Leaders of Group of Seven (G7) nations and Australia, India, South Korea, and South Africa begin their summit today in Cornwall, England, where they are expected to pledge one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses (NYT) for poor and middle-income countries as part of a push to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022. 

The announcement comes as poorer countries are far behind (UN News) in the vaccination rollout, with nine out of ten African countries on track to miss a target of vaccinating 10 percent of their populations by September. The G7 gathering is also due to focus (FT) on climate change, the challenges posed by China’s rise (CNN), the global economic recovery, and future pandemic preparedness. Prior to their meeting, G7 finance ministers agreed to support a worldwide minimum corporate tax, though the United Kingdom is pushing for an exemption (Guardian) for financial services firms.

U.S. and Taiwanese trade officials agreed to resume trade negotiations (Bloomberg) that stalled in 2016. Taiwan has voiced interest in signing a trade agreement with the United States, and it eased restrictions on some meat imports from January in an effort to reduce a main point of concern.

China: The top legislative body passed a law that allows fines and punishments for companies that leak sensitive data abroad (Bloomberg) and provide information to foreign law enforcement agencies. Firms judged to have mishandled “core state data” could have their licenses revoked.

A spokesperson for the Taliban told Reuters that Turkey should withdraw its troops from Afghanistan under the terms of a 2020 deal on the exit of North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) forces. Ankara had proposed that it keep some troops in Kabul to guard the international airport.

This In Brief discusses what to know about the U.S.-led withdrawal from Afghanistan.

India: The state of Bihar revised its COVID-19 death count (Reuters) to almost double its original tally, prompting calls for other states to review their tolls for greater accuracy. 

This In Brief looks at underreporting of COVID-19 cases and deaths around the globe.

Washington lifted sanctions (WSJ) on former senior officials from the National Iranian Oil Company and on companies involved in petrochemical shipping and trading. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States is committed to removing sanctions on those who demonstrate “a change in status or behavior.” A sixth round of nuclear talks with Iran begins this weekend in Vienna.

Israel: The country’s parliament is set to vote on Sunday (AP) on whether to approve a coalition government that would unite some of the country’s most politically diverse parties and sideline Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

France will reduce its military operations (FT) in the Sahel region to focus more narrowly on antiterrorism, French President Emmanuel Macron said. Paris’s large military presence in the Sahel dates back to a 2013 mission to prevent Mali from falling under jihadi control.

For the Africa in Transition blog, CFR’s John Campbell and Nolan Quinn write that multiple jihadi insurgencies appear to be converging in the Sahel.

CAR: The Central African Republic’s prime minister, Firmin Ngrebada, and entire cabinet have resigned (Al Jazeera). The political crisis comes as France announced it would suspend military operations in the country.

The national banks of France and Switzerland will pilot Europe’s first cross-border central bank payments conducted in digital currency (Reuters). The experiment in the bank-to-bank wholesale lending market is due to run for several months.

An upsurge in conflict among gangs in Port-au-Prince has displaced more than five thousand people since the beginning of June, the United Nations said. Such clashes caused the displacement of over four thousand people in the past year.

Cuba/Venezuela: U.S. officials urged Cuba and Venezuela to turn away (Politico) two Iranian warships sailing in a rare Atlantic Ocean mission that they say could be carrying arms.

Chile: Although more than half of Chileans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, authorities announced a new lockdown (Reuters) in the capital city of Santiago amid a surge in infections and scarce hospital space.

Five Democratic and five Republican senators said they agree on an outline (NYT) for a major infrastructure spending bill, days after President Biden ended negotiations with Republicans on a previous infrastructure package. The bipartisan framework is expected to be narrower than Biden’s initial proposal and avoid some tax increases that Democrats had pushed for.