09MAY22 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Tanzanian President Samia Hassan held an emergency meeting of her cabinet on Sunday night over price hikes of fuel in the country.
AMERICAS: New Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves vowed to keep up with payments to relieve years of mounting debt in his inaugural address.
ASIA: Early voting has begun in Australia’s election with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls.
EUROPE: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would not allow Russia to appropriate victory in World War II.
MIDDLE EAST: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Iran to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Bitcoin fell to its lowest level since July 2021 as slumping equity markets continued to hurt cryptocurrencies.

Top Story

Russia: President Vladimir Putin Marks Victory Day as Moscow Presses Ukraine War.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin evoked the memory of Soviet heroism in World War Two urging his army towards victory in Ukraine, saying the West had been “preparing for the invasion of our land, including Crimea.”
- Putin’s speech offered no new insights to how he intended to salvage the grinding war and stuck to allegations that Ukraine posed a threat to Russia, even though Moscow’s nuclear-armed forces are far superior in numbers.
- Addressing Russian forces on the front in Ukraine, Putin said: “You are fighting for the Motherland, for its future, so that no one forgets the lessons of the Second World War.”
- Evoking the World War Two victory in his speech, Putin urged the Russian army toward victory in Ukraine, saying there was a duty to remember those who defeated Nazism.
- Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has used Victory Day to call on Russia’s leader to end the war in Ukraine immediately.
- Putin did not make any major announcement related to the war in Ukraine, including declaring victory or full-scale mobilization.
- Reuters, AP, AFP, CNBC, BBC, Axios

Africa

Region: The African Union (AU) condemned Sunday’s attack that killed 11 Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai Peninsula. (BBC)
Nigeria: Authorities have been accused of failing to ensure justice for the killing of #EndSars protesters in 2020, six months after a judicial panel implicated security forces. (BBC)
Somalia: President Mohamed Abdullahi Farmajo has formally announced his candidacy for a second term in the presidential elections due on May 15. (BBC)
South Sudan: The health ministry declared a cholera outbreak in Rubkona county in the northern oil-producing Unity state. (BBC)
Tanzania: President Samia Hassan held an emergency meeting of her cabinet on Sunday night over price hikes of fuel in the country. (BBC)

Americas

Canada: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country will help Ukraine work out options on how to export stored grain to uphold global food security that has been shaken by Russia’s invasion. (Reuters)
Costa Rica: New President Rodrigo Chaves vowed to keep up with payments to relieve years of mounting debt in his inaugural address. (Reuters)
Mexico: A jetliner attempting to land in Mexico City aborted its approach at the last second to avoid hitting a plane taxiing on the runway. (AFP)
United States: US first lady Jill Biden made an unannounced visit to western Ukraine, holding a surprise Mother’s Day meeting with Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelensky. (The Guar dian)
United States: The US Senate will vote on legislation to codify abortion rights into law on Wednesday in reaction to the leaked draft decision indicating the Supreme Court is poised to overturn its landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling. (Reuters)

Asia

Australia: Early voting has begun in the country’s election with the opposition party hoping the first ballots will reflect its lead over the government in opinion polls. (AP)
China: President Xi Jinping told German Chancellor Olaf Scholz that all efforts must be made to avoid the Ukraine conflict turning into an “unmanageable situation.” (Reuters)
Hong Kong: Leader Carrie Lam said Chinese patriots are now firmly in charge of the city following the election of its new leader John Lee, who ran unopposed in a process controlled by Beijing from start to finish. (AP)
Laos: The landlocked Southeast Asian nation reopened to tourists and other visitors more than two years after it imposed tight restrictions to fight the coronavirus. (AP)
South Korea: Departing president Moon Jae-In defended his policy of engaging North Korea, saying in his farewell speech that he hopes efforts to restore peace and denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula will continue. (AP)

Europe

Germany: Finance minister Christian Lindner warned that rising wages could further fan inflation, adding that parties involved in collective bargaining had a responsibility to help prevent that from happening and that one-off payments might be needed. (Reuters)
Sweden: The ruling Social Democrats said the party will announce its position on whether the country should apply for NATO membership on May 15. (AFP)
Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine would not allow Russia to appropriate victory in World War II. (AFP)
United Kingdom: Defense minister Ben Wallace called out “the absurdity” of Russia’s bemedalled military top brass at the annual Victory Day parade in Moscow, highlighted by President Vladimir Putin’s speech. (AFP)
United Kingdom: The European Union’s envoy to London said the bloc was ready to restart talks on the Northern Ireland protocol after a pause due to recent elections. (Reuters)

Middle East

Region: The Emir of Qatar Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani will visit Iran to discuss bilateral, regional, and international issues. (Reuters)
Egypt: The public prosecutor ordered that 13 teenage boys arrested over the weekend and accused of harassing two women tourists at the Giza Pyramids near Cairo remain in custody pending an investigation. (AP)
Israel: The government’s embattled prime minister Naftali Bennett is limping into the opening of parliament’s summer session on the verge of collapse. (AP)
Lebanon: The turnout of diaspora voting in 58 countries ahead of May 15 parliamentary elections was nearly 60 percent, similar figures to the last polls in 2018. (AFP)
Saudi Arabia: Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman said the gap between crude prices and prices for jet fuel, diesel and gasoline was around 60% in some cases due to lack of investment in refining capacity. (Reuters)

Tech & Communications

Technology: Bitcoin fell to its lowest level since July 2021 as slumping equity markets continued to hurt cryptocurrencies. (Reuters)

World

Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
Earthquakes:
- Yonakuni, Japan
  - Magnitude: 6.3
  - Depth: 27.0 km
  - Map
Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 09MAY22)
  - Confirmed cases: 517,372,784
  - Deaths: 6,251,526
  - Countries with confirmed cases: 192
  - Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (10MAY22)

Event: Stimson Center discussion on the US-ASEAN Special Summit.
Africa: Deadline for Kenya’s Azimio la Umoja coalition committee to choose running mate for presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
Americas: Latin American Mother’s Day.
Germany: G7 Digital Ministers Meeting. (to 11MAY)
Germany: Visit by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo, followed by a joint press conference.
Poland: FAO Regional Conference for Europe. (to 13MAY)
Russia: Victory Day Holiday.
Russia: President Vladimir Putin to hold an economic policy meeting.
South Korea: President Yoon Suk Yeol to be inaugurated.
Turkey: Visit by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev.
United Kingdom: Queen Elizabeth II to formally open the British Parliament’s legislative session with speech setting out the government’s agenda and economic plans.
United States: Senate Armed Services Committee part-closed hearing on worldwide threats.
United States: Arraignment for former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
United States: Visit to the White House by Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi.
United States: Senate Foreign Relations Committee considers nominated U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget Brink.
United States: Congressional primary elections scheduled in Nebraska and West Virginia.

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