23SEP21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Algeria closed its airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft amid an escalating diplomatic row.
AMERICAS: Leaders of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Panama have instructed their foreign ministers to find sustainable solutions to the Haiti crisis.
ASIA: Chief trade negotiator John Deng warned that Taiwan’s application to join the CPTPP trade pact will be at risk if China joins first.
EUROPE: Denmark is siding with the United States in a dispute with France over a major Indo-Pacific defense deal.
MIDDLE EAST: British foreign minister Liz Truss urged Iran to quickly return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations in Vienna
TECH AND COMMUNICATIONS: Amazon Web Services announced a new US$5.25 billion investment in New Zealand expected to add 1,000 jobs over 15 years.

Top Story

Global: France and the U.S. seek to mend rift over the AUKUS pact.
- U.S. President Joe Biden spoke with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron for the first time after a major diplomatic crisis ruptured the alliance over a deal to equip Australia with nuclear-powered submarines.
- A joint statement after the phone call said the leaders “agreed that the situation would have benefited from open consultations among allies on matters of strategic interest to France and our European partners.”
- France agreed to send its ambassador back to Washington and the White House acknowledged it made a mistake in brokering a deal with Australia to buy U.S. submarines without consulting Paris.
- The two leaders are set to meet in Europe at the end of next month in the run-up to the UN Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow.
- The deal has been seen as part of American efforts to counter a more assertive China in the Indo-Pacific region.
- CNN, Whit e House, Reuters, BBC, AP

Africa

Algeria: The country closed its airspace to all Moroccan civil and military aircraft amid an escalating diplomatic row. (Xinhua)
DR Congo: Journalist Sosthene Kambidi was charged with taking part in the 2017 killing of two UN experts. (AFP)
Kenya: A local official said seven people are dead after their boat capsized on Lake Victoria. (AP)
Uganda: Researchers have found evidence of a form of malaria resistant to artemisinin, the primary drug treatment used across Africa. (AP)

Americas

Region: The United States issued a warrant for Sergio Valenzuela Valenzuela, an alleged top lieutenant in the Mexican Sinaloa Cartel. (AP)
Region: Leaders of Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, and Panama have instructed their foreign ministers to find sustainable solutions to the Haiti crisis. (Xinhua)
Argentina: The government said it would appeal a ruling by the US Court of International Trade to deny its challenge over high duties on biodiesel imports. (Reuters)
United States: The FDA authorized Pfizer booster shots for those over 65 or at considerable risk. (NYT)

Asia

China: Foreign Minister Wang Yi attended a video conference of the foreign ministers of the Group of 20 (G20) and urged lifting unilateral sanctions on Afghanistan. (Xinhua)
Myanmar: The UN Human Rights Chief warned that the country is facing the alarming prospect of an escalating civil war. (AFP)
Taiwan: Chief trade negotiator John Deng warned that his country’s application to join the CPTPP trade pact will be at risk if China joins first. (Reuters)
Tajikistan: The first group of prisoners were released in a mass amnesty measure approved earlier this month. (RFE/RL)
Vietnam: The country is willing to share information with China for its bid to join the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). (Reuters)

Europe

Denmark: The country is siding with the United States in a dispute with France over a major Indo-Pacific defense deal. (WaPo)
France: The Naval Group said it would send an invoice to Australia “in a few weeks” even though the deal to purchase submarines had fallen through. (AFP)
France: European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune was running out of patience with the UK regarding resolving post-Brexit fishing rights between the two countries. (Reuters)
Germany: Health authorities announced that state governments will no longer pay for unvaccinated people to quarantine, hoping to boost the country’s vaccination rate. (NYT)
Russia: The navy practiced firing at targets in the Black Sea off the coast of Crimea using its Bastion coastal missile defense system. (Reuters)

Middle East

Iran: British foreign minister Liz Truss urged the country to quickly return to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) negotiations in Vienna. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia: King Salman bin Abdulaziz told the United Nations General Assembly that his kingdom supports efforts to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. (Reuters)
Syria: Government officials and independent health workers warned that the country is facing a new surge in COVID-19 infections which could overwhelm the health system. (Reuters)
Yemen: The head of the World Food Programme warned food rations for millions in the country will be cut in October unless new funding arrives. (Al Jaz eera)

Tech & Communications

Technology: Amazon Web Services announced a new US$5.25 billion investment in New Zealand expected to add 1,000 jobs over 15 years. (Reuters)

World

Tomorrow’s Outlook (24SEP21)

Global: UN General Assembly. (to 30SEP)
Global: Conference on Nuclear-Test Ban Treaty.
Global: Save North Korean Refugees day.
Event: Brookings Institution discussion on financial technology.
Cambodia: Constitution Day.
France: Future of Food and Farming Summit in Paris.
Guinea-Bissau: Independence Day.
South Africa: Heritage Day.
Trinidad and Tobago: Republic Day.
United States: President Biden hosts a “Quad” leaders’ summit with Australian PM Scott Morrison, Indian PM Narendra Modi, and Japanese PM Yoshihide Suga.

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