Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Ugandan authorities stated the supply of blood in the country declined drastically during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic due to fewer people making donations and schools remaining closed.
- AMERICAS: US President Donald Trump ventured outside Walter Reed Hospital in a motorcade to greet supporters despite his ongoing battle with the coronavirus, with doctors saying the viruses caused his blood oxygen levels to plummet twice in recent days.
- ASIA: Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani is set to visit Qatar to hold bilateral talks with Qatari leaders, but is not expected to meet Taliban officials taking part in peace discussions while in Qatar.
- EUROPE: Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed clashes over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, as both countries accused the other of starting the attacks.
- MIDDLE EAST: Oman become the first Gulf State to reinstate its ambassador in Syria since the Syrian civil war started.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: The United Kingdom’s ruling monarch Queen Elizabeth gave a forceful endorsement of traditional media for their vital public service during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
Top Story
- Europe: EC President Ursula von der Leyen self-isolating after COVID-19 contact.
- European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced she was self-isolating after coming into contact with a person infected with coronavirus.
- President von der Leyen said the individual who tested positive for the virus was in a meeting with her last Tuesday but tested positive for the virus only yesterday.
- She also added that she tested negative for the virus on Thursday, but was set to undergo another test today.
- President von der Leyen will be in self-isolation until tomorrow “in accordance with regulations in force.”, which puts tomorrow’s scheduled meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelensky in doubt.
- Reporting: DPA, Reuters, CNN, Deutsche Welle
Africa
- Djibouti: The UN’s migration agency said at least eight migrants died and twelve others are missing following an encounter with smugglers off the country’s coast. (Reuters)
- Libya: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas and other foreign diplomats are set to meet for a follow-up discussion to this year’s Berlin conference on the situation in the country. (DPA)
- Mali: The government reportedly agreed to release 100 suspected jihadists in exchange for the release of a politician and kidnapped French charity worker. (AFP)
- Uganda: Authorities stated the supply of blood in the country declined drastically during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic due to fewer people making donations and schools remaining closed. (AP)
Americas
- Region: Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said his country sent back almost 3,500 Honduran migrants that were heading to the US due to coronavirus concerns. (AFP)
- Bolivia: The country held its first presidential election debate in almost two decades, featuring candidates from all major parties. (Reuters)
- Chile: A police officer who allegedly threw a 16-year-old person into a river during a protest was arrested. (AP)
- United States: President Donald Trump ventured outside Walter Reed Hospital in a motorcade to greet supporters despite his ongoing battle with the coronavirus, with doctors saying the virus caused his blood oxygen levels to plummet twice in recent days. (AP)
Asia
- Region: The leaders of five Micronesian nations, who do not have a unified stance on China, threatened to withdraw from the Pacific Islands Forum if they do not get to choose the head of the regional grouping, risking instability in an area where China is pushing for influence. (AFP)
- Afghanistan: President Ashraf Ghani is set to visit Qatar to hold bilateral talks with Qatari leaders, but is not expected to meet Taliban officials taking part in peace discussions while in Qatar. (Reuters)
- Kyrgyzstan: Near-complete preliminary results of the country’s parliamentary elections show parties aligned with the country’s pro-Russia President Sooronbai Jeenbekov securing the most votes, but the opposition rejected the results over allegations of irregularities. (RFE-RL)
- Pakistan: The police filed sedition charges against former President Nawaz Sharif and other members of his party just days before the opposition plans to hold anti-government rallies. (RFE-RL)
Europe
- Region: Armenia and Azerbaijan resumed clashes over the separatist territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, as both countries accused the other of starting the attacks. (AP)
- Belarus: An estimated 100,000 people took to the streets of capital city Minsk in protest against the country’s embattled President Alexander Lukashenko and were met with police water cannons. (VOA)
- France: Prime Minister Jean Castex ordered capital city Paris to be placed on a maximum coronavirus alert. (Guardian)
- Germany: The Central Council of Jews, the country’s leading Jewish group, called the attack on a Jewish student outside a synagogue in the city of Hamburg an attack that could “only be classified as anti-Semitic.”. (AP)
