המכללה האקדמית ספיר, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Summary:

• Following the armed drone attack on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman, both the United States, the United Kingdom, and Israel suspect Iran for the strike which killed two. 
• The Zodiac operated tanker was hit on Thursday, moving to the United States under the country’s naval escort, and killed one Romanian and one British national citizen.
• After the United States responded to the distress call and ordered a forensic inspection, it was confirmed that multiple drones were involved, although no blame was formally stated.  
• Israel’s foreign minister Yair Lapid claimed “Iranian terrorism” in response to the breach of international law, and stated on Friday how “Iran is not just a Israel problem… The World must not be silent.” 
• The accusations come during high tensions between Iran and Israel, who both have blamed each other for similar incidents on ships within the same coast. 
• Lapid also stated how he stressed to British Foriegn secretary the need for a “tough response” towards Iran.  
• On top of investigations by the UK Maritime Time Operations naval authority, the United States Department stated they were “monitoring the situation closely,” while the UK government urgently tries to “establish the facts.” 
• Iran has yet to formally respond to allegations or address the attack. 

Sources:

• https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/israel-blames-iran-attack-tanker-oman-coast-killed-two-n1275586
• https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57977702
• https://www.cnn.com/2021/07/31/middleeast/iran-israel-tanker-attack-drone-oman-intl/index.html

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OTHER HEADLINES

30,000 Afghanis Are Forced to Flee Weekly as Taliban Strengthens Hold on Country

TheMapLurker, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• As the Taliban tightens it’s hold on Afghanistan, up to 30,000 Afghanis flee the extremist groups’ harsh military agenda each week. 
• In what the United Nations are calling a “humanitarian crisis,” it was reported that over 300,000 Afghans have been displaced in 2021, raising concerns from countless countries on the potential refugee crises. 
• The Biden Administration has agreed to evacuate 2,500 Afghans following the pullout of troops and NATO forces earlier this year, stating their hope to “continue to relocate more [Afghans] over the course of the next few weeks.”
• Still, many face displacement over the coming months as the rate of illegal crosses of the border jumped up to 40% after military pullout. 

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Billboard Depicting Macron as Hitler Deemed Blasphemy

Kremlin.ru, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• A billboard showing French President Emmanuel Macron dressed like Adolf Hitler was posted as a form of political satire. Macron has sued the French street advertiser, alleging that it was a public insult and blasphemous.
• The billboard was posted as a response to France’s recent Covid-19 policies, which have sparked protests and outrage by thousands in France, with some even comparing Macron to a dictator.
• This case is controversial due to cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad that were offensive and blasphemous to Muslims around the world, but deemed freedom of expression and therefore legal. Macron not allowing this billboard due to his personal offense is seen as hypocrisy by some.

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Olympics Update: Doping, Anger Frustrations, and China Leading in Golds

Joshua Sadli from Melbourne, Australia, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• China currently has the most gold medals, and is tied with the USA for number of total medals.
• Blessing Okagbare, a Nigerian sprinter, has been suspended temporarily from the Olympics for doping and using human growth hormones prior to competing.
• Fares Elbakh, a Qatari weightlifter, won a gold medal and became Qatar’s first Olympic champion.
• Simone Biles, American gymnast, has withdrawn from two more gymnastic tournaments due to mental health reasons. USA Gymnastics announced that “she will continue to be evaluated daily to determine whether to compete in the finals for floor exercise and balance beam.”
• After losing his bronze medal matches, Novak Djokovic threw his racket into the stands and destroyed another racket by slamming it into the net. 

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Turkey Faces “Disaster Areas” as Wildfires Rage on

Bureau of Land Management, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

• Turkey continues to battle through wildfires, with animals, agricultural land, and houses burning for the past week. Hot weather has exacerbated the situation.
• Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has declared many parts of Turkey a “disaster area”. Erdogan flew over disaster areas on a helicopter and stated that steps would be taken to ​​”heal our nation’s wounds, compensate for its losses, and improve its opportunities.”
• Six people have died in total, including two firefighters. Tourists on the Mediterannean coast had to be evacuated as a precaution. Private boats and yachts were used to assist evacuations.

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Saturn and Jupiter Reaching Opposition This Month

Kevin Gill from Nashua, NH, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

• Earth will be positioned between Saturn and the Sun on August 1st and 2nd, making it appear more luminous in the night sky when seen with a telescope. This is defined as the planet’s opposition.
• Saturn will appear especially bright for the rest of the month. On August 19th, Jupiter is expected to be the brightest planet in the sky, reaching its highest point at midnight.
• This viewing will be best available to people in North America, and this occurrence happens roughly once a year. Saturn’s largest moon, Titan, is expected to also be visible.

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