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ONS 04 May 2017

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KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Algerians voted for a new parliament as the government grapples with soaring unemployment and a deep financial crisis caused by a collapse in oil revenues.
  • AMERICAS: Venezuelan security forces battled protesters who lit fires and hurled stones in rage at President Nicolas Maduro’s decree to create an alternative congress.
  • ASIA: Indian troops launched a major operation in southern parts of disputed Kashmir to root out rebels fighting against India’s rule.
  • EUROPE: Voting began in Britain’s local elections, the first nationwide electoral test for PM Theresa May.
  • MIDDLE EAST: A delegation representing the Syrian armed opposition returned to peace talks being held in Kazakhstan a day after it said it had suspended its participation.
  • TECHNOLOGY: A ‘phishing’ scam that tricked people with what appeared to be Google Docs links was doused by Google after spreading wildly.

 

TOP STORY

  • United Kingdom: Prince Philip to retire from public duties.
    • The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace announced.
    • Queen Elizabeth II, who is 91, will continue to carry out her duties supported by other members of the royal family.
    • The health of the queen and of Prince Philip has been a source of increasing concern, as both have had recent prolonged periods of sickness.
    • The announcement came hours after news of an emergency all-staff meeting at Buckingham Palace leaked, prompting a flurry of unfounded speculation that one of the royal family’s most senior members had died.
    • Coverage: BBC, CNN, NYT, Reuters, WP

 

AFRICA

  • Algeria: Algerians voted for a new parliament as the government grapples with soaring unemployment and a deep financial crisis caused by a collapse in oil revenues. (AFP)
  • Nigeria: The country aims to set up a national airline and develop its aviation infrastructure, currently seen as a barrier to economic growth. (Reuters)
  • South Sudan: The government increased registration fees nearly six-fold for international aid groups seeking to operate in the war-torn nation. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Brazil: Justice Minister Osmar Serraglio announced the federal government will send troops into the state of Rio de Janeiro amid ongoing violence. (Xinhua)
  • Colombia: The UN Security Council headed to the country to demonstrate its commitment to the peace agreement between the government and the FARC rebel group. (AP)
  • Venezuela: Security forces battled protesters who lit fires and hurled stones in rage at President Nicolas Maduro’s decree to create an alternative congress, as the death toll rose to 34. (Reuters)

 

ASIA

  • Region: Indian troops launched a major operation in southern parts of disputed Kashmir to root out rebels fighting against India’s rule. (AP)
  • Region: China said it wants to be good neighbors with North Korea, after the isolated country’s state news agency published rare criticism of Chinese state media calling for tougher sanctions over the North’s nuclear program. (Reuters)
  • Afghanistan: Veteran warlord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar returned to the capital Kabul, eight months after signing a peace deal with the government. (BBC)
  • Korean Peninsula: North Korea accused South Korea of engaging in “military hostilities” and demanded Seoul put an immediate end to what it described as a threat at its border. (UPI)
  • South Korea: The country began early voting in the election to replace ousted President Park Geun-hye. (AP)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: A Greek court blocked a second extradition request by Turkey for the final two of eight soldiers who fled to Greece in JUL2017 following a failed coup attempt. (Reuters)
  • Azerbaijan: The US urged Azeri authorities to conduct a transparent investigation into the death of an Azerbaijani blogger and activist Mehman Qalandarov. (RFE/RL)
  • Germany: The military’s chief of staff Volker Wieker promised a full investigation into the case of an army officer arrested on suspicion that he was part of a small group planning a far-right attack. (AP)
  • United Kingdom: Voting began in local elections, the first nationwide electoral test for PM Theresa May. (AFP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: A Palestinian attempted to stab Israeli police near a flashpoint holy site in Hebron in the occupied West Bank and was shot and wounded. (AFP)
  • Iran: A coal mine explosion in the country’s north killed at least 35 people, as rescuers worked a second day to reach those trapped inside after the blast. (AP)
  • Iraq: Iraqi forces opened a front in western Mosul in a major shift intended to accelerate the ongoing operation against the Islamic State group. (NYT)
  • Syria: A delegation representing the Syrian armed opposition returned to peace talks being held in Kazakhstan a day after it said it had suspended its participation. (Reuters)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology:  A ‘phishing’ scam that tricked people with what appeared to be Google Docs links was doused by Google after spreading wildly. (AFP)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 28APR: 23,253 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 28APR: 7,405 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 28APR: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
  • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
    • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
    • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
    • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
  • Zika Virus
    • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
    • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
    • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
    • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (05MAY)

  • Europe: Europe Day – 1964
  • Ethiopia: Liberation Day/Patriot’s Victory Day – 1941
  • Kyrgyzstan: Constitution Day – 1993
  • Mexico: Cinco de Mayo – 1862

END


ONS: 08 May 2017

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KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: A Christian man was killed by suspected Islamic militants in Egypt’s Sinai peninsula, one day after the Islamic State warned of coming attacks on Christians.
  • AMERICAS: Thousands of women in Venezuela marched in protest of the government in an event the opposition called a women’s march against repression.
  • ASIA: Hundreds of Afghan families have fled fighting between the Taliban and government forces in northern Afghanistan, near Kunduz.
  • EUROPE: Polls opened in a historic French presidential election between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Five suicide bombers and two security forces were killed in an attack on a Kurdish military base near Iraq’s northern city of Kirkuk.
  • TECHNOLOGY: China will further tighten its internet regulations over search engines and online news portals to maintain strict Communist Party control over content.

TOP STORY

  • Nigeria: 82 Chibok girls released in exchange for Boko Haram militants
    • The government handed over Boko Haram militants in exchange for 82 of the schoolgirls kidnapped by terrorist group just over three years ago in Chibok.
    • They are believed to be among the 276 girls, ages 16 to 18, forced from their beds at boarding school in the middle of the night.
    • Although the Chibok girls are the most high-profile case, Boko Haram has kidnapped thousands of adults and children.
    • President Muhammadu Buhari will receive the released schoolgirls in Nigeria’s capital, Abuja.
    • Coverage: NYT, WSJ, AP, Reuters, CNN, Telegraph

AFRICA

  • Region: The French president’s office confirmed on Sunday that a national who had been kidnapped in Chad’s Abeche region in March, then taken to Sudan, was released. (Reuters)
  • Egypt: Officials say a Christian man has been shot dead by suspected Islamic militants while inside a barber’s shop in Sinai, one day after the Islamic State group’s local affiliate warned it would attack Christians. (AP)
  • Sudan: The country plans to cultivate 336,000 hectares of cotton to raise revenue, as prices of the crop is rising internationally. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

  • Canada: The army deployed troops to eastern Canada, where flooding from heavy rain has forced evacuations, and conditions are expected to worsen in coming days. (AFP)
  • Ecuador: Police have dismantled an international drug trafficking ring and seized 250 packets of drugs in the coastal province of Santa Elena. (Xinhua)
  • Venezuela: Thousands of women marched in protest of the country’s socialist government in an event the opposition billed as a “women’s march against repression.” (AP)

ASIA

  • Region: The Pakistani army says it has destroyed at least five Afghan checkpoints near the border between the two countries, killing about 50 security forces. (AP)
  • Afghanistan: Hundreds of families have fled fighting between the Taliban and government forces near the northern city of Kunduz. (AFP)
  • Kashmir: Militants launched an attack in Indian Kashmir killing three civilians and a policeman. (AFP)
  • Philippines: Police believe a Shiite Muslim cleric was the likely target of explosions that killed two people in Manila, but they reject claims of Islamic State involvement. (AFP)

EUROPE

  • Region: A Spanish aid organization reported that over a 24-hour period they rescued 514 migrants whose boats were in danger of capsizing as they tried to cross the Mediterranean. (AP)
  • France: Polls opened in a historic presidential election between Marine Le Pen and Emmanuel Macron, after an unpredictable and divisive campaign. (BBC)
  • Germany: Voters in the northern province of Schleswig-Holstein are voting in a regional election that has potential to unseat Chancellor Angela Merkel in September. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: The Turkish army is bracing to enter Syria’s northwestern province of Idlib as part of the “de-escalation zone” deal between Russia, Iran and Turkey. (Xinhua)
  • Region: Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi began a state visit to Kuwait, which will be followed by a visit to Bahrain, to refresh ties with the Gulf Arab states. (Xinhua)
  • Iraq: Five suicide bombers affiliated with the Islamic State group and two Kurdish security members were killed in an attack on a Kurdish military base near the northern city of Kirkuk. (Xinhua)
  • Syria: Dozens of ISIS fighters cornered in a northern part of Tabqa are holding off US-backed forces that hold almost all of the city. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: China will further tighten its internet regulations over search engines and online news portals to maintain strict Communist Party control over content. (Reuters)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Donna
    • 8 S 164.1 E
    • Winds: 100 MPH
    • Movement: S
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (08MAY)

  • Global: Time of Remembrance and Reconciliation for Those Who Lost Their Lives during the Second World War
  • Global: Anniversary of the WHO’s announcement of the eradication of smallpox – 1980
  • Global: World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day
  • Philippines: The Philippines and the United States militaries to hold their annual Balikatan military drills

END

 

 

ONS – 09 May 2017

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KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: More than 1 million children have fled South Sudan’s civil war, according to the UN, becoming part of the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis.
  • AMERICAS: Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting municipalities and police departments from adopting “sanctuary city” policies that limit their cooperation with US federal authorities in enforcing immigration law.
  • ASIA: The head of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib, was killed in an April military raid.
  • EUROPE: A counter-terror operation conducted jointly by Spain and Morocco led to the arrest of two suspected extremists in the Spanish region of Catalonia and another in the Moroccan city of Tangiers.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Syrian FM Walid Muallem said the Syrian government would reject any UN role in monitoring the implementation of four “de-escalation” zones.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Facebook has taken out ads in British newspapers to raise awareness of the spread of fake news in the run up to the country’s general elections on 08JUN.

TOP STORY

  • France: President-Elect Macron faces divided country
    • Emmanuel Macron was elected French president, defeating Marine Le Pen, a far-right nationalist who threatened to take France out of the EU.
    • The centrist Macron defeated Le Pen, winning 66.1% of the vote to her 33.9%, bringing relief to European leaders.
    • Le Pen’s loss still gave her a historic number of votes, reflecting the changing image of her once-pariah National Front party from a fringe force to a political heavyweight.
    • Macron faces a divided France as evidence by protests in Paris’ Place de la Republique by unions who see the pro-business centrist as a traitor for threatening blue-collar worker protections with economic reforms.
    • Macron, 39, who has never held elected office, will be the youngest president in the 59-year history of France’s Fifth Republic.
    • Coverage: AP, AP-2, BBC, NYT, Reuters

AFRICA

  • Region: The UN refugee agency said it had repatriated some 62,372 Somali refugees from Dadaab camp in Kenya since DEC2014. (Xinhua)
  • Ivory Coast: Demobilized rebel fighters seized control of main roads leading into the city of Bouake, demanding the payment of bonuses and their integration into the army and state institutions. (Reuters)
  • Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari has returned to London for fresh treatment for an undisclosed illness. (BBC)
  • South Sudan: More than 1 million children have fled the country’s civil war, according to the UN, becoming part of the world’s fastest growing refugee crisis. (AP)

AMERICAS

  • Canada: As heavy rains and rising waters continue throughout the country’s east, the nation’s military tripled the number of troops working to evacuate thousands of residents. (AFP)
  • United States: Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed a law prohibiting municipalities and police departments from adopting “sanctuary city” policies that limit their cooperation with federal authorities in enforcing immigration law. (WSJ)
  • Venezuela: The country’s opposition said it would not attend the constitutional assembly called by President Nicolas Maduro. (EFE)

ASIA

  • Region: Pakistan and Afghanistan started a joint survey agreed on following last week’s deadly clashes along the disputed boundary. (AP)
  • Afghanistan: The head of the so-called Islamic State in Afghanistan, Abdul Hasib, was killed in an April military raid. (BBC)
  • Indonesia: The government ordered the dissolution of Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia, a hard-line Islamic group behind massive blasphemy protests in Jakarta. (AP)
  • Philippines: Countries across the world put the country on notice over its deadly drug war at the UN human rights council. (AFP)

