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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• Update on the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan July 20 2021 CENTCOM 20 Jul 2021 -- U.S. Central Command provides the following update on the orderly and responsible withdrawal of U.S. forces from Afghanistan, as of 10 a.m. on July 19, 2021.
• Afghanistan Seeks Military Assistance From India Amid Escalating Conflict With Taliban Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- Fighting between Afghanistan forces and the Taliban* has intensified in the past few weeks since foreign troops have begun to withdraw from the country. No ceasefire has been announced on the occasion of Eid al-Adha, signifying that the fierce fighting will continue as the Taliban keeps taking hold of large swathes of land.
• Erdogan Calls On U.S. To Provide Support As Part Of Offer To Operate Kabul Airport RFE/RL Gandhara 20 Jul 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called on the United States for financial, logistical, and diplomatic support so Turkey can secure and operate Kabul airport after international troops complete their withdrawal from Afghanistan.
• Erdogan Urges Taliban to Stop 'Occupying' Afghanistan, Says Ankara Can Run Kabul Airport if US Pays Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- Last month, after it was revealed that Turkey may stay on in Afghanistan to ensure security at the country's main airport once US and other NATO forces are gone, the Taliban warned Ankara that doing so would be "a big mistake".
• Rockets Hit Central Kabul Ahead Of Presidential Eid Address RFE/RL Gandhara 20 Jul 2021 -- Afghan officials say at least three rockets have landed in the center of Kabul shortly before President Ashraf Ghani was to give an address to mark the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha.
• Explainer: Why Is China Talking To The Taliban? RFE/RL Gandhara 20 Jul 2021 -- As U.S. troops draw down in Afghanistan, Chinese officials have stepped up contacts with the Taliban as it surges across the country and builds strategic footholds against Afghan government forces.
• Rockets fired on Afghanistan's presidential palace, failing to hit target: official People's Daily 20 Jul 2021 -- Several rockets were fired Tuesday on Afghanistan's Presidential Palace in Kabul but failed to hit the target, officials and media reports said.
• U.S. Africa Command conducts strike against al-Shabaab AFRICOM 20 Jul 2021 -- In coordination with the Federal Government of Somalia, U.S. Africa Command forces conducted one airstrike in the vicinity of Galkayo, Somalia, July 20, 2021.
• US Strikes Al-Shabab in Somalia for First Time in Six Months VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Somali commandos coming under attack from the al-Shabab terror group got some help from above, for the first time in months, in the form of a U.S. airstrike.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Navy Reserve Unit Supports Exercise Sea Breeze 2021 in the Black Sea, Ukraine US Navy 20 Jul 2021 -- Navy Reserve Maritime Partnership Program Detachment 513 led logistics support for Exercise Sea Breeze 2021, a multi-national maritime exercise held in the Black Sea and Ukraine and co-hosted by U.S. 6th Fleet and the Ukrainian Navy annually since 1997.
• Air Force update for COVID-19 US Air Force 20 Jul 2021
• 405th AFSB assists 1st Cavalry Division with divestiture mission following DEFENDER-Europe 21 Army News 20 Jul 2021 -- The 405th Army Field Support Brigade's Germany battalion – headquartered in Vilseck, Germany – was recently tasked with supporting the 1st Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division with the turn-in of dozens of tanks, heavy assault bridges and supporting pieces of equipment.
• EC-130H Compass Call protects and enhances regional airpower capabilities CENTCOM 20 Jul 2021 -- Over the past month, the EC-130H Compass Call aircraft, has flown in two multi-nation, large force employment exercises that strengthened integration capabilities with CENTCOM partners and allies.
• US lawmakers introduce new bill extending Congress's war powers Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Lawmakers in the US Congress have introduced an unprecedented bill that will increase the legislature's control in security matters including war authorization, arms exports and national emergencies.
• USAF to deploy quarter of F-22 stealth fighter jets to the Pacific in show of force Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- The United States air force is deploying over two dozen F-22 stealth fighters to an exercise in the western Pacific this month.
