South Asia
Protests broke out outside the Chinese embassy in Kathmandu as Nepalese authorities confirmed that China’s construction of nine to eleven houses in Humla was an intrusion into Nepalese territory. Reports said that Chinese officials also prevented local residents from accessing the area. [India Today]
28 members of the Afghan police force were killed during multiple attacks by Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan. According to Qari Mohammad Yousuf Ahmadi, the spokesperson for the Taliban, the attacks were a result of the police refusing to surrender to the Taliban fighters. [Al Jazeera]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Nearly two months after testing positive for COVID-19, Uzbekistan’s Deputy Prime Minister Uktam Barnoev died from a stroke arising due to complications from the virus. The 56-year-old died in a German hospital. [RFE/RL]
East and Southeast Asia
Thailand on Thursday, for the first time ever, took legal action against social media giants Facebook and Twitter for ignoring court-issued orders to take down certain content from their platforms. [Straits Times]
The South Korean Defense Ministry confirmed on Thursday that North Korea had shot and killed a missing South Korean official that it had found in its waters. In a statement, the ministry condemned the “brutal act” and demanded an explanation from Pyongyang, along with punishment for the perpetrators. [Yonhap News Agency]
Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told reporters on Wednesday that he had “secured a strong majority” from lawmakers to form a new government. He said that the support he has received signaled the fall of the current Muhyiddin administration and that he had the mandate of the people. [Al Jazeera]
Europe
France, Germany and the United Kingdom, collectively referred to as the E3, have summoned Iran’s ambassadors over concerns of human rights violations by the Iranian authorities. This is a joint effort by the European powers to protest against the arrest of dual nationals in Iran, along with Iran’s ill-treatment of political prisoners in its custody. [The Guardian]
Around 150 protestors were arrested in Minsk after a fresh crackdown following dictatorial President Alexander Lukashenko’s surprise, secret inauguration ceremony. Western powers are refusing to accept his election to office. [Moscow Times]
Bulgaria has deported two Russian diplomats on accusations of espionage and spying. [Reuters]
Russia's Foreign Minister Maria Zakharova announced that the country would be expanding its list of banned European Union officials on a parity basis, and in retaliation for the bloc’s ‘unfriendly’ actions against the Kremlin and its citizens. [TASS]
Latin America and the Caribbean
During his speech at the UN General Assembly, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro blamed the country's Indigenous communities, the press, and NGOs for the ongoing forest fires and the damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic. He said that his administration was the victim of a “disinformation campaign” and that Brazil is a “benchmark in environmental preservation”. and that any fires in the Amazon were due to “Indigenous people and mixed-race farmers burn[ing] their gardens in already deforested areas”. [Telesur]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
At talks held in the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday, the United States and Sudan discussed how the latter could play a role in advancing an Arab-Israeli peace process that includes a two-state solution to the Palestinian issue. Further, the two sides also talked about Sudan’s removal from the US state terrorism sponsors list. [Reuters]
The United Nations Development Programme has announced that it will be shutting down around 300 healthcare centres in Yemen due to a severe dearth of funding. Food handouts are also to be reduced, adding to the insecurities of the war-ravaged country. [The New Arab]
Ahmed Al-Mohaimeed, a Saudi student who rescued a drowning man in Victoria in 2018, was conferred an Australian Bravery Award for his heroism. [Arab News]
At the UNGA, Saudi King Salman called for the disarmament of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group and for a comprehensive answer to the Iran issue. He also expressed his support for Washington to begin talks with Palestine and Israel. [Khaleej Times]
North America
After more than a hundred days of protests across the nation and a month-long investigation into the death of Ms. Breonna Taylor in Louisville KY, a grand jury on Wednesday did not directly charge any officer involved in her shooting, instead indicting one former detective for recklessly firing into another apartment during the raid of Ms. Taylor’s home. Protests erupted in several cities after Kentucky’s attorney general announced the decision. [The New York Times]
When asked if he would commit to a peaceful transition of power after Election Day, US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he would have to “see what happens”, arguing that if mail-in ballots were abandoned, “there won’t be a transfer”, but rather “a continuation” of his administration. [CNN]
US President Donald Trump suggested on Wednesday that the White House could reject tougher FDA guidelines for the emergency-use authorization of a COVID-19 vaccine, saying that the agency’s decision to revise the standards “was a political move more than anything else”. [POLITICO]
Oceania
Australia’s 2nd largest bank, Westpac, has been fined over $1 billion, after it was revealed that it had committed 23 million breaches of financial law in 2019. [news.com.au]
Sub-Saharan Africa
After leading anti-government protests that led to the arrest of 34 civilians and four journalists, Cameroonian opposition leader Maurice Kamto has been placed under house arrest. [Africa Feeds]
The Somalian parliament has approved the appointment of Mohamed Hussein Roble as the new prime minister, with 215 lawmakers backing President Mohamed Farmaajo’s choice. He replaces former PM Hassan Ali Khaire, who was voted out of office by the same parliament in July for failing to facilitate the conditions for free and fair elections before February 2021. [Radio Dalsan]
World News Monitor: 24 September, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
September 24, 2020
SOURCE: DNA