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- OSINTSUM: Thursday 19 October 2023
OSINTSUM: Thursday 19 October 2023
Kosovan prime minister requests more NATO peacekeepers, Guatemalan interior minister resigns over protests, and World Food Programme appeals for $19m to provide emergency aid to Afghanistan
OSINT Ltd
October 19, 2023
Thursday, 19 October 2023
Headlines
Africa
Chad: Warnings of "catastrophic" food insecurity amid refugee influx
South Africa: Officials hope power station recovery will see an end to blackouts
Uganda: President assures tourists' safety after fatal IS attack
Asia/Oceania
Afghanistan: World Food Program appeals for $19m to provide emergency food aid
Australia: "No" vote in Voice referendum sets back plans for becoming republic
Pakistan: Former PM Sharif seeks protection from arrest ahead of return
China
China: Country Garden misses final deadline on bond payments
UK: MI5 head warns of "epic scale" of Chinese espionage
US/China: Beijing unhappy at latest chip restrictions
Europe
Belgium/Sweden: Tougher border controls and deportation legislation called for
Europe: Musk considers removing X from European market
France: Justice minister vows to crack down on perpetrators of bomb hoaxes
Italy: Border with Slovenia suspended over increased terror threat
Kosovo: Prime minister requests more NATO-led peacekeepers along Serbian border
Norway: Navy shadows Chinese ship investigated over pipe damage
Poland: Opposition parties begin talks on forming ruling coalition
Latin America/Caribbean
Guatemala: Interior minister resigns over pro-democracy protests
Trinidad and Tobago: Prime minister asks Canada for assistance over increasing regional violence
Venezuela: Oil to be diverted from China if US eases sanctions
Venezuela: Ban on opposition presidential candidates must be lifted by November
Middle East
Iraq: US forces targeted by drone attacks
Israel: Evidence shows Hamas used North Korean weapons in cross-border attack
Israel: US vetoes Security Council action on Gaza
Africa
Chad: Warnings of "catastrophic" food insecurity amid refugee influx
Chadian officials have called for the international community for assistance in feeding its population and an increasing refugee population which includes 460,000 people fleeing conflict in Sudan.
5.7 million people are facing food insecurity in Chad according to the World Food Program, meaning they have difficulty guaranteeing one meal a day. Additionally, 1.7 million children under five are suffering from acute malnutrition there.
Chad's economic prosperity and international partnerships minister, Madeline Alingue, called for a wider pool of donors beyond traditional partners in the US and the EU to step forward and help the world's third least developed country.
South Africa: Officials hope power station recovery will see an end to blackouts
South African officials are hoping the gradual recovery of one of the country's largest coal-fired power stations will see an end to its frequent rolling blackouts (known locally as "loadshedding").
Two units at the Kuslie power station have been restored over the past three weeks, adding 1,600 megawatts to the national grid. This has reduced the frequency of rolling blackouts, which can last up to 12 hours a day.
One of the main drivers behind the blackouts was the break down of two of the power station's units in October last year. These have now been restored two months ahead of schedule, and another two units are due to be back online before the end of the year.
Analyst Comment: South Africa has committed to transition from its heavy reliance on coal for electricity generation to more renewable sources such as solar and wind, and has secured $8.5bn of funding pledges from western nations to do so.
Uganda: President assures tourists' safety after fatal IS-aligned attack
Uganda's president has assured tourists of their safety following an attack on a tourist vehicle in the Queen Elizabeth National Park which left two tourists and their guide dead.
President Yoweri Museveni said attackers took advantage of the fact that while they are guarded by the army while in the park, the tourists enter and leave the park unaccompanied. He added that this is something that would be rectified.
The attack was carried out by Islamist insurgents known as the Allied Democratic Forces, who pledged allegiance to Islamic State (IS) in 2016. The group posed a picture of the tourist's burning Jeep on social media following the attack.
Analyst Comment: Tuesday's (17 October's) attack was the first to occur in any of Uganda's 10 national parks for years.
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