Key Storylines
- AFRICA: President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised address that South Africa will ease COVID-19 restrictions and shorten its nationwide curfew from Monday after a decline in infections.
- AMERICAS: A Nicaraguan political activist who is against the government of President Daniel Ortega is in critical condition in a Costa Rica hospital after being shot.
- ASIA: The Japanese Foreign Ministry is urging its citizens to stay away from religious facilities and crowds in six Southeast Asian nations, warning of a possible attack.
- EUROPE: Pope Francis said that Hungary could preserve its Christian roots while opening up to the needy, a response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s position that Muslim immigration could destroy its heritage.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and visiting Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for further bilateral cooperation in the cultural and economic fields.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: China told its tech giants to end a long-standing practice of blocking each other’s links on their sites or face consequences.
Top Story
- North Korea: Pyongyang tests its first strategic cruise missile with possible nuclear capability.
- North Korea carried out successful tests of a new long-range cruise missile over the weekend, which may be the country’s first weapon with a nuclear capability.
- The state-run Korean Central News Agency reported that the missiles showed they can hit targets 1,500 kilometers (930 miles) away.
- The tests over the weekend indicate that North Korea is still capable of developing weapons despite food shortages and an ongoing economic crisis.
- The launches took place ahead of a Tokyo trip for President Biden’s nuclear envoy, Sung Kim, who is scheduled to meet with his Japanese and South Korean counterparts this week.
- U.S Indo-Pacific Command released a statement stating that they “are aware of reports of DPRK cruise missile launches. We will continue to monitor the situation and are consulting closely with our allies and partners.”
- Reuters, AP, BBC, WaPo, Yonhap
Africa
- Angola: Health minister Silvia Lutucuta expressed concern over the exponential increase in COVID-19 cases in the country’s third pandemic wave. (Xinhua)
- Libya: The embassies of France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States called for “all actors” to ensure the holding of parliamentary and presidential elections slated for Dec. 24. (Xinhua)
- Nigeria: Gunmen have killed 12 security forces members in a weekend attack on a military base in northwest Zamfara state. (AFP)
- South Africa: President Cyril Ramaphosa said in a televised address that the country will ease COVID-19 restrictions and shorten its nationwide curfew from Monday after a decline in infections. (Reuters)
Americas
- Argentina: President Alberto Fernández emphasized voting in the Primary, Open, Simultaneous, and Mandatory elections (PASO), in which citizens choose the candidates that will face off in the legislative elections scheduled for Nov. 14. (Xinhua)
- Nicaragua: A political activist who is against the government of President Daniel Ortega is in critical condition in a Costa Rica hospital after being shot. (Reuters)
- Peru: Officials are expected to decide on what to do with the body of Abimael Guzmán, the founder of the Shining Path rebel group, who died in prison on Saturday. (BBC)
- United States: President Joe Biden will announce new steps to curb the spread of COVID-19 before the U.N. General Assembly meets. (Reuters)
Asia
- Indonesia: A helicopter crashed with its propeller and tail broken at Budiarto airport in Tangerang town near Jakarta. (Xinhua)
- Japan: The Foreign Ministry is urging its citizens to stay away from religious facilities and crowds in six Southeast Asian nations, warning of a possible attack. (AP)
- Myanmar: Former leader Aung San Suu Kyi skipped the resumption of her trial in a junta court because she felt ill. (AFP)
- New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Arden said the largest city of Auckland will remain in strict Covid-19 lockdown for at least another week as a result of the Delta variant outbreak. (AFP)
- Vietnam: The country’s COVID-19 epicenter Ho Chi Minh City will extend its restrictions as the capital Hanoi and several provinces sought an easing of curbs and the aviation authority proposed domestic flights resume. (Reuters)
Europe
- Germany: Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right party has maintained its position as the strongest party in the Lower Saxony state. (AP)
- Hungary: Pope Francis said that the country could preserve its Christian roots while opening up to the needy, a response to Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s position that Muslim immigration could destroy its heritage. (Reuters)
- Norway: The country holds its final day of parliamentary elections dominated by climate change and economic inequality, with the center-left opposition widely expected to replace a Conservative-led government that has ruled for eight years. (Reuters)
- Spain: Around 2,000 people have left their homes after wildfires broke out in the southern region of Andalusia. (BBC)
- United Kingdom: The government terminated an agreement with French pharmaceutical startup Valneva for it to supply tens of millions of COVID-19 vaccines. (AP)
Middle East
- Region: Iranian president Ebrahim Raisi and visiting Iraqi prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi called for further bilateral cooperation in the cultural and economic fields. (Xinhua)
- Afghanistan: The United Nations is hosting a high-level donors conference to collect emergency funds for the country after the Taliban took over last month. (AP)
- Iran: The country and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reached an agreement to solve the overdue servicing of monitoring equipment to keep it running, raising hopes of fresh talks on a wider deal with the West. (Reuters)
- Israel: Israeli aircraft struck a series of targets in the Gaza Strip in response to rocket launches out of the territory. (AP)
- Lebanon: President Michel Aoun said he hopes the new cabinet’s policy program would include a resumption of talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Technology: China told its tech giants to end a long-standing practice of blocking each other’s links on their sites or face consequences. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Nicholas
- Location: 25.5N 96.6W
- Movement: N
- Wind: 60 mph
- Map
- Typhoon Chanthu
- Location: 30.7N 123.4E
- Movement: N
- Wind: 86 mph
- Map
- Earthquakes:
- Salta, Argentina
- Magnitude: 6.2
- Depth: 193.4 km
- Map
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 13SEP21)
- Confirmed cases: 224,705,329
- Deaths: 4,631,661
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 13SEP21)
Tomorrow’s Outlook (14SEP21)
- Global: UN General Assembly begins. (to 30SEP)
- Global: G20 Finance and Central Bank Deputies meeting concludes.
- Global: N. Security Council meetings on Libya and Sudan.
- Event: GMF discussion with Dem Rep. Ami Bera. and GOP Rep. Steve Chabot on Taiwan Peace and Stability Act.
- Event: Wilson Center discussion on AI and allies in the Indo-Pacific.
- Asia: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi visiting Vietnam, Cambodia, Singapore, and South Korea. (to 15SEP)
- United States: President Biden concludes Idaho / California / Colorado visit.
- United States: Antony Blinken testifies to Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Afghanistan withdrawal.
- United States: House Foreign Affairs subcommittee closed hearing on ‘Changing Dynamics in the South China Sea’.
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