EUROPE

  • Region: A counter-terror operation conducted jointly by Spain and Morocco led to the arrest of two suspected extremists in the Spanish region of Catalonia and another in the Moroccan city of Tangiers. (EFE)
  • Turkey: A major arms stash of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party was seized in the southeastern Sirnak Province. (Xinhua)
  • United Kingdom: PM Theresa May said her Conservative Party would keep its pledge to bring down net immigration to the “tens of thousands” per year if it wins an election next month. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Iran warned Pakistan that Tehran would hit bases inside Pakistan if Islamabad does not confront Sunni militants who carry out cross-border attacks. (Reuters)
  • Region: Iran lashed back at Saudi Arabia, slamming Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s comments underscoring the deep rivalry between the Sunni and Shiite powers. (AP)
  • Syria: FM Walid Muallem said his country would reject any UN role in monitoring the implementation of four “de-escalation” zones. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Facebook has taken out ads in British newspapers to raise awareness of the spread of fake news in the run up to the country’s general elections on 08JUN. (Fortune)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (09MAY)

  • Armenia: Anniversary of Armenian forces capture Shusha in the Nagorno-Karabakh war – 1992
  • Germany: Anniversary of West Germany joining NATO – 1955
  • Iran: Anniversary of Iranian Jewish businessman Habib Elghanian’s execution by firing squad in Tehran, prompting the mass exodus of the Jewish community of Iran – 1979
  • Moldova: Moldovan President Igor Dodon to visit Moscow
  • Russia: Anniversary of Victory Day – 1945.
  • South Korea: Presidential election

END

 

 

 

ONS: 09 May 2017

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KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Around 300 migrants tried to scramble across the border fence between the Spanish enclave city Melilla and Morocco, injuring six.
  • AMERICAS: The Council on American-Islamic Relations found a 57 percent increase in “anti-Muslim bias” incidents in the US between 2015 and 2016.
  • ASIA: Taiwan blamed its exclusion from a major World Health Organization meeting on rival China, signaling worsening relations.
  • EUROPE: German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out any participation in Germany in a potential Turkish referendum about bringing back the death penalty.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to meet Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu as part of the US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to use Google Maps to help settle a border dispute that led to deadly clashes last week.

TOP STORY

  • South Korea: Record voter turnout expected for presidential election.
    • South Koreans are voting in a presidential election, called early after a huge corruption scandal brought down their former leader, Park Geun-hye.
    • If frontrunner Moon Jae-in wins, he’s expected to reshape Seoul’s policy on North Korea, by challenging the deployment of the US THAAD missile defense system and opening talks with Pyongyang.
    • Reeling from Park’s devastating scandal, conservatives worry a Moon victory might benefit North Korea and estrange South Korea and its most important ally, the US.
    • In the wake of the impeachment, public support for conservative candidates has plummeted.
    • The National Election Commission expects final voter turnout to be more than 80 percent, the highest since 1997.
    • Coverage: BBC, CNN, Reuters, VOA, WP

AFRICA

  • Region: Around 300 migrants tried to scramble across the border fence between the Spanish enclave city Melilla from Morocco, injuring six. (AP)
  • Central African Republic: A UN peacekeeper convoy was ambushed in the country, killing one Cambodian soldier and wounding six others. (AP)
  • Zimbabwe: President Robert Mugabe, 93, left for medical checks in Singapore, his second such trip in two months. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

  • Colombia: The government accused a rebel group, the National Liberation Army, of kidnapping eight people in the isolated Chocó region. (BBC)
  • United States: The Council on American-Islamic Relations found a 57 percent increase in “anti-Muslim bias” incidents in the country between 2015 and 2016. (Reuters)
  • Venezuela: Hundreds of people were evacuated from buildings in the city of Maracaibo after security forces fired tear gas during a clash with protesters. (AP)

ASIA

  • Region: Taiwan blamed its exclusion from a major World Health Organization meeting on rival China, signaling worsening relations. (AFP)
  • Australia: Lucy Gichuhi, the country’s first black African member of federal parliament, was sworn in Canberra. (DPA)
  • Indonesia: Jakarta’s Christian governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama was found guilty of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison. (Guardian)
  • Thailand: British drug trafficker Jonathan Moorby, convicted over a USD 1.3M narcotics ring, was arrested in the country after years on the run. (AFP)
  • Thailand: At least 40 people were injured when a double bombing hit the southern town of Pattani. (AFP)

EUROPE

  • Region: German Chancellor Angela Merkel ruled out any participation in Germany in a potential Turkish referendum about bringing back the death penalty. (AFP)
  • France: Police in northern Paris evacuated a tent camp where some 1,000 migrants, mostly from Afghanistan and Sudan, were living in squalid conditions. (AFP)
  • France: Paris’ Gare du Nord – one of the city’s main railway stations – reopened after police evacuated it to search a high-speed train for suspected militants. (Reuters)
  • Germany: German authorities say a suspected Islamic extremist, who was arrested, administered the strategically important dam in eastern Syria for the Islamic State. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas said he was ready to meet Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu as part of the US President Donald Trump’s peace efforts. (AFP)
  • Israel: Despite snacking rumors, 882 Palestinian prisoners held by the country remain on an open-ended hunger strike. (AP)
  • Syria: Qatari FM Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said called for the removal of President Bashar al-Assad in any final peace agreement. (Al-Jazeera)
  • Syria: Islamic State issued a video showing the beheading of what it described as a Russian intelligence officer captured in the country. (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to use Google Maps to help settle a border dispute that led to deadly clashes last week. (AFP)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Donna
    • Location: 159 NM of Noumea, New Caledonia
    • Winds: 110 mph
    • Movement: SSE at 10 mph
    • Map
  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Nineteen
    • Location: 147 WSW of Pago Pago, American Samoa
    • Winds: 40 mph
    • Movement: WNW at 5 mph
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: 109km ESE of Hirara, Japan
    • Magnitude: 6.0
    • Depth: 10 km
    • Map
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (10MAY)

  • Asia: Phnom Penh, Cambodia to host the World Economic Forum on ASEAN (to 12MAY)
  • Colombia: UN Security Council ambassadors travel to Colombia this week to take stock of progress in disarming FARC rebels
  • Lithuania: S. Defense Secretary James Mattis to visit Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite
  • Romania: Independence Day – 1877
  • United States: 10th Arctic Council Ministerial Meeting in Fairbanks, Alaska (to 11MAY)
  • United States: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to meet with US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in Washington

END

ONS: 10 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Thousands of people have fled fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo over the past month and sought refuge in Angola, straining resources along the border.
  • AMERICAS: US President Trump fired the director of the FBI, James Comey, the top official leading a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump’s advisers colluded with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election.
  • ASIA: South Korea’s new leader Moon Jae-in has been sworn in, vowing to address the economy and relations with North Korea.
  • EUROPE: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis criticized a “destabilizing” Russian military buildup near the Baltic states.
  • MIDDLE EAST: The World Health Organization and charity Doctors Without Borders reported alarming increases in cholera cases in Yemen over the past few weeks.
  • TECHNOLOGY: The US watched Russians hack France’s computer networks during the election and tipped off French officials before it became public.

 

TOP STORY

  • Syria: US decision to arm Kurdish fighters angers Turkey
    • The US announced it will arm Syria’s Kurdish fighters “as necessary” to recapture the key Islamic State group stronghold of Raqqa, despite intense opposition from NATO ally Turkey, which sees the Kurds as terrorists.
    • The Syrian Kurdish YPG militia said the decision would bring quick results, and it now expected to play a bigger role in the fight against terrorism.
    • Turkey slammed as “unacceptable” a US decision to supply arms and military equipment to Kurdish fighters battling Islamic State jihadists in Syria.
    • Ilham Ahmed, a top official in the Syrian Democratic Forces, said the US decision to provide heavier arms carries “political meaning” and “legitimizes the YPG and the Syrian Democratic Forces.”
    • Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan, expected to meet US President Trump next week, has repeatedly castigated the US for its support for the YPG, saying its NATO ally should support it fully in the fight against terrorism.
    • Coverage: AFP, AP, AP-2, Reuters, Reuters-2

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Thousands of people have fled fighting in the DR Congo over the past month and sought refuge in Angola, straining resources along the border. (Reuters)
  • Region: Zambian President Edgar Lungu reaffirmed his government’s commitment to consolidating existing bilateral relations with Togo for mutual benefit. (Xinhua)
  • South Sudan: President Salva Kiir appointed General James Ajongo as the new army chief, replacing Paul Malong. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Region: US President Donald Trump’s administration will press Cuba on human rights progress with a “comprehensive policy review.” (AFP)
  • United States: President Trump fired the director of the FBI, James Comey, the top official leading a criminal investigation into whether Mr. Trump’s advisers colluded with the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election. (NYT)
  • Venezuela: Thousands of “chavistas” marched in Caracas in support of the National Constitutional Assembly convened by President Nicolas Maduro. (EFE)

 

ASIA

  • Region: Suspected rebels in Indian-administered Kashmir abducted and killed an Indian military officer on leave for a wedding. (AFP)
  • Afghanistan: A decision to send a few thousand more troops to the country will be made within weeks, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said. (Reuters)
  • Korean Peninsula: South Korea’s new leader Moon Jae-in has been sworn in, vowing to address the economy and relations with the North. (BBC)
  • Cambodia: Premier Hun Sen warned he would not hesitate to quash protests with military might if they turn violent, raising tensions as the country braces for elections. (AFP)
  • Philippines: Terrorists are planning to kidnap foreigners on the popular Palawan island, the US embassy warned. (AFP)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis criticized a “destabilizing” Russian military buildup near Baltic states. (Reuters)
  • Region: Hundreds of asylum seekers may have been wrongly deported to Albania after UK courts relied on incorrect guidance. (Guardian)
  • Germany: Police raided homes in four states in connection with three people suspected of links to the Islamic State group. (AP)
  • United Kingdom: Media coverage of the Brexit referendum campaign was dominated by “overwhelmingly negative” reports, a King’s College study shows. (Guardian)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Yemen’s ex-president Ali Abdullah Saleh is open to negotiations with Saudi Arabia, two years into a deadly war between Saleh’s Houthi rebel allies and the Saudi-backed government. (AFP)
  • Region: The upcoming visit of US President Trump to Saudi Arabia aims to draw a new regional counterterrorism roadmap. (Xinhua)
  • Bahrain: Human Rights Watch activist Omar Shakir says authorities barred him from entering the tiny island nation for the annual FIFA congress. (AP)
  • Yemen: The World Health Organization and charity Doctors Without Borders reported alarming increases in cholera cases in the country over the past few weeks. (NYT)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: The US watched Russians hack France’s computer networks during the election and tipped off French officials before it became public. (AP)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Donna
    • Location: 70 NM NNE of Noumea, New Caledonia
    • Winds: 70 mph
    • Movement: SSE at 8 mph
    • Map
  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Ella
    • Location: 150 WSW of Pago Pago, American Samoa
    • Winds: 50 mph
    • Movement: WNW at 2 mph
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Tropical Storm Adrian
    • Location: 360 NM SW of San Salvador, El Salvador
    • Winds: 40 mph
    • Movement: WNW at 7 mph
    • Map
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (11MAY)

  • Global: UN international conference to discuss growing risk of piracy
  • Global: World Migratory Bird Day – 2006
  • China: Vietnamese President Tran Dai Quang to pay a state visit to China
  • Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades to meet
  • Russia: Palestinian President Abbas to visit Moscow
  • Turkey: Anniversary of bombing in Reyhanlı that killed fifty-two people – 2013
  • Turkmenistan: Meeting of the joint Turkmenistan-Germany working group

 

END

 

 

 

ONS: 11 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: The UN Security Council condemned the attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, killing four peacekeepers and injuring ten others.
  • AMERICAS: Congress approved a law ratifying provisions of a peace agreement permitting the Colombia’s leftist guerrilla group to participate in politics.
  • ASIA: Two people were killed in cross-border firing in Kashmir, one on each side of the disputed region’s de facto border, officials in India and Pakistan said.
  • EUROPE: Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Germany’s decision to accept asylum applications of former Gulen Movement military personnel.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Lebanon is on the brink of crisis with its politicians at odds over an election law, threatening to leave the country without a parliament for the first time.
  • TECHNOLOGY: North Korea’s cyberattacks have targeted banks in at least 30 countries since 2015.

