Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta called for the immediate deployment of an East African Community military force to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
- AMERICAS: Colombian presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernandez vowed to respect the results of Sunday’s election regardless of the outcome.
- ASIA: North Korean state media reported the outbreak of an unidentified intestinal epidemic as the country already battles COVID-19.
- EUROPE: Russia said it has offered “safe passage” for Ukrainian grain shipments in the Black Sea but is not responsible for establishing the corridors, while Turkey suggested that ships could be guided around sea mines.
- MIDDLE EAST: A US-led global coalition fighting the Islamic State conducted a military operation in northern Syria to capture a senior leader from the extremist group.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Elon Musk is expected to reiterate his desire to purchase Twitter when he speaks to the company’s employees today.
Top Story
- Ukraine: German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz, Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, and French President Emmanuel Macron Visit the Country to Show Support.
- The leaders of Germany, France, and Italy made a joint visit to Ukraine touring the town of Irpin that was devastated by Russia’s invasion and will visit Kyiv today.
- French President Emmanuel Macron said there are signs of war crimes in the Kyiv suburb of Irpin after “massacres” by Russian forces.
- The European leaders are expected to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as they prepare for a key European Union leaders’ summit in Brussels next week and a June 29-30 NATO summit in Madrid.
- Romanian President Klaus Iohannis is due to join his French, German and Italian counterparts in Kyiv later today.
- German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz said the purpose of the trip was to “show their support for Ukraine and the citizens of Ukraine.”
- Ukraine has criticized France, Germany, and Italy for hesitations in their support for Kyiv, accusing them of being slow to deliver weapons.
- Reuters, AP, The Guardian, AFP, DW, RFE/RL,
Africa
- Region: Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta called for the immediate deployment of an East African Community military force to eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. (Reuters)
- Region: UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi warned that increasing instability in the Sahel region would drive more refugees to Europe. (AP)
- DR Congo: The country pledged to combat stigmatization and “manhunts,” a day after an anti-Rwanda protest descended into sectarian looting. (AFP)
- Ethiopia: Tens of thousands of children are suffering from the “most deadly” form of malnutrition as a prolonged drought ravages the east and south of the country. (AFP)
- Uganda: Former presidential candidate Kizza Besigye has been charged a second time with inciting violence and remanded to custody a week after being released on bail. (AFP)
Americas
- Argentina: Security Minister Anibal Fernandez denied rumors that members of Iran’s Quds Force were among the crew of a Venezuelan plane grounded last week near Buenos Aires. (AFP)
- Brazil: Police said a suspect has confessed to the killing of British journalist Dom Phillips and indigenous expert Bruno Pereira and led investigators to their remains. (WaPo)
- Canada: Former Lt Gen Trevor Cadieu, now fighting as a volunteer in Ukraine, was charged with sexual assault. (AFP)
- Colombia: Presidential candidate Rodolfo Hernandez vowed to respect the results of Sunday’s election regardless of the outcome. (Reuters)
- United States: The FBI and Commerce Department are investigating how US computer chips came to be found in Russian military equipment recovered in Ukraine. (WaPo)
Asia
- Region: A special meeting between India and Southeast Asian foreign ministers opened with co-chairs India and Singapore calling for strengthening ties amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (AP)
- Cambodia: The United States expressed alarm at the mass conviction of around 60 opposition figures, including Cambodian-American lawyer Theary Seng. (AFP)
- China: One of the country’s largest and most capable combat ships is conducting long-distance exercises in the Sea of Japan in a display of Beijing’s increasing naval reach. (AP)
- North Korea: State media reported the outbreak of an unidentified intestinal epidemic as the country already battles COVID-19. (Reuters)
- Philippines: The government designated a former peace negotiator and five other suspected communist rebel leaders as “terrorists” to allow the freezing of their financial assets. (AP)
Europe
- Region: Russia said it has offered “safe passage” for Ukrainian grain shipments in the Black Sea but is not responsible for establishing the corridors, while Turkey suggested that ships could be guided around sea mines. (Reuters)
- Germany: Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht said three multiple rocket launchers that Berlin pledged to Kyiv can be delivered in July or August after Ukrainian troops have been trained on the weapons. (Reuters)
- Russia: Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Moscow and Washington must discuss the extension of the START nuclear arms reduction treaty. (Reuters)
- United Kingdom: Ethics advisor Christopher Geidt quit after an investigator’s report criticized Prime Minister Boris Johnson for presiding over a culture of rule-breaking in government. (AP)
- Ukraine: Around 10,000 civilians are trapped in the eastern city of Severodonetsk, where intense fighting with Russia has raged for weeks. (AFP)
Middle East
- Iran: Authorities arrested a person accused of having a link to two French citizens being held on espionage charges. (AP)
- Israel: Police concluded an internal investigation into violence at the funeral of slain Al Jazeera TV journalist Shireen Abu Akleh without releasing any findings. (AFP)
- Lebanon: An UN-backed court will sentence two Hezbollah members for the 2005 assassination of former premier Rafik Hariri in what could be the cash-strapped tribunal’s final act. (AFP)
- Syria: A US-led global coalition fighting the Islamic State conducted a military operation in the north to capture a senior leader from the extremist group. (AP)
- Yemen: A journalist was killed when his car exploded while he was driving in the southern port city of Aden, the latest such attack in the seat of the country’s internationally recognized government. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Elon Musk is expected to reiterate his desire to purchase Twitter when he speaks to the company’s employees today. (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 16JUN22)
- Confirmed cases: 537,438,180
- Deaths: 6,314,704
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 16JUN22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (17JUN22)
- Global: 15th Session of the UN Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Global: World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought.
- Europe: EU expected to propose start of Ukraine membership process.
- Iceland: National Day.
- India: Special ASEAN-India Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in New Delhi.
- Japan: Supreme Court rules on government’s liability for Fukushima nuclear disaster.
- Latvia: Occupation of the Latvian Republic Day.
- Malaysia: Visit by UN Special Rapporteur for Myanmar Tom Andrews.
- North Macedonia: Western Balkans Forum. (to 18JUN)
- Russia: St. Petersburg International Economic Forum. (to 18JUN)
- Singapore: World Congress of Ocean.
- Solomon Islands: Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare hosts Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
- United States: Major Economies Forum on Energy and Climate, virtual.
- United States: SpaceX rocket launch for its internet-satellite megaconstellation.
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