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Cori Gauff, 15, beats Venus Williams

Though Cori Gauff is only 15, tennis people in the know have been speaking in hushed tones about her talent for years.

With her precocious blend of power, athleticism, court savvy and competitive drive, Gauff was the youngest United States Open junior girls finalist in history at age 13 and the second youngest French Open junior girls champion at age 14.

But even if potential is abundantly clear, it is never clear how a teenager will handle the moment when she takes the court at the highest level against an established champion.

On Monday, tennis got an emphatic answer as Gauff, displaying remarkable poise, upset Venus Williams, 6-4, 6-4, in the first round of Wimbledon.

It was the first Grand Slam singles match of Gauff’s career, and it made quite an impression on those who watched from near and far, including Williams, a five-time Wimbledon singles champion. Two of those titles came before Gauff was born on March 13, 2004, in Delray Beach, Fla.

“I think the sky’s the limit, it really is,” said Williams, who was unseeded at age 39.

Later, she also thanked the Wimbledon organizers, who offered her a wild card into the qualifying tournament despite her world ranking of 313th at the time. She and her father and coach, Corey, got word of the offer by phone when they were on their way to southern France to train during Wimbledon at the academy near Nice operated by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams’s coach.

(NY Times)

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Armed conflict and attacks

• War in Afghanistan; 1 July 2019 Kabul attack
  • 40 people are killed and over 100 injured by a car bombing and shooting in Kabul, Afghanistan. The Taliban claims responsibility and loses five gunmen. (New York Times)
  • Taliban militants overran the Qush Tepa district of Jowzjan Province, resulting in the deaths of over 50 Afghan soldiers. Many others were captured. (ATNNews)
• Iran–Israel conflict during the Syrian Civil War
  • Israel strikes multiple Iranian and Syrian military targets outside Damascus and Homs, killing 16 people and wounding 21. (Haaretz)
  • A stray Syrian S-200 missile fired in response to the Israeli strikes crashes and explodes on a mountain near Vouno in Northern Cyprus, located 20 km (12 miles) northeast of Nicosia, causing no injuries but starting a fire. (Reuters)
• Iranian intervention in Iraq (2014–present), Iran–Iraq relations
  • Iraqi Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mahdi signs a decree ordering all Iranian-backed Shia militias to integrate into the Iraqi Armed Forces by the end of July. The decree will change the names of the militias such as the Popular Mobilization Forces to new divisions and brigades within the military. (Reuters) (Rudaw)
• Nine people were injured in a Houthi drone attack on Saudi Abha International Airport. (Haaretz)

Business and economy

• Whaling in Japan
  • Japan resumes commercial whaling after 30 years following the country’s withdrawal from the International Whaling Commission. At least 227 whales are expected to be killed through to December. (The Guardian)
• Phase-out of lightweight plastic bags
  • A ban on single-use plastic shopping bags comes into force in New Zealand. Businesses that break the ban will face fines of up to $100,000NZD. (Gulf Today)

Disasters and accidents

• At least 16 people are killed and 45 injured when a bus rolls over on a road in Tucumán Province, Argentina. (Clarín)
• In Lower Saxony, Germany, a Bundeswehr helicopter crashes, killing one of the pilots. (DW)
• In Mexico, a storm drops over a metre of hail over parts of Guadalajara, damaging hundreds of houses. (CBC)

International relations

• Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Nuclear program of Iran
  • Iran announces that it has enriched more than 300 kilograms (660 lb) of uranium to 3.67%, contrary to previous agreement. This is still highly insufficient to produce one nuclear weapon. (Deutsche Welle)
• Japan–United States relations, Japan–North Korea relations, 2018–19 Korean peace process
  • After speaking by phone with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Japanese Foreign Minister Tarō Kōno says “he hopes the meeting adds momentum to efforts toward the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula“. Kōno also says that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzō Abe “wants to meet Kim Jong-un to solve the issue of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens“. (Japan Today)
• Libya–Turkey relations
  • After political pressure from Turkey, six Turkish sailors are released from detention by the Libyan National Army under general Khalifa Haftar. (The Guardian)

