As Afghan President Ashraf Ghani was making his way to Washington to meet with President Biden, the Wall Street Journal revealed that the U.S. intelligence community believes his government may be toppled within six months of America's withdrawal.
Why it matters: As the Taliban gains territory and the U.S. pulls its remaining forces out, hopes of a potential peace deal in Afghanistan are giving way to fears of a rapid Taliban capture of Kabul.
U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan returned to Moscow Thursday, two months after leaving his post amidst escalating tensions between the two nations.
Why it matters: Sullivan's return comes just after his attendance at last week's U.S.-Russia summit in Geneva. Russia's ambassador to the United States, Anatoly Antonov, also returned to his post this week, arriving in Washington, D.C., on Monday.
Ethiopia's military on Thursday took responsibility for a deadly airstrike on a marketplace in the country's Tigray region that killed at least 64 people, including children, AP reports.
The big picture: The airstrike, one of the worst of the war started last November, comes as fighting persists in Tigray.
The United Kingdom reported 16,703 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, the highest daily case count since early February, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: Thursday's high means the U.K. marked two peaks in new infections within a span of a week. On June 17, the kingdom hit a four-month high with 11,007 new daily cases.
Residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina are desperate for vaccines, but a promise of help from Serbia has left them with a dilemma: receive a vaccine from a former enemy, or wait months to get one at home.
Driving the news: Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic's announced earlier this month that residents of Bosnia and Herzegovina would be able to receive free vaccinations in Serbia. Bosnia is otherwise relying on donations and the WHO-backed COVAX initiative. So far just 7.6% of the population has had even one dose.
The World Health Organization anticipates vulnerable populations will need to get an annual COVID-19 booster shot to be protected against variants, while the general population may need one every two years, Reuters reports, citing an internal document.
Why it matters: The WHO forecasts that the need for boosters in wealthier countries could push poorer nations, which have barely received any vaccine, to the back of the line and further widen the gap of vaccine inequality.
The remains of 751 people, mainly Indigenous children, have been discovered at the site of a former boarding school in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan, the New York Times reports.
The big picture: The school was part of a system that took Indigenous children from their families over the course of 113 years, as part of what Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission has described as "cultural genocide."
It's probably the biggest failure of international cooperationin decades — the way in which billions of people have been suffering through a pandemic with no access to vaccines, even as there are significant surpluses elsewhere in the world.
The big picture: Getting the vaccine out as quickly as possible to the people who need it most was "possibly the highest-return public investment ever," in the words of IMF chief economist Gita Gopinath.
Unwitting border area residents are being roped into smuggling contraband for transnational criminal groups that have operated throughout the pandemic despite border closures, as the fight over routes is again resulting in the slaughter of civilians in Mexico.
Why it matters: The cartels smuggle drugs and even people through legal ports of entry, in hidden car compartments or commercial trucks, undeterred by any border wall or COVID-related closures. Now criminals are bloodletting to control the corridor to at least one crossing.
The Biden administration plans to move thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military out of the country before completing a troop withdrawal by Sep. 11.
Why it matters: With the Taliban rapidly gaining ground as America's exit approaches, Afghans known to have worked with the U.S. — including interpreters, embassy aides and drivers — could be in danger. Pressure has been growing on the White House to get them out.
The Biden administration on Thursday banned imports of solar materials from a Chinese firm accused of using forced labor in China's Xinjiang region.
Why it matters: It represents an escalation of pressure against China over allegations of forced labor and genocide in a region that produces large amounts of silicon-based materials.
NBCUniversal will stream some of the most popular Olympics sporting events exclusively on its new streaming service Peacock, executives said Wednesday.
Driving the news: Most notably,USA Men’s Basketball live coverage will be available on the streaming platform only to subscribers of Peacock's premium paid tier.
Israel has been trying to influence the Biden administration's approach to the Iran nuclear deal in a series of high-level meetings with U.S. officials, Israeli officials tell me.
Why it matters: Under former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel didn't engage with the Biden administration over the deal except to vehemently oppose it and stress that Israel wouldn't be constrained by it. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and his new government also oppose the deal, but are trying to engage with the U.S. on the issue.
A First Nation in Canada said Wednesday "hundreds" of unmarked graves have been discovered at the site of a former residential school in the prairie province of Saskatchewan.
Of note: The Cowessess First Nation said in a statement the number of graves found are "the most significantly substantial to date in Canada" — suggesting it's more than the remains of 215 Indigenous children discovered last month at a former residential school site in Kamloops, British Columbia.
The State Department is concerned organizations performing supply-chain audits in China are coming under pressure from Chinese authorities.
Why it matters: U.S. law prohibits importing products made through forced labor, but it's becoming increasingly difficult to verify whether products from China are tainted.
