Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Tunisian president Kais Saied appointed new members of the election commission, entrenching his one-man rule and casting doubt on electoral integrity.
- AMERICAS: Former Haitian senator John Joel Joseph was charged in the United States with conspiracy to murder president Jovenel Moïse.
- ASIA: Several hundred protesters in Sri Lanka are defying a countrywide 36-hour curfew after widespread clashes left four dead and led to the prime minister’s resignation.
- EUROPE: Finland and Sweden are expected to announce this week whether to apply for NATO membership following Russia’s Ukraine invasion.
- MIDDLE EAST: Kuwaiti Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah finally accepted the resignation submitted by the government more than a month ago.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Tinder owner Match Group Inc sued to prevent its apps from being removed from Google’s app store for refusing to share up to 30% of sales.
Top Story
- Philippines: Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on the Cusp of a Landslide Victory in Presidential Elections.
- Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr, son of a former Philippines’ dictator, is headed for a landslide win in the country’s presidential race.
- Marcos Jr. had more than 30.8 million votes in the unofficial results with more than 97% of the votes tabulated. His nearest challenger, Vice President Leni Robredo, had 14.7 million votes in Monday’s election.
- The Philippines’ new leader will inherit a diplomatic balancing act as the Southeast Asian archipelago has a strong strategic relationship with the U.S. and deep economic ties with neighboring China.
- Marcos’ running mate Sara Duterte, the daughter of the outgoing leader and mayor of southern Davao city, had a formidable lead in the vice-presidential race, which is separate from the presidential race.
- Robredo has not conceded defeat but acknowledged the massive Marcos Jr. lead in the unofficial count.
- The election winner will take office on June 30 for a six-year term as leader of a Southeast Asian nation hit hard by two years of COVID-19 outbreaks, crushing poverty, gaping inequalities, communist insurgencies and deep political divisions.
- BBC, AP, WSJ, Politico, Reuters, Manila Times
Africa
- DR Congo: Fourteen civilians were killed in an attack on a displaced persons’ camp in Ituri province. (AFP)
- Libya: General Khalifa Hifter failed to appear for a video deposition in a US federal lawsuit in which he is accused of war crimes. (AP)
- South Sudan: UN experts said many political leaders and civilians in the country are “deeply skeptical” a 2018 peace agreement can deliver stability to the world’s newest nation and worry it may be heading back into conflict. (AP)
- Tunisia: President Kais Saied appointed new members of the election commission, entrenching his one-man rule and casting doubt on electoral integrity. (Reuters)
- Uganda: A court has ordered the government to reconsider its decision to suspend the country’s most prominent rights organization, handing the group a lifeline after its operations were forced to a halt last August. (AFP)
Americas
- Ecuador: Over a hundred prisoners remained missing after a riot at the Bellavisa jail in Santo Domingo. (AFP)
- El Salvador: A court sentenced a woman to 30 years in prison for killing her unborn baby daughter even though she had been suffering what she said was an obstetric emergency. (Reuters)
- Haiti: Former senator John Joel Joseph was charged in the United States with conspiracy to murder president Jovenel Moïse. (AP)
- Honduras: Former President Juan Orlando Hernandez is expected to plead not guilty to US drug and weapons charges in Manhattan federal court following his extradition last month from the Central American country. (Reuters)
- Mexico: President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said a near-collision on a runway of Mexico City International Airport was being investigated. (Reuters)
Asia
- China: President Xi Jinping is promoting the role of the ruling Communist Party’s youth wing ahead of a key party congress later this year and amid rising economic and social pressures. (AP)
- Laos: The country reopened to tourists and other visitors after more than two-years of virus-related border restrictions. (AP)
- Sri Lanka: Several hundred protesters are defying a countrywide 36-hour curfew after widespread clashes left four dead and led to the prime minister’s resignation. (AP)
- South Korea: Conservative Yoon Suk Yeol was inaugurated as president. (AP)
- Taiwan: Human rights activist Lee Ming-che who served five years in jail in China said that international pressure and the tireless advocacy by his wife worked to ensure his safe return to the island. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Finland and Sweden are expected to announce this week whether to apply for NATO membership following Russia’s Ukraine invasion. (AFP)
- Germany: Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht faced criticism for allowing her son to accompany her on a government helicopter on their way to a family vacation. (AFP)
- Spain: The government dismissed the country’s intelligence chief Paz Esteban amid phone hacking scandals. (AP)
- Ukraine: President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reported that the second part of his country’s application to join the European Union was submitted. (TASS)
- United Kingdom: Foreign Secretary Lizz Truss will reportedly seek to cancel much of the Northern Ireland protocol as talks with the EU on a deal have failed. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Afghanistan: A dozen women protested in Kabul against the Taliban’s new edict that females must fully cover their faces and bodies when in public. (AFP)
- Iran: The judiciary dismissed the possibility of a prisoner swap that would see a former official on trial for war crimes in Stockholm released in exchange for an academic on death row. (AFP)
- Kuwait: Crown Prince Sheikh Meshal al-Ahmad al-Sabah finally accepted the resignation submitted by the government more than a month ago. (Reuters)
- Qatar: Berlin and Doha have difficulties in talks over long-term liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply deals amid differences over key conditions, including the duration of any contract. (Reuters)
- United Arab Emirates: Oil Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei said market volatility is linked to factors outside the control of the OPEC+ producers’ group, such as moves by some buyers to boycott certain suppliers. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Tinder owner Match Group Inc sued to prevent its apps from being removed from Google’s app store for refusing to share up to 30% of sales. (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 10MAY22)
- Confirmed cases: 518,073,573
- Deaths: 6,253,752
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 10MAY22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (11MAY22)
- Australia: Third election debate between PM Scott Morrison and opposition leader Anthony Albanese.
- Germany: European Police Congress in Berlin. (to 12MAY)
- Germany: G7 Digital Ministers Meeting.
- Germany: Visit by Argentine President Alberto Ángel Fernández.
- Morocco: Global Coalition Against ISIL meeting.
- Poland: FAO Regional Conference for Europe in Łódź. (to 13MAY)
- Syria: US continues National Emergency with respect to Syrian Govt.
- United Kingdom: US special presidential envoy for climate John Kerry speaks at Net Zero Delivery Summit.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on ‘Russian war crimes in Ukraine’.
- Vietnam: Human Rights Day.
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