ONS: 21 July 2018

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: At least one person was killed and three others were injured in a car bombing in Somalian Mogadishu.
AMERICAS: President Donald Trump ups ante ahead of G20 discussions on global trade tensions.
ASIA: Thousands of people marched across major cities calling for an end to Canberra’s offshore detention of asylum-seekers.
EUROPE: The Russian government has summoned the Greek ambassador in Moscow to protest Athen’s expulsion of two Russian diplomats.
MIDDLE EAST: Hodeidah in Yemen has become a “ghost town” as residents continue to flee in thousands.
TECHNOLOGY: Big companies in the United States are working to counter the effect of the Trump administration’s trade policies.

TOP STORY

Syria: France and Russia agreed on joint humanitarian aid
- Talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Russian leader Vladimir Putin since May resulted in an agreement to jointly deliver humanitarian aid to the former Syrian rebel enclave of Eastern Ghouta.
- A Russian cargo plane arrived late Friday in Chateauroux in central France to load medical equipment and essential goods.
- France sent 50 tons of medical aid and Russia facilitated its delivery, raising hopes for future aid efforts.
- The aid is expected to arrive at a Russian military base in northwestern Syria later today.
- This is the two countries’ first joint aid mission in Syria.
- Reporting: Reuters, Telegraph, DW, France 24, The New Arab, Channel News Asia

AFRICA

Region: Chinese President Xi Jinping is arriving on a four-nation visit seeking deeper military and economic ties while his rival in a bitter trade war, the Trump administration, shows little interest in the continent. (WP)
Kenya: South Korean Prime Minister Lee Nak-yon called for greater economic and business cooperation with the country, saying tremendous synergy will be possible if Kenya’s rich resources and South Korea’s technology are combined. (Yonhap)
Somalia: At least one person was killed and three others were injured in a car bombing in the Somali capital of Mogadishu. (Xinhua)

AMERICAS

Colombia: Former leftist guerrillas took up seats in a congress dominated by conservatives opposed to a peace accord that ended a 50 year war and provided for the ex-guerrillas’ representation in the legislature. (AFP)
Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega has hit out at what he has claimed is a “murderous, coup-mongering satanic sect” behind a three-month uprising against his rule that has left more than 300 dead. (The Guardian)
United States: President Donald Trump’s latest attacks on China and the European Union will shape the discourse on global trade conflicts and competitive devaluation as Group of 20 finance ministers meet in Buenos Aires. (AFP)

ASIA

Australia: Disgraced NSW MP Daryl Maguire will resign from state parliament, and a by-election will be held for the seat of Wagga Wagga. (Daily Telegraph)
Australia: Thousands of people marched across major cities calling for an end to Canberra’s offshore detention of asylum-seekers. (AFP)
Pakistan: Though they could be an influential bloc in a key electoral battleground, nearly 90 percent of Ahmadis’s residents say they are forced to abstain from the July 25 poll. (Reuters)
Singapore: State-actors were likely behind the country’s biggest ever cyber attack to date, citing the scale and sophistication of the hack. (AFP)

EUROPE

Region: The Russian government has summoned the Greek ambassador in Moscow to protest Athen’s expulsion of two Russian diplomats, in the latest episode of a diplomatic spat stemming from Macedonia’s plans to become a NATO member. (RFE)
Spain: The country’s conservatives pick a new leader Saturday after ex-prime minister Mariano Rajoy was ousted, with his former right-hand woman Soraya Saenz de Santamaria vying against 37-year-old Pablo Casado, who would take the Popular Party (PP) further right. (AP)
Ukraine: The Pentagon said $200 million for defence support in Kiev would be for training, communications, medical, and other non-lethal operational needs. (BBC)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: 10 border guards have been killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen near the Iraqi border. (AP)
Israel-Palestine: A ceasefire announced by Hamas largely held after a wave of deadly air strikes across the Palestinian enclave sparked by the death of an Israeli soldier shot near the border. (AFP)
Syria: Hundreds of rebels and their families evacuated from the south after a deal was struck with the regime arrived in the country’s northwest. (AFP)
Yemen: The besieged port city of Hodeidah has become a “ghost town” as residents continue to flee in thousands.(The Guardian)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: Amazon.com Inc., Toyota Motor Corp, and Alcoa Corp are working to counter the effect of the Trump administration’s trade policies and to head off new tariffs. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Thirteen
  - Location: 238 NM NNW of Manila, Philippines
  - Movement: ENE at 13 MPH
  - Wind: 35 MPH
  - Map
- Tropical Storm Ampil
  - Location: 130 NM NW of Kadena AB
  - Movement: NW at 21 MPH
  - Wind: 50 MPH
  - Map
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:

- Ebola Virus Disease:
  - Confirmed Cases as of 12JUL18: 38 (DR Congo)
  - Suspected Cases as of 12JUL18: 5 (DR Congo)
  - Deaths as of 12JUL18: 29 (DR Congo)
  - Sourcing: WHO

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (22 JUL)

END