• Photos: Meet 'Checkmate', Sukhoi's Sleek New Fifth-Gen Fighter Jet for Half the Cost of an F-35 Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- On Tuesday, Russia's Sukhoi aircraft design bureau unveiled a sleek new fighter jet intended to rival Lockheed Martin's F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Based on technology from its Su-57 fighter, Sukhoi has dubbed the new fighter "Checkmate."
• Russia successfully test-fires S-500 missile system Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Russia says it has successfully test-fired its new S-500 air defense missile system in a training exercise at a training range and struck a fast-moving ballistic target with accuracy.
• Russia Test-Fires S-500 Missile System to Hit High-Speed Ballistic Target, Ministry Says Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- Russia's new S-500 missile system has tested combat firing at a high-speed ballistic target at a training ground in the Astrakhan Region, the defense ministry said on Tuesday.
• Russian Tanks Deploy Near Tajik-Afghan Border Ahead Of Drills RFE/RL Gandhara 20 Jul 2021 -- Russian tanks have deployed near the Afghan-Tajik border ahead of military exercises next month, while Moscow announced more maneuvers in neighboring Uzbekistan amid increasing security concerns in Central Asia over the Taliban's territorial gains in northern Afghanistan.
• PLA holds drills in all major Chinese sea areas amid consecutive US military provocations Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- As the US recently launched consecutive military provocations against China, including landing military aircraft on the island of Taiwan and intruding in Chinese territorial waters in the South China Sea, the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) held exercises in all major Chinese sea areas over the past week in moves that military experts said on Tuesday could be seen as countermeasures that displayed the PLA's determination and preparedness.
• PLA increases use of simulators in pilot training, high efficiency reported Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Air Force is increasing the use of simulators in pilot training, an approach that can significantly reduce cost, increase pilot's training time and practice special scenarios that are hard to replicate with real aircrafts, a recent report said.
• False accusations against China by Japan's defense white paper and officials damage bilateral relations: Defense spokesperson PLA Daily 20 Jul 2021
• MoD issues RFP for construction of six P-75(I) submarines for Indian Navy India PIB 20 Jul 2021 -- As a major initiative towards 'Make in India', Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued Request of Proposal (RFP) for the first acquisition programme under the Strategic Partnership Model for construction of six AIP fitted Conventional Submarines named Project 75(India) [P-75(I)] for the Indian Navy, on July 20, 2021.
• Eighteen Military Personnel Die In Turkmenistan, Circumstances Unclear RFE/RL Gandhara 20 Jul 2021 -- Eighteen military personnel, including a major and a lieutenant, have died in Turkmenistan amid reports about rising tensions along the border with Afghanistan, where Taliban militants have been on an offensive to capture districts in the region.
• Readout of Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III's Meeting With His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan DoD 20 Jul 2021
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Jordanian King Abdullah II Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Jordanian King Abdullah II US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021
• Secretary Blinken's Call with DRC President Tshisekedi US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021
• Readout by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne of National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting with Qatari Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman Al Thani The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Jen Psaki, July 20, 2021 The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Department Press Briefing – July 20, 2021 US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 20, 2021

Other Conflicts

• Syria warns of 'serious repercussions' after Israel launches airstrike on Aleppo Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Syria has warned the Israeli regime of "serious repercussions" of unrelenting military attacks against the war-torn country, saying such acts of aggression will not dissuade Syrian forces from battling Israeli-backed militant groups.
• Israel shells southern Lebanon after airstrikes target Aleppo in Syria Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- The Israeli military has fired artillery shells into southern Lebanon, shortly after the regime's aircraft launched a number of missiles at targets near the northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.
• Iraqi PM Fires Security Officials Over IS-Claimed Bombing VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa Khadhimi has fired security officials after 34 people were killed and over 50 others wounded, according to Iraqi media, in an explosion Monday night. The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for the attack which Iraqi security officials say was committed by a suicide bomber.
• Iraq: Bomb attack on eve of Eid al-Adha, 'terrorism knows no bounds' UN News 20 Jul 2021 -- Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the "horrific bomb attack targeting civilians" at a busy market in the north-east of the Iraqi capital, just before the Eid al-Adha holiday.
