Axios

The Vatican on Tuesday for the first time explicitly said Russia was the instigator of the war with Ukraine.

Driving the news: "As for the large-scale war in Ukraine, initiated by the Russian Federation, the Holy Father Francis' interventions are clear and unequivocal in condemning it as morally unjust, unacceptable, barbaric, senseless, repugnant, and sacrilegious," the Vatican said in a statement.

After a second day of clashes with security forces, supporters of Iraqi Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr have mostly obeyed his instruction to withdraw from Baghdad's Green Zone, AP reports.

Why it matters: Al-Sadr's followers stormed a government palace on Monday following the cleric's announcement that he would be abandoning politics due to the country's political deadlock. The mass demonstrations and subsequent withdrawal were demonstrations of al-Sadr's ability to mobilize his supporters.

A Guatemalan human rights group is warning that the country's government has intensified its crackdown on rights defenders, journalists and judicial workers.

Driving the news: The group, Udefegua, has documented more than 560 attacks, including police brutality and “spurious” and “unfounded” criminal cases.

As Afghanistan faces multiple crises, UN aid chief Martin Griffiths warned Monday that six million Afghans are at risk of famine and urged the international community to step up aid, saying that more than $700 million is needed to help Afghans through the winter months.

Driving the news: Over a year since the Taliban retook Afghanistan, Afghans have faced an imploding economy, a deteriorating human rights situation and a disastrous humanitarian situation.

Latinos are facing an onslaught of Spanish-language misinformation about abortion in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade, health experts and reproductive rights advocates say.

Why it matters: Groups working to counter these campaigns warn that the surge in false claims will have real health consequences for Latinos, who already face barriers to prenatal resources and reproductive health care.

A deal signed by the U.S. and China last week allowing U.S. inspectors to review the audit records of U.S.-listed Chinese companies could prevent scores of firms from being booted off U.S. stock exchanges while ensuring the companies follow U.S. law.

Why it matters: There are more than 260 Chinese companies listed on U.S. exchanges, with a total worth of around $1.3 trillion. U.S. investors want access to those firms, but until now, Beijing has prioritized maintaining a tight domestic grip over company data.

The devastating floods in Pakistan are the result of a "monsoon on steroids," U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres warned in remarks Tuesday.

Driving the news: More than 33 million people have been impacted by the floods that have accompanied the start of the monsoon season in June. At least 1,130 people have died as a result, AP reported on Monday.

Iran shut its land borders to Iraq and suspended flights to the country Tuesday over deadly clashes in Baghdad sparked by a key Shiite cleric's announcement that he's quitting politics, per AP.

The big picture: At least 20 people have died in the clashes following Muqtada al-Sadr's resignation announcement Monday, AP reports.

Ukrainian forces launched what appears to be their first major counter-offensive of the war on Monday, aiming to retake Kherson in the south of the country.

Why it matters: Ukrainian troops bombarded Russian ammunition depots, command-and-control centers, and river crossings. The scale of the operation is not yet clear, but Ukrainian officials claimed to have breached Russia’s “first line of defense” outside of Kherson.

The scope and severity of the flooding in Pakistan from two months of unusually heavy monsoon rains is drawing comparisons to the devastating rains of 2010. In some respects, it may exceed that benchmark.

The big picture: The flooding is especially severe in Sindh and Balochistan provinces in the country's south, where the Indus River has swelled well beyond its banks.

The Solomon Islands did not allow a U.S. Coast Guard vessel to make a routine stop to refuel and resupply at a port in the Pacific island nation that has lately fallen under China's sphere of influence.

Why it matters: The Solomon Islands signed a security pact with China in April that the U.S. and Australia fear could allow Beijing to dispatch security forces there or even establish a naval base. Both countries have conducted significant outreach to the islands to restore their influence there, without clear success.

A Dutch soldier who was one of three commandos wounded in a shooting outside a hotel in Indianapolis over the weekend has died of his injuries, the Dutch Ministry of Defense said Monday.

Driving the news: The three Dutch soldiers were part of the Commando Corps and were in Indiana for training, the ministry said.

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog has deployed a team to the Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia power plant in southeastern Ukraine, the agency's chief said Monday.

Driving the news: International Atomic Energy Agency director-general Rafael Grossi's announcement that the IAEA team is "now on its way" and will arrive at the nuclear power station "later this week" comes as reports of shelling near the plant in recent days raise concerns of a potential disaster.

NASA's Artemis I mission may have no human astronauts aboard the rocket that's due to launch Monday, but the space agency does plan to send some much-loved children's characters to the moon.

Driving the news: Snoopy and Lego figures will be on the mission, along with some Girl Scout badges, tree seeds and a Shaun the Sheep toy representing the European Space Agency, which is providing a service module for the flight.