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Defense Policy / Programs

• Army updates Total Army COVID-19 vaccination statistics US Army 08 Jul 2022 -- The U.S. Army announced COVID-19 vaccination rates and exemption requests for the Total Army as of July 7, 2022.
• US, Bosnia-Herzegovina participate in workshop to build partnership and response capacity Army News 08 Jul 2022 -- A team of first responders traveled to Sarajevo for a geographic information systems workshop as part of the U.S. Civil-Military Emergency Preparedness Program May 23-26.
• DOD Establishes First Learning Agenda for Security Cooperation DoD 08 Jul 2022 -- The Department of Defense announced today the establishment of the Department's first Learning and Evaluation Agenda for Partnerships (LEAP) framework.
• Chief of Navy Reserve Keynote Speaker at 2022 NATO National Reserve Forces Committee Meeting in Seoul US Navy 08 Jul 2022 -- Vice Adm. John B. Mustin, Chief of Navy Reserve (CNR) and Commander, Navy Reserve Force (CNRF) and Rear Adm. Richard Rodriguez, U.S. Navy Reserve Vice Director for Joint Force Development (J7), Joint Staff South and U.S. Military Representative to NATO's National Reserve Forces Committee (NRFC) presented a keynote address at the Committee's Summer Plenary meeting on July 5, 2022, in Seoul. The 90-minute presentation covered "Preparations to Implement Practical Mobilization during Wartime."
• USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) arrives in Copenhagen, Denmark for mid-deployment voyage repair US Navy 08 Jul 2022 -- The Whidbey Island-class dock landing ship USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) and embarked Marines with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Copenhagen, Denmark, July 8, 2022, to complete a scheduled maintenance availability and to strengthen relations with a key NATO ally.
• NATO membership for Sweden and Finland Germany agrees to alliance expansion Germany - Federal Government 08 Jul 2022 -- Germany has paved the way for the accession of Finland and Sweden to NATO. The Bundestag has passed the draft law introduced by the Federal Cabinet. Prior to any new countries joining NATO, each of the 30 member states must formally agree to the accession.
• Germany Lawmakers Approve NATO Expansion VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Lawmakers in Germany voted overwhelmingly Friday to approve Finland's and Sweden's membership in NATO, with Poland's lower house moving the ratification forward as well.
• Senior Defense Official Holds a Background Briefing DoD 08 Jul 2022
• Ukraine Holding Its Own Against Major World Military Power, U.S. Official Says DoD News 08 Jul 2022 -- The Russians are making "slow and uneven advances" through northern Donetsk, a senior military official said speaking on background today.
• Memorandum on the Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 The White House 08 Jul 2022
• $400 Million in Additional Security Assistance for Ukraine DoD 08 Jul 2022 -- Today, the Department of Defense (DoD) announces the authorization of a Presidential Drawdown of security assistance valued at up to $400 million to meet critical needs for Ukraine's fight. This authorization is the Biden Administration's fifteenth drawdown of equipment from DoD inventories for Ukraine since August 2021.
• Fact Sheet on U.S. Security Assistance to Ukraine DoD 08 Jul 2022 -- The United States has now committed $2.2 billion of security assistance to Ukraine in the last three weeks as we support their fight to defend their democracy. In total, the United States has committed approximately $8 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the beginning of the Biden Administration.
• Precision Artillery Rounds Included in Latest Security Assistance Package to Ukraine DoD News 08 Jul 2022 -- The U.S. is planning to provide more assistance to Ukraine with another presidential drawdown authority security package valued at $400 million. Included in this latest set of gear and supplies is something the U.S. has previously not sent to Ukraine: 1,000 rounds of 155 mm artillery billed as having greater precision.
• US Sending $400 Million in Military Aid to Ukraine to Bolster High-Precision Capabilities VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- The United States is sending more military aid to Ukraine aimed at helping Ukrainian forces target, disrupt and destroy Russia's ability to wage war in the Donbas region and beyond.
