- Middle East: The United States launched a series of airstrikes in Iraq and Syria against Iranian-aligned militias.
- The Pentagon said the U.S. military targeted three operational and weapons storage facilities — two in Syria and one in Iraq.
- The US strikes on eastern Syria near the border with Iraq killed at least five Iran-backed militia fighters, according to local sources.
- Syrian state news agency Sana reported that a child had died and at least three other people were wounded.
- Iraqi militia groups aligned with Iran in a statement named four members of the Kataib Sayyed al-Shuhada faction they said died in the attack on the Syria-Iraq border and vowed to retaliate.
- Reporting: AP, VOA, BBC, AFP,
Africa
- Congo: The city of Beni woke up to a curfew after three bombs rocked the conflict-plagued city in the east of the nation, with authorities warning they had reports of more attacks being planned. (AFP)
- Sierra Leone: The nation recorded seven COVID-19 related deaths within the past 48 hours. (Xinhua)
- Sudan: Integrating a powerful paramilitary force into the army was delayed and has possibly emerged as the latest stumbling block to transition to civilian rule following three decades under removed strongman Omar al-Bashir. (AFP)
Americas
- Colombia: The board of directors of Colombia’s central bank will hold its monthly meeting, in which it is expected to keep the benchmark interest rate stable as it looks to extend monetary stimulus to aid the economic recovery. (Reuters)
- Mexico: Eight more suspects were arrested for possible involvement in gun attacks earlier this month that killed 19 people in the northern border city of Reynosa, nearly all of whom appeared to be civilians. (AP)
- United States: A senior Federal Reserve official warned that the US cannot have a “boom and bust cycle” in the housing market that would threaten financial stability, in a sign of growing fears over rising property prices at the central bank. (FT)
Asia
- Fiji: Qauia settlement, a community of more than 2,000 near the capital city of Suva, has been locked down as COVID-19 cases increase. (Reuters)
- Hong Kong: Police arrested the lead opinion writer of Apple Daily for national security reasons as he tried to fly out of the city, days after the pro-democracy newspaper was forced to shut down. (AFP)
- South Korea: The nation will develop its own interceptor system like Israel’s Iron Dome to defend the nation’s critical infrastructure against long-range artillery threats from North Korea. (YNA)
- Thailand: The central bank predicts that the nation is expected to return to pre-pandemic economic levels in the first quarter of 2023. (Reuters)
Europe
- Germany: The Bavarian interior minister said the man accused of committing a deadly knife attack in the southern city of Wuerzburg could have had an Islamist motive. (DPA)
- Italy: The nation declared itself a mask-free, “low-risk” zone for COVID-19, marking a dramatic turnaround for the first European country to be hit by the global pandemic in February 2020. (AFP)
- Portugal: Passengers arriving in the nation from Britain must quarantine for 14 days from Monday if they are not fully vaccinated against COVID-19. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: Sajid Javid is expected to say on Monday that July 19 remains the target date for reopening after the new health secretary said that he wants England to return to normal life “as quickly as possible.” (FT)
Middle East
- Region: Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi held diplomatic meetings with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi and Jordanian King Abdullah II to improve economic ties, security cooperation, and regional stability. (Xinhua)
- Iran: The nation has not decided whether to extend an agreement with the U.N. atomic watchdog to share surveillance footage at its nuclear sites. (AP)
- Israel: The nation’s new Foreign Minister, Yair Lapid, pledged to take a different approach in dealings with the United States, following the ouster of long-time former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. (DPA)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Denmark’s media industry is pioneering a new bargaining strategy for Google and Facebook’s overpayments of news, with newspapers, broadcasters, and internet start-ups cooperating to negotiate with the tech groups as a copyright collective. (FT)
World
- Cyclones:
- Typhoon Champi
- Location: 31.9 N 142.5 E
- Movement: NNE at 22 mph
- Wind: 40mph
- Map
- Typhoon Champi
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Enrique
- Location:20N 106.3W
- Movement: NNW
- Wind:90 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Enrique
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 180,823,910
- Deaths: 3,918,101
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (29JUN21)
- Global: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken continues trip to Germany, France, Italy, and Vatican City. (to 29JUN)
- Global: U.N. Security Council meeting
- Japan: Trial of Americans accused of helping Nissan boss escape the country continues
- United States: President Biden and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack visit Wisconsin to discuss growing agriculture and rural economies
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