The World This Week

June 30 – July 1

The African Union summit will take place at Sharm-al-Sheikh in Egypt. The official theme is access to drinking water, while the crises in Somalia and Darfur are likely to be discussed.

June 30 – July 1

South American trading bloc, Mercosur, will hold its summit in Argentina’s Tucuman city. The full members of the group are Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. It will see the six-month presidency of Mercosur pass from Argentina to Brazil, and it is also expected to offer a high-profile opportunity for Argentine farmers to raise their grievances over increased export taxes.

July 1

France takes over the rotating presidency of the European Union from Slovenia.

July 2

World UFO day is celebrated this day, on the anniversary of the Roswell incident, which involved the recovery of materials from Roswell, New Mexico that sparked a debate as to whether they were the remains of an alien spacecraft.

July 4

United States of America celebrates its 232nd Independence Day .

Also on this day, the Karlovy Vary international film festival begins in the Czech Republic. Robert De Niro will receive the Crystal Globe for outstanding contribution to world cinema.

July 5

The 95th Tour de France bicycle race starts off, without a defending champion, and will end on July 27.