• HIMARS: U.S. Sends More Advanced Rocket Systems To Ukraine To Further Slow Russian Advance In East RFE/RL 08 Jul 2022 -- The United States says it will send more long-range multiple-launch rocket systems to Ukraine as Kyiv's forces prepared for a slow Russian advance to grab more territory in the eastern Donbas region.
• Senior Chinese military official holds video talks with US chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff PLA Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- General Li Zuocheng, member of China's Central Military Commission (CMC) and chief of the CMC Joint Staff Department, held video talks at invitation with General Mark Milley, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, on Thursday.
• Chinese general stresses no compromise on China's core interest with US counterpart in 4th bilateral high-level contact in a month Global Times 08 Jul 2022 -- Chief of the Central Military Commission (CMC) Joint Staff Department, General Li Zuocheng, spoke with US General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff, under the latter's invitation on Thursday, reaching a consensus that it is in the common interest of both countries to maintain stable development of military-to-military relations and avoid conflicts and confrontations.
• Foreign Ministry rejects UK claim of intercepting Yemen-bound 'Iranian arms shipment' Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- The Foreign Ministry strongly rejects the UK's claim of intercepting an Iranian arms shipment that was heading for Yemen earlier this year.
• INS TARKASH - LONG RANGE OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT India PIB 08 Jul 2022 -- Indian Navy's stealth frigate INS Tarkash, visited Djibouti as part of her long range overseas deployment followed by Maritime Partnership Exercise with Sudan Navy. The ship is on a deployment to Rio de Janerio, Brazil, which is intended to coincide with the Independence Day enabling her to hoist the tricolour in South America on the occasion as part of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav.
• Iranian Navy kicks off two-day annual military drills in Caspian Sea Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- The Iranian Navy has launched two-day military drills in the Caspian Sea, with the declared intention of sending a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Transatlantic Quad Foreign Ministers US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Argentine Foreign Minister Cafiero US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Argentine Foreign Minister Santiago Cafiero Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Blinken's Trilateral Meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Park US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Indonesian Foreign Minister Marsudi US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre The White House 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Blinken's Meeting with Indian External Affairs Minister Jaishankar US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken And Indian External Affairs Minister Dr. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 8, 2022
• Aerojet Rocketdyne Agrees to Pay $9 Million to Resolve False Claims Act Allegations of Cybersecurity Violations in Federal Government Contracts US Dept. of Justice 08 Jul 2022 -- Aerojet Rocketdyne Inc., headquartered in El Segundo, California, has agreed to pay $9 million to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by misrepresenting its compliance with cybersecurity requirements in certain federal government contracts, the Justice Department announced today.

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News
• Global evaluation: International COVID-19 response fell short in upholding refugee rights UNHCR 08 Jul 2022 -- The collective global response to the COVID-19 pandemic fell short in protecting the rights of refugees despite extraordinary efforts by local actors and the international community, according to a major international report released today.
• Strengthening multilateralism 'only way' to peaceful world for all: Guterres UN News 08 Jul 2022 -- Stronger collaboration among countries is the only sustainable path to a peaceful, stable, prosperous world for all, UN Secretary-General António Guterres told G20 Foreign Ministers meeting in Bali, Indonesia, on Friday.
• Taliban's New Chaperone Rule Deprives Afghan Women Of Foreign Scholarships RFE/RL Gandhara 08 Jul 2022 -- For nearly two decades, foreign scholarships provided a golden opportunity for many Afghans to acquire knowledge, new skills, and degrees that few universities in Afghanistan offered.
• HRW Investigation Uncovers Killings Of Alleged IS-K Militants Who Were Forcibly Disappeared RFE/RL Gandhara 08 Jul 2022 -- A global human rights watchdog has investigated the killing of more than 100 alleged Islamic State-Khorasan (IS-K) militants after they were disappeared by the ruling Taliban, which seized power in Afghanistan in August.