• Investigation Finds Evidence Equipment Sent By Lithuania-Based Company Used At Crimean Power Plants RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- Equipment delivered to Russia by a Lithuania-based company ended up being used at power stations in Crimea despite European Union sanctions prohibiting trade activity with the Russian-controlled peninsula, according to evidence discovered in an investigation by RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service and its partners.
• Transfer of Parts of Varosha to Turkish Cypriot Control US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021 -- The United States condemns the announcement by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan today regarding the transfer of parts of Varosha to Turkish Cypriot control.
• Peace talks on 'two-state' basis only way to resolve Cyprus issue: Erdogan Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says the resolution of disputes over the divided island of Cyprus is possible through peace talks taking place only between "the two states" on the Mediterranean island.
• Erdogan Calls for Two-state Solution on Cyprus VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has ruled out a reunification of Cyprus and is calling for a two-state solution, a move that threatens to escalate tensions in the eastern Mediterranean. The Turkish leader made the comments while attending commemorations marking the 1974 Turkish invasion of the now-divided island.
• Communist Party Meeting in Tibet Underscores China's Assimilation Drive Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- Chinese Communist Party officials in Tibet this month reaffirmed Beijing's hardline policies pushing for Tibet's complete assimilation into China's dominant Han culture, calling for "political education" to further weaken Tibetans' loyalty to exiled spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, according to state media reports.
• French Jet Crashes in Mali, Crew Rescued, Defense Ministry Says Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- A French Mirage 2000D jet crashed in the north Mali, with pilots on board having ejected, the French Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
• Message to the Congress on the Continuation on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Mali The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Mali The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Nigerian Pilot Survives After Criminal Gang Shoots Down Fighter Jet VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Nigeria's air force says armed bandits have for the first time shot down one of their fighter jets. It says the jet was shot down Monday as it conducted an airstrike against criminal gangs in northern Kaduna and Zamfara states. An air force spokesman said the pilot ejected safely but analysts and critics warn the attack shows a previously unknown level of firepower and threat to stability.
• Cameroon Muslims Plead for an End to Separatist Crisis VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Muslims in Cameroon have marked the Eid al-Adha, Festival of the Sacrifice, by praying for an end to the country's separatist conflict, which has killed more than 3,000 people since 2017. Muslim leaders also called on Cameroon's vaccine skeptics to be inoculated against COVID-19, which has infected more than 80,000 people and killed at least 1,300.

News Reports

• Former Advisor to Presidential Candidate Among Three Defendants Charged with Acting as Agents of a Foreign Government US Dept. of Justice 20 Jul 2021 -- A seven-count indictment was unsealed today in a New York federal court relating to the defendants' unlawful efforts to advance the interests of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the United States at the direction of senior UAE officials by influencing the foreign policy positions of the campaign of a candidate in the 2016 U.S. presidential election and, subsequently, the foreign policy positions of the U.S. government in the incoming administration, as well as seeking to influence public opinion in favor of UAE interests.
• Trump ally arrested, charged over working for UAE Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- An ally of former President Donald Trump has been arrested over working for the United Arab Emirates.
• Longtime Trump Ally, Adviser Thomas Barrack Indicted Over Illegal UAE Lobbying Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- The longtime Trump confidant had been placed under federal investigation for at least two years after authorities grew concerned about his business practices following a May 2016 speech by the former president that appeared to praise the United Arab Emirates.
• Woman Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Removal and Retention of Classified Material US Dept. of Justice 20 Jul 2021 -- A Hawaii woman pleaded guilty today to one count of knowingly removing classified information concerning the national defense or foreign relations of the United States and retaining it at an unauthorized location.
• Bachelet: Misuse of Spyware Imperils Human Rights VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- The U.N. high commissioner for human rights has issued a warning about the misuse of surveillance technology in the wake of reports spyware was used to hack smartphones of human rights activists, business executives and journalists. Michelle Bachelet says the illegitimate use of the tools could undermine people's human rights and subvert democratic societies.
