World News in Brief: July 10

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said Wednesday he will use Brazil's rotating presidency of the Southern Common Market, or Mercosur, to resume negotiations for a free trade agreement with Indonesia. Lula made the remarks during talks with visiting Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto.

Visitors are seen during the 4th Annual International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC) in Accra, Ghana, on July 8, 2025. The IMDEC 2025, hosted under the patronage of the Ghana Navy, plays a critical role in augmenting maritime defense initiatives in the Gulf of Guinea and across the African continent. (Photo: Xinhua)
Visitors are seen during the 4th Annual International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (IMDEC) in Accra, Ghana, on July 8, 2025. The IMDEC 2025, hosted under the patronage of the Ghana Navy, plays a critical role in augmenting maritime defense initiatives in the Gulf of Guinea and across the African continent. (Photo: Xinhua)

* A Seoul court on Thursday issued a warrant to arrest former Republic of Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol over last December's martial law decree, marking his second detention in connection with the case, Yonhap news agency reported. The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant after a hearing, following a request by special counsel Cho Eun-suk.

* Chinese Vice Premier Liu Guozhong has stressed the importance of promoting agricultural sci-tech innovation and the application of such advances, and of achieving greater self-reliance and strength in agricultural science and technology to support rural revitalization.

* Singapore will launch a new Business Adaptation Grant by October to help eligible enterprises adjust to the evolving tariff landscape, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Trade and Industry Gan Kim Yong announced Thursday.

* U.S. President Donald Trump sent letters to the leaders of eight countries Wednesday, notifying them that tariffs ranging from 20 percent to 50 percent will be charged on goods imported from these countries starting Aug. 1.

* U.S. President Donald Trump met with leaders from five African nations on Wednesday, noting the United States is shifting its policy toward the continent "from aid to trade."

* U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that the 50 percent tariff on copper, which he announced earlier this week, will start on Aug. 1.

* The European Union (EU) is pushing for a framework of trade agreement in principle with the United States while retaining the options to retaliate, multiple EU officials said on Wednesday.

* Mexican officials will meet with their U.S. counterparts in Washington next week to hold "the best possible negotiation" on trade tariffs, President Claudia Sheinbaum said Wednesday.

* Russia's overnight strike on Kiev on Thursday killed at least two people and injured 16 others, local authorities said. Around 400 emergency workers and 90 units of equipment have been deployed for ongoing search and rescue operations at the affected sites, officials said.

* German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Wednesday urged a profound shift in defense posture. During a press conference with visiting NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in Berlin, Merz stressed his vision for a modernized and capable German military, adding that this transformation will be underpinned by a massive increase in defense spending, which is set to more than double by 2029.

* The 9th OPEC International Seminar opened in Vienna on Wednesday, bringing together global energy leaders to discuss key issues including energy transitions, market stability, energy security, investment, technology, and innovation.

* New Zealand saw a net migration loss of 30,000 people to Australia in the year ending December 2024, according to the statistics department Stats NZ on Thursday.

* Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis announced on Wednesday that Greece will temporarily suspend the processing of asylum applications for migrants arriving by sea from Africa.

* Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan indicated Wednesday progress in the disarmament process of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) and reaffirmed Türkiye's commitment to a terror-free future.

* Israel has submitted a new proposal to Qatari mediators for a partial withdrawal of its forces from Gaza, amid indirect talks on a ceasefire-for-hostages deal with Hamas, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported on Wednesday.

* Hamas said on Wednesday night that it has agreed to release 10 hostages, while noting that the ongoing Gaza peace talks with Israel still face "difficulty."

* Jordan on Wednesday resumed sending humanitarian aid convoys to the Gaza Strip, the Jordan Hashemite Charity Organization (JHCO) said in a statement on Wednesday.

* The Israeli military said it has intercepted a missile launched from Yemen toward Israel in the early hours of Thursday, after air raid sirens sounded in several areas, including Tel Aviv.

* Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday issued a series of decrees establishing the Development Fund, the Sovereign Fund, and the Supreme Council for Economic Development, as part of efforts to support the war-torn country's reconstruction, the state-run SANA news agency reported.

* Iranian Health Minister Mohammad-Reza Zafarghandi has said close to 700 civilians were killed in Israeli attacks on Iran during June 13-24.

* China secured a steady summer grain harvest in 2025, with a total output reaching about 149.74 million tonnes, official data showed on Thursday.

* Foreign direct investment (FDI) net inflows into the Philippines rose by 7.1 percent year-on-year in April 2025, reaching 610 million USD, the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) said Thursday.

* Thailand's economy is projected to slow in the remainder of the year as U.S. tariff policies hit exports amid global trade uncertainty, the central bank said on Wednesday.

* The Malaysian central bank said on Wednesday that it has decided to reduce the overnight policy rate (OPR) by 25 basis points to 2.75 percent, amid global uncertainties.

* Remittances sent by overseas Pakistani workers rose by 26.6 percent to a record 38.3 billion USD in fiscal year 2024-25 (FY25), up from 30.3 billion dollars in FY24, the State Bank of Pakistan said Wednesday.

* The number of measles cases in the United States has hit the highest level in more than 30 years, according to the data released Wednesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

* Cambodia reported about 7,000 dengue fever cases in the first half of 2025, similar to the number of cases during the same period last year, a health official said on Thursday.

* Thirty-one workers, who were trapped following a tunnel collapse in the Wilmington area of Los Angeles on Wednesday evening, have been rescued, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.

* A deadly heatwave that swept across Europe in recent weeks has taken a heavy toll on Italy, triggering wildfires, injuring dozens, and contributing to a surge in heat-related deaths, according to local authorities and international research data.

* Some 1,900 Syrian families have been directly affected, with thousands more at risk, as wildfires continue to ravage Syria's northwestern province of Latakia for an eighth consecutive day, the United Nations (UN) humanitarian agency said Wednesday.

* China's national observatory issued a yellow alert on Thursday, warning of downpours in some regions of the country.

Xinhua
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