Overnight News Summary – 6 February 2019

By TRG Alerts Admin

KEY STORYLINES

AFRICA: The ICC said former Ivory Coast President Laurent Gbagbo is now in Belgium under conditional release after being acquitted on atrocities charges.
AMERICAS: Venezuelan military officers blocked a bridge on the border with Colombia ahead of an anticipated international humanitarian aid shipment to alleviate major shortages of food and medicine, the opposition said.
ASIA: Afghan President Ashraf Ghani spoke with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an apparent bid to reassert his authority as Washington accelerates its negotiations with the Taliban.
EUROPE: The NATO alliance signed an “accession protocol” with Macedonia, a key step towards the country joining the alliance, possibly by the end of this year.
MIDDLE EAST: The United Arab Emirates’ central bank authorized the release of $496 million which had been frozen at Dubai’s state-owned Noor Bank since late 2017, ending a long-running dispute.
TECHNOLOGY: A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would re-impose sanctions on ZTE Corp if the Chinese telecommunications firm fails to obey US laws.

TOP STORY

United States: President Trump delivered State of the Union address, announced upcoming North Korea summit.
- The meeting is scheduled for 27-28 FEB, and will be held in Vietnam.
- This will be the second landmark summit between the two leaders, with President Trump continuing to push Kim Jong Un to give up his nuclear weapons.
- Although the North has dismantled a number of facilities in the time since the last summit, last week US intelligence officials reported that they do not expect Pyongyang will give up its capability entirely.
- Progress on denuclearization has frequently stalled due to demands by the North for sanctions relief and a formal end to the Korean War.
- South Korea, which has frequently played the part of middleman between the US and Pyongyang, welcomed the announcement.
- Vietnam was widely anticipated to host the summit, as it enjoys good relations with both the US and North Korea.
- Reporting: AP, AFP, Reuters, BBC, UPI, Yonhap, EFE

AFRICA

Ivory Coast: The International Criminal Court said former President Laurent Gbagbo is now in Belgium under conditional release after being acquitted on atrocities charges. (Reuters)
Libya: A Petroleum Facilities Guard unit belonging to the government backed by the United Nations is heading to the El-Sharara oil field after it was shut by protesters. (Reuters)
South Sudan: After five years of civil war, the UN envoy said that fighting in the world’s newest nation “has diminished greatly” since last September’s peace agreement — and so has political fighting. (AP)

AMERICAS

Region: Venezuelan military officers blocked a bridge on the border with Colombia ahead of an anticipated international humanitarian aid shipment to alleviate major shortages of food and medicine, the opposition said. (AFP)
Paraguay: President Mario Abdo Benitez will travel to Costa Rica for an Inter-American Court of Human Rights hearing on alleged torture of suspects by authorities in 2002, the foreign minister said. (EFE)
United States: The governor of New Mexico ordered the withdrawal of the majority of the state’s National Guard troops from the border with Mexico. (AP)
Venezuela: The opposition-controlled National Assembly approved a law that will govern an eventual political transition in the country and will enter into force once Nicolas Maduro leaves power. (EFE)

ASIA

Region: Bangladesh protested to Myanmar over a new influx of refugees fleeing troubled Rakhine state after clashes between security forces and an insurgent group. (A F P)
Afghanistan: President Ashraf Ghani spoke with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in an apparent bid to reassert his authority as Washington accelerates its negotiations with the Taliban. (AP)
China: Beijing opposed a report by the US Trade Representative’s office on its World Trade Organization compliance, the commerce ministry said, saying it is inconsistent with the facts. (Reuters)
Myanmar: Parliament voted to set up a committee to discuss amending the country’s constitution, despite objections by military-aligned lawmakers against a move that is likely to challenge the army’s power. (Reuters)

EUROPE

Region: The NATO alliance signed an “accession protocol” with Macedonia, a key step towards the country joining the alliance, possibly by the end of this year. (AP)
France: President Emmanuel Macron declared April 24 as the date France will commemorate the Armenian genocide, an issue that has caused regular friction between Turkey and EU states. (Reuters)
Greece: Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said Athens does not welcome Turkish coupists who fled to the country, but that their fate lies in the hands of the judiciary. (Reuters)
Russia: Moscow said it will exit the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty in six months as part of a symmetrical response to the United States’ pullout. (Reuters)

MIDDLE EAST

Region: The United Arab Emirates’ central bank authorized the release of $496 million which had been frozen at Dubai’s state-owned Noor Bank since late 2017, ending a long-running dispute. (Reuters)
Egypt: Opposition parties have formed a coalition against proposed changes to the constitution that would allow President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi to stay in office well beyond the end of his current term in 2022. (AP)
Yemen: Amnesty International urged Western governments to stop supplying weapons to parties to the conflict in Yemen after reports that they were ending up in the hands of extremist groups. (AP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Technology: A bipartisan group of senators introduced a bill that would re-impose sanctions on ZTE Corp if the Chinese telecommunications firm fails to obey US laws. (Reuters)

WORLD

Cyclones:
- Tropical Cyclone Funani
  - Location: 440 NM E-NE of Port Louis, Mauritius
  - Movement: SE at 4 mph
  - Wind: 65 mph
  - Map
- Tropical Cyclone Gelena
  - Location: 516 NM N-NW of St. Denis
  - Movement: NW at 4 mph
  - Wind: 45 mph
  - Map
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 04FEB19: 734 (DR Congo)
  - Suspected Cases as of 04FEB19: 54 (DR Congo)
  - Deaths as of 04FEB19: 486 (DR Congo)

TOMORROW’S OUTLOOK (07 FEB)

END