Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Tigrayan forces who have been at war with the Ethiopian government for more than 18 months are ready to send a high-level delegation to talks mediated by the Kenyan government.
- AMERICAS: Brazilian police arrested a second suspect in the disappearance of British journalist Dom Philips and indigenous expert Bruno pereira.
- ASIA: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance.
- EUROPE: Russia demanded the surrender of soldiers and civilians inside the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk.
- MIDDLE EAST: Russia considers Turkey’s possible military operation in Syria unwise as it could escalate and destabilize the situation.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Microsoft is officially ending support for the Internet Explorer browser.
Top Story
- China: China Bank Protest Stopped by Health Codes Turning Red.
- A protest planned by hundreds of bank depositors in central China’s Henan Province seeking access to their frozen funds has been thwarted because the authorities have turned their health code apps red.
- China adopts a three-tiered health code color system to track people who have been infected by Covid, with red indicating the highest level of risk that bars people from entering public places while green grants them access.
- A bank client in Shenzhen was blocked from public places and public transport; another in Shanghai calls a red health code in Henan a ‘deposit code.’
- The former editor of The Global Times, Hu Xijin, called it a “breach of pandemic prevention laws” that “damages the support of the people for the fight against the virus”.
- More than 39 billion yuan (£5bn; $6bn) is believed to have been frozen, affecting hundreds of thousands of customers.
- It is not known how many have been affected, but Chinese reports indicate that the issue has occurred in several towns and villages in Henan.
- Reuters, Bloomberg, SCMP, AFP, BBC, NYT,
Africa
- Algeria: President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sacked finance minister Abderrahmane Raouya, giving no explanation. (AFP)
- DR Congo: The government accused Rwanda of financing and arming the M23 rebel group which seized the key town of Bunagana near the Ugandan border. (AFP)
- Ethiopia: Tigrayan forces who have been at war with the government for more than 18 months are ready to send a high-level delegation to talks mediated by the Kenyan government. (BBC)
- Mali: French troops in the country captured a senior member of the Sahel affiliate of the Islamic State. (AFP)
- Zambia: The country is getting a new US ambassador years after the last one was forced out following a diplomatic row over his remarks on gay rights in the country. (BBC)
Americas
- Brazil: Federal police arrested a second suspect in the disappearance of British journalist Dom Philips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira. (AP)
- Colombia: National police chief General Luis Vargas said his forces are on maximum alert after detecting plans by radical groups to reject the results of the upcoming presidential election. (Reuters)
- Mexico: US climate envoy John Kerry said the country should accelerate its efforts to help tackle global warming after a meeting with President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. (Reuters)
- Nicaragua: Congress renewed a decade-long decree allowing Russian forces to train in the Central American country. (Reuters)
- Venezuela: President Nicolas Maduro arrived in Doha for an official visit and will meet with Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. (Reuters)
Asia
- Australia: Defense Minister Richard Marles wants “broad and deep” cooperation with Japan as the two U.S. allies face complex security circumstances in Asia. (Reuters)
- Indonesia: President Joko Widodo announced a cabinet reshuffle sacking the trade minister and announcing a replacement following controversy over a series of policy reversals on palm oil exports. (Reuters)
- Japan: Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will attend this month’s NATO summit in Madrid, becoming the country’s first leader to join a top meeting of the transatlantic alliance. (AFP)
- North Korea: A new report by the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons estimates that Pyongyang spent as much as $642 million on its nuclear program last year. (Reuters)
- South Korea: The transport ministry and truckers’ union reached a tentative agreement ending a nationwide strike which crippled ports and industrial hubs. (Reuters)
Europe
- France: President Emmanuel Macron voiced a tougher line on Russia and assuaged concerns in Kyiv and among some European allies over his previous stance towards Moscow. (Reuters)
- Germany: Tens of thousands of steel workers in the west will get a 6.5-percent pay hike this year in a settlement that could set the tone for industry as inflation soars. (AFP)
- Ukraine: Russia demanded the surrender of soldiers and civilians inside the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: The first flight due to transport asylum seekers to Rwanda was canceled at the last minute by an intervention from the European Court of Human Rights. (BBC)
- United Kingdom: The European Commission accused London of putting peace in Northern Ireland at risk by trying to overhaul the post-Brexit trade deal. (AFP)
Middle East
- Region: Egypt, Israel and the European Union have signed a provisional deal for the export of natural gas at an energy conference in Cairo. (BBC)
- Kuwait: Health authorities said that despite an increase in COVID-19 infections, the health situation in the country remains stable, and taking precautionary measures would reduce the chances of infection. (Xinhua)
- Palestinian Territories: Prime Minister Mohammed Ishtaye stressed the two-state solution is the only way to end conflict with Israel. (Xinhua)
- Syria: Russia considers Turkey’s possible military operation in the country unwise as it could escalate and destabilize the situation. (Reuters)
- United Arab Emirates: The country ordered a four-month suspension in exports and re-exports of wheat and wheat flour originating from India. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Microsoft is officially ending support for the Internet Explorer browser. (AP)
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 15JUN22)
- Confirmed cases: 536,720,870
- Deaths: 6,312,601
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 15JUN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (16JUN22)
- Event: Atlantic Council conversation with Lithuanian PM Ingrida Šimonyte.
- Global: 15th Session of the UN Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (to 17JUN)
- Global: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to publish annual Global Trends Report
- Africa: International Day of the African Child
- Belgium: NATO defense ministers meeting in Brussels, including meeting of Ukraine Defense Contact Group
- India: Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi (to 17JUN)
- Luxembourg: Eurogroup meeting of eurozone finance ministers
- North Macedonia: Western Balkans Forum. (to 18JUN)
- Russia: St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (to 18JUN)
- Singapore: World Congress of Ocean (to 17JUN)
- South Korea: Finance Minister Choo Kyung-ho meets Bank of Korea Governor Rhee Chang-yong and financial regulators.
- Ukraine: Visit by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanual Macron, and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi
- United States: Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol holds hearing.
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