Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Troops from nine African countries and NATO countries started the African Lion 21 military exercise in Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal.
- AMERICAS: The US Senate approved a sweeping package of legislation aimed at boosting the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology.
- ASIA: A group of gunmen killed ten people in an attack on a HALO Trust demining operation in Afghanistan.
- EUROPE: The EU and the US will reportedly commit to the lifting of steel tariffs before December and call for a new study into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic during next week’s EU-US Summit.
- MIDDLE EAST: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli strikes killed at least eight Syrian regime fighters in the Homs province.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: El Salvador became the first country in the world to officially adopt Bitcoin as legal tender after lawmakers in Congress voted in favor of the “Bitcoin Law”.
Top Story
- Global: Biden visits Europe in first trip abroad as US President.
- US President Joe Biden is set to visit the United Kingdom and other European countries on his first trip abroad since taking office.
- During the eight-day trip, President Biden will seek to rebuild trans-Atlantic ties and reframe the US-Russia relationship.
- Biden will attend a series of summits during the trip, including the G7 Summit, an EU-US Summit, a NATO Summit, ending his trip with a face-to-face summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Talks with European and G7 countries are expected to be dominated by vaccine diplomacy, trade, climate change, and countering China, while the President is expected to press Russia’s Putin on cybersecurity attacks and the detention of Alexei Navalny.
- Biden will also meet with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of the G7 Summit, which will be held in the United Kingdom.
- Reporting: AP, DPA, AFP, NYT, Reuters, WSJ
Africa
- Region: Troops from nine African countries and NATO countries started the African Lion 21 military exercise in Morocco, Tunisia, and Senegal. (UPI)
- Central African Republic: France suspended military ties with the country for not respecting political opposition and failing to stop a “massive” anti-French disinformation campaign. (AP)
- Libya: The country’s National Oil Corporation said it lost about 50,000 barrels per day of oil production due to pipeline leaks. (Reuters)
- Uganda: Almost a third of adults in the country are unable to access vital healthcare and social services because they do not have national ID cards. (Guardian)
Americas
- Region: Mexico clarified that it did not agree to send 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Honduras after Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez publicly thanked Mexico for offering 100,000 doses. (Reuters)
- Colombia: Human Rights Watch said it had “credible evidence” indicating police killed at least 16 protesters or bystanders during the recent civil unrest in the country. (AP)
- Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega’s government arrested two presidential candidates ahead of November’s presidential election. (WaPo)
- Peru: Marxist candidate Pedro Castillo clung to a narrow lead over conservative Keiko Fujimori in the country’s presidential election, with less than 2% of votes remaining to be counted. (DPA)
- United States: The Senate approved a sweeping package of legislation aimed at boosting the country’s ability to compete with Chinese technology. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: Australia and Japan expressed “serious concerns” over reports of human rights abuses against Uyghur and other Muslim minorities in China’s Xinjiang region. (Reuters)
- Afghanistan: A group of gunmen killed ten people in an attack on an HALO Trust demining operation in the country. (AP)
- China: Beijing denounced new US legislation aimed at improving American competitiveness in the tech sector, calling it a thinly veiled attack on Beijing’s political system and an attempt to hinder the country’s development. (AP)
- Philippines: Cirilito Sobejana, the head of the country’s armed forces, visited an occupied island in the disputed South China Sea. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: The EU and the US will reportedly commit to the lifting of steel tariffs before December and call for a new study into the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic during next week’s EU-US Summit. (Reuters)
- Region: The US is reportedly looking to form expert working groups with Canada, Mexico, the European Union and the United Kingdom to plan the reopening of international travel after more than a year of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. (Reuters)
- Region: A UN tribunal dismissed former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic’s appeal against a 2017 conviction for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity. (BBC)
- Albania: Parliament is holding an extraordinary session on the potential impeachment of President Ilir Meta. (AP)
Middle East
- Region: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Israeli strikes killed at least eight Syrian regime fighters in the Homs province. (AFP)
- Iran: Tehran is planning a swift increase in its oil production if US sanctions are potentially lifted. (Reuters)
- Iraq: Authorities released Iran-aligned militia commander Qasim Muslih, who led the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) in the country’s western Anbar province. (Reuters)
- Israel: The outgoing government gave the greenlight for a previously canceled flag march through the Muslim Quarter of Jerusalem for next Tuesday. (BBC)
Tech & Communications
- Internet: Cloud computing service provider Fastly said yesterday’s brief global website outage was caused by a bug in its software. (Reuters)
- Tech Regulation: El Salvador became the first country in the world to officially adopt Bitcoin as legal tender after lawmakers in Congress voted in favor of the “Bitcoin Law”. (Deutsche Welle)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes:
- Indonesia
- Mount Merapi emitted hot clouds three times.
- Sourcing: Xinhua
- Indonesia
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 174,029,957
- Deaths: 3,748,630
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 06JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09JUN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (10JUN21)
- Global: The Food & Agriculture Organization will release its latest Food Outlook report.
- 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.
- Global: Yemen’s Foreign Minister Ahmed Bin Mubarak will meet with EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
- Africa: The finance ministers of Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, and Tanzania – all of which are prospective countries of a potential East African Federation – will present the latest budgets to their respective parliaments.
- Europe: The leaders of Albania, Kosovo, Serbia, North Macedonia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro will hold a summit in Albania.
- Europe: The European Central Bank will review interest rate policies.
- Europe: The UN Security Council will hold a briefing on cooperation with the European Union.
- 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.
- Brazil: The Supreme Court will hold an emergency session to decide whether the Copa America international soccer tournament will be allowed to be held in the country amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Colombia: An Inter-American Commission on Human Rights delegation will visit the country.
- France: Estonian IT Minister Andres Sutt will visit with a business delegation.
- Germany: Federal and state government leaders will meet to discuss the state of measures to control the coronavirus pandemic.
- Greece: A general strike is expected to be held.
- Indonesia: The Central Jakarta District Court will deliver a verdict in a civil lawsuit filed against several Indonesian officials, including President Joko Widodo and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan, for failing to control air pollution.
- Japan: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga will depart for the United Kingdom and the G7 Summit.
- Portugal: Dia de Portugal – 1580
- Russia: The country will resume air travel links with Austria, Hungary, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Mauritius, Morocco, and Croatia.
- Singapore: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison will visit and meet with his counterpart Lee Hsien Loong.
- South Korea: A court will rule on a wartime labor compensation lawsuit brought by a group of Koreans against 16 Japanese companies including Nippon Steel.
- Tajikistan: Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev will visit. (to 12JUN)
- Ukraine: Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio will visit and meet with his counterpart Dmytro Kuleba.
- United Kingdom: US President Joe Biden will visit and meet with Prime Minister Boris Johnson ahead of the upcoming G7 Summit.
- United Kingdom: Health Secretary Matt Hancock will testify before parliament regarding the government’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
- United States: Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will deliver remarks to the annual German Ministry of Foreign Affairs Chiefs of Mission Conference virtually.
- United States: The Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will hold a hearing on atrocities in Xinjiang.
- United States: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin will testify to the Senate Committee on Armed Services on the Department of Defense budget posture.
- United States: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen will testify to the House Committee on Appropriations on the international programs budget.
- United States: The House Committee on Homeland Security will hold a hearing on unaccompanied children at the border.
- United States: The US-China Economic and Security Review Commission (USCC) will hold a hearing on China’s Nuclear Forces.
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