News Briefs

Biden pledges to forcefully defend Ukraine. U.S. President Joe Biden made the pledge at the NATO summit in Washington on July 9, using the global stage to show allies he can still lead. The United States and its allies will deliver to Ukraine five additional air defense systems, including Patriot missile batteries and Patriot components, the leaders of those countries said in a joint statement. Mr. Biden has made restoring the United States’ traditional alliances abroad to counter the threat of autocracies the centerpiece of his foreign policy. The next U.S. president could have a substantial impact on NATO’s and Europe’s future.

Joe Biden’s leadership of NATO in addressing the challenges posed by Russia and its war in Ukraine has reassured U.S. allies and been a centerpiece of his presidency. His debate performance raises uncomfortable questions.

Houthis launch longest-range attack yet. A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the narrow Bab el-Mandeb Strait on July 10, as authorities acknowledged the rebels launched their longest-range attack yet on a U.S.-flagged vessel near the Arabian Sea. The sudden burst of attacks by the Houthis comes after an unexplained pause of a week and a half. The rebels may be regrouping ahead of the arrival of a new U.S. aircraft carrier to the region after the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower began heading home. The Houthis have been attacking ships in the Red Sea corridor since November. 

From Lebanon to Iraq and Yemen, attacks by the Iran-led “Axis of Resistance” have raised concerns that the Israel-Hamas war could escalate into a regional conflict. In the Red Sea, a U.S. bid to secure shipping lanes faces a determined adversary.

Israel urges evacuation of Gaza City. The Israeli military has urged all Palestinians to leave Gaza City and head south. The evacuation orders indicated that Israel was pressing ahead with a fresh offensive. In the second straight night of deadly strikes in central Gaza, Israeli bombardment early July 10 hit four houses in the town of Deir al-Balah and the nearby Nuseirat refugee camp, killing 20 Palestinians. Among the dead were six children and three women, said authorities at al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. The house hit in Deir al-Balah was located inside the “humanitarian safe zone” where Israel has told Palestinians to flee for refuge. 

Food and transportation are expensive, humanitarian aid and shelter are scarce, and bank branches are shuttered. For Palestinians trying to survive in wartime Gaza, cash is a precious commodity, and worth going to great lengths to find.

India and Austria meet over Ukraine. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has discussed the war in Ukraine with the leader of Austria, an ally of Kyiv that has a policy of military neutrality. Mr. Modi emphasized the need for diplomacy a day after he met Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. He met Chancellor Karl Nehammer July 10 on what he said was the first visit to Austria by an Indian prime minister in 41 years. Mr. Nehammer told reporters it was important to understand India’s position on Ukraine and convey Europe’s concerns. 

Heat wave and blackouts fill Beryl’s wake. Millions of people were left without power after Hurricane Beryl crashed into Texas. They may also face days without air conditioning in dangerous heat. A heat advisory took effect through July 10 in the Houston area and beyond. Temperatures are expected to soar into the 90s with humidity that could make it feel as hot as 105 F. Beryl made landfall early on July 8 as a Category 1 hurricane. It’s now a post-tropical cyclone centered over Arkansas and is forecast to bring heavy rains to a swath extending to the Great Lakes and Canada.

Report says Bolsonaro embezzled $1.2 million in jewelry. Brazil’s Federal Police allege former President Jair Bolsonaro embezzled jewelry worth about $1.2 million during his time in office. That is according to the report on its investigation that was unsealed on July 8 by the Brazilian Supreme Court. Mr. Bolsonaro was indicted last week for embezzlement, asset laundering, and criminal association in connection with luxury jewelry. Mr. Bolsonaro hasn’t commented on the indictment but has previously denied any wrongdoing involving the jewelry. He has already lost his political rights until 2030.

Russia sentences director and playwright. A Russian court sentenced a playwright and a theater director each to six years in prison on July 8 for “justifying terrorism,” concluding a trial that rights campaigners had said demonstrated Russia’s intolerance of artistic freedom. Director Zhenya Berkovich and playwright Svetlana Petriychuk were arrested in May last year over their production of a play called “Finist, the Brave Falcon,” about Russian women who marry Islamic State fighters. The case was the most prominent prosecution of Russian cultural figures over the content of their artwork since Moscow sent troops into Ukraine in 2022. Both denied guilt.

Donations pour in for Kyiv children’s hospital. The donations came as Ukraine mourned at least 41 people killed countrywide during a major Russian missile assault on the Ukrainian capital and other cities a day earlier. The head of the U.N. human rights monitoring mission said the July 8 strike on the Okhmatdyt hospital was likely caused by a direct hit from a Russian missile, citing its own analysis. Moscow said the medical facility was struck by Ukrainian anti-missile fire, without providing evidence. Rescue operations at the hospital ended early on July 9, with two dead and dozens wounded. 

Amid the trials of a long and ugly war in Ukraine, carefully tended parks and private gardens, as the rose lovers of Donetsk, Ukraine, can attest, offer respite and hope.

Hungary and China discuss Ukraine peace. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban met Chinese President Xi Jinping on July 8 to discuss a potential Ukraine peace deal, paying the unexpected visit to Beijing days after his talks with Russia’s Vladimir Putin angered some European Union leaders. Mr. Orban and Mr. Xi met at the Diaoyutai State Guest House in Beijing, Chinese state media reported, for what Mr. Orban described as the third leg of a “peace mission” that he has undertaken without the backing of the European Commission or Ukraine. 

