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Greece’s future in the eurozone is uncertain after Greeks overwhelmingly voted “no,” rejecting austerity measures tied to a bailout.
Yesterday, 61% of Greeks voted to reject a new round of austerity measures, like tax increases and spending cuts, in exchange for further bailout funds from European creditors. The vote was a victory for the Greek government. Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, whose leftist Syriza party came to power in January promising to reject further austerity, had campaigned for a “no” vote, saying it would help him negotiate a better deal. “But initial reaction from European officials suggested they were unmoved by the result,” the Washington Post writes.
Voters in central Athens said they saw the referendum result as a chance to restore national pride, despite the risk of Greece leaving the eurozone, BuzzFeed News’ Jim Waterson reports from Athens. Thousands of government supporters gathered to celebrate the “no” vote in Syntagma Square in Athens.
Following the vote, Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis said he would resign at the urging of Tsipras, to help further talks. Varoufakis said he was made aware that of a “certain preference” among some eurozone negotiators for his “absence” from any future talks shortly after the referendum results were announced. "I shall wear the creditors' loathing with pride," he wrote in the announcement on his blog.
A bit of background.
Last week, Greece became the first developed country to miss a payment to the International Monetary Fund; the country was supposed to pay about $1.7 billion. Banks were shut down, and limits were placed on how much money could be removed from cash machines.
Greece faces another major debt deadline on July 20, when it’s due to repay more than $3 billion to the European Central Bank, BuzzFeed News’ Hayes Brown writes in this piece about what happens after Greece’s “no” vote. But the country is broke and the more pressing issue is whether Europe will continue to prop up Greek banks, according to the Post.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President François Hollande called for an EU summit tomorrow to discuss Greece following Sunday’s vote.
The U.S. is the first team to win three Women’s World Cup tournaments after defeating Japan 5-2 in the final yesterday.
The U.S. scored three goals in the first 15 minutes of the game, then player Carli Lloyd quickly topped it off with a fourth goal within 16 minutes of the start of the game — her third goal that day (her first two goals were two minutes apart and the third was from half field).
LOOK AT THIS WONDER GOAL FROM CARLI LLOYD! She has a hat trick in the first 15 minutes!!!!!! #USA is up 4-0!!!
It marked the fastest “hat trick,” or scoring three goals in one game, in Women’s World Cup history. After the game, Lloyd was given two awards in addition to the World Cup gold medal: the Silver Boot and the Golden Ball, which is given to the tournament’s best player. U.S. goalie Hope Solo won the Golden Glove, an award for the the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
A little extra.
This was a re-match for the two teams. They also met in the 2011 World Cup final, when Japan defeated the U.S. in penalty kicks. Before yesterday’s game, it wasn’t just the U.S. that stood a chance to make history: Japan would have gotten back-to-back gold medals for the first time in the country’s history.
WE’RE KEEPING AN EYE ON
After missing last week’s deadline, Iran and six world powers have another deadline tomorrow as they try to reach a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.
The U.S., Britain, France, Germany, China, and Russia are negotiating with Iran with the goal of preventing the country from developing a nuclear weapon. In return, international economic sanctions on Iran would be lifted. The original deadline for the deal was June 30, but it was extended to tomorrow.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was in Vienna over the weekend talking to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif. “There are differences over the two main issues — the level of inspections and verification that Iran keeps its side of the bargain — as well as the pace and scope of sanctions relief Iran will get in exchange,” the Washington Post writes.
What’s next?
Both Iran and the U.S. indicated over the weekend that they’re willing to walk away if certain conditions aren’t met. But, according to the Post, Kerry and Zarif agreed on Friday that they “have never been closer” to a deal. But if they don’t reach an agreement by tomorrow, “they will have to decide whether to extend the talks further — something that could prove politically unsustainable for some, if not all, of the negotiating countries — or allow them to collapse,” the Post writes. If U.S. lawmakers don’t receive a final agreement by Friday, they will have 60 days, instead of 30, to review it.
DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?
Pope Francis, the first Latin American pope, travelled to South America to address issues of inequality.
“Francis, known to some as ‘the pope of the poor,’ chose to visit Ecuador, Bolivia and Paraguay specifically because they are among the poorest and most marginal nations of a region that is home to 40% of the world’s Catholics,” The Guardian writes. More than a million people are expected to attend Francis’ public masses in each country, according to The Guardian.
In the next few weeks, President Obama is expected to free dozens of federal prisoners serving lengthy terms on nonviolent drug convictions.
Obama will “probably commute more sentences at one time than any president has in nearly half a century,” the New York Times writes.
“Since Obama took office, the federal government has inched toward reducing the federal prison population, which has ballooned since additional penalties were baked into drug laws in the 1970s and ‘80s,” BuzzFeed News’ Dominic Holden writes. “The laws and enforcement practices have disproportionately incarcerated black and Latino people, and clemency is a unique executive power that can allow Obama to tip the scales of justice toward parity.”
The move is part of a wider effort in the federal government to tackle mass incarceration.
Quick things to know:
Two bomb attacks on the central Nigerian city of Jos have killed least 44 people. (BBC News)
At least seven people, including a 7-year-old boy, were killed and dozens more injured in shootings around Chicago over the holiday weekend. (BuzzFeed News)
Tunisian President Beji Caid Essebsi declared a 30-day state of emergency on Saturday, more than a week after a terrorist attack killed more than 30 foreign tourists. (New York Times)
David Sweat, the surviving convict who escaped a New York prison last month, is back in jail. (BuzzFeed News)
Beer in Venezuela might soon run out due to a workers strike at the country’s biggest brewing company. (BuzzFeed News)
Hillary Clinton has the top comment on this heartbreaking “Humans of New York” photo. (BuzzFeed News)
Burt Shavitz, co-founder of Burt’s Bees, died at the age of 80. (BuzzFeed News)
Amazon's 20th birthday party, on July 15, will bring "more deals than Black Friday." (Gizmodo)
Princess Charlotte was christened yesterday. (BuzzFeed News)
Happy Monday
Just before the nightly fireworks on Friday at Disney World, a storm hit “the most magical place on earth.” Lightning struck over Cinderella’s Castle, creating an effect fit for a villain terrorizing the Magic Kingdom. In photos posted on social media, some joked that it was Maleficent, the villain from Sleeping Beauty, trying to take over. But in the end, the fireworks show went off without a hitch, just in time for the 4th of July, making for an ending fit for a Disney princess.
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