Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in Eritrea on his first stop of a three-nation Africa tour that will also take him to Kenya and Comoros.
- AMERICAS: Mario Antonio Palacios, a former Colombian military officer, was charged in the United States with the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise last July.
- ASIA: Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to strengthen defense and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday.
- EUROPE: The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will support the reelection of German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier giving the incumbent a second term.
- MIDDLE EAST: The Iraqi military said a Katyusha rocket struck a military base housing US troops at Baghdad’s international airport.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Sony chairperson Kenichiro Yoshida announced that the company would launch a new electric vehicle company this spring.
Top Story
- Kazakhstan: The Government’s Resignation Fails to Quell Protests over an Increase in Fuel Prices.
- President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev declared a two-week state of emergency following nationwide protests over fuel prices.
- In Almaty video footage posted to social media showed riot police firing stun grenades and tear gas at thousands of protesters moving toward the main square.
- After a night of unrest that saw more than 200 people detained, several thousand protesters stormed the headquarters of the Almaty city administration and seized control of the building.
- The price of Kazakhstan’s dollar-denominated debt dropped after the protests and the resignation of the government.
- President Tokayev appointed a new first deputy head of the National Security Committee who took over from Samat Abish, a nephew of powerful ex-President Nursultan Nazarbayev.
- The Russian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that “We support a peaceful solution to all problems within the legal and constitutional framework and through dialogue, not through street riots” in Kazakhstan.
- NYT, WaPo, Moscow Times, FT, AlJazeera, AFP
Africa
- Eritrea: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi arrived in the country on his first stop of a three-nation Africa tour that will also take him to Kenya and Comoros. (BBC)
- Ethiopia: Doctors in the Tigray region said patients are dying of treatable conditions because a de facto blockade is preventing medicines and other life-saving supplies from reaching stricken hospitals. (AFP)
- Sudan: The United States, Norway, Britain, and the European Union have warned the military against appointing their own prime minister, saying it would risk plunging the nation into conflict. (BBC)
- Tanzania: An official in the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar said 10 people died when their boat capsized while traveling to attend a funeral. (AP)
Americas
- Region: Mario Antonio Palacios, a former Colombian military officer, was charged in the United States with the assassination of Haitian president Jovenel Moise last July. (BBC)
- Brazil: Rio de Janeiro mayor Eduardo Paes announced the cancellation of the city’s Carnival parade, originally scheduled to take place February 25 to March 1. (AFP)
- Canada: The country announced a $31.5 billion agreement to reform its discriminatory child welfare system and compensate Indigenous families who suffered because of it. (AFP)
- United States: The Biden administration doubled its order for Pfizer’s COVID-19 treatment pills to 20 million courses, although less than one million are expected to be delivered in the next two months. (NYT)
Asia
- Region: Australia and Japan are set to sign a treaty to strengthen defense and security cooperation at a virtual summit on Thursday. (Reuters)
- Australia: The country is experiencing rising COVID-19 case numbers, hospitalizations, and long queues at testing centers as it continues to battle the rapid spread of the virus. (AP)
- China: The country reported a major drop in COVID-19 infections in the northern city of Xi’an, which has been under a tight lockdown for the past two weeks. (AP)
- North Korea: The Japanese coast guard reported a suspected ballistic missile launch into the Sea of Japan (East Sea). (Reuters)
- South Korea: The military apologized for causing public concern about its security readiness, days after it failed to stop a suspected North Korean defector who crossed the border to return to the North. (AP)
Europe
- Bulgaria: Foreign Minister Teodora Genchovska tested positive for COVID-19 as the country experiences a nationwide resurgence of infections. (AP)
- France: President Emmanuel Macron provoked outcries in parliament and protests from election rivals by using a vulgarity to describe his strategy for pressuring vaccine refusers to get COVID-19 jabs. (AP)
- Germany: The center-right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) will support the reelection of President Frank-Walter Steinmeier giving the incumbent a second term. (AP)
- Poland: President Andrzej Duda has tested positive for coronavirus after several people around him were infected. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: Justice secretary Dominic Raab said restoring women’s faith in the legal system was his “top priority” following a string of high-profile murders in London. (AFP)
Middle East
- Iraq: The military said a Katyusha rocket struck a military base housing US troops at Baghdad’s international airport. (AP)
- Israel: The health ministry announced nearly 12,000 new COVID-19 cases, constituting the largest daily rise in infections since the beginning of the pandemic nearly two years ago. (AFP)
- Saudi Arabia: Influential cleric Sheikh Saleh bin Mohammed al-Luhaidan who served as head of the kingdom’s Shariah courts and whose ultraconservative views sparked outcry has died. (AP)
- Syria: The US-led coalition reported they had foiled an Islamic State rocket attack on an American base in the Deir-Ezzour region. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Sony chairperson Kenichiro Yoshida announced that the company would launch a new electric vehicle company this spring. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 05JAN22)
- Confirmed cases: 295,419,708
- Deaths: 5,460,302
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 05JAN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (06JAN22)
- Global: Epiphany / Three Kings’ Day.
- Global: Orthodox Christmas Eve.
- Global: Armenian Orthodox Christmas Day.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on Russia and Ukraine.
- Event: CEIP discussion on China.
- Egypt: Coptic Christmas Holiday.
- France: President Emmanuel Macron working dinner with members of the European Commission.
- Iran: Martyrdom of Hazrat Fatimah.
- Iraq: Army Day.
- Italy: La Befana.
- United States: Anniversary of US Capitol riot.
- Vietnam: Government to accept vaccinated tourists from expanded list of countries.
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