Global Beat is your weekly stop for news from around the world. Join us every Friday morning for important stories you should know about.

This week, China releases details of its 2020 Mars rover mission; the Obama administration transfers 15 Guantánamo Bay detainees to the United Arab Emirates; bombings continue in Thailand; and more.
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Americas

The Obama administration transferred 15 detainees from Guantánamo Bay to the United Arab Emirates on a single U.S. Air Force C-17 cargo plane Saturday night. The transfer included 12 Yemeni nationals and three Afghans who were held for more than a dozen years and never convicted of a crime. It was the largest single release of detainees during President Obama’s tenure, reducing the prison’s population down to 61. Another 20 detainees are expected to be resettled or repatriated by the end of summer.

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• 1,500 Americans accidentally “invaded” international borders after high winds carried their rafts and boats into Canada – BBC

Central & South Asia

The American University of Afghanistan in Kabul was attacked by militants Wednesday, killing 16 people and injuring 50 others. Explosions and gunfire were reported, including a car bomb at the main gate of the university. The siege lasted ten hours and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.

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• Karachi swears in imprisoned mayor as his MQM party plunges into crisis – Max Bearak, Washington Post

China & East Asia

On Tuesday, China’s space agency, the China National Space Administration (CNSA), released details of a planned Mars space probe and rover. CNSA plans to launch its Mars mission in mid-2020. The rover will send back data on the red planet’s soil and atmosphere, as well as look for ice, water, and other features. The announcement is the latest expansion of China’s ambitious space program.

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• Philippine president says “bloody” confrontation could happen if Beijing tries to invade country’s territories – Al Jazeera

Europe & Russia

The German government is urging its citizens to stockpile food, water, and cash in case of a national emergency. The new guidelines call for putting aside enough food for 10 days and enough water for five, as well as sufficient cash reserves, medicines, blankets, and energy supplies. Officials say the plan is not a response to recent terror attacks in Germany, although the government is now debating whether to deploy troops on the streets to protect against ISIL.

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• Burkini ban overturned by France's top administrative court – Steven Hopkins, The Huffington Post

Middle East & North Africa

Britain’s Foreign Office released declassified documents this week that reveal Israel sold weapons and equipment to Argentina at the height of the Falklands War in 1982. The exports included Skyhawk spy jets which were later used to bomb British warships, killing dozens of sailors. Haaretz reported that Israel’s total defense exports to the Argentine junta totaled about $700 million.

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• Water shortages hit West Bank Palestinians, provoking war of words – Sabreen Taha, Reuters

Southeast Asia & Oceania

Two bombs exploded in Thailand this week, killing one person and injuring 30 others. The first targeted a pub and karaoke bar, and the second was apparently designed to attack emergency responders. The attack came just days after Thais voted to accept a military-backed constitution in a nation-wide referendum, and less than two weeks after a series of bombings in tourist areas in seven Thai provinces. Officials insist the attackers are homegrown terrorists.

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• 40,000 people just banded together to buy a private beach in New Zealand and give it to the public – Dana Varinsk, Business Insider

Sub-Saharan Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo’s political opposition called for President Joseph Kabila to step down at the end of his term this year and staged a strike this week that shut down Kinshasa’s businesses. Kabila has been in power for 15 years. An election was scheduled for November but was delayed until at least July 2017. The boycott came after the opposition refused to attend mediation talks last weekend.

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• Nigeria claims Boko Haram leader ‘fatally wounded’ in air raid – again – Dionne Searcey, The New York Times

Stay informed. We’ll see you here again next week.