South Asia
Piyush Goyal, Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, urged members of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) to strengthen its partnership with India and “nurture innovation and move towards the establishment of a transparent, fair and rational new international political economic order.” The statement was made during the inauguration event of the first SCO Start-up forum. [Financial Express]
During the second meeting of the India-Central Asia Dialogue, which was also attended by Afghanistan, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar announced the extension of a $1 billion line of credit for Central Asian countries for developmental projects in the region. [The Print]
On Wednesday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs released a statement strongly condemning the “personal attacks” on French President Emmanuel Macron. There has been a severe backlash faced against Macron’s statement on Islamic radicalism from Muslim communities across the world. [Hindustan Times]
Central Asia and the Caucasus
Deadly clashes between Armenian and Azerbaijani forces have intensified, with several civilian casualties being reported in urban areas in Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory as well as in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Baku said that 70 civilians were injured and 21 killed in a Smerch rocket system attack in the city of Barda on Wednesday, while the Armenian Defence Ministry said that forces from the other side attacked civilian areas in NKR, including a maternity clinic and a hospital in Stepanakert. [RFE/RL]
After having banned the award-winning satirical American comedy film Borat in 2006 due to its offensive stereotyping of Kazakh culture and identity, the Kazakhstan government has now adopted the titular character’s catchphrase “Very nice!” as its official tourism slogan following the release of the film’s sequel. [CNN]
East and Southeast Asia
South Korea on Wednesday joined Japan in its pledge to become carbon neutral by 2050. President Moon Jae-in said Seoul would invest 2.4 trillion won (USD 2.1 billion) next year to replace coal-based energy production with renewable energy options. [Channel News Asia]
Anti-government protesters in Thailand have said that their movement will not end even if PM Prayut Chan-o-cha agrees to step down, but will continue until the country sees a more democratic constitution as well as more accountability for the King. [Bloomberg Quint]
Typhoon Molave made landfall in Vietnam, killing at least two, with almost 26 others missing. Relief officials have said that the destruction is some of the worst seen in years. [Al Jazeera]
China’s top climate official Li Gao on Wednesday accused the US of deflecting blame and breaking its promises regarding its fight against climate change. Mr Li pointed to the US’ withdrawal from the Paris agreement and said that Washington was responsible for its own environmental failures. [Reuters]
Europe
The Danish Parliament is set to present a bill to ban foreign funding of mosques. The bill was presented by Danish Integration Minister Mattias Tesfaye, who said that this was a crucial measure to counter extremism and radicalism in Denmark. [Middle East Monitor]
In a win for Ukraine, a Dutch court has disqualified Justice Duco Oranje from ruling on the Scythian Gold case since the judge was found to have a conflict of interest, having worked closely with Russian lawyers involved in the case. The case revolves around a Scythian Gold collection displayed at Amsterdam’s Allard Pierson Museum, which was initially put on view prior to the annexation of Crimea by Moscow. The handover of over 2,000 gold items is now under dispute as both Russia and Ukraine claim Crimea, and thereby the exhibits, as their own. [TASS]
Latin America and the Caribbean
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador declared that he would outlaw subcontracting or outsourcing of jobs by private companies in order to protect worker rights and ensure that they are offered the benefits they are entitled to. [Associated Press]
Middle East and North Africa (MENA)
On Tuesday, Israel announced that Washington will be lifting its ban on funding scientific research activities by Israel in the occupied West Bank and Golan Heights territories. Palestinian officials have not yet commented on the move. [Reuters]
Israel’s Health Ministry has ruled that sexual assaults do not count as medical emergencies, angering social workers. “A sexual assault is a harsh, traumatic event with psychological and physical ramifications, but it doesn’t necessarily meet the definition of a medical emergency under the Patients’ Rights Law. In particular, it’s hard to argue that this is a medical emergency as defined by law when the victim isn’t even going to a medical institution and the contact is solely by phone,” they said. [Haaretz]
An Iranian aircraft owned by a firm sanctioned by the US over alleged arms shipments to Syria arrived in Venezuela, another US-sanctioned country, yesterday. Tehran and Caracas have strengthened their ties as they seek ways out of crippling economic crises worsened by American embargoes, helping each other overcome fuel shortages and tanker shipment roadblocks. [Middle East Monitor]
North America
The CEOs of Facebook, Google and Twitter appeared before the US Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee over their content moderation policies. Republicans accused the tech giants for censoring conservative viewpoints, while Democrats urged the CEOs to do more to stop the spread of disinformation. The Democrats also criticized the timing of the hearing, arguing that it was just another attempt to bully people for electoral purposes. [CNN]
Protests continued in Philadelphia for a second consecutive night, following the fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. by the police on Monday. Philadelphia Governor Tom Wolf said on Tuesday that several hundred National Guard personnel were being deployed to the city to ensure peaceful protests. [NBC News]
US President Donald Trump lifted tariffs on raw aluminium imports from Canada on Tuesday, but said he retained the right to reimpose them if there was a surge in imports. [Al Jazeera]
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo labelled the Chinese Communist Party as a “predator” on Wednesday, during an official visit to Sri Lanka, which has received huge investment and diplomatic support from Beijing. [The Straits Times]
Oceania
Australian PM Scott Morrison named two new justices to the High Court to replace the retiring Justice Kevin Bell and Justice Geoffrey Nettle. They will be replaced by Simon Steward and Jacqueline Gleeson. The pair were recently appointed by Governor General David Hurley, who chose to promote them from the Federal Court of Australia. [Canberra Times]
In other news, PM Morrison has suggested that there could be further tax cuts and stimulus payments on the way if the current plan doesn’t adequately lift the country out of the coronavirus-induced recession. The PM said that the government would review its plan during the mid-year budget update in December. [The Age]
Sub-Saharan Africa
It is estimated that at least 30 people have been killed in the aftermath of a disputed election in Guinea that saw President Alpha Condé maintain his incumbency. The result has been contested by opposition leader Cellou Dalein Diallo, who had earlier proclaimed himself victorious. [Africa Feeds]
World News Monitor: 29 October, 2020
A quick look at events from around the globe.
October 29, 2020
Protests in Philadelphia after fatal shooting of Walter Wallace Jr. by the police on Monday. SOURCE: NBC