OSINTSUM
Global Situation Update
Friday 19 April 2024

Africa

Africa: The World Health Organisation has pre-approved a new oral vaccine for Cholera which has a similar efficacy to existing vaccines but has a higher potential production capacity due to its simplified formation.
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Kenya: The head of Kenya’s military, General Francis Omondi Ogalla, was killed in a helicopter crash in a remote area of northwestern Kenya along with nine other senior Kenyan military officers yesterday.
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Angola/Democratic Republic of the Congo: A US-backed railway connecting Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo is to be build as part of the $1.7bn Lobito Corridor project which aims to push back against China’s Belt and Road initiative in Africa and secure vital mineral supply chains.
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Asia/Oceania

Afghanistan: 250,000 Afghan children are in need of education, food, and homes after being forcibly returned from Pakistan according to children’s charity Save the Children.
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Armenia: The Center for Truth and Justice, a human rights organisation representing ethnic Armenians from the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region, has submitted evidence to the International Criminal Court that Azerbaijan is committing an ongoing genocide against them.
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China: Apple has removed Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China following pressure from the country’s internet regulator. Encrypted messaging apps Telegram and Signal also appear to have been removed.
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North Korea: The US ambassador to the United Nations said she hoped to find a new way to ensure sanctions were enforced on North Korea by next month after Russia rejected the renewal of a panel tasked with monitoring the implementation of sanctions aimed at curbing its nuclear and missile programs.
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North Korea: Deputy Foreign Minister Im Chon Il received a visit from his Belarusian counterpart Evgeny Shestakov yesterday, and held discussions over increasing bilateral cooperation between the two nations.
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Taiwan: A decision by China to open new air routes running close to two Taiwanese-controlled islands has been criticised as creating a flight safety risk by Taiwan’s government in a statement that warned any aircraft using the new routes would be asked to turn around.
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Europe

Bosnia-Herzegovina: Thousands of Bosnian Serbs have attended a rally in the northwestern town of Banja Luka - the main Bosnian Serb administrative centre - in opposition to a draft UN resolution commemorating the 1995 genocide in Srebrenica, with protest leaders denying a genocide took place.
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Poland: Two people have been detained in Poland in connection with last month’s hammer attack on Leonid Volkov, an ally of the late Putin opponent Alexei Navalny, in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius. Lithuania has accused the Russia of orchestrating the attack.
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Moldova: The leader of Moldova’s leftist opposition, Igor Dodon, has called on voters to boycott a referendum on the country’s efforts to join the European Union, accusing pro-European President Maia Sandu of using it to further her political career.
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Latin America

Argentina: Argentina has formally requested to join NATO as a global partner, a status which would offer it greater political and security cooperation with the bloc in a further example of President Javier Milei’s efforts to boost ties with Western nations and attract investment.
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Haiti: Civil society groups have said France should repay billions of dollars in reparations to Haiti to cover a debt former slaves were forced to pay in return for the recognition of the nation’s independence following a revolt in 1804.
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Haiti: The US deported around 50 Haitians yesterday, marking the first deportation flight in several months despite pleas from rights organisations not to do so due to the ongoing gang violence causing a security and humanitarian crisis in the country.
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Latin America: Experts at a panel organised by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation warned Latin America must be on high alert as the El Nino weather system is switching over to the cooler La Nina system, leading to droughts and an intense hurricane season across the continent.
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Middle East

Gulf/West Indian Ocean: British security firm Ambrey has warned merchant vessels transiting the Gulf and Western Indian Ocean to stay alert in case of increased UAV activity following Israel’s strike on Isfahan in Iran.
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Iran: Israel has conducted airborne attacks on Iranian territory, including on the city of Isfahan, in retaliation for Iran’s missile and drone attack on its soil last week. Iran claims no damage or casualties have been caused as a result, and have not indicated they will conduct a further strike in retaliation.
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Israel: National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir has suggested execution as a solution to the overcrowding of Israeli jails with Palestinian prisoners, many of whom are being held under administrative detention without charge or trial.
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Palestine: The US vetoed a United Nations resolution that was backed by 12 members of the Security Council yesterday that would have paved the way for Palestine to obtain full membership of the organisation
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Russia/Ukraine

Russia: A European Union official said the bloc has identified indicators that China is supplying components to Russia that could be used in the manufacture of arms, and is concerned China could be emboldened to increase supplies if the West weakens its resolve to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
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Russia: The head of Germany’s military, Lieutenant General Carsten Breuer, has warned Russia could be in a position to attack NATO in the next five to eight years if it chooses to do so, once it has rebuilt its forces following the degradation it has suffered during its invasion of Ukraine.
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Ukraine: The US House of Representatives appears poised to hold a long-delayed vote on the proposed foreign aid bill this weekend that would see $60.8bn in military aid released to Ukraine, with analysts warning there is a real prospect Ukraine could lose the war this year if it fails to pass.
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US/Canada

US: President Joe Biden called for more tariffs on Chinese aluminium and steel products this week on the same day Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen suggested tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles may be necessary to protect the American economy from Beijing’s glut of overproduction.
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US: A group thought to be backed by the Kremlin infiltrated the computer network of a Texas water-treatment plant in January, causing a system malfunction which forced a water tank to overflow, increasing existing concerns over the network security of similar facilities in the US.
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US: The long-awaited vote on the foreign aid bill by the House of Representatives is expected to take place, with representatives voting on whether to release $60.8bn in aid to Ukraine, $26.4bn in aid to Israel, and $8.1bn to the Indo-Pacific region, as well as whether to approve a fourth piece of legislation that would force TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the platform. Any measures that pass could be enacted into law as early as next week.
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Bay Area Times is a visual-based newsletter on business and tech, with 250,000+ subscribers.