• Iran sends humanitarian aid to Afghanistan's Balkhab district Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Iran has sent humanitarian aid to families in need in Afghanistan's remote Balkhab district in the northern province of Sar-e-Pol amid clashes between the Taliban and locals over cash-rich coal mines in the region.
• UN Human Rights Council 50: UK statement on women and girls in Afghanistan UK FCDO 08 Jul 2022 -- Ambassador Simon Manley, the UK's Permanent Representative in Geneva, delivered a statement ahead of the adoption - by consensus - of a resolution on the situation of human rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
• Long-Simmering Tensions Flare Over Disputed Senkaku Islands in East China Sea VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Long-simmering tensions are flaring over the Senkaku Islands, an uninhabited archipelago located in the East China Sea known as Diaoyu by China and Diaoyutai by Taiwan.
• UN Aid to Millions of Syrians in Jeopardy VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Humanitarian assistance for more than 4 million Syrians living in opposition-held areas appeared in jeopardy Friday, after Russia vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution that would have extended the mission for another year.
• Russia vetoes Western resolution on Syria aid for bypassing Damascus Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Russia has vetoed a West-backed draft resolution that called for an extension of aid deliveries from the United Nations to Syria through Turkey without the consent of Damascus.
• Russia Vetoes UN Resolution to Extend Cross-Border Mechanism in Syria Sputnik 08 Jul 2022 -- Russia has vetoed the UN Security Council resolution drafted by Norway and Ireland to extend the cross-border mechanism for delivering aid to Syria, Russian Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations Dmitry Polyanskiy said on Friday.
• Russia's deeply irresponsible veto will have a tragic impact on 4.1 million Syrians UK FCDO 08 Jul 2022 -- Statement by Ambassador Barbara Woodward after Russia vetoes on Syria humanitarian resolution
• UN Human Rights Council 50: UK statement on Syria resolution UK FCDO 08 Jul 2022 -- The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, introduced a resolution on the human rights situation in Syria.
• Syrian Kurds in Contact With US About Turkey's Planned Military Operation, SDC Says Sputnik 08 Jul 2022 -- The Syrian Democratic Council (SDC), the political wing of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, is in touch with the US government about Turkey's planned military operation in northern Syria and have been reassured that Washington stands opposed to it, SDC Representative in the United States, Bassam Saker, told Sputnik.
• Syria's Assad inaugurates projects in first visit to Aleppo since liberation from terrorists Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Syria's President Bashar al-Assad has for the first time since the liberation of Aleppo from foreign-sponsored Takfiri terrorists visited the northwestern province to inaugurate economic projects, including a power station and a water pumping plant.
• PM Lapid Speaks with Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas Israel - Prime Minister 08 Jul 2022
• Palestinian president, Hamas chief hold first face-to-face meeting in years Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas has met publicly with the political chief of the Palestinian Hamas resistance movement Ismail Haniyah for the first time in more than five years in Algeria, raising hopes for reconciliation talks between the two rival factions.
• Landmines in Myanmar target civilians, maim and kill children, NGOs say Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Myanmar's military is guilty of war crimes for its alleged practice of laying landmines in populated areas where they have killed civilians, including children, two ethnic rights organizations told RFA.
• Somalia Experts: Ending al-Shabab's Funding a Major Challenge VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Somalia's new president Hassan Sheikh Mohamud has vowed to shut down revenue streams for al-Shabab terrorists. The Islamist militants are believed to make millions of dollars per year from taxes they impose in areas of Somalia under their control. But security analysts say cutting off the terrorist funding won't be easy.
• Peace in DRC Means Addressing Root Causes Behind Militias, Say Rights Groups VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Leaders of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda meeting in Angola this week agreed to ease tensions and normalize diplomatic relations. The DRC has accused Rwanda of supporting resurgent M23 rebels, who in June seized a border town from the military.

News Reports

• G20: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the session on 'addressing food and energy security' of the Foreign Ministers' meeting European External Action Service (EEAS) 08 Jul 2022 -- Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine is dramatically aggravating the food crisis. In just 2 years, the number of seriously food insecure people in the world had already doubled from 135 million before the COVID-19 pandemic to 276 million early 2022, and 323 million today.
