Key Storylines
- AFRICA: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that Beijing would appoint a special envoy to the Horn of Africa.
- AMERICAS: President Joe Biden and members of Congress will solemnly mark the first anniversary of the US Capitol insurrection on January 6.
- ASIA: North Korea claimed it successfully tested a hypersonic missile on Wednesday.
- EUROPE: Russia resumed natural gas supply to Romania via Ukraine, which had been suspended since April 2021.
- MIDDLE EAST: Western nations demanded that Syria resolve 20 outstanding chemical weapons issues opened by the OPCW in 2014.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: US labor officials filed a complaint accusing the New York Times of unlawfully interfering with union organizing.
Top Story
- Kazakhstan: Dozens killed as the government cracks down on protesters.
- Kazakh Authorities said dozens of protesters have been killed in attacks on government buildings and at least 12 police officers died.
- Authorities also reported that more than 1,000 people have been injured and 400 were hospitalized.
- The government imposed a nationwide two-week emergency as protests across the country over a fuel price increase turned into violent riots.
- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) sent peacekeeping forces to Kazakhstan after president Kassym-Jomart Tokayev called for their help in quelling violent and deadly protests.
- Russia is also sending in troops at the request of President Tokayev.
- Protests began on Sunday when the government lifted its price cap on LPG, but the unrest has since spread to include political grievances.
- AP, WSJ, Interfax, Reuters, WaPo, BBC
Africa
- Region: China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi announced that Beijing would appoint a special envoy to the Horn of Africa. (AFP)
- Kenya: An MP was suspended from parliament for one day for distributing sweets to colleagues during a contentious debate. (BBC)
- Mali: The West African community of states ECOWAS has sent a mediator to Bamako ahead of a special summit on the country’s political situation. (DPA)
- Sudan: Thousands of citizens are demonstrating against the military in Khartoum which led a coup more than two months ago. (AFP)
- Tanzania: Authorities called off the rescue mission in a boat accident after all the people were accounted for. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: The United States began returning migrants to Tijuana in a restart of the Trump-era “remain in Mexico” policy for asylum seekers. (Reuters)
- Brazil: Health authorities authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children ages 5 to 11. (AFP)
- El Salvador: The supreme court reopened a case more than 30 years after a massacre of Jesuit priests by soldiers during the civil war. (DPA)
- Mexico: President Lopez Obrador announced that the finance ministry and business lobby would unveil an investment plan for the country by the end of January. (Reuters)
- United States: President Joe Biden and members of Congress will solemnly mark the first anniversary of the US Capitol insurrection on January 6. (AP)
Asia
- Cambodia: Prime Minister Hun Sen will visit Myanmar on Friday to invigorate efforts by Southeast Asian nations to start a peace process. (WaPo)
- China: Macau announced a two-week ban on inbound international passenger flights. (AFP)
- Hong Kong: Home affairs minister Casper Tsui was sent to a quarantine camp after he was deemed a close contact of a preliminary COVIS-19 case at a large party attended by other government officials and lawmakers. (AFP)
- North Korea: Pyongyang claimed it successfully tested a hypersonic missile on Wednesday. (Yonhap)
- Taiwan: Authorities started handing over Chinese nationals for the first time in a year following China’s return of a fugitive in a rare act of cooperation. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: Russia resumed natural gas supply to Romania via Ukraine, which had been suspended since April 2021. (Reuters)
- France: The lower house of parliament passed in a first reading a bill further tightening Covid measures, after tense debates fueled by President Emmanuel Macron’s warning that he wanted to “piss off” the unvaccinated. (AFP)
- Germany: The Federal Statistical Office is due to release an initial estimate for inflation in December and throughout 2021 with economists expecting the levels to be the highest since the early 1990s. (DPA)
- Portugal: One of the country’s leading media conglomerates Grupo Impresa said a group calling itself “Lapsus$” hacked the company’s online services that took down some of its most popular websites. (AP)
- United Kingdom: London warned Moscow that it was working with Western partners on high-impact sanctions targeting Russia’s financial sector should it invade Ukraine. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Iran: Thousands of mourners poured into the streets of cities for the mass funeral of 250 victims of the Iran-Iraq war enduring its legacy after 35 years. (AP)
- Palestinian Territories: Israeli forces shot and killed a gunman during a clash in the occupied West Bank. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: The kingdom cut February’s official selling price (OSP) to Asia for its Arab light crude to plus $2.20 a barrel versus Oman/Dubai crude. (Reuters)
- Syria: Western nations demanded that Damascus resolve 20 outstanding chemical weapons issues opened by the OPCW in 2014. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: US labor officials filed a complaint accusing the New York Times of unlawfully interfering with union organizing. (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 06JAN22)
- Confirmed cases: 297,997,595
- Deaths: 5,467,568
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 06JAN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (07JAN22)
- Global: Orthodox Christmas Day.
- Cambodia: Victory from Genocide Day.
- Europe: NATO foreign ministers discuss Russian Ukraine troop build-up (virtual).
- France: President Emmanuel Macron to meet with European Commission President Ursual von der Leyen.
- Ghana: Constitution Day.
- Italy: Tricolor Day.
- Turkey: US Ambassador Jeff Flake to assume post.
- United States: Supreme Court hears arguments on COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
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