• Saudi crown prince used Israeli spyware Pegasus to spy on Lebanese, Hezbollah officials: Report Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- An Israeli software company is revealed to have helped Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) take over the smart phones of high-ranking Lebanese authorities, senior figures of Hezbollah resistance movement as well as journalists, and spy on their communications.
• France Opens Probe Into Spyware As Global Scandal Over Israeli Program Grows RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- French prosecutors have opened an investigation into allegations that journalists of a local investigative news website had been spied on using an Israeli program at the center of an international scandal.
• Pegasus' Maker Reportedly Got Extensive Support From Israeli Government in Selling Spyware Abroad Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- The Israeli security software maker is at the center of an international scandal after media investigations revealed that at least 50,000 phones, including those of 600+ senior politicians and officials and hundreds of journalists, had been targeted by its military-grade spyware.
• Morocco Reportedly Tried to Use Pegasus Spyware to Tap Macron's Phone Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- On Sunday, media discovered that the phones of at least 50,000 people around the world had been targeted using the powerful Israeli-made military-grade spyware. Paris called the revelations "shocking," with the Paris prosecutor's office opening a formal investigation after receiving complaints from French journalists who said they'd been targeted.
• DHS Announces New Cybersecurity Requirements for Critical Pipeline Owners and Operators DHS 20 Jul 2021 -- Today, in response to the ongoing cybersecurity threat to pipeline systems, DHS's Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced the issuance of a second Security Directive that requires owners and operators of TSA-designated critical pipelines that transport hazardous liquids and natural gas to implement a number of urgently needed protections against cyber intrusions.
• US, Germany Threaten Retaliatory Action Against Russia in Draft Nord Stream 2 Accord - Report Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- An undisclosed senior US official told media that the phrasing of the draft accords is purposefully unclear since the administration did not want to provide Russia a road map for responding to any harmful action against it.
• A Cosmonaut Is Demoted And Russia's Star-Crossed Space Agency Lurches. Again. RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- There was the mysterious man-made hole that appeared in a Russian-built module of the International Space Station. There was the satellite-carrying rocket that failed because it was mistakenly programmed as if it were blasting off 6,200 kilometers to the west. There was the emergency landing following the unsuccessful launch of a rocket carrying a Russian and an American aboard a Soyuz capsule. There was the report that $400 million went missing last year.
• Roscosmos Says US Greenlit Import of Russia's New Space Rocket Engines Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- The United States has approved the purchase of a new batch of the Russian-made RD-181M space rocket engines, a spokesman for the Russian space agency Roscosmos, Vladimir Ustimenko, said on Tuesday.
• Announcement of a Unity Government in Haiti US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021 -- The United States welcomes efforts by Haiti's political leadership to come together in choosing an interim Prime Minister and a unity cabinet to chart a path forward in the wake of the heinous assassination of Jovenel Moïse.
• US turns cyberspace into another anti-China battlefield, 'futile to contain Beijing' Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- In an apparent attempt to contain China and as part of its ceaseless efforts to form an anti-China chorus among its major allies, the Biden administration is seeking to turn cyberspace into a new battlefield by ganging up with its allies to accuse China of conducting cyberattacks worldwide, an allegation that was swiftly denounced by Chinese diplomats, internet institutions and experts as China has always been a long-term victim of US cyberattacks.
• Politicization and stigmatization won't solve cyber security concerns: Chinese Mission to the EU and embassies Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese Mission to the European Union (EU) and Chinese embassies in Norway, the UK, Canada, and New Zealand on Tuesday slammed EU and NATO for making groundless accusations that China engaged in malicious cyber activities that "undermined the integrity of cyberspace worldwide." Boasting themselves as the guardians of cyber security, some Western countries have been eavesdropping massively and indiscriminately across the world, the Mission said.
• China: US-led hacking allegations fabricated out of nothing Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- China has roundly rejected the "groundless" and "irresponsible" hacking allegations made by the United States and its allies, saying they are "fabricated out of nothing."
