| Pushing back | China will impose sanctions on Lockheed Martin in response to U.S. approval of a possible $620 million deal for Taiwan to buy parts to refurbish defensive missiles built by the company. It comes as the Trump administration denounced Beijing's expansive maritime claims in the South China Sea as unlawful, even as it steered clear of formally backing the territorial claims of others in the waterway. - Japan's Defense Ministry accused China of "relentlessly" pushing its way toward uninhabited East China Sea islands claimed by the two countries, saying it was becoming "a matter of grave concern."
Going green | Trump's Democratic rival, Joe Biden, will unveil clean-energy and infrastructure plans today that seek to balance progressives' demands for bold action on climate against protecting swing-state jobs. The challenge lies in convincing left-leaning voters that he's not leaving them short. Another misstep | Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is again saying sorry, this time for his involvement in awarding a $14.7 million government contract to a charity with close ties to his family. As Kait Bolongaro explains, it isn't the first time he's courted controversy — before last year's election, Trudeau was dogged by accusations he sought to intervene in a criminal case on behalf of well-connected Montreal construction giant SNC-Lavalin. Soul searching | The apparent suicide of Seoul's mayor has exposed a rift in President Moon Jae-in's supporters between an old guard wanting to honor one of their own and a younger generation looking to steer clear of someone accused of sexual harassment. As Jeong-Ho Lee explains, it's prompted Moon's liberal base to assess whether he's lived up to his pledge to be a "feminist president," given how little he's achieved for women in government or business. Still stuck | African Union-brokered talks on a disputed dam project on the Nile River's main tributary are bogged down over the pace at which Ethiopia plans to fill the reservoir, stoking Egypt's concern it will lose control over its water supply to a regional upstream rival. The countries and mutual neighbor Sudan will submit final reports to the AU today.  The Blue Nile river as it passes through the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. Photographer: Eduardo Soteras/AFP What to Watch: -
Prime Minister Boris Johnson meets top security officials today to decide the future role for China's Huawei in British 5G networks. -
French President Emmanuel Macron addresses the nation on Bastille Day today as he seeks to reboot his presidency following criticisms of the government's handling of the coronavirus crisis. -
Face coverings will be compulsory in all U.K. shops from July 24, following pressure from labor unions, business lobbyists and opposition politicians. - Trailing in opinion polls, New Zealand's main opposition has lost its second leader in less than two months after Todd Muller resigned 10 weeks out from an election.
And finally ... A chronic shortage of health care amid the Covid-19 pandemic has Afghans turning to an old remedy to deal with illness: opium. The government says the drug isn't a treatment for the virus and has tried to clamp down on its use but, as Eltaf Najafizada reports, when a trip to the hospital can mean navigating Taliban-controlled highways, people will turn to whatever numbs their pain.  A pedestrian walks past boys setting up a street stall selling masks in Kabul on July 12. Covid-19 is spreading rapidly in Afghanistan with more than 34,000 confirmed cases and over 1,000 deaths. Photographer: Jim Huylebroek/Bloomberg | 
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