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Every weekend, Asia Pacific Daily will provide you with a run-down of the latest hot news.
This week, the following hot news you should know:
Top 1 | Trump to reveal Supreme Court pick by Saturday in bid to fill seat before election
President Donald Trump raced on Monday to cement a conservative majority on the U.S. Supreme Court before the Nov. 3 election, telling reporters he planned by Saturday to reveal his pick to succeed liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said he was zeroing in on one or two candidates among five who are under consideration. He called on the Senate, controlled by his fellow Republicans, to vote on confirmation before the election in which he is seeking a second term.
Two federal appeals court judges appointed by Trump are clear front-runners: Amy Coney Barrett of the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and Barbara Lagoa of the Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Trump met with Barrett at the White House on Monday, according to a source familiar with the situation.
Top 2 | Merkel disagrees with security hawks, resists ban on Huawei
German Chancellor Angela Merkel stands against a full ban on China's technology giant Huawei opposing negotiators working on rules for the country's fifth-generation wireless networks, according to the U.S. news agency Bloomberg.
The rules, which were meant for entitling key cabinet members to scrutinize equipment vendors, would unlikely turn into a de facto ban on Huawei despite room for change, according to Bloomberg, citing people familiar with the matter.
Sources told Bloomberg that Merkel has insisted that Germany mustn't rule out Huawei with a full ban, making Germany differ from the United Kingdom and France in terms of Huawei's involvement in 5G network infrastructures. The UK has already imposed a ban denying Huawei's access to its 5G network market while the French government also issued rules that restrict the operators to use 5G kit from the Chinese technology company.
Top 3 | TikTok confirms proposed deal with Oracle, Walmart as U.S. delays app store ban by one week
TikTok on Saturday confirmed that it has reached a proposed deal with U.S. companies Oracle and Walmart.
"We are pleased that the proposal by Tiktok, Oracle, and Walmart will resolve the security concerns of the U.S. administration and settle the question around TikTok's future in the U.S.," the company said in a statement.
Oracle will become TikTok's technology provider and it's also working with Walmart on a commercial partnership, the statement said. Shortly after TikTok confirmed the deal, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced an order to delay TikTok's U.S. app store ban by a week until September 27. Trump on Saturday told reporters at the White House he backs the deal with TikTok owner ByteDance, Oracle and Walmart.
Top 4 | Trump imposes new bans against Cuba after Havana criticizes U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump banned U.S. citizens from bringing home rum or cigars from Cuba and from staying at Cuban government-owned hotelson Wednesday two days after Havana criticized U.S. as the biggest threat to world peace and international security.
In a virtual address during the High-Level Meeting Monday to commemorate the UN's 75th anniversary, Cuba's Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla denounced America's empire behaviors, including promotion of conflicts, unconventional and commercial wars, and the imposition of severe unilateral coercive measures on independent nations not to his liking.
The foreign minister also said the U.S. squanders financial and material resources that are indispensable for peoples' sustainable development in the arms race, and called on the international community to reaffirm their commitment to the principles of international law and promote multilateralism and cooperation around the world.
Top 5 | Lukashenko sworn in as Belarusian president
Alexander Lukashenko was sworn in as the president of Belarus Wednesday in the Palace of Independence, the official news agency Belta said.
The report said that the swearing-in ceremony took place in the capital of Minsk with several hundred top government officials, lawmakers, representatives of media organizations and other prominent figures present.
Holding his right hand on the Constitution, 66-year-old Lukashenko took the oath in Belarusian. Belarus has been witnessing mass protests after incumbent President Lukashenko won a sixth term in the August 9 elections, with the opposition refusing to recognize the results. According to the official results, Lukashenko, who has run the ex-Soviet nation of 9.5 million, won 80 percent of the vote. His strongest opponent, Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya, got 10 percent.
Top 6 | Cindy McCain crosses party lines, formally endorses Joe Biden for president
Cindy McCain, the widow of Sen. John McCain, has crossed party lines to offer her endorsement of Joe Biden, the Democratic nominee for president.
“I, like everyone else, want to have a president that will have my back, that shows empathy and compassion, who has courage and dignity in how they lead and that's Joe Biden,” McCain said on ABC's "Good Morning America" Wednesday morning. “I've known Joe for over 40 years, and my husband and I were good friends with them. And I just felt like it was time to take a stand on this,” she said.
McCain first offered her endorsement in a statement released Tuesday night. News of Cindy McCain's endorsement first came from Biden himself, who revealed during a virtual fundraiser Tuesday afternoon that he was speaking with her about her impending endorsement.
Top 7 | Labour MP slams Johnson's Brexit Bill, says it is 'straight out of Donald Trump playbook'
Johnson's Internal Market Bill sent shockwaves through Brussels, as it provides that the country may roll back some of the commitments on state aid and customs checks on goods entering Northern Ireland, thus overriding the withdrawal deal.
Shadow Justice Secretary David Lammy has criticised Prime Minister Boris Johnson's Brexit bill, adding that it makes Justice Secretary Robert Buckland look "a very small figure", media reported on Sunday.
Lammy compared the legislation to something US President Donald Trump would do, saying "It's a playbook. Notes are passed, strategies discussed". The MP also believes that Johnson "hasn't really got a position" and will take what's "most advantageous to him" at the moment, which he considers a threat since his chief adviser Dominic Cummings is described as a "revolutionary".
Top 8 | Queen Elizabeth II to trim costs as COVID-19 hits income
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II and her family are facing a 35 million pound ($45 million) hit from the coronavirus pandemic, partly due to a shortage of tourists, the monarch’s money-manager said Friday.
Releasing the royal household’s annual accounts, Keeper of the Privy Purse Michael Stevens said a lack of income from visitors to royal buildings was likely to bring a general funding shortfall of 15 million pounds ($19 million) over three years.
He said the impact of the pandemic is also likely to cause a 20 million-pound ($25.4 million) shortfall in a 10-year, 369-million-pound program to replace antiquated heating, plumbing and wiring at Buckingham Palace, the queen’s London home. Officials have said the palace’s aging infrastructure, which had its last major upgrade after World War II, is at risk of a catastrophic failure if it’s not replaced.
Top 9 | New Zealand's Ardern seen cruising to victory in election
New Zealand's ruling Labour Party has lost some support since July as the coronavirus resurged in Auckland, but it is still set to win the upcoming general election on October 17 comfortably, an opinion poll showed on Tuesday.
The 1 News Colmar Brunton poll showed support for Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's party, which is seeking a second term in office, stood at 48 percent, down five percentage points since the last poll in late July.
The opposition National Party also lost one percentage point, taking it to 31 percent, under newly elected leader Judith Collins. The results mean Labour would get 62 seats and can govern alone without forming a coalition.
Top 10 | Lebanon’s Premier-Designate Urges Faster Cabinet Formation in Line With French Initiative
Lebanese Prime Minister-designate Mustapha Adib urged on Monday all the parties responsible for resolving the long-standing national crisis to foster the formation of a new government, in line with France's initiative to help the crisis-stricken country seek financial assistance on the condition of a functional cabinet.
The prime minister highlighted that Lebanon could not afford to sit idle amid the month-long unprecedented economic, financial, social and economic crises that the country has been experiencing.
"Everyone should work immediately to ensure the success of the French initiative that paves the way for Lebanon to gain control over the situation and stop its fast deterioration," Adib added. The official stressed that any additional delay might exacerbate and deepen the crisis, driving the nation into greater poverty.
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(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)
