Several European leaders have sent personal letters to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in recent days warning him against annexing parts of the West Bank, Israeli and European officials tell me.
Why it matters: Netanyahu is hoping for a green light from the U.S. to move ahead on annexations as early as July 1, but the letters from the leaders of Italy, France, Spain and the U.K. are signals of the strong international pushback Israel would face.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his defense minister to start planning the country's annual military parade on Tuesday, saying that the event would take place on June 24, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Why it matters: Russia is reporting the third most coronavirus cases in the world, per Johns Hopkins data. Experts doubt the official numbers, as the country is reporting significantly fewer deaths than the other most-affected nations.
Legal measures arbitrarily targeting "fake news" are picking up global steam.
Driving the news: The ACLU has filed a lawsuit on behalf of two Puerto Rican journalists who fear that two recent "fake news" laws will be used to punish them for their reporting on the coronavirus crisis.
As the coronavirus pandemic appears to be subsiding in China, it's becoming clear that its targets for the phase one trade deal with the U.S. are unrealistic and there is so far no sign of a plan for renegotiation.
What's happening: White House National Economic Council director Larry Kudlow said Thursday the trade deal was "intact, and China has every intent of implementing it."
A student resolution expressing support for the Hong Kong pro-democracy movement was voted down at the University of Warwick in England, after opposition frommainland Chinese students.
Why it matters: The charged politics of China's actions in Hong Kong are spilling over to university campuses thousands of miles away, raising questions for students and university administrators about how to protect democratic values.
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.
