Key Storylines
- AFRICA: EU Foreign Ministers are reportedly set to agree to new sanctions on three firms from Turkey, Jordan and Kazakhstan, for breaching an arms embargo related to Libya.
- AMERICAS: Confidential documents submitted by global banks to the US government reportedly show banks moving allegedly illicit funds despite red flags about the origins of these funds.
- ASIA: Taiwan’s military said it has a right to self-defense and counter-attack, in what is being considered a warning to China after it sent numerous jets across the midline of the sensitive Taiwan Strait.
- EUROPE: A Bulgarian court handed down a life imprisonment sentence to two men over a deadly 2012 bus bomb attack on Israeli tourists at the country’s Burgas airport.
- MIDDLE EAST: Iran’s currency declined to a record low as the US said it was ready to enforce all international sanctions against Tehran, and as most of the world dismissed the US announcement for now.
- GLOBAL ISSUES: The United Nations is set to officially mark its 75th anniversary, a day ahead of the opening of the general debate of the 75th UN General Assembly.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Australian reporter Matthew Carney, who previously was stationed in China, said that both he and his daughter were threatened with detention prior to their leaving China two years earlier.
Top Story
- Thailand: Plaque challenging monarchy disappears from near palace.
- A plaque commemorating the struggles for democracy in Thailand at the Sanam Luang field in capital Bangkok, where tens of thousands of people rallied peacefully over the weekend, was removed by authorities.
- The plaque, which was installed at the field near the royal Grand Palace just a day earlier, included a declaration by anti-government protesters that Thailand “belongs to the people, and not the king”.
- The anti-government protesters also called for reforms to the monarchy of King Maha Vajiralongkorn, and submitted a letter to the palace calling for a new government and constitutional amendments.
- Bangkok police said they were investigating the plaque’s disappearance, adding that they may charge those behind the symbolic gesture.
- Reporting: DPA, Reuters, BBC, AP
Africa
- Libya: EU Foreign Ministers are reportedly set to agree to new sanctions on three firms from Turkey, Jordan and Kazakhstan, for breaching an arms embargo related to the country. (DPA)
- Nigeria: The country’s health workers agreed to suspend a week-long strike over coronavirus hazard pay and inadequate facilities. (AFP)
- Sudan: Government officials are set to meet with US officials during a visit to the UAE, and discuss the country’s removal from the US list of state sponsors of terror. (Reuters)
Americas
- Brazil: President Jair Bolsonaro says he will undergo surgery to remove a bladder stone this week. (Reuters)
- Canada: The country’s most populous province, Ontario, announced new coronavirus restrictions and measures amid a surge in new coronavirus cases. (Guardian)
- Honduras: President Juan Orlando Hernandez said the country will try and move its embassy in Israel to Jerusalem by the end of this year. (Reuters)
- United States: Confidential documents submitted by global banks to the government reportedly show banks moving allegedly illicit funds despite red flags about the origins of these funds. (Reuters)
Asia
- Region: Indian and Chinese military leaders are holding another round of discussions to defuse a tense months long standoff along their disputed border in the mountainous Ladakh region. (AP)
- Region: Taiwan’s military said it has a right to self-defense and counter-attack, in what is being considered a warning to China after it sent numerous jets across the midline of the sensitive Taiwan Strait. (Reuters)
- China: The country’s Air Force released a video depicting nuclear-capable H-6 bombers conducting a simulated attack on what is seemingly the US Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam. (Reuters)
- Japan: The Foreign Ministry said Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga held his first phone call with US President Donald Trump, during which the two leaders agreed to strengthen the relationship between their countries. (DPA)
- New Zealand: Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said that, with the exception of Auckland, the country lowered the coronavirus alert setting as it was making progress towards the elimination of the coronavirus once again. (AFP)
Europe
- Bulgaria: A court handed down a life imprisonment sentence to two men over a deadly 2012 bus bomb attack on Israeli tourists at the country’s Burgas airport. (AFP)
- Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban endorsed US President Donald Trump for the US presidential election, saying his rival Democrats forced a “moral imperialism” on the world that leaders like him reject. (Reuters)
- Spain: The residents of some of the poorer areas in capital city Madrid protested the government’s new coronavirus lockdown. (BBC)
- Switzerland: Hundreds of protesters occupied a square near the parliament building in Bern, in what they say is an attempt to highlight government inaction on climate change. (Reuters)
Middle East
- Iran: The country’s currency declined to a record low as the US said it was ready to enforce all international sanctions against Tehran, and as most of the world dismissed the US announcement for now. (WaPo)
- Israel: A court approved the extradition of a former teacher who is wanted in Australia over child sex abuse charges, potentially paving the way for her to stand trial in Australia after a six-year legal battle. (AP)
- Lebanon: Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib urged all political factions to cooperate in the effort to create a new government for the country and so that the French initiative succeeds immediately. (Reuters)
Global Issues
- UN: The United Nations is set to officially mark its 75th anniversary, a day ahead of the opening of the general debate of the 75th UN General Assembly. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Media: Australian reporter Matthew Carney, who was previously stationed in China, said that both he and his daughter were threatened with detention prior to their leaving China two years earlier. (AP)
World
- Cyclones:
- Tropical Storm Dolphin
- Location: 651 nautical miles S-SW of Yokosuka, Japan
- Wind: 50 mph
- Movement: N-NE at 5 mph
- Map
- Tropical Storm Dolphin
- Hurricanes:
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 21SEP20: 31,079,041
- Total Recovered Cases as of 21SEP20: 21,264,218
- Deaths as of 21SEP20: 960,992
- 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 (22SEP20)
- Global: The UN General Assembly’s high-level debate will be held. (to 29SEP)
- Global: The Trade Ministers of G20 countries will hold a virtual meeting.
- Global: The UN Conference on Trade and Development’s annual global trade and development report will be released.
- Europe: Russian armed forces, as well as the militaries of Belarus, China, Armenia, Myanmar, Pakistan and Iran, to conduct military exercises in Russia’s Caucasus region. (to 26SEP)
- Europe: The European Court of Justice will rule on Austria’s complaint against the European Commission’s decision to approve state funding for the UK’s Hinkley Point nuclear power plant.
- Bulgaria: Anti-government protests are expected to take place in the capital city Sofia.
- Mali: Independence Day – 1960
- Panama: The government will review its coronavirus related suspension of international flights.
- Saudi Arabia: Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud will speak at the 11th Clean Energy Ministerial meeting.
- Sudan: The new tentative date for the trial of the country’s former strongman leader Omar al-Bashir.
- Thailand: Public sector representatives, led by human rights NGO iLaw, are expected to deliver a petition signed by 70,000 people proposing constitutional amendments to Parliament. The legislature is then expected to discuss the petition for two days. (to 24SEP)
- Ukraine: The EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell will visit and meet with President Volodymyr Zelensky, Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, and Defense Minister Andrii Taran.
- United Kingdom: The Labour Party will hold its annual conference in the form of an online event called “Connected”.
- United Kingdom: Parliament is expected to vote on the controversial new bill proposed by Prime Minister Boris Johnson that overrides part of the country’s EU withdrawal agreement.
- United States: The Senate Foreign Committee will deliberate on ambassadorial nominations.
- United States: The Senate Transportation subcommittee will hold a hearing on the Coast Guard’s capabilities in the Arctic.
- United States: The House Committee on Oversight and Reform will hold a hearing on the Trump administration’s strategy in Afghanistan.
- United States: A House Foreign Affairs subcommittee will hold a hearing on human rights and democratic values in Asia.
END
