Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The UN has grounded all non-emergency flights in Mali as the military government refuses to grant flight clearances.
- AMERICAS: US President Joe Biden has chosen Los Angeles to host the 2022 Summit of the Americas, scheduled to be held the week of June 6.
- ASIA: An Islamist militant convicted of masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings and other deadly attacks in Indonesia has been sentenced to 15 years in jail.
- EUROPE: French President Emmanuel Macron called on EU countries to work together on a new stability and security deal that they could then discuss with Russia.
- MIDDLE EAST: Israeli police evicted Palestinian residents from a disputed property in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Several international airlines announced the cancellation of flights into the United States over fears of interference from new 5G cell phone service.
Top Story
- Ukraine: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken Arrives in Kyiv to diffuse tensions with Moscow over Ukraine.
- US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Kyiv on a whistle-stop diplomatic push to defuse tensions with Moscow over Ukraine.
- During his trip to Ukraine, Secretary Blinken will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, as well as his counterpart, Dmytro Kuleba.
- Speaking to diplomats at the US embassy in Kyiv, Blinken echoed the concerns that a troop buildup would allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to launch an attack “on very short notice.”
- The Secretary of State reiterated Washington’s commitment to “Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs.”
- Blinken warned Russia that it could take two paths: diplomacy and dialogue or conflict and aggression.
- Reuters, DPA, NBC, AFP, CNN
Africa
- DR Congo: Police in North Kivu province arrested two men in connection with the murder of Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio in February 2021. (AP)
- Kenya: Police said that incidents of decomposing bodies being recovered from the Yala river in the western part of the country have been going on for two years. (BBC)
- Mali: The UN has grounded all non-emergency flights in the country as the military government refuses to grant flight clearances. (AP)
- Sierra Leone: President Julius Maada Bio sacked attorney general and justice minister Anthony Yeiwoh Brewah who has been replaced by Mohamed Lamin Tarawalley. (BBC)
- South Africa: A man accused of setting fire to the parliament building is being released from a psychiatric hospital and moved to a regular prison from where he can request bail. (BBC)
Americas
- Region: President Joe Biden has chosen Los Angeles to host the 2022 Summit of the Americas, scheduled to be held the week of June 6. (AP)
- Brazil: Health authorities reported over 137,000 news COVID-19 cases, a daily record for the country. (AFP)
- Haiti: A court official denied a request for more time to investigate the assassination of President Jovenel Moise. (AP)
- Peru: Prosecutors opened an investigation into an oil spill at the Pamilla refinery blamed on the tsunami caused by the Tongan volcanic eruption. (Reuters)
- United States: The Biden Administration will distribute 400 million N95 masks for free to Americans as part of its effort to rein in the coronavirus pandemic. (AFP)
Asia
- China: Beijing condemned plans by Slovenia to improve relations with Taiwan, a move likely to spark diplomatic and economic retaliation against the tiny Central European country. (AP)
- India: An explosion on a navy ship docked in Mumbai killed three sailors. (AP)
- Indonesia: An Islamist militant convicted of masterminding the 2002 Bali bombings and other deadly attacks in the country has been sentenced to 15 years in jail. (BBC)
- Japan: The government is set to approve new COVID-19 restrictions over most of the country, expected to last until at least February 13. (AFP)
- New Zealand: The government has temporarily closed its international borders, including to citizens and visa holders, citing the risk of the Omicron variant. (The Guardian)
Europe
- Region: The prime ministers of Bulgaria and North Macedonia met and agreed to intensify efforts to improve relations, particularly Bulgaria’s policy of blocking North Macedonia’s accession to the EU. (RFE/RL)
- France: President Emmanuel Macron called on EU countries to work together on a new stability and security deal that they could then discuss with Russia. (Reuters)
- Germany: Former chancellor Angela Merkel rejected a job offer from UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. (DPA)
- Turkey: The country’s state oil operator resumed crude flows through the ruptured Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline linking Iraqi energy fields with international markets. (AFP)
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his premiership amid a revolt by his own lawmakers who are angry over a series of lockdown parties in Downing Street. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Afghanistan: Provincial head of the Culture and Information Department Baz Mohammad Sarwari said authorities in western Badghis province have helped quake-affected families. (Xinhua)
- Iran: President Ebrahim Raisi said his visit to Moscow could mark a “turning point” in bilateral relations between the two countries ahead of a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. (AlJazeera)
- Israel: Police evicted Palestinian residents from a disputed property in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood. (AP)
- United Arab Emirates: Energy minister Suhail al-Mazrouei said that he was “not worried about the short term” when asked about predictions that oil prices will rise above $100. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: Several international airlines announced the cancellation of flights into the United States over fears of interference from new 5G cell phone service. (CNN)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to Report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to Report.
- Volcanoes:
- Hunga Tonga-Hunga volcano, Tonga
- Major activity
- Eruption warning
- Source
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 19JAN22)
- Confirmed cases: 334,424,899
- Deaths: 5,557,030
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 19JAN22)
- Hunga Tonga-Hunga volcano, Tonga
Tomorrow’s Outlook (20JAN22)
- Event: Brookings Institution discussion on China’s 20th Party Congress and beyond.
- Event: Atlantic Council discussion on the future of Ukraine.
- Event: Carnegie Connects conversation with US Ambassador to the United Nations Amb. Linda Thomas-Greenfield.
- Azerbaijan: Martyrs’ Day.
- Cabo Verde: Heroes’ Day.
- Egypt: Visit by South Korean President Moon Jae-In.
- France: EU environment and energy ministers’ informal meeting in Amiens. (to 22JAN)
- Germany: Visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
- Germany: Visit by Swiss President Ignazio Cassis.
- Hong Kong: COVID-19 social distancing rules to end unless extended.
- Laos: Army Day.
- Mali: Armed Forces Day.
- Suriname: Visit by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro.
- United States: Bulletin of Atomic Scientists “Doomsday Clock” decision.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing on Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Panama.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs Committee roundtable on ‘Bolstering Democracy in the Age of Rising Authoritarianism’.
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