In the first election conducted under new, more open and democratic rules, Tedros Adhanom Gheybreysus of Ethiopia was elected director general of the World Health Organization on Tuesday. After nearly two years of public campaigning, originally by six candidates, the election itself took place in a closed-door session in which the health ministers of 185 of the world’s countries cast their ballots in secret. Dr. Tedros — who campaigned under his first name — ultimately beat Dr. David Nabarro, the British candidate, after two rounds of voting by winning 121 votes. (NY Times http://nyti.ms/2qSJipg)
Temporary reprieve…Haitian nationals who have been protected from deportation from the U.S. for more than seven years since an earthquake struck their homeland won one more temporary reprieve Monday: The Department of Homeland Security announced that it will extend the benefit, which expires on July 22, for another six months. But even though DHS Secretary John Kelly did not terminate the program as one of his top officials had recommended, the 58,706 Haitians currently enrolled in the Temporary Protected Status should begin to get their affairs in order for their eventual return to Haiti, officials said. (Miami Herald http://hrld.us/2rab6IO )
White House budget request comes out today…The Trump administration’s official FY2018 budget is scheduled to be released today. Expect big cuts to foreign aid, international development and humanitarian causes. (Newsweek http://bit.ly/2rM3HM1)
Stat of the day: Conflict, violence and natural disasters forced more than 31 million people to leave home and settle elsewhere within their countries last year, the equivalent of one person every second. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2qaixeK)
Top Stories
A fourth person has likely died from Ebola in remote northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Health Organization said on Sunday, as the overall number of cases rose to 37 from 29. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2q3WaMn)
Tunisian security forces fired tear gas to disperse hundreds of protesters trying to take over a gas pumping station, as weeks of unrest over jobs and funding in the country’s southern provinces escalated into violence. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2q3Xf6O)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro accused protesters of setting fire to a government supporter, saying what he calls “Nazi-fascist” elements are take root inside the opposition’s ranks. (VOA http://bit.ly/2qPc8Hj)
Romanian border police say they have detained and questioned six Syrian migrants who are suspected of illegally trying to leave Romania and head to the Schengen zone. (AP http://apne.ws/2qPFOUI)
U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley pledged more U.S. support for Syrians, during a visit with refugees in Jordan. (VOA http://bit.ly/2qPf9qO)
Doctors Without Borders deployed several emergency teams to Niger to contain a meningitis outbreak that has killed 179 people since the beginning of the year. (MSF http://bit.ly/2q44lrN)
Ethiopia is battling an outbreak of acute watery diarrhea which has affected more than 32,000 people. At the same time, Ethiopia’s former minister of health, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, is a candidate to lead the World Health Organization. (VOA http://bit.ly/2qcHC8i)
David Beasley, new executive director of the World Food Program, says he will use his Washington connections to defend his cash-strapped agency in what he expects to be a “dog fight” over the 2018 U.S. budget. (AP http://apne.ws/2q476cR)
Opinion/Blogs
India’s New Tax Is Too Complicated (Bloomberg View https://bloom.bg/2rLFk12)
Her family’s business was trafficking. But she broke free. (PRI http://bit.ly/2q3yLu9)
Kids working on Kabul’s streets get a second chance at childhood (Guardian http://bit.ly/2qP2Bjv)
Ph Needs to Build, Build, Build – Not Burn – Bridges (The Manila Times http://bit.ly/2qaciI8)
Fact file: Climate change adaptation finance (IRIN http://bit.ly/2rugfep)
Why I Run – Exiled Oromo Runner Lilesa Speaks (Al Jazeera http://bit.ly/2qcKJx4)
Irreconcilable visions (BBC http://bbc.in/2qI5c0h)
Who’s Going to Be the Next Leader of WHO? (Foreign Policy http://atfp.co/2qPkFd7)
“Otherwise we’ll have to go to war”: Somaliland demands recognition 26 years on (African Arguments http://bit.ly/2qHSD4U)
4 things to watch at the AfDB Annual Meetings (Devex http://bit.ly/2qND8J9)
