Several cases of indigenous transmission has been reported in Florida. “For the first time, the Zika virus has prompted public health officials to warn pregnant women to avoid traveling to a part of the continental United States. The travel advisory comes in response to a growing outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease in South Florida. The state on Monday said there are 10 more people who have been infected with the Zika virus who likely contracted it from local mosquitoes, bringing the total number of such cases in the state to 14. All of the cases have surfaced in a densely populated community north of downtown Miami.” (WaPo http://wapo.st/2adxRDz)

USA Launches Airstrikes in Libya…”Fayez Serraj, the head of Libya’s U.N.-brokered presidency council, said in a televised statement that American warplanes attacked the IS bastion of Sirte on the Mediterranean in northern Libya. No U.S. ground forces will be deployed, he said. The precision strikes, which targeted an Islamic State tank and vehicles, come amid growing concerns about the group’s increased threat to Europe and its ability to inspire attacks across the region, even though its numbers have been shrinking because of attacks from local forces and allied international troops.” (NYT http://nyti.ms/2adxMje)

Heroic child of the day: Police in Germany say the attempted abduction of a newborn child was foiled by the quick reaction of his 9-year-old brother. (AP http://yhoo.it/2aI3MeH)

Africa

A South Sudanese minister and opposition figure resigned on Monday saying a peace deal designed to heal the troubled young nation was dead, while calling for President Salva Kiir’s unity government to leave power. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2aH28dE)

At least nine people were killed in South Sudan over the weekend in renewed clashes between troops loyal to President Salva Kiir and those of his longtime rival Riek Machar, a spokesman for Machar said on Monday. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2aXLeVx)

Authorities in Nigeria have arrested the alleged leader of an email scamming network that conned people out of tens of millions of dollars. (VOA http://bit.ly/2adduGI)

The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has rejected fresh demands from the opposition that elections be held and President Joseph Kabila step down by December 20 of this year. (VOA http://bit.ly/2aXKMqo)

Two rebels and 17 Angolan soldiers were killed in two incidents in the oil-producing province of Cabinda at the weekend, the separatist Front for the Liberation of the Enclave of Cabinda said on Monday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2aXKyiU)

The United States pledged $407 million aid to Tanzania on Monday, months after cancelling a similar payment due to an election that it said had violated the country’s commitment to democracy. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2aH1iOn)

A member of South Africa’s opposition Democratic Alliance said President Jacob Zuma’s rhetoric ahead of Wednesday’s municipal elections is a sign of desperation  -that the once mighty African National Congress may be losing ground to the opposition in terms of popularity. (VOA http://bit.ly/2adjKhL)

MENA

Some 1,800 migrants were rescued from waters off Libya Monday, lifting the total picked up to 8,300 over five days, according to the Italian coastguard which coordinated the operations. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2adbyhd)

India’s government said Monday it plans to evacuate thousands of Indian workers who have lost their jobs in Saudi Arabia and cannot afford to pay for a flight home. (AP http://yhoo.it/2aH4idz)

Rama, a Syrian 24 year-old, was lured to Lebanon with the promise of a restaurant job, endured beatings and torture before finally escaping with four other women. (Guardian http://bit.ly/2auEH3Q)

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi warned Egyptians on Monday that tough measures would be needed to turn the country’s ailing economy around, as the government negotiates a $12 billion loan programme with the International Monetary Fund. (Reuters http://bit.ly/2aXL293)

Syrian rebel fighters have launched a major assault on government-held southwestern parts of Aleppo to try to reopen supply lines into opposition-held areas of the city after the army and its allies tightened their siege last week. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2auQIXj)

Asia

A Taliban truck bomb blasted a hotel for foreigners in Kabul Monday, triggering a seven-hour gun and grenade assault that highlighted growing insecurity in a city still reeling from its deadliest attack for 15 years. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2adjMGb)

India’s interior minister will travel to Pakistan for a regional gathering but will not hold bilateral talks at a time when a surge of violence in disputed Kashmir has escalated rivalry between the nuclear-armed neighbours, officials said on Monday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2auFvW4)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said Monday his government would pursue peace talks with communist guerrillas despite an initial setback when he withdrew a ceasefire order after the rebels killed a militiaman in an attack. (AP http://yhoo.it/2auEGwy)

