Taliban leader Mawlawi Hibatullah Akhunzada said Sunday that the Taliban "strenuously favors a political settlement" in Afghanistan as the peace talks continue with the Afghan government delegation in Qatar, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: Despite how the conciliatory words may sound, no peace deal appears imminent. Taliban and government forces are still fighting in dozens of provinces across Afghanistan, per AP.
The refugee team for the 2021 Olympics got the all-clear to travel to Tokyo on Sunday, following an official's positive COVID-19 test, which had delayed their departure, according to the International Olympic Committee.
Why it matters: Before obtaining clearance, 26 of the athletes on the 29-person team were awaiting a decision at a training camp in Qatar, per Reuters.
Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro says he plans to return to work after leaving the hospital on Sunday where he'd been recovering from an intestinal obstruction, according to Reuters.
Why it matters: Doctors had initially considered operating on the 66-year-old politician before ultimately deciding against it.
Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid is planning to travel to Morocco in early August to inaugurate the new Israeli diplomatic mission in Rabat, Israeli sources told me.
Why it matters: Lapid would be the first Israeli minister to visit Morocco since the nations re-established diplomatic relations last December as part of a three-way deal with the U.S., in which the Trump administration recognized Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara.
Egyptian authorities released three activists and three journalists on Sunday who have been kept in pre-trial detention for months, in some cases years, without trial, the Associated Press reports.
Why it matters: The authorities' release of the prisoners comes days after the U.S. expressed concern regarding human rights abuses in Egypt.
OPEC+ reached a deal on oil production increases Sunday, following a protracted dispute between the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
Why it matters: The increase in oil production, which is at the center of the agreement, comes at a pivotal point as global economies prepare to open up post-pandemic.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will isolate after being exposed to COVID-19, following backlash after he previously said he wouldn't, Reuters reports.
Why it matters: The prime minister's announcement comes just a day after Health Secretary Sajid Javid said via Twitter that he had tested positive for coronavirus following a meeting with Johnson.
Hot spots have mushroomedacross the world in 2021, adding multiple international crises to President Biden's formidable domestic to-do list.
Why it matters: Cracks in the global order, which had been presided over by unrivaled American influence since the end of the Cold War, are growing. The proliferation of great-power flashpoints, and failing or failed states, creates new threats to American leadership — and to the global economy, which has been recovering.
Olympic Games organizers confirmed Sunday three athletes have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tokyo — five days before the event is due to begin, per Reuters.
Driving the news: Two of the athletes, all of whom were listed as "non-Japanese," were staying in the Olympic Village, AP notes. The other was outside the village.
Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro has begun sowing distrust in next year’s elections, alarming lawmakers and the courts alike.
Details: In speeches, Bolsonaro, a former military captain, has been questioning the integrity of an electronic ballot system that’s been in place since 1996 and suggesting he might not even allow elections to happen.
Gunmen abducted at least 60 people and killed one person in northwestern Nigeria after riding motorbikes into five villages and firing into the air, Reuters reports.
The big picture: The abductions come amid an increase in armed robberies and kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria, predominately in northwestern areas.
The State Department announced on Friday it started investigating mysterious health incidents impacting U.S. diplomats, as well as other government employees, in Vienna, Austria, per the Associated Press.
Why it matters: Some of the symptoms resemble "Havana Syndrome," which has been used to describe mysterious brain injuries suffered by embassy staff in Cuba in late 2016 and the U.S. Consulate in Guangzhou, China, in early 2017.
Iran's deputy foreign minister said Saturday that efforts to finalize an agreement with Iran to return to the 2015 nuclear deal must wait until hardliner Ebrahim Raisi assumes the presidency.
Why it matters: The Biden administration has said it would like see a deal in place before Raisi's inauguration next month.
Diplomats making up the international Core Group, which includes the United States, called on Ariel Henry, the man slated to succeed Jovenel Moïse, to form a new government in Haiti, according to a statement released on Saturday.
Why it matters: Interim Prime Minister Claude Joseph has assumed the acting presidency following Moïse’s assassination though he and Henry are two of four who have claimed such power, underscoring the depth of the country’s democratic and political crisis.
Colombia has one of the highest protest death tolls in the world since the beginning of the pandemic, with one death every 36 hours, according to a report by the transitional justice and anti-impunity body Special Jurisdiction for Peace.
Details: At least 42 people were killed while demonstrating, and 24 — more than half — died in May, the group found.
The Greek government issued special measures for the island of Mykonos in response to the latest coronavirus outbreak, including a 24-hour "[p]rohibition of music," Deputy Minister of Civil Protection and Crisis Management Nikos Hardalia announced Saturday.
Details: The music ban will kick off at 6 p.m. local time Saturday. A traffic ban will also go into effect between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m. on Sunday, "with the exception of work reasons and serious health reasons," per a release from the country's general secretariat for civil protection.
The health minister for the United Kingdom tweeted on Saturday that he tested positive for COVID-19 following two doses of the vaccine against the virus.
Driving the news: Sajid Javid, who has been in his role for three weeks, has publicly backed Prime Minister Boris Johnson's plan to fully reopen England's economy and lift mask requirements and social distancing rules starting Monday.
President Biden will meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi at the White House on July 26, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Friday.
Why it matters: The meeting comes amid increasing concerns over recent rocket and drone attacks conducted by Iran-backed militia groups against U.S. personnel in Iraq and Syria.
