07OCT21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

• AFRICA: Guinea’s military junta named Mohamed Beavogui, a former civil servant and agricultural finance expert, to serve as prime minister.
• AMERICAS: Peruvian President Pedro Castillo sacked Prime Minister Guido Bellido and swore in former head of Congress Mirtha Vasquez as well as other new cabinet members.
• ASIA: Filipino opposition leader Leni Robredo has registered her presidential candidacy for next year’s elections in a move that would bring the pro-democracy advocate to a faceoff with the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos.
• EUROPE: Russia will invite representatives of the Taliban to international talks on Afghanistan that it plans to host in Moscow on Oct. 20.
• MIDDLE EAST: Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with senior Lebanese officials to express Tehran’s willingness to support Lebanon as it goes through an economic crisis.
• TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Facebook head of global policy management Monika Bickert denied that the company prioritizes user engagement over safety.

Top Story

• Global: The United States and China agree in principle to hold a virtual meeting before year’s end.
  • US president Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping have agreed to hold a virtual summit this year, in the first sign of improving relations between the countries since the US president took office.
  • US officials advised the meeting was a follow-on from President Joe Biden’s September 9 call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, prior to which the world’s top two economies appeared to have been locked in a stalemate.
  • The White House announcement followed a six-hour meeting in Zurich between White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan and his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.
  • It is not clear when the virtual meeting will be held, but other officials will participate.
  • Top-level talks can help to address the most contentious issues at the heart of US-China strategic competition.
  • FT, Canberra Times, Axios, NYT, CNBC

Africa

• Burkina Faso: Former president Blaise Compaore will boycott the proceedings in a long-awaited trial on the 1987 assassination of his predecessor Thomas Sankara. (AFP)
• Ethiopia: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres demanded proof of wrongdoing by seven senior UN officials who were expelled by the government last week. (Reuters)
• Guinea: The ruling military junta named Mohamed Beavogui, a former civil servant and agricultural finance expert, to serve as prime minister. (Reuters)
• South Africa: Mining and Energy Minister Gwede Mantashie said the country must transition away from coal and not rush towards renewable energy sources. (Reuters)

Americas

• Colombia: The think tank INDEPAZ estimated that over 10,000 members of armed paramilitary groups are still active in the country. (AFP)
• Haiti: Martine Moise, widow of slain president Jovenel Moise, gave witness testimony to the investigation into the assassination of her husband. (AFP)
• Peru: President Pedro Castillo sacked Prime Minister Guido Bellido and swore in former head of Congress Mirtha Vasquez as well as other new cabinet members. (Reuters)
• United States: A federal judge ordered Texas to suspend its restrictive abortion law which took effect in September. (AP)

Asia

• Australia: Authorities announced COVID-19 restrictions would be eased in Sydney beginning next week as the city reached its 70% full vaccination target. (Reuters)
• China: The country will launch a biodiversity summit on Monday to build political momentum to halt and even reverse the destruction of nature by man. (AFP)
• Indonesia: Parliament approved a law for one of the country’s most ambitious tax overhauls, including raising the value added tax rate next year, a new carbon tax, and cancelling a planned corporate tax cut. (Reuters)
• Pakistan: At least 20 people were killed in a 5.7 magnitude earthquake in Balochistan province. (The Guardian)
• Philippines: Opposition leader Leni Robredo has registered her presidential candidacy for next year’s elections in a move that would bring the pro-democracy advocate to a faceoff with the son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos. (AP)

Europe

• France: Alain Richard, the head of a delegation of senators, called Taiwan a “country” during a visit to Taipei, risking fury from China which has opposed the trip. (AFP)
• Greece: Lawmakers are voting on a five-year defense pact signed last week with France which includes a clause of mutual assistance in case of attack by a third party. (AP)
• Russia: The country will invite representatives of the Taliban to international talks on Afghanistan that it plans to host in Moscow on Oct. 20. (Reuters)
• Ukraine: The Servant of the People party voted to remove parliamentary speaker Dmytro Razumkov for putting his own interests above those of the governing party. (Reuters)
• United Kingdom: Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said the company was no longer considering building a factory in the country since it has left the European Union. (BBC)

Middle East

• Iran: Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian met with senior Lebanese officials to express Tehran’s willingness to support Lebanon as it goes through an economic crisis. (Al Jazeera)
• Oman: The death toll from Cyclone Shaheen that crashed through the sultanate has risen to 14 after a body was found of someone missing since the storm. (AP)
• Saudi Arabia: A court in the kingdom has upheld a 20-year prison term imposed on an aid worker who had criticized the government on Twitter. (AP)
• Syria: Eleven women who had joined IS and 37 children were repatriated to Germany and Denmark from a Kurdish-controlled detention camp. (BBC)

Tech & Communications

• Social Media: Facebook head of global policy management Monika Bickert denied that the company prioritizes user engagement over safety. (AP)

World

• Cyclones: Nothing to report
• Hurricanes: Nothing to report
• Earthquakes:
  • Harnai, Pakistan
    • Magnitude: 5.9
    • Depth: 9 km
    • Map
  • Volcanoes:
    • La Palma, Spain
      • Explosive activity continues
      • Erupting
      • Source
    • Global Disease Outbreaks:
      • COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 07OCT21)
        • Confirmed cases: 236,580,675
        • Deaths: 4,829,816
        • Countries with confirmed cases: 192
        • Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (08OCT21)

• Global: G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies meeting.
• Czech Republic: Parliamentary elections. (to 09OCT)
• Europe: Meeting of EU ministers for justice and home affairs in Brussels.
• France: Africa-France Summit in Montpelier, chaired by President Emmanuel Macron.
• India: Air Force Day.
• Israel: Court hears custody battle over Italy cable-crash boy.
• Japan: Newly elected Prime Minister Fumio Kishida makes first policy speech.
• Mexico: US-Mexico High-Level Security Dialogue, attended by Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas, and Attorney General Merrick Garland.
• Norway: Announcement of the Nobel Peace Prize.
• Pakistan: Visit by Deputy US Secretary of State Wendy Sherman.
• Portugal: NATO Parliamentary Assembly annual session in Lisbon. (to 11OCT)

END