Thailand Vows Continued Military Action Amid Cambodia Border Clash Despite Trump Ceasefire Claim 
Ukraine Claims First-Ever Underwater Drone Strike on Russian Missile Submarine 
Thousands Protest in Brazil Against Efforts to Reduce Jair Bolsonaro’s Prison Sentence 
Sydney Bondi Beach Terror Attack Kills 16, Sparks Gun Law and Security Debate 
Special Prosecutor Alleges Yoon Suk Yeol Sought North Korea Provocation to Justify Martial Law 
Trump Weighs Reclassifying Marijuana as Schedule III, Potentially Transforming U.S. Cannabis Industry 
U.S. and Mexico Reach New Agreement to Tackle Tijuana River Sewage Crisis 
European Leaders Tie Ukraine Territorial Decisions to Strong Security Guarantees 
Trump’s Rob Reiner Remarks Spark Bipartisan Outrage After Tragic Deaths 
U.S. Offers NATO-Style Security Guarantees to Ukraine as Peace Talks Show Progress 
Trump Sues BBC for Defamation Over Edited Capitol Riot Speech Clip 
Syria Arrests Five Suspects After Deadly Attack on U.S. and Syrian Troops in Palmyra 
Hong Kong Democratic Party Disbands After Member Vote Amid Security Crackdown 
Lukashenko Says Maduro Welcome in Belarus Amid Rising U.S.-Venezuela Tensions 
Zelenskiy Signals Willingness to Drop NATO Bid as Ukraine, U.S. Hold Crucial Peace Talks in Berlin 
Judge Orders Return of Seized Evidence in Comey-Related Case, DOJ May Seek New Warrant 
Belarus Frees Opposition Leaders Maria Kalesnikava and Viktar Babaryka in U.S.-Brokered Deal 
Iraq has been caught in the crossfire in the conflict between the United States and Iran, the tensions having escalated over recent months. The White House announced that US President Joe Biden would be meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi this month.
The White House announced Friday that Biden would be hosting Kadhemi at the White House on July 26 in an effort to reaffirm the strategic partnership between both countries. Ahead of the announcement, Kadhemi spoke with US envoy Brett McGurk regarding the withdrawal of US troops from Iraq. To note, around 3,500 international troops are stationed in Baghdad, 2,500 of which are from the US.
The troops are stationed in the region in order to deter the Islamic State extremist group since 2014. When the two leaders meet, Kadhemi is expected to push for a concrete timetable on US troop withdrawal. However, the withdrawal may take years to fully implement.
This follows the increasing drone and rocket attacks on American targets in Iraq over the recent months. The meeting between the Iraqi PM and McGurk came a little after 14 rockets were launched at the Ain al-Assad airbase, which hosts American troops in western Iraq, along with three other rockets that were fired near the US embassy in Baghdad.
The attacks have been pinned as being caused by pro-Iranian militia groups. The US also launched airstrikes on Iran-backed militia facilities along the Iraq-Syria border.
Biden will also be meeting with another world leader as he is set to meet with Jordan’s King Abdullah II this week at the White House. King Abdullah II would also become the first Arab leader to meet with the new US president. Relations between King Abdullah and Biden would likely be warmer this time after experiencing a strain with Biden’s predecessor Donald Trump.
The king hopes to have a better relationship with Biden, whom he met when he was still vice president to Barack Obama. “Jordan will be looking at a friend in Joe Biden,” said political analyst Osama al-Sharif, speaking with Al Jazeera. “The president will publicly recognize the Hashemites’ special role in East Jerusalem and reinstate Jordan’s role as a key interlocutor in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”
