Russian prosecutors on Monday asked for the maximum 18-year jail term for former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who is on trial for espionage charges that he denies, Reuters reports.
The state of play: Whelan, an American citizen who also holds British, Canadian and Irish passports, was arrested in Moscow in December 2018 after allegedly receiving a USB drive containing classified information. Whelan claims he did not know it was classified material and says it was a sting operation set up by Russian intelligence.
Several businesses are attempting to restore the United States' rare earth minerals and metals industry, as the federal government seeks to reduce its dependence on China, the world's leading miner, processor and exporter of the materials.
Why it matters: Rare earth minerals and metals are used in commercial electronics and military equipment, and the industry's revival comes amid escalating tensions between the U.S. and China over the coronavirus pandemic, the ongoing trade war and cyber espionage.
The Italian government reported 300 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, the lowest daily increase since Feb. 29.
Why it matters: Italy, the first country in Europe to implement a nationwide lockdown after emerging as a hotspot in March, appears to have finally weathered its coronavirus outbreak. Italy has reported nearly 33,000 total deaths, the third-highest total behind the U.S. and U.K.
Ireland reported no new coronavirus deaths on Monday for the first time since March 21, the Irish Times reports.
Why it matters: Ireland's chief medical officer Tony Holohan said Monday that the declining number of new cases and reported deaths over the past week indicates that "we have suppressed Covid-19 as a country. It has taken strict measures to achieve this."
Dominic Cummings, the top aide to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, defended himself at a press conference Monday against allegations that he broke the U.K.'s coronavirus lockdown rules by traveling to his parents' home last month while exhibiting symptoms.
What he said: "I respectfully disagree. The legal rules do not necessarily cover all circumstances, especially the ones I found myself in," Cummings told the assembled press.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday at a Likud Party faction meeting at the Knesset, Israel's parliament, that his July 1 deadline for starting the process of annexation in the West Bank will not change, according to people in attendance.
Why it matters: The White House and the State Department have stressed over the last few weeks that the deadline set by Netanyahu is "not sacred" to the Trump administration — and that any discussion of annexation needs to be in the context of renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.
AUCKLAND, New Zealand — A magnitude 5.8 earthquake struck just north of Wellington as New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern gave a live breakfast TV interview from the capital on Monday morning local time.
The big picture: But showing the kind of leadership she's won international plaudits for, Ardern remained unfazed, saying: "We're just having a bit of an earthquake here. ... Quite a decent shake." 37,000 people reported via monitoring agency GeoNet's app feeling the quake hit the central North Island. "We're fine Ryan," Ardern told the Auckland-based Newshub host Ryan Bridge afterward. "I'm not under any hanging lights, I look like I'm in a structurally sound place."
Watch the clip below:
Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details on the quake.
The White House announced that beginning at 11:59 pm ET on Thursday, President Trump would suspend entry of non-U.S. citizens who have been in Brazil in the past 14 days in an effort to stop the imported spread of the coronavirus.
Why it matters: Brazil has reported nearly 350,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus — the second-most in the world behind the U.S. — and has emerged as a Southern Hemisphere hotspot as other heavily affected countries in Asia and Europe have managed to get their outbreaks under control.
At least 107 confirmed cases of the coronavirus have been traced back to people who attended Sunday services at a church in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 10, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: The mini outbreak illustrates how the virus can spread in large groups even with churchgoers observing social distancing and taking extra hygiene precautions.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Sunday that the U.S. should stop its "wishful thinking" of trying to change China, accusing the Trump administration of taking actions that are pushing the two nations toward a "new Cold War," Bloomberg reports.
Why it matters: U.S.-China relations have grown increasingly sour during the coronavirus pandemic. President Trump and many of his Republican allies directly blame the Communist Party's cover-up in the early days of the Wuhan outbreak for allowing the virus to spread throughout the world.
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson came out in support of top aide Dominic Cummings Sunday after a joint investigation by the Daily Mirror and The Guardian found Cummings had traveled 260 miles in April to visit his parents while exhibiting coronavirus symptoms.
The latest: "In traveling to find the right kind of child care, at a moment when both he and his wife were about to be incapacitated by coronavirus, and when he had no alternative, I think he followed the instincts of every father and every parent and I do not mark him down for that," Johnson said Sunday.
White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien said on NBC's "Meet the Press" Sunday that the U.S. government will likely impose economic sanctions on Hong Kong and China if Beijing moves ahead with a proposed national security law for Hong Kong that could constrain the special region's autonomy.
Why it matters: O'Brien said the U.S. could revoke a special status that allows Hong Kong to function as an international financial hub, stating that it's "hard to see" how the financial community can remain in the city if the law is enacted.
When the Philippines needed resources to fight its coronavirus outbreak, it turned not to its American allies, but to China.
Why it matters: The Philippines was a U.S. colony for half a century and is America’s oldest military ally in Asia. But the Southeast Asian nation is drifting further from the U.S. and toward America's superpower rival.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust is set to start in Jerusalem District Court on Sunday. He strongly denies all charges.
Why it matters: Netanyahu is Israel's first sitting prime minister to go on trial on corruption charges. He's the country's longest-serving leader and was sworn into office for a fourth consecutive term exactly a week ago.
Hong Kong police used tear gas on thousands of protesters marching through the city on Sunday against China's plans to implement a national security law, per The Guardian.
Of note: This is the biggest mass gathering since Beijing's encroachment on Hong Kong's independent legal system sparked huge protests last year. Reuters reported earlier that police warned protesters not to break the ban on gatherings of more than eight people, a restriction imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
