Subject: Morning Brief: Government-ordered internet blackout deepens Zimbabwe’s crisis
From: "Foreign Policy" <[email-masked]>
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Date: Fri, 18 Jan 2019 08:57:23 -0600 (CST)

Government-Ordered Internet Blackout Deepens Zimbabwe’s Crisis

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MORNING BRIEF

Today's Global News from Foreign Policy

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01/18/2019

01/18/2019

TOP NEWS

Government-Ordered Internet Blackout Deepens Zimbabwe’s Crisis

Zimbabwe: Citing “generalized intimidation and harassment,” the United Nations human rights office called on the government of Zimbabwe to “stop the crackdown against protesters.” The announcement of major fuel price hikes set off demonstrations on Jan. 14, which have been met with what the U.N. called “excessive use of force” by the country’s army and police. Harsh reprisals have been lethal, with at least 8 killed and scores injured. The country is facing an internet blackout for the second time in a week. On Friday morning, Econet Wireless released a statement that said it was complying with the  government’s order for a “total shutdown of the internet until further notice.”

Democratic Republic of the Congo: The African Union said it had “serious doubts” about the accuracy of Congo’s election results, and has sent a delegation to Kinshasa to meet with election officials in an effort to delay the announcement of the final vote count. The Congolese government said that the African Union delegation was welcome in Kinshasa, but that its presence would not change the post-electoral process.

AFRICA

•  In Sudan, police shot live rounds into a crowd of mourners, who were gathered outside the house of a man who had been shot by security forces and died of his injuries.

•  More than 100 Nigerian soldiers have been killed by Islamist militants in the country’s north since Dec. 26, according to a newly released report.

•  Algeria announced that the country will hold a general election on April 18. It remains uncertain whether the ailing incumbent, Abdelaziz Bouteflika, will run.

AMERICAS

•  In Colombia, 21 people were killed, and at least 68 wounded after attackers detonated a truck packed with 80 pounds of explosives outside a police academy in Bogota.

•  North Korea’s top nuclear envoy is set to meet with U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington on Friday, in an effort to clear a path to a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

•  U.S. President Donald Trump moved to cancel House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s plans to visit U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Egypt, and Belgium, after Pelosi suggested that Trump delay his State of the Union address due to the ongoing government shutdown.

ASIA

•  Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena drew international backlash for his comments to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte that his drug war is an “example to the whole world.”

•  In Myanmar, the army reported that it had killed 13 insurgents in clashes with the Arakan Army, an armed group in Rakhine state.

•  Australia is experiencing an extreme heatwave, with ten hotspots around the country setting new records for high temperatures since Jan. 12.

EUROPE

•  In Sweden, after months of uncertainty following an inconclusive election, Parliament voted on Friday to make Stefan Lofven, the leader of the Social Democrats, the country’s prime minister again. He won his second term with the support of just one-third of parliamentarians and many abstentions; under Swedish law, Lofven only needed to ensure that a majority of lawmakers did not vote against him.

•  Germany is considering banning Huawei from its 5G mobile network infrastructure, amid concerns over the potential that the Chinese technology company’s involvement could open the door to espionage.

•  British Prime Minister Theresa May is set to meet with several of the country’s top ministers on Friday, to discuss Britain's next move after the overwhelming rejection of her proposed Brexit plan.

MIDDLE EAST

•  Iran’s Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif condemned the FBI’s detention of a U.S.-born journalist for Iran’s state broadcaster, calling her arrest in St. Louis, a “violation of freedom of speech and unacceptable.”

•  A U.S. citizen was arrested in Lebanon for allegedly making an illegal crossing into the country through a hole in a border fence with Israel.

•  In Israel, a museum will stop exhibiting a display of “McJesus,” an installation showing a Ronald McDonald figure hung from on a wooden cross, after massive backlash from Arab Christians in the city of Haifa.

- By Jefcoate O'Donnell

(ZINYANGE AUNTONY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES)

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