CHINA - Chinese authorities on Sunday violently dispersed a peaceful protest by hundreds of depositors, who sought in vain to demand their life savings back from banks that have run into a deepening cash crisis. Since April, four rural banks in China’s central Henan province have frozen millions of dollars worth of deposits, threatening the livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of customers in an economy already battered by draconian Covid lockdowns. Anguished depositors have staged several demonstrations in the city of Zhengzhou, the provincial capital of Henan, over the past two months, but their demands have invariably fallen on deaf ears. Last month, Zhengzhou authorities even resorted to tampering with the country’s digital Covid health-code system to restrict the movements of depositors and thwart their planned protest, sparking a nationwide outcry.

USA - Texas’ electricity regulator warned residents and businesses to reduce the amount of power they use on Monday as the heat index was forecast to soar above 100 degrees Fahrenheit, putting a strain on the state’s grid and potentially leading to rolling blackouts across the state. Thermostats should be turned up at least one degree Fahrenheit, and major appliances should not be used from 2 pm to 8 pm Central time on Monday, according to an alert from the regulator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages about 90 percent of the state’s electric load. The alert is one step before an Energy Emergency Level 1, which would allow the regulator to tap electricity from other grids nearby when reserves are dangerously low. If the situation worsens, ERCOT can order transmission companies to cut off power to industrial customers and residential consumers. Local news reports have suggested that the power grid in Texas, which has failed in previous heat waves and natural disasters, could be at its breaking point.

USA - In the days after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, a host of countries announced momentous hikes in military spending. Canada and the United States both released plans for new military expenditures. So did Australia. So far, 29 European states have pledged more than a combined $209 billion in new defense funding — a figure that will almost certainly rise. The European Commission has declared that “investments will be needed to replenish the depleted stocks of military equipment,” and Josep Borrell, the EU’s top foreign policy official, has called for the bloc “to spend together, more, and better” on its armed forces.

UKRAINE - General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said that Ukraine publicly requested a long list of weapons, including 1,000 howitzers, 500 tanks and 300 multiple launch rocket systems. Journalists noted that they could see Milley's indignation about Kyiv's unbridled appetite. In his speech, the General meticulously listed all the weapons that the international community already supplied to Ukraine:

HOLLAND - Dutch Climate and Energy Minister Rob Jetten told reporters on Wednesday that he has asked German Economy Minister Robert Habeck if Germany’s last three nuclear power plants could be kept open. However, Jetten said that this likely won’t be possible. Germany shut down three of its last six nuclear power plants last year, and is currently set to close the remaining three by the end of this year. The closures will take place even after Germany voluntarily shut down the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline from Russia and reduced Russian energy imports through other connections, and as renewable energy delivers lackluster results for Europe’s predominant industrial power. The Netherlands plans to stop importing Russian gas this year, and with its government hesitant to drill in the gas-rich province of Groningen, officials are looking to their neighbor for help.

EUROPE - The EU doesn't have a plan for life without cheap Russia energy, so what happens next? As Germany reports its first trade deficit in 30 years, the prospects for West European industry look grim thanks to the US-led sanctions on Russia. Germany’s May foreign trade balance showed a €1 billion deficit. This has led many analysts to question the future of the country's economy and the outlook for the European Union in general.

WALES - Parents seeking to ban the Welsh Government’s controversial Relationship and Sex Education (RSE) whole-school curriculum, starting this September, are facing administrative bureaucracy. Despite in May, a High Court declared the Government’s plans involve “the consideration of complex constitutional matters with potentially very significant consequences for both parents and children”, Court administrators in Cardiff have decided to delay scheduling the case till after the start of the new academic year. Further, the London-based Queen’s Counsel instructed by the Government is not available till early November!

SAUDI ARABIA - One million Muslim pilgrims gathered in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, on Thursday to begin the largest Hajj, or annual Islamic pilgrimage, the Kingdom has seen since before the Chinese coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020, Arab News reported. “A million pilgrims began the spiritual journey of a lifetime as the first rituals of the annual Hajj began,” the Riyadh-based newspaper wrote on July 7. “Hundreds of thousands of worshippers circled Islam’s holiest site, the Kaaba at the Grand Mosque in Makkah [Mecca]. Many held umbrellas to block the sun as the temperature climbed to 42C [107.6 Fahrenheit],” Arab News observed. “On Thursday [July 7], the pilgrims will move to a vast tented city at Mina, about 5 kilometers [3 miles] from the Grand Mosque, ahead of the main rite at Mount Arafat, where the [Islamic] Prophet Muhammad delivered his final sermon,” the newspaper detailed. The Hajj is an annual pilgrimage to Islam’s holiest site in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The journey is required of all able-bodied Muslims at least once in their lifetime, as long as they can afford the trip. The Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, which also include a profession of faith, prayer, alms, and fasting.

