Key Storylines
- AFRICA: The Libyan Center for Disease Control reported 796 additional COVID-19 cases, as the total confirmed cases in the country exceeded 27,000
- AMERICAS: President Trump said that he will nominate a woman in the next week to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court, foreshadowing a critical political battle that could transform the nation’s highest court and affect the presidential election.
- ASIA: New Delhi police have arrested a veteran Indian journalist on suspicion of being a Chinese spy, as the two countries continue their military stand-off over their disputed Himalayan border.
- EUROPE: More than 60,000 people have applied to volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccine trials in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview with the Nedelya v Gorode program.
- MIDDLE EAST: Five civilians were injured when a military projectile launched by the Iran-aligned Houthis movement hit a village in Saudi Arabia’s southern Jazan region, state media reported.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: TikTok owner Bytedance announced that it was the first time it had heard in the news it was setting up a $5 billion education fund in the United States.
Top Story
- Thailand: Largest pro-democracy protests in years take place in the nation.
- In a significant act of defiance against the ruling government, student protest leaders submitted a letter to the palace calling for reforms to the institution, a new government, and a rewrite of the constitution.
- Anti-government protesters have installed a plaque declaring Thailand “belongs to the people” in a sign of opposition to the monarchy.
- A demonstration by thousands of protesters in the capital city of Bangkok is ending after demands for King Maha Vajiralongkorn were handed over to police, one of the protest leaders announced.
- Anti-government protesters declared “victory” after handing in their demands.
- Reporting: DPA, BBC, Reuters, CNN,
Africa
- Libya: The Coast Guard rescued 128 illegal migrants off the country’s western coast, authorities said. (Xinhua)
- Libya: The National Center for Disease Control reported 796 additional COVID-19 cases, as the total confirmed cases in the country exceeded 27,000. (Xinhua)
- Nigeria: The country’s economic hub Lagos is set to reopen gyms and cinemas after months of shutdown amid the COVID-19 pandemic. (Xinhua)
Americas
- Canada: John Turner, a Liberal Party politician who served shortly as the justice and finance ministers before being the country’s 17th prime minister, has died at age 91, his family reported. (AP)
- Mexico: A court has unfrozen the bank accounts of a local company blacklisted by the United States for trading in oil with Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA despite U.S. sanctions, the national anti-money laundering unit reported. (Reuters)
- United States: President Trump said that he will nominate a woman in the next week to fill Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s seat on the Supreme Court, foreshadowing a critical political battle that could transform the nation’s highest court and affect the presidential election. (AP)
Asia
- Region: Police said that they have taken into custody a North Korean defector for attempting to cross into his homeland through a military unit in an eastern border town. (YNA)
- Afghanistan: Taliban insurgents launched offensives on Shuhada and Khash districts of northern Badakhshan province early, but the attacks have been repulsed, according to the provincial government spokesman Nik Mohammad Nazari. (Xinhua)
- India: New Delhi police have arrested a veteran journalist on suspicion of being a Chinese spy, as the two countries continue their military stand-off over their disputed Himalayan border. (FT)
- South Korea: All kindergartens and schools in Seoul and its adjacent areas will resume limited in-person classes this week, the education ministry reported, as the spread of COVID-19 is showing signs of slowing down. (YNA)
Europe
- Region: The European Union wants to equip itself with new abilities to punish large technology companies, the Financial Times reported. (Reuters)
- Germany: The domestic humanitarian aid organization Sea-Eye has stated that its Alan Kurdi rescue ship had picked up more than 100 migrants trying to reach Europe in the Mediterranean Sea. (DPA)
- Russia: More than 60,000 people have applied to volunteer for the COVID-19 vaccine trials in Moscow, Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said in an interview with the Nedelya v Gorode program on Russian TV. (TASS)
- Russia: The nation reported 6,148 new COVID-19 cases, the second straight day when the daily number of cases exceeded 6,000, taking the national tally of infections to 1,103,399. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Egypt: The nation registered an additional 128 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 101,900, said its Health Ministry. (Xinhua)
- Iran: United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council that he cannot take any action on a U.S. declaration that all U.N sanctions on the nation had been reimposed because “there would appear to be uncertainty” on the issue. (Reuters)
- Yemen: Five civilians were injured when a military projectile launched by the Iran-aligned Houthis movement hit a village in Saudi Arabia’s southern Jazan region, state media reported. (Reuters)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: TikTok owner Bytedance announced that it was the first time it had heard in the news it was setting up a $5 billion education fund in the United States. (Reuters)
World
- Cyclones:
- Hurricanes:
- Hurricane Teddy
- Location:28N 62W
- Movement: NW
- Wind:115 mph
- Map
- Hurricane Teddy
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 20SEP20: 30,800,771
- Total Recovered Cases as of 20SEP20: 21,059,531
- Deaths as of 20SEP20: 957,316
- 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 11SEP20: 115
- Probable Cases as of 11SEP20: 6
- Deaths as of 11SEP20: 48
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (21SEP20)
- Global: U.N. Private Sector Forum
- Global: United Nations Security Council mandates expire for the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh/ISIL (UNITAD) and the Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO)
- United States: CBO releases long-term budget outlook
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