India and the UK concluded the eleventh round of talks for the UK-India Free Trade Agreement (FTA) on 18 July in a hybrid manner — some Indian officials attended physically, and others virtually. The two sides held technical discussions across nine policy areas over 42 separate sessions, which involved detailed draft treaty text discussions. Indian Union Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal and Commerce Secretary Sunil Barthwal visited the UK during the negotiations.
Thousands took to the streets in Israel and blocked the roads in protest as the Parliament passed the first bill of a judicial overhaul sought by PM Benjamin Netanyahu. The bill limits the Supreme Court’s powers to quash government decisions if deemed “unreasonable.” The amendment was passed with a 64-0 vote after opposition lawmakers abandoned the session in protest.
Cambodia’s leader, Hun Sen’s Cambodian People’s Party won 120 of 125 seats in Sunday’s general elections and is set to hold power for another five years. The US said the party’s suppression of the opposition meant the vote could not be considered free or fair, and therefore, Washington would take punitive measures in the form of visa restrictions on individuals identified as undermining democracy.
China asserted on Monday that it “has always been strictly implementing UNSC resolutions and seriously fulfilling international obligations” concerning North Korea after members of the G7 and the EU, in a letter, urged Beijing to help stop Pyongyang from evading punitive international measures by using Chinese waters to facilitate their trade of its sanctioned petroleum products.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated on Monday that a man tested positive for the potentially dangerous Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV) in an Abu Dhabi city on the border with Oman. According to the report, health officials examined 108 people with whom the infected person had contact, but no secondary infections were noticed. The WHO claimed no indications that the man had come into contact with dromedary camels, which carry the disease, and provided no additional details on his current situation.
The Belarusian Ministry of Emergency Situations announced on Monday that it is completing the military training of its personnel so that they are ready to assist the defence and internal ministries in case of an armed conflict. Emergency Minister Vadim Sinyavsky told the media that the employees will be prepared to support ministries “in the event of an armed conflict or some kind of riots in which a significant number of personnel must be involved.”