Axios

Russian authorities arrested a suspect on murder charges after Catherine Serou, a 34-year-old U.S. citizen and former Marine, was found dead, local police announced on Saturday, according to NPR.

Driving the news: Serou, who had been studying at a university in Nizhny Novgorod, disappeared on Tuesday after leaving her house in a suburb of the city and entering an unknown vehicle. Her body was discovered after a large-scale search.

The United States is shipping 2.5 million vaccine doses to Taiwan as the island faces its first major coronavirus outbreak, State Department spokesman Ned Price announced Saturday.

The big picture: The United States initially pledged to donate 750,000 doses, but the number increased after President Biden said the United States would send 80 million shots made in the U.S. around the world, per Reuters, which first reported on the shipment.

Amnesty International on Saturday called for Iranian President-elect Ebrahim Raisi to be investigated for crimes against humanity for his alleged role in what the group contends was the extrajudicial executions of imprisoned political dissidents in 1988.

The big picture: Raisi was declared the winner of Iran's presidential elections on Saturday. Amnesty International has previously called on the United Nations to start an investigation into the executions.

Hardliner Ebrahim Raisi easily won Friday's presidential election in Iran, recording 62% of the vote with more than 90% of ballots counted.

Why it matters: Currently the head of Iran's judiciary, Raisi is a close confidant of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and has the support of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). His victory solidifies him as a leading candidate to succeed Khamenei, though Friday's low turnout speaks to the disillusionment of many Iranian voters.

Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike on Saturday said that all public viewing during this summer's Olympics will be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Japan Times reports.

The state of play: After meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga, Koike told reporters that the locations where viewings were scheduled will instead be used as vaccination sites.

The World Health Organization on Saturday declared that the Ebola outbreak that had emerged in Guinea is over.

The state of play: WHO said Guinean health officials were able to move swiftly to contain the disease. A total of 16 people were confirmed to have been infected, with seven additional probable cases, and 12 people died.

U.S.-led military forces in Afghanistan abruptly canceled a planned flag-lowering ceremony with NATO allies over what the ceremony was meant to signify, three U.S. Defense officials told NBC News on Friday.

Why it matters: It's a reflection of concern and uncertainty about the United States's withdrawal of troops at large. Defense contractors have sought more guidance from the government while some Afghans fear the Taliban will have more ammunition once the United States leaves, per NBC News.

The UN General Assembly on Friday condemned Myanmar's military coup and called for an arms embargo against the country, AP reports.

Why it matters: The rare move demonstrates widespread global opposition to Myanmar's military junta, which overthrew the country's democratically elected government and seized power on Feb. 1.

The Biden administration has temporarily paused a military aid package to Ukraine that included lethal weapons, according to Politico.

The big picture: The aid package — which would be worth up to $100 million — was created in response to aggressive Russian troop movements along Ukraine's border this spring, per Politico.

The Biden administration is pulling out hundreds of troops, aircraft and anti-missile batteries from the Middle East, the Wall Street Journal exclusively reported on Friday.

Why it matters: The decision reflects the administration's intent to reduce its footprint in the Middle East and instead bolster armed services against China and Russia.

Corruption is a growing concern for voters in Europe, with respondents across the 27 EU member states twice as likely to think it's getting worse (32%) in their country than getting better (16%), according to a Transparency International survey.

The big picture: As you move south and east, the concerns grow more acute. Huge majorities in countries like Croatia (92%), Bulgaria (90%) and Slovenia (84%) view corruption as a big problem versus 16% in Finland and 12% in Denmark.

Pakistan will "absolutely not" allow the CIA to use bases on its soil for cross-border counterterrorism missions after American forces withdraw from Afghanistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan tells "Axios on HBO" in a wide-ranging interview airing Sunday at 6pm ET.

Why it matters: The quality of counterterrorism and intelligence capabilities in Afghanistan is a critical question facing the Biden administration as U.S. forces move closer to total withdrawal by Sept. 11.

The British criminal justice system has "failed" rape and sexual assault victims, a report released Friday said, prompting officials to apologize and vow "lasting improvements" to the way rape cases are investigated in the country.

By the numbers: The report — which only covered cases with adult victims, but acknowledged that minors are also victims — revealed that prosecutions and convictions for adult rape have fallen by 59% and 47% respectively since 2015-2016, with the number of reported rapes almost doubling since then, from around 24,000 to approximately 43,000 in 2019-2020.

The Biden administration wants to finalize a deal with Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal in the six weeks remaining before a new Iranian president is inaugurated, a U.S. official tells Axios.

Key quote: The official said it would be "concerning" if talks dragged on into early August, when Iran's transition is due to take place. "If we don't have a deal before a new government is formed, I think that would raise serious questions about how achievable it's going to be," the official said.

The Chinese government is considering the possibility of lifting family planning restrictions by 2025 amid stagnating population and economic growth, sources tell the Wall Street Journal.

Why it matters: The move reflects "increased urgency in Beijing as economic growth slows and China’s population mix skews older," the Journal writes.

During closed-door talks in February, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and other ministers said they were "going to wipe out the Tigrayans for 100 years,” according to a European Union special envoy, the AP reports.

Why it matters: Pekka Haavisto, Finland’s foreign minister, condemned the statements this week, warning that the claims from Ethiopia's leaders “looks for us like ethnic cleansing,” per AP.

The United Nations General Assembly elected António Guterres for a second term as its secretary-general on Friday.

Why it matters: The Portuguese statesman will remain as the head of the U.N. until 2027. Guterres has been steering the organization through the coronavirus pandemic, which he has described as its greatest challenge since its founding, according to the New York Times.

The Palestinian Authority called off the COVID vaccine deal with the new Israeli government after determining the doses were too close to their expiration date, Reuters reports.

The latest: Israel had agreed to transfer 1.2 million doses of Pfizer to the Palestinian Authority in exchange for the fresh Pfizer shipment Palestinians were expected to receive in October. But on Friday Palestinian officials said the doses from Israel were set to expire soon and did not meet the necessary standards.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said his country should prepare for dialogue and especially "confrontation" with the United States, state media KCNA reported Friday local time, per Reuters.

Why it matters: President Biden in May met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in. Both leaders reaffirmed the importance of North Korea's denuclearization.

The White House will consider talks with China's President Xi, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Thursday.

Why it matters: Sullivan's remarks come one day after President Biden met with Russian President Vladimir Putin. They also come as the U.S. increases pressure on the Chinese government to address its human rights issues, including the Uyghur genocide and Hong Kong, and the origins of the coronavirus.