Key Storylines
- AFRICA: UN economists said illicit financial flows out of Africa are costing the continent $89 billion annually and undermining the progress made by African countries to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
- AMERICAS: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced further US sanctions on Cuba, adding a Cuban company that handles remittances to its restricted list.
- ASIA: Cabinet advisors told Chinese government officials they will have to undertake multiple reforms in order to shift to a new economic strategy that relies mainly on domestic consumption.
- EUROPE: French President Emmanuel Macron met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya during his visit to Lithuania, with Tsikhanouskaya saying after the meeting that Macron promised to help negotiate the release of political prisoners in Belarus.
- MIDDLE EAST: Saudi Arabia says it arrested 10 people who belong to a “terrorist cell”, some of whom had previous training at Revolutionary Guard camps in Iran.
- TECH & COMMUNICATIONS: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte questioned if Facebook should be allowed to function in his country after the website got rid of accounts that backed his government’s interests.
Top Story
- Global: Coronavirus death toll now more than 1 million.
- The worldwide number of deaths caused by the coronavirus crossed 1 million, according to the Johns Hopkins University.
- The US, Brazil and India are the most affected countries, accounting for almost half of the more than 1 million people who died during the global pandemic.
- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called the grim statistic “an agonizing milestone,” and a “mind-numbing figure.”
- The death rate of the coronavirus also increased in recent weeks, driven by simultaneous infection surges in different countries.
- Meanwhile, the amount of confirmed cases worldwide currently stands at more than 33 million, of which approximately 10 million are active cases, according to the John Hopkins University’s data.
- Reporting: DPA, AP, WaPo, BBC, NYT, Reuters, WSJ
Africa
- Region: UN economists said illicit financial flows out of Africa are costing the continent $89 billion annually and undermining the progress made by African countries to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. (VOA)
- Region: A petition opposing the uncontested reelection of Chadian politician Moussa Faki Mahamat as the Chairman of the African Union Commission started. (VOA)
- Sudan: Gunmen from a rebel faction that rejected the country’s recent landmark peace deal attacked the country’s troops in the Darfur region, before being repelled successfully by the troops. (AFP)
Americas
- Region: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced further US sanctions on Cuba, adding a Cuban company that handles remittances to its restricted list. (DPA)
- Bolivia: Economy Minister Oscar Ortiz, Labor Minister Oscar Mercado and Productive Development Minister Jose Abel Martinez quit their posts, pushing the country’s interim government into another crisis ahead of the upcoming presidential election. (Deutsche Welle)
- Mexico: Protesters in Mexico City threw molotov cocktails at police officers after clashes broke out between them during a protest demanding the legalization of abortion. (Reuters)
- Nicaragua: President Daniel Ortega’s ruling party proposed legislation that could enable the government to clamp down on the media and NGOs, which opponents say is a move aimed at controlling the opposition and the media. (Reuters)
- United States: Wildfires broke out in the state of California again causing three deaths and leading to evacuation orders for 70,000 people. (AP)
Asia
- Region: The brother of the South Korean fisheries official who was executed by North Korean troops last week rejected the South Korean government’s claim that his brother expressed any willingness to defect to the North Korean soldiers. (Reuters)
- China: Cabinet advisors told government officials they will have to undertake multiple reforms in order to shift to a new economic strategy that relies mainly on domestic consumption. (Reuters)
- India: Amnesty International said the government’s “reprisals” and “witch-hunt of human rights organizations” forced it to halt its operations in the country. (BBC)
- Thailand: General Narongpan Jittkaewtae was appointed as Army Chief in an annual military reshuffling, with Gen. Jittkaewtae vowing to take a hard-line against anti-government groups and protecting the monarchy. (Reuters)
Europe
- Region: Armenia and Azerbaijan continue to trade accusations of firing into each other’s territory far from the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict zone, as the worst episode of violence between the two countries raged for a third day and the civilian death toll mounted. (Reuters)
- Region: French President Emmanuel Macron met with Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya during his visit to Lithuania, with Tsikhanouskaya saying after the meeting that Macron promised to help negotiate the release of political prisoners in Belarus. (Reuters)
- Hungary: Prime Minister Viktor Orban demanded the resignation of an EU Commissioner, Vera Jourova, for her “latest derogatory public statements.” after she called the media landscape in the country “alarming.” (Deutsche Welle)
- Netherlands: The government announced new coronavirus measures and restrictions, including avoiding non-essential travel between the cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. (BBC)
Middle East
- Region: Saudi Arabia says it arrested 10 people who belong to a “terrorist cell”, some of whom had previous training at Revolutionary Guard camps in Iran. (AFP)
- Iraq: Five people died and two were left wounded in a rocket attack near Baghdad’s international airport. (AP)
- United Arab Emirates: The country seeks to send an unmanned mission to the moon in 2024. (AP)
Tech & Communications
- Social Media: Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte questioned if Facebook should be allowed to function in his country after the website got rid of accounts that backed his government’s interests. (AP)
World
- Cyclones: Nothing to report.
