30JUN21 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: The United States declared a cautious welcome to the unilateral ceasefire announced by the Ethiopian government in the war-hit Tigray region, despite rebel fighters seizing more territory.
AMERICAS: The U.S House of Representatives is expected to launch a new investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection with an expected approval of a 13-person select committee to probe the violent attack.
ASIA: North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un replaced several senior officials after a “grave incident” in the country’s efforts to defend itself against the Covid-19 pandemic.
EUROPE: A United Nations court is delivering ruling in the retrial of two allies of the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic who is accused of organizing, arming, and supporting notorious Serb militias that committed atrocities in Croatia and Bosnia as Yugoslavia crumbled in the early 1990s.
MIDDLE EAST: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to end all sanctions on Iran as agreed under a 2015 deal aimed at stopping Tehran from gaining a nuclear weapon.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The U.N. disarmament chief warned that digital technologies are decreasing barriers to malicious intrusions and opening potential areas for governments, armed groups, terrorists, and criminals to carry out attacks, including across international borders.

Top Story

Canada: Western Canada deals with record-breaking heat, leading to casualties from the effects of the heatwave.
- Temperatures in the Vancouver area were 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 Celsius), but the humidity made it feel close to 104 degrees (40 Celsius) in areas that aren’t near water.
- Vancouver police responded to more than 65 sudden deaths since the heatwave spread across the pacific north-west.
- The heatwave has caused more than 230 deaths in the past week in the province of British Columbia.
- Climate Scientists at the University of British Columbia agree that climate change is the reason for this record heatwave.
- Reporting: AP, The Guardian, CNN, CBC

Africa

Ethiopia: The nation recorded 63 additional COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 276,037. (Xinhua)
Ethiopia: The United States declared a cautious welcome to the unilateral ceasefire announced by the government in the war-hit Tigray region, despite rebel fighters seizing more territory. (AFP)
Zimbabwe: The government announced July 14 the deadline for frontline health workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19. (Xinhua)

Americas

Chile: About 3.8 million people came out of quarantine in the capital city of Santiago, despite worries about the Delta variant. (EFE)
United States: The House is expected to launch a new investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection with an expected approval of a 13-person select committee to probe the violent attack. (AP)
United States: The New York mayoral race fell into chaos after the city’s board of elections admitted it flubbed the count by including more than 130,000 test ballots in its latest vote tally. (FT)
United States: The Minnesota House approved a modest set of police accountability measures that’s part of a larger public safety budget bill as a deadline loomed for the state’s divided Legislature to stop a partial state government shutdown. (AP)

Asia

Hong Kong: The authorities have arrested 117 people under a national security law enacted one year ago, primarily democratic politicians, activists, journalists, and students. (Reuters)
Malaysia: Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin has been admitted to the hospital after suffering a severe case of diarrhea. (Reuters)
North Korea: Supreme leader Kim Jong-un replaced several senior officials after a “grave incident” in the country’s efforts to defend itself against the Covid-19 pandemic. (AFP)
South Korea: The nation’s daily new virus cases rose to an over two-month high as a series of cluster infections were recorded in the wider Seoul area amid jitters over growing COVID-19 variant cases. (YNA)

Europe

Region: The EU’s justice commissioner vowed to fight back against a proliferation of legal challenges and rulings by member states that have attacked the supremacy of EU law, warning that they could destroy the union itself. (FT)
Region: A United Nations court is delivering ruling in the retrial of two allies of the late Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic, who is accused of organizing, arming, and supporting notorious Serb militias that committed atrocities in Croatia and Bosnia as Yugoslavia crumbled in the early 1990s. (AP)
Russia: The State Prosecutor’s Office outlawed a Czech nongovernmental organization after placing it on the “undesirable” list. (RFE)
Russia: The nation recorded 669 COVID-19 deaths over the past 24 hours, a record number of fatalities for the second day in a row. (AFP)

Middle East

Iran: U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration to end all sanctions on the nations as agreed under a 2015 deal aimed at stopping Tehran from gaining a nuclear weapon. (AP)
Iran: The nation has appointed Akbar Komeijani as head of the central bank. (Reuters)
Saudi Arabia: The top oil-exporting nation is expected to increase its August official selling prices (OSPs) for Asia for the second straight month, tracking stronger crude benchmarks. (Reuters)

Tech & Communications

Cybersecurity: The U.N. disarmament chief warned that digital technologies are decreasing barriers to malicious intrusions and opening potential areas for governments, armed groups, terrorists, and criminals to carry out attacks, including across international borders. (AP)

World

Cyclones: Nothing to report
Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Enrique
  - Location: 23.8 N 109.1 W
  - Movement: NW at 10 mph
  - Wind: 40mph
  - Map
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 30JUN21)
  - Confirmed cases: 181,851,597
  - Deaths: 3,938,885
  - Countries with confirmed cases: 192
  - Sourcing: John Hopkins University

Tomorrow’s Outlook (01JUL21)

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