Our Top Stories for the Week of July 18, 2022

Updated July 22, 2022 | Infoplease Staff

It’s been a busy week, from world leaders making changes to unbelievable heatwaves. Who has time to keep track of it all? That’s why we’ve boiled it all down to our top stories of the week.

Presidents And World Leaders

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President Xi Visits Xinjiang: On Friday, July 15, President Xi Jinping visited Xinjiang for the first time in eight years amid accusations of genocide against the region’s Muslim Uyghur population. The visit comes after United Nations rights chief Michelle Bachelet was accused of conspiring with Beijing to gloss over China’s human rights abuses. Western nations have urged the United Nations to publish a long-awaited report on Xinjiang.^[1]
President Biden Assured The Middle East Of Continued Partnership: On Saturday, July 16, Joe Biden asserted that the United States will continue to be an involved and active participant in the Middle East. In addition, he urged leaders to view human rights as a potent force for economic and social transformation. Biden’s journey to Saudi Arabia tries to reach an agreement on oil output to reduce gasoline costs, driving inflation to a 40-year high.^[2]
Zelenskiy Fires Top Ukrainian Security Officials: On Sunday, July 17, President Volodymyr Zelenskiy of Ukraine sacked the director of Ukraine’s domestic security agency, the SBU well, as the state prosecutor general. According to Zelenskiy, there are several instances of coordination with Russia by agency officials. Over sixty officials from Venediktova and Bakanov’s agencies began working against Ukraine in Russian-occupied territory, according to him.^[3]
Biden Withdraws Nomination Of Pro-Life Judge: On Friday, July 15, The United States President, Joe Biden, no longer wishes to nominate a Republican as a federal judge in Kentucky due to a lack of support from Republican Senator Rand Paul. Governor Bashear and Representative John Yarmuth of Kentucky were also against the nomination. Chad Meredith would have been an unusual choice as he has defended the restriction of abortion in Kentucky.^[4]
Judge Withdraws Biden’s Directives On Bathroom Use: On Saturday, July 16, a Tennessee judge temporarily stopped President Biden’s directives allowing transgender workers and kids to use gender-specific locker rooms. Judge Charles Atchley Jr. says some states can’t enforce transgender athletes’ sports and facility access. Atchley said the SCOTUS “explicitly refused to pronounce whether sex-segregated toilets, locker rooms, and wardrobe requirements violate Title VII.” Oklahoma Attorney General John O’Connor called Atchley’s verdict a “huge victory for women’s sports, privacy, and safety.”^[5]
Prince Muhammed’s Immunity To Be Delayed: On Monday, July 18, Biden’s government wanted to extend the crown prince’s sentence. The ruling will determine if Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gets sovereign immunity in Jamal Khashoggi’s murder. The Department of Justice has launched a “decision-making process” to determine if it will file a statement of interest by August 1. The brief said, “The U.S. is actively considering the Court’s concerns, but the process requires Executive Branch cooperation.”^[6]
Crisis Heats Up In Sri Lanka As Parliament Elects President: On Wednesday, July 20, Ranil Wickremesinghe was elected president by the parliament. Wickremesinghe, who had been prime minister six times before and was a supporter of Gotabaya Rajapaksa, won a vote in parliament after his predecessor left because of a lack of food, medicine, and gas. His vote total was 134/223. Demonstrators have been calling for him to leave his job for weeks. After being chosen as president, Wickremesinghe said, “It’s time to work together.”^[7]

Source: [1] The Guardian [2] Reuters [3] The Guardian [4] Reuters [5] Reuters [6] The Guardian [7] CNN

Other International Occurrences

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New Marburg Virus Strain Reported In Ghana: On Monday, July 18, according to blood testing, two people in Southern Ashanti were infected with Marburg Virus. Ghana Health Service (GHS) confirmed Senegal’s Pasteur Institute’s diagnosis. GHS head Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said this is the first time Ghana has confirmed Marburg. WHO’s regional head for Africa said health authorities prepared promptly for an epidemic as WHO reports Marburg outbreaks in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, DRC, and Angola.^[1]
More Heatwaves Around The World: On Monday, July 18, record global temperatures. Britain registered 40 degrees Celsius, the highest temperature ever recorded. France, Portugal, and Spain are experiencing wildfires, North America reported similar results, while Argentina and Paraguay battle with hazy skies. According to experts, climate warming has rendered vegetation combustible and soil parched. However, experts reported a drop in global heat levels as the savannahs, responsible for 70 percent of all wildfires, have recorded reduced frequencies due to agricultural expansion and changes in land use.^[2]
Kansas To Vote On Abortion Rights: On Tuesday, July 19, Voters in Kansas will decide if they want to keep making abortions available as Roe v. Wade, which made abortion legal in 1973, was overturned on June 24. The first vote in a state about abortion is on August 2. Since 2019, when the Kansas Supreme Court said that the constitution protects the right to an abortion, Kansas Republicans have tried to ban abortions. Kansas lets people have abortions up to 22 weeks, but they have to wait 24 hours and get permission from their parents.^[3]
Microsoft Launches Drone System Trainer: On Tuesday, July 19, Microsoft announced the introduction of AirSim, a project to enhance business aviation systems. The project permits the testing of hazardous flight sequences. The project provides a virtual, controlled environment for developer testing, allowing them to test through different simulations. The chief executive officer of Microsoft, Josh Riedy, argued that remote-controlled drones might fly independently.^[4]
Funeral Procession of Ivana Trump Held in New York: On Wednesday, July 20, Ivana Trump’s funeral was held in New York. The New York City Chief Medical Examiner reported that Ivana Trump died on July 14 of blunt force injuries to her torso. She was 73 years old. Police said they didn’t think anything wrong happened. Ivanka, Donald Jr., and Eric Trump attended. From 1977 to 1992, Former President Trump was married to Ivana. The affair Donald had with Marla Maples in the 1980s hurt his marriage.^[5]