OSINTSUM: Wednesday 31 July 2024

OSINTSUM
Global Situation Update
Wednesday 31 July 2024

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Africa

Ethiopia: The World Bank has approved $1.5bn in financing for Ethiopia in its first ever budget support for the country as the east African nation attempts to move forward with a long-running effort to restructure its debt.
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Ghana: A high court in Ghana has ruled that civil society groups are prohibited from holding protests over corruption and living conditions in the capital of Accra. The presiding judge sided with police, who said they did not have the resources to provide security at the protests, which were planned from 31 July to 6 August.
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Sudan: A UAV strike targeted Gibeit military base in the east of Sudan while the head of the country’s military, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, was visiting. Five people were killed in the attack, but al-Burhan was not injured.
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Sudan: Sudan’s government has conditionally accepted an invitation to attend US-sponsored peace talks in Geneva, Switzerland, raising hopes of ending the country’s 15-month long civil war.
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Americas

Costa Rica: Foreign Minister Arnoldo Andre said his country was willing to give political asylum to Venezuelan opposition figures Marina Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, as well as “all other politically persecuted people in Venezuela”.
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Panama: Panama has suspended diplomatic relations with Venezuela and its civil aviation authority has been ordered to impose retaliatory measures against it following an incident in which a plane leaving Panama with regional former presidents on board en route to observe Sunday’s presidential election was blocked.
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US: President Joe Biden is to call for more severe penalties for narcotics smugglers and greater controls on pill presses and importers in an effort to stem the US’s ongoing opioid crisis.
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Venezuela: Protestors took to the streets across Venezuela yesterday to demand President Nicolas Maduro admit he lost Sunday’s presidential election to challenger Edmundo Gonzalez, while the US-based Carter Center, which observed the vote, said the election could not be considered democratic.
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Venezuela: The EU’s foreign policy chief, Josep Borrel, announced the bloc would not recognise the result of Venezuela’s recent presidential election until all the votes have been counted and records provided, amid widespread concerns over the legitimacy of the poll.
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Asia/Oceania

Bangladesh: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government is to ban the country’s main Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and its student wing, over accusations they were responsible for inciting the fatal violence seen during recent protests in capital Dhaka.
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China: President Xi Jinping has demanded stronger border, air, and sea defences to protect his country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime interests according to state news agency Xinhua.
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Myanmar: Myanmar’s military government has extended the country’s state of emergency for another six months according to state media. The junta is currently fighting on multiple fronts against rebel militia groups across the country and is presiding over an economy in crisis.
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Taiwan: British semiconductor-chip parts maker IQE is planning an initial public offering for its Taiwanese business on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. The company specialises in “epi-wafters” which are used in facial recognition sensors in Apple’s iPhones.
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South China Sea: China’s foreign ministry said the US was not a party to issues in the South China Sea and warned the Philippines that encouraging other countries to provoke confrontation in the region would undermine its stability.
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Europe

Belarus: President Aleksander Lukashenko has pardoned Rico Krieger, a German citizen sentenced to death in Belarus on charges including terrorism.
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Netherlands: Shares in semiconductor-chip manufacturing equipment maker ASML rose after a report indicated it may be spared from the latest round of US restrictions on exports to China.
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Russia: A lawyer for Paul Whelan, the former US marine being held in custody in Russia on disputed espionage charges, says she is currently unable to confirm his whereabouts.
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Spain: Hundreds of firefighters are attempting to contain two wildfires which have burned thousands of hectares of land across eastern Spain since yesterday. Spain is currently experiencing the peak of a heatwave, leading the interior ministry to warn of very high and extreme risk of further wildfires across the country.
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Ukraine: Ukraine’s armed forces say they repelled one of the largest long-range UAV attacks launched by Russia since the start of the war last night, shooting down all 89 UAVs launched at capital Kyiv and other areas of the country.
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Middle East

Iraq: Iraqi military spokesman Yahya Rasool said the US committed a “heinous crime” and violeted the international coalition’s mission and mandate by targeting security sites in air strikes yesterday. The US said the strike was necessary and conducted in self-defence.
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Iran: Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah was assassinated early this morning by a rocket strike in Iranian capital Tehran, hours after he attended the swearing-in ceremony for Iran’s new president. No one has claimed responsibility for the attack, but Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has said he will make Israel “regret” the incident.
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Lebanon: Israel says it has assassinated a high-level Hezbollah commander in retaliation for a rocket strike on the Israeli-occupied Golan Hights on Saturday which killed 12 people. Fuad Shukr was killed in an “intelligence-based elimination” which culminated in an air strike according to the IDF.
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US: Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the US was not involved in the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyah, and reiterated the importance of achieving a ceasefire in Gaza during an interview with Channel News Asia while on a visit to Singapore.
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