The Israeli government has formed a special task force to pressure Ben & Jerry's ice cream and its parent company Unilever to reverse their decision to boycott Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Israeli officials tell me.
Why it matters: The Israeli government is concerned the move by Ben & Jerry's will encourage other international companies to take similar steps to differentiate between Israel and the West Bank settlements. A classified Foreign Ministry cable, seen by Axios, makes clear the government wants to send a message.
TOKYO – When the U.S. and Japan take the field in Yokohama on Tuesday, they are playing for more than just a gold medal. As badly as both teams want to win, they also want to show the world their sport deserves a permanent place in the Olympics.
Why it matters: Softball is returning to the Olympics after a 12-year absence, but its long-term Olympic future is uncertain, with the sport not part of the 2024 Games in Paris and plans up in the air after that.
Naomi Osaka was eliminated from the Olympics Games after losing her Tokyo tennis tournament match 6-1, 6-4 in the third round to Czech Marketa Vondrousova on Tuesday.
Of note: Japan's Osaka is the women's world No. 2, while is Vondrousova ranked No.42.
Tong Ying-kit, the first person to be charged and tried under Hong Kong's national security law was found guilty of terrorism and inciting secession by three judges Tuesday, per Bloomberg. The 24-year-old had pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Why it matters: The law passed by the ruling Chinese Communist Party last year carries the maximum sentence of life imprisonment. In a departure from the Asian financial hub's common law traditions, Tong was denied a jury trial.
North and South Korea's leaders have pledged to improve relations and resume previously suspended communication channels between the two countries.
Why it matters: The resumption of the hotline on Tuesday comes despite stalled negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang on the denuclearization of North Korea, which broke down after a second summit between then-President Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un ended without a deal in 2019.
Team USA's 17-year-old swimmer Lydia Jacoby has won the Olympic gold medal in the women's 100-meter breaststroke at the Tokyo Games, completing the race with a time of 1:04.95.
Of note: The Alaskan beat defending Olympic champion and fellow American Lilly King, who won bronze. Tatjana Shoenmaker from South Africa took home the silver medal.
Tunisia's decade-old democracy hangs in the balance after President Kais Saied removed the prime minister and suspended Parliament on Sunday.
Why it matters: Tunisia was the lone democracy to emerge from the Arab Spring. It remains the only democracy in the Arab world. But the country's politics have been deadlocked amid an economic crisis and its worst COVID-19 wave, leading to weeks of anti-government protests.
The United States' combat mission against the Islamic State in Iraq will be completed "by the end of the year," President Biden said Monday prior to a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.
Why it matters: Biden is close to shifting the U.S. military mission in Iraq to a fully advisory role more than 18 years after combat troops were sent to the country under the former President George W. Bush.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett’s foreign policy advisers will travel to Washington next week to begin preparations for a planned meeting between the new Israeli leader and President Biden. The meeting is expected to take place later in August, Israeli officials say.
Why it matters: These will be the first face-to-face meetings between advisers to the two leaders since Bennett took office in June. All previous discussions were held over the phone or by video conference.
Billionaire Najib Mikati was named Lebanon's prime minister-designate on Monday after receiving enough votes from parliamentarians, AP reports.
Why it matters: Mikati will now be tasked with forming a viable government that can pursue immediate reforms for recovery amid the country's devastating economic crisis.
A wildfire that has burnt at least 50,000 acres of land forced more than 1,000 residents and tourists to evacuate parts of western Sardinia, Italy, over the weekend, according to the New York Times.
The big picture: Multiple farms and private properties have been destroyed by the fire, which started Saturday near the village of Bonacardo in the province of Oristano and has quickly spread near multiple other towns.
The G20 just offered an extended preview of why spurring on-the-ground emissions cuts — not just airy pledges — will be so tough at the critical U.N. climate summit that's less than 100 days away.
Driving the news: The formal communique from the G20 energy ministers' meeting in Naples, Italy late last week finally arrived just yesterday, a reflection of the difficult and protracted talks.
There was plenty of Olympics action on day three of the Tokyo Games Monday.
The big picture: Highlights for the U.S. included Caeleb Dressel leading Team USA to Olympic gold in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay and Regan Smith setting a new swimming record. Outside U.S. success, Japan's Momiji Nishiya, 13, won the inaugural Olympic women's skateboarding gold — one of the Games' youngest ever winners.
China's vice foreign minister lashed out at the U.S. during the visit of the State Department's No. 2 diplomat on Monday, accusing the Biden administration of "demonizing" Beijing as an "imagined enemy," according to remarks released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry.
Why it matters: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman became the highest-ranking Biden administration official to visit China when she met her counterpart Xie Feng in Tianjin.
Japan's Momiji Nishiya, 13, won the inaugural Olympic skateboard competition for women, at the Tokyo Games on Monday.
Of note: She's one of the Olympics' youngest ever gold medalists — just months older than American diver Marjorie Gestring, who at 13 years 267 days set the record for the youngest winner at the 1936 Berlin Games.
The skateboarding women's street final saw silver go to another 13-year-old, Brazil's Rayssa Leal. Japanese 16-year-old Funa Nakayama won bronze.
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include details of the Olympics' youngest gold medalist.
Ratings for the Olympic Games opening ceremony were down 36% compared to 2016, according to preliminary numbers from NBC Universal.
Why it matters: The figures for the Tokyo Games event mark the lowest audience for an Olympics opening ceremony event in over three decades, per Reuters.
Why it matters: The health protection plans led to tens of thousands of protesters taking to the streets across France over the weekend, as COVID-19 cases surge in the country to about 20,000 a day from a few thousand early in July, per France 24.
