01JUL21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

• AFRICA: South Africa urged Eswatini to practice “total restraint” against protesters after reports emerged of deadly pro-democracy protests being held in Eswatini.
• AMERICAS: Hundreds of deaths in Canada are suspected of being linked to the country’s record-breaking heatwave.
• ASIA: Indonesian President Joko Widodo announced emergency measures until 20 July to tackle an exponential spike in COVID-19 cases.
• EUROPE: Russian warships conducted a fire training exercise in the Black Sea as Ukraine and NATO countries held their own military drills in the same area.
• MIDDLE EAST: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed hardline cleric Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi as Iran’s new judiciary chief.
• TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that will force tech companies to open offices inside Russia.

Top Story

• China: Xi warns against foreign ‘bullying’ on Communist Party centenary.
  • China marked the centenary of the country’s ruling Communist Party.
  • At a mass gathering marking the event, Chinese President Xi Jinping said Beijing will not allow itself to be bullied by anyone.
  • Xi added that anyone who tried to bully China would face “broken heads and bloodshed in front of the iron Great Wall of the 1.4 billion Chinese people”.
  • Xi also said Beijing would not allow “sanctimonious preaching from those who feel they have the right to lecture us”, in remarks seen as being directed towards the US and the West.
  • The ceremony marked the end of weeks ceremonies and displays praising the Communist Party.
  • Reporting: BBC, NYT, AFP, DPA, Reuters, AP, WaPo, WSJ, Guardian

Africa

• Region: South Africa urged Eswatini to practice “total restraint” against protesters after reports emerged of deadly pro-democracy protests being held in Eswatini. (AFP)
• DR Congo: Ten people died in a suspected attack by the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) Islamist militia in the city of Beni. (AFP)
• Namibia: President Hage Geingob said the country faced a “dark and somber moment” as the country recorded the worst daily COVID-19 death rate on the continent. (BBC)
• Nigeria: Parliament is reportedly set to vote on a long-awaited petroleum overhaul bill. (Reuters)
• South Africa: President Jacob Zuma’s foundation condemned his recent 15-month jail sentence as unconstitutional. (AFP)

Americas

• Region: The World Health Organization denounced the lack of access to vaccines faced by countries in the Latin America and the Caribbean region. (NYT)
• Canada: Hundreds of deaths in the country are suspected of being linked to the country’s record-breaking heatwave. (BBC)
• Colombia: President Iván Duque proposed an anti-rioting and vandalism law as weeks of protests continue in the country. (DPA)
• Mexico: The National Institute of Indigenous Peoples condemned the murders of two activists from the Triqui community. (AP)
• United States: President Joe Biden will meet with the survivors and families of the victims of the recent Florida condo collapse. (AP)

Asia  

• Region: Taiwan reiterated its determination to defend its sovereignty and called upon China to stop bullying other countries. (DPA)
• India: The government will not recognize an EU vaccine pass for travelers unless the EU reciprocates and approves New Delhi’s own vaccine certificate. (BBC)
• Indonesia: President Joko Widodo announced emergency measures until 20 July to tackle an exponential spike in COVID-19 cases. (Reuters)
• North Korea: Leader Kim Jong Un pledged to strengthen Pyongyang’s relationship with China. (AP)

Europe

• Region: Russian warships conducted a fire training exercise in the Black Sea as Ukraine and NATO countries held their own military drills in the same area. (Reuters)
• Region: A former chief of Serbia’s state security service and his deputy were sentenced to 12 years in prison at The Hague for conducting murder and ethnic cleansing during the 1990s Balkans war. (BBC)
• Russia: The Economy Ministry said the country’s GDP increased by 10.9% year-on-year in May. (Reuters)
• Sweden: Right-wing party leader Ulf Kristersson gave up on his attempt to form a government just two days after receiving the opportunity to do so by the Speaker of Parliament. (Reuters)
• Turkey: The country officially withdrew from an international treaty aimed at preventing violence against women. (Reuters)

Middle East

• Region: Russia dismissed a UN Security Council proposal to reopen a border crossing from Iraq to Syria’s northeast for delivering humanitarian aid as a “non-starter”. (AP)
• Iran: Ayatollah Ali Khamenei appointed hardline cleric Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejehi as the country’s new judiciary chief. (AP)
• Israel: Prime Minister Naftali Bennett confirmed a deal for Jewish settlers to leave an illegal outpost in the occupied West Bank. (AFP)
• Lebanon: Pope Francis will meet with ten leaders of the country’s Christian community and discuss its dire economic and political situation. (AFP)

Tech & Communications

• Tech Regulation: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that will force tech companies to open offices inside Russia. (Reuters)

World

• Cyclones: Nothing to report.
• Hurricanes:
  • Tropical Storm Elsa
    • Location: 865 miles E-SE of the Windward Islands
    • Wind: 40 mph
    • Movement: W at 22 mph
    • Map
• Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
• Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
• Global Disease Outbreaks:
  • COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 01JUL21)
    • Confirmed cases: 182,246,769
    • Deaths: 3,948,053
    • Countries with confirmed cases: 192
    • Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (02JUL21)

• Global: The Finance and Central Bank Deputies of G20 countries will meet.
• Global: The Mexico and France co-chaired Generation Equality Forum will be held.
• Global: The CIS Interstate Council for Emergency Situations will meet.
• Asia: The 15th ASEAN Defense Ministers’ Meeting Plus Experts’ Working Group on Maritime Security and Maritime Security Conference will be held virtually.
• Europe: The Aix-en-Provence Economic Forum will be held. (to 03JUL)
• Estonia: Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė will make her first visit to the country and meet with counterpart Kaja Kallas.
• Indonesia: The government will implement new COVID-19 emergency measures.
• Russia: Bahrain’s Foreign Minister Abdullatif bin Rashid al-Zayani will visit and meet with his counterpart Sergey Lavrov.
• Russia: Afghan National Security Adviser Hamdullah Mohib will visit and meet with Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev.
• United Kingdom: German Chancellor Angela Merkel will visit and meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
• United States: President Joe Biden is expected to deliver remarks on the June jobs report.
• Zambia: A state funeral will be held for the country’s first president Kenneth Kaunda.

END