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 20, 2021 PRC MofA 20 Jul 2021
• Lawyers Submit Closing Arguments in Hong Kong's First National Security Trial Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- Lawyers for the prosecution and the defense wrapped up their arguments on Tuesday in the trial of a Hong Kong motorcyclist accused of "terrorism" and "inciting secession" after he flew a banned slogan while riding down a street on July 1, 2020.
• U.S. bullying act will never hinder Hong Kong's prosperity and development People's Daily 20 Jul 2021 -- On July 16 local time, the U.S. government arbitrarily issued the so-called "business advisory", which smeared the business environment in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and sanctioned officials of China's central government in Hong Kong.
• Hongkongers should be taught about their Chinese identity at an early age: Hong Kong education secretary Global Times 20 Jul 2021
• US-Trained Uyghur Scientist Found Detained After His WeChat Went Silent Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- A Uyghur research scientist at a Chinese university in Shanghai who suddenly went silent in April after an active presence on social media has been confirmed detained, the latest of many intellectuals from Xinjiang to disappear from public life into internment camps or prisons.
• UK Parliamentary Committee Puts Out Uyghur-Language Report on Abuses in Xinjiang Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- A UK parliamentary report cataloguing human rights abuses in China's Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) and calling for international action to halt atrocities has been published in the Uyghur language to support the embattled Turkic Muslim group, lawmakers said.
• China to remove fines, revise family planning law to boost birthrate Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- The Chinese central government released a document on Tuesday in which it vowed to revise the law on population and family planning, giving full legal weight to the third-child policy, which experts said may indicate plans to end all limits on family size.
• Chinese Billionaire Who Helped Rights Lawyers Describes 'Inhumane' Detention Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- Agriculture billionaire Sun Dawu, who is currently standing trial in the northern Chinese province of Hebei on a slew of charges that rights activists say are politically motivated, was subjected to "cruel and inhumane treatment," his defense team said.
• Taiwan to open representative office in Lithuania: foreign minister CNA 20 Jul 2021 -- Taiwan is opening a representative office in Lithuania to expand its relations with the Baltic state and other Central European countries, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) announced Tuesday in a virtual press conference.
• 'Taiwan representative office' shows 'malicious intent' of Lithuania that impacts foundation of China ties Global Times 20 Jul 2021 -- The island of Taiwan said Tuesday it has reached an agreement with Lithuania to establish a Taiwanese representative office" in its capital, Vilnius, a provocative move criticized by the international community, as Chinese experts said it's a violation of the one-China principle and could lead to changing formal ties between China and the Baltic country.
• China slams Chinese Taipei's plan to open embassy in Lithuania Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- China has slammed a plan by Chinese Taipei to open an embassy in Lithuania, urging Vilnius to respect Chinese sovereignty over the self-ruled island.
• Hong Kong Bans Broadcaster From Saying 'Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen' Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), a government department that enjoyed editorial independence before a draconian national security law banned criticism of the authorities in July 2020, has been ordered to stop referring to Taiwan president Tsai Ing-wen as president.
• North Koreans Alarmed by Starvation Deaths of Well-Off Ethnic Chinese Radio Free Asia 20 Jul 2021 -- The starvation deaths of three ethnic Chinese residents of North Korea, who were cut off from their economic lifeline to China by a border closure to fight the coronavirus pandemic, has shocked North Koreans by showing that the economy is failing even privileged groups, sources in the country told RFA.
• Rouhani urges South Korea to settle banking problems, release Iran's frozen assets Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says the US sanctions have caused problems in ties with South Korea in financial and banking sectors, urging Seoul to make efforts to solve the issue at the earliest and allow Tehran access to its frozen assets there.
• Iran's Angry Water Protests Turn Deadly Amid Severe Drought RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- A woman in southwestern Iran was heard pleading for security forces not to use violence against those protesting water shortages after at least two demonstrators were killed.
• Iran's Oil-Rich Khuzestan Hit By Fifth Night Of Protests Over Water Shortage RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- Protests in Iran's oil-rich Khuzestan Province continued for a fifth-straight night over a severe water shortage.
