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Defense Policy / Programs
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News Reports

Current Operations

• US-occupied airbase comes under fresh attack in Iraq Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- An airbase housing the US's occupation forces in western Iraq has come under fresh attack amid continued regional uproar against Washington's unstinting support for the Israeli regime's genocidal war on the Gaza Strip.
• July 26 U.S. Central Command Update CENTCOM 26 Jul 2024 -- In the past 24 hours, U.S. Central Command (USCENTCOM) forces successfully destroyed six Iranian-backed Houthi uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) in a Houthi-controlled area of Yemen.

Defense Policy / Programs

• Austin's 11th Visit to Indo-Pacific Builds Upon Sustained Momentum With Key Partners DoD News 26 Jul 2024 -- Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III is embarking on his 11th trip to the Indo-Pacific today amid what officials said is a landmark period for U.S. ties throughout the region.
• DAF senior leaders reinforce importance of allies, partners US Air Force 26 Jul 2024 -- Department of the Air Force leaders reinforced the importance of allies and partners during their recent trip to the United Kingdom July 17-23.
• AI-powered agile talent identification systems support joint force US Air Force 26 Jul 2024 -- The launch of an artificial intelligence-powered platform for uncovering and matching talent across the joint force is an important step in tackling what Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Air Force Gen. CQ Brown, Jr., has described as the current "war for talent."
• U.S. Navy to Christen Guided-Missile Destroyer Future USS Patrick Gallagher US Navy 26 Jul 2024 -- The Navy will christen the future USS Patrick Gallagher (DDG 127), during an 11:00 EST ceremony Saturday, July 27, in Bath, Maine.
• Navy Focuses on Shipbuilding, Restoring Capacity to Build US Navy 26 Jul 2024 -- With maritime statecraft in mind and building on the Secretary of the Navy's prioritization of shipbuilding, the Navy is establishing a Direct Reporting Program Manager for Maritime Industrial Base (DRPM-MIB) next month. This role will help to oversee investments in ship and submarine shipbuilding while also restoring the capacity to build the fleet the Nation needs.
• CNO Visits Indo-Pacific for Second Time, Strengthens Regional Ties US Navy Press Release 26 Jul 2024 -- Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. Lisa Franchetti visited Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia (FSM); Perth, Australia; and Manila, Philippines, to meet with partner navies, government and military leaders, and attend the 2024 Indian Ocean Defense & Security (IODS) Conference, July 21-26.
• U.S. Special Operations Forces Africa conduct joint exchange with Botswana partners Army News 26 Jul 2024 -- U.S. Special Operations Command Africa conducted a Joint Combined Exchange Training between 3rd Special Forces Group (Airborne) Green Berets and the Botswana Defence Force at Thebephatshwa Air Base, which concluded July 18, 2024.
• Northern Fleet frigate Admiral Gorshkov makes business call to Algeria Russia MoD 26 Jul 2024 -- Today, the Northern Fleet detachments led by the frigate Admiral Gorshkov being on a long-distance mission in the off-shore maritime zone has made a business call at the port of Oran of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.
• Russian Defence Ministry Board on Innovations and Technologies takes place in Patriot Congress and Exhibition Centre Russia MoD 26 Jul 2024 -- The Russian Defence Ministry Board on Innovations and Technologies took place in the Patriot Congress and Exhibition Centre.
• Andrei Belousov inspects organisation of combat training at training ground in Leningrad MD Russia MoD 26 Jul 2024 -- Russian Defence Minister Andrei Belousov inspects organisation of the combat training at a training ground of the Leningrad Military District.
• Russian Jets Intercepts UK Aircraft Approaching Border Over Black Sea - Defense Ministry Sputnik 26 Jul 2024 -- A Russian Su-27 fighter jet intercepted a UK RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft and two Typhoon jets flying towards Russia's airspace over the Black Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Friday.
• Russia, China conduct joint bomber patrol operation off US coast Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- Russian and Chinese military aircraft have conducted a joint flight for the first time in international airspace near Alaska.
• Two PLA Navy ships make business call to Vladivostok Russia MoD 26 Jul 2024 -- Today, two ships - landing ship Longhushan and training ship Zheng He - of the People's Liberation Army Navy have arrived in Vladivostok
• Two Chinese Warships Arrive in Russia's Vladivostok on Business Call - Pacific Fleet Sputnik 26 Jul 2024 -- Two ships of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy arrived in the Russian port city of Vladivostok on a business call on Friday, the Russian Pacific Fleet said.
• Cambodian naval base could accommodate Chinese submarines: analyst Radio Free Asia 26 Jul 2024 -- A new dry dock that could be used to service Chinese submarines has been added to Ream naval base in southern Cambodia, a U.S. military analyst said.
• Chief of Defence Force visit to Fiji & Vanuatu Australia DOD 26 Jul 2024 -- Chief of the Defence Force Admiral David Johnston AC RAN will travel to Fiji and Vanuatu from 26 to 29 July.
• German chancellor vows to continue arms exports to Israel Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- German Chancellor Olaf Scholz says his country will continue to provide Israel with weapons, despite opposing calls that demand a halt of arms sales to the regime amid its onslaught on Gaza.
• Suspected territorial waters violation in the eastern Gulf of Finland Finnish MoD 26 Jul 2024 -- A Russian vessel is suspected of a territorial violation of Finland's marine area in the eastern Gulf of Finland.
• Envoy denies rumors on Iran-Armenia military contract IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Iran's Ambassador to Yerevan Mehdi Sobhani has denied the news about the military contract between Iran and Armenia.
• Joint Statement on the United States-Mongolia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue US Dept. of State 26 Jul 2024 -- The following statement was jointly released by the United States and Mongolia on the occasion of the successful conclusion of the First United States-Mongolia Comprehensive Strategic Dialogue in Washington, D.C.:
• Readout of President Biden's Call with His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan The White House 26 Jul 2024

