Wednesday, June 13th, 2022 

Inflation rises to 9.2 percent in the United States, the highest level in 40 years, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.   

The euro’s value against the U.S. dollar falls below parity for the first time in 20 years. (Reuters) 

The Bank of Canada raises its benchmark interest rate from 1.5 to 2.5 percent, the single largest increase since 1998 amid surging inflation. (CBC) 

The European Union allows Russia to resume the transit of sanctioned goods by rail to its exclave of Kaliningrad following Russian threats against Lithuania. However, the transit of military equipment through Lithuanian territory remains prohibited, according to the European Commission. 

Heavy Russian shelling is reported in Bakhmut, Donetsk Oblast, with at least one person killed and five others injured in the largely evacuated town. (The Guardian) 

North Korea recognizes the independence of the Donetsk People’s Republic and Luhansk People’s Republic, becoming the third nation to do so, after Russia and Syria. (Reuters) 

As a response, Ukraine suspends diplomatic relations with North Korea (MFA Ukraine) 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife are prevented from fleeing the country to Dubai by airport staff at Bandaranaike International Airport amid nationwide protests. G. Rajapaksa has not given his official resignation yet. (CNN) 

Rajapaksa subsequently flees the country on a military aircraft to the Maldives, formally ending his rule of Sri Lanka. His brother, former finance minister Basil Rajapaksa, also flees the country. (BBC News) 

Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe confirms that former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa has fled the country to the Maldives and declares a state of emergency and a curfew as the military fire tear gas at the protesters. (Al Jazeera)

Protesters storm the Prime Minister’s office in Colombo, demanding his immediate resignation. (Reuters) 

A 20-year-old woman who is a campaigner for women’s rights in Sudan appeals to the High Court to overturn her death sentence by stoning for adultery, the first case in nearly a decade. (The Guardian) 

Nadhim Zahawi and Jeremy Hunt are eliminated from the race in the first round of voting. (BBC News) 

A three-year-long independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation finds that over 1,000 children in Telford, Shropshire, England, were sexually exploited beginning in the 1980s. Teachers and youth workers were discouraged from reporting child sexual abuse and police were nervous that investigating the abusers would inflame racial tensions. (Reuters)

Protesters in Panama continue blocking streets and railways, mainly in Chiriquí and Veraguas Provinces, rejecting the concession by president Laurentino Cortizo of freezing fuel prices. (TeleMetro) 

Tuesday,  July 12th, 2022 

NASA releases the first full-color image taken by James Webb Space Telescope, showing a segment of a galaxy clusterfuck 4.6 billion light-years away from Earth. (The Verge) 

The Russian-appointed military-civilian administration leader of Velykyi Burluk in Kharkiv Oblast, Yevgeny Yunakov, is assassinated in a car bombing. (Reuters) 

A massive explosion occurs in the city of Nova Kakhovka after Ukrainian forces destroy a Russian arms depot. Russian news agency TASS claims that a market, hospital, and civilian housing were also damaged, and multiple civilians were killed. (Ukrayinska Pravda) 

Ukrainian Ground Forces recapture the town of Ivanivka in Kherson Oblast after launching a counter-offensive against Russian forces. (Reuters) 

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan claims that Iran is preparing to provide Russia with hundreds of drones along with the required training in their use. (The Washington Post) 

Leaked military reports indicate that a UK Special Air Service unit unlawfully killed 54 people in one six-month tour. Furthermore, former Director Special Forces Mark Carleton-Smith failed to pass on evidence to a murder inquiry relating to the matter. (BBC)

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his wife are prevented from fleeing the country to Dubai by airport staff at Bandaranaike International Airport amid nationwide protests. (CNN) 

The Colombian Army launches an airstrike on FARC dissidents’ camp in the Caquetá Department, killing 10 people. Iván Mordisco, one of the group’s leader, was at the scene during the strike; his fate is unknown. (BBC News) 

Two people are killed and 4 others are injured after a 3 car pileup caused by a pack of boars north of Thessaloniki, Greece. (AP) 

Sir Mo Farah, British Olympic gold medalist runner, reveals that he was trafficked to Britain at the age of nine. 