Law and crime

• France’s interior minister, Christophe Castaner, has asked the Paris police chief to provide explanations about a video that went viral on social media, where law enforcement officers are seen spraying with pepper spray and dragging protesters from the Extinction Rebellion anti-climate change movement. Although the police needed to evict the protesters, who obstructed a transit route, the mechanisms that they used generated negative reactions. (The Guardian)

Politics and elections

• 2019 Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protests
  • Hong Kong anti-extradition bill protesters briefly break into the Legislative Council Complex, which houses the local parliament. (The Guardian)
• LGBT rights in Japan
  • Ibaraki Prefecture becomes the first in Japan to recognize same-sex partnerships. (Japan Today)

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Jim Beam Warehouse Fire Destroys 45,000 Barrels

A fire in Kentucky destroyed a warehouse containing about 45,000 barrels of Jim Beam bourbon after officials let the blaze run its course to avoid ethanol contamination in a nearby creek that runs into the Kentucky River.

The fire started around 11 p.m. in Woodford County on Tuesday and was completely out by noon on Wednesday, fire officials said. No injuries were reported.

“The biggest issue we are dealing with is the environmental aspect,” said Drew Chandler, the Woodford County emergency management director. “If we put the fire out, we are going to dump a lot of water on it and that water will be contaminated.”

He said fire officials did not know what had caused the fire, but a spokeswoman for Jim Beam said she believed lightning had sparked it.

(NY Times)

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Armed conflict and attacks

• Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir
  • Five Pakistani soldiers are killed and one is injured by a bomb blast in Jammu and Kashmir. (Economic Times)
• Syrian Civil War
  • A mass grave containing over 200 bodies is discovered in Raqqa, Syria. The victims, who were shackled and shot in the head, are believed to have been killed by ISIL militants. (Al Jazeera)

Disasters and accidents

• Over one million people in the Japanese prefectures of Miyazaki and Kagoshima are ordered to evacuate their homes due to torrential rainfall. An elderly woman in Kagoshima city died after a mudslide hit her home. (BBC)
• One tourist is killed and several injured when Mt. Stromboli in Italy erupts. (BBC)
• At least 26 people have died after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of Honduras. (BBC)
• At least six people are killed and 190 injured after a tornado hits the city of Kaiyuan in Liaoning Province, China. (Global News)

Law and crime

• Death of Otto Warmbier, North Korea–United States relations
  • The parents of Otto Warmbier, an American student who died in North Korean custody after allegedly being tortured, file a claim for a seized North Korean cargo ship in an attempt to collect on a $501 million judgment they received after suing the country. (Associated Press)

Politics and elections

• Ninth European Parliament
  • David Sassoli of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats is elected President of the European Parliament. (DW)

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Tutankhamun: Bust Egypt says was ‘stolen’ sells for £4.7m

A 3,000-year-old Tutankhamun bust that Egypt claims was stolen has fetched £4.7m ($6m) at auction.

Egypt earlier called on auction house Christie’s to cancel the sale of the relic depicting ancient boy-king Tutankhamun.

The country’s foreign ministry says that the bust was probably stolen from an Egyptian temple during the 1970s.

Christie’s says Egypt has not expressed concern about the bust in the past, despite it being exhibited publicly.

The brown quartzite, 28cm (11in) relic comes from a private collection of ancient art that Christie’s last sold for £3m in 2016.

In a statement, Christie’s said: “The object is not, and has not been, the subject of an investigation.” The auction house said it would never auction an object over which there were legitimate concerns.

Christie’s also published a chronology of the relic’s owners for the past 50 years. The bust is understood to have been acquired from German aristocrat Prinz Wilhelm von Thurn between 1973 and 1974.

The auction house also said that the bust’s existence had been known for a considerable time and it had been on display for a number of years.

Egypt’s former antiquities minister Zahi Hawass told AFP news agency: “We think it left Egypt after 1970 because in that time other artefacts were stolen from Karnak Temple.”