 

TOP STORY

  • United States: US President Donald Trump meets with Russian FM Lavrov in White House
    • US President Trump met with Russia’s foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov for the first time.
    • No American press were allowed in meeting, but photos of the event were published by the Russian news agency Tass, angering some American journalists.
    • Improved relations and the war in Syria apparently dominated the agenda.
    • Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said the Kremlin felt “cautious optimism” about the meeting.
    • Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump are slated to meet in July on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany.
    • Lavrov had not been to Washington since 2013, a year before Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea region and two years before it intervened militarily in Syria to help Assad remain in power.
    • Questions about whether Trump fired FBI Director Comey because of an investigation into the Trump campaign’s ties to Russia have swirled since the firing was announced on 09MAY, causing critics to question the timing of the meeting with Lavrov.
    • WP, NYT, BBC, Reuters, NBC News, TIME

 

AFRICA

  • Central African Republic: The UN Security Council condemned the attack on the UN peacekeeping mission in the Central African Republic, killing four peacekeepers and injuring ten others. (Xinhua)
  • Libya: The country’s coast guard intercepted a wooden boat packed with almost 500 migrants after duelling with a German rescue ship and coming under fire from traffickers, the navy said. (AFP)
  • Mali:  A 395-strong Chinese peacekeeping force is set to begin missions on behalf of the UN before the end of May. (Xinhua)

 

AMERICAS

  • Argentina: Thousands people joined to protest against a Supreme Court ruling that many feared would lead to the release of convicted human rights criminals. (AP)
  • Bahamas: Hubert Minnis beat incumbent Perry Christie in general elections for Prime Minister. (AFP)
  • Colombia: Congress approved a law ratifying provisions of a peace agreement permitting the country’s leftist guerrilla group to participate in politics. (AFP)

 

ASIA

  • Regional: Two people were killed in cross-border firing in Kashmir, one on each side of the disputed region’s de facto border, officials in India and Pakistan said. (AFP)
  • Fiji:  A tropical cyclone warning is now in force for Fiji in Vanua Levu, Taveuni and nearby smaller islands as gale force winds are predicted to start affecting these areas starting 12MAY. (Xinhua)
  • Guam: Troops from the US, Japan and two European nations are gathering for drills they say will show support for the free passage of vessels in international waters amid fears China could restrict movement in the South China Sea. (AP)
  • New Zealand:The country ratified the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal. (Kyodo)

 

EUROPE

  • Regional: Turkish Foreign Ministry condemned Germany’s decision to accept asylum applications of former Gulen Movement military personnel. (Xinhua)
  • Ireland: The European Union’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier sought to reassure the country that their interests are shared in the upcoming divorce talks and that he will work with Dublin to avoid a hard border returning to the island. (Reuters)
  • Turkey: U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to protecting the country at a meeting with the Turkish prime minister in London. (AP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Lebanon: The country is on the brink of crisis with its politicians at odds over an election law, threatening to leave the country without a parliament for the first time. (Reuters)
  • Saudi Arabia: The country has unveiled a new drone program Saqr 1, Okaz local newspaper reported. (Xinhua)
  • Iraq: An Iraqi officer says U.S.-backed Iraqi forces are moving to surround Mosul’s Old City a week after launching a fresh push to drive Islamic State militants from areas they still hold. (AP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Regional: North Korea’s cyberattacks have targeted banks in at least 30 countries since 2015. (UPI)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Donna
    • Location: 72 NM NNE of Noumea, New Caledonia
    • Winds: 70 mph
    • Movement: SSE at 8 mph
    • Map
  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Ella
    • Location: 150 NM WSW of Pago Pago
    • Winds: 50 mph
    • Movement: WNW at 2 mph
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Tropical Depression Adrian
    • Location: 360 NM SW of San Salvador, El Salvador
    • Winds: 35 mph
    • Movement: NW at 5 mph
    • Map
  • Earthquakes: 94 km ENE Visokoi Island, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
    • Magnitude: 6.5
    • Depth: 10km
    • Map
  • Volcanoes: Klyuchevskoy, Ibu, Bagana, Langila
    • Volcanic ash is spewing
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (12MAY)

  • China: Anniversary of 8.0 magnitude earthquake in Sichuan, China, killing over 69,000 people
  • Germany: Anniversary of the Soviet Union lifting the blockade of Berlin – 1949
  • Portugal: Pope Francis to visit shrine of Fatima (to 13MAY)

 

END

 

ONS: 12 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on local tribesmen this week in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula.
  • AMERICAS: Brazil declared an end to a national emergency over the Zika virus after a sharp decrease in cases.
  • ASIA: In Guam, military drills between the US, UK, France and Japan have been postponed indefinitely after a French landing craft ran aground.
  • EUROPE: Turkish authorities detained Oguz Guven, the editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, the latest in a string of arrests targeting the paper.
  • MIDDLE EAST: A US-backed alliance of Arabs and Kurds will launch their final assault on the Islamic State group’s Syrian bastion Raqqa in early summer.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Top US intelligence officials told the US Senate that Russian cyber activities were the foremost threat facing the US and were likely to grow only more severe.

 

TOP STORY

  • Italy: Twin bombing in Rome; police investigating all options.
    • Explosions damaged a car near a post office in central Rome, although nobody appeared to have been injured in the blast.
    • Police told reporters there was no immediate suspicion of Islamist terrorism, with officers believing the blast was an “act of protest”.
    • Authorities were exploring all possible causes, including that the explosive may have been a letter bomb or a similar improvised device.
    • There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
    • Similar explosions in the past in Italian cities have been frequently blamed on anarchists.
    • Coverage: AP, INDE, Reuters, Reuters-2

 

AFRICA

  • Region: The US military has offered continued  financial, logistical and intelligence support to France in operations against extremists in Mali and Mauritania. (NYT)
  • Egypt: The Islamic State group claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on local tribesmen this week in the Sinai Peninsula. (AP)
  • Ivory Coast: Soldiers in the city Bouake fired their guns into the air to protest a deal over bonus payments. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Region: Cuba welcomed delegations from the FARC and the National Liberation Army rebel groups for a meeting to find a consensus to contribute to peace in Colombia. (EFE)
  • Brazil: The country declared an end to a national emergency over the Zika virus after a sharp decrease in cases. (BBC)
  • United States: The Department of Homeland Security announced the arrest of almost 1,400 gang members between 26MAR and 06MAY. (EFE)

 

ASIA

  • Region: In Guam, military drills between the US, UK, France and Japan have been postponed indefinitely after a French landing craft ran aground. (AP)
  • Region: Nepal signed up to China’s new Silk Road drive, a massive infrastructure project spanning some 65 countries designed to expand China’s global influence. (AFP)
  • China: The country reached a set of narrow trade deals with the US, covering areas like electronic payment services, beef and poultry, but left bigger issues untouched. (NYT)
  • Japan: Protesters marched in Okinawa against a controversial plan to build new US military facilities on the prefecture’s main island. (Kyodo)
  • Malaysia: The country deported three Turkish nationals wanted by Turkey for alleged links to a failed coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: Britain’s Brexit minister David Davis said European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker tried to meddle in British politics but “learned his lesson” from the government’s tough reaction. (AFP)
  • Region: Russia scrambled a Su-30 fighter to intercept a US reconnaissance plane over the Black Sea. (Xinhua)
  • Austria: FM Sebastian Kurz called for a snap parliamentary election but stopped short of saying he would take over as head of the conservative party. (Reuters)
  • Germany: The German economy expanded sharply in the first three months of 2017, a record pace since the late-1970s. (AFP)
  • Turkey: Turkish authorities detained Oguz Guven, the editor-in-chief of the opposition daily Cumhuriyet, the latest in a string of arrests targeting the paper. (AFP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said the US’ decision to arm the Syrian Kurdish YPG is contrary to its relationship with Turkey. (Reuters)
  • Region: Human Rights Watch reports deportations of Syrian refugees from Jordan have spiked in recent months. (AP)
  • Region: Iraqi paramilitary units launched an operation to free the towns of al-Qairawan and Baajnear near the Iraqi-Syrian border from Islamic State militants. (Xinhua)
  • Iraq: The Iraqi Shiite-led militia force launched an operation to retake a small village held by the Islamic State group west of the city of Mosul. (AP)
  • Syria: A US-backed alliance of Arabs and Kurds will launch their final assault on the Islamic State group’s bastion Raqqa in early summer, two force commanders said. (AFP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Top US intelligence officials told the US Senate that Russian cyber activities were the foremost threat facing the US and were likely to grow only more severe. (NYT)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Post-Tropical Cyclone Adrian
    • Location: 350 NM SSE of Salina Cruz, Mexico
    • Winds: 30 mph
    • Movement: NW at 6 mph
    • Map
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 05MAY: 24,134 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 05MAY: 7,431 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 05MAY: 7 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (13MAY)

  • Ecuador: Anniversary of Ecuador’s independence – 1830
  • Palestinian Territories: Local elections
  • Uzbekistan: Anniversary of Andijan massacre – 2005

 

END

ONS: 13 May 2017

0
0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Boko Haram released a video claiming to show the Chibok schoolgirls who refused to be rescued as part of a recent swap deal with the Nigerian government.
  • AMERICAS: Ecuadorian police seized five tons of cocaine worth at least $US250 million from a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean.
  • ASIA: A senior North Korean diplomat who handles relations with the US said Pyongyang would have dialogue with the US administration if conditions were right.
  • EUROPE: Germany pressed Turkey for access to a German journalist who was detained late last month.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Local elections process began in the West Bank to choose local representatives for village or city councils.
  • TECHNOLOGY: A court in Azerbaijan affirmed action taken by the communications ministry to block access to several independent news media websites.

 

TOP STORY

  • Region: A massive ransomware cyber-attack hits multiple countries around the world.
    • The ransomware, WCry or WannaCry, was transmitted via phishing emails and continued to spread locally, damaging computers worldwide by encrypting critical data and demanding payments of $300 to $600 to restore access.
    • Researchers with security software maker Avast said they had observed 57,000 infections in 99 countries with the majority of attacks targeted Russia, Ukraine and Taiwan, adversely affecting Europe and Asia.
    • The malware was made available online on April 14 through a dump by a group called Shadow Brokers, which claimed to have stolen a cache of “cyber weapons” from the National Security Agency (NSA) last year.
    • The attack renewed concerns about whether the NSA and other countries’ intelligence services too often hoard software vulnerabilities for offensive purposes.
    • Those impacted were encouraged to install authentic Microsoft software.
    • A British cybersecurity researcher Darien Huss from Proofpoint, Inc. accidentally stopped the current ransomware attack from spreading when he activated a “kill switch” by registering its domain name.
    • Coverage: AFP, BBC, CNN, NYT, NYT-2, Reuters, Reuters-2, The Guardian

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Togo and Benin agreed on installing boundary markers to delineate their shared 644km border. (Xinhua)
  • Nigeria: Boko Haram released a video claiming to show the Chibok schoolgirls who refused to be rescued as part of a recent swap deal with the Nigerian government. (Al Jazeera)
  • South Africa: Political parties will march to the Constitutional Court in support of a secret ballot in a parliamentary vote of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma. (Xinhua)

 

AMERICAS

  • Region: Last month was the first time in seven years when no Cuban migrants were caught trying to reach the US by sea. (AP)
  • Region: Argentina’s spy chief is being linked to the biggest corruption scandal in Brazil’s history. (AP)
  • Brazil: At least 259 people have died from yellow fever this year, especially in the southeast of the country. (Xinhua)
  • Ecuador: Police seized five tons of cocaine worth at least $US250 million from a cargo ship in the Pacific Ocean. (DPA)

 

ASIA

  • Afghanistan: Police repelled a Taliban attack on a district headquarters in the country’s northern Samangan province, killing eight militants and one police officer. (Xinhua)
  • North Korea: A senior diplomat who handles relations with the US said Pyongyang would have dialogue with the US administration if conditions were right. (Reuters)
  • Pakistan: Ten laborers were gunned down in the southwest while working on roads to connect towns to the country’s Chinese “Belt and Road” initiative. (Reuters)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: Germany pressed Turkey for access to a German journalist who was detained late last month. (WSJ)
  • Finland: Mauno Koivisto, the country’s first leftist president who led it along the path to EU membership, died at the age of 93. (Reuters)
  • Great Britain: PM Theresa May pledged to create new powers allowing her to punish social media and communications companies that fail to look after users’ data, and to demand cash from firms to pay for policing the internet. (Reuters)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Iran: As the election approaches turnout is key, a challenge for Rouhani. (AP)
  • Saudi Arabia: The US is close to completing a series of arms deals with Saudi Arabia totaling more than $100 billion. (Reuters)
  • West Bank: Elections began to choose local representatives for village or city councils. (Xinhua)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Azerbaijan: A court affirmed the action taken by the Communications Ministry to block access to several independent news media websites. (AP)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Post-Tropical Cyclone Adrian
    • Location: 350 NM SSE of Salina Cruz, Mexico
    • Winds: 30 mph
    • Movement: NW at 6 mph
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: 79km SSW of Acajutla, El Salvador
    • Magnitude: 6.2
    • Depth: 10 km
    • Map
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (14MAY)

  • Africa: Sudan and South Sudan to meet in Addis Abba to discuss outstanding issues between the two countries (to 15MAY)
  • Europe: Anniversary of the creation of the Warsaw Pact – 1955
  • China: One Belt One Road (OBOR) Forum to be held in Beijing (to 15MAY)
  • France: French President Macron to be inaugurated
  • Liberia: National Unification Day – 1971
  • Nepal: Local elections
  • Paraguay: Anniversary of Paraguay’s independence – 1811

 

END

 


ONS: 14 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Mutinous soldiers in the Ivory Coast shot three people and cut off access to the second-largest city, Bouaké, as a revolt escalated over bonus payments demands.
  • AMERICAS: US President Donald Trump is calling for tougher sanctions on North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test.
  • ASIA: North Korea launched a ballistic missile from the northwestern part of the country.
  • EUROPE: Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as the France’s President.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Civilians and rebels in Syria began evacuating a third opposition-held district of Damascus, bringing the government closer to cementing its control over the capital.
  • TECHNOLOGY: An international effort is underway to track down criminals behind a global cyber attack using the WannaCry ransomware.

