18SEP20 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Somalian President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has appointed former civil engineer and political novice Mohamed Hussein Roble as Somalia’s new Prime Minister.
AMERICAS: Bolivia’s Interim President Jeanine Añez has withdrawn from the presidential race a month before the country’s upcoming elections.
ASIA: Bangladesh’s economy is showing early signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, due to a rebound in garment demand.
EUROPE: A member of Poland’s ruling conservative Law and Justice party said the party was set to run a minority government after differences with its coalition partners led to the collapse of the country’s governing coalition.
MIDDLE EAST: Israel is set to begin its second full coronavirus lockdown amid a surge in new coronavirus cases.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The Australian government has provided newswire Australian Associated Press a $5m grant, a week after the wire service admitted to financial difficulties.

Top Story

Asia: China hold military exercises as US envoy visits Taiwan.
- China has started to conduct military exercises near the Taiwan Strait, in what it says is a move to “protect its sovereignty”.
- Eighteen Chinese aircraft also crossed the sensitive midline of the Taiwan Strait, prompting Taiwan to scramble its own fighter jets and activated its missile systems in response.
- These moves and military exercises took place as US Undersecretary for Economic Affairs Keith Krach arrived in Taiwan to meet Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen.
- US envoy Krach’s visit is the second such trip to Taiwan by a senior US official in recent months, following US HHS Secretary Alex Azar’s visit to the island last month.
- Reporting: WaPo, DPA, Reuters, BBC

Africa

Mauritius: Japan will send a five-person team to investigate the grounding of a Japanese-owned ship off the country’s coast that led to an environmental crisis. (Reuters)
Somalia: President Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed has appointed former civil engineer and political novice Mohamed Hussein Roble as the country’s new Prime Minister. (AFP)
Sudan: Security forces seized a large quantity of explosives, including TNT and ammonium nitrate, from a suspected terror cell in Khartoum. (VOA)

Americas

Bolivia: Interim President Jeanine Añez has withdrawn from the presidential race a month before the country’s upcoming elections. (BBC)
Peru: President Martín Vizcarra is set to face an impeachment vote in Parliament after the country’s Constitutional Court rejected his request to have it suspended. (DPA)
United States: A federal judge in the state of Washington blocked controversial proposed changes that slow down the Postal Service, calling them “a politically motivated attack on the efficiency of the Postal Service” before the November election. (AP)

Asia

Australia: The government has increased the number of citizens allowed to return home from abroad each week to 6,000 as it manages to get new COVID-19 infections under control. (Reuters)
Bangladesh: The country’s economy is showing early signs of recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, due to a rebound in garment demand. (AP)
North Korea: Satellite images indicate that the government is preparing for a massive military parade in Pyongyang to mark the 75th anniversary of the country’s ruling party next month. (AP)

Europe

Region: Border guards in Poland said the border between Poland and Belarus remained open, after Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko said he will seek to close Belarus’ borders with Poland and Lithuania. (Reuters)
Region: The WHO’s Director for Europe Hans Kluge warned that a recent surge in coronavirus cases across the continent should serve as “a wake-up call”. (BBC)
Poland: A member of the country’s ruling conservative Law and Justice party said the party was set to run a minority government after differences with its coalition partners led to the collapse of the country’s governing coalition. (AP)

Middle East

Iraq: Turkey’s Defense Ministry said two of its soldiers were killed and another was wounded after Kurdish militants fired rockets at a military base in the country’s north. (Reuters)
Israel: The country is set to begin its second full coronavirus lockdown amid a surge in new coronavirus cases. (AP)
Lebanon: More than 200 detainees at the Roumieh Prison, the country’s largest jail, have tested positive for the new coronavirus. (AP)

Tech & Communications

Media: The Australian government has provided newswire Australian Associated Press a $5m grant, a week after the wire service admitted to financial difficulties. (Guardian)

World

Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Noul
  - Location: 272 nautical miles East of Da Nang, Vietnam
  - Wind: 50 mph
  - Movement: NW at 17 mph
  - Map
Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Teddy
  - Location: 935 miles SE of Bermuda
  - Wind: 130 mph
  - Movement: NW at 10 mph
  - Map
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:

Tomorrow’s Outlook (19SEP20)

Colombia: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to visit and meet with President Ivan Duque.
Czech Republic: The country’s armed forces and NATO will hold the “NATO & Czech Air Force Days” event, showcasing the latest military hardware and special forces training.
Hungary: The government will decide on whether to extend a moratorium on loan repayments for companies and households.
Nigeria: Gubernatorial elections to be held in Edo state.
Saint Kitts and Nevis: Independence Day – 1983
Thailand: Anti-government protests could take place in Bangkok.
United Kingdom: The Labour Party will hold its annual conference in the form of an online event called “Connected”. (to 22SEP)

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