10JAN21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Many of the hospitals in Ethiopia’s conflict-hit Tigray region were struck by artillery during the two months of fighting, according to the first humanitarian assessment of the devastation as aid begins to arrive with vital supplies.
AMERICAS: The United States is ending restrictions governing official contacts with Taiwan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, a move hailed by Taipei as ending “decades of discrimination”.
ASIA: North Korea has clarified the importance of powerful defense capabilities in containing military threats in its revised rules for the ruling Workers’ Party, state media announced.
EUROPE: The Spanish government will send convoys carrying the COVID-19 vaccine and food supplies to regions cut off by Storm Filomena which brought the heaviest snowfall in decades across central Spain and killed four people.
MIDDLE EAST: Israel has vaccinated 20 percent of its population in the three weeks since it started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the largest in its history, the country’s health minister reported.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Amazon is removing “free speech” social network Parler from its web hosting service for violating rules.

Top Story

Indonesia: First responders recover potential remains from a commercial passenger plane crash site.
- Rescue workers say they have found the location where they believe a Boeing 737 passenger plane crashed into the sea shortly after take-off from the country’s capital Jakarta.
- Indonesian police said rescue teams found the first human remains of the commercial flight carrying 62 people that crashed near the coast of Java minutes after takeoff from Jakarta airport.
- Indonesian President Joko Widodo offered his condolences and urged people to pray for crash victims.
- Police asked families to provide information to help identify any bodies retrieved such as dental records and DNA samples in order to get a proper death count.
- Reporting: BBC, EFE, CNN, Reuters

Africa

Ethiopia: Many of the hospitals in the conflict-hit Tigray region were struck by artillery during the two months of fighting, according to the first humanitarian assessment of the devastation as aid begins to arrive with vital supplies. (AP)
Seychelles: Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held talks with his counterpart Sylvestre Radegonde during an official visit to the nation. (Xinhua)
Sudan: Government officials and African Union (AU) experts held a meeting over the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD), said Sudan’s Irrigation and Water Resources Ministry. (Xinhua)

Americas

Mexico: Mexico has posted another daily record for newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, with 16,105 new cases recorded, and a near-record of 1,135 deaths related to COVID-19 in the latest 24-hour period. (AP)
United States: The articles of impeachment against President Donald Trump could be introduced on Monday, Democratic Congressman Ted Lieu announced. (DPA)
United States: The nation is ending restrictions governing official contacts with Taiwan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Saturday, a move hailed by Taipei as ending “decades of discrimination”. ( AFP)

Asia

China: More than 360 people have tested positive in a growing COVID-19 outbreak south of Beijing in neighboring Hebei province. (AP)
Japan: Tokyo reported 1,494 new COVID-19 cases, its government said, the lowest number of daily cases since Tuesday. (Reuters)
Mongolia: The National Center for Communicable Diseases (NCCD) confirmed 21 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the nationwide tally to 1,429. (Xinhua)
North Korea: The nation has clarified the importance of powerful defense capabilities in containing military threats in its revised rules for the ruling Workers’ Party, state media announced. (YNA)

Europe

Austria: Labour and Family Minister Christine Aschbacher announced her resignation on Saturday, amid plagiarism allegations regarding her college and doctoral theses. (DPA)
Spain: The government will send convoys carrying the COVID-19 vaccine and food supplies to regions cut off by Storm Filomena which brought the heaviest snowfall in decades across central Spain and killed four people. (Reuters)
Switzerland: The nation’s economy could grow at more than double its usual rate in 2021 and 2022, with GDP increasing by around 4% in both years as output recovers from the COVID-19 epidemic, the government’s chief economist told newspaper NZZ am Sonntag. (Reuters)
United Kingdom: Britain’s new U.N. ambassador says the government is feeling “gung-ho” about continuing its role as an important player on the world stage despite its exit from the European Union. (AP)

Middle East

Egypt: State-owned company Delta Sugar aims to produce 330,000 tonnes of sugar from 2.3 million tonnes of beet this season, the supply ministry reported in a statement. (Reuters)
Israel: The nation has launched a plan aiming to gradually move to non-polluting public city buses, the state’s Ministry of Environmental Protection announced. (Xinhua)
Israel: The country has vaccinated 20 percent of its population in the three weeks since it started its COVID-19 vaccination campaign, the largest in its history, the country’s health minister reported. (DPA)

Tech & Communications

Social Media: Amazon is removing “free speech” social network Parler from its web hosting service for violating rules. (BBC)

World

Cyclones:
- Cyclone Danilo
  - Location: 18.4 S 64.2 E
  - Movement: W at 13 mph
  - Wind: 30mph
  - Map
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
  - Confirmed Cases as of 10JAN21:89,694,492
  - Total Recovered Cases as of 10JAN21: 49,791,962
  - Deaths as of 10JAN21: 1,927,691
  - Countries with Confirmed Cases: 191
  - Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (11JAN21)

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