Hungary is a member of NATO and of the EU, but Prime Minister Viktor Orbán is closer to Vladimir Putin. Will his predictions that the West will abandon Ukraine prove true?

Largest Russian missile strike hits children’s hospital. Dozens of Russian missiles blasted cities across Ukraine on July 8, striking apartment buildings and a large children’s hospital in the capital. Local residents joined emergency crews to search through piles of rubble. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the daytime barrage targeted five Ukrainian cities with more than 40 missiles of different types. Ukraine’s air force reported intercepting 30 missiles. Officials said at least 31 people were killed, and more than 150 people were wounded. It was Russia’s heaviest bombardment of Kyiv in almost four months, hitting seven of the city’s 10 districts. 

For small villages near the front lines of Russia’s war in eastern Ukraine, the ebb and flow of territorial conquest can make it hard to have confidence in the future. Providing hope is one job of community leaders.

Israeli tanks enter Gaza City. Israeli tanks advanced into the heart of Gaza City from different directions on July 8 and Israel ordered Palestinian civilians to evacuate neighborhoods after a night of bombardments which Gaza authorities said had killed dozens. Residents said the airstrikes and artillery barrages – which took place as multi-national negotiations for a ceasefire deal intensified – were among the heaviest attacks on the Gaza Strip in nine months of conflict between Israeli forces and Hamas militants. Gaza City, in the north of the Palestinian enclave, was one of the first areas Israeli troops moved into at the start of the war. 

Food and transportation are expensive, humanitarian aid and shelter are scarce, and bank branches are shuttered. For Palestinians trying to survive in wartime Gaza, cash is a precious commodity, and worth going to great lengths to find.

Heat wave hits the West Coast. A widespread heat wave is expected to deliver a fresh batch of record temperatures along the U.S. West Coast, as millions of Americans sweat through a heat dome that is also hovering over Arizona and Nevada. About 36 million people – roughly 10% of the country – are under excessive heat warnings coming from the heat dome centered over California, the National Weather Service said on July 7. High temperatures are forecast to meet or exceed daily high records in Washington state, Oregon, California, northern Arizona and central Idaho.

Boeing accepts plea deal over crashes. The Justice Department says Boeing has agreed to plead guilty to a criminal fraud charge stemming from two deadly crashes of 737 Max jetliners. Now it’s up to a federal judge whether to accept the plea and a sentence that is part of the aerospace giant’s deal with U.S. prosecutors. Boeing’s decision on July 7 came a week after the Justice Department gave the company the choice of entering a guilty plea or facing a trial. Prosecutors say Boeing violated a 2021 deal that had shielded the company from prosecution earlier. 

Citizens depend on businesses to be truthful, especially around safety. When trust erodes, companies must act quickly or lose customers. That’s the situation U.S. firms Boeing and Cruise face now.

Myanmar ethnic rebels capture airport. One of Myanmar’s most powerful ethnic minority groups battling the military government says it captured an airport serving the country’s top beach resort, marking the first time resistance forces have seized such a facility. Residents of the area in the southern part of the western state of Rakhine also reported the seizure of Thandwe Airport. It’s the latest major setback for the military government that took took power in 2021 after ousting the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Armed resistance to military rule is taking place in much of the country.

With support for Myanmar’s military junta declining and rebels gaining ground through unprecedented cooperation, 2024 could prove a pivotal year in the country’s civil war.

Kansas Supreme Court affirms abortion protections. The Kansas Supreme Court has reaffirmed its stance that the state constitution protects abortion access. The court’s decisions July 5 in separate cases struck down a ban on a common second-trimester procedure and state laws regulating abortion providers more strictly than other health care providers. The court declared access to abortion a fundamental right in 2019. Voters also have decisively rejected a proposed amendment to the state constitution that would have explicitly declared abortion not a fundamental right. The court has rejected a suggestion from lawyers for the state that the justices should walk back the 2019 decision.

Hungarian prime minister visits Moscow. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán visited Moscow on July 5 for a rare meeting by a European leader with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The two discussed peace proposals for Ukraine. The visit triggered condemnation from Kyiv and some European officials that Mr. Orbán had no mandate for discussions beyond bilateral relations. The visit came days after Mr. Orbán made a similar unannounced trip to Ukraine, where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and proposed that he consider agreeing to an immediate cease-fire with Russia. Mr. Orbán is widely considered Mr. Putin’s closest partner in the European Union.

Brazil’s Jair Bolsonaro indicted. Brazilian federal police on July 4 formally accused former President Jair Bolsonaro of embezzlement for allegedly misappropriating jewelry he received while head of state, including luxury items given by the Saudi Arabian government, police sources said. This is the second time police have formally accused Mr. Bolsonaro of a crime. He was charged in March with forging his COVID-19 vaccine records. The jewelry, some made by Chopard of Switzerland, was valued at $3.2 million and included a diamond necklace, ring, watch, and earrings given to Mr. Bolsonaro and former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro by the Saudi government.

Hurricane Beryl hits Mexico’s coast. Beryl has slammed into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula near the resort town of Tulum after leaving a trail of destruction and at least 11 dead across the Caribbean. Beryl hit Mexico as a Category 2 hurricane July 5 but weakened to a tropical storm as it moved across the peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center expects Beryl to regain hurricane strength once it reemerges into the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. On July 2, Beryl became the earliest storm to develop into a Category 5 hurricane in the Atlantic before spreading destruction in Jamaica, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Barbados.

Hurricane season in the United States has begun. Given the growing intensity of storms, a debate has been swirling about whether a new category is needed on the Saffir-Simpson scale.