Germany staves off crisis

German interior minister Horst Seehofer has said it is not his intention to bring down the government of Angela Merkel over their differences on how to deal with asylum seekers. The Guardian says the Bavarian has given Merkel two weeks to reach migration agreements with EU partners. Seehofer wants Germany to be able to turn away refugees and migrants arriving from other EU countries, many of whom arrive in the country at its Bavarian borders. But Merkel argues that this contradicts EU law and can only happen with the agreement of the relevant EU states. She has meanwhile reached out to the governments of Austria, Greece, Italy and Bulgaria, to sound out their willingness to readmit migrants, according to the Wall Street Journal.

First lady speaks out over child separation

Melania Trump has said she hates seeing children separated from their families as part of US border policy, according to The Guardian. The first lady’s spokeswoman said she believed “we need to be a country that follows all laws”, but also one “that governs with heart”. The paper also reports that children as young as four are being held in cages in a south Texas warehouse.

Duque wins in Colombia

Iván Duque, a conservative who opposes the peace deal with leftist rebels group Farc, has won the second round of the presidential election in Colombia. Duque, who won 53.9% of the vote, has vowed to modify the 2016 peace deal which formally ended 52 years of civil war.

Ammonia energy storage

The Guardian reports that Siemens is exploring the use of ammonia for energy storage. The company is opening a £1.5m pilot project in Oxfordshire, England, that will turn electricity, water and air into ammonia without releasing carbon emissions. The ammonia is later burned to generate electricity or sold as a fuel.

Korean war games to cease

The Yonhap news agency reports that South Korea and the United States will announce the suspension of “large-scale” military drills this week. The agency says the announcement will only apply to major joint exercises. It follows US president Donald Trump’s pledge to end war games on the peninsular following his historic meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong-un in Singapore.

Koepka retains US Open

Brooks Koepka became only the third golfer since WWII to retain the US Open title on Sunday. The Florida native finished at one over par, one stroke ahead of Englishman Tommy Fleetwood, who shot a final round 63 to challenge the title holder on what has been a controversial course at Shinnecock Hills.

Today’s breakfast briefing was compiled by Duncan Roberts