Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia’s first president and one of the last remaining leaders who fought against colonialism in the continent, died at the age of 97.
- AMERICAS: The leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) denied involvement in the recent attack on a military base in the Colombian city of Cúcuta which injured 36 people.
- ASIA: North Korea’s Kim Jong Un ordered his administration to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States.
- EUROPE: Russia’s capital city Moscow extended coronavirus restrictions, including the closing of EURO 2020 fan zones, amid a spike in COVID-19 infections.
- MIDDLE EAST: Voting in Iran’s presidential election is underway, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s hardline protege Ebrahim Raisi being viewed as the front-runner.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Hongkongers queued at newsstands to purchase copies of the Apple Daily newspaper a day after the newspaper’s senior staff members were arrested by authorities.
Top Story
- Global: Millions displaced from homes globally despite COVID-19 pandemic.
- The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said the total number of displaced people across the world increased to a record 82 million despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Additionally, this total number of displaced people practically doubled in the past decade, according to the UNHCR’s data.
- An estimated 3 million people were displaced by war, violence, persecution, and human rights violations just last year, in what UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi described as “a year in which movement was practically impossible for most of us”.
- Around 42% of the displaced populations were children and almost 70% of the displaced populations were from Syria, Venezuela, Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar.
- New sources of displaced people included northern Mozambique, West Africa’s Sahel region, and Ethiopia’s conflict-torn Tigray region.
- Reporting: BBC, AP, Reuters, AFP, DPA
Africa
- Nigeria: A group of gunmen killed a policeman and at least 80 students from a school in the state of Kebbi. (Reuters)
- South Africa: The government deployed army personnel to Gauteng province to help health workers battle a coronavirus surge. (AFP)
- Zambia: Kenneth Kaunda, the country’s first president and one of the last remaining leaders who fought against colonialism in the continent, died at the age of 97. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: The US said it delivered a million doses of COVID-19 vaccines to Canada. (Reuters)
- Brazil: The Senate approved the basic text of legislation permitting the privatization of state-controlled energy giant Eletrobras. (Reuters)
- Colombia: The leftist National Liberation Army (ELN) denied involvement in the recent attack on a military base in the city of Cúcuta which injured 36 people. (DPA)
- Honduras: At least three people died during a riot at a maximum-security prison in the country’s east. (AP)
Asia
- China: A Hong Kong court found five people guilty of attacking pro-democracy protesters and reporters at a train station during the city’s 2019 anti-government protests. (Reuters)
- Nepal: Heavy rain triggered landslides and flash flooding in the country and left at least 11 people dead, including workers from India and China. (Reuters)
- North Korea: Kim Jong Un ordered his administration to prepare for both dialogue and confrontation with the United States. (AP)
- Taiwan: Moderna provided the island nation with 240,000 vaccine doses. (DPA)
Europe
- Montenegro: The country’s ruling coalition government is in danger after parliament dismissed pro-Serb Justice Minister Vladimir Leposavić, who had cast doubt on the genocidal nature of the 1995 Srebrenica massacre. (RFE-RL)
- Russia: Moscow extended coronavirus restrictions, including the closing of EURO 2020 fan zones, amid a spike in COVID-19 infections. (Reuters)
- Sweden: Finance Minister Magdalena Andersson said lawmakers were conducting last-ditch efforts to resolve a political crisis as the country’s ruling government faces a no-confidence vote. (Reuters)
- Turkey: The US said President Joe Biden and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan agreed on Ankara taking a leading role in securing Kabul’s airport as the US withdraws troops from Afghanistan. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: Israel said it will provide a million soon-to-expire COVID-19 vaccines to the Palestinian Authority. (AP)
- Region: Israel conducted airstrikes on the Gaza Strip for a second time since the recent ceasefire after Palestinian militants launched incendiary balloons into Israel for a third consecutive day. (Guardian)
- Iran: Voting in the country’s presidential election is underway, with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s hardline protege Ebrahim Raisi being viewed as the front-runner. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: Hongkongers queued at newsstands to purchase copies of the Apple Daily newspaper a day after the newspaper’s senior staff members were arrested by authorities. (Guardian)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Three
- Location: 310 miles South of Morgan City, Louisiana
- Wind: 35 mph
- Movement: N at 12 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Three
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 18JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 177,465,609
- Deaths: 3,843,095
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 18JUN21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 18JUN21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (19JUN21)
- Global: UN International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict – 2016
- Global: The Turkish government will host the Antalya Diplomacy Forum. (to 20JUN)
- Global: Malaysian Foreign Minister Hishammuddin Hussein will visit Turkey, and Egypt. (to 21JUN)
- Global: Human rights organization Amnesty will hold its annual general assembly.
- Asia: Macau’s representative office in Taiwan will suspend its operations.
- Asia: US Special Representative for North Korea Ambassador Sung Kim will visit South Korea. (to 23JUN)
- Algeria: A court will rule on opposition politician Karim Tabbou’s appeal against his prison sentence for “inciting violence” and “damaging the image of the military”.
- Armenia: Russia will send a parliamentary delegation to the country ahead of the country’s upcoming elections. (to 21JUN)
- Austria: The country’s far-right Freedom Party is expected to hold a party congress.
- Guinea: The country will declare an end to its Ebola epidemic as long as no new cases are discovered.
- Guinea-Bissau: A European Development Bank mission will conclude its visit to the country.
- Iran: Results of the country’s presidential election are expected to be released.
- Mexico: The Secretary of State of the Holy See, Cardinal Pietro Parolín, will visit and meet with President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. (to 21JUN)
- Russia: The country’s ruling United Russia party will hold a conference and approve a list of parliamentary candidates and draft an electoral program.
- Turkey: Deputy Foreign Minister Alvin Botes will visit. (to 20JUN)
- United States: An Israel Defense Forces delegation led by Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi will visit and meet with US government officials to discuss Iran’s nuclear program and its expansionist efforts.
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