25SEP20 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina admitted in a Rwandan court to creating the National Liberation Front armed group but denied any role in their crimes.
AMERICAS: Ecuador wants Interpol to issue a red notice for former President Rafael Correa, who currently resides in Belgium and was recently sentenced to an 8-year prison sentence for corruption.
ASIA: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the Chinese government appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang based on satellite imagery and official documents.
EUROPE: High-ranking Vatican official Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who has been embroiled in a controversial deal to purchase a luxury London building with church funds as an investment, has unexpectedly resigned from office.
MIDDLE EAST: The Israeli government slapped restrictions on outgoing flights as part of a slew of measures to bolster its second anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed last week.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Thailand’s government has registered a police complaint against Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of not complying with Thai law by refusing to comply with court orders to block content judged illegal.

Top Story

The Koreas: Kim Jong Un offers rare apology for killing of South Korean official.
- South Korea said that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has issued an apology following the North’s execution of a South Korean fisheries official near the countries’ sea border.
- The South Korean official is said to have been shot and his body burned after being picked-up by North Korean forces in a bid to prevent the potential spread of the new coronavirus.
- Kim Jong Un told the South “I am deeply sorry that an unexpected and unfortunate thing has happened in our territorial waters,” in his message to Seoul, according to South Korean officials.
- The message is a rare instance of North Korea apologizing, admitting wrongdoing or showing remorse to the South.
- Kim’s apology is likely to calm tensions in the region and is expected to ease anti-North sentiments in South Korea following the South Korean official’s execution.
- Reporting: BBC, Reuters, AP, WaPo, NYT, DPA

Africa

Kenya: Chief Justice David Maraga advised President Uhuru Kenyatta to dissolve Parliament over the legislature not having enough women lawmakers, but the High Court has suspended any efforts to dissolve the Parliament due to a petition against Justice Maraga’s advisory. (Reuters)
Rwanda: “Hotel Rwanda” hero Paul Rusesabagina admitted in court to creating the National Liberation Front armed group but denied any role in their crimes. (AFP)
Sudan: The country’s acting Foreign Minister Omer Gamareldin Ismail said the government was close to agreeing to compensation for the relatives of the victims of two 1998 terrorist attacks on US embassies in Africa. (AFP)

Americas

Ecuador: The country wants Interpol to issue a red notice for former President Rafael Correa, who currently resides in Belgium and was recently sentenced to an 8-year prison sentence for corruption. (DPA)
United States: Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun announced that the country will give more than $720 million in humanitarian assistance to Syria, nearly $152 million for countries in Africa’s Sahel region, and almost $108 million for South Sudan. (Reuters)
Venezuela: The European Union has sent a mission to the country ahead of a parliamentary election that has been boycotted by most of the population on the grounds of being rigged in favor of the Socialist Party. (Reuters)

Asia

China: The Australian Strategic Policy Institute said the government appears to be expanding its network of secret detention centers in Xinjiang based on satellite imagery and official documents. (AP)
India: Thousands of farmers in India blocked roads and railway tracks in a protest against new legislation that they say could pave the way for the government to stop buying grain at guaranteed prices, leaving them at the mercy of private buyers. (Reuters)
Kyrgyzstan: Amnesty International said the country’s healthcare workers have been subjected to a “prisonlike” quarantine system during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic and have also been forced to work long hours without being paid as agreed. (RFE-RL)
Singapore: The country’s population has shrunk for the first time since 2003 as travel curbs and job losses brought about by the coronavirus pandemic have pushed foreign workers from the global business hub. (Reuters)
Turkmenistan: The country’s strongman leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov confirmed proposed changes to the constitution, including a potential acting presidential role, sparking speculation that he plans to hand power to his son. (AFP)

Europe

Region: France dismissed the UK’s warnings of delayed travel across the English Channel post-Brexit as tactical posturing. (FT)
Greece: A group of migrants from Afghanistan have accused the government of mistreating them and subsequently abandoning them at sea. (AP)
The Holy See: High-ranking Vatican official Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, who has been embroiled in a controversial deal to purchase a luxury London building with church funds as an investment, has unexpectedly resigned from office. (BBC)
Poland: The Health Ministry is considering reimposing some restrictions amid a record daily increase in the number of coronavirus cases. (Reuters)

Middle East

Iran: The US blacklisted multiple officials and entities of the country over alleged gross violations of human rights, including a judge it said was involved in the recent sentencing to death of wrestler Navid Afkari. (Reuters)
Israel: The government slapped restrictions on outgoing flights as part of a slew of measures to bolster its second anti-coronavirus lockdown imposed last week. (AFP)

Tech & Communications

Social Media: Thailand’s government has registered a police complaint against Facebook and Twitter, accusing them of not complying with Thai law by refusing to comply with court orders to block content judged illegal. (AP)

World

Tomorrow’s Outlook (26SEP20)

Global: International Day for the Total Elimination of Nuclear Weapons – 2013
Global: The UN General Assembly’s high-level debate will be held. (to 29SEP)
Europe: Russian armed forces, as well as the militaries of Belarus, China, Armenia, Myanmar, Pakistan, and Iran, to conduct military exercises in Russia’s Caucasus region.
India: A farmer’s strike will be held.
Indonesia: South Korean Deputy Foreign Minister Kim Gunn will visit to discuss bilateral ties and regional cooperation. (to 29SEP)
Malaysia: Local elections will be held in Sabah state.
Mexico: A new investigative report into the 2014 kidnapping of 43 students is set to be released on the 6th anniversary of the incident.
United States: President Donald Trump is expected to announce his nominee for the Supreme Court vacancy following the death of Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

END