• G20 Foreign Ministers Urged to 'Find a Way Forward' on Ukraine, Food VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- The war in Ukraine and its impact on energy and food supplies dominated G-20 talks Friday in Bali.
• Taiwan condemns 'violence' following shooting of Japan's Shinzo Abe CNA 08 Jul 2022 -- President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Friday condemned what she called "violent and illegal" action in response to the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe during a campaign event in western Japan earlier in the day.
• Former Japan leader Abe remembered as a friend to Taiwan after death CNA 08 Jul 2022 -- The death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, extolled by many in Taiwan for his consistent support in the face of Chinese aggression, has been met with grief and mourning from those across the country's political spectrum.
• Abe remembered in China as controversial figure who 'ruined own contribution to bilateral ties' Global Times 08 Jul 2022 -- Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe, 67, died hours after being shot by a gunman on Friday, July 8, in western Japan's Nara, where he was making a campaign speech for the parliament's upper house election to be held on Sunday.
• Amid grieving in Asia for Japan's Shinzo Abe, Chinese nationalists celebrate Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- The shooting death of former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe Friday prompted grief across Asia, but mixed reactions on China's tightly controlled internet, with nationalistic Little Pinks openly celebrating Abe's death and government censors blocking a cryptic hashtag that could be a reference to public anger at the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s own leaders.
• Secretary Antony J. Blinken, Japanese Foreign Minister Hayashi Yoshimasa, and Republic of Korea Foreign Minister Park Jin Before Their Meeting US Dept. of State 08 Jul 2022
• Abe to Be Remembered for Staunch US Alliance, Counterweight to China VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Assassinated former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will go down in history as a staunch U.S. ally who supported Western strength in East Asia to counter the rise of China, analysts said Friday.
• World Leaders Express Shock, Sadness on Killing of Japan's Abe VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- World leaders expressed shock and sadness after former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed Friday in western Japan while giving a campaign speech.
• Japan's Abe Brought Lasting Change to Country's Defense Approach VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Both during and after his time as Japan's prime minister, Shinzo Abe, who was shot and killed Friday at a campaign event in western Japan, had a profound impact on Japanese politics and security.
• Statement by President Biden on the Killing of Former Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo The White House 08 Jul 2022
• Readout of President Biden's Call with Prime Minister Kishida of Japan The White House 08 Jul 2022
• Statement by President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi Mourning Former Prime Minister Abe The White House 08 Jul 2022
• Ex-Japanese PM Abe Dies After Being Shot in Nara Sputnik 08 Jul 2022 -- Abe, who was Japan's longest-serving prime minster, was fatally wounded while he was campaigning for a fellow LDP member in the western Japanese city of Nara.
• Japan's ex-PM Abe dead after being shot at campaign event Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Former Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is dead after being shot at a campaign event in the Nara region, local media report.
• Japan's Ex-PM Abe Dies After Shooting VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Shinzo Abe, Japan's influential former prime minister, has died after being shot in the chest during a speech Friday, according to Japanese officials.
• Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a media question in connection with the situation regarding Kaliningrad transit Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 08 Jul 2022
• Russian Foreign Ministry: EU, Vilnius Say Kaliningrad Transit Issue Will Be Solved Soon Sputnik 08 Jul 2022 -- The European Commission and Lithuania make assurances that the issue with transit to the Kaliningrad region will be solved in the near future, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Friday.
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's statement and answers to media questions following the G20 Foreign Ministers Meeting in Denpasar, July 8, 2022 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 08 Jul 2022
• Russian FM rebukes 'frenzied' criticism of Russia at G20 meeting Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has rebuked his Western counterparts after they harshly criticized Moscow during a meeting of G20 foreign ministers over its military campaign in Ukraine.
