Key Storylines
- AFRICA: A suicide bomber attacked a military training camp in Somalia and killed at least 15 army recruits.
- AMERICAS: The United States will give $115 million in aid to El Salvador to stem migration from Central America.
- ASIA: Australia and the United Kingdom announced the broad outlines of a free trade agreement, including the elimination of some tariffs.
- EUROPE: Russian authorities reportedly removed Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya from their most wanted list at the initiative of Belarusian authorities.
- MIDDLE EAST: Far-right Israeli groups are scheduled to march through east Jerusalem in a flag-waving procession.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: A cyberattack on Pulse Connect Secure networking devices, that was first uncovered in April and was blamed on China, was more sweeping than previously known in its targeting of critical US entities.
Top Story
- Global: NATO expands focus to China.
- The leaders of NATO countries warned about China’s global influence and of Russia’s threat to European security at a NATO Summit which President Joe Biden participated in.
- China accused NATO of slandering Beijing’s peaceful development and said the alliance should stop exaggerating what Beijing described as the “China threat theory”.
- In a statement at the conclusion of the summit, NATO released a statement saying “China’s stated ambitions and assertive behavior present systemic challenges to the rules-based international order and to areas relevant to alliance security”.
- NATO’s increased focus on China during this summit marked a shift from the alliance’s stance toward China during past summits, when Beijing was rarely mentioned.
- Reporting: BBC, NYT, Reuters, WSJ, WaPo
Africa
- Region: Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Madrid is considering the full inclusion of its Ceuta and Melilla enclaves in Northern Africa in Europe’s passport-free Schengen area. (Reuters)
- Burkina Faso: The army said it killed around ten “terrorists” during security operations after the deadliest massacre in the country’s six-year jihadist insurgency. (AFP)
- Somalia: A suicide bomber attacked a military training camp in Mogadishu and killed at least 15 army recruits. (AFP)
- Zambia: Former President Kenneth Kaunda was admitted to a military hospital to receive treatment for an undisclosed illness. (Reuters)
Americas
- Region: The United States will give $115 million in aid to El Salvador to stem migration from Central America. (Reuters)
- Colombia: President Ivan Duque named former defense minister Juan Carlos Pinzón as the country’s new ambassador to the United States. (AP)
- Nicaragua: The government defended the detention of 13 opposition figures saying they were “usurpers” who were being funded by the United States to overthrow President Daniel Ortega. (AFP)
- Peru: UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet urged all parties to “remain calm” as the results of the country’s presidential election continued to remain unannounced. (AFP)
- United States: The FBI warned that followers of the QAnon conspiracy theory could engage in political violence. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: The US Navy said a US aircraft carrier group led by the USS Ronald Reagan had entered the South China Sea in a routine mission. (Reuters)
- Australia: The country and the United Kingdom announced the broad outlines of a free trade agreement, including the elimination of some tariffs. (AP)
- India: The Supreme Court closed criminal cases against two Italian marines who were accused of killing two fishermen in 2012. (BBC)
- Japan: Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga survived a no-confidence vote in parliament. (DPA)
- Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte’s spokesperson said Duterte will not cooperate with an International Criminal Court investigation into his war on drugs. (DPA)
Europe
- Region: Kosovo and Serbia will resume EU-mediated discussions aimed at resolving their long-running disputes. (AFP)
- Region: Russian authorities reportedly removed Belarusian opposition politician Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya from their most wanted list at the initiative of Belarusian authorities. (Reuters)
- Region: The US and the EU appeared close to ending a long-running dispute over airline subsidies on the eve of US President Joe Biden’s face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AP)
- Germany: Officials warned that the number of far-right extremists in the country have increased due to neo-Nazis joining protests against pandemic-related restrictions. (AP)
- Turkey: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held his first face-to-face meeting with US President Joe Biden. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Lebanon: Several international and regional rights organizations called upon the UN Human Rights Council to establish a probe into last year’s deadly blast at Beirut’s port. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: A cyberattack on Pulse Connect Secure networking devices, that was first uncovered in April and was blamed on China, was more sweeping than previously known in its targeting of critical US entities. (AP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Bill
- Location: 335 miles NE of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina
- Wind: 50 mph
- Movement: NE at 27 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Bill
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 15JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 176,296,572
- Deaths: 3,813,008
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 13JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 15JUN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (16JUN21)
- Global: US President Joe Biden will hold a face-to-face meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- Global: British lawyer Karim Ahmad Khan will begin his term as the Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.
- Global: South Korean President Moon Jae-in will embark on a European tour, attending the G7 Summit as an invited guest and visiting Austria, and Spain post-summit. (to 17JUN)
- Global: UN International Day of Family Remittances – 2018
- Asia: The 15th ASEAN Defense Ministers Meeting will be held virtually.
- Europe: Russia, Belarus, and Serbia will conduct the joint Slavic Brotherhood 2021 military exercise. (to 18JUN)
- Europe: Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz and Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis will participate in the GLOBSEC 2021 Bratislava Forum. (to 17JUN)
- Middle East: Ireland’s Foreign and Defense Minister Simon Coveney will visit the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.
- Switzerland: President Guy Parmelin and Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
- United Kingdom: US Trade Representative Ambassador Katherine Tai will visit and meet with Secretary for International Trade Liz Truss.
- United States: The House Committee on Financial Services will hold a hearing on sanctions evasion.
- United States: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen will testify to the Senate Committee on Finance about the President’s Fiscal Year 2022 Budget.
- United States: The Federal Open Market Committee is expected to announce an interest rate decision.
- United States: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing on the Biden administration’s engagement with the United Nations.
- Vietnam: The country will receive a shipment of a million COVID-19 vaccines from Japan.
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