US-EU reach deal on trade dispute ahead of Biden’s meeting with Putin
President Joe Biden (C) walks with European Council President Charles Michel (R) and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during the United States-European Union Summit at the European Council in Brussels, June 15, 2021.
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US-EU deal
US President Joe Biden moved to end a long-running trade dispute with the European Union over subsidies for aircraft manufacturers, following the NATO summit in Brussels. The deal reached Tuesday includes a five-year truce, a major breakthrough in the US’ trade relationship with the EU after a often rocky relationship during the previous Trump administration. The move ends a 17-year dispute over how much of a government subsidy each side can provide for its aircraft manufacturing giant — Boeing in the US, and Airbus in the EU. The agreement comes ahead of Biden’s meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Biden-Erdoğan
The presidents of the US and Turkey met in Brussels on Monday in a much-anticipated face-to-face on the sidelines of the NATO summit. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said his country would need “diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance” from the US to maintain troops in Afghanistan to protect and run Kabul’s international airport, after the withdrawal of other NATO troops, including US forces. The meeting comes after Biden became the first US president to recognize the Ottoman-era mass killing and deportations of Armenians as “genocide,” something Turkey has denied. “Biden has set a very low bar with Turkey. It is basically to keep Turkey in NATO and Turkey’s democracy vibrant while Erdoğan is on the scene,” Turkish American political scientist Soner Cagaptay told The World’s Marco Werman (?).
COVID-19 delta variant
A resident of Hawaii who traveled to Nevada last month, and was vaccinated against COVID-19, has tested positive for the delta variant of the virus. The variant was first detected in India and could be a more transmissible version of the disease. The variant currently makes up 6% of all cases in the US. Hawaii Health Director Dr. Libby Char said that this is a “very rare breakthrough” case in which a COVID-19 vaccine didn’t prevent infection.
From The World
‘It’s un-British’: UK government crackdown on asylum courts controversy
Since late last year, the British government has been putting male asylum-seekers, arriving on dinghies from France, in a former base called the Napier barracks.
In the past nine months, the site has been hit by hunger strikes, suicide attempts, a fire and an outbreak of COVID-19 that infected nearly 200 men. Repurposing the barracks to hold migrants has been a source of controversy, and earlier this month, a high court judge ruled that the government had acted unlawfully by placing asylum-seekers there.
Copa America soccer championship in Brazil draws protest while coronavirus cases rise
The South American soccer tournament, Copa America, kicked off in Brazil’s capital on Sunday. Although many in the country still support their national team, more than 60% of Brazilians believe the country should not be hosting the games — as only 11% of the population is fully vaccinated, while COVID-19 cases and deaths are again on the rise.
Bright Spot
K-pop juggernaut BTS celebrated its eighth anniversary over the weekend with a virtual two-day concert, to the delight of fans around the world, including devotees in the US who got up at 5:30 a.m. EST to attend the event! ( ?)
In case you missed it
Listen: Biden and Erdoğan reset US-Turkey relations
US President Joe Biden and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan sat down on Monday for a face-to-face meeting on the sidelines of the NATO summit. In the US, there’s a growing push to require public schools to cover the histories of groups left out of history textbooks. Also, G-7 leaders pledged 1 billion vaccine doses to developing countries and agreed to step up action on climate change, but activists say they are unimpressed. And the Copa America soccer tournament kicked off in Brazil this week. A majority of Brazilians think it’s dangerous to host the games amid COVID-19 concerns.
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