Middle East Power Vacuum Shifts; Sixteen Dead in Kenyan Protests; Anti-Gang Enforcement in Trouble

Good Morning,

In New York, state lawmaker Zohran Mamdani is making a historic bid to become the city's first Muslim and Indian American mayor. Meanwhile, international tensions remain high as Kenya faces deadly protests with sixteen fatalities reported by Amnesty International, while Iran's defense minister makes his first post-war visit to China. NATO summit discussions center on increased defense spending targets of 5% GDP and ongoing Ukraine support, as Europe grapples with its shifting role in Middle Eastern affairs. In Haiti, an international anti-gang force confronts an uncertain future amid continuing security challenges.

Top Stories

• Who is Zohran Mamdani? State lawmaker seeks to become NYC’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor - Associated Press

• Sixteen deaths recorded in Kenya protests, most killed by police, Amnesty Kenya says - Reuters

• Europe Is Irrelevant to the New Middle East - Foreign Policy 

• Iran’s Defense Minister Visits China in His First Trip Since War - Bloomberg

• Defence spend to 5% of GDP, Ukraine, Russia: The key takeaways from the NATO summit - Euro News

• International Force in Haiti Sent to Tackle Gangs Faces Uncertain Future - New York Times

United States

• U.S. offers $5 million reward in search for Afghan-American believed abducted in Kabul in 2022 - CBS

• Who is Zohran Mamdani? State lawmaker seeks to become NYC’s first Muslim and Indian American mayor - Associated Press

• Trump says Nato defence spend rising to 5% of GDP is 'big win' for US and the West - BBC

• Trump calls for Netanyahu corruption trial to be cancelled - The Guardian

• CIA says Iran’s nuclear program ‘severely damaged’ by U.S. strikes - NBC

Africa

• Uganda: MPs Clash Over Campaign Money As Commercialisation of Politics Deepens - All Africa

• Nigerian Army confirms ambush on military base, says terrorists killed soldiers - Premium Times Nigeria

• Burial of Zambia's ex-president in South Africa halted at last minute by court - BBC

• Sixteen deaths recorded in Kenya protests, most killed by police, Amnesty Kenya says - Reuters

• Crackdown on Kenya's Gen Z revolt - France24 

Middle East

• Analysis: A battered Iran faces an uncertain future after its grinding war with Israel - Associated Press

• Why a war in the Middle East hasn't sparked an oil crisis - NPR

• Trump attends NATO summit; president says U.S. and Iran will meet following airstrikes - NBC

• Europe Is Irrelevant to the New Middle East - Foreign Policy 

• World Bank to give Syria $146 million to improve electricity supply - Reuters

Indo-Pacific  

• Iran’s Defense Minister Visits China in His First Trip Since War - Bloomberg

• Japan conducts first missile test on its own territory as part of military buildup to deter China - Associated Press

• Japan aims to regulate social media monetization in disasters - Japan Times

• US strike on Iran highlights China’s need for strategic bombers, analysts say - SCMP

• South Korea court rejects arrest warrant for ex-president Yoon - Reuters

Europe 

• Defence spend to 5% of GDP, Ukraine, Russia: The key takeaways from the NATO summit - Euro News

• France's Socialists file new no-confidence motion against PM Bayrou after pension talks crumble - France24

• Europe wants Trump to sanction Russia. Rubio says not yet. - Politico

• Berlin to end migrant rescue NGO funding - DW

• UK F-35 buy paves way for a return to warplane-based nuclear deterrent - Defense News

Latin America

• More than a thousand schools in Peru have faced threats from criminal gangs - NPR

• International Force in Haiti Sent to Tackle Gangs Faces Uncertain Future - New York Times

• Brazil Congress nixes Lula's financial transactions tax hike - Reuters

• 11 people killed in mass shooting at religious festival in Mexican city plagued by cartel turf wars - CBS

• Ecuador recaptures gang leader wanted in the United States more than a year after his prison escape - Associated Press

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