China

• China’s second quarter GDP data came out today, and it painted a bleak picture of the heavy toll strict COVID lockdowns are taking on the economy: GDP fell 2.6% vs. the previous quarter, and year-over-year growth of 0.4% was far below analysts’ expectations.
• The Chinese government summoned Alibaba executives to investigate allegations that the company stole police data. News of the investigation rattled investors, who fear government penalties that will harm sales.

Saudi

• Pres. Biden is supposed to meet with Saudi’s King Salman and Crown Prince MBS today. The MBS meeting was only confirmed last night: there were rumors that neither side wanted to seem eager to meet.
• Separately, Saudi said it would start allowing direct flights from Israel, but it wasn’t as harmonious of a rapprochement as Israel has had with Bahrain, Morocco, and the UAE: Israel thanked Saudi for the gesture but said it would maintain “necessary caution, for the sake of Israel’s economy, security and the good of our citizens” in its dealings with Saudi.

Russia

• WNBA star Brittney Griner’s trial is expected to wrap up today in Russia. Griner pleaded guilty to drug charges in hopes that it would win her a more lenient sentence than the maximum of 10 years (I’m not sure if she’ll be sentenced today or at a later date).

Iran

• Sweden convicted Hamid Noury, a former Iranian official, for his role in the deaths of thousands of opposition supporters back in his homeland in 1988. The conviction was a long time coming: Noury was apparently lured to Sweden in 2019 for the purpose of arresting him to face trial. It’s the first time an Iranian official has been convicted outside of Iran for crimes committed in Iran.

Mozambique

• The Southern African Development Community’s (SADC’s) 16 members agreed to extend the bloc’s deployment to northern Mozambique beyond the previously approved end date of today.
• When SADC leaders meet in mid-August, they’ll vote on whether to continue extending the mission. It could go either way: the mission has largely been successful in pushing jihadists out of major towns, but the insurgents are still terrorizing a large swath of land with frequent raids.

Mali

• While the SADC is extending its mandate in Mozambique, Mali’s junta said it will suspend new rotations of UN peacekeepers over disagreements with the UN.
• European troops have almost all departed Mali since the coup, so suspending UN peacekeeping operations will leave Mali’s security in the hands of the Wagner Group mercenaries the junta hired.