Wearing traditional dress from feather headdresses to loincloths, members of Taiwan’s indigenous community met President Tsai Ing-wen Monday as she made a landmark apology for centuries of suffering including the loss of ancestral lands. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2adjhvW)

Cambodia’s prime minister filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against the country’s opposition leader and an opposition lawmaker for suggesting the authorities were involved in the killing of a popular political analyst who spoke critically of the government. (AP http://yhoo.it/2auEoG1)

China’s defense minister met the head of Afghanistan’s army, thanking him for Kabul’s support in fighting what Beijing says is an extremist group that seeks to split off its western region of Xinjiang. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2adjqzC)

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Monday warned mining companies to strictly follow tighter environmental rules or shut down, saying the Southeast Asian nation could survive without a mining industry. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2aXKT5a)

The Americas

A transgender man in Phoenix is suing his employer in federal court to pay for sex reassignment surgery. The costs of the procedures are substantial; insurance plans only recently began covering them. (NPR http://n.pr/2aH4t8x)

Puerto Ricans have been hit with another increase in electric bills as the U.S. territory’s power company struggles to stay afloat. (AP http://yhoo.it/2aXKwrf)

Just days ahead of the Olympic Games the waterways of Rio de Janeiro are as filthy as ever, contaminated with raw human sewage teeming with dangerous viruses and bacteria, according to a 16-month-long study commissioned by The Associated Press. (AP http://yhoo.it/2ade2MD)

…and the rest

A Greek court on Monday released 26 anarchists who had disrupted a Sunday Orthodox church service to protest against refugee evictions, a judicial source said. (AFP http://yhoo.it/2aXHVO1)

Turkish special forces captured 11 fugitive commandos who were involved in a bid to seize President Tayyip Erdogan during a failed coup attempt last month, state-run Anadolu Agency said on Monday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2adk2Fk)

Some fish may cope with the changing chemistry of the oceans linked to global warming by permanently setting their body defenses to night-time levels, the time of day when they find seawater least hospitable, a study said on Monday. (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2adbs9H)

An UN Committee responsible for giving NGOs UN accreditation has had one of its decisions overturned by other UN member states as it seems to be restricting NGOs which are perceived to be critical of governments. (IPS http://bit.ly/2aI3Rzk)

Opinion/Blogs

What’s to be done with Oxfam? (openDemocracy http://buff.ly/2ad8h1F)

Culture As a Vital Catalyst for Africa’s Development (New Times http://bit.ly/2auABsb)

Facebook lures Africa with free internet – but what is the hidden cost? (Guardian http://bit.ly/2adbrCq)

Bill Clinton says Hillary can make any world problem better in 30 days. Really? What about Syria? (PRI http://bit.ly/2aK91Mk)

Twenty five years later, Somaliland comes of age (Africa at LSE http://buff.ly/2aXF1Jt)

Why Obama’s ambition of an Aids-free generation is a pipe dream (Guardian Podcast http://bit.ly/2aXFNpQ)

Four quick ways to drastically improve the World Bank’s social and environmental protection Policy (Oxfam http://buff.ly/2aXFBqp)

Five Enduring Questions About Zika (FiveThirtyEight http://buff.ly/2ad8WAe)

What Clinton’s candidacy means to women worldwide (PRI’s The World http://bit.ly/2aK9fTC)

My return to South Sudan: I want to see opportunities for all (Guardian http://bit.ly/2auF26o)

Access to Safe Water Still a Challenge Facing Countries (Daily News TZ http://bit.ly/2aXGr6C)

The dark side of Duterte’s deadly but popular drugs war (Reuters http://yhoo.it/2ad99mI)

The Risk of Early Liver Cancer Is Spurred By a Combo of Hepatitis B and HIV (The Conversation http://bit.ly/2aXHH9Q)

Family planning is a key development goal that needs greater investment (Guardian Letter http://bit.ly/2auNIKk)
Q&A: Representing Developing Countries at the United Nations in New York (Inter Press Service http://bit.ly/2aI3EvU)