Burundi's parliamentary elections are underway, shadowed by concerns over fairness. The ruling CNDD-FDD party is heavily favored after the main opposition, CNL, faced significant obstacles, including the suspension and barring of its leader, Agathon Rwasa. Amidst a deep socio-economic crisis marked by shortages and high inflation, other candidates report harassment.
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Thomas Mann, a Nobel laureate and literary giant, fled Germany in the 1930s, later using his voice to condemn the Nazi regime through essays and BBC broadcasts. His early success with "Buddenbrooks" propelled him to fame, but his opposition to authoritarianism led to exile and the revocation of his citizenship.
Zohran Mamdani, a New York City mayoral candidate of Indian-Ugandan-American heritage, is strategically employing his cultural background to connect with voters. He released a Hindi video promising rent relief, free buses, and affordable groceries, directly appealing to the South Asian community. Mamdani contrasts himself with Andrew Cuomo, accusing Cuomo of being funded by Trump's donors and making empty promises.
President Trump bristles at the suggestion that his tariff strategy is predictable, dubbed the "TACO trade," where markets react to his threats and subsequent delays. This pattern involves market drops following tariff threats, followed by rebounds when Trump postpones them for negotiations. Wall Street has become accustomed to these fluctuations driven by the president's tariff decisions.
New Zealand's Prime Minister Christopher Luxon considered new privacy laws. This followed allegations against his press secretary, Michael Forbes. Forbes allegedly recorded sex workers without their consent. He also secretly photographed women at the gym. Forbes resigned and apologised for his actions. Luxon expressed shock and questioned the legality of Forbes's behaviour.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth assured Indo-Pacific allies of unwavering support against China's military and economic pressures, highlighting Beijing's aggressive stance on Taiwan and military advancements. He urged regional nations to increase defence spending, cautioning against the risks of balancing relations between the U.S. and China. Hegseth emphasized the U.S. commitment to bolstering its presence in the region.
The transition was made quietly, with MoHAP removing all related service options from its website and discontinuing its WhatsApp-based application system. Residents are now required to navigate a decentralised process based on their emirate of residence.
OPEC+ nations, including Saudi Arabia and Russia, will significantly increase crude oil production by 411,000 barrels per day in July, exceeding initial plans. This accelerated output increase, part of a shift begun in early 2025, has driven oil prices down to $60 per barrel. Analysts suggest Saudi Arabia's move aligns with US President Trump's call to lower prices.
With reports of acute suffering in Gaza flooding the airwaves, EU leaders have toughened their tone on Israel -- but the bloc will need to bridge deep divisions to move from rhetoric to a real-world impact on the conflict. The European Union has long struggled to have an impact on the Mideast conflict due to long-standing divisions between countries who back Israel and those seen as more pro-Palestinian.
China has refuted US accusations of violating a trade tariff reduction agreement reached in Geneva, dismissing them as "bogus charges and unreasonable allegations." Beijing insists it is committed to the consensus, while criticizing the US for imposing discriminatory restrictions, including AI chip export limits and student visa cancellations.