Donald Trump has backtracked on his claim that he “didn’t see any reason” why Russia would be involved in US election meddling.
This evening he said that what he meant to say was he didn’t see any reason why Russian wouldn’t be responsible for meddling in the 2016 vote.… Be Informed
The Telegraph reports that Theresa May’s future as Prime Minister was saved by four Labour MPs on Tuesday as she avoided a critical Commons defeat on Brexit by the narrowest of margins. Twelve Remain-supporting Tory rebels defied their party by voting with Labour as they tried to force the Government to seek a customs union with the EU.… Be Informed
The Libya Observer: The United Nations envoy to Libya briefed the UN Security Council on Monday about the latest developments in the country, urging member states to use pressure on “some parties who are still hindering the efforts to hold elections in the war-torn country.”
Salame, who spoke from Tripoli, told the UN Security Council that a recent agreement to resume oil production in Libya will not hold unless key issues concerning the distribution of wealth and endemic plundering of resources are immediately tackled.… Be Informed
Libya would have left a woman and a child dead who were on board a boat in distress.
This is reported by the Spanish NGO Proactiva Open Arms publishing on twitter the photos of the two bodies at sea, among the remains of a boat. … Be Informed
AFP: The EU is set to fine US internet giant Google several billion euros this week for freezing out rivals of its Android mobile phone system, sources said, in a ruling that risks fresh tensions with Washington. Reports were also confirmed through other outlets like Bloomberg.… Be Informed
BBC/AFP: Former US president Barack Obama has used his first high-profile speech since stepping down as US President to say “you have to believe in facts”.
His comments are seen as a riposte to the current US administration’s use of “alternative facts”.… Be Informed
Israel tightened its blockade of the Gaza Strip on Tuesday partly over kites carrying firebombs to burn Israeli farmland as concerns mounted over whether the rudimentary devices could spark another war.
Days after the heaviest exchange of fire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza since a 2014 conflict, Israel said it was blocking until Sunday fuel and gas deliveries through its only goods crossing with the enclave.
… Be Informed
AP: The 12 boys and coach of the Wild Boars soccer team who were rescued from a cave in Thailand last week share a characteristic with many of the professional European clubs its youthful members idolise: They are a multiethnic, cross-border crew.… Be Informed
Photos Credits: Fifa.com, Getty Images
The Boston Globe: When Netflix’s “The Crown” returns for season 3 in 2019, the royal drama will look a little different. Actually, it will look a lot different. The action will move ahead to cover the period of 1964 through the mid-1970s, but much more than the hairstyles will change.… Be Informed
The Guardian: Vote Leave has been fined £61,000 and reported to the police by the Electoral Commission, after the watchdog found “significant evidence” of coordination with another campaign group, BeLeave.
The watchdog said it had imposed punitive fines on Vote Leave because it said the group had refused to co-operate fully with its investigation and declined to be interviewed.… Be Informed
Quartz: “At Sunday’s final between France and Croatia, though, Croatian president Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović was a literal bright spot in the crowd. Dressed in a red-and-white team jersey, Grabar-Kitarović spent most of the game on her feet, cheering in support of a squad that ultimately lost the 4-2 final.… Be Informed
Politico: The Italian government would “not be afraid” to use its veto powers in the EU as a “last resort” to push the bloc into lifting sanctions against Russia, Interior Minister Matteo Salvini said Monday.
Speaking at a press conference in Moscow, Salvini said Rome would work to ensure the sanctions — imposed by the EU after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014 — are lifted through “good manners, numbers and the art of democracy,” but added that unlike his predecessors, his government is “not scared” of using vetoes to do so.
… Be Informed
For as long as history remembers Donald Trump, it will be a day that will live in infamy.
The President’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Helsinki on Monday is already one of the most notorious moments in the tortured relations between Washington and Moscow.… Be Informed
Eurojust: A joint action in France, Bulgaria and Germany resulted in searches of more than 20 locations and the arrest of 10 pimps.
… Be InformedThe pimps had been operating since 2015, promising young Bulgarian women legal employment in France. The women were transported first to Germany and then to Strasbourg and Annecy, where they were forced into prostitution.
AP: A federal judge on Monday ordered a temporary halt to deportations of immigrant families reunited after being separated at the border, as the Trump administration races to meet a July 26 deadline for putting more than 2,500 children back in their parents’ arms.… Be Informed
The European Union and Japan are signing a widespread trade deal that will eliminate nearly all tariffs, seemingly defying the worries about trade tensions set off by President Donald Trump’s policies.
… Be InformedThe signing, set for Tuesday in Tokyo, is ceremonial, delayed from earlier this month because Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe canceled going to Brussels over a disaster in southwestern Japan, caused by extremely heavy rainfall.
Good morning
Our morning briefing for today focuses on the main points following the US – Russia summit where comments by US President Trump were deemed as treasonous.
On the other side of the globe, the EU and China entered into an agreement to seek more partnerships and collaboration.… Be Informed
Sky News: Theresa May has only just squeezed through a series of tight House of Commons votes on key legislation, after stirring up a Tory Remainer backlash by siding with her party’s Brexiteers.
Although the final majority was fairly comfortable on the third reading of the customs bill, a series of amendments, demanded by Leave-supporting Conservatives on post-Brexit customs arrangements, only just scraped through.… Be Informed
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