Good morning, everyone!
Today, we will look at the NATO conference in the Netherlands, developments in the Middle East, and other news spanning the globe.
Let’s get to it.
Africa
-Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni intends to seek reelection next year, according to officials. The 80-year-old authoritarian leader has ruled the East African country since 1986.
-At least 16 people were killed after demonstrators and security forces clashed in Nairobi, Kenya. The protests came one year after deadly clashes in the capital city in opposition to a proposed tax hike.
-Ghana’s parliament approved a $2.8 billion debt restructuring deal on Tuesday. The pact comes as the West African nation seeks to emerge from its worst economic downturn in decades.
-Nigeria and Brazil inked a $1 billion agriculture agreement.
-The UNSC will hold a meeting on the Central African Republic (CAR) today.
Other Links:
Afrikaner delegation arrives in DC to discuss discrimination claims - Semafor
17 soldiers killed as gunmen raid army bases in northern Nigeria - Africa News
Eritrea seeks to end mandate of UN expert investigating abuses, document shows - Reuters
Burundi commissions first phase of $320 mln power project - Reuters
South African court halts burial of Zambia's ex-president Lungu - Reuters
Americas and the Caribbean
-Chinese President Xi Jinping and Russian leader Vladimir Putin will not attend the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) leaders’ summit slated for next month in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The Kremlin informed the Brazilian government that Putin would miss the gathering due to an outstanding arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in 2023. The body issued the warrant just over a year after Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, accusing him of war crimes.
Russian foreign affairs aide Yuri Ushakov said Brasília did “not take a clear position” that would allow Putin to participate in the gathering.
Chinese officials cited a scheduling conflict for Xi’s absence.
-Argentina’s economy expanded by 5.8% in the first quarter.
-At least 10 people have died and 15 were injured in a landslide in northwest Colombia.
-The annual assembly of the Organization of American States convened yesterday in Antigua and Barbuda.
Separately, U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem held talks with officials in Costa Rica.
Other Links:
Brazil confronts military officers accused of plotting a coup in historic trial - AP
Brazil's Senate okays quota for women on boards of directors - MercoPress
Brazil Congress nixes Lula's financial transactions tax hike - Reuters
Spanish court approves extradition of Ecuadorean tied to TV station attack - Reuters
Livestreamed murder of TikTok star who denounced Tren de Aragua gang is under investigation in Venezuela - CBS
Asia/Indo-Pacific
-President Donald Trump said that China could resume oil purchases from Iran after a ceasefire agreement between Israel and Iran took hold. Iranian oil accounts for approximately 16% of China’s seaborne crude oil imports, which are purchased at a discounted rate.
The White House later clarified that Trump’s comment did not indicate a relaxation of U.S. sanctions on Iran’s oil industry.
-Japan test fired a missile on its own territory for the first time. The move comes as Tokyo seeks to build up its military capabilities amid tensions with China.
-The Cambodian government condemned Thailand’s recent move to bar tourists from entering through land borders. The development comes amid an escalating border row between the two Southeast Asian nations.
-Thailand’s health ministry issued an order prohibiting the sale of cannabis for recreational use.
The substance was removed from the country’s narcotics list in 2022.
-China’s National People’s Congress Standing Committee—the country’s highest legislative body—convened in Beijing yesterday.
The lawmakers—who act as a rubber stamp for the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)—reviewed a slew of proposed laws.
Other Links:
China doubles down on promoting yuan as confidence in U.S. dollar takes a beating - CNBC
The Yellow Sea Dispute Between China and South Korea - The New York Times
China to mark 80th WWII anniversary with military parade in September - South China Morning Post
China’s Wealth Fund Pulls Plug on $1 Billion Private Equity Sale - Bloomberg
Bipartisan bill seeks to ban Chinese AI from federal agencies, as U.S. vows to win the AI race - ABC
Europe
-Leaders from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization continued talks yesterday in The Hague, the Netherlands.
