Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Leaders from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Egypt arrived in Mogadishu for the inauguration of Somali President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud.
- AMERICAS: US President Joe Biden reaffirmed support for Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido in a phone call, despite not inviting him to the Summit of the Americas.
- ASIA: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un convened a plenary meeting of the ruling party amid expectations that he may carry out a nuclear test.
- EUROPE: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said Greece should stop arming islands with non-military status and should abide by international agreements.
- MIDDLE EAST: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates and will meet its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: A federal judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing Apple of concealing device security flaws known as Meltdown and Spectre.
Top Story
- Global: Greek Court Rules Seized Iran Oil Must be Returned.
- An appeals court overturned an earlier ruling which allowed the United States to confiscate the cargo of an Iranian-flagged oil tanker impounded in the Aegean.
- The official added that Athens was “very hopeful” the move would lead to the release of two Greek-flagged tankers seized by Iran in retaliation last month.
- An appeals court in the port city of Halkida reversed a lower court’s decision to allow the removal of the Lana’s cargo.
- The Greek court’s decision may help to secure the release of those two carriers, judging by how previous tit-for-tat vessel seizures involving Iran have played out.
- Iran protested the action and last month ordered the armed takeover of two Greek-flagged tankers in the Persian Gulf. The Greek Foreign Ministry branded the action as “tantamount to piracy.”
- Iran’s supreme leader on Saturday said that the country’s seizure of two Greek oil tankers late last month was a retaliation against Greece because it “stole” Iranian oil.
- Reuters, AFP, Iran International, Bloomberg, AP, Al-Arabiya
Africa
- DR Congo: Three Tanzanian soldiers fighting with the UN mission in the country have been injured in clashes against the M23 rebels. (BBC)
- Eswatini: The army said that those who participated in pro-democracy protests last July will not be enrolled in the military in the ongoing recruitment. (BBC)
- Kenya: The electoral agency said an ongoing audit of its voters’ roll found the names of nearly 250,000 deceased voters on the register. (BBC)
- Nigeria: Jihadists killed at least 23 men in northeast Borno state in the latest violence to hit the conflict-ridden region. (AFP)
- Somalia: Leaders from Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Egypt arrived in Mogadishu for the inauguration of President Hassan Sheikh Mohamud. (BBC)
Americas
- Dominican Republic: Slain environment minister Orlando Jorge Mera was reportedly murdered by a friend over denied environmental permits. (AP)
- Mexico: Local health authorities said a US citizen with monkeypox escaped from a hospital in a resort and fled the country, (AFP)
- United States: General Mark A. Miley detailed a plan to train Ukrainian soldiers on rocket artillery systems. (WaPo)
- United States: The congressional panel probing the 2021 assault on the US Capitol begins outlining new revelations that will tie the deadly siege to Donald Trump’s attempts to overturn his election defeat. (AFP)
- Venezuela: US President Joe Biden reaffirmed support for opposition leader Juan Guaido in a phone call, despite not inviting him to the Summit of the Americas. (AFP)
Asia
- Australia: The government lashed out at “loose” comments by former defense minister Peter Dutton, after he revealed sensitive plans to buy US nuclear-powered submarines over their British rivals. (AFP)
- China: At least 10 people have been killed and three missing in flooding in the central province of Hunan. (AP)
- North Korea: Kim Jong-un convened a plenary meeting of the ruling party amid expectations that he may carry out a nuclear test. (AP)
- South Korea: New COVID-19 cases rose above 12,000 for the second day amid eased pandemic restrictions. (Yonhap)
- Taiwan: The island welcomed US approval of a $120 million sale of naval equipment that the two allies said would bolster the island’s “combat readiness” and ability to work with American forces. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: Several regional heads of military cyber defense forces agreed that Russia has been unexpectedly ineffective at cyberwar in their offensive against Ukraine. (AFP)
- France: The country votes Sunday in parliamentary elections with allies of President Emmanuel Macron seeking to retain a majority in the face of an increasingly competitive challenge from a new left-wing coalition. (AFP)
- Russia: Volkswagen is reportedly offering payouts to employees at a plant in Nizhny Novgorod if they agree to quit voluntarily. (Reuters)
- Spain: Emergency agencies deployed almost 1,000 firefighters, military personnel, and support crews to fight a wildfire in the south that has forced the evacuation of some 2,000 people amid fears that torrid weather may feed the blaze. (AP)
- Turkey: President Tayyip Erdogan said Greece should stop arming islands with non-military status and should abide by international agreements. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett arrived in the United Arab Emirates and will meet its president, Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan. (Reuters)
- Region: The Biden administration has not made a final decision on whether a regional plan to transport Egyptian natural gas and Jordanian electricity to Lebanon would run afoul of sanctions on Syria. (Al-Monitor)
- Egypt: Russia’s state-owned atomic energy company, Rosatom, announced the start of production of equipment for a nuclear power plant in Daaba. (Al-Monitor)
- Iran: The country plans to install two new cascades of advanced centrifuges that will allow Tehran to rapidly enrich more uranium. (AP)
- Iraq: Three were injured in an armed drone attack in Erbil near the consulates of the United States and United Arab Emirates. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: A federal judge dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit accusing Apple of concealing device security flaws known as Meltdown and Spectre. (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 09JUN22)
- Confirmed cases: 533,758,441
- Deaths: 6,305,222
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09JUN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (10JUN22)
- Event: Brookings discussion on rise of white supremacy.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on Russian sanctions.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion with Latin American and Caribbean heads of state.
- Denmark: Copenhagen Democracy Summit
- Europe: Visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to Kosovo, Serbia, Greece, North Macedonia, and Bulgaria (to 11JUN)
- France: OECD Ministerial Council Meeting in Paris, attended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
- Germany: Visit by Moldovan President Maia Sandu
- Japan: Borders to open to international visitors on package tours
- Japan: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks at IISS Asia Security Summit.
- Luxembourg: Meeting of EU home affairs ministers
- Pakistan: Federal Budget announced.
- Portugal: Portugal Day
- Republic of Congo: Reconciliation Day
- Romania: Bucharest-9 Summit, attended by Polish President Adrzej Duda, Hungarian President Katalin Novak, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg
- Singapore: IISS Asia Security Summit, attended by Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (to 12JUN)
- Switzerland: International Labor Conference annual session in Geneva (to 11JUN)
- United States: Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles
END
