28JUL22 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: A senior US official voiced cautious hope for a start of Ethiopian peace talks after next month’s election in Kenya.
AMERICAS: The Canadian government made clear that Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the country’s church-run residential schools did not go far enough.
ASIA: A group of Japanese lawmakers including two former defense ministers met with Taiwan’s president in a rare high-level visit to discuss regional security.
EUROPE: French president Emmanuel Macron is planning to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to his presidential palace for dinner.
MIDDLE EAST: The Syrian army is ready to confront any possible attack by Turkish forces on its soil in response to recent shelling by Turkish forces on military sites in the north.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd cautioned chip demand from smartphone and PC makers would weaken further as people shop less.

Top Story

Ukraine: The Armed Forces Are Stepping Up a Counter Offensive to Retake the Southern City of Kherson.
- Ukraine stepped up its counteroffensive to retake the south of the country by trying to bomb and isolate Russian troops in hard-to-resupply areas, but saw evidence that Moscow was redeploying its forces to defend the territory.
- The Antonovsky bridge, a key bridge into the city of Kherson, is now out of action after Ukrainian forces struck it with long-range rockets supplied by the US.
- The UK Ministry of Defense (MOD) said Ukrainian forces are “gathering momentum” and were likely to have “established a bridgehead south of the Ingulets River.”
- In his nightly address, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky stated, “we will liberate our territory with military, diplomatic and all other available means until we reach the legal borders of Ukraine.”
- President Zelensky also praised his army’s strike on the Antonovsky bridge which he vowed Ukraine would rebuild, along with other crossings in the region.
- Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said that Russia is shifting its forces to the Melitopol and Zaporizhzhia areas as well as Kherson, signaling a change in tactics to strategic defense.
- Reuters, BBC, Newsweek, Kyiv Post, Telegraph, Free Press Journal

Africa

Kenya: A senior US official voiced cautious hope for a start of Ethiopian peace talks after next month’s election in the neighboring country. (AFP)
Mali: At least 15 soldiers and three civilians were killed by coordinated “terrorist” attacks, the latest deadly violence to rock the Sahel state. (AFP)
Morocco: Human Rights Watch said the country is jailing journalists after flawed trials for non-political crimes in order to silence them, part of a range of “techniques of repression.” (AFP)
Nigeria: Opposition Senators pushed for President Muhammadu Buhari to face impeachment, 10-months before the end of his second term in office over the country’s security problems. (Reuters)
Senegal: The main opposition coalition is vying to gain clout in legislative polls on Sunday that will set the scene for a presidential election in 2024 that could see President Macky Sall run for a controversial third term. (Reuters)

Americas

Canada: The government made clear that Pope Francis’ apology to Indigenous peoples for abuses in the country’s church-run residential schools did not go far enough. (AP)
Chile: The European Mediterranean Seismological Centre said a 6.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Tocopilla. (Reuters)
Haiti: Gangs waged intense gun battles in Port-au-Prince, shuttering main avenues and a municipal market in downtown. (Reuters)
Nicaragua: Opposition leader Yubrank Suazo, who took part in protests against President Daniel Ortega’s government in 2018, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. (AFP)
United States: Authorities indicted Robert Crimo of carrying out a deadly mass shooting at a July 4 parade near Chicago on 117 counts of murder, aggravated battery, and other charges. (AFP)

Asia

India: Seven people, mostly farmers, were killed by lightning in northern Uttar Pradesh state, bringing the death toll by lightning to 49 people in the state this week. (AP)
Japan: A group of lawmakers including two former defense ministers met with Taiwan’s president in a rare high-level visit to discuss regional security. (AP)
Myanmar: The UN Security Council condemned the junta’s executions of four political prisoners and called for an immediate halt to all forms of violence and “full respect for human rights and the rule of law.” (AP)
New Zealand: At least a dozen schools received bomb threats, causing widespread disruption in what is believed to have been an overseas cyberattack. (AFP)
North Korea: Leader Kim Jong Un warned he is ready to use his nuclear weapons in potential military conflicts with the United States and South Korea. (AP)

Europe

Region: Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban arrived in Austria for a one-day visit after sparking a storm of criticism with comments against creating “peoples of mixed-race”. (AFP)
France: President Emmanuel Macron is planning to welcome Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to his presidential palace for dinner. (AP)
Italy: The party with the most votes in the centre-right coalition will choose the prime minister if the bloc wins the coming election putting far-right leader Giorgia Meloni in pole position for the top job. (Reuters)
Russia: Forces launched massive missile strikes on the Kyiv and Chernihiv regions, areas that have not been targeted in weeks. (AP)
United Kingdom: According to a YouGov poll, leadership candidate Rishi Sunak would have a significant edge over his rival Foreign Secretary Liz Truss among swing voters if he became prime minister. (Reuters)

Middle East

Egypt: The country canceled contracts for a total of 240,000 tonnes of Ukrainian wheat that were booked by its state grains buyer for February and March delivery but never loaded due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. (Reuters)
Iran: State TV said a landslide triggered by heavy rains in Tehran killed at least four people. (AP)
Iraq: Hundreds of supporters of cleric Moqtada Sadr danced in parliament after storming Baghdad’s high-security Green Zone in protest at a rival bloc’s nomination for prime minister. (AFP)
Syria: The army is ready to confront any possible attack by Turkish forces on its soil in response to recent shelling by Turkish forces on military sites in the north. (Xinhua)
Yemen: The internationally-recognized government declared that 81 people were killed and 331 others injured in attacks conducted by the Houthi militia since the beginning of the UN-brokered truce. (Xinhua)

Tech & Communications

Technology: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd cautioned chip demand from smartphone and PC makers would weaken further as people shop less. (Reuters)

World

Cyclones: Nothing to Report.
Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Frank
  - Location: 12.9 N, 108.9 W
  - Wind: 50 mph
  - Movement: W at 12 mph.
  - Map
Earthquakes:
- Tocopilla, Chile
  - Magnitude: 6.2
  - Depth: 44.5 km
  - Map
Volcanoes: Nothing to Report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 28JUL22)
  - Confirmed cases: 573,864,016
  - Deaths: 6,393,577
  - Countries with confirmed cases: 192
  - Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (29JUL22)

Region: UN Security Council to provide a strategic level report update on Eritrea/Djibouti.
Event: Shanghai Cooperation Organization Council of Foreign Ministers to meet for their final day in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.
Event: The Brookings Institution to hold a discussion with ambassador of Colombia to the US Juan Carlos Pinzón, discussing ‘how the Biden administration and Colombia’s next administration – under the leadership of President-elect Gustavo Petro – can further strengthen the bonds between both countries.
Event: CSIS to hold a discussion on nuclear weapons and deterrence.
Australia: Canberra to double foreign investment fees and penalties for purchasing farms, properties, and businesses.
Canada: Pope to conclude his visit to the country.
Ethiopia: UN Human Rights Council Commission, tasked with investigating human rights violations committed in the country’s Tigray region, to continue its visit. (to 30JUL22)
Japan: Japanese and US officials to hold 2+2 talks between foreign and commerce ministers.
Ukraine: UN Security Council to hold briefing on Ukraine.
Vietnam: Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to meet for their final day in Ha Long (to 29JUL22)

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