• G20 Diplomats Find No Common Ground As Western Countries Press Russia Over War In Ukraine RFE/RL 08 Jul 2022 -- Diplomats from the world's major industrialized nations failed on July 8 to find common ground over Russia's war in Ukraine and how to deal with its impact on grain shipments and energy markets.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Zhao Lijian's Regular Press Conference on July 8, 2022 PRC MofA 08 Jul 2022
• China and NZ key partners of South Pacific; region not arena for power competition: Chinese FM Global Times 08 Jul 2022 -- Both China and New Zealand are key partners of the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and the South Pacific is not an arena for major power competition but a platform for international cooperation, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said during a routine press briefing on Friday.
• China Tests New Philippines Government for Chance to Improve Relations; Analysts VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- Analysts say a meeting this week between China and the new government of the Philippines has set the stage for mending ties that have been frayed by a festering maritime sovereignty dispute.
• Taiwan condemns China after warplanes breach median line CNA 08 Jul 2022 -- The Ministry of National Defense (MND) condemned China for harming regional peace and stability after its warplanes "intentionally breached" the median line of the Taiwan Strait on Friday.
• PLA holds joint drills around Taiwan over US senator visit: Chinese military Global Times 08 Jul 2022 -- The Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) conducted large-scale drills around Taiwan in response to a US senator's recent visit to the island, both the Chinese military and the Foreign Ministry announced on Friday, while the Taiwan Affairs Office expressed opposition to the US' interfering with the Taiwan question.
• China military holds combat exercises around Taiwan as US senator visits Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- China's military says it recently held joint combat readiness exercises, patrols, and combat drills in the sea and airspace around Taiwan as a senior US senator visited the self-ruled island.
• PLA Eastern Theater Command organizes joint security patrol and combat drills around Taiwan Island PLA Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- Senior Colonel Shi Yi, spokesperson for the Eastern Theater Command of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), said on Friday that the PLA Eastern Theater Command has recently organized joint combat-readiness security patrols and combat training exerci
• China's Military Ready to Prevent Attempts to Achieve 'Taiwan Independence' Sputnik 08 Jul 2022 -- China's military maintains full-time combat readiness to stop attempts by outside forces to achieve so-called Taiwan independence, the Chinese defense ministry said on Friday.
• Defense Ministry spokesperson condemns US lawmakers' visit to Taiwan PLA Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- Senior Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense (MND) answered press questions Friday on the recent visit to Taiwan paid by US Florida Senator, Republican Rick Scott, saying that China is firmly opposed to the US senator's visit to China's Taiwan region.
• Premier underlines Taiwan's will to fight in meet with U.S. senator CNA 08 Jul 2022 -- Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) told visiting U.S. Senator Rick Scott that the people of Taiwan would not recoil in the face of Chinese ambition to annex the island, during a meeting in Taipei Friday.
• U.S. should work with partners to help Taiwan defend freedoms: U.S. senator CNA 08 Jul 2022 -- The United States should work with its partners to help Taiwan defend freedoms, former Governor of Florida and current U.S. Senator Rick Scott, who is on a three-day visit to Taipei, said on Friday, while meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).
• Late former prime minister saw the fates of Taiwan, Japan as bound together Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated on Friday, once remarked: "If Taiwan has a problem, then so do Japan and the United States."
• North Korea requires cellphone users to install invasive surveillance app Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- North Korea is forcing smartphone users to install an app to use the isolated country's closed intranet that also allows the government to remotely track their locations and monitor their devices in real time, sources there told RFA.
• As opportunities dry up, North Koreans turn to mudfish farming Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- North Korea is seeing an uptick in loach farming as residents hope to survive poor economic conditions and food shortages by raising the small mudfish to consume or to sell in the marketplace, sources in the country told RFA.
• Respected Comrade Kim Jong Un Visits Kumsusan Palace of Sun KCNA 08 Jul 2022 -- Kim Jong Un , general secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and president of the State Affairs of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, together with the participants in the Special Workshop for Officials in the Party Life Guidance Sections of Organizational Departments of Party Committees at All Levels of the WPK, visited the Kumsusan Palace of the Sun on the occasion of the greatest memorial day of the nation.
