US: President Joe Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gave each other a fist bump to try to heal their strained relationship, the US leader left the country on Saturday (July 16) with little tangible evidence that the trip had been worthwhile. His first journey to the Middle East as president, President Biden’s four-day visit to Israel and …

BALI: According to Indonesian Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo, travelers departing Bali would be subject to disinfection to prevent the spread of the foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) now afflicting cattle in the country. Reporters in Jakarta heard Mr Limpo and his Australian counterpart Murray Watt mention that the island of Bali had previously had cases of FMD. According to him, the …

UKRAINE: Agreements were signed on Thursday (Jul 14) by the United States and more than 40 other countries, following what Kiev claimed was a Russian missile strike that killed civilians well from the front line. “Russian missiles targeted two communities in western Ukraine, killing 20 people, including three young children,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at an international summit. Since …

IRAN: In less than a week, acclaimed director Jafar Panahi has become Iran’s third filmmaker detained. Filmmaker Mohammad Rasoulof, who won a Golden Bear at the 2015 Berlin International Film Festival for his film “Taxi,” was arrested in Tehran on Monday when Panahi went to the prosecutor’s office to check on him. According to the semi-official Fars News Agency, Rasoulof …

CHINA: After months of brutal Covid lockdowns, China’s economy had its worst quarterly performance in more than two years. The world’s second-largest economy’s gross domestic product grew by just 0.4% in the three months ending June 30 this year compared to the same period last year, according to NBS data released on Friday. Reuters polled economists had predicted a 1% …

ITALY: After a day of political drama that threatened to topple Italy’s national unity government, President Sergio Mattarella rejected Prime Minister Mario Draghi’s resignation on Thursday (July 14). ECB President Mario Draghi stated Thursday that he would quit after the 5-Star Movement, a coalition party, failed to support him in a confidence vote over his strategy to curb increasing prices. …

US: Friday (Jul 15), Saudi Arabia said that restrictions on “all airlines” accessing its airspace would be lifted ahead of US President Joe Biden’s arrival in Saudi Arabia. US President Barack Obama hailed Riyadh’s “historic” decision, the latest concession to the Jewish state, which it has refused to recognize despite Israel’s persistent attempts to build connections with the Arab world. …

US: Trump’s first wife and mother of his three oldest children, Ivana Trump, died on Thursday at the age of 73, the former president revealed. The death of Ivana Trump was announced by Donald Trump on his Truth Social social media network. Law enforcement officials are investigating if she went down the steps at her Manhattan residence, according to the …

CHINA: There has been a strong reaction among the Chinese public to the discovery in Wuhan, China, of a cholera-causing bacteria that was also detected in food market samples taken from softshell turtles. Officials in the area stated late on Thursday that the food market where samples from softshell turtles tested positive for the bacteria that can cause cholera had …

JAPAN: World Athletics has declared that Tokyo will host the 2025 World Athletics Championships, beating out Singapore, Nairobi, and Silesia (Jul 14). Last year’s Olympic Games will be returning to their original location for this year’s JAAF centennial celebration. The 2023 World Athletics Championships will be held in Budapest, according to World Athletics. WADA president Sebastian Coe remarked after the …