 

TOP STORY

  • China kicked off the silk road, “One Belt, One Road,” forum
    • Leaders from 29 countries gathered for the first of the two day forum in Beijing.
    • UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the international community to seize the opportunities presented by the proposed Belt and Road Initiative and strive for common development.
    • Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged $124 billion for projects linking China to much of Asia, Europe and Africa.
    • The project has been in the works for four years and spans more than 68 countries, up to 40% of global GDP.
    • Xi said the new Silk Road would be open to all, including Africa and the Americas.
    • Some Western diplomats have expressed unease about the summit and the plan, seeing it as an attempt to promote Chinese influence globally.
    • Coverage: AP, Al Jazeera, CNN, EFE, Reuters, Reuters-2, Xinhua

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Rescuers saved 484 migrants from boats in the Mediterranean and found the bodies of seven men who had died in the attempt to get to Europe. (Reuters)
  • Ivory Coast: Mutinous soldiers in the country shot three people and cut off access to the second-largest city, Bouaké, as a revolt escalated over bonus payments demands. (NYT)
  • Namibia: Nigerian Archbishop Musa Panti Filibus was elected as head of the Lutheran World Federation at an assembly held in Windhoek, the country’s capital. (AP)

 

AMERICAS

  • Chile: The country accepted membership to the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. (AFP)
  • United States: President Donald Trump is calling for tougher sanctions on North Korea following its latest ballistic missile test. (Reuters)
  • Venezuela: Thousands of citizens in cars and motorbikes have filled roads across the country in motorized protests against President Nicolas Maduro. (BBC)

 

ASIA

  • North Korea: The country launched a ballistic missile from the northwestern part of the country. (CNN)
  • South Korea: President Moon Jae-in named three senior presidential secretaries in charge of political affairs, innovation and social policies. (Yonhap)
  • Thailand: Security forces in the country say they have killed nine suspected drug smugglers, seizing weapons and pills in a clash in Chiang Rai province. (AFP)

 

EUROPE

  • France: Emmanuel Macron was sworn in as the country’s President. (ABC)
  • Germany: Voters in the country’s most populous state, North Rhein Westphalia, are going to the polls in a crucial election for Chancellor Angela Merkel. (BBC)
  • Russia: The country’s Defense Ministry said the ballistic missile fired by North Korea landed about 500 kilometers from its border and did not pose a danger to the country. (Yonhap)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Iraq: Government forces launched a new push to drive Islamic State group militants from four neighborhoods in west Mosul. (AP)
  • Syria: Civilians and rebels began evacuating a third opposition-held district of Damascus, bringing the government closer to cementing its control over the Syrian capital. (AFP)
  • United Arab Emirates: The US plans to sell the country $2 billion worth of Patriot missiles in an arms deal. (WP)
  • Yemen: A cholera outbreak in the country has killed 115 people and left 8,500 ill. (AFP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Region: An international effort is underway to track down criminals behind a global cyber attack using the WannaCry ransomware. (The Independent)

 

WORLD

 

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (15MAY)

  • Global: International Day of Families – 1992
  • Afghanistan: Anniversary of the beginning of Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan – 1988
  • Israel and Palestine: Day of Al-Nakba – 1948
  • Israel: Anniversary of the Ma’alot massacre – 1974
  • Israel: Anniversary of the 1948 Arab-Israeli war – 1948

END

ONS: 15 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Gunfire erupted in the Ivory Coast’s two main cities – Abidjan and Bouake – as the military pressed an operation aimed at ending a mutiny by soldiers demanding bonus payments.
  • AMERICAS: Spanish Defense Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal began a two-day visit to Colombia during which she confirmed Madrid’s support for the country’s peace process.
  • ASIA: China’s President Xi Jinping appealed to foreign leaders at a forum on the Chinese Belt and Road trade initiative to resist pressure to close markets.
  • EUROPE: NATO arranged for a 27-country conference in Prague to discuss strategies to counter alleged Russian efforts to undermine western elections.
  • MIDDLE EAST: In Yemen, authorities declared a state of emergency over the cholera outbreak and called for international help to avert disaster.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Governments and computer experts girded for a possible worsening of the global cyberattack that has hit more than 150 countries.

 

TOP STORY

  • North Korea: Experts debate success of latest missile test.
    • North Korea said the rocket it successfully fired on 14MAY was a new ballistic missile called the Hwasong-12 and demonstrated the country’s longest-range nuclear-capable weapon yet.
    • The latest missile appeared to show substantial progress toward developing an intercontinental ballistic missile that can reach the mainland US, US rocket scientists said.
    • However, the US military’s Pacific Command said the missile was “not consistent” with an ICBM.
    • South Korea’s military played down the North’s claim of technical progress on atmospheric re-entry.
    • North Korea is not thought to be able yet to make a nuclear warhead small enough to mount on a long-range missile, though some outside analysts think it can arm shorter-range missiles with warheads.
    • Coverage: AP, BBC, Reuters, WP

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Human Rights Watch says Ugandan soldiers in Central African Republic have sexually exploited or abused at least 13 women and girls since 2015. (AP)
  • Central African Republic: Militia fighters from the country’s Christian minority attacked a UN base for the second consecutive night. (Reuters)
  • Ivory Coast: Gunfire erupted in the country’s two main cities – Abidjan and Bouake – as the military pressed an operation aimed at ending a mutiny by soldiers demanding bonus payments. (Al-Jazeera)
  • South Sudan: The UN said USD 1.4B was needed this year alone to help the nearly two million people who have fled war and famine in the country. (AFP)

 

AMERICAS

  • Colombia: Spanish Defense Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal began a two-day visit during which she confirmed Madrid’s support for the country’s peace process. (EFE)
  • Haiti: The government announced fuel price increases of up to 20 percent in an effort to shore up the country’s disastrous public finances. (AFP)
  • Venezuela: The country’s opposition urged the armed forces to consider dialogue, despite its loyalty to embattled President Nicolas Maduro. (AFP)

 

ASIA

  • Region: China’s President Xi Jinping appealed to foreign leaders at a forum on the Chinese Belt and Road trade initiative to resist pressure to close markets. (AP)
  • Region: China and Vietnam agreed to manage their maritime disputes, avoiding actions to complicate or widen them, so as to maintain peace in the South China Sea. (Reuters)
  • Japan: Okinawa marked the 45th anniversary of its reversion to Japanese rule amid protests against continued US military presence. (Kyodo)
  • Papua New Guinea: Seventeen prisoners were shot dead after a mass breakout at a jail in the country, with 57 still on the run. (AFP)
  • Philippines: Philippine lawmakers killed an impeachment complaint accusing President Rodrigo Duterte of crimes against humanity for the thousands of people who have died in his anti-drug crackdown. (AP)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: NATO arranged for a 27-country conference in Prague to discuss strategies to counter alleged Russian efforts to undermine western elections. (Guardian)
  • Region: European governments and companies appeared to avoid further fallout from a crippling global cyberattack, Europol said. (AFP)
  • Region: British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson downplayed differences with EU partners over the bloc’s military ambitions, saying London supported efforts to bolster defense cooperation. (AFP)
  • Region: Prominent German neo-Nazi Horst Mahler, who was sentenced to prison for Holocaust denial, is reportedly seeking asylum in Hungary. (AP)
  • Italy: The country broke up a mafia ring accused of infiltrating one of the largest migrant reception centers and capitalizing on asylum seekers with the help of a Catholic association. (AFP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Iraq: Militants killed two police in Haditha in a rare attack inside a town that tribesmen and security forces successfully defended against repeated extremist assaults. (AFP)
  • Syria: A strike hit the village of Akayrshi, killing at least 12 civilians. (AP)
  • Yemen: Authorities declared a state of emergency over the cholera outbreak and called for international help to avert disaster. (Reuters)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Governments and computer experts girded for a possible worsening of the global cyberattack that has hit more than 150 countries. (AFP)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (16MAY)

  • Middle East: Anniversary of the signing of Sykes-Picot Agreement partitioning former Ottoman territories including Iraq and Syria – 1916
  • China: Anniversary of the beginning of the Cultural Revolution with the founding of the Red Guard and an edict from Mao Zedong – 1966
  • Japan: New Zealand PM Bill English to visit Japanese PM Shinzo Abe
  • Morocco: Anniversary of the Casablanca terrorist attacks – 2003
  • South Korea: Anniversary of Park Chung-hee’s coup d’état to overthrow the Second Republic of South Korea – 1961
  • Sudan: Anniversary of the Sudan People’s Liberation Army/Movement rebelling against the Sudanese government – 1983
  • Syria: Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura to reconvene the intra-Syrian talks under the auspices of the United Nations in Geneva
  • United States: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to meets US President Donald Trump in Washington

 

END

 

ONS: 16 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: The Ivory Coast reached an agreement with the soldiers who have taken to the streets in protest in the country’s largest cities.
  • AMERICAS: US President Trump disclosed highly classified intelligence to Russian diplomats last week, providing details that could expose the source of the information and the manner in which it was collected.
  • ASIA: South Korea’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo warned his country will launch a preemptive strike if there are clear signs of an imminent North Korean missile attack.
  • EUROPE: EU trade deals must endure a potentially bruising process of ratification by all member states, the EU’s highest court said, with possible consequences for Brexit.
  • MIDDLE EAST: A new round of Syrian peace talks opened in Geneva, the latest UN push to resolve the six-year conflict.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Thailand has no immediate plan to block access to Facebook, as it expects the social media giant to comply with court orders for the removal of content deemed to threaten national security.

