30OCT20 Global Overnight Overwatch Report

Key Storylines

AFRICA: Tanzania’s Populist President John Magufuli is nearing victory in the country’s presidential election despite fraud allegations, while the ruling party has secured enough of a majority in Parliament to change the country’s constitution.
AMERICAS: A Canadian court declined to dismiss the case against senior Huawei official Meng Wanzhou but said that Meng’s claim of the US misrepresenting evidence in its extradition request for Meng had an “air of reality”.
ASIA: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has finished his tour of Asia after meetings in Vietnam, with the tour being dominated by the need to respond to the threat posed by China.
EUROPE: France’s Interior Minister Gerald Damarnin said more terror attacks inside the country were likely as it fights against Islamist ideology.
MIDDLE EAST: Qatari authorities said the officials who conducted the forced examinations of women at the country’s international airport earlier this month have been referred to prosecutors.
TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Twitter has deleted former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s tweet in which he said that Muslims “had the right to kill millions of French people,” as the tweet “glorified violence.”

Top Story

Global: Coronavirus cases surging across most of the world.
- The global daily increase in new coronavirus cases once again crossed the 500,000 mark over the last 24 hours as multiple countries across the global north reported record daily increases.
- Europe and the Americas account for most of the global increase, with multiple countries across Europe returning to some form of lockdowns or implementing other strict measures.
- The US witnessed a record increase of 90,000 new coronavirus cases the previous day, with Colorado, New Mexico, and Illinois all reporting their daily record increases each.
- Elsewhere, Germany also set a new record in the daily rise in coronavirus cases, as it registered 18,681 new cases in the last 24 hours.
- Reporting: AFP, DPA, Reuters, NYT

Africa

Ethiopia: The Tigray region’s authorities have blocked a brigadier general from taking up office inside the region, escalating a tussle between the Tigray region and Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed’s government. (AFP)
Senegal: The UN’s migration agency said a boat carrying more than 200 people sank off the country’s coast resulting in at least 140 people dying. (VOA)
Tanzania: Populist President John Magufuli is nearing victory in the country’s presidential election despite fraud allegations, while the ruling party has secured enough of a majority in Parliament to change the country’s constitution. (AP)

Americas

Canada: A court declined to dismiss the case against senior Huawei official Meng Wanzhou but said that Meng’s claim of the US misrepresenting evidence in its extradition request for Meng had an “air of reality”. (Guardian)
Colombia: The country’s rebel left-wing National Liberation Army (ELN) confirmed the death of its commander Uriel in a military operation last weekend. (AFP)
Mexico: The country’s national oil regulator has flagged state-owned oil company Pemex’s underperformance compared to its targets. (Reuters)
United States: More than 80 million people have cast ballots in the presidential election, setting the stage for the highest participation rate in over a century. (Reuters)

Asia

Region: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has finished his tour of Asia after meetings in Vietnam, with the tour being dominated by the need to respond to the threat posed by China. (Reuters)
Japan: The government has picked Mitsubishi Heavy Industries as a main contractor in the development of Tokyo’s own next-generation stealth fighter to counter threats from China and North Korea. (AP)
New Zealand: The public has voted in favor of legalizing euthanasia in the country and has voted against legalizing recreational cannabis. (BBC)
Thailand: A group of students sympathetic to the country’s recent anti-government and anti-monarchy protests will boycott graduation ceremonies led by King Maha Vajiralongkorn. (Reuters)

Europe

Region: The Eurozone economy has surged in Q3, growing at a record rate, but is likely to stall immediately as the continent faces a new coronavirus wave. (WSJ)
France: Interior Minister Gerald Damarnin said more terror attacks inside the country were likely as it fights against Islamist ideology. (Reuters)
Ukraine: G7 ambassadors have expressed their alarm over the rollback of reforms in the country after the Constitutional Court stripped some of the most critical powers of the country’s anti-corruption agency. (RFE-RL)
United Kingdom: The seven Nigerian stowaways who had recently tried to seize control of an oil tanker off the country’s coast before being detained by security forces have been released on bail by the police but remain in Border Force custody. (BBC)

Middle East

Region: The US seized a variety of missiles being shipped to Yemen by Iran’s Quds Force. (RFE-RL)
Iran: Australian academic Kylie Moore-Gilbert has reportedly been returned to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison after a week of her whereabouts remaining unknown. (AFP)
Qatar: Authorities said the officials who conducted the forced examinations of women at the country’s international airport earlier this month have been referred to prosecutors. (AP)
Saudi Arabia: Riyadh has been able to obtain German arms despite a German government ban on defense exports to the country due to its human rights record and the Yemen war. (DPA)
United Arab Emirates: The US State Department has reportedly notified Congress it approved the sale of 50 F-35 jets to the country. (Reuters)

Tech & Communications

Social Media: Twitter has deleted former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad’s tweet in which he said that Muslims “had the right to kill millions of French people,” as the tweet “glorified violence.” (EFE)

World

Cyclones:
- Super Typhoon Goni
  - Location: 621 nautical miles E of Manila, Philippines
  - Wind: 175 mph
  - Movement: W at 11 mph
  - Map
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:

Tomorrow’s Outlook (31OCT20)

Global: The deadline for nominating candidates for the next OECD Secretary General.
Global: The UN’s World Cities Day – 2014
France: The government will review its coronavirus-related ban on gatherings larger than 5,000 people.
Georgia: Parliamentary elections will be held.
Germany: Capital city Berlin’s new international airport will open after several years of delays and overspending.
Ivory Coast: Presidential elections will be held.
Kazakhstan: The opposition has called for a rally against government oppression.
Portugal: An extraordinary cabinet meeting will be held to discuss additional measures to tackle the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Slovakia: Mass coronavirus testing will be conducted in hotspots.
United States: President Donald Trump will visit Pennsylvania.

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