28AUG20 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

• AFRICA: Egyptian authorities say they arrested the Muslim Brotherhood’s acting leader Mahmoud Ezzat in an apartment raid in the capital Cairo.
• AMERICAS: US President Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican party’s nomination for the country’s upcoming election.
• ASIA: The US Navy said one of its warships sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, prompting a warning from the Chinese military.
• EUROPE: Russia announced the expulsion of one of Norway’s diplomats in the country in response to a similar move by Norway last week.
• MIDDLE EAST: An El Al flight taking off for Abu Dhabi from Israel is set to become Israel’s first commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates since the two countries agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalize relations.
• TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority asked YouTube to block “vulgarity and hate speech” for viewers in the country, stoking fears of censorship.

Top Story

• Japan: PM Abe resigns for health reasons.
  • Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said he will “step down from the post of the Prime Minister,” after almost eight years in office, due to health problems.
  • Abe, who is 65-years-old, said he was suffering from a recurrence of ulcerative colitis, which previously ended his first term as Japan’s Prime Minister.
  • Abe stated he was receiving a new treatment for the ulcerative colitis which would not leave him with sufficient time to carry-out his duties.
  • Abe is likely to continue as Prime Minister until his ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s lawmakers and members vote for a new leader of the party, with a final vote expected in two or three weeks.
  • Former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida already expressed interest in for the PM’s office, with Abe’s close aide Yoshihide Suga and Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso also being considered as contenders to succeed Abe.
  • Reporting: AP, WSJ, NYT, BBC, Reuters, AFP, WaPo, DPA

Africa

• Egypt: Authorities say they arrested the Muslim Brotherhood’s acting leader Mahmoud Ezzat in an apartment raid in the capital Cairo. (Reuters)
• Libya: A drone operated by the United Arab Emirates was reportedly responsible for the deaths of 26 unarmed cadets at a military academy in the capital Tripoli in January of this year. (BBC)
• Tanzania: Multiple opposition parties allege that their candidates for the country’s upcoming elections were dubiously disqualified from participating. (VOA)

Americas

• Cuba: Havana’s governor announced an overnight curfew and travel restrictions on the country’s capital due to a new surge in coronavirus cases. (Reuters)
• Peru: The Economy Ministry said the country’s economy is expected to contract 12% this year, its largest contraction in three decades, as it deals with the fallout of the global coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)
• United States: President Donald Trump formally accepted the Republican party’s nomination for the country’s upcoming election. (AP)
• Venezuela: Human Rights Watch says Nicolas Maduro’s security forces are using the coronavirus pandemic as cover for their “full force” campaign against dissenters. (Guardian)

Asia  

• Region: The US Navy said one of its warships sailed near the disputed Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, prompting a warning from the Chinese military. (AFP)
• Region: Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he is open to the idea of New Zealand sending the Australian-born gunman behind the Christchurch mosque attacker back to Australia to serve his life sentence. (AFP)
• India: Amnesty International accused the police of violating human rights during deadly religious riots in capital New Delhi earlier this year. (AP)
• Taiwan: President Tsai Ing-wen unveiled a new US-backed maintenance center for the island’s fleet of upgraded F-16 fighters. (Reuters)
• Thailand: Anti-government protesters scuffled with police in capital Bangkok as 15 leaders of the movement turned themselves in to the police in response to a summons linked to a demonstration last month. (AP)

Europe

• Region: Russia announced the expulsion of one of Norway’s diplomats in the country in response to a similar move by Norway last week. (AP)
• Belarus: Foreign Ministers from the European Union member-states agreed to impose sanctions on 20 senior government officials suspected of election fraud and the crackdown on protesters. (AP)
• France: Capital city Paris made the usage of facemasks in public mandatory amid a surge in new coronavirus cases in the country. (BBC)

Middle East

• Region: An El Al flight taking off for Abu Dhabi from Israel is set to become Israel’s first commercial passenger flight to the United Arab Emirates since the two countries agreed to a US-brokered deal to normalize relations. (AP)
• Israel: The country’s tanks and warplanes attacked Hamas positions in Gaza once again as Islamists in the territory retaliated with rockets as a three-week-old flare-up between the country and militants in the territory continue. (AFP)
• Lebanon: The UN Security Council is set to vote on a resolution that will extend the mandate of the UN peacekeeping forces in the country’s south for a year but reduce troop numbers to 13,000 in response to US pressure. (AP)

Tech & Communications

• Social Media: Pakistan’s Telecommunication Authority asked YouTube to block “vulgarity and hate speech” for viewers in the country, stoking fears of censorship. (DPA)

World

• Cyclones: Nothing to report.
• Hurricanes:
  • Hurricane Laura
    • Location: 95 miles W-NW of Memphis, Tennessee
    • Wind: 30 mph
    • Movement: NE at 11 mph
    • Map
• Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
• Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
• Global Disease Outbreaks:

• • COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
    • Confirmed Cases as of 28AUG20: 24,487,569
    • Total Recovered Cases as of 28AUG20: 16,012,641
    • Deaths as of 28AUG20: 832,378
    • Countries with Confirmed Cases: 188
    • Sourcing: John Hopkins University
  • Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (11th Ebola outbreak figures from Equateur Province)
    • Confirmed Cases as of 23AUG20: 98
    • Probable Cases as of 23AUG20: 4
    • Deaths as of 23AUG20: 44
    • Sourcing: WHO

Tomorrow’s Outlook (29AUG20)

• Global: The UN’s International Day against Nuclear Tests – 2010
• Asia: ASEAN Economic Ministers’ Meeting to be held in Vietnam.
• Germany: Potential anti-coronavirus protests to be held in capital Berlin.
• Switzerland: Potential anti-face mask protests to be held in Zurich.
• Nigeria: International flights will resume.
• United States: Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono will visit Guam and meet with Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to discuss missile defenses in Asia.

END