Defense Industry

• Contracts For July 26, 2024

Other Conflicts

Ukraine Conflict News
• 26 July 2024 - Daily Press Briefing by the Office of the Spokesperson for the Secretary-General United Nations 26 Jul 2024

Operation Iron Swords / Operation Al-Aqsa Flood

• Israeli hardliners lash out at Harris' call for cease-fire VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Far-right Israeli lawmakers Friday sharply criticized U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris' call for a cease-fire and concern for human suffering in Gaza following her White House meeting Thursday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
• July 25: 'Axis of Resistance' operations against Israeli occupation Press TV 26 Jul 2024
• Palestinian resistance rocket attack on Ashkelon and the Zionist settlements around the Gaza Strip IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Saraya al-Quds, the military wing of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, announced that it had launched a rocket attack on Ashkelon and a number of Zionist settlements around the Gaza Strip.
• Al-Qassam Brigades destroys 2 Merkava tanks, kills a Zionist force IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Al-Qassam Brigades fighters destroyed 2 Merkava tanks of the Zionist forces in an operation in Tel Al-Hawa in Gaza, and a Zionist soldier was also killed during this operation.
• Resistance fighters deal heavy blow on Zionists in Khan Yunis IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Al-Quds Brigades in a statement announced that a fierce clash between the resistance fighters and the Zionist forces was going on in the city of Khan Yunis and the resistance fighters had dealt heavy blows to the occupiers.
• Two more Israeli soldiers killed in Gaza Strip IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Two more Israeli soldiers were killed during fighting in the central Gaza Strip on Thursday.
• Any Attempt to Discredit UN Relief, Works Agency for Palestine Refugees Undermines Principles of International Cooperation, Delegate Tells Security Council UN Security Council 26 Jul 2024 -- Decrying legislative and physical attacks against the United Nations agency providing the backbone for the humanitarian response in Gaza, two senior UN officials urged the Security Council today to act in the face of flagrant violation of international humanitarian law in the Strip, as Council members discussed ways to address the catastrophe unfolding there.
• UNRWA Situation Report #124 on the situation in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem (All information from 23-24 July 2024, valid as of 24 July 2024 at 22:30) UNRWA 26 Jul 2024
• Briefing to the United Nations Security Council by UNRWA Deputy Commissioner General, Ms. Antonia De Meo UNRWA 26 Jul 2024
• 'Endless nightmare' of death and destruction in Gaza, UN officials tell Security Council UN News 26 Jul 2024 -- Senior UN officials on Friday reiterated the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Gaza, and escalating threat to aid workers, urging immediate action prevent further deterioration.
• Gaza: Evacuation orders displace thousands, disrupt aid operations UN News 26 Jul 2024 -- Humanitarians estimate that more than 190,000 Palestinians were displaced this week in Khan Younis and Deir Al-Balah following the latest evacuation orders in Gaza, the UN said on Friday.
• WHO to send one million polio vaccines to Gaza to protect children UN News 26 Jul 2024 -- The UN health agency said on Friday that it is sending more than a million polio vaccines to Gaza after the discovery of the highly infectious disease in sewage samples.
• UN official urges protection for civilian population in Gaza IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Muhannad Hadi, Deputy Special Coordinator, Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process called for immediate protection of the civilian population in the Gaza Strip, including humanitarian activists.
• UNRWA: 90% of Gaza residents forcibly displaced IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) announced that 9 out of 10 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip who have been exposed to Israel's devastating war have been forcibly displaced.
• UN says 90% of Gazans displaced as Guterres raps 'utter disaster, total lawlessness' Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The UN agency for Palestinians says nine out of every 10 people in the besieged Gaza Strip have been "forcibly displaced" during the Israeli onslaught on Gaza.
