26NOV20 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the federal government’s forces launched the “final phase” of their operations in the Tigray region with an attack on the region’s capital of Mekelle.
AMERICAS: Colombian President Ivan Duque said the joint 29-country anti-drug trafficking Orion Campaign seized more than 90 tons of cocaine.
ASIA: South Korea and China agreed to make preparations for a future visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as to cooperate on stalled talks on North Korea’s nuclear program.
EUROPE: Dozens of defendants in one of Turkey’s biggest trials linked to the 2016 coup attempt, including air force pilots and army commanders, were given life sentences by a court.
MIDDLE EAST: Israel recorded more than a thousand daily new coronavirus cases for the first time in weeks.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: 19 journalists were murdered in Mexico so far this year, making 2020 the most violent year for journalists in Mexico over the last ten years.

Top Story

Iran: Tehran releases British Australian academic in apparent prisoner swap.
- Thailand confirmed the return to Iran of three Iranian nationals who were previously detained by Thailand over a botched 2012 bomb plot in Bangkok.
- Their release takes place after Iran released British-Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert in what Tehran said was in exchange for three Iranians held abroad.
- However, authorities in Thailand have not explicitly linked their release of the three Iranian nationals with the release of Moore-Gilbert.
- Moore-Gilbert was detained by Iran in 2018 and was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of spying for Israel.
- Reporting: WaPo, Reuters, WSJ, AP, AFP, NYT

Africa

Region: The Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that coronavirus vaccinations in Africa might not start until the second quarter of 2021. (AP)
Ethiopia: Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed said the federal government’s forces launched the “final phase” of their operations in the Tigray region with an attack on the region’s capital of Mekelle. (BBC)
Sudan: Former Prime Minister Sadiq al-Mahdi died from the coronavirus. (Reuters)

Americas

Region: Colombian President Ivan Duque said the joint 29-country anti-drug trafficking Orion Campaign seized more than 90 tons of cocaine. (Reuters)
Colombia: President Ivan Duque extended the government’s health state of emergency over the coronavirus pandemic for an extra three months. (Reuters)
United States: The government appealed against a judge’s order that barred the government from expelling immigrant children who crossed the border alone. (AP)

Asia

Region: South Korea and China agreed to make preparations for a future visit to South Korea by Chinese President Xi Jinping, as well as to cooperate on stalled talks on North Korea’s nuclear program. (Reuters)
Australia: The Defense Ministry reportedly started a process that could potentially result in the dismissal of members of the armed forces who were the subject of last week’s inquiry into alleged war crimes in Afghanistan. (Guardian)
Cambodia: A court started trial proceedings of almost 130 government critics and opponents who were charged with treason for participating in political activities over the past three years. (AP)
India: Farmers protesting against a new series of laws clashed with police while trying to reach capital city New Delhi. (DPA)
Pakistan: Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International and the International Commission of Jurists issued a joint appeal urging Islamabad to “take appropriate legal action” against a recent surge in violence against the country’s minority Ahmadi community. (AP)

Europe

Region: Germany wants EU member states to agree to a deal that will see countries keeping ski resorts closed until early January to curb the spread of the coronavirus. (BBC)
France: An additional four school students were reportedly charged over the killing of Samuel Paty. (AFP)
Greece: Civil servants are holding a 24-hour strike over a range of demands, including better workplace protections against the coronavirus. (AP)
Turkey: Dozens of defendants in one of the biggest trials linked to the 2016 coup attempt, including air force pilots and army commanders, were given life sentences by a court. (BBC)

Middle East

Region: Israel released Palestinian detainee Maher al-Akhras, who was on a 103-day hunger strike to protest Israel’s rules related to his detention. (AFP)
Region: Budget UAE airline Flydubai launched direct flights between Dubai and the Israeli city of Tel Aviv, marking the first scheduled commercial service between the two cities. (AFP)
Israel: The country recorded more than a thousand daily new coronavirus cases for the first time in weeks. (DPA)

Tech & Communications

Media: 19 journalists were murdered in Mexico so far this year, making 2020 the most violent year for journalists in Mexico over the last ten years. (Deutsche Welle)

World

Cyclones:
- Tropical Cyclone Nivar
  - Location: 804 nautical miles SW of Kolkata, India
  - Wind: 65 mph
  - Movement: W-NW at 7 mph
  - Map
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:

Tomorrow’s Outlook (27NOV20)

Global: The 5th Union for the Mediterranean Forum will be held, marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Union for the Mediterranean, featuring the Foreign Ministers of several Mediterranean countries.
Global: The Second Review Conference of the Convention on Cluster Munitions will be held virtually.
Americas: The US government will extend its National Emergency with respect to Nicaragua.
Europe: The Research Ministers of EU member-states will hold a virtual meeting.
Germany: Finance Minister Olaf Scholz will speak at an event organized by the country’s central bank.
India: The government will release its latest quarterly growth statistics.
Iraq: First anniversary of protesters torching the Iranian consulate in the holy city of Najaf.
Lebanon: Parliament will meet and discuss President Michel Aoun’s recent letter concerning the country’s central bank.
Nepal: Indian Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla will visit and meet with Foreign Minister Pradeep Gyawali.
United Kingdom: Non-essential retailers will be shut down in Northern Ireland to help curb the spread of the new coronavirus.

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