• China firmly opposes illegal, unjustifiable US sanctions against Iran: FM spokesman Press TV 08 Jul 2022 -- Beijing has censured the US blacklisting of an alleged network of companies brokering the sale of Iranian oil products and petrochemicals, stating that it strongly opposes Washington's "illegal" and "unjustifiable" sanctions as well as its so-called maximum pressure campaign against Iran
• Iranian Lawmaker Warns Of 'Severe Shortage' Of Crucial Drugs RFE/RL 08 Jul 2022 -- An Iranian parliament member says the shortage of drugs in the country has reached a critical stage and that Iran's pharmaceutical industry is on the verge of collapse.
• At least 132 religious buildings destroyed since Myanmar coup Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Troops loyal to Myanmar's junta have destroyed at least 132 religious buildings in arson and other attacks in wartorn Sagaing and Magway regions and Chin and Kayah states in the 17 months since the military seized power, RFA Burmese has learned.
• Myanmar charges three pre-coup UEC members with breaching polling laws Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Myanmar's military government is cracking down on its opposition ahead of national elections expected next year by handing out jail sentences to members of the National League for Democracy (NLD) and former Union Election Commission (UEC) members.
• Sagaing residents say they face discrimination under Myanmar junta Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Burmese citizens with national registration cards indicating they reside in northwestern Myanmar's Sagaing region face travel restrictions and other forms of discrimination under Myanmar's ruling military regime because they hail from the part of the country with the greatest armed resistance to the junta, locals said Friday.
• UN Human Rights Council 50: UK statement on Belarus UK FCDO 08 Jul 2022 -- The UK's Permanent Representative to the UN in Geneva, Ambassador Simon Manley, delivered a general comment ahead of a vote on the resolution on the human rights situation in Belarus.
• British PM Johnson resigns after cabinet revolt People's Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- British Prime Minister Boris Johnson resigned on Thursday after the support for him evaporated amid an avalanche of ministerial resignations over his scandal-hit leadership.
• German Bundestag approves renewable energy expansion People's Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- The German Bundestag (lower house of Parliament) on Thursday approved a legislative package to accelerate the expansion of renewable energies.
• India to restrict export of key wheat products People's Daily 08 Jul 2022 -- The Indian government has imposed restrictions on export of key wheat products, including flour, wholemeal flour and semolina, from July 12, officials said Thursday.
• No amnesty for Vietnamese 'anti-state' prisoners this year Radio Free Asia 08 Jul 2022 -- Vietnam's annual September 2 National Day amnesty will not include anyone jailed for anti-state charges according to President Nguyen Xuan Phuc. A presidential spokesperson announced his decision on who to consider for early release at a Monday news conference, state-controlled media reported.
• Bulgaria Party Fails To Form Coalition, Bringing Country Closer To New Elections RFE/RL 08 Jul 2022 -- Bulgaria's centrist Continue the Change party (PP) has announced that it failed to secure the support of a majority in parliament to put forward a new coalition government.
• Uzbek President Dismisses Chief Of Staff In Wake Of Karakalpakstan Unrest RFE/RL 08 Jul 2022 -- Uzbekistan's president dismissed his chief of staff in what appeared to be fallout from last week's spasm of violence in northwestern Karakalpakstan, the worst in the Central Asian nation in 17 years.
• Unrest in Karakalpakstan, Uzbekistan: UK statement to the OSCE UK FCDO 08 Jul 2022 -- Saffienne Vincent-Neal (UK delegation) voices UK's concern about recent events in Karakalpakstan, where people have tragically lost their lives.
• UN Urges Sri Lanka to Prevent Violence at Saturday Demonstrations VOA 08 Jul 2022 -- The U.N. Human Rights Office is urging Sri Lankan authorities to rein in their security forces to prevent expected large-scale demonstrations from turning violent in Colombo on Saturday.