• Harris urges Netanyahu to end war; Trump says he'll resolve it if elected VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Likely U.S. election rivals Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump offered competing views on Israel's conduct in its war in Gaza, as they separately met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu this week.
• Trump Tells Netanyahu He Will Try to Bring Peace to Middle East, Combat Anti-Semitism if Elected Sputnik 26 Jul 2024 -- Former US President Donald Trump told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that he will work to bring peace to the Middle East and combat anti-Semitism on college campuses in the United States if elected in November, the Trump campaign said on Friday.
• 'Criminal cannot be absolved with standing ovation': Pezeshkian on Netanyahu's Congress speech Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- Iran's President-elect Masoud Pezeshkian has denounced frequent applause from US lawmakers for the Israeli prime minister during his address to Congress, noting that applauding a criminal will not result in his absolution.
• Iran hails Palestinians' unity deal as 'valuable step' towards reconciliation, consensus Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- Iran has welcomed a China-mediated agreement aimed at resolving a rift between Palestinian factions and forming a national unity government, calling it a "valuable step" towards national reconciliation and consensus.
• Australia sanctions West Bank settlers VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Australia Thursday imposed restrictions on seven Israeli settlers, with the government claiming they had been involved in violence against Palestinians.
• Civilians in Gaza need much more aid: UK statement at the UN Security Council UK FCDO 26 Jul 2024 -- Statement by UK Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Barbara Woodward at the UN Security Council meeting on Gaza.
• Joint Statement by the Prime Ministers of Australia, Canada and New Zealand Prime Minister of Canada 26 Jul 2024 -- Australia, Canada and New Zealand today issued the following statement on the need for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza and the risk of expanded conflict between Hizballah and Israel.
• France joins international calls for ceasefire in Gaza amid criticism at Olympics Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The international chorus of calls for an end to the Gaza genocidal war has gathered more voices, with, French President Emmanuel Macron demanding an "immediate ceasefire" in war-torn Gaza in a meeting with Israeli president Isaac Herzog in Paris.
• 'Slow execution': West Bank-based Hamas leader dies in Israeli captivity Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- A West Bank-based senior official of the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has died after suffering drawn-out torture and medical negligence in Israeli captivity.
• Unity declaration by Palestinian factions paves way for peace People's Daily 26 Jul 2024 -- The signing of a declaration in Beijing by 14 Palestinian factions, aimed at ending division and strengthening unity, is widely seen as a positive step toward Palestinian national reconciliation, bringing fresh hope to the long-suffering Palestinian people.
• Hamas: Death of leader in Israeli jail amounts to murder Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The Gaza Ministry of Detainees has condemned the death of a Hamas leader, Mustafa Muhammad Abu Ara, in Israeli custody, saying it was a result of torture and deliberate medical negligence.
• Hamas Rejects Israel's New Conditions for Ceasefire in Gaza - Movement Representative Sputnik 26 Jul 2024 -- Palestinian movement Hamas does not agree to Israel's new conditions for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, Hamas spokesman in Lebanon Walid Kilani told Sputnik on Friday.
• Israel strikes south Lebanon with phosphorus bombs, several injured Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The Israeli regime drops banned white phosphorous bombs onto areas in southern Lebanon as the regime escalates attacks on the Arab country.
• Hezbollah targets military base in northern Israel with drones IRNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Hezbollah on Thursday used drones to target Israeli troops at their military base in northern Israel, resulting in casualties.
• Hezbollah pounds multiple Israeli sites in drone, missile strikes Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah has launched a series of heavy strikes on the Israeli regime's strategic military positions, amid the occupying entity's intensified aggression in southern Lebanon and ongoing attacks on Palestinians in Gaza.

