Key Storylines
- AFRICA: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council the UN would not be able to reduce or terminate its peacekeeping operations in the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border due to differences between the two countries.
- AMERICAS: Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the Senate to open a probe into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
- ASIA: South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in unveiled Seoul’s first domestically developed fighter jet in a step toward the country’s greater military independence.
- EUROPE: The US said it was increasingly concerned by Russian forces mobilizing along the Russia-Ukraine border, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukraine’s east.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran released the South Korean-flagged tanker it had seized in a dispute over frozen oil funds.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China criticized the US decision to block researchers and manufacturers building supercomputers for the Chinese military from accessing US technology, saying the decision will “only strengthen China’s determination” to invent its own technology.
Top Story
- United Kingdom: Brexit stokes tensions in Northern Ireland.
- Police in Northern Ireland deployed water cannons for the first time in six years amid fresh rioting in Belfast.
- The police deployed water cannons after gangs of youths pelted the police with stones and fireworks.
- The recent spate in violence in Northern Ireland has been triggered due to frustrations over post-Brexit trade barriers and has left 74 people wounded so far this week.
- Members of the pro-UK unionist community in Northern Ireland have been unhappy over post-Brexit rules which they believe are dividing Northern Ireland from Britain.
- In a bid to ease the ongoing unrest, Northern Ireland’s power-sharing government has set aside factional differences and called for calm, as did the US, UK, and Irish governments.
- Reporting: NYT, AFP, BBC, Reuters, AP
Africa
- Region: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council the UN would not be able to reduce or terminate its peacekeeping operations in the disputed Abyei region on the Sudan-South Sudan border due to differences between the two countries. (AP)
- Central African Republic: A judge has requested parliament to strip four opposition lawmakers of their parliamentary immunity for an investigation into former President François Bozizé. (Reuters)
- Djibouti: The country’s presidential election is set to begin, with President Ismail Omar Guelleh seeking a fifth term in office. (AP)
- Egypt: Archaeologists have discovered a 3,000-year-old city in what was described as one of the most important archaeological finds since Tutankhamun’s tomb. (BBC)
- Kenya: The High Court suspended the government’s decision to close camps holding thousands of refugees from war-torn neighboring countries. (AP)
Americas
- Brazil: The Supreme Court ordered the Senate to open a probe into the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
- Canada: The rate of coronavirus infections in the country edged close to US levels for the first time since the pandemic started. (BBC)
- Mexico: President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said he wishes to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. (DPA)
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines: Authorities issued evacuation orders on the island of Saint Vincent due to the threat of a potential volcanic eruption. (AFP)
- Venezuela: Nicolas Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez said there is enough capacity at a facility in Caracas to start producing Cuba’s coronavirus vaccine candidate known as Abdala. (Reuters)
Asia
- Bangladesh: US special envoy on climate John Kerry arrived in the country to discuss weather extremes and rising sea levels. (AP)
- Indonesia: President Joko Widodo is visiting the cyclone-hit cluster of islands where more than 200 people died recently. (AFP)
- Myanmar: The country’s military junta claimed the public’s protest movement against it was dwindling while 18 ambassadors to the country called for the restoration of democracy in the country. (Reuters)
- North Korea: Kim Jong Un linked the country’s current situation to a period in the 90s of famine and disaster as he urged ruling party officials to prepare for another “Arduous March” of work and sacrifice. (Reuters)
- South Korea: President Moon Jae-in unveiled the country’s first domestically developed fighter jet in a step toward the country’s greater military independence. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi called Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan a “dictator” while speaking to the press. (DPA)
- Region: The US said it was increasingly concerned by Russian forces mobilizing along the Russia-Ukraine border, as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy visited Ukraine’s east. (AFP)
- France: The government will declare an agricultural disaster because of an early spring frost that has damaged crops and vines across the country. (AFP)
- Norway: Prime Minister Erna Solberg was fined by police for breaking social distancing rules due to organizing a family gathering for her birthday celebrations. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: The government has granted temporary shelter to Myanmar’s former ambassador to London. (Guardian)
Middle East
- Region: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office will tell the International Criminal Court that it lacks the authority to investigate war crimes in the Palestinian Territories. (DPA)
- Iran: The country released the South Korean-flagged tanker it had seized in a dispute over frozen oil funds. (AFP)
- Iraq: The Health Ministry warned of “dire consequences” and chastised the public for not heeding coronavirus prevention measures. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: China criticized the US decision to block researchers and manufacturers building supercomputers for the Chinese military from accessing US technology, saying the decision will “only strengthen China’s determination” to invent its own technology. (AP)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Cyclone Seroja
- Location: 346 nautical miles N-NW of Learmonth, Australia
- Wind: 65 mph
- Movement: SW at 9 mph
- Map
- Tropical Cyclone Seroja
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09APR21)
- Confirmed cases: 134,038,180
- Total recovered cases: 76,188,622
- Deaths: 2,904,554
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 28MAR21)
- Confirmed cases: 18
- Deaths: 9
- Sourcing: WHO
- Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (as of 28MAR21)
- Confirmed cases: 12
- Deaths: 6
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09APR21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (10APR21)
- Global: The WHO’s self-imposed deadline to help start coronavirus vaccinations in every country.
- Global: US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin will visit Israel, Germany, NATO headquarters in Belgium and the United Kingdom. (to 15APR)
- Global: The IMF and the World Bank will hold their annual spring meeting. (to 11APR)
- Algeria: French Prime Minister Jean Castex is scheduled to visit.
- Colombia: Capital city Bogota will enter a coronavirus lockdown.
- Germany: The far-right Alternative for Germany will hold a party conference.
- India: Kazakhstan’s Defense Minister Nurlan Yermekbayev is visiting.
- Russia: A European Medicines Agency delegation will arrive to assess the country’s Sputnik V coronavirus vaccine.
- Turkey: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is expected to visit and meet with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
- Samoa: The official results of the country’s legislative elections are expected to be released.
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