In a press conference on the sidelines of the gathering, President Donald Trump said he would speak to Russian leader Vladimir Putin about ending the war in Ukraine, saying that he “really has to end that war.” He added that Putin is the “more difficult” partner in ending the three-year-long conflict.
The comment came after the American president met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump said he was considering sending Kyiv more Patriot missile batteries to help Ukrainian forces ward off Russian attacks.
Separately, Trump said the 32-member military alliance was “not a rip-off,” a reversal from previous criticism, adding that the bloc’s commitment to increase defense spending to 5% of gross domestic product was a “big win.”
-France’s opposition Socialists submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Francois Bayrou’s government following the collapse of pension reform talks.
-The European Union will impose retaliatory tariffs on the United States if Washington follows through with a 10% baseline duty on EU goods, according to the 27-member bloc’s industry chief Stéphane Séjourné.
-EU leaders will meet in Brussels, Belgium, today.
Other Links:
Trump affirms his commitment to NATO’s Article 5 pledge for mutual defense - AP
NATO's Rutte likens Trump to a 'daddy' in Israel-Iran conflict - AP
UK to purchase nuclear-carrying F-35A fighter jets - BBC
German court lifts ban on far-right magazine - BBC
Greece arrests Georgian suspected of fuelling Chios fire with cigarette - Reuters
Middle East
-President Donald Trump said U.S. and Iranian officials will resume talks next week as Washington seeks a commitment from Tehran that it will not seek a nuclear weapons program.
The renewed negotiations come after a 12-day war between Israel and Iran in which Israel sought to set back Iran’s nuclear and military infrastructure.
On Tuesday, Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, said Washington had restarted talks with the Iranian government, adding that prospects for a long-term peace agreement were “promising.”
-Iran’s parliament approved a bill to suspend its cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), the United Nations nuclear watchdog.
-The death toll in the Gaza Strip surpassed 56,000, according to the Hamas-run Gaza health ministry. Separately, more than 131,000 people have been injured in the coastal enclave since October 7, 2023—the date when Hamas launched a deadly surprise attack on Israel.
Israeli forces have recently stepped up their offensive in the territory.
-The United States will contribute $30 million to the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
-The World Bank approved a series of projects for countries in the region, including a $930 million project to modernize and expand Iraq’s rail system, $250 million for war-battered Lebanon to rebuild its infrastructure, and $146 million for Syria to boost its electricity supply.
Other Links:
Trump defends US strikes on Iran as intel assessment stirs debate - AP
Pope Leo XIV urges all sides in Iran-Israel war to reject ‘bullying and arrogance’ and talk peace - AP
7 Israeli troops are killed in a Gaza bombing as Palestinian officials say Israeli attacks kill 79 - AP
Iran hangs three men for spying for Israel - Reuters
Most Gulf markets gain on Iran-Israel truce - Reuters
United States
-Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is weighing whether to launch an independent bid for New York City mayor. On Tuesday, Cuomo placed second in the Democratic primary race behind 33-year-old Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani.
Incumbent Mayor Eric Adams declined to enter the Democratic field, opting instead to run for reelection as an independent candidate amid uproar over his legal controversies and ties to the Trump administration.
Republican Curtis Sliwa—who lost to Adams in the 2021 mayoral contest—ran unopposed in his primary race.
-Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer was hospitalized for dehydration yesterday.
-Illinois Governor JB Pritzker—a prospective Democratic presidential candidate—is set to announce he will seek a third term today.
-The White House has begun to restaff the National Security Council, according to Bloomberg.
-The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis will release first-quarter growth data today.
Other Links:
Whistleblower says top DOJ official suggested ignoring court orders on deportations - NBC
Trump administration sues Maryland federal judges over order blocking deportations - Reuters
Vice President Vance flips middle finger during Ohio Republican dinner speech - NBC
Kennedy's new vaccine panel loses member ahead of first meeting, HHS says - Reuters
Arizona House passes budget amid shutdown threat - FOX 10 Phoenix
That’s all for today. See you tomorrow to close out the week.
Notes:
https://scowcroft.substack.com/p/tsg-weekly-calendar-june-23-29