22JUN21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

• AFRICA: Voting began a day late in Ethiopia’s Sidama region as officials counted ballots from other regions in an election marred by an opposition boycott, ethnic conflict, and some reports of irregularities.
• AMERICAS: China and its allies called for an independent investigation into the discovery of the remains of indigenous children at a boarding school in Canada last month, after which Ottawa called for access to China’s Xinjiang region to investigate Beijing’s repression of Uyghur Muslims.
• ASIA: Junta forces in Myanmar deployed armored vehicles to combat a newly-formed militia group in the city of Mandalay, resulting in at least two casualties.
• EUROPE: The Spanish government is expected to issue controversial pardons to nine Catalan independence movement leaders today.
• MIDDLE EAST: Palestinians and Israeli Jewish settlers clashed overnight in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood where settler groups are trying to evict several Palestinian families.
• TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s embattled pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily triggered a wave of resignations at the newspaper.

Top Story

• Australia: UNESCO recommends the Great Barrier Reef be given ‘in danger’ status.
  • UNESCO said the Great Barrier Reef should be placed on the list of world heritage sites that are “in danger” due to climate change, during a meeting next month in China.
  • If the proposal is implemented, it could create a role for UNESCO to devise so-called “corrective measures”, likely including actions to reduce Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions.
  • The Australian government lashed out at the recommendation, calling it “flawed” and saying “there were politics behind” making the recommendation.
  • Canberra also said the UN had previously made assurances that UNESCO would not make such a recommendation.
  • The Great Barrier Reef is the most extensive coral reef ecosystem on the planet but record high temperatures in recent years have triggered mass bleaching.
  • Reporting: AP, DPA, BBC, WaPo

Africa

• Algeria: The Justice Ministry said almost 70 people were prosecuted for breaking electoral laws during the parliamentary elections earlier this month. (AFP)
• Ethiopia: Voting began a day late in the Sidama region as officials counted ballots from other regions in an election marred by an opposition boycott, ethnic conflict, and some reports of irregularities. (Reuters)
• Mali: Four civilians and six soldiers were left wounded after a suicide bomber attacked a French recon mission. (Reuters)
• Nigeria: The police said four kidnapped Chinese rail workers were released. (AFP)
• South Africa: The WHO said it will create a COVID-19 vaccine hub in the country which manufacturers from low- and middle-income countries could use to facilitate their own production of COVID-19 vaccines. (UPI)

Americas

• Region: Argentina and Mexico recalled their ambassadors to Nicaragua due to the recent “worrying” wave of political arrests in that country. (BBC)
• Brazil: The lower house of Congress approved a bill allowing the privatization of the state-owned energy provider Eletrobras. (Deutsche Welle)
• Canada: China and its allies called for an independent investigation into the discovery of the remains of indigenous children at a residential school last month, after which Ottawa called for access to China’s Xinjiang region to investigate Beijing’s repression of Uyghur Muslims. (Reuters)
• Panama: Foreign Minister Erika Mouynes said the government asked the United States for financial aid in dealing with migrants crossing into the country from Colombia, also adding that she also planned to ask European countries for contributions. (AFP)
• Peru: A judge dismissed a request to place conservative presidential candidate Keiko Fujimori into pre-trial custody. (DPA)

Asia  

• China: Beijing’s ambassador to the United States Cui Tiankai said he will leave Washington after eight years in the role. (Guardian)
• Myanmar: Junta forces deployed armored vehicles to combat a newly-formed militia group in the city of Mandalay, resulting in at least two casualties. (Reuters)
• North Korea: Kim Yo Jong, senior communist party official and Kim Jong Un’s sister, issued a statement saying the United States was interpreting signals from Pyongyang in a manner that would lead to disappointment. (Reuters)
• Philippines: President Rodrigo Duterte threatened to imprison anyone who refuses COVID-19 vaccination. (AP)

Europe

• Region: European soccer’s ruling body rejected the city of Munich’s request to illuminate the stadium hosting Hungary’s national team in rainbow colors, as it would send a political message against a Hungarian anti-LGBTQ law. (DPA)
• Belarus: State prosecutors asked a court to sentence former banker Viktor Babariko, who was detained after challenging President Alexander Lukashenko in an election, to 15 years in prison for alleged corruption. (Reuters) 
• Spain: The government is expected to issue controversial pardons to nine Catalan independence movement leaders today. (Guardian)
• Ukraine: Russian-backed separatists accused the army of shelling and killing four of their troops in the country’s war-torn east. (AFP)
• United Kingdom: The government began negotiations to add the country to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership. (AP)

Middle East

• Iran: President-elect Ebrahim Raisi welcomed negotiations aimed at reviving the 2015 JCPOA nuclear deal but insisted that Tehran’s ballistic missile program was “not negotiable”. (BBC)
• Israel: Palestinians and Jewish settlers clashed overnight in Jerusalem’s Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood where settler groups are trying to evict several Palestinian families. (AP)
• Lebanon: The Economy Ministry hiked bread prices for the fifth time in a year amid an ever-worsening economic and financial crisis. (AP)

Tech & Communications

• Media: China’s crackdown on Hong Kong’s embattled pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily triggered a wave of resignations at the newspaper. (AFP) 

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 22JUN21)
    • Confirmed cases: 178,811,887
    • Deaths: 3,873,985
    • Countries with confirmed cases: 192 
    • Sourcing: John Hopkins University
  • Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 18JUN21)
    • Confirmed cases: 16
    • Deaths: 12
    • Sourcing: WHO

Tomorrow’s Outlook (23JUN21)

• Global: UN Public Service Day – 2003
• Global: The Labor and Employment Ministers of G20 countries will hold a meeting.
• Global: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit Germany, France, the Holy See, and Italy. (to 29JUN)
• Global: The UN and Germany will host a conference on Libya.
• Global: UN International Widows Day – 2011
• Asia: US Special Representative for North Korea Ambassador Sung Kim will visit South Korea. 
• Europe: US Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas will conclude his visit to Portugal and Spain.
• Europe: The European Central Bank’s Governing Council will hold a non-monetary policy meeting.
• Cambodia: British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab is expected to visit and meet with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Prak Sokhonn and Environment Minister Say Samal.
• China: Foreign Minister Wang Yi will chair a high-level meeting on international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.
• China: The Hong Kong trial of Tong Ying-kit will begin, marking the trial of the first person charged under Beijing’s new Hong Kong National Security Law.
• Israel: Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez will reportedly visit, as Honduras relocates its embassy to Jerusalem. (to 25JUN)
• Luxembourg: National Day – 1962
• Russia: The slated end-date for the partial house arrest of several of opposition politician Alexei Navalny’s supporters, including his brother Oleg Navalny.
• Tunisia: The country’s five-year long state of emergency is set to expire, unless renewed again.
• Syria: The UN Security Council will discuss the situation in the country.
• United Kingdom: The fifth anniversary of the Brexit referendum.
• United States: President Joe Biden will deliver remarks on his crime prevention strategy.
• United States: Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley will testify on the Department of Defense budget to the House Armed Services Committee.
• United States: Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen will testify on the budget for the Department of the Treasury to the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
• United States: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing on the Biden administration’s efforts to deepen US-Caribbean engagements. 
• Vietnam: Singapore’s Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and South Korean Foreign Minister Chung Eui-yong will both conclude their respective visits to the country.
• Zambia: The remains of the country’s first President Kenneth Kaunda will be taken across the country’s provincial capitals before a state funeral next month.

END