• Statement by NSC Spokesperson Emily Horne on National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan's Meeting with Opposition Leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya of Belarus The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Tsikhanouskaya Calls On U.S. To Slap More Sanctions On Belarusian Regime RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- Opposition leader Svyatlana Tsikhanouskaya, who is in the United States to seek more American support for the Belarusian pro-democracy movement against strongman Alyaksandr Lukashenka's regime, says she has asked U.S. officials to impose sanctions on Belarusian companies in key sectors such as potash, oil, wood, and steel.
• Belarus Opposition Leader Urges US Pressure on Lukashenko VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Belarus' main opposition leader, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, is calling on the United States to put more pressure on President Alexander Lukashenko's government.
• Belarusian opp. figure calls for US bans on firms in own country Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- An exiled Belarusian opposition figure has called for further US sanctions on her country's businesses to force them away from President Alexander Lukashenko's government over allegations of vote rigging in last year's election.
• Bank Accounts Of Belarusian Association Of Journalists Frozen, More NGO Workers Detained RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- Authorities have frozen the bank accounts of the Belarusian Association of Journalists (BAZh) and detained more people amid a severe crackdown on nongovernmental organizations.
• US Considering Ways to Aid Cubans, Hold Government Accountable VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- The White House said Tuesday it is exploring ways the United States can aid the people of Cuba engaged in anti-government protests and also hold the Cuban government accountable for repressing freedom in the island nation.
• South Africa court grants delay in Zuma's corruption trial Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- A court in South Africa has granted a three-week delay in the corruption trial of ex-President Jacob Zuma.
• Trial of Ex-South African President Postponed Until August VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- The corruption trial of former South African President Jacob Zuma has been postponed until next month.
• Billionaire Bezos Back on Earth After Successful Suborbital Trip VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Billionaire Jeff Bezos was back on earth safely Tuesday after a 10-minute suborbital flight aboard Blue Origin's New Shepard spacecraft.
• Draft mandate for negotiations in respect of Gibraltar: Foreign Secretary statement UK FCDO 20 Jul 2021 -- Foreign Secretary statement on draft mandate for the negotiations between the UK and the European Union (EU) in respect of Gibraltar.
• Message on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Lebanon The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency with Respect to Lebanon The White House 20 Jul 2021
• Mali's interim president attacked Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Mali's interim President Assimi Goita has been attacked by two men at a mosque in the capital, Bamako.
• Mali Interim President Targeted in Attempted Stabbing Attack Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- The interim president of Mali was attacked during prayers at the Grand Mosque of Bamako amid the Muslim festival of Eid al-Adha.
• Leftist Castillo declared Peru's new president after lengthy election standoff Press TV 20 Jul 2021 -- Peru finally has a new president. The South American country's electoral authority has declared socialist Pedro Castillo as the next chief executive, putting the seal on weeks of bitter political bickering and rivalry among two camps in the wake of a run-off election on June 6.
• 'Causes For Serious Concern': EU Warns Hungary, Poland Over Rule Of Law, Media Freedom RFE/RL 20 Jul 2021 -- The European Commission has slammed Hungary and Poland for eroding media freedoms and judicial independence, adding that corruption remains a major challenge in both EU members.
• Maduro's Lawyers Questions Guaido's Authority to Claim Venezuelan Gold in Bank of England Sputnik 20 Jul 2021 -- Lawyers representing the Banco Central de Venezuela (BCV) board appointed by constitutional President Nicolas Maduro warned the UK Supreme Court on Tuesday of the consequences of giving the Venezuelan gold reserves held in the Bank of England to self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido.
• Designations of Former Honduran President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa and Former First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla Avila for Involvement in Significant Corruption US Dept. of State 20 Jul 2021 -- The United States is designating former Honduran President Porfirio "Pepe" Lobo Sosa (Lobo) and former First Lady Rosa Elena Bonilla Avila (Rosa Lobo) due to their involvement in significant corruption.
• Uzbekistan Conference Attracts Global Interest in Central Asia VOA 20 Jul 2021 -- Dreams of connecting landlocked Central Asia more closely to South Asia and the international trading system are coming into focus after a two-day conference last week in Tashkent, hosted by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev.