Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Islamist militants reportedly believe that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of Nigeria’s militant Boko Haram group, has killed himself.
- AMERICAS: US Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Guatemala following a departure delay after a technical issue with her aircraft.
- ASIA: The lawyer of ousted Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi said court proceedings in the first criminal cases against the leader will finish in late July.
- EUROPE: Russian President Vladimir Putin signed-off on a bill withdrawing Moscow from the Open Skies Treaty.
- MIDDLE EAST: Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya warned of renewed violence if right-wing pro-settler organisations are allowed to hold a controversial rally in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith sued three major newspapers that accused him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan.
Top Story
- Peru: Results of the presidential election currently inconclusive.
- Conservative candidate Keiko Fujimori held a razor-thin lead over left-wing opponent Pedro Castillo in Peru’s presidential election in the most recent vote count.
- Fujimori had an extremely narrow 1.5% lead over Castillo with a little more than 85% of the votes counted.
- Castillo had been trailing Fujimori by a larger margin earlier in the day but the left-wing candidate shortened the gap as votes from rural areas, where Castillo is more popular, were counted.
- The remaining votes left to be counted are expected to be from rural areas as well, which could see the gap shortening even further, leaving the results of the presidential election inconclusive currently.
- This election has been viewed as one of the most polarizing presidential elections in recent history.
- Reporting: Reuters, BBC, AP, NYT, DPA, AFP
Africa
- Republic of the Congo: Russia’s single-dose Sputnik Light COVID-19 vaccine was reportedly approved for usage in the country. (Reuters)
- Nigeria: Islamist militants reportedly believe that Abubakar Shekau, the leader of the militant Boko Haram group, has killed himself. (BBC)
- Somalia: Two opposition parties in the self-declared republic of Somaliland formed a coalition giving them a majority in parliament. (AFP)
- Sudan: Weekend tribal clashes between Arabs and non-Arabs in the Darfur region resulted in the deaths of at least 36 people, according to state media. (AP)
- Uganda: President Yoweri Museveni further increased coronavirus control measures amid a spike in COVID-19 infections. (AFP)
Americas
- Region: US Vice President Kamala Harris landed in Guatemala following a departure delay after a technical issue with her aircraft. (DPA)
- Colombia: President Iván Duque pledged to increase oversight of police officers and modernize the country’s police forces. (BBC)
- Haiti: Hundreds of people were forced to flee their homes in capital city Port-au-Prince and take shelter in a nearby church due to clashes between rival gangs, authorities said. (AFP)
- Mexico: Initial election results show President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s party losing its absolute majority in the lower house of Congress. (AFP)
Asia
- Afghanistan: The Taliban said citizens who worked with foreign forces had nothing to worry about once foreign forces leave the country if they “show remorse”. (AFP)
- Japan: Authorities arrested a Russian crew member of a boat that collided with a fishing vessel and killed three people on-board. (AFP)
- Myanmar: Ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s lawyer said court proceedings in the first criminal cases against the leader will finish in late July. (Reuters)
- Sri Lanka: Heavy rain triggered flooding and landslides in the country leading to the deaths of at least 17 people and forcing tens of thousands of people to flee their homes. (Reuters)
- Taiwan: The government extended coronavirus control measures due to continued growth in new COVID-19 cases. (DPA)
Europe
- Region: The new jersey of Ukraine’s national soccer team for the upcoming EURO 2020 competition, which is emblazoned with a map showing Russian-annexed Crimea as Ukraine’s rightful territory, sparked anger in Russia. (BBC)
- Region: David Dushman, the last surviving soldier who participated in the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi death camp, died at the age of 98. (AFP)
- Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats (CDU) party defeated the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party in the Saxony-Anhalt state elections. (BBC)
- Hungary: The government appeared to back away from its plans to build a Chinese university in the capital Budapest following protests against the plans. (Reuters)
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin signed-off on a bill withdrawing Moscow from the Open Skies Treaty. (AP)
Middle East
- Region: Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya warned of renewed violence if right-wing pro-settler organisations are allowed to hold a controversial rally in Israel-annexed east Jerusalem. (AFP)
- Region: Iranian cleric Ali Akbar Mohtashamipour, who helped found the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, died of the new coronavirus at the age of 74. (AP)
- Region: Israeli authorities briefly detained two Palestinian activists who gained global prominence while fighting eviction from their homes in east Jerusalem. (VOA)
- Saudi Arabia: Aramco reportedly hired a large group of banks for its inaugural issuance of a US dollar-denominated sukuk bond. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Media: Australian soldier Ben Roberts-Smith sued three major newspapers that accused him of committing war crimes in Afghanistan. (AFP)
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 04JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 173,329,556
- Deaths: 3,729,870
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 30MAY21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 04JUN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (08JUN21)
- Global: World Oceans Day – 2009
- Global: The foreign ministers of Arab League countries are expected to hold a meeting.
- Global: The World Bank will launch its Global Economic Prospects report.
- Global: The UN Security Council will hold a debate on the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT).
- Global: The United Nations General Assembly will hold a high-level meeting on AIDS.
- Global: The World Trade Organization’s Council on Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights related to Trade could hold a meeting on the patent rights of COVID-19 vaccines.
- Global: Russia’s new Strela amphibious armored vehicle will be presented for the first time at the Shield Africa 2021 expo in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. (to 10JUN)
- Europe: The International Criminal Court will deliver its final verdict in the appeal trial of Bosnian Serb military leader Ratko Mladic.
- Europe: The EU will announce its latest GDP figures.
- Europe: Judges in the Netherlands will hold discussions and hear evidence against four suspects in the 2014 downing of Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 over Ukraine. (to 10JUN)
- Argentina: Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will visit. (to 09JUN)
- Bulgaria: Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will visit.
- Colombia: An Inter-American Commission on Human Rights delegation will visit the country. (to 10JUN)
- Ghana: A group of 16 LGBTQ activists will go on trial for “unlawful assembly”, in a case that advisors to the UN’s Human Rights Council have likened to arbitrary detention.
- Iran: A televised presidential election debate will be held.
- Japan: The government will release its revised growth figures for Q1 2021.
- Lebanon: Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah is expected to deliver a speech.
- Mexico: US Vice President Kamala Harris will visit.
- Russia: A government Public Monitoring Commission will visit the penal colony where US citizen Paul Whelan has been detained.
- Russia: A court in Vladimir will consider opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s suit against his prison over a ban on his lawyers using laptops and smartphones during visits.
- Tunisia: Le Jardin de l’Afrique, which is intended to serve as a memorial for migrants that drowned while trying to cross the Strait of Sicily from Libya and Tunisia, will be inaugurated.
- United States: Secretary of State Antony Blinken is expected to testify to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the State Department’s budget for the 2022 fiscal year.
- United States: The CEO of Colonial Pipeline will testify to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs on the recent ransomware attack.
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