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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | China urges U.S. to stop unilateral coercive measures against Venezuela
A Chinese representative on Wednesday urged the United States to stop imposing excessive unilateral coercive measures on Venezuela, describing the approach as "typical power politics and coercive diplomacy," when speaking at the 53rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on the Venezuela issue.
The representative said the U.S. measures seriously impede Venezuela's economic and social development, as well as its efforts to improve people's livelihood, and damage Venezuelans' basic human rights.
China firmly safeguards the UN Charter and the basic principles of international relations, and respects the development path chosen by the Venezuelan people, the representative said.
Top 2 |** Biden remarks on gun violence following multiple mass shootings**
U.S. President Joe Biden issued a statement to the nation following a spate of mass shootings and gun violence that recently rocked the country.
Biden also mentioned last year's 4th of July mass shooting where a shooter opened fire with an assault weapon at a parade in Highland Park, Illinois.
Many conservatives and gun-rights advocates have opposed any type of gun reform or rules that they feel encroach on their Second Amendment right.
Two separate mass shootings on Monday, July 3 left at least seven dead and 10 injured, according to police.
Top 3 |** IAEA finds Japan's 'treated water' release plan consistent with safety standards**
Japan's plan on dumping the treated nuclear wastewater is expected to move forward as the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) endorsed the plan, saying it's consistent with IAEA safety standards, on Tuesday.
The country has evoked waves of doubts and concerns over safety since it announced it would discharge the treated radioactive wastewater into the sea last year, a plan strongly opposed by local fishing communities and neighboring countries.
The Fukushima plant has stored around 1.3 million cubic meters of treated water. As the storage space is about to run out, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has been rushing the plan to dump the wastewater into the ocean.
Top 4 |** Iran hails admission to SCO as 'positive development'**
Iran said on Monday that its upcoming admission to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) as a full member state will promote regionalism and facilitate the economic development of other member states.
At a weekly press conference held in the Iranian capital of Tehran, Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani hailed Iran's SCO membership, which is expected to be approved at the 23rd meeting of the SCO Council of Heads of State on July 4, as a "positive development" for the organization.
The development is in the interests of both Iran and other SCO member states, he said, adding Iran's admission to the SCO will increase the influence of the SCO as an important regional organization whose member states include strong economies.
Top 5 | Protestors rally against Florida's new law that hurts migrants
Hundreds of migrants in the agricultural town of Homestead, Florida took to the streets in protest of a new law, SB-1718 that went into effect Saturday, July 1.
Local organizations report that the passage of the law has prompted many undocumented immigrants to flee the state, negatively impacting businesses that have historically relied on immigrant labor. Other migrants at the rally promised to fight back.
The controversial law imposes penalties on Florida businesses that choose not to use E-Verify, a federal database system, to check the legal status of their employees. It makes it a felony for anyone to "knowingly" transport an undocumented worker into the state.
Top 6 | Guatemala's top court orders presidential ballot review
Guatemala's top court on Saturday ordered ballots from the first-round presidential election to be reviewed after the front-runner's party and allies challenged the results, setting up the potential for a recount ahead of the runoff vote.
Former first lady Sandra Torres is set to face off in the decisive second round on Aug. 20 with anti-graft candidate Bernardo Arevalo, who bucked forecasts to become the runner-up as anger over years of corruption scandals dominated voter sentiment.
Torres took 15.8 percent of the vote in the June 25 round, with Arevalo close behind with 11.8 percent. Some analysts expect Arevalo to win the runoff due to Torres' unpopularity in the voter-dense capital, Guatemala City.
Top 7 | Sporadic violence, but calmer night in France after teenager buried
Rioting across France appeared to be less intense on Saturday, as tens of thousands of police had been deployed in cities across the country after the funeral of a teenager of North African descent, whose shooting by police sparked nationwide unrest.
President Emmanuel Macron postponed a state visit to Germany that was due to begin on Sunday to handle the worst crisis for his leadership since the "Yellow Vest" protests paralyzed much of France in late 2018.
Some 45,000 police were on the streets with specialized elite units, armored vehicles and helicopters brought in to reinforce its three largest cities, Paris, Lyon and Marseille.
Top 8 | CIA chief to Kremlin: U.S. had no role in Wagner's aborted mutiny
CIA Director William Burns called Russian spy chief Sergei Naryshkin after last week's aborted mutiny in Russia to assure the Kremlin that the United States had no role in it, the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.
Burns' phone call with Naryshkin, the head of Russia's SVR foreign intelligence service, took place this week and was the highest-level contact between the two governments since the attempted mutiny, the Wall Street Journal said.
The boss of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, shocked the world by leading last week's armed revolt, only to abruptly call it off as his fighters approached Moscow.
Top 9 | France deploys 45,000 police after riots over teen's death
France deployed 45,000 police officers and some armored vehicles on the streets on Saturday as riots rocked French cities after an officer shot dead a teenager in a working class suburb of Paris earlier this week.
Speaking from Mantes-la-Jolie early on Saturday, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said there had been at least 471 arrests on Friday night and violence was of "much less intensity" than the previous night, when more than 900 people were arrested.
The fatal shooting of Nahel M, a 17-year-old teenager, by a police officer during a traffic stop in Nanterre on Tuesday has prompted protests throughout France.
Top 10 | Brazil court majority votes to bar former president Bolsonaro from politics
Brazil's Superior Electoral Tribunal on Friday reached the majority it needs to bar far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro from politics for eight years over his unfounded claims against the voting system.
Four of the court's seven judges had by Friday voted to sanction Bolsonaro for alleged abuses of power, while one voted in his favor.
With two votes still outstanding, the trial could yet be postponed for the final ruling.
The tribunal is trying the former president on charges he abused his office and state media in making the allegations of security flaws in Brazil's electronic voting system.
(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