- Hurricanes: Nothing to report.
- Earthquakes: Nothing to report.
- Volcanoes: Nothing to report.
- Global Disease Outbreaks:
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
- Confirmed Cases as of 29SEP20: 33,384,153
- Total Recovered Cases as of 29SEP20: 23,167,288
- Deaths as of 29SEP20: 1,002,296
- 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 19SEP20: 118
- Probable Cases as of 19SEP20: 6
- Deaths as of 19SEP20: 48
- Sourcing: WHO
- COVID-19 Coronavirus Disease: Global
Tomorrow’s Outlook (30SEP20)
- Global: The UN will hold a Summit on Biodiversity, with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen expected to endorse a pledge during the event.
- Global: The third Urban 20 (U20) Mayors Summit will be held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (to 02OCT)
- Global: The UN’s International Translation Day – 2018
- Europe: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit Greece, Italy, the Holy See, and Croatia. (to 02OCT)
- Europe: The “European Central Bank and Its Watchers Conference” will be held in Frankfurt, Germany, with ECB President Christine Lagarde and the central bank governors of France, Germany and Spain expected to attend.
- Europe: The Environment Ministers of EU member-states will hold informal meetings. (to 01OCT)
- Botswana: Independence/Botswana Day – 1966
- France: An appeals court will decide whether alleged Rwandan genocide financier Felicien Kabuga will stand trial in the country or in a UN tribunal in Tanzania.
- Germany: The government’s blanket ban on travel from non-EU countries due to the global coronavirus pandemic expires.
- Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to address the Bundestag and speak on a proposed budget.
- Latvia: French President Emmanuel Macron will visit.
- Lebanon: Parliament is expected to discuss an amnesty law due to a spike in coronavirus cases in the country’s jails. (to 01OCT)
- Pakistan: Afghanistan’s reconciliation chief Abdullah Abdullah will visit and meet with Prime Minister Imran Khan.
- Spain: The IMF will release the concluding statement of its Annual Economic Review of the country.
- United Kingdom: The government and the European Union will hold Brexit negotiations.
- United Kingdom: The government will publish its final GDP data for Q2 2020.
- United States: President Donald Trump is scheduled to visit Minnesota.
- United States: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin will speak at the “Delivering Alpha” conference.
- United States: Deadline for a funding deal to be reached to avoid a federal government shutdown.
- United States: The Congressional-Executive Commission on China will hold a hearing on the human rights situation in Tibet.
- United States: The government will publish its final GDP data for Q2 2020.
- United States: The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold its latest hearing on the FBI’s ‘Crossfire Hurricane’ investigation.
- United States: NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine will testify to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation.
- United States: The House Committee on Foreign Affairs will hold a hearing on democracy in sub-Saharan Africa.
- United States: The House Armed Services Committee will hold a hearing on US defense policy in the European theater.
- United States: Acting USAID Administrator John Barsa, Uzbekistan’s Ambassador to the US, and Tajikistan’s Ambassador to the US will speak at a Heritage Foundation event on Central Asia.
- Vietnam: British Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab to visit and discuss a potential trade deal.
- Zimbabwe: Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera will visit and meet with President Emmerson Mnangagwa. (to 01OCT)
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