OSINTSUM: Monday 29 April 2024

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OSINTSUM
Global Situation Update
Monday 29 April 2024

International

Health: Measles cases worldwide increased by 88% from 171,153 in 2022 to 321,582 in 2023 according to figures from the World Health Organisation, with some countries set to lose their “elimination status” when it is reviewed in September, in a rise blamed on falling vaccination rates.
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Africa

Djibouti: A politician from the UK, Tim Loughton, says he was deported from Djibouti for his previous criticism of China. Loughton was sanctioned by Beijing in 2021, and accused Djibouti of being a “vassal state” of China.
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Togo: 4.2 million Togolese voters will go to the polls today in a controversial and long-delayed election which could further lock in the long rule of President Faure Gnassingbe. Unlike previous elections, which directly elected legislators and the president, this one will be indirect due to constitutional reforms which have angered opponents of the president and led to protests.
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Asia/Oceania

Australia: Rising sea levels due to climate change could see Torres Strait islanders forced to leave their homes within the next 30 years if urgent action is not taken according to an affidavit read to a court in Cairns, as part of a class action lawsuit brought by the country’s First Nations people.
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Australia: Five teenagers have been charged with plotting to buy guns and attack Jewish people days after a bishop was stabbed in a Sydney church by another teenager who was part of the same terrorist network.
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China: The People’s Liberation Army has disbanded its Strategic Support Force - the unit that handled space, cyber, and electronic warfare operations - and is to replace it with three co-equal forces: the Aerospace Force, Cyberspace Force, and Information Support Force
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China: China will send a robotic spacecraft in coming days on a round trip to the moon's far side in the first of three technically demanding missions that will pave the way for an inaugural Chinese crewed landing and a base on the lunar south pole.
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Philippines: The Philippines has again denied a Chinese claim that the two countries had reached an agreement over an intensifying maritime dispute in the South China Sea, describing it as part of a propaganda effort to delegitimise Manila’s claims in the contested waterway.
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Thailand: Thailand’s Foreign Minister Parnpree Bahiddha-Nukara has unexpectedly resigned, leaving the ministry without leadership at a crucial point in the country’s approach to the conflict in Myanmar.
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Europe

France: President Emmanuel Macron is considering increasing the role France’s nuclear arsenal plays in deterring attacks against European allies, despite criticism across the political spectrum from politicians who say any move to extend the country’s nuclear umbrella risks compromising national sovereignty.
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Germany: German authorities have arrested six people in less than a month in connection with three separate cases of espionage orchestrated by Russian or Chinese intelligence.
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Germany: The trial of nine suspected members of far-right group the German Reichsbuerger (Citizens of the Reich) - including former soldiers, judges, and a member of parliament from the Alternative for Germany party (AfD) - accused of planning to overthrow the government in a coup begins in Stuttgart today.
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Italy: Leaders from the G7 group of nations are meeting in Turin for the bloc’s first big political session since the world pledged to transition away from fossil fuels at the COP28 climate summit in December last year, with the aim of making the course set out at COP28 “real” and “concrete” according to Italian Environment and Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.
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Spain: Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has announced he will remain in his post after previously indicating he would resign over what he described as a smear campaign brought against him and his family - including the filing of a corruption investigation against his wife - by right-wing groups.
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UK: The government has stated it will not take back asylum seekers who have crossed the border into Ireland unless the European Union accepts that they can then be sent back to France amid an escalating dispute between Dublin and London.
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UK: Common and easily guessed passwords like 'admin' or '12345' are being banned in the UK as part of world-first laws to protect against cyber attacks in a move coming at the same time as consumer rights organisation Which? warned a home filled with smart devices could be exposed to more than 12,000 hacking attacks per week.
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Israel/Hamas

Israel: UN investigators examining Israeli accusations against 19 staff from the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA for allegedly taking part in the October 7 Hamas attacks on Israel have closed one case due to a lack of evidence from Israel and suspended four more.
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Israel: Hamas says it has no “major issues” with Israel’s latest proposal for a ceasefire, which includes a willingness to discuss “restoration of sustainable calm”, provided there are no “new Israeli obstacles”, and a delegation will arrive in Egypt today to deliver its official response.
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Israel: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is concerned the International Criminal Court in The Hague may be considering issuing international arrest warrants against him, Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, and the Chief of Staff of the Israeli Defence Forces Herzi Halevi for war crimes in Gaza.
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Saudi Arabia: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has arrived in Saudi Arabia in the first stop in a broader trip to the Middle East where he will discuss post-war Gaza with Arab partners and press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the concrete and tangible steps US President Joe Biden demanded this month to improve the humanitarian situation in the strip.
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Middle East

Iraq: Human rights groups and diplomats have criticised a law passed by the Iraqi parliament over the weekend that would impose heavy prison sentences on gay and transgender people, including 10 to 15 years for same-sex relations and one to three years for people undergoing or performing gender transition surgeries.
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Iraq: Authorities have officially approved Turkish military action against the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in Iraqi territory, in a deal which will see Turkish forces allowed to enter a 300km by 40km area in the north of the country in exchange for an increased water flow from Turkey to Iraq.
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Red Sea: Egypt’s planning minister Hala El-Saeed reported that revenue from the Suez Canal has dropped by 50% due to the disruption caused by Houthi attacks on commercial vessels in the Red Sea.
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Red Sea: The US military said yesterday it engaged five drones over the Red Sea that "presented an imminent threat to US, coalition, and merchant vessels in the region."
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Saudi Arabia: Saudi Arabia is attempting to secure further funding for its Neom megacity project, with project officials visiting China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, the US, France, Germany, and the UK as part of efforts to attract investments.
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Russia/Ukraine

Germany: Germany has emerged as a leading opponent of the US-led initiative to seize nearly $300 billion in frozen Russian central bank assets, fearing that such a move could set a precedent for new claims against Berlin related to World War Two-era crimes.
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Russia: An report by US intelligence found that President Vladimir Putin “probably did not” order the death of opposition figure Alexei Navalny, and that he “probably did not” want it to happen when it did.
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Ukraine: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy issued a fresh plea to the international community to hurry up and deliver more air defences, start formal talks for his country to enter the European Union, and invite it to join NATO.
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US/Canada

US: The passing of the long delayed foreign aid bill last week, which will see $95bn in aid sent to Ukraine, Israel, and the Indo-Pacific region, has seen shares in US defence companies rise significantly.
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US: More than 200 protesters were arrested on Saturday at Northeastern University, Arizona State University, Indiana University and Washington University in St. Louis, as colleges across the country struggle to quell growing pro-Palestinian demonstrations and encampments on campus.
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Invest in the Future of Scalable Housing

ZenniHome is on a mission to completely disrupt the housing industry.

Dr. Michael Schmitt has joined as COO (previously Tesla and Bosch).
$74M in grants awarded from Navajo Nation for factory expansion and home purchases

Closing soon: Learn more and Invest in ZenniHome