Egypt introduced laws in 1983 banning the removal of artefacts from the country.

Tutankhamun died over 3,000 years ago aged 19. His remains were found in 1922.

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Sanctions against Iran
  • Royal Marines seize control of an oil tanker off the coast of Gibraltar that was en route to Baniyas in Syria, suspected of breaching EU sanctions against Syria, carrying Iranian crude oil. The United Kingdom’s Ambassador to Iran, Robert Macaire, is summoned in Tehran over the incident, which Iran describes as an “illegal seizure”. (BBC)

Art and culture

• Salute to America
  • A major holiday celebration and military parade is held in Washington, D.C., United States, by President Donald Trump to commemorate the Fourth of July/Independence Day. (CNN) (NBC)

Business and Economics

• Lightsource BP, a solar energy developer headquartered in London, has announced that it will acquire utility-scale solar projects in Brazil, 1.9 gigawatts of projects, for an undisclosed sum. This is a major expansion for Lightsource, which is 43% owned by the energy giant BP. (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes
  • An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 with scores of foreshocks and aftershocks hits Southern California, 150 miles (240 km) north of Los Angeles near the city of Ridgecrest. No injuries are reported. The earthquake is the largest in Southern California since October 1999. (CNN) (USGS) (USGS)
• European migrant crisis
  • More than 80 people are missing after a migrant boat capsizes off the coast of Tunisia, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM). (The Guardian)

International relations

• Australia–North Korea relations
  • An Australian student who had been detained in North Korea on June 25 is freed thanks to diplomatic talks between Australia and North Korea via Swedish officials. (Reuters)
• Kosovo–Serbia relations
  • Amid a deterioration in relations, Kosovo bans all Serbian officials from entering the country, in response to “constant propaganda and false news about the country and our citizens” from Belgrade. (RFERL)

Law and crime

• Crime in Virginia
  • A 20-year-old man is charged with stabbing three in a machete attack in a plasma center in Petersburg, Virginia. (Yahoo News)

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California earthquake: Power ‘restored to most’ after 7.1-magnitude quake

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake has rattled parts of Southern California, the biggest tremor to strike in 20 years.

It struck at the shallow depth of 0.9km (0.6 miles) and its epicentre was near the city of Ridgecrest, about 240km north-east of Los Angeles.

A 6.4-magnitude quake hit the same area on Thursday at a depth of nearly 11km.

Emergency officials say the damage is not as bad as they initially feared, with power restored to most who had lost it and food stores trading again.

All of the roads that were damaged by the quake have also now been reopened, they say, but add that crews are still assessing the aftermath.

It’s thought about 3,000 people in Ridgecrest and the surrounding area were left without power.

California Governor Gavin Newsom offered his “heartfelt support” to all those affected, and requested a Presidential Emergency Declaration and federal aid to help.

He later added that there were a number of “minor to moderate level” injuries, and said there were “no reports of any fatalities, so I think we’re very lucky there”.

(BBC)

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Armed conflicts and attacks

• Islamist insurgency in Mozambique
  • ISIL claims responsibility for a Wednesday attack in Nangade District in Mozambique, which killed seven people. (Business Standards)
• Five soldiers of the Israel Defense Forces are injured in a vehicle-ramming attack in Hizma, Palestine. The suspect is still at large. (The Jerusalem Post)
• Syrian Civil War
  • The SNHR says at least 544 civilians (including 130 children) have been killed, and another 2,117 people injured since a Russian-led Syrian government assault on the last rebel bastion in northwestern Syria began two months prior. (Al Jazeera) (Reuters)

Disasters and accidents

• Plantation explosion
  • 23 people are injured in a gas explosion at a shopping mall in Plantation, Florida. (WPLG), (CNN)
• Monotaro Imamura explosion
  • At least 2 company employees are confirmed killed and two more are critically injured in the explosion at the industrial waste processing plant owned by Monotaro due improper handling of spray cans.(nikkei.com)

Law and crime

• American billionaire Jeffrey Epstein is arrested and faces new charges related to alleged sex crimes involving minors. (ABC News)

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