Monday,  July 11th, 2022 

Russian president Vladimir Putin signs a decree extending a fast-track process to obtain Russian citizenship to all Ukrainians, which previously only applied to those living in the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. (Reuters) 

Lawmakers in Russia propose to extend the anti-“gay propaganda” bill to all people regardless of age. (Al Jazeera) 

Lithuania expands sanctions on the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad to include cement, concrete, wood, alcohol and alcohol-based industrial chemicals. (Reuters) 

A Russian court lifts the suspension for the CPC pipeline and instead fines its operators 200,000 rubles (3,300 USD) for oil spills. The oil pipeline, one of the world’s largest, is the route for nearly all of Kazakhstan’s oil exports of 1.3 million barrels per day, which represents about 1% of global oil supply. (Reuters) 

The Nord Stream 1 natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany is suspended for the first of 10 days of scheduled annual maintenance. (Reuters) 

Macau closes all of its casinos, causing shares to fall, as the gaming city hub fights an outbreak of COVID-19. (Straits Times) 

The Biden administration announces that the United States will purchase 3.2 million doses of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine once approved. (The New York Times) 

New South Wales premier Dominic Perrottet announces that the Australian Aboriginal Flag will be flown permanently above the Sydney Harbour Bridge, which is widely regarded as an iconic Australian landmark. The flag will be flown on top of the bridge’s arches alongside the national flag, replacing the flag of New South Wales, after the state government discarded plans to accommodate all three flags. (CNN) 

The French government survives a no confidence vote tabled by the left-wing NUPES coalition. The no confidence vote received only 146 yes votes out of the 289 needed. (Le Monde) 

The End

Sunday, July 10th, 2022 

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy dismisses Ukraine’s ambassadors to Germany, India, the Czech Republic, Norway and Hungary. (Independent) 

Three civilians are killed and others 31 are injured in a Russian shelling on Kharkiv. The city’s mayor says that the latest shelling has targeted civilian infrastructure. (SwissInfo) 

A Russian airstrike on an apartment complex in Chasiv Yar, Donetsk Oblast, kills at least 15 people and leaves dozens more missing. (Sky News) 

Macau closes all of its casinos, causing shares to fall, as the gaming city hub fights an outbreak of COVID-19. (Straits Times) 

Over 124,000 confidential documents are leaked from Uber, showing efforts by Uber to lobby governments for preferential treatment. (BBC News) 

Leaked documents reveal that French President Emmanuel Macron went to “extraordinary lengths” to help Uber disrupt the French taxi industry, telling Uber’s executives that he had brokered a deal with his socialist opponents in his cabinet. (The Guardian) 

French authorities issue a warning of temperatures reaching as high as 40 °C amid ensuing wildfires. (RFI) 

The 51st Pacific Islands Forum begins in Suva, Fiji amid escalating geopolitical competition between China and the United States. (Al Jazeera) 

Kiribati announces its withdrawal from the Pacific Islands Forum, effective immediately, after President Taneti Maamau publishes a letter where he expresses four reasons for doing so, mainly due to the Secretary-General of the Forum never having been from the Micronesian region of the Pacific islands. (1news) 

Japanese citizens go to the polls to elect members of the upper house of the National Diet. (Nikkei) 

Most of Argentina is placed on “yellow alert” by the National Meteorological Service due to high winds, hail and snowfall. (M1) 

Six people are killed and eight others are wounded in a mass shooting at a party in León, Guanajuato, Mexico. (Infobae) 

In South Africa, 15 people are killed in a mass shooting at a bar in Soweto, Gauteng. Four more are killed at a tavern in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Many others are wounded in both attacks. (BBC News) 

Israeli politicians Benny Gantz and Gideon Saar form a political alliance to compete against Yair Lapid and Benjamin Netanyahu. (Haaretz) 

Saturday, July 9th, 2022 

Four people are wounded in a mass stabbing at a hospital in Shanghai, China. Police open fire and subdue the assailant. (NDTV) 

President Gotabaya Rajapaksa flees his residence in Colombo after protesters storm the residence and clash with police. At least 33 people are injured. Rajapaksa’s resignation is demanded amid the worst economic crisis in Sri Lanka since 1948. (BBC News) 

