Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Senegalese opposition politician Guy Marius Sagna will stand trial for taking part in banned protests that left three people dead on June 17.
- AMERICAS: US government officials traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to bring home detained Americans and rebuild relations with Venezuela.
- ASIA: Hong Kong police confirmed Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to the city this week for the 25th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule.
- EUROPE: Russian President Vladimir Putin will take his first public foreign trip on Tuesday since the start of the war in Ukraine, heading to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, where meetings are likely to be friendly.
- MIDDLE EAST: Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington will start on Tuesday in Doha with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, expected to be in attendance.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Toshiba Corp shareholders voted in two board directors from activist hedge fund investors at its annual general meeting.
Top Story
- United States: 46 Dead and 16 Hospitalized After Trailer of Migrants Found in San Antonio, Texas.
- The bodies of 46 dead migrants were discovered inside a tractor-trailer in San Antonio, Texas on Monday, in one of the deadliest recent incidents of human smuggling along the US-Mexico border.
- Police Chief William McManus said a city worker heard a cry for help from the truck shortly before 6 p.m. Monday and discovered the gruesome scene.
- San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the 46 who died had “families who were likely trying to find a better life.”
- San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood told reporters that 16 people had been transported to the hospital alive and conscious, twelve adults and four children. There were no initial details on the age or nationality of the deceased.
- Texas Governor Greg Abbott was quick to blame the president for the tragedy, writing that “these deaths are on Biden” in a tweet.
- Mexican Consul General Rubén Minutti has been dispatched to the scene and the consulate in San Antonio said it would provide “all the support” if Mexican citizens are among the dead.
- Reuters, AP, Texas Tribune, NYT, WaPo, BBC
Africa
- Region: German officials said Monday that numerous priceless artifacts taken from African nations during colonial times will be permanently returned to the respective nations of Cameroon, Namibia, and Tanzania. (AP)
- Cameroon: At least 30 people including women and children were killed during clashes over land between neighboring communities in the South-West region. (BBC)
- Ethiopia: In an effort to end the brutal war that first erupted in northern Ethiopia in November 2020, Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s ruling party stated only the African Union could broker potential peace talks with the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), a stance which has already been rejected by the rebels. (AFP)
- Libya: UN political chief, Rosemary DiCarlo, urged Libya’s rival factions to agree on measures governing the transition to elections during talks in Geneva later this week, expressing hope elections can be held “at the earliest possible date.” (AP)
- Senegal: Opposition politician Guy Marius Sagna will stand trial for taking part in banned protests that left three people dead on June 17. (BBC)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin discussed global food security and confirmed their intention to strengthen their strategic partnership. (Reuters)
- Colombia: Colombia’s procurator to investigate the partial collapse of stadium seating at a bull-running event on Sunday, which killed at least four people and injured hundreds. (Reuters)
- Ecuador: Talks between Indigenous groups and the government continue in an effort to secure a deal on demands for deeper cuts to gasoline prices and tighter limits on oil and mining development. (Reuters)
- Venezuela: US government officials traveled to Caracas in the latest bid to bring home detained Americans and rebuild relations with the South American oil giant. (AP)
- United States: The House of Representatives Jan. 6 select committee will hold a hearing on Tuesday to consider recently obtained evidence on the 2021 attack on the US Capitol. (Reuters)
Asia
- Australia: The latest census found the number of people identifying as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islanders grew by 25 percent since the last count five years earlier. (AFP)
- Hong Kong: Police confirmed Chinese president Xi Jinping’s visit to the city this week for the 25th anniversary of the former British colony’s return to Chinese rule. (AP)
- Iran: With the world’s second largest gas reserves, Tehran has applied to join the BRICS group of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa. (Reuters)
- South Korea: A district prosecutors office is set to decide Tuesday on whether to grant imprisoned former President Lee Myung-bak’s request to suspend his 17-year sentence handed down for corruption. (Yonhap)
- Pakistan: The country sentenced one of the militants linked to the 2008 terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India to 15 years in prison for terror financing unrelated to the assaults. (AP)
Europe
- France: A presidency official said the international community should explore all options to alleviate the Russian squeeze of energy supplies, including talks with producing nations like Iran and Venezuela. (Reuters)
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin will take his first public foreign trip on Tuesday since the start of the war in Ukraine, heading to Tajikistan and Turkmenistan, where meetings are likely to be friendly. (AP)
- Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is defending the way police repelled migrants last week as they tried to cross the shared border into the north African enclave of Melilla. (AP)
- Türkiye: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expects to see action instead of “empty words” from Sweden and Finland as they seek to appease Ankara’s resistance to their NATO membership bids. (AFP)
- Ukraine: The eastern city of Lysychansk continues to repel Russian attacks after Moscow’s troops took control of the neighboring city of Severodonetsk. (AFP)
Middle East
- Region: French President Emmanuel Macron said that the top two OPEC oil producers, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates, can barely increase oil production. (Reuters)
- Bahrain: Officials from Bahrain, Egypt, Israel, Morocco, and the US met in Manama for the first Negev Forum Steering Committee meeting in an effort to reach a negotiated resolution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (Anadolu)
- Jordan: At least 12 people died and 251 were injured in a chlorine gas leak from a storage tank at Aqaba port. (Reuters)
- Qatar: Indirect talks between Tehran and Washington will start on Tuesday in Doha with Iran’s chief nuclear negotiator, Ali Bagheri Kani, expected to be in attendance. (Reuters)
- Syria: A drone strike by the US-led coalition in the northwest killed Abu Hamzah al Yemeni, a senior member of the Horas al-din group linked to al-Qaida. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Toshiba Corp shareholders voted in two board directors from activist hedge fund investors at its annual general meeting. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Celia
- Location: 21.8N, 119.6W
- Wind: 35 mph
- Movement: WNW at 12 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Celia
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUN22)
- Confirmed cases: 544,555,638
- Deaths: 6,330,745
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (29JUN22)
- Event: Atlantic Council hosts discussion on US-Caribbean relations.
- Event: Cato Institute discussion on impact of war in Ukraine for European security.
- Africa: Visit by USAID Administrator Samantha Power to Malawi and Zambia. (to 03JUL)
- Austria: OPEC International Seminar to be held in Vienna and attended by energy ministers, oil company executives, leaders of international organizations, and academic experts.
- France: Verdict due in 2015 Paris attacks trial.
- France: Government chooses leadership positions after president Macron loses majority.
- Israel: Cyber Week Event. (to 30JUN)
- North Korea: United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea, Tomás Ojea Quintana, holds a Q&A session with the media.
- Senegal: Opposition leader Ousmane Sonko to lead protests against court decision to bar opposition.
- Spain: NATO Summit in Madrid. (to 30JUN)
- Turkmenistan: Caspian summit in Ashgabat with Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to attend.
- Venezuela: UN Human Rights Council to discuss Venezuela’s humanitarian situation.
END
