Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Turkey said that a maritime demarcation agreement with Libya’s internationally-recognized government was registered with the United Nations.
- AMERICAS: Guatemala vowed to detain and return members of a caravan of about 2,000 migrants that set out from neighboring Honduras, saying they represent a health threat amid the coronavirus pandemic.
- ASIA: Australia is set to allow people from New Zealand to travel to Australia, in the first opening of international borders by either country since the new coronavirus forced them to close their borders.
- EUROPE: The Turkish Foreign Ministry chastised the European Union, saying many areas of the ongoing EU Summit’s decisions related to Turkey were “divorced from realities”, as it also expressed concerns over the EU’s repeated references to potential sanctions on Ankara.
- MIDDLE EAST: A new Amnesty International report details widespread abuses in Saudi Arabia’s migrant detention facilities, including beatings, electrocutions, and other abusive practices.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Human Rights Watch has criticized Russia’s plans to expand the use of “invasive” facial-recognition systems because of the group’s “serious concern” over the project’s potential threat to privacy.
Top Story
- United States: President Trump tests positive for the new coronavirus.
- President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump have tested positive for the new coronavirus and are now self-isolating.
- The White House physician said President Trump is expected to continue with his duties “without disruption” while recovering but added that the President will remain at the White House until his recovery.
- President Trump made the announcement just hours after one his top aides Hope Hicks, who traveled with him on Air Force One and Marine One this week to Ohio where Tuesday’s presidential debate was held, tested positive for the virus earlier in the day.
- No other senior government official has reported taking any coronavirus tests currently, apart from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, currently on a tour in Europe, who announced he has tested negative for the new coronavirus.
- It also remains uncertain how this news will affect the upcoming presidential election that is now just one month away.
- Reporting: ABC, WaPo, AP, Reuters, BBC, WSJ, NYT, Guardian, AFP
Africa
- Region: Turkey said that a maritime demarcation agreement with Libya’s internationally-recognized government was registered with the United Nations. (Reuters)
- Central African Republic: The UN under secretary-general for peacekeeping Jean-Pierre Lacroix said “There is a consensus” for the country to conduct elections as planned in December. (AFP)
- Sudan: The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has pledged $70 million to support 600,000 families who have been affected by severe flooding caused by record heavy rainfall this year. (VOA)
Americas
- Region: Guatemala vowed to detain and return members of a caravan of about 2,000 migrants that set out from neighboring Honduras, saying they represent a health threat amid the coronavirus pandemic. (AP)
- Haiti: Money exchange businesses have temporarily closed after agents went on strike to protest a new regulation issued by the country’s central bank which mandates all transactions be paid out in the country’s currency. (VOA)
- Mexico: The Supreme Court narrowly backed a bid by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador to hold a referendum on the potential prosecution of five of his predecessors. (Reuters)
- Venezuela: Nicolás Maduro’s officials insisted they will hold legislative elections in December, that have already been boycotted by opposition parties led by congress chief Juan Guaidó, despite the European Union’s call to delay them. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: The Hong Kong murder suspect whose case led to the city’s government trying to pass an extradition bill last year that triggered massive protests said he was making arrangements to return to Taiwan to answer the murder charges against him. (AP)
- Region: Australia is set to allow people from New Zealand to travel to Australia, in the first opening of international borders by either country since the new coronavirus forced them to close their borders. (BBC)
- Indonesia: Parliament is set to approve a President Joko Widodo-backed coronavirus stimulus package that the opposition says will undermine worker protections and allow for the destruction of the country’s rainforests. (NYT)
- Thailand: The country’s “Bad Student” campaigners and activists, part of a larger anti-government protest movement, toured high school campuses in Bangkok to demand education reform and an end to rules they claim are outdated. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: Armenia says it is ready to talk with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) to reinstate a ceasefire in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. (Deutsche Welle)
- Belarus: European Union leaders struck an agreement to impose sanctions on dozens of the country’s senior officials for their role in cracking down on protesters and falsifying presidential election results. (Guardian)
- France: President Emmanuel Macron is set to introduce a law that will seek to get rid of what authorities say is a “parallel society” of radical Muslims living outside the country’s values. (AP)
- Turkey: The Foreign Ministry chastised the European Union, saying many areas of the ongoing EU Summit’s decisions related to Ankara were “divorced from realities”, as it also expressed concerns over the EU’s repeated references to potential sanctions on the country. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Region: The Saudi Arabian city of Mecca is set to reopen the Muslim holy sites for the year-round umrah pilgrimage that draws millions of Muslims from across the globe each year. (AFP)
- Region: Israel and Lebanon have agreed to US-brokered talks over a longtime maritime border dispute between the countries. (BBC)
- Lebanon: The country has asked Interpol to arrest the Russian captain and owner of the ship that caused a massive explosion in the port of capital city Beirut. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: A new Amnesty International report details widespread abuses in the country’s migrant detention facilities, including beatings, electrocutions, and other abusive practices. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Cybersecurity: Human Rights Watch has criticized Russia’s plans to expand the use of “invasive” facial-recognition systems because of the group’s “serious concern” over the project’s potential threat to privacy. (RFE-RL)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 02OCT20: 34,320,259
- Total Recovered Cases as of 02OCT20: 23,877,176
- Deaths as of 02OCT20: 1,023,395
- Countries with Confirmed Cases: 188
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- Ebola Virus Disease: DR Congo (11th Ebola outbreak figures from Equateur Province)
- Confirmed Cases as of 26SEP20: 118
- Probable Cases as of 26SEP20: 6
- Deaths as of 26SEP20: 50
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (03OCT20)
- Czech Republic: Senate and regional elections will be held.
- Germany: Anti-coronavirus rallies are expected to be held in Konstanz.
- Germany: German Unity Day – 1990
- Iraq: Independence Day – 1932
- Italy: Far-right leader Matteo Salvini’s trial over allegedly illegally detaining migrants at sea will be held.
- Italy: Pope Francis will visit the Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.
- Sudan: Additional key rebel groups are expected to sign a peace treaty with the government.
- United Kingdom: Prime Minister Boris Johnson will speak to European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen to discuss the ongoing Brexit negotiations.
- United Kingdom: The ruling Conservative party will hold its annual conference virtually. (to 06OCT)
- United Kingdom: The country’s armed forces will conduct the Exercise Joint Warrior along with the armed forces of France, Germany, the Netherlands, Turkey, Japan, Canada, and the United States. (to 15OCT)
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