The office of the Prime Minister announces that Ranil Wickremesinghe has agreed to resign after party leaders in Parliament call for his resignation. (The Irish Times) 

Wickremesinghe’s private residence is set on fire. (Hindustan Times) 

Speaker of the Parliament Mahinda Yapa Abeywardena says that Rajapaksa has agreed to resign on July 13. (Hindustan Times) 

In tennis, Elena Rybakina of Kazakhstan wins her first Grand Slam title after defeating Ons Jabeur of Tunisia in the women’s singles final, 3–6, 6–2, 6–2. Rybakina becomes the first Kazakh player to win a Grand Slam singles title. (The Washington Post) 

The End

Friday,  July 8th, 2022 

Serhiy Haidai, Governor of Luhansk Oblast, says that Russian shelling continues across the oblast and that the 8,000 residents of Sievierodonetsk are on the verge of a “humanitarian catastrophe”. (ABC News) 

Former Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe is shot in the back while giving a speech in Nara, Kansai region, Japan, and later dies from his wounds. Tetsuya Yamagami, a 41-year-old navy veteran, is arrested for the assassination. (BBC News) 

Killnet, a Russian hacker group, launches the largest cyberattack in the history of Latvia, targeting the country’s public broadcaster. The broadcaster says that the attack was repelled. (The Times) 

The legal team representing entrepreneur Elon Musk files a claim to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to officially terminate his deal to purchase Twitter, saying that the company made “false and misleading” statements during negotiations. (The Verge) 

Rogers Communications reports massive outages across Canada, impacting its wireless, cable and internet services, and causing disruptions to banking, government, and emergency services. (CBC News) 

British authorities issue a level 2 warning as a heat wave continues. (The Independent via MSN) 

The U.S. FDA grants approval for the Pfizer–BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for people aged between 12 and 17. (Reuters) 

The U.S. CDC announces that doses of the Jynneos vaccine will be sent to Washington. (KXLY-TV) 

Constitutional Court of Slovenia rules in a 6–3 decision that bans on same-sex couples marrying and adopting children are unconstitutional and gives the Parliament six months to amend necessary laws. (AP) 

A court in Switzerland acquits Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini of illegally arranging payments while they served as presidents of FIFA and UEFA respectively. (BBC Sport) 

Portugal issues warnings of temperatures as high as 43°C amid a drought and wildfires in the hardest-hit areas. (The Washington Post) 

The Central Bank of Peru increases its interest rate from 5.5% to 6.0% in an effort to reduce the rate of inflation, which yesterday reached a 25-year record high. (Infobae) 

Two new deaths from monkeypox are reported in endemic countries in Africa. (Al Jazeera) 

Authorities in Cuba say that dengue fever cases have increased 21.7% from last year and describe the epidemiological situation as “complex”. (Infobae) 

Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves Robles says that his country will apply to join the Pacific Alliance. (Today) 

Thursday, July 7th, 2022 

American basketball player Brittney Griner pleads guilty to drug charges before the Russian court. She faces up to 10 years in prison. (CNN) 

Boris Johnson resigns as the leader of the Conservative Party, planning to remain Prime Minister until a new leader is elected. (BBC News) 

Education Secretary Michelle Donelan resigns after just 36 hours in the post. A total of 61 ministers and aides have now resigned. (Sky News) 

According to the mayor, Russian forces launch airstrikes on the city of Kramatorsk, in Donetsk Oblast, with casualties reported. (Reuters) 

Russia says it has hit Snake Island with missiles, causing an unspecified number of deaths of Ukrainian troops. Ukraine denies any casualties. (Evening Standard) 

According to the UN’s World Food Programme, nearly six million people suffer from food insecurity stemming from the worst economic crisis that the country has experienced since 1948. (WION) 

The government of Laos discusses purchase of oil from sanctions-hit Russia as the country faces oil shortages and nears a debt default. (Business Insider) 

The Central Bank of Ireland announces that inflation will reach above 10%, something not seen in Ireland since the early 1980s. (The Irish Times) 

Tunisian tennis player Ons Jabeur becomes both the first African and first Arab player to reach the final of a Grand Slam tournament after defeating Tatjana Maria in the semifinals of the 2022 Wimbledon women’s singles. (The Guardian) 

The End