Other Conflicts

• The Azadi Briefing: Afghans Complain Of Rising Abuse In Iran RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024
• Study predicts historic decline in Afghan poppy cultivation in 2024 VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- New research suggests that poppy cultivation in Afghanistan will drop to record-low levels in 2024, due to the ban on the crop imposed by the Taliban government two years ago.
• Western Myanmar farmers warn of low yields from rainy season rice crop Radio Free Asia 26 Jul 2024 -- Farmers in an area of western Myanmar's Rakhine state said they have been unable to grow a seasonal rice crop because of recent intense fighting between the military junta and an ethnic insurgent army.
• Thousands flee junta raids in central Myanmar Radio Free Asia 26 Jul 2024 -- Myanmar junta forces raided a string of villages in central Myanmar killing three civilians and sending some 10,000 fleeing from their homes after anti-junta insurgents attacked a nearby military base, residents told Radio Free Asia on Friday.
• Chinese, Indian FMs meet, agree to promote progress in border affairs consultations Global Times 26 Jul 2024 -- Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Indian External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar in Vientiane, Laos, on Thursday and the two sides agreed to jointly commit to maintaining peace and tranquility in the border areas and promote new progress in border affairs consultations.
• US sanctions DRC rebel groups for violence, human rights abuses VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- The U.S. government has sanctioned three rebel leaders accused of fomenting political instability, conflicts and civilian displacement in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Democratic Republic of the Congo: EU lists nine individuals and one entity EC/CEU 26 Jul 2024 -- Today, the Council imposed restrictive measures on nine individuals and one entity responsible for acts that constitute serious human rights violations and abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), and for sustaining the armed conflict, instability and insecurity in the Eastern DRC.
• Pakistan Rejects Indian Prime Minister's Belligerent Remarks Pakistan Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024 -- Pakistan rejects the Indian Prime Minister's belligerent remarks made in Drass, Ladakh on 26 July 2024.