 

TOP STORY

  • “WannaCry” Ransomware Attack: Preliminary data implicates North Korea.
    • Global financial and economic losses from the “WannaCry” attack that crippled computers in at least 150 countries could swell to USD 4B.
    • The US National Security Agency refuted Microsoft’s accusation of blame for the global ransomware attack.
    • Intelligence officials and private security experts say that new digital clues point to North Korean-linked hackers as likely suspects.
    • Investigators said they had detected code similar to that used by a shadowy cybercrime network implicated in the Sony attack, the Lazarus Group, though they stressed that more investigation was necessary.
    • The Department of Homeland Security is leading the investigation in the US, as American officials work closely with their British counterparts.
    • Europol said it was still too early to say whether North Korea was linked the ransomware cyberattack.
    • Coverage: AFP, AP, CBS, LAT, NYT, USA Today

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Gunmen suspected of being fighters from Somalia’s al Shabaab militant group burst into a government official’s house in Kenya and shot him dead. (Reuters)
  • Region: Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta said China’s Belt and Road Initiative is the best model for Africa’s desired progress. (Xinhua)
  • Ivory Coast: The country reached an agreement with the soldiers who have taken to the streets in protest in the country’s largest cities. (AP)
  • Nigeria: Nigerian herdsmen armed with guns killed 20 farmers and injured eight other people in a mosque. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Brazil: Amnesty International lambasted “impunity” for Brazilian police who kill suspects during operations after a regional rights court ruled against the country in a spate of slayings in the 1990s. (AFP)
  • Colombia: Colombian authorities captured eight members of the Gulf Clan drug gang, including Jorge Ivan Arboleda, one of the highest ranking members of that criminal organization. (EFE)
  • United States: President Trump disclosed highly classified intelligence to Russian diplomats last week, providing details that could expose the source of the information and the manner in which it was collected. (NYT)
  • Venezuela: A teenager was killed during another day of mass protests against President Nicolas Maduro. (BBC)

 

ASIA

  • Region: Immigration officials in Papua New Guinea told asylum seekers and refugees held in a detention center financed by Australia that they need to leave the camp so it can be shut down. (NYT)
  • Region: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said he would push for the inclusion of Turkey and Mongolia in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, despite their geographic location. (AFP)
  • Afghanistan: Afghan security forces regained control of a district center close to the northern city of Kunduz that fell to Taliban insurgents earlier this month. (Reuters)
  • Australia: The country is considering banning laptops in cabin baggage on commercial flights to prevent terrorist attacks, following the lead of the US and the UK. (EFE)
  • Korean Peninsula: South Korea’s Defense Minister Han Min-koo warned his country will launch a preemptive strike if there are clear signs of an imminent North Korean missile attack. (Yonhap)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: EU Migration Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulos urged EU members to share more of the refugee burden to meet the bloc’s migrant plan goals. (AP)
  • Region: EU trade deals must endure a potentially bruising process of ratification by all member states, the EU’s highest court said, with possible consequences for Brexit. (AFP)
  • Region: Ukraine blocked popular Russian social networks as it expanded sanctions against the Kremlin for its alleged backing of a three-year war in the separatist east. (AFP)
  • Greece: Greek seamen and journalists walked off the job a day before a nationwide general strike to protest new austerity measures. (AP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: A top UN official says sexual violence is increasingly being used as “a tactic of terrorism” from Iraq, Syria and Yemen. (AP)
  • Region: Israeli Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis called off a long-planned visit to Jordan following a spat between the countries over a shooting in Jerusalem. (AP)
  • Iraq: Iraqi forces have reduced the area of Mosul controlled by Islamic State to 12 square km, military spokesman Brigadier General Yahya Rasool said. (Reuters)
  • Syria: The rate of the civilian casualties in the country dropped 94 percent since the de-escalation zones’ deal went into force 10 days ago. (Xinhua)
  • Syria: A new round of peace talks opened in Geneva, the latest UN push to resolve the six-year conflict. (AFP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Communication: Thailand has no immediate plan to block access to Facebook, as it expects the social media giant to comply with court orders for the removal of content deemed to threaten national security. (Reuters)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (17MAY)

  • Global: World Telecommunication and Information Society Day – 2005
  • Europe: Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko to visit to Strasbourg, France for a ceremony introducing the Ukraine-EU visa free system
  • DRC: Liberation Day (AFDL Anniversary) – 1997
  • Cyprus: Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci and Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades to meet
  • Russia: Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni in Sochi

 

END

 

ONS: 17 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: In DR Congo, Christian sect members stormed a prison in the capital Kinshasa, freeing Ne Mwanda Nsemi, the leader of their movement, among 50 others.
  • AMERICAS: Colombia and the National Liberation Army insurgency resumed talks aimed at reducing violence on the road to a peace deal.
  • ASIA: South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned of the high possibility of conflict with North Korea, due to the North’s apparent advances with nuclear and missile capabilities.
  • EUROPE: A strike by Greek unions protesting against a new austerity package paralyzed the country ahead of a parliament vote on the measures.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Israel sought to contain the fallout from Donald Trump’s sharing of its intelligence with Russia, ahead of the US president’s visit next week.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Since August, when a mysterious group calling itself the Shadow Brokers announced that it was auctioning off highly classified US National Security Agency hacking tools, a low-grade panic has seized the nation’s largest intelligence agency.

TOP STORY

  • Afghanistan: Islamic State attacks Jalalabad television station.
    • Suicide bombers stormed the state television Radio Television Afghanistan offices in the eastern city of Jalalabad.
    • Two attackers detonated their vests, while at least one – possibly two – remained to fight, according to police.
    • At least 16 people, including journalists, were wounded in the attack.
    • The Islamic State jihadist group claimed responsibility shortly after the attack.
    • Coverage: Al-Jazeera, AP, CNN, NYT, Reuters, Telegraph

AFRICA

  • DR Congo: Christian sect members stormed a prison in the capital Kinshasa, freeing Ne Mwanda Nsemi, the leader of their movement, among 50 others. (AP)
  • Somalia: Two soldiers died when a car bomb exploded as they were trying to defuse it in the capital Mogadishu. (Reuters)
  • South Sudan: Rebels attacked the town of Yei, killing at least four government soldiers. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

  • Colombia: The government and the National Liberation Army insurgency resumed talks aimed at reducing violence on the road to a peace deal. (AFP)
  • United States: Nine people were hurt and two arrested during an altercation at the Turkish ambassador’s residence in the capital, Washington DC. (AP)
  • Venezuela: A 17-year-old boy and two men died after being shot during anti-government protests, bringing the total death toll to 42 in six weeks of unrest. (AFP)

ASIA

  • Region: In Vietnam, the second Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Senior Officials’ Meeting kicked off. (Xinhua)
  • Korean Peninsula: South Korean President Moon Jae-in warned of the high possibility of conflict with North Korea, due to the North’s recent advances with nuclear and missile capabilities. (Reuters)
  • South Korea: President Moon Jae-in ordered an internal probe into an alleged corruption scandal involving a ranking presidential secretary under the former administration. (Yonhap)
  • Thailand: The country’s ruling junta is mulling a new cyber law that would grant authorities the power to access any private sector computer system, a tool they say is needed to defend against hackers. (AFP)

EUROPE

  • Region: Ukraine accused Russia of hacking its presidential website in apparent retaliation for Kiev’s decision to block prominent Russian social networks. (AFP)
  • Greece: A strike by Greek unions protesting against a new austerity package paralyzed the country ahead of a parliament vote on the measures. (DPA)
  • Sweden: After 300 refugees were evacuated, three fires at refugee centers in the country’s south are being investigated as arson. (AP)
  • Turkey: Turkish lawmakers elected seven members to a reshaped judicial authority, pushing through a second of the recently approved constitutional changes. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Several dozen hunger-striking Palestinians were transferred to special wings of Israeli prisons for additional medical supervision. (AP)
  • Iran: Opposition leader Mir Hossein Musavi, who has been under house arrest since 2011, will vote for President Hassan Rohani in the country’s election on 19MAY. (RFE/RL)
  • Iraq: Turkish fighter jets and unmanned aerial vehicles struck Kurdistan Workers’ Party targets in the country’s north, killing 11 militants. (Xinhua)
  • Israel: The government sought to contain the fallout from Donald Trump’s sharing of its intelligence with Russia, ahead of the US president’s visit next week. (AFP)
  • Yemen: At least 209 people have died amid a Cholera outbreak in the country, as the number of suspected patients has soared to 17,200, the UN said. (EFE)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Since August, when a mysterious group calling itself the Shadow Brokers announced that it was auctioning off highly classified US National Security Agency hacking tools, a low-grade panic has seized the nation’s largest intelligence agency. (NYT)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (18MAY)

  • India: Anniversary of India’s first nuclear test – 1974
  • Japan: Argentine President Mauricio Macri to pay a three-day official visit to Japan (to 20MAY)
  • Somalia: Anniversary of Northern Somalia declaring independence from the rest of Somalia as the Republic of Somaliland – 1991
  • Sri Lanka: Anniversary of the LTTE’s defeat by the Sri Lankan government – 2009
  • Turkey: Ataturk Memorial, Youth and Sports Day – 1919

END

 

ONS: 18 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: An outbreak of Ebola in the DR Congo is in an extremely remote area and presents a high risk at a national level, the World Health Organization said.
  • AMERICAS: Venezuela is sending 2,600 troops to the western region of Tachira to quell looting and rioting amid continuing anti-government protests.
  • ASIA: The Philippines will no longer accept new grants from the EU, to “discourage them from interfering with our internal affairs.”
  • EUROPE: Germany is free to withdraw its troops stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base if it wants to, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said, adding Berlin should change its attitude towards Ankara.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Turkey called for the removal of Brett McGurk, the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, accusing him of backing Syrian Kurdish militia.
  • TECHNOLOGY: The EU fined Facebook USD 122M for giving misleading statements during the company’s acquisition of the WhatsApp messaging service in 2014.

 

TOP STORY

  • United States: Special Counsel appointed to investigate Trump-Russia ties
    • The US Justice Department appointed former FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel to investigate possible coordination between President Trump’s associates and Russian officials.
    • The FBI director for 12 years, Mueller is well regarded as a nonpartisan figure.
    • Veteran law enforcement officials praised the selection, calling Mr. Mueller an unflinching advocate for facts.
    • Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein’s decision to opt for a special counsel is meant to demonstrate that the US political system still has the capacity to investigate itself and its most powerful players.
    • The FBI and Congress are looking into potential links between Trump’s campaign team and Russia.
    • Coverage: BBC, CNN, LAT, NYT, WP

 

AFRICA

  • Burundi: Three members of the country’s “Imbonerakure” ruling party youth league died when a grenade exploded in the capital Bujumbura. (AFP)
  • DR Congo: An outbreak of Ebola in the country is in an extremely remote area and presents a high risk at a national level, the World Health Organization said. (Reuters)
  • Nigeria: Military corruption is weakening the country’s efforts to battle the Islamist insurgency of Boko Haram, the watchdog Transparency International said. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Brazil: President Michel Temer faced calls for his removal after a newspaper reported that he had been recorded discussing payments of hush money to a corrupt politician. (AFP)
  • Colombia: Explosions at a Cartagena shipyard, which killed at least six people and injured 23 others, are under investigation. (AFP)
  • Venezuela: The country is sending 2,600 troops to the western region of Tachira to quell looting and rioting amid continuing anti-government protests. (BBC)

 

ASIA

  • Region: Four Indonesian soldiers were killed and eight others injured by artillery fire in an accident during training in the South China Sea. (AFP)
  • Afghanistan: US Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford says NATO should be prepared to move fast to deploy additional forces if President Trump and other heads of states agree to bolster the alliance’s mission in the country. (USA Today)
  • Korean Peninsula: US President Donald Trump told South Korean presidential envoy Hong Seok-hyun that he was willing to make peace through engagement with North Korea if conditions are right. (Xinhua)
  • Philippines: The country will no longer accept new grants from the EU, to “discourage them from interfering with our internal affairs.” (AP)
  • South Korea: President Moon Jae In reopened a probe into the May 1980 Gwangju pro-democracy uprising in which hundreds of protesters were killed or injured by a brutal military crackdown. (Yonhap)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: Germany is free to withdraw its troops stationed at Turkey’s Incirlik air base if it wants to, Turkish FM Mevlut Cavusoglu said, adding Berlin should change its attitude towards Ankara. (Reuters)
  • Albania: With mediation, the country’s political parties reached a compromise on next month’s parliamentary election, likely resulting in the postponement of the 18JUN general election. (AP)
  • Germany: Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel said it’s “absolutely necessary” to continue intelligence cooperation with the US amid a furor over President Donald Trump’s discussions with Russian diplomats. (AP)
  • Ukraine: Two Ukrainian policemen were hospitalized after 30 men attacked a rally by LGBT activists in the city of Kharkiv. (AFP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Turkey called for the removal of Brett McGurk, the US diplomat coordinating the international coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria, accusing him of backing Syrian Kurdish militia. (AFP)
  • Iran: The country criticized new US sanctions on its missile program, saying they would undermine a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers. (AFP)
  • Iraq: The US floated the idea of NATO assuming some responsibility for training troops in the country after the Islamic State jihadist forces there are defeated. (AFP)
  • Iraq: The UN said up to 200,000 more people could flee Mosul as Iraqi forces push into the last districts held by Islamic State militants. (Reuters)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: A bill proposed in Congress would require the US National Security Agency to inform representatives of other government agencies about security holes it finds in software, such as the one that allowed last week’s “ransomware” attacks. (Reuters)
  • Technology: The EU fined Facebook USD 122M for giving misleading statements during the company’s acquisition of the WhatsApp messaging service in 2014. (NYT)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Klyuchevskoy, Russia
    • The Kamchatka Peninsula volcano spewed ash 6 kilometers into the air and tours to the area have been cancelled. (TASS)
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
      • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
      • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (19MAY)

