The Taliban proposes a three month ceasefire to the Afghan government in exchange for the release of 7,000 captured fighters. Nader Nadery, an Afghan government negotiator, says that it is a "big demand" and that it will be evaluated. This move comes after major territorial gains by the insurgent group. The Taliban also demands that they be removed from a United Nationsblacklist. (BBC News)
Indonesia reports a record for the fourth consecutive day of 56,757 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 2.72 million. (detikNews)
Malaysia reports a record for the third consecutive day of 13,215 new cases of COVID-19, thereby bringing the nationwide total of confirmed cases to 880,782. (CNA)
The United Kingdom reports 48,553 new cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours, which is the highest single-day total of new cases since January 15. (ITV)
Mauritius reopens its borders to vaccinated tourists after being closed for 16 months as part of a two-phase strategy to attract tourists in order to revive the economy from the impact of the pandemic. (Bloomberg)
Papua New Guinea reports its first case of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant in a 65-year-old Filipino who is the captain of a cargo ship which departed from Indonesia on June 26 and arrived in the country almost two weeks later. (SBS)
The Rwandan government announces a lockdown in its capital Kigali and eight other districts from July 17 in an attempt to curb the increase in cases. (Anadolou Agency)
The European Commission launches legal challenges against Hungary and parts of Poland due to their anti-LGBT+ laws. The Commission adds that "Europe will never allow parts of our society to be stigmatized". (DW)
Dutch crime reporter Peter R. de Vries dies in an Amsterdam hospital from complications of gunshot wounds. De Vries had been shot five times outside of an Amsterdam TV studio nine days earlier. Two of the suspects in the shooting are in custody. (Al Jazeera)