News Reports

• 3 Bulgarians Arrested In Vandalism Of Holocaust Memorial In Paris RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024 -- Three Bulgarian citizens have been detained on suspicion of vandalizing the Holocaust Memorial in Paris in May, the State Agency for National Security (DANS) said on July 26.
• Travel chaos in Paris as rail network targeted by 'malicious acts' ahead of Olympics Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- French train operator SNCF has announced that the nation's high-speed rail network has been targeted by "malicious acts," including arson attacks, causing significant disruptions just before the start of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
• The United States Joins Freedom Online Coalition Joint Statement on the United Nations Convention Against Cybercrime US Dept. of State 26 Jul 2024 -- On Friday July 26, the United States, together with 40 fellow Member States of the Freedom Online Coalition (FOC), issued a joint statement on the UN Convention Against Cybercrime. In advance of the reconvened concluding session of the Ad Hoc Committee to elaborate a UN cybercrime convention, the Coalition has reaffirmed its commitment that the same human rights offline must also be protected online.
• Joint Statement on the United States-Philippines Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue US Dept. of State 26 Jul 2024 -- The following statement was jointly released by the Governments of the United States of America and the Philippines on the occasion of the successful conclusion of the Philippines-United States Cyber-Digital Policy Dialogue in Washington, D.C.
• AANES's amnesty for ISIS-related prisoners sparks mixed reaction VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- The Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration of North and Eastern Syria (AANES) released 141 prisoners Monday from Alaya Prison in the city of Qamishli, as part of a general amnesty for prisoners convicted of terrorism-related offenses linked to ISIS, provided they did not participate directly in combat. The next day, 68 more prisoners were freed from the Central Prison in Manbij. So far, three groups of prisoners have been released from facilities in Hasakah, Qamishli, and Manbij. The initiative is expected to benefit approximately 1,500 prisoners, most of whom are from the Deir ez-Zour, Raqqa, and Manbij regions.
• Statement from President Joe Biden on the Arrest of Two Drug Trafficker Leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel The White House 26 Jul 2024
• First transfer of €1.5 billion of proceeds from immobilised Russian assets made available in support of Ukraine today European Commission 26 Jul 2024 -- Today, the EU makes available in support of Ukraine the first payment of €1.5 billion generated from immobilised Russian assets.
• Questions and Answers on first transfer of €1.5 billion of proceeds from immobilised Russian assets made available to Ukraine European Commission 26 Jul 2024
• EU sends €1.5 billion to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets Press TV 26 Jul 2024 -- The European Union has transferred 1.5 billion euros to Kiev from the revenues obtained from the Russian assets frozen as part of the European bloc's sanctions imposed on Moscow over the Ukraine war.
• EU To Transfer To Ukraine 1.5 Billion Euros In Proceeds From Frozen Russian Assets RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024 -- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has announced that the European Union will send Ukraine 1.5 billion euros ($1.63 billion) that represent revenues from Russian assets frozen by the 27-member bloc.
• EU transfers $1.6 billion to Ukraine from frozen Russian assets VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- The European Union announced Friday that it had made available $1.6 billion to Ukraine - interest generated from $225 billion in immobilized Russian Central Bank assets.
• Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova's answer to a question from Kommersant newspaper about Russia's assessments of its chairmanship in the group of five Nuclear Weapon States Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024
• Statement by the Deputy Head of the Delegation of the Russian Federation at the Second Session of the Preparatory Committee forthe 11th Review Conference of the Parties to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of NuclearWeapons, Deputy Director of the Department forNon-Proliferation and Arms Control of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation Mr. Mikhail Kondratenkov (ClusterII: Non-proliferation and IAEA safeguards), Geneva, 26 July, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024
• Statement on P5 meeting Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024
• Press release on the Russia-ASEAN Post-Ministerial Conference Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024
• Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov's opening remarks at the Russia-ASEAN ministerial meeting, Vientiane, July 26, 2024 Russia Ministry of Foreign Affairs 26 Jul 2024
• The Week In Russia: A Propaganda Pivot RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024
• Moscow Car-Bombing Suspect Extradited From Turkey To Russia RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024 -- A Russian man suspected of being behind a car bombing that left two people wounded in Moscow on July 24 has been extradited from Turkey and has arrived in the Russian capital, Interior Ministry spokeswoman Irina Volk said on July 26.
• Russia May Launch Two X-Ray Telescopes Into Orbit in 2032, 2038 - Space Research Institute Sputnik 26 Jul 2024 -- Russian scientists plan to launch two more x-ray telescopes, the Spektr-RGN and the Spektr-RGM, in 2032 and 2038, Alexander Lutovinov, the deputy director of the Space Research Institute (IKI) at the Russian Academy of Sciences, said on Friday.
• Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning's Regular Press Conference on July 26, 2024 PRC MofA 26 Jul 2024