  • Croatia: Anniversary of the Croatian independence referendum – 1991
  • Iran: Presidential elections
  • Japan: The government to submit a special bill to the Diet to allow the emperor to step down
  • Mexico: Anniversary of Mexico ratifying the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, ending the war and ceding California, Nevada, Utah and parts of four other modern-day U.S. states to the United States for US $15 million – 1848
  • Turkey: Anniversary of Atatürk landing at Samsun on the Anatolian Black Sea coast, initiating what is later termed the Turkish War of Independence – 1919
  • United States: Abu Zubaydah to testify at the pre-trial hearing of the Guantánamo war court against his alleged CIA torturers

 

END

 

 

 

ONS: 21 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called on all parties to restore calm in southern Libya after clashes at an air base killed over 140 people.
  • AMERICAS: More than 200,000 protesters took to the streets of Venezuela, day 50 of an angry, and sometimes deadly, showdown with President Nicolas Maduro.
  • ASIA: Eleven Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement signatory countries met in Hanoi to have talks on an alternative plan to save the initiative following the United States’ exit from the pact.
  • EUROPE: Turkish police killed two suspected Islamic State militants in a clash during a raid on an apartment in the Ankara.
  • MIDDLE EAST: A cholera outbreak in Yemen is threatening to get out of control, as numbers of suspected cases have more than doubled in the past five days.
  • TECHNOLOGY: North Korea’s main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks.

TOP STORY

  • Saudi Arabia: US President Donald Trump to deliver speech at Arab-Islamic-American summit on day two of the nine-day foreign trip
    • Yesterday President Trump signed a joint “strategic vision” that includes $110 billion in American arms sales and other new investments.
    • The arms deal and investments that could total up to $350 billion was the central achievement of Trump’s first day in Riyadh
    • Today Trump is to deliver a speech at the Arab-Islamic-American summit that will address the leaders of 50 Muslim-majority countries to cast the challenge and need for unity in the fight against violent extremism.
    • Thousands of demonstrators in Yemen took to the streets of the capital to protest President Trump’s visit to the Saudi kingdom.
    • In talks with leaders Trump said that ties to Bahrain will not be strained anymore.
    • Trump also accepted an invitation made by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to visit Egypt.
    • The American delegation is scheduled to leave Saudi Arabia early Monday to head to Israel to continue the nine-day journey through the Middle East and Europe.
    • Coverage: WP, AP-1, AP-2, Reuters-1, Reuters-2, BBC, PBS, NPR

AFRICA

  • Libya: UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, called on all parties to restore calm in southern Libya after clashes at an air base killed over 140 people. (Xinhua)
  • Nigeria: The country’s troops fought Boko Haram in the Lake Chad area, killing 13 of the Islamic extremists and arresting 10 others. (AP)
  • Sudan: The army said it repulsed two separate attacks by two armed groups in the east and north of Darfur region. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

  • Ecuador: President Rafael Correa said his country had “done its duty” by granting asylum in 2012 to Julian Assange. (AFP)
  • United States: Secretary of State Rex Tillerson hinted that he was open to direct talks with Iran in the future. (Xinhua)
  • Venezuela: More than 200,000 protesters took to the streets of the country, on day 50 of an angry, and sometimes deadly, showdown with President Nicolas Maduro.(AFP)

ASIA

  • Regional: Eleven Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement signatory countries met in Hanoi to have talks on an alternative plan to save the initiative following the United States’ exit from the pact. (EFE)
  • Afghanistan: Gunmen in Kabul have attacked a guesthouse, killing a German woman, beheading an Afghan guard, and kidnapping a Finnish woman. (BBC)
  • North Korea: South Korea said the country fired a ballistic missile from an area near its capital. (AP)

EUROPE

  • Russia: The Interior Ministry held a special investigation into each instance of the “Wanna Cry” cyber attack, involving specialists of the Federal Security Service. (TASS)
  • Spain: Nearly 190,000 card-carrying members of the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party are eligible to vote Sunday to pick a new leader for the 138-year-old group. (AFP)
  • Turkey: The country’s police killed two suspected Islamic State militants in a clash during a raid on an apartment in the Ankara. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Regional: Campaigners on Friday pleaded for more help for millions of children in conflict zones who are missing years of school, revealing only two percent of humanitarian aid funds goes towards education. (AFP)
  • Iraq: The country’s special forces declared their mission in Mosul complete after they retook the last western districts from the Islamic State group. (AP)
  • Yemen: A cholera outbreak is threatening to get out of control, as numbers of suspected cases have more than doubled in the past five days. (DPA)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: North Korea’s main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 that is likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyber attacks. (Reuters)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 19MAY: 34,601 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 19MAY: 13,540 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 19MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (22MAY)

  • Global: WHO to hold World Health Assembly in Geneva (to 31MAY)
  • Global: International Day for Biological Diversity – 2001
  • Europe: Anniversary of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia joining the United Nations – 1992
  • Canada: Victoria Day – 1845
  • Greece: Eurozone expected to announce 86-billion-euro relief package for Greece
  • Sri Lanka: Anniversary of Ceylon adopting a new constitution, becoming a Republic, changing its name to Sri Lanka, and joining the Commonwealth of Nations – 1972
  • Yemen: Anniversary of the Democratic Republic of Yemen and North Yemen agreeing to unity – 1990

END

ONS: 22 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Africans are seeing a steady improvement in the quality of their lives, with some countries nearing world averages, according to an African Development Bank report.
  • AMERICAS: In Brazil, protesters called for President Michel Temer to step down after the supreme court opened an investigation into bribery allegations.
  • ASIA: A bomb wounded at least 20 people at a military-owned hospital in Bangkok on the third anniversary of the army’s seizing power in Thailand.
  • EUROPE: In Turkey, the trial opened of more than 220 suspects accused of organizing an attempted coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Israel approved measures aimed at improving the Palestinian economy and facilitating crossings, rare moves said to be at Donald Trump’s request hours ahead of the US president’s arrival.
  • TECHNOLOGY: More than 100 leaked internal documents give unprecedented insight into the blueprints Facebook has used to moderate issues such as violence, hate speech, terrorism, pornography, racism and self-harm.

 

TOP STORY

  • North Korea: Advanced missile technology proclaimed ‘ready for deployment’
    • North Korea declared its medium-range Pukguksong-2 missile ready for deployment after a weekend test.
    • The latest test confirmed reliable late-stage guidance of the warhead and the functioning of a solid-fuel engine.
    • South Korea held a National Security Council meeting after the launch, and said the incident “throws cold water” on efforts to ease tensions on the peninsula.
    • This would be North Korea’s 10th detected missile launch this year.
    • Outside experts agree that the country is making progress in its stated aim of gaining the ability to strike the mainland US with nuclear weapons.
    • Coverage: AFP, AP, BBC, Reuters

 

AFRICA

  • Region: Africans are seeing a steady improvement in the quality of their lives, with some countries nearing world averages, according to an African Development Bank report. (AFP)
  • DR Congo: A fourth person has likely died from Ebola in the country’s remote northeast, the World Health Organization said, as the overall number of cases rose to 37. (Reuters)
  • South Africa: Deputy President Cyril Ramaphosa said the country must not become a “mafia state,” admitting his African National Congress party had become associated with corruption. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Region: Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said US President Donald Trump is deeply involved in “terrorist” activities and the violence that is unfolding in the South American nation. (EFE)
  • Brazil: Protesters around the country called for President Michel Temer to step down after the supreme court opened an investigation into bribery allegations. (AP)
  • Venezuela: The total number killed in recent protests rose to 48, after an opposition activist was shot dead. (BBC)

 

ASIA

  • Region: The Philippines downplayed Chinese threats of war if Manila insisted on drilling for oil in the disputed South China Sea. (AP)
  • Region: Chinese authorities detained six Japanese men in March, possibly for suspected spying, a Japanese government source said. (Kyodo)
  • China: The country defended its right to investigate actions threatening national security but declined to comment on a report that authorities killed or jailed up to 20 CIA sources. (AFP)
  • Pakistan: A roadside bomb killed at least five people and wounded several others in a northwest tribal region close to the Afghan border. (AP)
  • Thailand: A bomb wounded at least 20 people at a military-owned hospital in Bangkok on the third anniversary of the army’s seizing power in the country. (NYT)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: The EU urged member states to strengthen public finances and push through reforms that tackle social inequality. (AP)
  • Germany: German police evacuated the headquarters of the Social Democratic Party in Berlin after a suspicious object was found in the mailroom. (Reuters)
  • Turkey: The trial opened of more than 220 suspects accused of organizing an attempted coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. (AFP)
  • Turkey: Two suspected Islamic State militants who were shot dead in a police operation were aiming to attack the ruling Justice and Development Party’s congress. (AP)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Israel approved measures aimed at improving the Palestinian economy and facilitating crossings, rare moves said to be at Donald Trump’s request hours ahead of the US president’s arrival. (AFP)
  • Region: Palestinians are holding a general strike in the West Bank in solidarity with hunger striking prisoners in Israeli jails. (AP)
  • Iraq: An attack on a military training center in Diyala north of Baghdad killed at least four soldiers and wounded four, including two officers. (AP)
  • Syria: The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for a suicide attack against Ahrar al-Sham fighters that killed at least 14 insurgents. (AP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: More than 100 leaked internal documents give unprecedented insight into the blueprints Facebook has used to moderate issues such as violence, hate speech, terrorism, pornography, racism and self-harm. (Guardian)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (23MAY)

  • Nothing to Report

 

END

 

 

 

 


ONS: 23 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Gambian authorities seized assets including 86 bank accounts and 131 properties linked to former president Yahya Jammeh.
  • AMERICAS: Officials said President Trump asked two of the top US intelligence officials to help him push back against the FBI Russian collusion probe.
  • ASIA: South Korea fired warning shots at an unidentified object flying south from rival North Korea, which may have been a North Korean drone.
  • EUROPE: EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said grant money from his grouping is meant to promote development, not system change, in foreign countries.
  • MIDDLE EAST: US President Trump said he will “do everything” to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, after meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.
  • TECHNOLOGY: More evidence emerged that North Korean hackers were behind the WannaCry global ransomware attack that still holds hundreds of thousands of computers hostage.

