Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Chad’s defense ministry reported that troops of the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR) attacked a Chadian military post, killed one soldier, and kidnapped and executed five others – actions they claimed to be a war crime.
- AMERICAS: Democrats pulled off a dramatic, last-ditch walkout in the Texas House of Representatives at night to block one of the most restrictive voting laws in the U.S. from passing before a midnight deadline
- ASIA: China said that married couples may have up to three children, a significant policy shift from the existing limit of two, after recent data showed a large decline in births in the world’s most populous country.
- EUROPE: Turkey’s foreign minister is scheduled to meet the Greek prime minister and foreign minister a day after raising tension in Athens with comments on Greece’s Muslim minority.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran and six world powers made significant progress in talks to revive their 2015 nuclear deal, but important issues still need to be resolved, according to the nation’s Foreign Ministry.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Intel Corp’s (INTC.O) CEO said it could take several years for a global shortage of semiconductors to be fixed.
Top Story
- Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is possibly close to being removed from office as rival parties are close to forming a ruling coalition.
- Far-right party leader Naftali Bennett expressed his support for a “unity government” in Israel to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in what would be the end of a political era.
- Naftali Bennett, head of the small religious and nationalist Yamina party, and opposition leader Yair Lapid of the centrist Yesh Atid party announced they had joined forces for this coalition.
- Israel’s current PM Benjamin Netanyahu warned that a proposed unity government aimed at replacing him would be a danger to the country’s security.
- Negotiations between Yamina and Lapid’s party, Yesh Atid, are expected to continue and they hope to form a government by Wednesday.
- Reporting: Reuters, NBC, BBC, The Guardian,
Africa
- Region: Chad’s defense ministry reported that troops of the neighboring Central African Republic (CAR) attacked a Chadian military post, killed one soldier, and kidnapped and executed five others – actions they claimed to be a war crime. (Reuters)
- Ethiopia: The nation recorded 145 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, bringing the nationwide tally to 271,345. (Xinhua)
- Nigeria: Gunmen kidnapped scores of children from an Islamic seminary in Niger state, officials said, in the latest in a series of such incidents plaguing the populous African nation. (AFP)
Americas
- Brazil: Serrana, a city in the southeastern state of Sao Paulo, saw a 95% decrease in COVID-19 deaths after it completed vaccinations of almost all adults. (Reuters)
- United States: Democrats pulled off a dramatic, last-ditch walkout in the Texas House of Representatives at night to block one of the most restrictive voting laws in the country from passing before a midnight deadline. (AP)
- United States: Caroline Kennedy, the only living child of President John F Kennedy, is expected in line to be announced as the next ambassador to Australia. (The Guardian)
Asia
- China: The nation’s manufacturing held steady in May, a survey reported, adding to signs a post-pandemic rebound is leveling off. (AP)
- China: The nation said that married couples may have up to three children, a significant policy shift from the existing limit of two, after recent data showed a large decline in births in the world’s most populous country. (Reuters)
- India: According to the federal health ministry, the COVID-19 tally surpassed the 28 million mark in the nation. (Xinhua)
- South Korea: The defense ministry announced that the military will begin administering COVID-19 vaccines to service members aged under 30 next week. (YNA)
- Taiwan: The parliament approved an extra T$420 billion ($15.20 billion) in stimulus spending to aid the economy during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the island faces a spike in domestic infections and curbs in business operations. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: Turkey’s foreign minister is scheduled to meet the Greek prime minister and foreign minister a day after raising tension in Athens with comments on Greece’s Muslim minority. (AFP)
- Russia: Fifteen forests and one landscape fire have formed over the past 24 hours in the Tyumen Region. (TASS)
- Slovenia: Protests against the prime minister hit the streets of Ljubljana, providing a counterpoint to diplomatic preparations for the nation to take over the rotating EU leadership in a few weeks. (DPA)
- United Kingdom: Plans to rapidly relocate hundreds of Afghans who helped the British military and government, primarily as interpreters, were announced. (BBC)
Middle East
- Iran: The Islamic Republic and six world powers made significant progress in talks to revive their 2015 nuclear deal, but important issues still need to be resolved, according to the nation’s Foreign Ministry. (Reuters)
- Iran: A cargo of 1.033 million barrels of the nation’s crude oil landed on U.S. shores in March, data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) reported, with it being the second shipment of the country’s oil to be imported into the United States since 1991. (Reuters)
- Israel: Troops shot a Palestinian man who sneaked into the nation from the Gaza Strip with a knife; the man’s current situation is unknown. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Energy: Intel Corp’s (INTC.O) CEO said it could take several years to fix a global shortage of semiconductors. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- TROPICAL STORM CHOI-WAN
- Location:9N 129.7E
- Movement: NW
- Wind:60 mph
- Map
- TROPICAL STORM CHOI-WAN
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 30MAY21)
- Confirmed cases: 170,377,345
- Deaths: 3,542,391
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: Guinea (as of 23MAY21)
- Confirmed cases: 16
- Deaths: 12
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 30MAY21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (01JUN21)
- Global: OECD Ministerial Council Meeting concludes
- Global: U.N. Security Council monthly presidency rotates
- Global: Central North Pacific hurricane season officially starts
- Global: First day of summer, according to meteorological season
- Europe: European Public Prosecutor’s Office begins operation
- Brazil: latest quarterly growth statistics announced
- Chile: President Sebastian Pinera delivers annual State of the Nation speech to Congress
- North America: Atlantic hurricane season starts
- Russia: Moscow Conference on International Security this month
- United States: President Biden visits Oklahoma to commemorate the Tulsa Race Massacre 100th anniversary
- United States: IMF commences a phased return of staff to its Washington, DC headquarters
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