Driving the news: This comes days after Farah revealed to the BBC that he was trafficked to the United Kingdom from Djibouti and forced to work as a domestic servant.
The top candidates to replace U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson are competing to position themselves as the true heir to an earlier Conservative standard-bearer: Margaret Thatcher.
Driving the news: Six candidates survived the first ballot of Conservative members of Parliament on Wednesday, led by former finance minister Rishi Sunak (88 votes), trade minister Penny Mordaunt (67 votes) and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss (50 votes).
Steps toward normalizing relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel are expected to be announced over the weekend after President Biden meets in Jeddah with Saudi King Salman and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, three Israeli officials told Axios.
The big picture: The White House wants to discuss a road map for normalization between the countries during Biden's visit to the region.
The race to replace U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson is down to six contenders after the first round of voting among Conservative members of Parliament.
Driving the news: Former chancellor Rishi Sunak led the pack with 88 votes, but a new poll found that trade minister Penny Mordaunt — who finished second in today's vote with 67— is far ahead of him among the broader party membership.
ABU DHABI, UAE —The Gulf region is expressing some optimism for President Biden’s visit to Saudi Arabia this week.
Driving the news: Biden on Saturday will meet with the leaders of the Gulf Cooperation Council plus Egypt, Iraq and Jordan (known as the GCC+3). This forum has added an extra dimension to the GCC’s influence, and the meeting is significant for both Gulf and U.S. interests.
Diplomats, law enforcement officers and intelligence experts from Israel, Saudi Arabia, four other Gulf states and two dozen additional countries gathered in late June for a two-day meeting, organized by the U.S. State Department, on countering Hezbollah's illicit activities, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.
Why it matters: The meeting of the Law Enforcement Coordination Group, which was established in 2014, was part of an effort led by the U.S. to mobilize countries to counter Hezbollah’s activities outside of Lebanon in order to block its terror, finance and procurement networks, a State Department official told Axios.
Driving the news: 30 countries attended the meeting on June 29-30, which was held in Europe and was the first such meeting since President Biden took office.
Officials from Bahrain, Israel, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and many European, African and Latin American countries took part, according to sources with direct knowledge.
Hezbollah, a political and militant organization based in Lebanon, has been declared a terrorist group by about 20 countries as well as the Arab League and EU. There was a push during the meeting for more countries — particularly in Africa and Latin America — to join them, according to a State Department official who attended the meeting.
European countries that had more recently designated Hezbollah a terrorist group encouraged other countries to follow suit and noted that Hezbollah did not retaliate after their designations, the official said.
Behind the scenes: The State Department official said one of the main points the U.S. wanted to stress to the participants was that despite the economic problems in Iran and Lebanon, Hezbollah is still expanding its terror and criminal activity around the world.
The main area of concern discussed in the meeting was Hezbollah’s operations in Africa and Latin America, where the State Department official said the organization is looking for alternative sources of financing and procurement.
The Palestinian leadership has very low expectations for President Biden’s visit to the occupied West Bank on Friday, Palestinian officials say.
Why it matters: After the breakdown in relations with the U.S. during the Trump administration, the Palestinians had hoped the Biden administration would push diplomatic initiatives in their favor. But the U.S. has stalled on making good on key promises, including reopening the consulate in Jerusalem.
President Biden landed in Israel Wednesday for the start of his first trip to the region since taking office.
Why it matters: The trip is aimed at showing the Israeli people that Biden cares deeply about the Jewish state and its security, as well as reassuring the Palestinians of his administration's support, officials have said. But the more important, and controversial, stop on his trip will be his visit to Saudi Arabia, where he will meet with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Firefighters in France are battling two wildfires in the southwestern region of Gironde that have already burned 1,700 hectares of land and forced the evacuation of nearby villages.
Driving the news: A large swath of Western Europe is currently experiencing a heat wave that has seen temperatures in some parts top 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Why it matters: Rajapaksa's exit on Tuesday prompted Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe to announce a nationwide state of emergency and impose a curfew in the western province as he was appointed acting president. Security forces deployed tear gas as thousands of demonstrators rallied outside Wickremesinghe's office.
John Bolton, who served as national security adviser in the Trump administration, said Tuesday he's previously helped plan coups in other countries.
Driving the news: Bolton on CNN rejected the notion that the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot was a "carefully planned coup" by former President Trump. "That's not the way Donald Trump does things," Bolton told CNN's Jake Tapper. "It's rambling from one … idea to another, one plan that falls through, and another comes up."
Three Americans were jailed in Venezuela earlier this year for allegedly attempting to enter the country illegally, AP first reported on Tuesday.
Driving the news: Eyvin Hernandez, 44, and Jerrel Kenemore, 52, were both arrested in March separately, while a third American was arrested in January, according to AP.
