ONS: 27 May 2019

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: Madagascar holds parliamentary elections in what is being seen as the latest round of a bitter feud between President Andry Rajoelina and his longstanding rival Marc Ravalomanana.
AMERICAS: Venezeulan opposition leader Juan Guaido defended his decision to send delegates to Oslo for talks with representatives of President Nicolas Maduro’s government, warning that critics of the move risk becoming accomplices of his rival’s “dictatorship.”
ASIA: Senior National Security officials, the United States National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Taiwan’s National Security Chief David Lee, have held their first meeting in four decades this month, with the aim of deepening cooperation, the government in Taipei has said.
EUROPE: Russia has rejected a UN tribunal’s call for the government to release 24 Ukrainian sailors detained since November last year, and said it would continue to defend its position over the naval clash.
MIDDLE EAST: The President of the United States said he believes that his country could reach an agreement with Iran to ensure that they do not develop nuclear weapons.
TECHNOLOGY: Huawei Technologies’ founder and Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei told Bloomberg that retaliation by Beijing against Apple Inc was unlikely and that he would oppose any such move from China against the iPhone maker.

TOP STORY

Europeon Union election results show growing split over the Union’s future
- The big centre-right and centre-left blocs in the European Parliament have lost their combined majority amid an increase in support for liberals, the Greens and nationalists.
- The centre-right European People’s Party remains the largest bloc, and is expected to form a pro-EU coalition.
- When the vote counting is done, the populists are expected to get around 25 percent of the 751 seats, up from 20 percent five years ago, figures released by the European Union showed.
- Turnout was the highest for 20 years, bucking decades of decline.
- Far-right leaders were on track for their best Europe-wide result ever, but it was only an incremental gain over their result from 2014, suggesting that despite years of tumult, voters might not be ready to give up on the European Union, or to embrace leaders who want to weaken it from within.
- However, with more of a voice in Parliament, populists and nationalists are expected to try to push harder on issues like controlling immigration and the budget. They are likely to try to press for more power to go to the nations rather than to a bureaucracy they consider elitist.
- This election was also being used by Populist leaders, especially in France and Italy, to gauge the interest of the electorate back home to see how they stand there.
- Reporting: NYT, WP, Reuters, AP, BBC

AFRICA

Region: The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), an East African bloc, disclosed the endorsement of a regional protocol to effectively prevent and manage security perils in the region. (Xinhua)
Madagascar: The country holds parliamentary elections in what is being seen as the latest round of a bitter feud between President Andry Rajoelina and his longstanding rival Marc Ravalomanana. (AFP)
Sudan: With talks suspended between protest leaders and Sudan’s military over a transfer of power to civilian rule, Islamist movements are backing the army in the hope it will keep sharia law in place. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Brazil: Supporters of President Jair Bolsonaro marched in support of his agenda and against lawmakers whom they see standing in his way, adding to tensions between the far-right leader and Congress. (Reuters)
United States: US President Donald Trump has become the first foreign leader to meet Japan’s Emperor Naruhito; he was greeted by the Emperor and Empress Masako at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. (BBC)
Venezuela: Opposition leader Juan Guaido defended his decision to send delegates to Oslo for talks with representatives of President Nicolas Maduro’s government, warning that critics of the move risk becoming accomplices of his rival’s “dictatorship.” (AFP)

ASIA

Region: South Korea’s Unification Ministry said it will complete discussions with U.N. aid agencies this week about its pledge to donate US$8 million for their projects to help North Korean people in need. (Yonhap)
Nepal: Security forces were on high alert amid a general strike called by an outlawed communist group suspected in a series of explosions that killed four people and wounded seven more in the capital; and the strikes did occur hours later. (AP)
Papua New Guinea: The country is braced for a political reckoning after a tumultuous week that has seen prime minister Peter O’Neill announce his resignation following high-level defections from his party. (The Guardian)
Taiwan: Senior National Security officials, the United States National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Taiwan’s National Security Chief David Lee, have held their first meeting in four decades this month, with the aim of deepening cooperation, the government in Taipei has said. (Al Jazeera)

EUROPE

France: The French Interior minister stated that a suspect has been arrested for the Lyon bomb attack that wounded 13. (AP)
Romania: A court is due to issue a ruling on an appeal by Liviu Dragnea, the controversial leader of the country’s ruling Social Democrat Party (PSD), against his 2018 conviction on corruption charges. (EFE)
Russia: The Kremlin has rejected a UN tribunal’s call for the government to release 24 Ukrainian sailors detained since November last year, and said it would continue to defend its position over the naval clash. (Financial Times)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: Qatar’s Foreign Ministry says its ruling emir has received an invitation from the king of Saudi Arabia to attend an emergency summit in Mecca later this week. (RFE)
Iran: The President of the United States said he believes that his country could reach an agreement with Tehran to ensure that they do not develop nuclear weapons. (EFE)
Yemen: Local tribal mediation succeeded in releasing a leader of the pro-secession Southern Movement after more than 11 years of detention, in return for the release of 33 prisoners of the Houthi group. (Xinhua)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Communications: Huawei Technologies’ founder and Chief Executive Ren Zhengfei told Bloomberg that retaliation by Beijing against Apple Inc was unlikely and that he would oppose any such move from China against the iPhone maker. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cyclones: Nothing to report.
Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
Earthquake: Nothing to report.
Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
Global Disease Outbreaks:
- Ebola Virus Disease:
  - Ebola Virus Disease:
  - Confirmed Cases as of 22MAY19: 1789 (DR Congo)
  - Suspected Cases as of 22MAY19: 88 (DR Congo)
  - Deaths as of 22MAY19: 1160 (DR Congo)
  - Sourcing: WHO

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (28 MAY)

Armenia: First Republic Day – 1918
Azerbaijan: Republic Day – 1918
Belgium: National leaders of the EU to meet for a summit in Brussels
China: Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez to visit (to 30MAY)
Ethiopia: Derg Downfall Day – 1991
Guatemala: A Russian delegation to participate in the first Central American cybersecurity forum (to 29MAY)
Nepal: Republic Day – 2008
Nigeria: President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve his cabinet
Slovenia: Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov to visit (to 29MAY)

END