BIG Wrap

(Al Jazeera Media Network) On Thursday, the acting United States Navy secretary, Hung Cao, was asked by a Senate committee about $14 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan that Congress has approved but that President Donald Trump needs to sign off on. “Right now we’re doing a pause,” said Cao, “in order to make sure we have the munitions we need for Epic Fury – which we have plenty.” Epic Fury is the name of the US...

(BBC News) At least 82 people have been killed and two are missing after a coal mine blast in northern China, according to state media. The gas explosion at the Liushenyu Coal Mine in Shanxi province is the worst mining disaster in China since 2009. There were 247 workers reportedly on duty when the blast happened at 19:29 local time (11:29 GMT) on Friday, with more than 100 people said to be saved and hundreds of...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Venezuela has emerged as India’s third-largest crude oil supplier this month, as the war on Iran and the closure of the Strait of Hormuz force countries to scramble for alternative energy sources. Shipments from Venezuela to India are nearly 50 percent higher than they were in April, according to energy tracking data. Venezuelan Acting President Delcy Rodriguez is expected to travel to India next week to discuss oil sales, United States Secretary of State...

(BBC News) Russian President Vladimir Putin has promised retaliation after accusing Ukraine of carrying out a deadly attack on a student dormitory in an occupied part of eastern Ukraine. Six people were killed and 39 injured in the overnight strike in the town of Starobilsk, Luhansk region, Putin said. Another 15 people were missing. Ukraine's military said it hit the headquarters of Russia's elite Rubicon drone military unit in Starobilsk. It did not say whether it...

(BBC News) Single-sex spaces — such as changing rooms and toilets — must be used on the basis of biological sex, new guidance from the UK equalities watchdog has confirmed. This means, for instance, that a trans woman — a biological male who identifies as a woman — should not use female toilets or changing rooms, according to the code of practice. The guidance, produced by the Equalities and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and now approved...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) The ⁠African Union and India have postponed the ⁠India-Africa ⁠Forum Summit scheduled for next week in ‌New Delhi, due to ⁠the “evolving health situation in parts of Africa”. India’s Ministry of External Affairs made the announcement on Thursday as health officials in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) are battling a growing Ebola disease outbreak. The decision was made in recognition of “the importance of ensuring the full participation and engagement...

(BBC News) The US has charged former Cuban leader Raúl Castro with conspiracy to kill US nationals and other crimes over the 1996 downing of two planes between Cuba and Florida. The case unveiled on Wednesday accuses Castro and five others in the shooting down of the aircraft belonging to Cuban-American group Brothers to the Rescue and killing four people, including three Americans. Castro, now 94, was then head of the country's armed forces and faced...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) Bolivia’s President Rodrigo Paz has said he will reorganise his cabinet as he faces calls to resign amid weeks of widespread protests. During a news conference on Wednesday, Paz said he would reshuffle his ministers in a bid to ease tensions with antigovernment protesters. “We need to reorganise a cabinet that must be able to listen,” Paz told reporters. Since taking office in November, Paz and his government have faced backlash to economic restructuring...

(BBC News) At least 100 deaths have been reported in an Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with more than 390 cases suspected, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has told the BBC. Jean Kaseya warned that with no approved drugs or vaccines people should follow public health measures, including at funerals of Ebola victims. There are also two confirmed cases and one death in Uganda, says the US...

(Al Jazeera Media Network) India’s Tata Electronics has signed a deal with the Dutch technology giant ASML (Advanced Semiconductor Materials Lithography) to build India’s first front-end semiconductor fabrication plant as New Delhi pushes to develop a domestic semiconductor manufacturing base. Front-end manufacturing refers to the building of microscopic circuits onto a blank silicon wafer using specialised lithographic machines. ASML is a pioneer of lithographic technology used in the mass production of microchips across the world. “India’s...