Key Storylines
- AFRICA: South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa seemed to suggest that the recent unrest in his county had been deliberately provoked.
- AMERICAS: US President Joe Biden will boost security at the US embassy in Haiti but ruled out sending US forces to stabilize the country.
- ASIA: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will today chair a virtual special leaders’ meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, with US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to participate.
- EUROPE: A Turkish coast guard ship fired warning shots at a Cypriot police boat patrolling for undocumented migrants near the line of control off Cyprus’ northern coast.
- MIDDLE EAST: Protesters held marches in Iran’s southwestern Khuzestan province due to water shortages in the region.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was the target of a foreign distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
Top Story
- Europe: Hundreds dead and thousands missing due to flash floods in Germany, Belgium.
- The total number of confirmed deaths due to the ongoing flash flooding in Germany and Belgium exceeded 100 and marked Germany’s worst mass loss of life in recent history.
- Additionally, German authorities said around 1,300 people still remained missing while thousands of people were left homeless due to the flash flooding.
- More flooding is expected due to several dams in Germany bursting or near-bursting, including the Rurtalsperre dam near the Germany-Belgium border.
- Infrastructure in the affected areas has been destroyed, including the collapse of mobile phone networks, leaving people unable to track down their family and friends.
- German Chancellor Angela Merkel was in the US to meet with US President Joe Biden, but the current favorite to be her successor, Armin Laschet, called for an emergency Cabinet meeting today.
- Reporting: AP, BBC, NYT, AFP, WaPo, DPA, Reuters, WSJ
Africa
- Region: Mozambique formally requested its neighboring countries to intervene militarily to help combat the country’s jihadist insurgency. (AFP)
- Ethiopia: Amnesty International accused the federal government of arbitrarily arresting Tigrayans after rebels regained control of the Tigray region’s capital in late June. (AFP)
- Nigeria: State oil company NNPC is reportedly seeking $1 billion in funding from new sources after Chinese lenders did not disburse pledged funds as quickly as expected. (Reuters)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa seemed to suggest that the recent unrest in the county had been deliberately provoked. (Reuters)
- Sudan: The Paris Club of creditors canceled $14 billion of the country’s debt and agreed to restructure the remaining $23 billion. (Reuters)
Americas
- Region: US President Joe Biden will boost security at the US embassy in Haiti but ruled out sending US forces to stabilize the country. (AP)
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro’s condition improved but he still remained in hospital. (DPA)
- Cuba: The government blamed a Twitter campaign by the United States for the ongoing anti-government protests in the country. (AFP)
- Haiti: The national police said they had not seen any evidence connecting acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph to the assassination of President Jovenal Moise. (EFE)
- United States: President Joe Biden and German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not resolve the dispute over Russia’s Nord Stream 2 natural gas pipeline in Europe. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will today chair a virtual special leaders’ meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, with US President Joe Biden, Chinese President Xi Jinping, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga and Russian President Vladimir Putin expected to participate. (AP)
- Afghanistan: Government forces were battling Taliban insurgents at a border crossing with Pakistan, with one Reuters photographer being killed in the area. (AP)
- China: The government launched the world’s largest carbon emissions trading scheme as part of its efforts against climate change. (DPA)
- India: The government ordered 660 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines amid warnings that the country was short on vaccinations. (Reuters)
- New Zealand: Farmers drove their tractors to the capital city Wellington to protest the government’s environmental policies and climate change regulations. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: A Turkish coast guard ship fired warning shots at a Cypriot police boat patrolling for undocumented migrants near the line of control off Cyprus’ northern coast. (AFP)
- Belarus: Police raided the homes and offices of journalists and activists for a third consecutive day. (Reuters)
- Bulgaria: The anti-establishment There Is Such a People (ITN) party, which narrowly won the country’s recent parliamentary elections, dropped its nominee for prime minister in a bid to foster support for the formation of a new government. (Reuters)
- France: Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti will appear in court today for questioning over conflict-of-interest allegations. (AFP)
- Greenland: The government suspended all oil exploration operations off the country’s coast. (AP)
Middle East
- Iran: Protesters held marches in the southwestern Khuzestan province due to water shortages in the region. (AP)
- Lebanon: Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri resigned over “key differences” with President Michel Aoun, deepening the country’s political crisis which has seen the country go without a government for nine months amid an economic meltdown. (AP)
- Yemen: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed Swedish diplomat Hans Grundberg as the UN’s new special envoy to the country. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: Russia’s Defense Ministry said it was the target of a foreign distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. (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 16JUL21)
- Confirmed cases: 188,957,772
- Deaths: 4,067,488
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 16JUL21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (17JUL21)
- Global: A senior Afghan government delegation is expected to travel to Doha, Qatar, for talks with the Taliban.
- Global: International Criminal Justice Day
- Global: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will hold a press conference following the virtual special leaders meeting of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum.
- Europe: The US, Ukraine, Poland, and Lithuania will conduct military exercises in western Ukraine. (to 30JUL)
- Armenia: The Constitutional Court is expected to issue a ruling on the opposition’s challenge to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan party’s victory in last month’s snap parliamentary elections.
- Syria: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit.
END
