Overseas Security Advisory Council 2/13/2023

 

February 13, 2023

Today's Headlines OSAC's daily selection of global security news

East Asia & Pacific

China should restrain its forces so that they do not commit any "provocative act", the Philippine military said on Monday, after Manila accused China's coast guard of using a laser to try to disrupt a resupply mission to its ...

China sent 18 warplanes and four naval vessels into the waters and airspace around Taiwan, Taipei's military said Monday, after the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps held joint exercises in the South China Sea over the weekend.

Auckland residents are hunkering down Monday as they brace for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle WELLINGTON, New Zealand -- Auckland residents hunkered down Monday as they braced for a deluge from Cyclone Gabrielle, two weeks after a record-breaking s...

Europe

Moldova’s President has outlined what she says is Moscow’s plans to overthrow Moldova’s government, and involves the use of external saboteurs that would ultimately “put our country at the disposal of

UK Defence Intelligence believes that despite the current operational focus on central Donbas, maintaining defences in Zaporizhzhia Oblast is also critically important for the Russians. Source: European Pravda,

More than 34,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria last week, officials said. Follow live updates here.

The strike will last five days, ending on Friday, after beginning in November 2022. Staff at the British Museum in London will be on the picket line for seven days, starting today. Public access to the tourist attraction will be disrupted as more th...

Middle East & North Africa

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has criticized social media users and local media in Egypt for their argument with citizens and journalists from Gulf allies. The President accused unidentified online sites of attempting to drive a wedge ...

The strike hit an underground rocket manufacturing facility and other military sites of the terrorist organization in response to militants from the Palestinian enclave firing rockets at Israel on Saturday, the Israel Defense Forces said. The IDF ...

More than 34,000 people have been killed and tens of thousands injured after a magnitude 7.8 earthquake struck Turkey and Syria last week, officials said. Follow live updates here.

South & Central Asia

Last month, the New-York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the embassies of several Western countries urged the Kazakh authorities ... in the brutal murder should be arrested ...

AP’S ASSESSMENT: False. The video was captured in Kazakhstan in September 2022 and shows a Soyuz spacecraft passing through the night sky. THE FACTS: Among numerous misrepresented videos that circulated online after this week’s earthquake in Turkey ...

The largest public park in Pakistan's capital city was the site of the violent gang rape of a 24-year-old woman on Thursday and protesters are calling on law enforcement to step up its efforts to protect women.

Officials say Pakistan’s police have arrested at least 50 suspects in a mob lynching of a man already detained on charges of blasphemy

Western Hemisphere

Argentine officials have blamed organized "mafias" for promoting birth tourism to the South American country by Russian mothers-to-be amid a boom in numbers traveling there since the invasion of Ukraine looking to get their children citizenship.

Pope Francis on Sunday expressed sadness and worry at the news that Bishop Rolando Álvarez, an outspoken critic of the Nicaraguan government, had been sentenced to 26 years in prison.

Credit cards are becoming increasingly useless in Venezuela because of high inflation and government restrictions, hurting people already struggling to meet daily needs on low salaries, banking industry sources, analysts and consumers said.

OSAC Analysis Unclassified OSAC analytical reports and other resources

Europe

Published: February 07, 2023

The 59th Munich Security Conference (MSC) will take place February 17-19 in Munich, Germany at the Hotel Bayerischer Hof (HBH). Almost one year after Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, the 2023 MSC will convene a series of high-ranking interna...

South & Central Asia

Published: February 03, 2023

Increasing terrorist violence in Pakistan has prompted private sector concern over the extent to which the security-risk levels in Pakistan’s commercial hubs might be increasing. While most violence is concentrated in the western frontier provinces,...

Consular Messages - Department of State travel advisories and alerts

Europe

Published: February 12, 2023

Do not travel to Russia due to the unpredictable consequences of the unprovoked full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the potential for harassment and the singling out of U.S. citizens for detention by Russian government securit...

Published: February 12, 2023

U.S. Mission Türkiye notes that for individuals leaving earthquake-affected areas, commercial air and bus routes remain open, and many are free or available at low cost. There have also been reports of isolated security-related incidents in areas i...

Middle East & North Africa

Published: February 12, 2023

U.S. Mission Türkiye notes that for individuals leaving earthquake-affected areas, commercial air and bus routes remain open, and many are free or available at low cost. There have also been reports of isolated security-related incidents in areas i...

Events - Upcoming OSAC meetings, webinars, and training courses

Global

Please join the OSAC Council for a webinar on "How to Stop a Crisis" led by Michelle Newcome on 01 March 2023 at 11 a.m. ET.

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

Please RSVP to mcnicholsjv@state.gov or wartenberglg@state.gov RSVP with your contact information; Company Represented; Full name and Nationality Refreshments will be served.

OSAC's Energy Sector Committee (ESC) invites all ESC members to save the date for the upcoming ESC Spring Meeting at ExxonMobil Houston Campus in Spring, Texas on March 22 - 23, 2023.

The Europe Regional Committee (ERC) in partnership with the OSAC United Kingdom Country Chapter will be delivering a half day Crisis Management Workshop for Young Professionals in London on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. A full day Spring Conference and...

Event Start Date: March 29, 2023

All OSAC ASC members are encouraged to "save the date" for our next in-person Health, Safety, and Security Seminar hosted by Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN on April 13 - 14.

East Asia & Pacific

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST, OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a VIRTUAL discussion on climate security in Asia with Dr. Scott Moore of the University of P...

OSAC members based in New Zealand are invited to attend OSAC New Zealand's country chapter relaunch on 23 February 2023.

Event Start Date: February 17, 2023

Manila country chapter members are invited to a hybrid meeting on 17FEB2023 from 2-4 pm local (GMT +8).

Europe

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

Please join the OSAC Germany for a country chapter meeting on March 15, 2023.

Middle East & North Africa

Event Start Date: February 16, 2023

OSAC Bahrain - Manama Chapter will hold a Formal Network Gathering on Thursday, February 16 at 3:00pm local time (7:00am ET).

Event Start Date: March 15, 2023

The OSAC Iraq-Baghdad Chapter will meet in-person on Wednesday, March 15.

The MENA RC steering committee invites OSAC members to attend a virtual meeting at 10am ET on Wednesday, February 15 to discuss the escalation of tension in Israel and the West Bank.

South & Central Asia

On Wednesday, February 22, 2023, from 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST, OSAC's Pan-Asia Regional Committee (PARC) invites all OSAC Full-Access members to participate in a VIRTUAL discussion on climate security in Asia with Dr. Scott Moore of the University of P...

Western Hemisphere

OSAC's Latin America Regional Committee (LARC) invites all members to save the date for the LARC's Spring Conference in Miami, FL from March 7-9.

Event Start Date: February 16, 2023

All OSAC Uruguay Chapter members are invited to attend a hybrid meeting on Thursday, February 16 at 14:00 Uruguay local (12:00 Eastern).

The opinions expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of State or any affiliated organization(s). Nor have these opinions been approved or sanctioned by these organizations. This product is unclassified based on the definitions in E.O. 13526. OSAC’s full disclaimer and copyright policy is available on our site

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