• China: High Representative Borrell met with Foreign Minister Wang Yi European External Action Service (EEAS) 26 Jul 2024 -- EU High Representative/Vice-President (HR/VP) Josep Borrell met with Foreign Minister of China Wang Yi, in the margins of the ASEAN Regional Forum in Vientiane, Laos on 26 July.
• Wang Yi, Lavrov highlight ASEAN-centered, open and inclusive regional cooperation architecture Global Times 26 Jul 2024 -- Both China and Russia support a regional architecture centered around ASEAN, as the multilateral coordination mechanism helps to prevent major powers from excessively intervening, and especially NATO from extending its tentacles into the Asia-Pacific region, observers said Friday after Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov in Vientiane, on the sidelines of the ASEAN ministerial meetings.
• Trial delay sparks calls for release of Hong Kong's Jimmy Lai Radio Free Asia 26 Jul 2024 -- The son of jailed pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai has called on the British government to take action following a further four-month delay in his national security trial, as rights groups slammed the "sham" trial as part of a citywide crackdown on dissent in Hong Kong.
• PLA activities in the waters and airspace around Taiwan ROC MND 26 Jul 2024
• DPRK Premier Kim Tok Hun Meets Belarusian Foreign Minister KCNA 26 Jul 2024 -- Kim Tok Hun, member of the Presidium of the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea, vice-president of the State Affairs Commission of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and premier of the Cabinet, met and had a talk with Maxim Vladimirovich Ryzhenkov, foreign minister of the Republic of Belarus who paid a courtesy call on him at the Mansudae Assembly Hall on Thursday.
• North Korea to sell gambling rights at vacant 105-floor Ryugyong Hotel in Pyongyang Radio Free Asia 26 Jul 2024 -- A North Korean hotel which has been under construction for 37 years has plans to sell the rights to operate a casino on the premises if the operator promises to complete construction of the building's interiors, a resident of the capital Pyongyang told Radio Free Asia.
• Vienna Mechanism on treatment of prisoners by Belarus: Joint Statement to the OSCE UK FCDO 26 Jul 2024 -- UK and others regret Belarus' lack of response to the Vienna Mechanism of July 2024 on prison conditions and call for immediate humanitarian release of political prisoners in Belarus.
• Pakistani minister confirms internet firewall, rejects censorship concerns VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Pakistan's minister for information technology and telecommunication confirmed Friday the government is implementing an internet firewall but rejected talk that the tool will curb free speech online, defending it as a cybersecurity upgrade.
• Pakistan boosts security of Chinese workers amid growing terrorism VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- "We have never seen a Chinese reaction like this one," says regional security affairs analyst Ahmed Rashid, referring to Beijing's persistent public demand that Pakistan ensure the safety of Chinese nationals since a March 26 suicide attack killed five Chinese workers there.
• Astronomers use Webb telescope to discover new planet VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- A team of astronomers used the James Webb Space Telescope, or JWST, to observe a new, Jupiter-like planet outside our solar system - known as an "exoplanet." It was the first new planet observed and imaged with the telescope that was not first observed from Earth.
• EU-ASEAN: Speech by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell at the Ministerial Meeting in Lao PDR European External Action Service (EEAS) 26 Jul 2024
• Multilateral unity, cooperation highlighted as top diplomats meet in Laos Global Times 26 Jul 2024 -- A series of ASEAN-related meetings and bilateral sideline talks have been held in Vientiane, capital of Laos in recent two days, as foreign ministers from ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific region gathered to discuss shared concerns and emphasize unity amid rising global uncertainties.
• As Venezuela Votes, Russia Will Be Watching RFE/RL 26 Jul 2024 -- It's half a world away from Moscow, but Venezuela's presidential election could be a nail-biter for the Kremlin.
• World News in Brief: Historic Palestine monastery on World Heritage in Danger List, rights office condemnation as Ghana upholds anti-gay law, free jailed Russian activist UN News 26 Jul 2024 -- The World Heritage Committee of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Friday that the Monastery of Saint Hilarion/Tell Umm Amer in Palestine has been added to its list of global heritage sites and another for sites in danger.
• Central African Republic opposition threatens to disrupt local elections VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- The Central African Republic's main opposition leader, Anicet Georges Dologuele, says he will disrupt the country's first local elections in 36 years if the 2023 constitution and electoral laws that he says favor President Faustin-Archange Touadera's party are not immediately revised. Rebel groups are also threatening to disrupt the polls, which the government insists will be transparent and will help restore peace and stability to the troubled state.
• Eswatini seeks to expand Asia ties while navigating tricky China-Taiwan winds VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Eswatini, formerly Swaziland, is the only country left in Africa that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China considers a renegade province. Eswatini is nevertheless a growing trade partner with China, which means the country has to be careful as it reaches out to other nations in Asia for new economic opportunities.
• Sri Lanka to hold first presidential election after economic collapse VOA 26 Jul 2024 -- Sri Lanka will hold its first presidential election since the country sank into a deep economic crisis two years ago. The vote to be held September 21, will be a referendum on the reforms that have helped stabilize the economy but also led to hardship for millions in the island nation.