CHINA - Beijing is acquiring weapons five times faster than the US and at a far lower cost, a Pentagon official has warned. China is building its arsenal of new weapons five to six times faster than the US and at a small fraction of the cost, gaining a strategic advantage that Washington can’t afford to leave unchecked, a top Pentagon official has lamented. “In purchasing power parity, they spend about $1 to our $20 to get to the same capability,” US Air Force Major General Cameron Holt said at an industry conference in San Diego. “We are going to lose if we can’t figure out how to drop the cost and increase the speed in our defense supply chains.” Holt, who oversees all weapons procurement as deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force, made his comments at a conference for federal government contractors last month. The speech came to light this week, however, when an online magazine called the War Zone reported on it.

GERMANY - Almost half of Germans believe Ukraine should cede territory in the country’s east to reach a peace deal with Russia, according to a fresh poll by broadcaster RTL. While 47% of Germans back the idea of Ukraine making territorial concessions to Russia, some 41% oppose it. The remaining 12% of respondents were unsure, according to the poll. A vast majority – some 69% – of Germans do not believe that Kiev will be able to defeat Russia on the battlefield and drive its troops out of the country.

EUROPE - The European Parliament on Wednesday backed EU rules labelling investments in gas and nuclear power plants as climate-friendly, throwing out an attempt to block the law that has exposed deep rifts between countries over how to fight climate change. The vote paves the way for the European Union proposal to pass into law, unless 20 of the bloc's 27 member states decide to oppose the move, which is seen as very unlikely. The new rules will add gas and nuclear power plants to the EU "taxonomy" rulebook from 2023, enabling investors to label and market investments in them as green.

USA - The endless drought in the Southwest has become a full-blown national emergency. If Lake Mead, Lake Powell and the Colorado River keep drying up at the rate they have been, millions of Americans could soon be without water and electricity. Despite all of our advanced technology, those living in the Southwest continue to be extremely dependent on a handful of critically important water sources, and if those water sources get so low that they cannot be used we are going to have a major crisis on our hands.

UK - Tracking and surveillance tech is finding its use in yet another segment of public life in the West – road traffic. Starting in 2022, cars in the UK will be fitted with speed limiters as a mandatory measure, and the most commonly used variety is the Intelligent Speed Assistant (ISA). ISA works using GPS data alone, cameras for traffic sign recognition fitted to the front of the car, or a combination of the two. A speed limiter affects the engine power and in that way decreases speed. Like the name suggests, speed limiters are designed to prevent drivers from exceeding certain speed limits, and prompt them via audio, visual, and haptic warnings until they “obey” and slow down. The UK is essentially joining the EU in mandating this technology for all new cars, despite the fact the country has left the bloc. For the moment, they are “opt-in,” since drivers can still turn them off. But, the plan is to remove this option completely.

EUROPE - Germany and the EU depend on Chinese companies for access to Lithium, one of the most important raw materials for the energy transition. Chinese companies dominate the global lithium sector – not only in mining, but also in processing and battery production. For the US to catch up to China in the lithium sector, it could take decades and at least US $175 billion in investments, according to estimates. The required investment would be no less for Germany and the EU.

SRI LANKA - Sri Lanka is rocked by crisis as thousands of protestors storm the president's house in the capital of Colombo over public anger at the government's handling of an economic crisis. A planned rally, one of the largest anti-government marches in the crisis-hit country this year, turned violent as thousands of demonstrators surged into the presidential compound of Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. Some protesters, holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets, broke into the president's residence, video footage from local TV news NewsFirst channel showed. Two defence ministry sources said President Gotabaya Rajapaksa was removed from the official premises on Friday for his safety ahead of the planned rally over the weekend. The island of 22 million people is struggling under a severe foreign exchange shortage that has limited essential imports of fuel, food and medicine, plunging it into the worst economic crisis since independence in 1948.