Key Storylines
- AFRICA: South African President Cyril Ramaphosa intervened in a probe of alleged improper use of public resources by senior government officials.
- AMERICAS: California Governor Gavin Newsom toured communities devastated by the state’s ongoing wildfires and said the deadly, record-shattering fire season across the U.S. West should end all the debate over climate change.
- ASIA: Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, widely expected to succeed Shinzo Abe as prime minister, said he desired increased diplomacy and reliable communications with Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea.
- EUROPE: The United Kingdom is expected to sign a bilateral post-Brexit free trade deal with Japan in October with the aim of bringing it into force at the start of 2021, a British government source reported.
- MIDDLE EAST: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he supports the “important step” of Israel and Bahrain establishing diplomatic relations
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China’s state media condemned raids on the homes of Chinese journalists working in Australia, showing further strains in the relationship between the two major trading partners.
Top Story
- The Middle East and South Asia: Peace talks between the central government and the Taliban begin in Qatar.
- The Peace talks between the U.N recognized government and the Taliban seeking an end to the 19 years of war have opened in Doha.
- A delegation of leading Afghans left Kabul for Doha with the head of the delegation, Abdullah Abdullah, saying they were seeking “a just and dignified peace.”
- Zalmay Khalilzad, the U.S. envoy for Afghanistan reconciliation, told reporters that Afghans would be negotiating with each other, without a foreign mediator or a facilitator.
- In his remarks, Taliban representative Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar said that dialogue with the central government should lead to an Islamic system that would be inclusive to all Afghans.
- NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg praised the start of peace talks between the Taliban and the United Nations recognized Afghan government as a “historic opportunity.”
- Reporting: AFP, BBC, VOA, AP, AFP
Africa
- Mali: Six women, one of whom was pregnant, died in a landmine blast in southern regions, officials reported, in the latest violence to hit the war-torn Sahel state. (AFP)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa intervened in a probe of alleged improper use of public resources by senior government officials. (Xinhua)
- Zimbabwe: At least 26 great apes illegally taken from the Democratic Republic of the Congo have been seized in the country, where four accused traffickers have been arrested. (The Guardian)
Americas
- Bolivia: The interim government has used the justice system to carry out a political attack against ex-president Evo Morales and his allies, a Human Rights Watch report noted, an allegation the conservative administration rejected. (Reuters)
- Brazil: The nation’s death toll from Covid-19 surpassed 130,000, amid cautious optimism over signs the virus is finally slowing in the hard-hit South American country. (AFP)
- Colombia: The nation’s police denied that officers had been ordered to fire at protesters, after 13 people were reported to have been killed in protests against police brutality. (DPA)
- United States: California Governor Gavin Newsom toured communities devastated by the state’s ongoing wildfires and said the deadly, record-shattering fire season across the U.S. West should end all debate over climate change. (Reuters)
Asia
- India: The nation reported a record increase in COVID-19 cases for a second consecutive day, recording 97,570 new infections, data from the federal health ministry showed. (Reuters)
- Japan: Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, widely expected to succeed Shinzo Abe as prime minister, said he desired increased diplomacy and reliable communications with Asian neighbors, including China and South Korea. (Reuters)
- Pakistan: A journalist has been arrested in the port city of Karachi, accused of spreading hateful content against the country’s military on social media, according to police authorities and the journalist’s family. (RFE)
- South Korea: Citizens in Daejeon, a city about 150 kilometers south of Seoul, are confronting a chain of COVID-19 transmissions originating from a health care product business forum that has infected at least 54 people. (YNA)
Europe
- Czech Republic: The nation recorded its largest one-day increase so far of new COVID-19 infections, recording 1,447 cases, according to the Health Ministry’s information. (Reuters)
- Germany: The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the nation increased by 1,630 to 258,480, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases reported. (Reuters)
- Germany: Police said that they had seized about 250 firearms and a few thousand rounds of ammunition from a man suspected of being a far-right sympathizer. (AP)
- United Kingdom: The nation is expected to sign a bilateral post-Brexit free trade deal with Japan in October with the aim of bringing it into force at the start of 2021, a British government source reported. (Kyodo)
Middle East
- Bahrain: The king reiterated the necessity of reaching a fair and lasting peace between the Israelis and Palestinians, based on the two-state solution, in a call with U.S. President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, state news agency BNA reported. (Reuters)
- Egypt: President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said he supports the “important step” of Israel and Bahrain, establishing diplomatic relations. (Reuters)
- Iran: The nation stated that Bahrain is now a partner to Israel’s “crimes” after the two announced a deal to normalize relations after decades of animosity. (AFP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: China’s state media condemned raids on the homes of Chinese journalists working in Australia, showing further strains between the two major trading partners. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 12SEP20: 28,506,254
- Total Recovered Cases as of 12SEP20: 19,224,973
- Deaths as of 12SEP20: 915,920
- 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 06SEP20: 106
- Probable Cases as of 06SEP20: 6
- Deaths as of 06SEP20: 48
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (13SEP20)
- Russia: The nation will hold a single day of voting for regional elections in many of its federal subjects.
- Israel: The cabinet to vote on a new national lockdown due to spike in COVID cases.
- Nigeria: Health workers to begin nationwide strike.
END
