Flagship

Modi in Russia, Orbán in China

India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday, while Hungarian leader Viktor Orbán made a surprise visit to China. The dual displays of affection by Beijing and Moscow reflect their efforts “to create a multipolar world order not dominated by the United States,” The Washington Post wrote. Modi’s trip is a projection of India’s autonomy, analysts said, as New Delhi fosters ties with Russia despite the West’s goal of making Putin a global pariah. And in meeting with Orbán and calling for a “ceasefire” in Ukraine, Chinese leader Xi Jinping gave another diplomatic point to Putin, who has accused the West of prolonging the war by backing Ukraine and not giving in to Russia’s demands.

Russia strikes hospital ahead of summit

In a rare daytime attack, Russia launched its largest airstrike on Ukraine in months on Monday, destroying a children’s hospital in Kyiv and killing dozens. Russia fired more than 40 missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, as his chief of staff called for the attack to be “one of the key topics” at this week’s NATO summit in Washington, adding that the missiles contained “dozens of microelectronics produced in NATO countries.” Ukraine was already set to dominate discussions at the summit, which could result in agreements to boost the country’s air defense systems. But amid political uncertainty in the US, ​​the summit “has gone from an orchestrated spectacle to one of the most anxious gatherings in modern times,” a senior US official told The Washington Post.

Biden dares skeptics: ‘Run against me’

US President Joe Biden on Monday made his most forceful rebuttal yet to calls urging him to drop his bid for reelection. He wrote a letter to Democratic lawmakers saying he is “firmly committed to staying in this race.” And in a move some analysts said was straight out of Donald Trump’s playbook, Biden called in to a morning talk show to rail against party “elites” questioning his ability to win in November. “If any of these guys don’t think I should run, run against me. Go ahead,” he said. That defiant strategy — reframing the discourse around class and criticizing the media — is perhaps Biden’s “only path to survival now,” Politico’s senior political columnist wrote.

Chinese EV makers look to Global South

Chinese electric vehicle makers are adapting to tougher tariffs and market prospects in the US and Europe by expanding in the Global South. EV giant BYD on Monday announced it will build a $1 billion plant in Turkey, which has a customs agreement with the European Union. Meanwhile in Africa, Neta Auto recently opened a flagship store in Kenya — its first on the continent — and Xpeng Motors unveiled plans to sell two EV models in Egypt. Southeast Asia, in particular, has witnessed a boom in Chinese EVs: Just last week, BYD opened its first regional factory, in Thailand. “Southeast Asia’s relatively neutral geopolitical stance provides a window of opportunities for companies from China to expand,” one Hong Kong-based economist said.

Labour win could shift China policy

The UK’s new Labour government could lead a shift in the country’s stance toward China. Relations have deteriorated in recent years, and new Prime Minister Keir Starmer has promised a “full audit” of London’s China policy. Labour’s government could offer a diplomatic reset of sorts, but a major policy shift is unlikely in the short term, analysts said. Starmer should take a “tough but low-key approach,” a Foreign Policy columnist argued, finding areas of cooperation, like AI and climate, while increasing diplomatic ties to make it easier to criticize Beijing when needed. Aiming for “stability” isn’t realistic, as “relations with China are likely to remain inherently unstable.”

Macron’s hubris is his tragedy

A lengthy profile in Politico detailed the hubris and tragedy of French President Emmanuel Macron, describing him as a charismatic but deeply lonely and self-obsessed figure. Macron revels in his own audacity, the outlet’s top Europe editor wrote, which was most on display when he called a snap election that resulted in losses for his centrist alliance, but also kept the far right from winning a majority. While that gamble may have paid off by keeping far-right parties from power, many French voters still see Macron as weird, arrogant, and out of touch. “He wants to seduce everyone,” a member of his inner circle said. “But much of France has a personal, violent hatred for him… it is in our DNA to want to decapitate our leader.”

Tax break for migrants attracts backlash

Germany’s plan to offer skilled migrants a 30% tax break has drawn backlash from the country’s trade unions. The idea was to entice immigrants who might be put off by the country’s comparatively high taxes. Germany’s population is rapidly aging — there are about three working-age people for every person of retirement age; by 2050, that ratio will be two to one — and the country sees migrants as a means to support its social security system. But unions warned against “taxing immigrant workers differently than your own people.” The sentiments reflect a growing national unease: Waves of mass migration in the last decade, notably from Syria, have strained public services, while 70% of Germans say they are unhappy with migration levels.

Join Semafor on July 10th in Washington, DC, for an in-depth discussion featuring Rohit Chopra, Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau; Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-Wyoming); Jonathan McKernan, Director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Guilherme Horn, Head of WhatsApp for Strategic Markets at Meta; Kenneth Lin, Founder & CEO of Intuit Credit Karma; among others. The conversation will focus on fostering a regulatory environment that supports innovation while ensuring financial stability and security.

RSVP for in-person or livestream access here.

Singapore approves insects as food

Singapore approved 16 insects for human consumption with immediate effect. The bugs, which include grasshoppers, locusts, and silkworms, can be imported, farmed, or processed into food for humans or used to feed animals intended for human consumption. The Singapore Food Agency’s guidelines stress the need for insects to have a history of being consumed as food, like fried grasshopper, which is traditionally eaten in Southeast Asia. The United Nations has touted insects as a sustainable alternative to other protein-rich foods, like beef. Some Singaporean eateries are embracing the change, the South China Morning Post reported, with one saying diners can expect their bugs to be served clean and lightly toasted.

Taliban ignores women Olympians

Afghanistan’s Taliban government does not recognize the female athletes representing the country at this year’s Olympics. Three women and three men from Afghanistan qualified for the Olympics, but a Taliban spokesperson said, “only three athletes are representing Afghanistan.” The athletes, all but one of whom live outside the country, will compete under the flag of the ousted Western-backed government, and Paris 2024 officials have said no Taliban representatives are allowed to attend the games. The president of the country’s national Olympic committee has himself lived in exile since the Taliban took power in 2021 and banished women from sport, schools, and almost all professions.

US funds search for blood alternative

The Pentagon has committed $46 million to developing a substitute for human blood. Blood loss kills 20,000 people a year in the US and two million worldwide, a mortality rate made more acute by the fact that donor blood has a short shelf life (42 days), and there’s just not enough of it to keep up. Artificial blood could fill the void: One potential substitute, Erythromer, a freeze-dried powder made of synthetic blood cells and plasma that can be mixed with saline when needed, has shown promise in animal tests, Science reported. Now, the US Department of Defense is offering a grant to develop Erythromer for military use, which if successful could also reduce the chronic blood shortage across the globe.

July 9:

• The UN Security Council meets to discuss a Russian attack on Kyiv’s main children’s hospital.
• Europe is set to launch its Ariane 6 rocket.
• Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits China.

Singer Justin Timberlake’s mugshot has been turned into art. An artist duo in New York transformed the police photograph taken following his arrest for driving while intoxicated into an Andy Warhol-style portrait made using inkjet prints on canvas. “Andy Warhol’s genius was in knowing which images would capture and evoke a moment in time, and Justin’s mugshot seemed to me to do exactly that,” one of the artists told Artnet. The portrait, titled Tuesday Night Out Featuring Justin Timberlake, is on sale for $520 at a gallery near the hotel Timberlake visited before being charged. “We’ve been getting calls from all around the world — Germany, Australia, and Canada, as well as all over the United States,” the gallery owner said.

• Top Democratic lawyer backs mysterious news site.
• West Africa bloc tries to dissuade three junta-led states from breakaway plan.
• Biden’s public image remains vulnerable to party revolt.