 

TOP STORY

  • United Kingdom: Suicide bomber kills 22 at Manchester concert.
    • A lone attacker blew himself up at a pop concert filled with teenagers and their parents killing 22 people in an apparent effort to harm as many young people as possible in the city of Manchester.
    • British PM Theresa May chaired an emergency Cabinet meeting and said the explosion was being treated as an “appalling terrorist attack.”
    • Ian Hopkins, the chief constable of Greater Manchester Police, said the authorities are now trying to determine whether the attacker, whose nationality he declined to identify, was working on his own or with the assistance of a network.
    • Campaigning in the UK general election has been suspended as party leaders expressed their horror at the attack.
    • Countries from the US to Japan and Singapore are now considering tightening security ahead of major theater and sports events.
    • Coverage: BBC, CNN, NYT, Reuters, WP

 

AFRICA

  • DR Congo: Conflict has forced at least 1.5M people to flee their homes within the country this year. (Reuters)
  • The Gambia: Gambian authorities seized assets including 86 bank accounts and 131 properties linked to former president Yahya Jammeh. (Reuters)
  • South Sudan: The country declared a unilateral ceasefire and promised to release political prisoners, with no guarantee of agreement from the rebels. (Reuters)

 

AMERICAS

  • Region: Venezuela rejected Colombia’s explanation for the deployment of Colombian armored vehicles along the countries’ shared border. (EFE)
  • United States: Officials said President Trump asked two of the nation’s top intelligence officials to help him push back against the FBI Russian collusion probe. (WP)
  • Venezuela: Doctors rallied in the latest street protests against President Nicolas Maduro as the death toll climbed to 49 with the deepening unrest entering its eighth week. (Al-Jazeera)

 

ASIA

  • Region: The US delivered six coastal patrol boats to Vietnam’s coast guard, expanding the two nation’s security cooperation amid tension in the disputed South China Sea. (AP)
  • Region: Raytheon Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp are working on rival projects to develop new radars to enhance Japan’s shield against any North Korean missile strike. (Reuters)
  • Korean Peninsula: South Korea fired warning shots at an unidentified object flying south from rival North Korea, which may have been a North Korean drone. (AP)
  • Myanmar: The country’s army cleared itself of allegations that troops may have carried out ethnic cleansing of Rohingya Muslims, despite contrary UN reports. (AFP)
  • South Korea: Former President Park Geun-hye denied that she engaged in bribery and leaking government secrets at the start of her criminal trial. (AP)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: EU Ambassador to the Philippines Franz Jessen said grant money from his grouping is meant to promote development, not system change, in foreign countries. (AP)
  • Region: The Commonwealth of Independence States is planning to create a joint aerospace defense system for the destruction of space attack weapons. (Xinhua)
  • Region: Germany’s highest court upheld a complaint by a Syrian whose asylum claim was rejected because he’d already been granted asylum in Greece. (AP)
  • Russia: The country doesn’t expect sanctions against it to be dropped soon, Vladimir Markin, speaker of Russian Federation Council said. (Xinhua)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: US President Trump said he will “do everything” to help Israelis and Palestinians achieve peace, after meeting with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas. (BBC)
  • Bahrain: Police opened fire on a long-running sit-in in support of leading Shiite cleric Sheikh Isa Qassimon in the town of Diraz. (AFP)
  • Syria: US-led air strikes in the country killed a total of 225 civilians over the past month, the highest 30-day toll since the campaign began in 2014. (AFP)
  • Syria: A car bomb killed four people and wounded more than two dozen in the city of Homs, days after the government regained full control. (AFP)
  • Yemen: Members of the US Navy’s elite SEAL Team 6 killed seven militants in an early raid on a compound associated with Al Qaeda. (NYT)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: More evidence emerged that North Korean hackers were behind the WannaCry global ransomware attack that still holds hundreds of thousands of computers hostage. (NYT)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
  • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (24MAY)

  • Europe: Leaders of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia to meet with EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini for a working dinner in Brussels
  • Eritrea: Eritrean Independence Day – 1993
  • Ethiopia: Anniversary of Israel’s Operation Solomon, when it evacuated Ethiopian Jews to Israel – 1991
  • Israel: Anniversary of Israeli troops withdrawing from southern Lebanon after 22 years of occupation – 2000
  • The Holy See: US President Trump to visit the Vatican, and meet with Pope Francis

 

END

 

ONS: 24 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: The Islamic State group claimed its first suicide attack in Somalia, which killed five people at a checkpoint in the northeastern port city of Bosaso.
  • AMERICAS: Venezuelan electoral officials scheduled long-delayed regional elections for DEC2017, but they may never come to fruition, as a rewrite to the nation’s constitution is slated to take place first.
  • ASIA: Southeast Asian countries will hold a summit in AUG17 to coordinate against the security threat posed by homegrown Islamic militants returning from Syria and Iraq. 0
  • EUROPE: US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis met at the Vatican City, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for a global audience.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Saudi Arabia defended Bahrain’s actions against a protest by supporters of a top Shiite cleric, killing five people.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Qatar said its official state news agency was hacked and subsequently carried a “false statement” on sensitive regional topics attributed to the country’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

 

TOP STORY

  • United Kingdom: Troops deploy as UK threat level highest in a decade.
    • British authorities deployed troops and security officers across high-risk locations after its terrorism threat level was raised to its highest level in a decade.
    • British police and intelligence agencies arrested three more suspects in connection with the Manchester suicide bombing.
    • Salman Abedi, the 22-year-old suspected bomber, is believed to have traveled to Syria, French interior minister Gérard Collomb said, indicating French and British intelligence had information that Mr. Abedi had “proven” ties to the Islamic State.
    • Britain’s Home Secretary Amber Rudd said it was “likely” Abedi was not acting alone.
    • Rudd also expressed irritation with the US for releasing information about the Manchester bomber before UK police would have liked.
    • Coverage: AP, BBC, NYT, USA Today, WP

 

AFRICA

  • Kenya: Three police officers were killed and two others injured when their vehicle ran over an improvised bomb near the country’s border with Somalia. (AP)
  • Mali: The UN Security Council condemned “in the strongest terms” a terrorist attack that killed two Chadian peacekeepers in the country. (Xinhua)
  • Nigeria: The government intercepted an illegal cache of arms at the port in Lagos. (AFP)
  • Somalia: The Islamic State group claimed its first suicide attack in the country, which killed five people at a checkpoint in the northeastern port city of Bosaso. (AFP)

 

AMERICAS

  • Haiti: The UN proposed that USD 40.5M from the unspent budget of the UN mission in the country be poured into a special fund to help its cholera victims. (AFP)
  • Venezuela: Electoral officials scheduled long-delayed regional elections for DEC2017, but they may never come to fruition, as a rewrite to the nation’s constitution is slated to take place first. (AP)
  • Venezuela: Four people were killed in the western state of Barinas during protests against President Nicolas Maduro, taking the death toll since APR17 to 53. (Xinhua)

 

ASIA

  • Region: Southeast Asian countries will hold a summit in AUG17 to coordinate against the security threat posed by homegrown Islamic militants returning from Syria and Iraq. (AP)
  • Australia: Police underestimated the threat posed by a self-styled Islamic cleric during a DEC2014 Sydney cafe siege, an inquest found, but it absolved them of blame for two deaths. (AFP)
  • Myanmar: The government opened a new round of peace talks with ethnic groups after months of intense regional fighting. (Al-Jazeera)
  • Philippines: Islamist militants in the southern Mindanao region took hostages, including a local priest, after President Rodrigo Duterte declared martial law to combat the gunmen. (AFP)
  • Philippines: President Duterte called on Filipinos to support his declaration of martial law to defeat a small group of Islamic State-linked militants. (NYT)

 

EUROPE

  • Region: US President Donald Trump and Pope Francis met at the Vatican City, setting aside their previous clashes to broadcast a tone of peace for a global audience. (AP)
  • Region: The Italian coast guard says at least 20 migrants have died after their vessel capsized off Libya’s coast. (AP)
  • Russia: Defense minister Sergei Shoigu said the military has received a steady flow of new weapons allowing it to maintain a “strategic parity” with NATO. (AP)
  • Turkey: Turkish authorities ordered the detention of 139 staff from Ankara municipalities in an investigation targeting supporters behind last July’s failed coup. (Reuters)

 

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Saudi Arabia defended Bahrain’s actions against a protest by supporters of a top Shiite cleric, killing five people. (AFP)
  • Region: A group of hardline Jewish activists were removed from the flashpoint Al-Aqsa mosque in east Jerusalem after violating a ban on Jewish prayer there. (AFP)
  • Region: Lebanon’s military remains on high alert against potential Israeli aggression and terror threats. (Xinhua)
  • Region: The Omani government evacuated an Australian from Yemen following negotiations through tribal mediators. (AFP)
  • Iraq: A US audit revealed the US Army failed to keep track of USD 1B of military equipment sent to the country to supply Iraqi forces. (WP)

 

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Qatar said its official state news agency was hacked and subsequently carried a “false statement” on sensitive regional topics attributed to the country’s Emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani. (AFP)

 

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

 

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (25MAY)

  • Global: OPEC to meet to decide on output policy for the remainder of 2017 in Vienna, Austria.
  • Africa: Africa Day – 1963
  • Europe: EC president Jean-Claude Junker and Council president Donald Tusk to meet and greet Donald Trump prior to a scheduled NATO summit
  • Europe: NATO Head of State Summit in Brussels
  • Middle East: Anniversary of the creation of the Gulf Cooperation Council – 1981
  • China: Acting Assistant Secretary of State Susan Thornton to visit Beijing, China (to 26MAY)
  • Germany: Former US President Obama to join German Chancellor Merkel on a panel, as part of a 500–year anniversary of the Protestant Reformation titled: “Being Involved in Democracy: Taking on Responsibility Locally and Globally”
  • Jordan: Jordan Independence Day / Renaissance Day – 1946
  • Russia: Philippines President Duterte to visit Moscow to meet with President Putin

 

END

 

 

 

 

ONS: 25 May 2017

0
0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: Egypt has banned 21 websites, including the main website of Qatar-based al Jazeera television, for “supporting terrorism”
  • AMERICAS: In Ecuador, Lenin Moreno was sworn in as president, signaling a shift to the right in the country’s politics.
  • ASIA: China protested a US Navy patrol that brought a guided missile destroyer near a group of man-made islands controlled by Beijing in the disputed South China Sea.
  • EUROPE: US President Donald Trump met the heads of EU institutions in Brussels ahead of a summit of NATO leaders.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Bahrain joined Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in blocking access to websites run by Al-Jazeera, part of a growing regional dispute with Qatar.
  • TECHNOLOGY: A newly found flaw in widely used networking software leaves tens of thousands of computers potentially vulnerable to an attack similar to that caused by WannaCry.

TOP STORY

  • United Kingdom: Manchester bombing investigation widens.
    • Intelligence sources reveal Manchester bomber Salman Abedi visited Germany just four days before launching his attack, but was not on an international database or a list of potential Islamists being tracked through Europe.
    • German authorities are investigating whether Abedi was meeting with extremist contacts in Germany, or whether he was simply on his way back to Britain from his family’s home in Libya.
    • Counter-terrorism police in Greater Manchester arrested two more men in connection with the bomb attack, bringing the number of people in UK custody to eight.
    • Police investigating the Manchester Arena bomb attack have stopped sharing information with the US after leaks to the media.
    • The ban is limited to the Manchester investigation only, as British police believe the leaks are unprecedented in their scope, frequency and potential damage.
    • British PM Theresa May is likely to meet with US President Donald Trump during Thursday’s NATO summit to address the issue of regular investigation leaks.
    • Also, bomb disposal units responded to a call at a college in Trafford in the suburbs of Manchester.
    • Coverage: AFP, BBC, CNN, Guardian, Guardian-2, INDE, WP

AFRICA

  • Cameroon: Government security forces prevented an Amnesty International press conference to call for the release of three men jailed in 2015 for sharing a joke. (Reuters)
  • Egypt: The country has banned 21 websites, including the main website of Qatar-based al Jazeera television, for “supporting terrorism” (Reuters)
  • Kenya: Kenyan security officers are interrogating two key suspects over terror incidents in the northeast Mandera and Garissa counties over the past two weeks. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

  • Brazil: Ten people were killed during a police operation in the northern state of Para. (Xinhua)
  • Colombia: Crude production at the La Cira-Infantas oil field has fallen more than 80 percent during the last week, due to protests by local residents. (Reuters)
  • Ecuador: Lenin Moreno was sworn in as president, signaling a shift to the right in the country’s politics. (Reuters)

ASIA

  • Region: China protested a US Navy patrol that brought a guided missile destroyer near a group of man-made islands controlled by Beijing in the disputed South China Sea. (AP)
  • Region: Taiwan simulated a Chinese assault as part of annual military addressing the threat from across the Taiwan Strait. (AP)
  • Indonesia: President Joko Widodo urged calm after suspected suicide bombers killed three police officers at a Jakarta bus terminal in an attack that authorities believe is highly likely to be linked to the Islamic State group. (Reuters)
  • Korean Peninsula: South Korea reiterated its diplomacy-based approach to the issue of North Korea’s nuclear program. (Xinhua)
  • Philippines: Philippine security forces bombed the city of Marawi as they battled Islamist militants who were holding hostages and reported to have murdered at least 11 civilians. (AFP)