Middle East
- Region: Oman become the first Gulf State to reinstate its ambassador in Syria since the Syrian civil war started. (Reuters)
- Region: Israeli Defense Minister Benny Gantz accused Turkey of working to destabilize the Middle East and making it harder for peace efforts to succeed in the region, as he also called for international pressure to change Turkey’s behavior. (Reuters)
- Iraq: The military said two Katyusha rockets fell in Baghdad’s Jadiriya area that lies near the city’s heavily fortified Green Zone, but reported no casualties from the incident. (Reuters)
- Saudi Arabia: The leader of the country’s Chambers of Commerce called for a boycott of Turkish goods amid reports of the flow of goods being hindered due to tensions between the Riyadh and Ankara. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Media: The United Kingdom’s ruling monarch Queen Elizabeth gave a forceful endorsement of traditional media for their vital public service during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Chan-Hom
- Location: 781 nautical miles South of Yokosuka, Japan
- Wind: 40 mph
- Movement: W at 2 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Chan-Hom
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Gamma
- Location: 170 miles NE of Progreso, Mexico
- Wind: 50 mph
- Movement: W-SW at 2 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Gamma
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 05OCT20: 35,216,168
- Total Recovered Cases as of 05OCT20: 24,530,554
- Deaths as of 05OCT20: 1,037,557
- 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 (06OCT20)
- Global: The WHO’s Executive Board will continue its special session on the response to the global coronavirus pandemic.
- Global: The winners of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Physics will be announced.
- Global: The second phase of consultations in the WTO’s leadership contest will end, with the field of candidates likely to be whittled down to just two candidates.
- Global: The 71st Session of the Executive Committee of the UN’s migrant and refugee agency will be held. (to 09OCT)
- Global: The OECD is expected to launch its “International Migration Outlook”.
- Global: The Wall Street Journal will hold a virtual summit that will be attended by, among others, ECB President Christine Lagarde and German Finance Minister Olaf Scholz.
- Global: The WTO will hold informal negotiations and discussions on fishing subsidies. (to 09OCT)
- Asia: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Japan to meet with the Foreign Ministers of Japan, India and Australia.
- Asia: The Health Ministers of 37 countries in the Asia-Pacific region will meet virtually for the 75th session of the WHO Regional Committee for the Western Pacific to discuss the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. (to 09OCT)
- Asia: The 70th anniversary of China’s invasion of Tibet.
- Europe: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will meet with European Council President Charles Michel at the EU-Ukraine summit in Belgium.
- Europe: EU Finance Ministers will hold a virtual meeting.
- Europe: The European Commission will release a new strategy aimed at achieving equality for the Roma people.
- Europe: Energy Ministers of EU member-states will hold informational meetings.
- Australia: Treasurer Josh Frydenberg is expected to introduce the budget in Parliament.
- Germany: Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya will meet with Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the ongoing situation in Belarus, following that country’s recent disputed presidential election.
- Germany: Interior Minister Horst Seehofer will release a report on extremism and extremists among the country’s intelligence agencies and police forces.
- Greece: NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg will visit and meet with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and Defense Minister Nikos Panagiotopoulos, a day after his visit to neighboring Turkey.
- Hungary: The European Court of Justice will rule on the government’s law that winded-down the George Soros-backed Central European University.
- Jordan: Registrations will open for candidates who wish to compete in the country’s upcoming parliamentary elections.
- Pakistan: The Supreme Court is likely to hold hearings on the appeal against the acquittal of four men over the slaying of US journalist Daniel Pearl. (to 07OCT)
- Ukraine: The European Court of Justice will hear former President Viktor Yanukovych’s appeal against the EU sanctions imposed upon him.
- United Kingdom: The ruling Conservative party will hold its annual conference virtually. with Prime Minister Boris Johnson expected to address the conference.
- United States: The Supreme Court will hear a case on whether the Religious Freedom Restoration Act permits lawsuits against individual federal employees.
- United States: The Senate Committee on the Judiciary will hold its latest hearing on the FBI’s ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation.
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