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Hey folks, how are you today? It’s the start of the World Cup.

May Ruby Dee rest in peace.

International Politics

Overall

– Molly Crabapple writes a powerful piece on how “empires love their dissidents foreign.”

– In part of three of this series, journalists Alan Minsky and Meleiza Figueroa go over the structure of soccer in the world where profits are above the passion of the game; In addition, here is a good article on inequality in soccer in general

– President Obama: I will offer help to Iraq, but will not send any troops; Meanwhile, Europe does not have any plans to send help

– Turkey was given warnings on the Islamic State in Iraq and Levant’s attack on Mosul, but did not take action

– New documents uncovered cooperation by Britain to work with the U.S. on new nuclear arsenals

Middle East

– Despite laws prohibiting atheism, there are a growing number of closet atheists in Saudi Arabia

– Militants from ISIS captured Tikrit and are getting closer to Baghdad

– ISIS may be a major threat to U.S. interests if they decide to destroy oil pipelines, which is a global concern

– Iran said international assistance should be given to Iraq to combat ISIS at Iraq’s request; Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki said parliament should declare a state of emergency

– A car bomb exploded in a pro-government neighborhood in Homs, Syria and killed at least seven

Asia and Oceania

– In a rare move, Kim Jong-Un criticized the official weather service in North Korea for providing incorrect forecasts