EUROPE

  • Region: US President Donald Trump met the heads of EU institutions in Brussels ahead of a summit of NATO leaders. (Reuters)
  • Region: NATO will approve counterterrorism measures that alliance officials hope will expand its security role, in a bow to repeated calls by visiting US President Donald Trump. (WSJ)
  • Estonia: Government minister Mihhail Korb resigned for saying that he did not support his country‘s membership of the NATO military alliance. (DPA)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Region: Bahrain joined Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in blocking access to websites run by Al-Jazeera, part of a growing regional dispute with Qatar. (AP)
  • Iraq: Iraqi paramilitary Hashd Shaabi units initiated a new advance to recapture areas scattered near Iraqi-Syrian border in west of Mosul. (Xinhua)
  • Israel: The UN urged the country to improve conditions for Palestinians in custody, especially the more than 1,000 whose hunger-strike was into its 38th day. (Reuters)
  • Yemen: The UN urged authorities in Houthi-controlled Sanaa to investigate a “grave attack” on the convoy of the UN envoy to the country. (Reuters)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: A newly found flaw in widely used networking software leaves tens of thousands of computers potentially vulnerable to an attack similar to that caused by WannaCry. (Reuters)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 12MAY: 34,465 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 12MAY: 13,534 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 12MAY: 9 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 13APR:  American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 13APR: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 13APR: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (26MAY)

  • Global: G-7 Summit to be held in Taormina, Sicily, Italy (to 27MAY)
  • Europe: CIS Council of Heads of Government to meet in Kazan, Russia
  • Europe: NATO Parliamentary Assembly to meet in Brussels (to 29MAY)
  • Tunisia: The first public hearing into the June 2015 attack in the Tunisian resort of Sousse that killed 38 foreign tourists

END

ONS: 28 May 2017

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KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: The jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia in Libya has announced its “dissolution” in a communique published online.
  • AMERICAS: A US federal judge threw out a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton by the parents of two Americans killed in the US compound in Benghazi, Libya, ruling Clinton didn’t defame them when disputing allegations that she had lied.
  • ASIA: Sri Lanka’s rescuers pulled out more bodies under enormous mudslides as the death toll climbed to 146 with 112 others missing.
  • EUROPE: Britain’s intelligence authorities have identified 23,000 jihadist extremists living in the country as potential terrorist attackers.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv in support of a Palestinian state ahead of the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land.
  • TECHNOLOGY: Britain is making good progress with technology companies on getting access to the encrypted messages of militant suspects.

TOP STORY

  • Philippines: A six-day occupation by Islamist rebels resisting a military onslaught took a more sinister turn.
    • Bodies of what appeared to be executed civilians were found in a ravine outside a besieged Philippine city.
    • The eight dead men, most of them shot in the head and some with hands tied behind their backs, were laborers who were stopped by Islamic State-linked militants on the outskirts of Marawi while trying to flee clashes.
    • 2,200 people are trapped in the conflict zone.
    • The official death toll from a week of fighting has been raised to at least 85.
    • Most of the militants are believed to belong to the local Maute group, which is estimated to have about 260 armed followers that have declared allegiance to the Islamic State militant group.
    • Coverage: AFP-1, AFP-2, AP, Reuters, DPA

AFRICA

  • Libya: The jihadist group Ansar al-Sharia has announced its “dissolution” in a communique published online. (AFP)
  • Morocco: The country’s authorities have arrested 20 people following violent clashes between police and protesters in the city of Al-Hoceima.(Reuters)
  • Tanzania: Health authorities in the country’s western regions of Katavi and Rukwa say they are well prepared to fight any upcoming ebola cases. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

  • Canada: Andrew Scheer, former speaker of the House of Commons of Canada, was elected as the new leader of the federal Conservative Party. (Xinhua)
  • United States: A federal judge threw out a lawsuit against Hillary Clinton by the parents of two Americans killed in the US compound in Benghazi, Libya, ruling Clinton didn’t defame them when disputing allegations that she had lied. (AP)
  • Venezuela: Demonstrators clashed with the country’s police as they descended on the offices of the state media regulator. (AFP)

ASIA

  • India: Government forces have enforced strict curfew in parts of Indian-controlled Kashmir after soldiers killed a prominent rebel commander. (AP)
  • Myanmar: The country’s ultra-nationalist Ma Ba Tha movement announced it was rebranding under a new name. (AFP)
  • North Korea: The country’s leader Kim Jong Un has supervised the test of a new anti-aircraft weapon system and ordered its mass production and deployment throughout the country. (Reuters)
  • Sri Lanka: The country’s rescuers pulled out more bodies under enormous mudslides as the death toll climbed to 146 with 112 others missing. (AP)

EUROPE

  • Regional: Turkey’s military killed 13 members of the militant Kurdistan Workers Party in airstrikes in northern Iraq. (Reuters)
  • Britain: The country’s intelligence authorities have identified 23,000 jihadist extremists living in the country as potential terrorist attackers. (Xinhua)
  • Spain: Tens of thousands of people rallied in Madrid for a “march of dignity” to demand better wages and job security. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Iran: Two border guards were killed and five others injured in an armed clash with the Party for Free Life in Kurdistan militants in northwest of Iran. (Xinhua)
  • Iraq: Officers say the advance of troops has slowed in the last push to drive Islamic State group militants from remaining pockets of Mosul. (AP)
  • Israel: Thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv in support of a Palestinian state ahead of the 50th anniversary of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian land. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: Britain is making good progress with technology companies on getting access to the encrypted messages of militant suspects. (Reuters)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Nothing to Report
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcanoes: Nothing to Report
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)
      • Cases as of 27MAR16: 28,646 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Spain, United Kingdom, United States, Italy)
        • Deaths as of 27MAR16: 11,323 (Guinea, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, United States)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, BBC
    • Chikungunya Virus Disease (CHIK)
      • Suspected Cases as of 26MAY: 57,826 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
        • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
      • Confirmed Cases as of 26MAY: 28,596 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin (French part), and Venezuela)
        • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
      • Deaths as of 26MAY: 13 (Brazil)
        • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 24MAY: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 24MAY: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 24MAY: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (29MAY)

  • Global: International Day of UN Peacekeepers – 2003
  • Argentina: Army Day – 1810
  • France: Russian President Putin to visit French President Macron in Versailles
  • Nigeria: Democracy Day – 1999
  • Palestinian Territories: Anniversary of the founding of the Palestinian Liberation Organization – 1964
  • Sweden: Veteran’s Day – 2010

END

 

ONS: 29 May 2017

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0

KEY STORYLINES

  • AFRICA: South African President Jacob Zuma defeated a no-confidence motion against him at a meeting of top officials of the ruling African National Congress party.
  • AMERICAS: Venezuelan government’s opposition called to scale up the street protests against the government of president Nicolas Maduro to block the Constituent Assembly.
  • ASIA: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s upcoming visit to Europe from May 31 to June 2 is expected to further deepen and enrich China’s relations with the EU.
  • EUROPE: The trial against 23 army officers who allegedly planned the Istanbul stage of last summer’s failed military coup in Turkey began in the outskirts of the city.
  • MIDDLE EAST: Syrian opposition activists say more airstrikes and artillery shelling have hit the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group.
  • TECHNOLOGY: China’s cybersecurity law will take effect on 1 June, banning online service providers from collecting and selling users’ personal information.

TOP STORY

  • North Korea: The government fires a Scud-class ballistic missile
    • North Korea launched a ballistic missile test.
    • This was its third such test in just over three weeks.
    • The missile was fired from Wonsan, a city located on North Korea’s east coast.
    • Japan said the missile landed within its Exclusive Economic Zone, an area of water extended 200 nautical miles from the Japanese coast.
    • Experts say North Korea appears to be gaining meaningful data that is fed into its effort to build an intercontinental ballistic missile.
    • Coverage: AlJazeera, AP, CNN, Guardian, NBC, NYT, Reuters, Xinhua

AFRICA

  • Libya: Warplanes carried out three airstrikes on the city of Derna days after Egypt launched strikes on militant camps against those it claimed were responsible for killing Egyptian Christians. (Reuters)
  • Morocco: Protesters in the country rallied for a third night running in Al-Hoceima, a northern region of the country. (AFP)
  • South Africa: The country’s President Jacob Zuma defeated a no-confidence motion against him at a meeting of top officials of the ruling African National Congress party. (Reuters)

AMERICAS

  • Regional: US Senator John McCain met with Australian leaders for security talks in the Canberra. (AP)
  • Regional: German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared a new chapter in US-European relations after contentious meetings with President Trump last week, saying that Europe “really must take our fate into our own hands.” (WP)
  • Venezuela: The country’s opposition called to scale up the street protests against the government of president Nicolas Maduro to block the Constituent Assembly. (EFE)

ASIA

  • Regional: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s upcoming visit to Europe from May 31 to June 2 is expected to further enrich China’s relations with the EU. (Xinhua)
  • Philippines: The country’s forces gained control of most of Marawi where militants linked to the Islamic State group launched a bloody siege nearly a week ago. (AP)
  • South Korea: The country’s authorities questioned six North Koreans rescued over the weekend as they drifted in the sea off the east coast. (Reuters)

EUROPE

  • Albania: The country’s Health Ministry reports that at least 76 people from an opposition party rally sought medical attention after complaining of feeling ill. (WP)
  • France: The country’s President Emmanuel Macron hosts Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, vowing firm stands on Ukraine and Syria. (AFP)
  • Turkey: The trial against 23 army officers who allegedly planned the Istanbul stage of last summer’s failed military coup has opened in the outskirts of the city. (AP)

MIDDLE EAST

  • Iran: US President Trump called for a grand regional strategy among Sunni nations to isolate the country. (NYT)
  • Iraq: Civilians are hit hardest as the country’s military assault on Mosul enters its final phase. (BBC)
  • Syria: Opposition activists say more airstrikes and artillery shelling have hit the northern city of Raqqa, the de facto capital of the Islamic State group. (AP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

  • Technology: China’s cybersecurity law will take effect on 1 June, banning online service providers from collecting and selling users’ personal information. (Xinhua)

WORLD

  • Cyclones: Tropical Cyclone Mora
    • Location: 17 N 90.9 E
    • Winds: 60 mph
    • Movement: N
    • Map
  • Hurricanes: Nothing to Report
  • Earthquakes: Nothing to Report
  • Volcano: Bogoslof, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, United States
    • Ash spewed 35,000 feet into the air and lasted 55 minutes
  • Global Disease Outbreaks:
    • Suspected Cases as of 26MAY: 57,826 (Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, and Venezuela)
      • Suspected Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 349,936
    • Confirmed Cases as of 26MAY: 28,596 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, México, Nicaragua, Panamá, Paraguay, Perú, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthelemy, Saint Martin (French part), and Venezuela)
      • Confirmed Cases (01JAN16-31DEC16): 152,250
    • Deaths as of 26MAY: 13 (Brazil)
      • Deaths (01JAN16-31DEC16): 172
        • Deaths (01JAN15-31DEC15): 91 (Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Puerto Rico)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2
    • Novel Coronavirus (MERS-CoV, SARS-related)
      • Cases as of 29APR: 1,952 (Saudi Arabia (KSA), Jordan, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom (UK), France, Tunisia, Italy, Oman, Kuwait, Yemen, Malaysia, Greece, Egypt, Lebanon, the Netherlands, Iran, Algeria, Austria, Turkey, The Philippines, Germany, China, South Korea, and the US)
        • Deaths as of 29APR: 693 (Saudi Arabia, France, Qatar, United Kingdom, UAE, Oman, South Korea)
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2
    • Zika Virus
      • Reported autochthonous Transmission as of 24MAY: American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Bonaire (Netherlands), Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Cabo Verde, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curaçao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mexico, Micronesia (Federated States of), Montserrat, New Caledonia, Nicaragua, Palau, Panamá, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Singapore, Sint Eustatius and Saba (Netherlands), Sint Maarten, Suriname, Thailand, Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turks and Caicos, United States of America, Vietnam, United States Virgin Islands, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of).
      • Outbreak Terminated as of 24MAY: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Gabon, Isla de Pascua (Chile), Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu.
      • Locally Acquired Without Vector Borne Transmission as of 24MAY: Argentina, Canada, Chile, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Peru, Portugal, Spain, and the United States of America.
      • Sourcing: WHO, WHO-2, CDC, CDC-2

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (30MAY)

  • Europe: Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to pay an official visit to Germany and Belgium (to 02JUN)
  • Croatia: Parliament Day – 1990
  • Dominican Republic: Anniversary of the assassination of dictator Rafael Trujillo – 1961
  • Israel: Anniversary of the Lod Airport Massacre – 1972
  • Nigeria: Anniversary of the Eastern Region declaring independence as the Republic of Biafra – 1967
  • Spain: Indian PM Modi to visit Spain, meet President Rajoy (to 31MAY)

END

 

 

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