Key Storylines
- AFRICA: Turkey has expanded its exports of armed drones by negotiating sales deals with Morocco and Ethiopia.
- AMERICAS: The Biden administration announced that the borders with Canada and Mexico will be reopened to vaccinated travelers next month.
- ASIA: Japan dissolved its parliament setting the stage for an election at the end of the month that will pit new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida against unpopular opposition.
- EUROPE: Russian President Vladimir Putin said talk of his possible successor “destabilizes” the country’s political system and that he had not yet decided about his future.
- MIDDLE EAST: An Israeli airstrike near Palmyra killed one government soldier and three pro-Iranian militia.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson accused Facebook of providing false testimony in a campaign finance lawsuit.
Top Story
- China: Beijing is set to send three astronauts on the longest crew mission yet.
- China is preparing to send three astronauts to live on the Tiangong space station for six months, the longest space mission on record for Chinese astronauts.
- The China Manned Space Agency (CMSA) said the Shenzhou-13 space mission will include the installation of important devices for mechanical arms as well as various sci-tech experiments and applications.
- Wang Yaping will become China’s first female astronaut to work in its new Tianhe core module of the Chinese space station.
- The Shenzhou-13 spaceship is expected to be launched into space on a Long March-2F rocket early Saturday morning from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.
- China’s heavily promoted space program has already seen the country land a rover on Mars and send probes to the moon.
- WaPo, Xinhua, South China Morning Post, CGTN, AFP
Africa
- Region: Turkey has expanded its exports of armed drones by negotiating sales deals with Morocco and Ethiopia. (Reuters)
- Nigeria: Authorities have announced that government workers who have not received Covid-19 jabs will not be allowed into their offices from December. (BBC)
- South Africa: The country’s largest engineering union has rejected a new wage offer as a strike that has already hit output at carmaker BMW enters its second week. (Reuters)
- Uganda: The police force said the country will deploy a contingent of 160 police officers to Somalia for peacekeeping operations. (Xinhua)
Americas
- Region: The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warned that agriculture is one of the hardest hit sectors by climate change in Latin America and the Caribbean. (Xinhua)
- United States: The government is reportedly hopeful that it can resolve its trade dispute over steel and aluminum tariffs with the European Union before the end of October. (Reuters)
- United States: The Biden administration announced that the borders with Canada and Mexico will be reopened to vaccinated travelers next month. (AP)
- Venezuela: The United Nations Human Rights Office called for an independent investigation into the death in prison of dissident General Raul Baduel. (AFP)
Asia
- Region: The commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command John Aquilino said a defense pact between Australia, the United States and Britain will ensure peace, security, and stability in the region. (Reuters)
- Indonesia: Bali reopened to international flights from China, Japan, and France, as the pandemic-struck holiday destination welcomes back tourists. (AFP)
- Japan: The country dissolved its parliament setting the stage for an election at the end of the month that will pit new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida against unpopular opposition. (Reuters)
- North Korea: UN Special Rapporteur Tomás Ojea Quintana reported to the General Assembly that children and the elderly are at risk of starvation amid pandemic restrictions. (AP)
- Taiwan: Officials said an overnight fire tore through a building in the southern city of Kaohsiung killing 46 people and injuring dozens of others. (AFP)
Europe
- Czech Republic: Opposition groups, who won a combined majority in the weekend’s elections, announced they would present a coalition plan by November 8. (Reuters)
- France: The government will ask lawmakers to extend the pandemic state of emergency, currently set to expire in November, to July 31, 2022. (Reuters)
- Latvia: President Egils Levits has tested positive for the coronavirus. (DPA)
- Russia: President Vladimir Putin said talk of his possible successor “destabilizes” the country’s political system and that he had not yet decided about his future. (AFP)
- Spain: A 4.5-magnitude earthquake shook La Palma island in what was the strongest recorded since a local volcano began erupting 26 days ago. (AP)
Middle East
- Afghanistan: A Taliban delegation led by foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will hold talks in Turkey with foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu. (Reuters)
- Lebanon: At least three people have been killed in armed clashes in Beirut amid protests against the lead judge investigating last year’s massive blast in the city’s port. (AP)
- Syria: An Israeli airstrike near Palmyra killed one government soldier and three pro-Iranian militia. (AFP)
- United Arab Emirates: Oil minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei said demand for energy and especially natural gas is peaking, and that it was important to maintain balance in the market. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson accused Facebook of providing false testimony in a campaign finance lawsuit. (AP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report
- Hurricanes:
- Tropical Storm Kompasu
- Location: 19.5N 106.7E
- Movement: WNW
- Wind: 40 mph
- Map
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes:
- La Palma, Spain
- Explosive activity continues
- Erupting
- Source
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 14OCT21)
- Confirmed cases: 239,241,539
- Deaths: 4,876,001
- Countries with confirmed cases: 192
- Sourcing: John Hopkins University
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global (as of 14OCT21)
- La Palma, Spain
- Tropical Storm Kompasu
Tomorrow’s Outlook (15OCT21)
- Global: International Day of Rural Women.
- Belgium: Visit by German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
- Cambodia: Commemoration Day of the King’s Father.
- Eurasia: Commonwealth of Independent States Council of Heads of State summit, virtual.
- India: Issuing of tourist visas planned to resume.
- Tunisia: Evacuation Day.
- United Kingdom: Visit by US Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland.
- United States: World Bank and IMF Annual Meeting in Washington DC. (to 17OCT)
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