Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Niger President Mohamed Bazoum hailed military cooperation with Germany following a meeting in Niamey with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.
- AMERICAS: Argentina’s Domestic Trade Minister Roberto Feletti, charged with leading government efforts against inflation, resigned.
- ASIA: Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with top UN human rights official Michelle Bachelet on her visit to China and shared with her that Beijing opposes “politicizing” human rights and imposing double standards.
- EUROPE: German economy minister Robert Habeck said the European Union is likely to agree on an embargo on Russian oil in the next few days.
- MIDDLE EAST: Israeli authorities arrested five Palestinian suspects in Jerusalem for allegedly planning attacks on a member of parliament, the city’s light rail and other targets.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg, seeking to hold him personally responsible for the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach.
Top Story
- Australia: New Prime Minister Anthony Albanese Meets US President Joe Biden for the First Time in Tokyo.
- Australia’s new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese held his first meeting with US President Joe Biden prompting Biden to jokingly stage a mock walk-out as the Labor Party leader recalled his first visit to Washington.
- The exchanges came as the two men met in Tokyo where they were attending the Quad summit, a grouping that includes Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.
- President Biden congratulated Prime Minister Albanese on his election and praised his decision to travel to Japan for the Quad Summit on his first day in office.
- Albanese assured leaders that the Australian government’s priorities were aligned with the Quad, promising to “take ambitious action on climate change,” including setting a target to reduce emissions by 43% by 2030.
- Australia was one of a dozen Indo-Pacific nations to join the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework designed to counter China’s influence in the region.
- The friendship between Biden and Albanese may run deeper, for the simple reason that the pair share values as Democrat and Labor leaders, including ambitions on climate change.
- Reuters, AFP, White House, Bloomberg, Kyodo, SMH
Africa
- Niger: President Mohamed Bazoum hailed military cooperation with Germany following a meeting in Niamey with visiting German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. (BBC)
- Nigeria: Jihadists in Borno state killed 30 villagers in a revenge attack after their commanders were killed in air strikes. (AFP)
- Rwanda: The military accused Congolese forces of injuring several civilians in cross-border shelling and asked regional monitors to investigate. (WaPo)
- Somalia: A UN envoy urged the country to build on last week’s election of a new president and work towards national reconciliation and confront the growing threat from al-Shabab. (WaPo)
- Sudan: The US issued an advisory warning American companies and individuals from doing business with state-owned and military-controlled companies. (BBC)
Americas
- Argentina: Domestic Trade Minister Roberto Feletti, charged with leading government efforts against inflation, resigned. (Reuters)
- Brazil: The economy ministry announced a new 10% reduction in import taxes, aiming to reduce inflationary pressures. (Reuters)
- Mexico: At least three Honduran migrants died and four were missing after a people-smuggling boat capsized in the country’s east. (AFP)
- Nicaragua: Relatives of more than 180 jailed opponents of President Daniel Ortega’s government denounced the ill treatment inflicted on the detainees, while Catholic leaders complained of “repression” and harassment by authorities. (AFP)
- United States: The CDC reported one confirmed and six presumed cases of monkeypox but said there is no evidence the virus has evolved to become more transmissible. (ABC)
Asia
- Australia: China sent a congratulatory note to new Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, ending a year-long freeze in diplomatic contact between the two countries. (AFP)
- China: Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with top UN human rights official Michelle Bachelet on her visit to the country and shared with her that Beijing opposes “politicizing” human rights and imposing double standards. (AP)
- New Zealand: Seven people on two small boats that drifted for days in the Pacific have been rescued after a plane spotted them near the remote island nation of Kiribati. (AP)
- Philippines: Outgoing President Rodrigo Duterte sharply criticized Russian leader Vladimir Putin for the killings of innocent civilians in Ukraine. (AP)
- Solomon Islands: Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare confirmed a “milestone” visit by Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi this week. (AFP)
Europe
- Region: German economy minister Robert Habeck said the European Union is likely to agree on an embargo on Russian oil in the next few days. (Reuters)
- Russia: Jailed Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny lost his legal appeal against a nine-year prison sentence that he and his allies condemn as politically motivated. (AFP)
- Sweden: Authorities are recommending a fifth COVID-19 vaccine dose for people with an increased risk of becoming seriously ill, including pregnant women and anyone aged 65 and over. (WaPo)
- Ukraine: Russian tanker Vadim Shishimarin was sentenced to life in prison for killing a civilian in the opening days of the war. (AP)
- United Kingdom: A report by the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee described the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan as a “disaster and betrayal” hampered by a lack of leadership from senior politicians and civil servants. (AP)
Middle East
- Iran: Thousands of mourners have poured into the streets of Tehran to pay their respects to a senior Revolutionary Guard member fatally shot by two gunmen on a motorcycle earlier this week. (AP)
- Iraq: Security officials said militants from the Islamic State have killed 11 civilians and wounded at least six in two separate attacks in the north. (AP)
- Israel: Authorities arrested five Palestinian suspects in Jerusalem for allegedly planning attacks on a member of parliament, the city’s light rail and other targets. (AP)
- United Arab Emirates: Two people were killed and 120 injured in a gas cylinder explosion in an Abu Dhabi restaurant. (AFP)
- Yemen: Three people in Sanaa were killed after a Saudi spy drone was downed by Houthi forces and crashed in a commercial area. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: The District of Columbia filed a lawsuit against Mark Zuckerberg, seeking to hold him personally responsible for the Cambridge Analytica privacy breach. (AP)
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 24MAY22)
- Confirmed cases: 526,187,082
- Deaths: 6,278,846
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 24MAY22)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (25MAY22)
- Event: Atlantic Council conversation on global South’s response to Ukraine.
- Event: Atlantic Council conversation on global tech security.
- Event: Wilson Center discussion on fintech in Latin America.
- Global: International Missing Children Day.
- Argentina: National Day.
- Belgium: NATO Sec. Gen. Jens Stoltenberg to receive Bosnian Co-President Šefik Džaferović.
- Ethiopia: Africa Day.
- Europe: European Commission to propose measures to confiscate Russian assets.
- Europe: European Council President Charles Michel meets Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson and Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
- Germany: Meeting of G7 energy ministers in Berlin. (to 27MAY)
- Israel: Visit by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu.
- Jordan: Independence Day.
- Lebanon: Liberation Day.
- Switzerland: World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos. (to 26MAY)
- United States: Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on Iran.
- United States: Secretary of State Antony Blinken meets Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Secretary General Hissein Brahim Tah.
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